On April 25, 2024, Edward Curtis, Plater Chair of the Liberal Arts (Indiana University-Indianapolis), led the official ceremony to dedicate Indiana Historical Bureau’s Syrian Quarter marker at Lucas Oil Stadium, where immigrants from the Eastern Mediterranean developed the first Arabic-speaking neighborhood in Indianapolis. Speakers included Curtis, who is also President of Arab Indianapolis Foundation, Inc; Maria Nimri, St. George Church member; Josh Chitwood, filmmaker of “When We Were Syrian” and descendant of a Syrian Quarter family; Ron Ellis, grandson of Abraham and Latifa Freije; State Sen. Fady Qaddoura; State Sen. Andrea Hunley; and Casey Pfeiffer, Indiana Historical Bureau marker program director. SLA Professor Sue Hyatt and SLA alum Jill Weiss Simins were also on hand to cheer the marker’s dedication. You can watch the ceremony on Vimeo by clicking here.
