Monster Meetings

Monster Meetings were a lecture series based in the Senate Avenue YMCA in Indianapolis, Indiana, where influential people from across the United States spoke about social and political issues.

History
Monster Meetings were originally called "Big Meetings", but as the statewide YMCA meetings were also called that, the Senate YMCA was prevented from using that title. Instead, Thomas E. Taylor changed the name to "Monster Meetings." Originally, the meetings focused on religious issues, hosting local ministers. After Faburn DeFrantz took on a leadership position in the Senate Avenue YMCA, they involved political and social issue speakers from across the United States. These meetings started in 1905.

Monster Meetings, which took place November-March on Sundays, was highly popular in downtown Indianapolis according to the Indianapolis Recorder. Thomas E. Taylor was an influential figure in putting together the meetings. While the meetings primarily featured men and hosted male speakers, women were invited by 1906 to participate. Some of the speakers were key women leaders, like Merze Tate. Other such women speakers included Eleanor Roosevelt and Irene McCoy Gaines.

The meetings featured speakers such as W. E. B. Du Bois, Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver, Mordecai Wyatt Johnson, Eleanor Roosevelt, and many other important national figures. While it was based in the Senate Avenue YMCA, the meetings also took place in Bethel A.M.E. Church, Walker Theatre, and the Second Baptist Church. According to the Indiana Historical Bureau, the speakers coincided with major events in history such as when Freeman Ransom gave a talk in the 1930s during the Great Depression about unemployment.

There were also white speakers that participated in the Monster Meetings such as Indiana politicians. In 1927, they created a Monster Meetings group for children.

Monster Meetings also had associated committees such as Citizen's Committee of One Hundred and its subcommittees that focused on enacting change within Indiana policy to counter harmful policies that affect the Black community. The meetings also participated in putting together the Anti-Segregation Bill for Indiana.

In 1947-1952, DeFrantz instituted a Emblem Club Racial Amity which awarded white individuals who contributed greatly to the Black community.

In 1959, the Senate Avenue YMCA moved to Fall Creek and in 2002, the Fall Creek YMCA was closed down. In 2022, Indianapolis community members stated they wanted to reignite Monster Meetings and invited Ilyasah Shabazz.

Speakers
Below is an incomplete list of notable Monster Meeting speakers as recorded by Warren Stanley. Langston Hughes is also a notable speaker.