TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) – We are continuing our coverage of Nexstar’s 2022 Remarkable Women contest with our final nominee.
Last week, we introduced you to Beth Hansel. This week, we are sharing nominee Dr. Crystal Reynolds’s story with you.
Dr. Reynolds’s list of accomplishments is long.
She holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s of Science in history and a Ph.D. in education from Indiana State University. She has been an instructor at Ivy Tech and Indiana State University, and even Indiana’s State Prison program.
Through all of her job titles and accomplishments, Dr. Reynolds has one main goal: to tell the history of Terre Haute.
“If you go and read about history and tell the story, and also learn from it, I mean that’s important,” Dr. Reynolds said.
Dr. Reynolds was described by her Remarkable Women nominator, as a titan.
“She has worked tirelessly to represent those without a voice and has been an educator and supporter of countless Terre Hautians. As an African American woman growing up in inner city New Orleans, the odds were always stacked against Crystal. However, she has broken barrier after barrier after barrier on her journey to becoming an influential woman and scholar. Her credentials include a BS/MS in History from Indiana State University and a Ph.D in Education from Indiana State University (where her dissertation won an award). Subsequently, she attended Tulane University where she received her Juris Doctorate before returning to Terre Haute,”
Alvin Reynolds Jr., nominator
After working as an instructor at higher education institutions, she now works as a case worker at the Hamilton Center.
Though Dr. Reynolds has worn many hats throughout her lifetime, one passion remains the same: storytelling.
“It’s not about me, it’s about me getting the stories of other people out. Because this is awkward for me, telling my story, because I’ve never told my own story, telling my own story is really awkward. I want to tell other people’s stories,” Dr. Reynolds said.
This is exactly what Dr. Reynolds has done. She said Terre Haute and Vigo County have a long history of people of color doing remarkable things, but many of those things have yet to be uncovered.
Dr. Reynolds does many presentations as well as tours throughout the community to teach people about history and facts that continue to be unveiled.
“I have decided that I have to teach about the history of Terre Haute and the history of people of color in Terre Haute because when you tell the history of people of color, you’re telling the history of everybody,” Dr. Reynolds said.
“I would be remiss if I did not note her work as a prominent Terre Haute historian. You have likely seen Crystal’s “Hidden History” tours or attended her well regarded play highlighting the achievements of successful Terre Haute women. You may have also seen her recognized for her work advocating for civil rights. However, that is only a fraction of the work that she does, most of it behind the scenes, to support local/regional organizations. Notably, Crystal is a pioneer when it comes to the history of Blacks at Indiana State University and in Terre Haute more broadly,”
Alvin Reynolds Jr., nominator
One of the things Dr. Reynolds has uncovered is Frederick Douglass’ signature that was tucked away at the Vigo County Historical Museum.
“I always say that I uncovered it because it was in a box. And this was like a priceless signature, there are very few of his signatures in the world. And it was in a box on a napkin, I mean a piece of stationery, in a closet, and I’m the one that told them about it,” Dr. Reynolds said.
Aside from Douglass’ signature, Dr. Reynolds said she continues to donate items to the museum to keep the conversation about the history of people of color in Terre Haute going.
“A lot of these things are things that I’ve donated to them or loaned them because our museum has very few things about African Americans or Hispanics or Asians,” Dr. Reynolds said.
She said she is honored to have received the Remarkable Women nomination, but she wasn’t sure if she was going to participate at first.
Dr. Reynolds said that by participating, she hopes it will inspire someone else to learn more about the history of Terre Haute.
“I do have the time and I’m making the time because I want people to know what I’m doing. I want them to know about the extraordinary history, I want to shed light to that,” Dr. Reynolds said.
Dr. Reynolds is the last nominee for our Remarkable Women contest.
