socioeconomic

Game Changer

“It became my mission to change the way people saw Gary, how people saw people of color, and the knowledge they had of people of color because it was hurtful.” Paste Soundcloud or YouTube code here. Produced by Rebecca Werner with interviews recorded by StoryCorps, a national nonprofit whose mission is to provide Americans of all […]

How Do I Contribute?

“And the fact that people always, like, write off Gary as this horrible place made me feel like I just had to have this conviction to like, change people’s minds, and to be there, and make a difference.” Produced by Rebecca Werner with interviews recorded by StoryCorps, a national nonprofit whose mission is to provide […]

One Common Cause

“Part of being part of a community is reaching out and helping out each other and being there for each other.”   Produced and edited for the Welcome Project by Rebecca Werner and Brandi Casada. Transcript for One Common Cause I grew up in the Aetna section of Gary. And I may get emotional on […]

Wrong Side of the Tracks

“When he found out we were from Aetna, he never spoke to us again.” Produced and edited for the Welcome Project by Rebecca Werner and Brandi Casada. Transcript for Wrong Side of the Tracks The different areas of town, that was something that folks took a big pride in, we all did. Of course in […]

Demonized Community

“… people bought into this notion that no one wants to live in Gary…”   Editing by Welcome Project intern Brandi Casada. Transcript for Demonized Community The first neighborhood that I remember growing up in was on the East Side of Gary on Massachusetts Street. And my parents brought me home from the hospital there, […]

Really Nice Subdivision

“I think that a lot of the affluent white people here, if you really got inside their heads, they’d just prefer it to be lily-white.” This story is part of our Flight Paths initiative. Produced by Rebecca Werner for the Welcome Project. Transcript for Really Nice Subdivision In my neighborhood, in Glen Park, nobody had […]

It Takes Time

“I can’t imagine why some forward-thinking company wouldn’t want to do something…” This story is part of our Flight Paths initiative. Produced by Rebecca Werner for the Welcome Project. Transcript for It Takes Time Anybody that I’ve ever talked to about Gary has the same view that I do: that’s it’s a total lost cause. […]

Dodged A Bullet

“I don’t know why I was anxious. I guess everything just looked so distressed.” This story is part of our Flight Paths initiative. Produced by Rebecca Werner for the Welcome Project. Transcript for Dodged A Bullet I took music lessons from a guy that lived in downtown Gary, so I had to get on the […]