“We were in school one day, the next day when we went back, the entire white population of students were gone.” Transcript for The Strike at Froebel I was totally shocked when I moved to Gary. For the simple reason, I had not encountered some of the prejudice in Detroit in school that I encountered […]
education
Bigger Forces Swirling
“I realized that my little Wonder Bread existence in Miller was not quite what I thought it was.” Transcript for Bigger Forces Swirling I grew up in the Miller section of Gary in the late 1960s through the ‘70s, and it was a typical white, suburbia, middle-class upbringing, but it was changing. Everything was in […]
Hitting Home
“I was starting to grow up and see things the way my parents were seeing them.” Transcript for Hitting Home The school I went to in Detroit was what they say now was integrated. When I came here to Gary, there was an East Pulaski and a West Pulaski. East Pulaski was for my people, […]
Vulnerability Is Power
“If you can find security in where you are, then you can open up your ability to be vulnerable.” Produced by intern Marcus Boas. Vulnerability Is Power I started to understand during my time here…and I found to be effective that, because people would do ignorant things it did not mean that it should prompt […]
Felt a Lot of Pride
“I was thinking black power was a good thing.” Produced by Rebecca Werner with interviews recorded by StoryCorps, a national nonprofit whose mission is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, share, and preserve the stories of our lives. www.storycorps.org Felt a Lot of Pride I was born in Terre […]
Life has Yin and Yang
“Key things happen in your life that trigger you… put you on your path.” Produced by Dan Funderburg. Thanks to the Office of Multicultural Programs for organizing a story collection day during the Black Alumni Reunion. Transcript for Life has Yin and Yang I was fearful, anxious, and excited. The ride to Valparaiso, my dad […]
Forty Years an Educator
“Never, ever look the other way.” Edited by Reagan Skaggs. Transcript for Forty Years an Educator I probably over the years have had a couple incidents where someone used a racist term in class because there were no people of color in that classroom, and so they felt safe in doing it. And a lot […]
No One Ever Told Me That
“I feel safe on campus, but the fact that there were people willing to oppress minorities and make them feel like they shouldn’t be here, were moments where I was like, ‘Ummm, maybe I shouldn’t be here?’” Produced by Megan Martinez from an interview she conducted for the Welcome Project. Transcript for No One […]
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 […]