The Gary International Black Film Festival returns for its 15th year Oct. 9-12 at Indiana University Northwest, bringing more than 40 films, panel discussions, and cultural events to the city. Continuing its tradition of bringing filmmakers to Gary, the festival will feature films from local, regional, and international filmmakers that tell stories across the diaspora. […]
Culture
Posted inCommunity, Culture
Gary’s Brown Family Ranch Comes Alive With Rodeo Spirit
Photos by Javonte Anderson, Capital B Gary Editor. The Brown Family Ranch in Gary came alive on a toasty September weekend as riders and families packed the gallery. Barrel racing, relay races, and flag racing carried the action well into the night. Away from the arena, quieter moments unfolded around the competition: a horse being […]
Posted inArts
Roosevelt Graduate Highlights Gary Through a New TV Series
When filmmaker TJ Chester graduated from Roosevelt High School, she knew she wanted to change how people looked at Gary. And for her, that was through a camera and a movie-maker clapperboard. “We have so many different creatives here in Gary, and none of us are being recognized for what we’re trying to do in […]
Posted inArts, Community, Culture, Events
Gary Honors Deniece ‘Songbird’ Williams With Mural on Broadway
Dozens gathered Thursday at the corner of 25th Avenue and Broadway as the city of Gary dedicated a new mural honoring hometown legend Deniece “Songbird” Williams, a four-time Grammy Award-winning singer and proud daughter of Gary. As DJs played her classics, from “Black Butterfly” to “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle,” local politicians took the stage […]
Posted inHistory
The Long Journey to Preserve Emmett Till’s Story, 70 Years After His Lynching
At about 9 a.m. local time on Thursday, the Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr. arrived by train in Greenwood, Mississippi. He traveled for nearly 13 hours from Chicago aboard the Amtrak City of New Orleans. This first-of-its-kind commemorative ride was done to honor the life of his cousin and best friend, Emmett Till. Parker and Till […]
Posted inBusiness, Community, Culture
From One Chair to a City Staple: This Gary Barbershop Is Keeping Tradition Alive
This month, in celebration of Black Business Month, Capital B Gary is publishing a series of stories highlighting businesses, business owners, and entrepreneurs in the city. At 12 years old, William “Bill” Coker came home from the barber college with a haircut he hated. Disappointed, he grabbed the clippers his mother kept in the house […]
Posted inArts, Community, History
Gary Youth Bring History to Life Through Art in ‘Greatness of Gary’ Project
The smell of pancakes filled J’s Breakfast Club as people crowded in, hoping to grab a bite to eat and catch the commotion unfolding in the back of the restaurant. A crowd of people huddled together around tables, artworks, and snacks on Sunday as Gary native and world-renowed artist PeQue prepared to unveil the monthslong […]
Posted inBusiness, Community Spotlight
A Taste of Home: Sistas with Soul Brings Soul Food to Broadway
At the corner of 13th Avenue and Broadway, the smell of a home-cooked meal wafts to the sidewalk as the doors to Sistas with Soul open. Inside, Pamela Junior stands behind the counter, greeting regulars, welcoming newcomers, and serving food. Her sister, Alici’a Junior, slips between the kitchen and dining room, frying fish in the […]
Posted inArts, Community, Culture
Gary’s Jackson 5 Mural: It’s Bigger. It’s Better. And It’s Back.
In 2013, when the first Jackson 5 mural was unveiled in downtown Gary, it became one of the most beloved pieces of public art in the city. But over time, it gradually deteriorated and the building was torn down in 2018. Now, over a decade later, the mural has been reborn on Lake Street. Commissioned […]
Posted inLGBTQ
Gary Pride Parade Ended Years Ago. Residents Still Feel Its Absence.
Tyona Jackson Wesley-Stitt still recalls the hot June day in 2008 when marchers swung from 25th and Adams Street onto Taft Street and claimed Gary’s first Pride parade, capping it with a family picnic at Marquette Park. She had formed Rainbow Days, a local grassroots group, two years earlier, laying the foundation for what would […]