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 […]
Culture
Posted inCommunity, History
‘You Can’t Take This Melanin Away’: Gary Celebrates Juneteenth
On a hot and sunny Thursday, Gary’s Midtown neighborhood welcomed a flurry of Juneteenth flags, shirts, and camaraderie as community members gathered to celebrate the holiday. Chants, laughter, and music filled the air as the parade celebrated the Black holiday. “It’s so nice that the weather opened up,” said one parade attendee as she danced […]
Posted inCommunity Spotlight
She Was Born and Raised in Gary. Now, She’s Bound for the Skies.
Trinity Hobbs, a 24-year-old flight attendant from Gary, remembers the excitement she felt when she got her conditional job offer from American Airlines. “I feel very accomplished, because now I have an actual career where I get to enjoy life and get to help others enjoy life as well. So I’m very blessed. I feel […]
Posted inArts
Meet the Gary Playwright Helping Youth Find Their Voice Through Theater
From a young age, Charbria Shine knew the stage would be part of her life, even if it meant starting as a mascot and finishing as a playwright. A cheer mascot in kindergarten, she went on to dance at church and landed the lead role in a play on her first try. Her place in […]
Posted inCommunity Spotlight
Restoration Project Brings New Life to Hatcher Park and Marshalltown Marsh
Glimmers of the evening sun shining through the trees gave Vertis Shirley all the light she needed to catch a glimpse of a gray catbird through her binoculars. “Right there on that tiny little branch,” said Kayla Lindsey-Fisher, senior stewardship associate for Audubon Great Lakes, as she directed Shirley’s attention to the spot where the […]
Posted inArts
She Styled Beyoncé’s Tour. Now She Wants to Rebuild the Arts in Gary.
When Sankara McCain walked across the stage to graduate from Emerson School for Visual and Performing Arts, she didn’t know where her arts journey would take her. Never did she think it would lead to her working with everyone from Phylicia Rashad to Saweetie to Beyoncé and Blue Ivy Carter for the “Cowboy Carter” tour. […]
Posted inCommunity, Culture
Joe Budden Podcast Faces Backlash After Negative Comments About Gary
Since the early days of his mayoral campaign, Mayor Eddie Melton has made the point that he’s out to change the algorithm related to the city of Gary. Last week, though, the new reputation Melton is attempting to build for Gary took a hit during a segment on the popular Joe Budden Podcast when the famed […]
Posted inEducation, LGBTQ, Partner Content, Sports
Bill Banning Transgender Female Athletes From Women’s College Teams Clears Senate
This story was originally published by the Indiana Capital Chronicle. A bill that would prohibit transgender female athletes from playing on college teams that align with their gender identity passed the Indiana Senate on Thursday with bipartisan support on a 42-6 vote. It now goes to Gov. Mike Braun for his signature. Sen. Stacey Donato, […]
Posted inCommunity, Criminal Justice, History
Historical Plaque in Municipal Gardens Remembers Slain Black Man, Helps Ensure Painful Past is not Forgotten
This story was originally published by The Indiana CItizen One hundred and three years after his body was found hanging from a sapling along the banks of the White River, George Tompkins is finally getting his story written into the pages of history. Tompkins, a 19-year-old Black man living in Indianapolis with his aunt and […]
Posted inArts, Community, Education
Gary Native PeQue Empowers Youth Through Art
As temperatures rise in Gary, so too is residents’ desire to push the city in a brighter direction. To that end, one avenue for change is being honed in our youngest citizens: through art. World-renowned artist PeQue, a Gary native whose murals have honored figures like Kobe Bryant and Kamala Harris, returned home — not […]