Civil Rights Heritage Center

01/31/2025

We're winding down our use of Meta owned platforms (Facebook and Instagram), but we have plenty of other ways you can get news and updates. Visit crhc.iusb.edu and tap "Events" to sign up for our emails, or search for us on LinkedIn to see our new page there.

Email: https://clas.iusb.edu//centers/civil-rights/events-and-news.html

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/crhciusb

01/17/2025

Morgan Fleming is an oil painter whose work blends realism with emotional storytelling, pulling inspiration from personal experiences and themes of overcoming adversity and self-discovery.

Her first public exhibition honors members of the “27 Club”—a group of musicians whose brilliance in life was overshadowed by their tragic deaths at the age of 27. The lives of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Brian Jones, and Amy Winehouse help us understand the duality of brilliant creativity and massive pressure.

During her 27th year of life, Morgan Fleming explored the 27 club’s struggles with isolation, disconnection, and the use of substances to cope with emotional pain. These artworks are both a tribute to their resilience and a reflection on her own journey.

OPENING EVENT:
Thursday, February 6, 2025 | 6-7:30pm

ON VIEW THROUGH:
June 13, 2025

In-person only: Civil Rights Heritage Center
Indiana University South Bend
1040 W. Washington

More at crhc.iusb.edu.

01/14/2025

For the first time The Poetry Den will start the new year off joining in the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr at The South Bend Century Center. This will replace our regular 4th Sunday of the month event in January. The Open Mic will be from 11am-1pm in the lower level off the building, suite 12.
Come by and share some of your poetry or come show your support for poetry and its important contribution to history, culture, and community. ⚖️🕊️

01/08/2025

We're sharing a transformative opportunity for those without college experience to earn college credits in the humanities without financial cost. Our Clemente Course in the Humanities is adding new members for our January 2025 cohort. Info and how to apply are in the flyer below.

01/02/2025

John Charles Bryant was a lifelong historian of South Bend's African American community.

As we honor the third anniversary of his passing, we share a special episode of "South Bend’s Own Words" featuring clips from the last oral histories he recorded with us. With stories from over a century and a half, John Charles shares his rich family history and personal experiences, highlighting his and his ancestors’ long legacy building this city.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, on the web, or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

12/16/2024

While we're taking a silent night this December, you can enjoy any of over four years’ worth of beautiful local poetry. Check out The Poetry Den's YouTube at the link below. Revisit a favorite, or hit the shuffle button and let randomness rule.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaxFixGZeC-dp3WQhynqTAWJVep3eDxqa&si=h7qjIplbiM2110bA

11/20/2024

Whether you’re a poet with words to share, a listener hoping to sit back and enjoy, or both, the Poetry Den has been the place in South Bend to unite poets and friends for over ten years.

Founder and host Pam Blair starts with an open microphone featuring a wide variety of voices and styles. The evening finishes with this month’s featured artist, Ayla Walters.

This free event is offered both in-person and online via Zoom. Because some poets may use mature language, participation by those 18 and older is encouraged.

More at crhc.iusb.edu.

10/23/2024

We're excited to announce our admission into the National Parks Service's African American Civil Rights Network.

As part of the AACRN, we join a distinguished group of sites and institutions dedicated to commemorating the struggles and triumphs of those who fought for equality and justice. This inclusion not only honors our past but also inspires us to continue our mission of education and activism.

Learn more about the other sites honored with this distinction here:

The African American Civil Rights Network (AACRN) is a collection of properties, facilities, and programs that offer a comprehensive overview of the people, places, and events associated with the African American civil rights movement. The Network is an opportunity to ensure that the history of the....

10/15/2024

Whether you’re a poet with words to share, a listener hoping to sit back and enjoy, or both, the Poetry Den has been the place in South Bend to unite poets and friends for over ten years.

Founder and host Pam Blair starts with an open microphone featuring a wide variety of voices and styles. The evening finishes with this month’s featured artist, Dan Sully.

This free event is offered both in-person and online via Zoom. Because some poets may use mature language, participation by those 18 and older is encouraged.



More at crhc.iusb.edu.

10/09/2024

Despite its simple decor and a boom box for music, the original Seahorse became a sanctuary for South Bend’s LGBTQ+ community.

In the latest episode of our oral history podcast, frequent patron Tom Beatty shares his journey of coming out, his family’s reactions, and the other LGBTQ+ spaces that felt like home in the 1990s and beyond.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or visit go.iu.edu/SBOW

09/10/2024

Whether you’re a poet with words to share, a listener hoping to sit back and enjoy, or both, the Poetry Den has been the place in South Bend to unite poets and friends for over ten years.

Founder and host Pam Blair starts with an open microphone featuring a wide variety of voices and styles. The evening finishes with this month’s featured artist, Jo Hackett.

This free event is offered both in-person and online via Zoom. Because some poets may use mature language, participation by those 18 and older is encouraged.

More at crhc.iusb.edu.

09/05/2024

We stand with those celebrating the life and mourning the loss of Paul Mishler.

In addition to a decades long legacy of educating as part of the faculty of Indiana University South Bend, he was an indelible part of both local and national movements for racial and economic justice.

Read more about his life and legacy here:

View Paul Mishler's obituary, send flowers and sign the guestbook.

08/28/2024

Get ready for Hispanic Heritage Month next month! Read this new blog from IHS Multicultural Collections Curator Nicole Martinez-LeGrand about the 100-year-old tradition, Fiestas Patrias parade in Indiana Harbor (East Chicago). https://indianahistory.org/blog/indianas-oldest-latino-hoosier-tradition-turns-100/

08/19/2024

Whether you’re a poet with words to share, a listener hoping to sit back and enjoy, or both, the Poetry Den has been the place in South Bend to unite poets and friends for over ten years.

Founder and host Pam Blair starts with an open microphone featuring a wide variety of voices and styles. The evening finishes with this month’s featured artist, Amin Basim Rabih El.

This free event is offered both in-person and online via Zoom. Because some poets may use mature language, participation by those 18 and older is encouraged. Masks are optional for in-person guests.


More at crhc.iusb.edu.

08/14/2024

After growing up in Puerto Rico, Joaquin Robles moved to South Bend, Indiana, and lived forty-plus years here.

In a new episode of our oral history podcast, Joaquin talks about his experiences in this city, and his perspectives on multi-generational discrimination and evolution of the Latines community here.

Listen on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.


This episode was produced by Jon Watson from the Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts at IU South Bend, and by George Garner from the Civil Rights Heritage Center.


South Bend Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts

08/13/2024

Applications to join the next cohort of the Civil Rights Heritage Center Clemente Course in the Humanities are now open.

For more information or to apply, see: https://mailchi.mp/6236de1fbbcd/open-now-applications-for-the-clemente-course-in-the-humanities.