I Love My City. Gary, Indiana
Introduction
Before I begin, let me say Thank you Your Honor in giving credit where credit is due to the “Love My City campaign” initiative. Read below
“As president of the National League of Cities, Gary, Indiana Mayor Freeman-Wilson created the Love My City campaign to help local leaders create more meaningful bonds between communities and their residents. Through four pillars of work and a national campaign, NLC and communities across the country are answering the question: what does it mean to call a place home?”
I was not born, or raised in Gary, Indiana. I moved here over 5 years ago after purchasing a home here. The one thing that I was taken back by is the down home friendliness of the residents. Even though later in life, I moved to the suburbs of Illinois, I was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. While being raised in Chicago, outside of our blocks, we didn’t speak to strangers. When I moved to Gary, and in walking down the street people would just speak to me for no reason other than to greet me. They did not ask me for anything. They just greeted me. I was in awe. I mean they said things like: “Hello. How are you?” Stuff like “Stay cool. It is hot out here.” Or “Stay warm, it is cold out here.” Just blew me away. I love Gary.
While out doing yard work, countless people would walk by and offer to help. I was just outdone. In Chicago, unless you hired someone to help you, no one was about to walk by and offer you any help for free. I love Gary. There is more.
I noticed that these Black men in Gary are really protective of Black women and girls. You are skating on very thin ice, if you cause harm to Black women of Gary. I love Gary. Help was just a scream away. In Chicago you could scream until you turned blue in the face, and I am an African American. I love Gary There is more.
The rivalry between the high schools, and the adults who attended them i.e., Roosevelt Panthers and West side is unmatched worldwide. You have to experience this. I have never seen anything like this before in my life. It is awesome to say the least. They have a strong attachment to their back in the day high schools. They cherish these memories, and they still have these pleasant disagreements and/or rivalries to this day of who is the best. Go head on Roosevelt Panthers and West side!!. I love Gary. The rivalry goes on to this day, with the Adults who are proud of their schools. It is akin to a College Fraternity here. I mean for real. You just gotta love it. I only wished I could have lived it too. To see the pleasant rivalry between the two high schools that has lasted for decades is just awesome. In Chicago, they gave less than a rats behind about their High Schools. You rarely even heard of class reunions. Well, I didn’t. Once we graduated from high school, all ties were severed to our schools, high school teams, class mates, class presidents, sweet hearts, etc. I love Gary. There is more.
Gary has walking everyday historians
Gary, Indiana has everyday walking community historians. You meet them everywhere. Lawd ham mercy! They really are everywhere. They have seen the good, the bad and the ugly. Everyone who was born and raised here can tell you the story, and history of Gary. They also follow politics well. Gary has an aura that is akin to Mayberry RFD. The only difference is the residents are predominately black. I love Gary. It is a City loaded with history, both good and bad. You gotta love the historians. Both official and unofficial. Gosh there are so many different parts to Gary. They have so much neighborhood pride.
There is so much more
There truly is so much more. What really drove it home to me while living in Gary, was for the very first time in my life I saw a predominately African American/black administration. I was so proud to see that. I am from Chicago. I don’t have to paint a picture for you. It was never predominately black in any administration, and it didn’t matter that blacks outnumbered others in these areas. The powers that be just found a way around it. I love Gary.
Here is another reason I love Gary. When I went to various meetings, as well as council meetings, just to see predominately black folks in charge was a sight for sore eyes. Tell you this. I have never experienced this before in my life, and I am well over 40.
That small community, village type feel in Gary
It is such a small community meet and greet village type of feel in Gary. Suffice to say, I got a chance to actually meet the Mayor. Yes. Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson at various events. Just like Mayberry RFD. The first time the Mayor came to an event was at a social service agency I worked at. I could not believe it. Where I came from, meeting Mayor Daley, or any other “official” has and would never happen in my lifetime. As a matter of fact it didn’t happen in my mothers’ lifetime either. You could talk to your Alderperson, and try to get a meeting. Let me warn you. That was like grasping for straws with both eyes closed, and no hands.
Now hold on to your hats here. I got a chance to talk with the Mayor of Gary as well. The first time to sit down and let her know the condition of our alley. I told her how it resembled a war zone, and the alley was repaired. I was impressed. I met her on several other occasions, and do you know the Mayor remembered me. She even knew me by name. I was flabbergasted. I love Gary.
Do you know even when Jerome Prince was running for Mayor, he, as well as his wife shook my hand, and hugged me. Jerome Prince apologized to me in an open forum, for overlooking me during a campaign event. Even our council people will greet you with a hug.
SIDEBAR: It is our Black culture, (we are natural born huggers, at least majority of us still are). We don’t entertain or worry about that BS of accusing anyone with that “somebody touched my hand or me inappropriate stuff”. Our black hug culture is respected and embraced here. Our cultural way of doing things is still here. I love Gary. Do you know the first time, I got a hug instead of phony handshake, I almost fainted.
Listen. One time in Chicago while at a job, someone shook my hand so hard that I thought they broke my freaking fingers. Not to mention those phony handshakes are so heavy and brutal. Listen, once this up and down phony handshake was so intense, that this jerk not only shook my hand, but in the upper part of my arm where the fat is; do you know that shook too. In Gary though, I could not believe the southern hospitality. I love Gary. This is my Mayberry RFD, without Barney and Andy.
This is where I bring how I love my city home
You gotta love Gary
All in all, you just gotta love Gary. Garyians remain the little engine that could and will. Suffice to say, it is what it is. Our surrounding neighbors are predominately white. However, you gotta love Gary because we are in it to win it. We are not scared of our Giants. I love Gary.
Garyians determination is unsurpassed
Garyians are faced with so much, and Garyians determination is unsurpassed. Our community is blighted. We have a high unemployment rate. These residents are anchored though, and they won’t leave, especially our legacy residents. Even when white flight left Gary in the blighted state that it is in to this day, Gary pride kicked in. Suffice to say, even though they crippled Gary leaving Gary unable to keep up with the magnitude of that much abandonment, we are slowly coming through it. Blight and all. Gary had over 200,000 residents, and white flight plummeted Gary to less than 100,000. Many still paying taxes on blighted property that contribute to the dilapidated blightedness in Gary to this very day. Those legacy blacks did not run. They stood. They believe in Gary. Then for some when their parents passed, their kids came back to claim their childhood homes. I love Gary. Believe it or not many Blacks are moving back to Gary. I know they will be hit with a cultural shock to see a black culture still exists. There is still some old school here. Everyone you talk too loves Gary. They don’t like the condition Gary is in. They don’t like what Gary is up against, but they love Gary. They want Gary to come up. They are pitching in to help Gary anyway they can. I love Gary
Gary is a Chocolate City loaded with jewels. We have a baseball team and a stadium, i.e., “The Railcats”. We have a steel mill, i.e., “US Steel” We have a harbor, i.e., “Burr Harbor”. We even have a casino, even though we gave away one, i.e., “Majestic Star” We even have a lake, i.e., “Miller Beach”. We have an aiport. We have a theatre guild, i.e., West Side Theatre Guild, just to name a few.
Nan Nan Na Nan Ni. . . . I love my City
The spirit of Gary which is predominately black is phenomenal. We are always trying to help someone else, even though we can’t even help ourselves YET. We are even a sanctuary city, and we have a homeless problem, and high unemployment. Go figure. You gotta love us. We do.
Almost all of our stores are owned by foreigners who don’t like us, but we are Gary strong. We have each other. Blacks have had a tough time in Gary, being segregated as well. However, Garyians loves Gary. Garyians have an insatiable love for this city. We stand tall, and work for change. The city doesn’t have the resources to take care of everything, so citizens pitch in to mow city properties, clean city streets. We love our City. We are always exploring ways to help, and beautify our City. Some have recreated beautiful blocks through block club initiatives.
I love Gary because of our determination not to quit and walk away. I love Gary because of their commitment to improve our city. It seems like every force is against Gary because we are predominately black, however, there is a greater force that wants us to make it because we are a Chocolate City. Sometimes the Good guys do win. I love Gary. Gary is a good guy, and Gary will win. As long as Gary has these determined residents, we can’t lose.
On the flip side of the coin, even though we have all these resources, we are still faced with high unemployment. That does not deter us though. Little by little businesses are being born in Gary. Renewed hope is reshaping and redeveloping itself to take a hold of Gary. I love Gary. Most of all, through it all Garyians are weathering the storm. We are holding onto our Gary. That is the spirit of Gary. Like the old folks use to say; “just keep on keeping on.” I love me some Gary. We are unmatched by our determination, and our fight for change. The only other people that could match Garyians’ determination are our ancestors. We got it honest.
IN ENDING, I LOVE GARY
In ending, I do love Gary. Garyians’ love Gary so much that sometimes we feel like Jacob, and we too are wrestling with man and God for Gary. Just like Jacob, we are going to wrestle with man and God for Gary, and Garyians won’t let go until God blesses us. Read below:
Genesis 32:24-28 New King James Version (NKJV)
Wrestling with God
24 Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the b]”>[b]breaking of day. 25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. 26 And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.”
But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!”
27 So He said to him, “What is your name?”
He said, “Jacob.”
28 And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”
I love my City. I love the Garyian spirit, their determination, and their vision that it is going to get better. I am especially proud of Garyians who will not give up, against all odds. This is especially for those who refuse to throw in the towel. I love Gary. With all the ugliness. The Blight. I too am hanging on to see the beautification of Gary. The progress and change that is going to come. I too am hanging on to see the new Garyians entrepreneurs grow by leaps and bounds. WE have nothing but each other, and for Garyians, there is only one way for us now. That is up. I love Gary. Gary loves Gary. We love each other, and we know we are all in this together. We know that Gary will come from rags to riches, and we love our City, while and during its transition.
In ending, it has been said that “it ain’t over until the fat lady sings”. Well, in Gary, Indiana, the fat lady will never sing. I LOVE MY CITY
Now on so many levels, Gary is no prayer book, but guess what. We are all prayed up. I love me some Gary.
I love Gary because while I am in Gary I am treated like a person, and not a piece of property. I love my City. It is just that simple.
Copyright 2018-2019 Garyside LLC. All rights reserved. Written by Versie C. McClay Chatman. Originally published June 25, 2019
