Welcome Project

Residents of Northwest Indiana share through their experiences some of the central history that continues to shape the region.

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 “You can’t have racial justice and you can’t have social justice if there’s no economic justice.”

“We trained people to go south—to see entertainment, to shop, to eat.” 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

“Without a good school system, you’re not going to get families.” 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

“Well, you started the legacy; we’ll just continue it.” 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

“Grade school was good; y’know, everybody got along, and then they started to have fights in Tolleston park.”

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 “You know, they kept saying to you, ‘Why are you doing it? Why are you doing it?’ But the two of you said, ‘It’s the right thing.’”

“The type of things my parents experienced, the type of racism was very interesting… it’s something my mother’s never really wanted to talk about.”

“The sight of a ‘For Sale’ sign would just trigger devaluation of the neighborhood.” 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

"Relationship-building ended up being really the glue that helped sort of bond people together." 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

“If this is the expectation that have people have of a new pastor coming to Gary, I need to live in Gary.” 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

“Gary had taught him more about love and hate and life and death than he could have learned anywhere else.” 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

“In order for us to help the city grow, we have to be here to be a part of the city.” 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

“As businesses leave, and you patronize businesses outside of your locale, then you’re—there’s no money being put back into your community at all.” 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.or...

“We worked very hard to really maintain our relationships with our neighbors.” 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

“There were a lot of strong community events that really kind of glued people together, and then of course, they dissipated over time.” 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

Produced by Sydney Jarol 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

Produced by Sydney Jarol 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

Two one-minute excerpts from the Welcome Project's Flight Path initiative.

Two one-minute excerpts from the Welcome Project's Flight Path initiative.

Produced by Sydney Jarol 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

Produced by Sydney Jarol 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

"As far as the mood in the neighborhood, I don’t remember talking or hearing about a lot of people that were steadfast saying, ‘Hey, I’m gonna stay here and stick it out.’"

“Yeah, you’d hear somebody saying something stupid every once in awhile… the few, not the many.”

“I would like to see Gary flourish again, and I think it eventually will.”