IUSB CRHC
IU Day. All IU. All Day. A Bridge Over Troubled Water: The IU South Bend Civil Rights Heritage Center.
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Black and white photos of a one story flat-roofed brick building with steps leading to a columned entrance. On Screen Text: Sometimes, looks can be deceiving. Take the Engman Natatorium in South Bend, which opened in 1922.
Black and white photo of the words Public Natatorium engraved into the stone facade of the building. On Screen Text: Despite the words "Public Natatorium" engraved over its entrance, the building was not open to the entire public.
Black and white photo of a sign reading White Only. On Screen Text: The city-owned pool denied access to African American citizens.
Black and white photos of black men and women. On Screen Text: That is, until local community leaders took action.
The South Bend Tribune newspaper article from October 7, 1936. Headline: State Orders City to Let Negroes Use Natatorium. Quote: "I do not approve of a plan to permit colored persons to use the natatorium at the same time as white persons," On Screen Text: They filed a protest with the state for full inclusion - but the state would not agree to let black and white people swim together.
Black and white photo of several white male swimmers and one black male swimmer at the edge of the pool, bent forward as if about to start a race. On Screen Text: Fourteen years later, the Engman Natatorium became fully integrated, and served all members of the public.
Color photos of the red brick building with a gated entrance. Inside, the empty pool has green mildew on the sides. On Screen Text: But after several decades of neglect, the city closed the pool in 1978. It sat vacant and abandoned.
Before and after photos of the interior of the building. A display case has been refinished and put to use just inside the entrance. An interior room is used as a classroom with a row of bookshelves. A back courtyard features a blue wall and a landscaped yard. On Screen Text: In 2010, IU South Bend students, faculty, and staff worked alongside community members to rebuild the natatorium.
Color photo of the entrance to the building with an informational sign out front. On Screen Text: Today, it is home to the IU South Bend Civil Rights Heritage Center.
Informational banners with photos and text line the brick interior wall. On Screen Text: The center shares South Bend's civil rights history, as well as the history of the African American, LGBTQ, and Latinx experiences.
Black and white photos of African American men and women. A set of matchbooks with the text: J Chester Allen. Democrat for Councilman At-Large. On Screen Text: It saves thousands of documents, photographs, and artifacts from the last 100 plus years.
Visitors look at an exhibition of close up portraits of black men and women. A black woman speaks to a group while standing in front of a display case labeled Culture. On Screen Text: It is a place for immersive exhibitions, and a living museum, where history is used to teach people about injustices today.
Inside the building, a group of young black men and women all wearing black raise their linked hands in the air. A group of young Latina women have their faces painted and wear traditional dresses. A quartet plays music. On Screen Text: It is a hub for creating positive change: hosting everything from IU South Bend student groups to lectures, poetry jams, films, art shows, music, and more.
The word Equality is engraved in the top step on the stairs leading to the courtyard. A photo of a group of smiling children of all races. On Screen Text: Above all, the center is a powerful symbol: of how a community can come together to choose inclusion over exclusion, and to build a new and just future.
Outside, an African American woman speaks in front of a large audience. A group of black children pose near the blue wall. On Screen Text: Finally, a century after it first opened, this building truly serves the entire public and opens its doors to all.
Logo: Civil Rights Heritage Center. Indiana University South Bend. A black child in a red bathing suit dips her toe in a blue line of water.
IU Day. A Bridge Over Troubled Water: The IU South Bend Civil Rights Heritage Center.