Gary Indiana. Credit: Canva
To have been raised in Gary, Indiana and be Black is among the greatest sources of pride any any American can claim. To believe otherwise is to ignore reality and pander to the worst elements of our society. There is a God-given GARY INFLUENCE that confounds reason! There are few locations on the planet today or since the 20th century that can claim as many substantive, climate changing, sustainable elements of progress to the benefit of an entire nation and beyond.
As we conclude Black History Month, it would be a dereliction of my duty as a journalist, to not clearly delineate at least a small portion of the impact G.I. and its residents have had on the influence of America. First, we have to separate reality from mythology. Too many people consider the economic travails of a community to be the predominant factor in surmising past or present worth. Though once legitimately categorized, as the “city of the century,” it was never dollars and cents alone that established the city’s valuation.
Many baby boomers still remember when the local economy was booming through the impetus of claiming the largest steel industry on the planet. Even during that robust economic era, many highly intellectual, talented and resourceful Black citizens were rising against the odds.
And long after the zenith of the steel industry reverted so that progress of the 1970s and white flight became a plague, Black progress persevered and levels of achievement overcame pervasive obstacles to fight through those intent on contributing to our demise. No matter what we confront, we just keep coming!
It is no coincidence that former Gary residents relocate literally to every stretch of the nation and excel in every field of endeavor. We are not the privileged. We are not those facilitated by enablers. We have rarely been given an even playing field. Our path has been riddled by challenges and impediments designed to thwart our progress. And yet we rise!
Show me one other city in the United States the size of Gary that lacks a major hotel chain, has few national retail outlets, no major (non-fast food) restaurant chains, a limited history of automobile dealerships, restricted manufacturing and vast food deserts. Such circumstances would have been the death knell for most communities, but not Gary, Indiana.
With a new city administration, growing investment prospects, clear signs of economic hope and that indomitable mystique and spirit that has always been the enduring lifeline of a city that refuses to quit, hope springs eternal.
People in and around G.I. are continuing to build and grow. Those who leave are continuing to have a positive influence wherever they go.
Deeply rooted in the power of God and perennially dedicated to the power of Jesus Christ as the source of our strength, and a guiding force in our path as a community, we relish the undeniable, irrefutable, continuous GARY INFLUENCE as the manifestation of our submission to the will of the Creator.
Despite the odds, Gary evidences scripture that says if God is for you, who can be against you?
The Gary Influence bears global impact in spirit and truth
Gary Indiana. Credit: Canva
To have been raised in Gary, Indiana and be Black is among the greatest sources of pride any any American can claim. To believe otherwise is to ignore reality and pander to the worst elements of our society. There is a God-given GARY INFLUENCE that confounds reason! There are few locations on the planet today or since the 20th century that can claim as many substantive, climate changing, sustainable elements of progress to the benefit of an entire nation and beyond.
As we conclude Black History Month, it would be a dereliction of my duty as a journalist, to not clearly delineate at least a small portion of the impact G.I. and its residents have had on the influence of America. First, we have to separate reality from mythology. Too many people consider the economic travails of a community to be the predominant factor in surmising past or present worth. Though once legitimately categorized, as the “city of the century,” it was never dollars and cents alone that established the city’s valuation.
Many baby boomers still remember when the local economy was booming through the impetus of claiming the largest steel industry on the planet. Even during that robust economic era, many highly intellectual, talented and resourceful Black citizens were rising against the odds.
And long after the zenith of the steel industry reverted so that progress of the 1970s and white flight became a plague, Black progress persevered and levels of achievement overcame pervasive obstacles to fight through those intent on contributing to our demise. No matter what we confront, we just keep coming!
It is no coincidence that former Gary residents relocate literally to every stretch of the nation and excel in every field of endeavor. We are not the privileged. We are not those facilitated by enablers. We have rarely been given an even playing field. Our path has been riddled by challenges and impediments designed to thwart our progress. And yet we rise!
Show me one other city in the United States the size of Gary that lacks a major hotel chain, has few national retail outlets, no major (non-fast food) restaurant chains, a limited history of automobile dealerships, restricted manufacturing and vast food deserts. Such circumstances would have been the death knell for most communities, but not Gary, Indiana.
With a new city administration, growing investment prospects, clear signs of economic hope and that indomitable mystique and spirit that has always been the enduring lifeline of a city that refuses to quit, hope springs eternal.
People in and around G.I. are continuing to build and grow. Those who leave are continuing to have a positive influence wherever they go.
Deeply rooted in the power of God and perennially dedicated to the power of Jesus Christ as the source of our strength, and a guiding force in our path as a community, we relish the undeniable, irrefutable, continuous GARY INFLUENCE as the manifestation of our submission to the will of the Creator.
Despite the odds, Gary evidences scripture that says if God is for you, who can be against you?
Vernon A. Williams
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