Over the past few months, I’ve learned a lot about the history of housing in Indianapolis. I have two main take-home messages. 1) Black people have faced centuries of systemic racism leading to severe disparities in homeownership and household wealth. In order for our whole community to heal, we need to change our approach to building affordable housing options. 2) Plans for housing change are most successful when centered on input from existing neighborhood residents. That is why I’ve put together an interview project to learn from the lived experiences of my Black neighbors in the Near West, Near Northwest, and Near Northside of Indianapolis. We have immense resources in our anchor institutions of IUPUI and IU Health, but they need guidance from local residents to support development that benefits everyone in an equitable way.
This project is in the planning phase--seeking approval from the IU School of Medicine's institutional review board.
