Indiana Isn’t a Safe Place for Black People

Indiana’s absurd politics, religiously-veiled racism, bigoted politicians, failing school systems, nonexistent tenant protection, and the public executions of Brandon Bernard, Dustin Higgs, and Lisa Montgomery are just a few aspects of the state that deserve criticism.

But what should also be criticized is the quality of life for Black and brown people in Indiana.

Whether it’s housing, finding a job, the quality of our state services, gun violence, food deserts, or the public school system, Black people’s access to resources is an afterthought.

Life in Indiana is a unique experience that has transformed me into the activist I am today, but the longer I stay in this state, the more miserable I become.

What’s even more concerning is that, compared to the rest of my family, I’m doing well.

Yet, despite my commitment to reform, I’ve accepted defeat and realized that the change I want to see in Indiana is something I won’t see in my lifetime.

Over the last three years, my family has reported mold and mice to the Indiana Health Department and still, nothing’s been done. At our last place, we had another landlord who refused to tend to our home’s mice problem, and insisted the mice were because “our kind” were “dirty.”

Though the state brags about being “one of the most affordable places to live,” it fails to share that it’s one of the most volatile places for renters and has absolutely no tenant protection policies in place.

Housing is a widespread issue for many Hoosiers right now. In Indiana, withholding rent, even for uninhabitable conditions like mold, mice, or detrimental wear and tear, can still result in an eviction.

Recently, Indiana’s Governor, Eric Holcomb, rejected landlord-tenant bill, which would have removed the only tenant protection across cities in Indiana, which hits Black and brown communities the hardest.

Like any other state, blatant racism is an exhausting reality in Indiana. The core difference between other states and Indiana is that Indiana is both the bible and the gun belt, so our racists are much, much more dangerous, and protected by religious laws.

For example, we have a large wave of racist anti-choicers, who believe that Black women, in particular, are “bad mothers,” and use the term that “the most unsafe place for Black lives, is in a Black woman’s womb.”

Despite outrage from Black students and activists, Purdue University President and Indiana’s previous Governor, Mitch Daniels, preferred to protect freedom of speech over Black students.

Most recently, Brett Eberly, Warsaw Community High School administrator, located in my home town of Warsaw, Indiana, accidentally said ni**er instead of negro to the entire student body while doing a live Black History Month tribute on the announcements.

As one of the only Black alumni from the high school over the last 100 years, I was particularly triggered by the incident.

Not only did this happen during Black History month at a school where Black students make up less than 10% of the student body and are grossly disregarded, but Mr. Eberly did not apologize, and the school board chalked the situation as a “slip-up” caused by a “fumbling of words.”

Repetitious cycles of inaction towards white supremacists, violence from Indiana police, and a two-year job hunt as a Black professional is enough to drive any person away.

Complaining is simply the middle-ground between action and inaction. You’re valid in being upset, but at the end of the day, focus on what you have control over.

And, for me, my control lies in moving to Colorado at the end of the month.