Dear Indy,
Now that MLB has decided to add Negro Leagues stats in the recordbooks, one of the all-time great baseball players from Indianapolis is finally being recognized.
Oscar Charleston, a bat boy for the Indianapolis ABCs, would go on to become a star center fielder with the team and eventually manage the Indianapolis Clowns.
Now he officially holds a top 10 status in batting average, slugging percentage and more.
But to get here, Charleston and other Black players endured decades of racism.
“A lot of the reasons people don’t know about the ABCs is because of what happened in Indianapolis in the ’20s,” said Geri Strecker, a retired Ball State University professor and baseball historian. “The Klan took away the ability for Black professional baseball to thrive.”
Read more here.
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In other news
- A sapphic celebration, a historical documentary about voguing, pub crawls and art exhibitions are all events you can attend to celebrate this year’s Pride month in Indy, which marks more than 40 years since the first events in Central Indiana.
- At Martin University’s block party on Saturday, new students will be offered scholarships. There will be food trucks and live performances, as well as face paintings and a bounce house for kids.
- The Damien Center’s new headquarters will include a 1,700-square foot mosaic — and they want you to help create it. The work, inspired by the AIDS Memorial Quilt, will be built by volunteers at the direction of two artists. Get the details here.
What’s going on around the city
- TONIGHT: A new exhibit at the Indy Art Center, 820 E. 67th St., features artwork from individuals impacted by gun violence. “Healing HeARTS” is open now and runs through July 31, with an opening reception June 13th at 5 p.m. This gallery is a collaboration between Indy Art Center, Indy Peace and Brooke’s Place. Free.
- Tomorrow, June 1: Kicking off at 11 a.m., the 34th Annual Earth Day Indiana Festival will take place at Garfield Park Arts Center, 2432 Conservatory Dr. Visitors to the free event can learn more about sustainability, environmental protections and conservation.
- Monday, June 3: If you’ve got a case of the Monday Blues, brighten your week with a cornhole league at Metazoa Brewing Co., 140 S. College Ave. Grab a friend and compete each week through July 1. $50.
— Breanna Cooper, arts and culture reporter
Looking for other things to do? Check out Mirror Indy’s events calendar.
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What else we’re reading today
- Axios Indianapolis: In a Q&A, new IndyGo president and CEO Jennifer Pyrz characterized changes to the Blue Line as “very minor” and said the Purple Line is on schedule to open in October.
- IndyStar: The summer schedule is packed with free concerts in Central Indiana. So, grab that beer koozie and check out IndyStar’s list of more than 60 beginning tomorrow.
Editor’s desk: Amanda Kingsbury
Tomorrow marks a milestone of sorts for me — two years and six months ago, I gave up alcohol. And here’s what started my journey: One night, my teenage daughter and I were on the couch, watching TV. I had just poured myself some wine and she said, “Mom, I don’t like the way your eyes look when you drink wine.”
It caught me off guard. But even at her age, she could sense that an invisible window shade was being pulled over my eyes, that I was subtly retreating from being fully present.
So I was surprised when, about a week ago, she said, “It’s OK if you want to drink again. It’s not like you were an alcoholic.”
I’d said nothing about wanting to drink again. But on some level, her “permission” felt good — she doesn’t have bad memories.
“Violet, I didn’t give up booze because I checked all the boxes on the, ‘Are you an alcoholic?’ quiz,” I said. “I’m more alive and happier without it. Even two drinks would kill my sleep, which was killing my confidence.”
When I tell people I don’t drink, they often ask, “Did you have … a problem?” Well, yeah, there was that time in my 20s when the wife of a high-ranking executive in my newspaper company cornered me at a party and asked if I thought her husband was having an affair with a certain co-worker.
Me: “Oh, you heard that, too?”
Now, that created a problem — and going back to work on Monday was real fun, as you can imagine. Moments like that left me cringing for weeks.
You don’t have to “have a problem” to decide alcohol has no value in your life. Someone said it’s like getting on an elevator on the 12th floor: You can ride it all the way to the basement, or you can choose to get off on a different floor, on your own terms. (Be prepared for some of your drinking friends to try to coax you back on the elevator.)
When I look back at the past 2 1/2 years, I think Violet’s confidence has grown along with mine. Just recently, she received her high school’s first “journalist of distinction award” and scholarship. Tomorrow, she’ll celebrate a big milestone of her own: Turning the tassel on her graduation cap. And I’ll be fully present and 100% clear-eyed — well, except for the tears.
— Amanda Kingsbury, managing editor of innovation
Have a question or suggestion for our reporters? Contact them here.
Reflections
Home gardeners like me will want to check out this NPR interactive guide to understanding the new hardiness zones. The map is one tool for deciding which plants to grow — because you’ll know which perennials have the best shots for surviving our winters. There are limitations to what the hardiness map can help us with, though, so read up. And happy gardening.
See you next week.
Ryan
P.S. If you liked something about today’s newsletter, or didn’t, let me know at ryan.martin@mirrorindy.org. It helps us serve you better.
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