INDIANAPOLIS — Latinos began arriving in Indiana in the late 1800s and have made significant contributions to Hoosier culture since that time. In Indianapolis, “El Barrio” was the city’s first known Hispanic neighborhood and served as a cultural center for the area’s Latino community. Located on the near east side of downtown, it and other culturally significant neighborhoods were razed in the late 1960s to make way for Indianapolis’s modern interstate system.
On Wednesday, Oct. 8, at 2:00 p.m., the U.S. District Court, Bankruptcy Court, and Probation Office for the Southern District of Indiana and the Indiana State Bar Association will host “Crossroads for Change: Remembering the Past, Rebuilding the Future,” a panel presentation focused on the significance of “El Barrio” and its demise. The presentation will dive into the intersection of history, law, public policy, and lessons learned for future growth and development in Indianapolis.
Panelists include Nicole Martinez-LeGrand, Curator of Multicultural Collections at the Indiana Historical Society and director of Beyond El Barrio, a documentary film about the neighborhood; Brenda Freije, President & CEO of Rethink Coalition; and Jordan Ryan, City-County Archivist for the City of Indianapolis.
The program will be held at the Birch Bayh Federal Building and United States Courthouse in Indianapolis, in the William E. Steckler Ceremonial Courtroom (courtroom 202). It will also be available virtually via Zoom. Live mariachi music will be performed at the event.
The program will last one hour and one hour of Continuing Legal Education credit has been approved. Pre-registration is required and is available at the following link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/2025_HHM. There is no cost to attend, and the program is open to the public.