A Reflection on Gary

About 67,000 people live in Gary, Indiana. 

More than three-quarters of them are Black. 

Gary is a Black city. 

And today, people in Gary are entering their 13th day without power. 

Fourteen days. 

At the same time, we live in the richest country in the world. One of the richest societies in human history. A country that can find tens of billions of dollars to wage a war in Iran that so many of us oppose. It is estimated that war has already cost $37.5 billion. 

But in Gary, Indiana, Black families have spent nearly two weeks waiting for the lights to come back on. 

Food has spoiled in refrigerators. Businesses have lost days of income. Schools have closed. Families have scrambled to charge phones, find hot meals, and keep elders and children safe. 

And the full weight of federal disaster assistance still has not arrived. 

Indiana only formally requested a major disaster declaration on Friday, ten days after the storm. That declaration, which could unlock significantly greater federal assistance for families and communities, is still awaiting approval. 

This should be a national story. 

Because the question is bigger than whether a utility company can replace poles fast enough. 

What does it say about us that we can mobilize billions for war thousands of miles away, but people in a Black American city can sit in the dark for nearly two weeks? 

What does it say about whose emergencies become our emergencies? 

Whose suffering moves the machinery of government? 

Whose suffering commands national attention? 

Gary is not some distant place. These are our folks. These are our elders, our children, our families, our small businesses, our churches, and our communities. 

And they should not have to beg America to notice them. 

As people of faith and goodwill, we stand with the people of Gary. 

We are calling for the immediate approval of the federal disaster declaration. We are calling for every available resource to be brought to bear. We are calling for accountability for how a city of nearly 70,000 people, an overwhelmingly Black city, could be left in this position for this long. 

And we are calling on the rest of us to pay attention. 

With the call to pay attention, Community Renewal Society (CRS) has joined forces with Trinity United Church of Christ in Gary and their Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. John E. Jackson Sr. We invite you to join our Eyes on Gary Taskforce.  

We want to mobilize to support the church in getting a generator.  

We are also planning a mission trip to support community assessment and rebuilding in Gary. Join us.  

Gary is still in the dark. 

We cannot look away. 

Keron Blair
Community Impact and Special Projects Consultant

And the staff of Community Renewal Society