Indianapolis, IN

Remembering Dr. King’s 1959 speech in Indianapolis

Published

2 years ago

January 12, 2024

Remembering Dr. King’s 1959 speech in Indianapolis

Claudia Polley was around 10 years-old when her parents brought her to the Fall Creek YMCA in Indianapolis to hear a speech from Martin Luther King Jr.

The date was December 11, 1959. It was King’s second appearance in Indianapolis — he’d spoken a year earlier at the Cadle Tabernacle on December 12th of 1958. Both events were organized by the Senate Avenue YMCA’s Monster Meetings, a historic series of talks organized by Black leaders in Indianapolis.

The Monster Meetings started in the early 1900s and were held regularly in the city until the early 1960s. Other prominent figures featured at the Monster Meetings include Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Thurgood Marshall.

King’s 1959 speech at The Fall Creek YMCA was titled “Remaining Awake Through A Revolution.” There are no known recordings of King’s address, but local papers provided extensive coverage.

“America is in danger of producing guided missiles and misguided men,” King told the audience of 900. Adding, “You can hear the distant rumblings of discontent from those who have been segregated and humiliated for centuries, crying out for freedom and determined to end their exploitation.”

When I spoke with the historian and preservationist Claudia Polley, she couldn’t recall the exact themes Kings addressed during his 1959 Indianapolis appearance. Instead, she recalled the aura and inspiration King brought to his Indiana audience.

That inspiration eventually led Polley to create the Urban Legacy Lands Initiative, an organization dedicated to preserving Black history in Indiana.

I spoke with Polley last year, and she shared her memories of listening to Dr. King.

KYLE LONG: In March of 1959, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at the then newly constructed Fall Creek YMCA.
You told me your parents thought it was important for you to be exposed to this and you got to see Dr. King speak at the Fall Creek YMCA. What do you remember about that anything you want to share about that experience?
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CLAUDIA POLLEY: I remember that well, one, Dr. King was an amazing personage. And his aura was astounding. Now I was all of just 10 years old, even I’m not even sure I turned 10 at that point.

And it was wonderful to look around at all the adults that were there and how intent they were at listening to what he had to say. Because Indianapolis at that point was trying to figure out how it fit in this movement, this freedom movement that was happening in the United States and Indianapolis was never out in front in terms of being rebellious.
But the powers that be had decided that it was time for Indianapolis to move forward, there should be a lot of the de facto segregation that was in place that needed to stop. And so having Dr. King there, having him there for a monster meeting at the newly opened Fall Creek YMCA was pretty extraordinary.
And what I remember is the feeling I remember a little bit about what he said but it was the feeling of purpose that was in the room. It was the extraordinary feeling of of the aura that he gave off from the stage that inspired all of us to do better, and to figure out how we fit into this new world.

Long: For WFYI, I’m Kyle Long.

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Indianapolis, IN

Good and bad from Colts’ 2026 NFLPA report card grades

Published

27 minutes ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Good and bad from Colts’ 2026 NFLPA report card grades

What grades did the Indianapolis Colts earn on the 2026 NFLPA report cards?

The NFLPA is no longer able to make their annual report cards public. However, ESPN’s Kayln Kahler was able to obtain a copy of the reports following the 2025 NFL season, and the Indianapolis Colts were again around the middle of the pack.

In these report cards, players rate numerous aspects of the organizations they play for, from ownership to the training facilities and everything in between. According to Kahler, 1,759 players contributed to these grades.

So, where did the Colts end up this year relative to the rest of the NFL this year?

Overall, the Colts ranked 17th. Below is a breakdown of each individual grade they received.

Treatment of Families: B
Home Game Field: D
Food/Dining Area: B
Nutritionist/Dietician: A-
Locker Room: C+
Training Room: B
Training Staff: B+
Weight Room: B
Strength Coaches: A
Position Coaches: B
Offensive Coordinator: B
Defensive Coordinator: B+
Special Teams Coordinator: B+
Team Travel: B-
Head Coach: A-
General Manager: A
Team Ownership: A

Of note, although the Colts haven’t been to the postseason in five years, Shane Steichen and Chris Ballard both received high marks.

Carlie Irsay Gordon, Kalen Jackson, and Casey Foyt earned an A in their first year as the primary owners.

The field at Lucas Oil Stadium received a very low mark, earning a D, while the locker room was given a C+. Those were the two lowest grades the Colts received.

Compared to the 2025 rankings, the Colts moved up two spots this year, after coming in at 19th last year.

The biggest jumps the Colts experienced came in the Food/Dining grade, which went from a C to a B. The Team travel grade also jumped from a D+ to a B-.

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Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis police search for 3 people after shooting, stolen vehicle crash

Published

13 hours ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — After a shooting, Indianapolis police were searching for three people who fled on foot following the pursuit of a stolen vehicle and its crash on Thursday afternoon.

No information was provided in the notification about the three people being sought. News 8 reached out to IMPD by email to find out details about the three people. Anyone with information regarding the incident or the people who fled the crash was asked to contact the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

The stolen vehicle was linked to a Thursday shooting, prompting the lockdown of a nearby child care center, IMPD said in a media notification. No information was provided about where the shooting happened, what may have led to it, or whether anyone was hurt.

IMPD, however, said the stolen vehicle and crash were not related to a shooting reported at 12:35 p.m. Thursday at a gas station and restaurant at West 38th and Meridian streets.

IMPD officers found the stolen vehicle around 12:45 p.m. Thursday near East 38th Street and Post Road. When a detective attempted a traffic stop, the vehicle fled westbound before crashing a short time later near Whenner Drive, the notification said. It did not say what type of vehicle was abandoned in the crash.

Three people from the crashed vehicle fled southwest on foot. IMPD established a perimeter with assistance from the Indiana State Police, the Lawrence Police Department and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office — using specialized resources, including a state police helicopter, a special weapons and tactics team, and the IMPD’s police dogs — but did not find the three people.

IMPD said a firearm was found in the crashed vehicle, and a man detained at the crash scene was later released once investigators determined he was not directly involved in the incident.

Police have since lifted the lockdown on the child care center.

IMPD’s public information office can be reached at 317-327-3424.

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Indianapolis, IN

Oakland tops IU Indianapolis; Maguire Mitchell scores 25

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Oakland tops IU Indianapolis; Maguire Mitchell scores 25

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Brody Robinson had 19 points in Oakland’s 86-74 win against IU Indianapolis on Wednesday.

Robinson added 13 assists for the Golden Grizzlies (16-14, 12-7 Horizon League). Tuburu Niavalurua scored 16 points, going 6 of 10 and 3 of 5 from the free-throw line. Ziare Wells had 14 points and finished 7 of 15 from the field.

Maguire Mitchell led the Jaguars (7-23, 3-16) in scoring, finishing with 25 points and four assists. Kyler D’Augustino added 14 points for IU Indianapolis. Micah Davis also had 12 points.

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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