Indianapolis, IN
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?
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.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – While Louisville is famous for one race in May, a Derby City native is set to make his first appearance in a different iconic May race.
Jacob Abel will be making his first appearance in the Indianapolis 500 on May 24, racing for Abel Motorsports, founded by his father, Bill Abel.
“I am excited and grateful to be able to return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to have a shot at the Indianapolis 500. It’s been a lifelong dream to compete in that race and to have the opportunity to do it with Abel Motorsports and Chevrolet makes it even more special,” Jacob said.
Both Abels, the driver and the team, had breakout years in 2024 with three pole positions and three wins in the INDY NXT drivers’ championship, propelling the 25-year-old driver to the NTT INDYCAR Series the following year.
Practice for the 110th Indianapolis 500 begins on Tuesday, May 12 with qualifying being held on May 16 and May 17. The race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway goes green on May 24, coverage begins at 10 a.m.
Copyright 2026 WAVE. All rights reserved.
INDIANAPOLIS — A person was stabbed in downtown Indianapolis Sunday evening.
According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, officers were called to the intersection of East Market and North Delaware Streets around 8:28 p.m. to investigate a stabbing. When police arrived at the scene, they located an adult male victim with apparent stab wounds.
IMPD has confirmed that the victim was transported from the scene to a local hospital in critical but stable condition.
Investigators believe the stabbing “stemmed from a disturbance between multiple individuals and the victim.”
IMPD has reported that it has not identified or detained any suspects or persons of interest at this point in its investigation of the stabbing. Police have indicated that they are hoping witnesses come forward with information that can help them identify or locate the suspects.
“The officers now are doing a complete investigation,” IMPD Lieutenant Frank Wooten said during a media briefing Sunday night. “They’re going to investigate this to the best of their ability. We’re going to try to locate our suspect, arrest the suspect, prosecute the suspect and hold that suspect accountable for this heinous crime in Indianapolis. This is not an indication of what our city is about. This is not an indication of what we do downtown, and we hold this to be very serious. So, we will hold whoever did this responsible for their actions tonight.”
Sunday night’s stabbing represented a continuation of a violent weekend in downtown Indianapolis.
Early Sunday morning, two men were critically injured in a shooting near a White Castle on South Street. Before that shooting occurred, police arrested two juveniles on gun charges at Monument Circle.
Police also conducted a shooting investigation near the Hilton hotel located at 120 W. Market St. around 4 a.m. Sunday. Nobody was injured in that shooting.
Elsewhere in the city, a person was injured in a shooting in a CVS parking lot on Kentucky Avenue Saturday evening. Another individual was killed in a shooting outside a residence in the 2300 block of South Pennsylvania Street Saturday night.
Public police reporting systems indicate IMPD has investigated nine shootings that caused injuries since midnight Saturday. During that same timeframe, IMPD has investigated six shootings that did not result in any injuries and five stabbings.
Numbers available on shootings and stabbings in IMPD’s public reporting system may not be complete, as some reports on weekend shootings and stabbings may not have been entered yet.
“This is not what we want Indianapolis to be,” Wooten said. “This is not what we expect out of the citizens of Indianapolis. We expect them to be safe, come downtown and have a good time, and be able to go home the same way they came down here. So, we will hold these suspects, once located, accountable for this crime.”
INDIANAPOLIS — One person died in a shooting on Indy’s near south side on Saturday evening.
According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, officers were called to the 2300 block of S. Pennsylvania Street at approximately 9:45 p.m. on report of a shooting. This is a residential area located near Raymond Street and Madison Avenue.
Officers reported finding an adult male suffering from an apparent gunshot wound outside a residence. The victim was rushed to an area hospital in critical condition, but later was pronounced deceased.
The Marion County Coroner’s Office has not released the deceased’s name at this time.
Police ask anyone with information about this shooting to contact Detective Kristina Friel at the IMPD Homicide Office at (317) 327-3475 or e-mail the detective at Kristina.Friel@indy.gov. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at (317) 262-TIPS.
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