Indianapolis, IN
We are here for a good time, not a long time – Indianapolis Recorder
From the city of Detroit, Michigan, I grew up around a plethora of experiences including navigating the hood and the suburbs.
I watched as individuals close to me chose survival every day, having to hustle for their next meal and praying for their next blessing. This was a place where thriving was intertwined in materialistic gain because we had to prove we weren’t underdogs or “products of the environment.”
Early on, I learned that being quick on your feet, having critical thinking skills, well thought out responses, and quick decisiveness was a requirement to make it through the spaces I occupied. I watched members of my family experience destruction due to limitations; no access to food, financial insecurity, substance abuse, fear, confusion and using love as a radical tool to thrive.
Then I learned these experiences were not exclusive to my family or my neighborhoods. These experiences were happening to communities of culture across the landscape of America and around the world. I witnessed the deterioration of school systems, homes in low-income communities, a lack of access to health care, public safety services and grocery stores. It baffled me as a child to see unhoused individuals being ignored, denied basic needs and access to services. I watched as applications for government assistance were piling up, waiting to be reviewed or flat out denied. I saw churches become the ticket for survival and the only places we could hope to receive support.
These experiences continue to impact me today. It informs the way I engage with individuals from different backgrounds and identities. It helps me cut through tension and frustration to get to the root cause of inequities. It reminds me to remain involved in my communities and to hold systems accountable via my role in leadership and responsibility as a civil servant. It’s the cracking of my grandfather’s voice when he saw the climate around race look very similar to his experiences in Ware Shoals, South Carolina during the 40s and 50s in 2024.
I chose the work of diversity, equity and inclusion to move beyond lip service into action. I saw an opportunity to interrupt systems creating harmful experiences. I leaned into the opportunity to expose these systems and individuals while holding them accountable to review their programs, practices and policies to identify equity gaps and employ intentional solutions.
I knew the work of diversity, equity and inclusion was not new, but a continuation of the work done by our historic civil rights leaders, known and unknown by the masses, those who were in local communities, leadership positions, young adults and seasoned saints. They did the work because they wanted to ensure their families and communities would receive the support they needed. These individuals did not do the work to receive a book deal, an invitation to be a keynote speaker or panelist, they did it because they had a generation to protect. Knowing this, I take my positionality in diversity, equity, and inclusion work seriously, but I want it to be accessible.
In my role as a director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, I facilitate training, critical discussions and opportunities for mindset growth to move beyond the negative narratives associated with this work. I have done this work as a consultant at multiple higher education institutions, public and private sectors, small and large businesses and worked directly with executive leadership to identify equity gaps that will intentionally improve the climate and experience for everyone within the organization, while calling out the historical gaps impacting some identities more than others.
In February of this year, I was selected as the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advocate of the Year presented by Eli Lilly for the ELEVATE awards by the United Way of Central Indiana. This honor reminded me of the work I am aligned with and continued to showcase the value of DEI in all spaces.
Thinking back to my graduating year of high school, 2008, I never imagined being able to uplift, center and challenge systems via diversity, equity and inclusion. I grew up low-income and often was reminded I would not make it out of the neighborhoods I occupied. I graduated high school with a 1.8 GPA and a ton of fear to move into the next phase of life. But I did not let that diminish or shift my plans to make a difference in the world.
The shame of graduating with a 1.8 GPA followed me for years. I attended a community college for three years, where I then transferred to Eastern Michigan University. Spending two years at this institution, I was able to join multiple student organization where I held a leadership role, I graduated from the Honors College with dual honors, received 14 academic scholarships, was mentioned in the president’s speech during graduation and went on to pursue my masters at Indiana University, graduating and now being a doctoral student in the Urban Education Studies (UES) program with an interdisciplinary focus on body diversity (BODEI) and diversity, equity and inclusion. My time spent in these spaces was intentional and continues to allow me to serve as a scholar practitioner.
I always want to make information accessible where people can utilize it to improve their lives and communities. This desire led me to lean into the nickname — DEI Homegirl. My approach to this work is intentional. I want you to understand, ask questions, seek clarification, learn, laugh and know you will be held accountable, and I expect you to do the same for me. Accountability does not have to be harmful or a tool to silence. It has to be intentional and equitable. With everything I have learned and continue to experience, I remind myself that those before me are the motivation to keep going when the world is choosing to ignore the value of DEI and lean into feeling inclusions does not matter.
This endeavor with the Indianapolis Recorder to share information about DEI is needed now, more than ever as we watch the rise of misinformation, hate and ignorance. This rise is more than clickbait and social media discussions. These actions are informing the programs, practices, and policies of our communities. To address these topics, I ask that you join me as your DEI Homegirl to use this platform to educate, challenge and redefine the narratives associated with DEI and its underpinnings. I’m excited to share this information with readers and hope that you will continue to join me to learn more and make critical changes.
As a reminder, the work is not always easy, but it is always needed. Remember, we are not here for a long time, but a good time. We’ve got work to do!
Take care friends!
Your DEI Homegirl
Follow Ellise A. Smith on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ellisesmith.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indianapolis Indians are bringing a packed lineup of family-friendly events to Victory Field this week as they continue a seven-game homestand against the Nashville Sounds, Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.
After kicking off the series with a Memorial Day win on Monday that extended their home winning streak to eight games and raised over $8,000 for INvets, the Indians resume play on Wednesday evening with a slate of themed nights through Sunday.
The week starts with Youth Clinic Night on Wednesday, where children 14 and younger can learn baseball and softball fundamentals directly from Indians players and coaches. Gates open at 5 p.m. for the clinic, which precedes a 6:35 p.m. first pitch. Fans can also take advantage of Half-Off Wednesday Night ticket prices, presented by AAA Insurance and Best-One of Indy.
On Thursday, fans are invited to bring their furry friends for Bark in the Park, presented by Pacifico, PetSuites and Tito’s Handmade Vodka. Dog tickets are $7, with proceeds supporting local pet charities. The popular Thirsty Thursday promotion also returns, offering $3 Busch Light cans, $3 draft beers and $2 Pepsi fountain drinks. Gates open at 5:30 p.m., with the game beginning at 6:35 p.m.
Friday features Friday Fireworks and Chick-fil-A Night, with postgame fireworks lighting up the skyline following the 7:05 p.m. game. Fans who purchase a Chick-fil-A Family Pack can receive special surprises at the ballpark.
The weekend wraps up with two fan-favorite theme nights: “Star Wars” Night on Saturday, and Sunday Characters on Sunday, which will feature appearances from Peppa and George Pig.
All games will be at Victory Field in downtown Indianapolis.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Below-normal temperatures will persist over the next few days. The pattern will turn much warmer as we head into the new month of June this weekend.
Tuesday:
A cloudy, cool, and at times damp weather pattern will continue as we return to work for the short week. Expect mostly cloudy to completely overcast skies at times during the day. Scattered showers will develop heading into the afternoon hours.
High temperatures will struggle, only reaching the mid to upper 60s this afternoon.
Tuesday night:
Showers and a few thunderstorm chances will continue into the overnight hours. For most areas, rainfall should be relatively light, but heavy downpours are possible with any embedded thunderstorms.
Overnight lows will fall into the mid-50s.
Wednesday:
The wet weather pattern will persist with considerable cloud cover, slightly warmer temperatures, scattered showers, and a few thunderstorms on Wednesday afternoon. High temperatures will top out near 70°F.
Late week:
A nearby system on Thursday could bring shower chances to parts of the state, though it remains unclear how close the system will get. Many areas will likely stay dry as temperatures begin to moderate, reaching the mid-70s on Thursday and Friday.
Isolated showers and possibly a few thunderstorms are possible on Friday and heading into the weekend. The last day of May on Saturday should be very warm, with highs in the mid to upper 70s.
Seasonable, if not warmer-than-average, temperatures will continue into June, with highs near 80°F on Sunday and lower 80s by Tuesday. The 8-to-14-day forecast also indicates warmer-than-normal temperatures over the next couple of weeks.
There’s nothing like the Month of May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway — and rarely has the Indianapolis 500 been more eventful than the iconic event’s 2025 edition.
Ran on a cool Indiana day amid overcast skies and occasional spurts of rain, the race’s 109th running was briefly delayed and then immediately chaotic, hit with attrition before the green flag could even fly.
That set the stage for a race that saw numerous plot twists, comers and goers as attrition, strategy and the usual luck of the Indy 500 played out for 200 painstaking laps.
Here’s a look at the winners and losers from the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
Winner: A new Indy 500 champion is crowned: Alex Palou
Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing
Photo by: Brandon Badraoui / Motorsport Images via Getty Images
Yep. He did it, again.
For the past few years, Alex Palou has been a beast on road-and-street circuits. But ovals were a weakness, offering intermittent chances for the field to close ground in the championship fight.
If Sunday’s result is any indication, that’s no longer the case. Palou exorcised his oval demons with his first win and did it at the biggest race of them all, sweeping the Month of May with his first triumph in the Indianapolis 500.
He now leaves the Month of May an Indy 500 champion, with a provisional 118-point advantage in the championship standings. Short of an injury or historic collapse, it’s unlikely that anyone will chase down Palou for the Astor Cup this season.
Loser: Marcus Ericsson (and everyone else)
Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global
Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images via Getty Images
He was right there — in an ending where passing proved challenging, Marcus Ericsson held the lead into the closing stretch. But he wound up losing the top spot to Palou and couldn’t get it back.
So Ericsson – like the 31 competitors that finished behind him – was left wondering what could have been at day’s end, even if the runner-up result was his best since the 2024 Detroit Grand Prix.
Winner: Lead changes aplenty at Indianapolis
Patricio O’ward, Arrow McLaren, Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Colton Herta, Andretti Global, Callum Ilott, Prema Racing
Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images via Getty Images
Blame it on Alex Palou’s dominance. Point the finger at the hybrid unit. Choose whatever reason you’d like. But by any measure, it had been a procedural affair up front for the IndyCar field in the season to date. There had been only two on-track passes for the lead beyond the opening corner in the eight road-and-street circuit races since the Hybrid unit was introduced in 2024 – including the opening five races of the 2025 season.
The Indy 500 matched that total just 12 laps into the race and proceeded to blow it out of the water. It wasn’t a spectacular race for the lead by Indy 500 standards, but a nice shakeup from the status quo beforehand.
Loser: Rossi, Veekay and Shwartzman end their days on pit road
Robert Shwartzman, Prema Racing
Photo by: Geoff Miller / Motorsport Images via Getty Images
Pit road is often treacherous at the Brickyard, but rarely does it claim victims in succession like it did in the middle portions of Sunday’s race.
Alexander Rossi came to pit road at the end of lap 73 after his car began smoking just to see a top-five run end in flames. Rinus Veekay was coming to pit minutes later on lap 81 when he lost control and slammed into the pit wall. Just six laps after that, pole-sitter Robert Shwartzman did the same while sliding into his box — and crew members — while the race was under caution.
Winner: A good day for David Malukas, AJ Foyt Racing
David Malukas, A. J. Foyt Enterprises
Photo by: Penske Entertainment
Prior to Sunday, it had been a quiet year for David Malukas. The Chicagoan had finished four of five races, but come home no better than 13th in a spring spent in the midpack. But on the day where the most eyes are drawn to IndyCar, Malukas made his presence known.
Piloting the No. 4, Malukas led two laps and found himself third in the race’s closing stages. The quirky ending behind lapped traffic meant that the top contenders stayed locked in place for the final 10 laps, keeping Malukas out of real contention for the win. But the third-place result was the 23-year-old’s best outside of World Wide Technology Raceway.
Teammate Santino Ferrucci didn’t supply many of the bold, exciting moves he’s managed in the past at Indianapolis. But the Connecticut native quietly marched up to seventh to give AJ Foyt Racing a pair of top-10s on the day.
Loser: Josef Newgarden’s three-peat attempt stalls
Josef Newgarden, Team Penske
Photo by: Brett Farmer / Motorsport Images via Getty Images
Josef Newgarden was ready to live up to the pressure of making potential history in Indianapolis. Unfortunately for the Tennessean, his car wasn’t as prepared.
The Team Penske ace was trying to set two historic firsts on Sunday — winning from the last row
And scoring a third-straight victory. And for a time, it seemed possible. Aided by the race’s heavy attrition and sporting a fast No. 2 Chevrolet, Newgarden rose up into the top-10 and had time to chase down the frontrunners for a chance at racing immortality.
But in the end, it wasn’t meant to be. Newgarden’s car lost fuel pressure and a trip to the pits on lap 135 ended with an early exit due to a fuel pump issue. Lady luck wasn’t on his side this year.
Winner: Solid days for title hopefuls
Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren
Photo by: Brandon Badraoui / Motorsport Images via Getty Images
Look, the odds of anyone catching Palou at this point are slim. And no one is happy about any finish other than first at the Indy 500. But for those drivers hoping to catch him, or at least compete for second, bringing home a good result in an unpredictable race like Indianapolis is key.
So while top-10 runs for Pato O’Ward, Kyle Kirkwood, Christian Lundgaard and Felix Rosenqvist are nothing to write home about, they did help the group leave Indiana with the four spots behind Palou in the standings.
Loser: Mother Nature’s at it again
Indy 500 grid
Photo by: Phillip Abbott / Motorsport Images via Getty Images
It’s been a cool, overcast week in Indiana. So, there was no surprise when cloudy skies and a light threat of rain popped up on the race day forecast.
Thankfully, there was little rain to contend with on the day. But the little bit that did drop came down just as pre-race festivities were kicking into gear.
What ensued was a brief, but painful, wait as the weather moved through and the track dried – especially for Kyle Larson, who saw the little wiggle room he had for his planned IndyCar-NASCAR double evaporate as moisture hit his aeroscreen. Later, Larson’s race would end after an uncharacteristically botched restart.
That margin for error only got thinner from there, because rain forced a brief caution minutes later and before that…
Loser: Everyone loses their minds before the green
Marco Andretti, Andretti Global
Photo by: James Gilbert / Getty Images
It was shades of 1992 early on at Indianapolis.
By the time engines were fired and pace laps got underway, the capacity crowd at Indianapolis Motor Speedway had reached a fevered pitch. Emotions were high and drivers were ready to race.
In fact, they may have been a bit too ready.
The lone Team Penske driver that didn’t have to start from the rear, Scott McLaughlin, made a colossal mistake heading into turn 1 on the final lap before the scheduled green flag. The Kiwi was warming his tires when he lost control of his No. 3 Chevrolet and clobbered the inside wall at the end of the front stretch, bringing his race to an end before it could begin.
That led the race to start under caution. But the field still took the first green flag in the traditional three-wide formation, which led to another crash in turn 1 as Marco Andretti got the worst of a four-wide move.
The veteran’s 20th Indy 500 run was already hampered by a difficult qualifying weekend that saw him roll off 29th. But it ended even deeper in 32nd, having only seen one straightaway of green flag racing.
Scott Dixon wasn’t involved in an accident, but suffered a setback of his own. His car briefly went ablaze during the pace laps. The 2008 race winner eventually required a brake change as a result of the mechanical issue, trapping him three laps down and out of contention early in his 23rd Indy 500.
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