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Gary Crusader

1961 establishments in IndianaAfrican-American newspapersMass media in Gary, IndianaNewspapers established in 1961Newspapers published in Indiana

The Gary Crusader is a newspaper based in Gary, Indiana, United States, which has been featured in national newspapers for its focus on the African-American community. It was founded in 1961 and became part of the Crusader Newspaper Group founded by Balm L. Leavell and Joseph H. Jefferson. The Crusader Newspaper Group, founded in 1940, consists of The Chicago Crusader and, since 1961, the Gary Crusader. The newspaper is currently run by Balm L. Leavell's wife, Dorothy Leavell, chairman of the National Newspaper Publishers Association. The Crusader was established to shed light on the civil rights movement, African-American culture, and news about the Gary African-American community. The Editor of the Gary Crusader is Sharon Fountain. The current publisher for the Gary Crusader, Dorothy Leavell, is stationed in Chicago, Illinois, in their larger sister organization, the Chicago Crusader. This paper has a twice-weekly print release, while also maintaining a daily article update on their website. They have a print circulation of just over fifty-six thousand copies. The Gary Crusader is the sixth largest newspaper in the state, while also being the largest ethnic-based newspaper in Indiana. Located just over 25 miles from downtown Chicago, it is well known in the Northwest Indiana region.The Gary Crusader was founded in 1961. The publication was created as a way to give a voice to the African-American population in the Northwest Region of Indiana. In the very turbulent year of 1968 for the African-American community, with the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Democratic Presidential Candidate Robert F. Kennedy, founder Balm L. Leavell died. His wife, Dorothy Leavell assumed the role of Publisher.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Gary Crusader (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

Gary Crusader
East 16th Avenue, Gary

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N 41.587 ° E -87.3367 °
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East 16th Avenue 34
46407 Gary (Midtown)
Indiana, United States
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Gary, Indiana
Gary, Indiana

Gary ( GAIR-ee) is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city has been historically dominated by major industrial activity and is home to U.S. Steel's Gary Works, the largest steel mill complex in North America. Gary is located along the southern shore of Lake Michigan about 25 miles (40 km) southeast of downtown Chicago, Illinois. The city is adjacent to the Indiana Dunes National Park, and is within the Chicago metropolitan area.Gary was named after lawyer Elbert Henry Gary, who was the founding chairman of the United States Steel Corporation. U.S. Steel had established the city in 1906 as a company town to serve its steel mills. Although initially a very diverse city, after white flight in the 1970s, the city of Gary held the nation's highest percentage of African Americans for several decades. As of the 2020 census the city's population was 69,093, making it Indiana's ninth-largest city. Like other Rust Belt cities, Gary's once thriving steel industry has been significantly affected by the disappearance of local manufacturing jobs since the 1970s. As a result of this economic shift, the city's population has decreased drastically, having lost 61% of its population since 1960. Because of its large losses in population and deteriorating economy, Gary is often cited as an example of industrial decline and urban decay in America.Gary is serviced by the Gary/Chicago International Airport, an alternative airport to the Chicago region's two larger airports. The city's public transport is provided by the Gary Public Transportation Corporation and the South Shore Line passenger railway, which connects to the Chicago transit system. It is also home to a professional baseball team, the Gary SouthShore RailCats. In addition to its large steel mills, the city is known for being the birthplace of the Jackson family, a family of well-known entertainers whose members include singer Michael Jackson.

Midtown (Gary)
Midtown (Gary)

Midtown, also called Central, is a neighborhood in central Gary, Indiana. For many decades it was the only African-American neighborhood in the city. It is located south of Downtown West and north of Glen Park along Broadway, Gary's principal thoroughfare. It adjoins the neighborhoods of Tolleston to the west and Pulaski to the east. As of 2000, Midtown had a population of 12,056.The Midtown neighborhood began as a community of poor white ethnic millworkers, who were excluded from the more upscale neighborhoods close to the Gary Works. Significant African American immigration began after World War I; the neighborhood remained integrated for a time, but gradually the whites moved out as housing became available elsewhere, while the blacks were kept in Midtown by segregationist city ordinances. The neighborhood's white population dropped from 25% in 1940 to 4% in 1950. In the 1950 census, Midtown accounted for 97% of Gary's black population. Prior to desegregation, Midtown was a largely self-contained African-American community: because blacks were largely excluded from Downtown Gary, most retail activity was kept within the neighborhood. During the Richard Hatcher administration in the 1960s and 1970s, Midtown was targeted for urban renewal, and thousands of substandard homes were demolished. Today Midtown's housing stock is a mixture of single-family and multi-family homes, including a number of affordable housing developments. As of 2000, the owner-occupancy rate was 36.6%. Commercial activity is concentrated along Broadway and Grant streets. The neighborhood was served by the W.E.B. DuBois branch of the Gary Public Library until it was consolidated with the main branch, and also has its own post office. Public transportation is provided by buses of the Gary Public Transportation Corporation running along Broadway. The neighborhood is the site of Theodore Roosevelt High School. Famous people from Midtown include the musicians of the Jackson family, such as Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson. Other noted Midtown residents include educator Ida B. King. The neighborhood also hosted many jazz and blues musicians during the segregation period.