Indiana University (Indiana University South Bend Civil Rights Heritage Center)

The Indiana University South Bend Civil Rights Heritage Center will implement a stakeholder-driven planning process to enhance the city's African American Landmark Tour, which highlights the history of the African American experience in South Bend and the northern Midwest. The project will integrate archival materials from the museum's collections into the tour and add technology to facilitate public discourse. The museum will link interpretive assets from its collection of oral histories, photographs, documents, and news clippings to tour sites through redesigned signage, print materials, and a dedicated website and app. A participatory "Join the Conversation" feature will invite participants to respond to relevant topics embedded within the 20 historically significant landmarks via social media. The project will engage teams of student interns who will gain skills in publishing, web design, and coding while learning about regional African American history.