South Bend's Own Words Podcast
1) Tom Singer, lawyer and ally, on discrimination in South Bend
As a student athlete in Central High School, Tom Singer saw how his African American teammates had very different experiences than he did. This observation fueled his work as an ally in the 1960s civi...Show More
2) Father John Phalen on the founding of La Casa de Amistad
Over fifty years ago, a Notre Dame priest sought to become a literature professor. He ended up on another path, becoming an ally with South Bend's Latinx immigrant community and founding a youth and c...Show More
3) The LGBTQ Center's 20th Anniversary
In the small, midwestern city of South Bend, Indiana, for members of the LGBTQ+ community, having a space for themselves is life changing. And for twenty years, people here have had that space. Today...Show More
4) Ms. Adeline Wigfall-Jones, legendary west-side barber and community builder
Ms. Adeline Wigfall-Jones’ west side barber shop has brought safety and built community for generations. Now in her 90s, Ms. Adeline shares her life’s journey from a small farm in rural Georgia, to th...Show More
Ms. Adeline Wigfall-Jones, legendary west-side barber and community builder
17:41 | Feb 3rd, 2025
5) John Charles Bryant: African American life and legacy
John Charles Bryant was a lifelong historian of South Bend's African American community. In 2021, after a colorful life of nearly 84 years, he reached out to us to record a series of four oral hist...Show More
6) Tom Beatty on local LGBTQ+ spaces like the Seahorse
With makeshift decor and a boom box for music, the original Seahorse was totally undistinguished, but it became a sanctuary for South Bend’s LGBTQ+ community seeking a place where they could be their ...Show More
7) Joaquin Robles on four decades in the Latines community in South Bend
After growing up in Puerto Rico, Joaquin Robles moved to South Bend, Indiana, and lived forty-plus years here. Joaquin talks about his experiences in this city, and his perspectives on multi-generati...Show More
8) Charlotte Huddleston on African Americans in nursing
As the only African American Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) at South Bend, Indiana’s Memorial Hospital in the late 1960s, Charlotte Huddleston shares her perspective on racism in healthcare, housing, ...Show More
9) New format coming to SBOW
Since 2017, for 54 episodes, you’ve been with us as we’ve gone back into South Bend’s history. And next week, we’re presenting a new format for “South Bend’s Own Words.” It still shares stories of peo...Show More
10) Elmer Joseph, on west side Black owned businesses
A Mississippi native who moved to South Bend in 1944 speaks about Black businesses on the west side. Elmer Joseph came to South Bend from a resort community in Mississippi. His family was financial...Show More