Photo // IU South Bend
“DIVIDED WATERS”. The Civil Rights Heritage Center on Washington Street invites students and the community to learn about the history of civil rights nationally and locally. The building was once home to South Bend’s first public swimming pool, which did not allow African American residents to swim.
By: Evelyn Kowalski
Staff-Writer
The Civil Rights Heritage Center is an off-campus museum where everyone is welcome to learn about African American history and the civil rights movement. They have historical artifacts from different prominent folks from the area and serve as an archive for local history.
Located at 1040 Washington St., the museum lives in a former segregated natatorium and is now part of IU South Bend.
The Heritage Center is open to collaboration with any student organizations and departments on campus. They organize and collaborate with other local organizations so that students can learn more about the community. Their mission is to use the center for education, culture and activism to lead students to be more involved and more engaged in the South Bend community.
The Center has a small library, public computers and other educational resources. No appointment is needed to visit during open hours: Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday from 3-7 p.m. Groups can also schedule tours and activities during or outside of these hours.
Closing out Black History Month, the Center will host “Celebrating Malcolm X 2025” on Feb. 20 from 6-7:30 p.m. They will also hold their recurring Poetry Den from 6-8 p.m. on Feb. 23; this is a monthly event for anyone interested in sharing in reading or listening to spoken poetry.
The CRHC and IU South Bend have also hosted a biannual trip called Freedom Summer since 2000. The two-week tour takes students into the deep south to visit historic sites and learn about Black history and the Civil Rights Movement.
Freedom Summer is open to any interested student, and sign-ups will start next semester. For questions or more information about the trip, students can contact Dr. Darryl Heller, Women and Gender Studies professor and CRHC director, or Dr. Monica Tetzlaff.
The CRHC will host a free session for those interested in attending the next Freedom Summer on Feb. 28 from 6-7:30 at the Center. Students and faculty who attended the 2024 trip will share their experiences.
Dr. Heller expressed his joy in sharing his knowledge of Civil Rights history. He encourages his students and anyone who is curious to learn more to visit the CRHC, adding that it is a safe place for those who need a comfortable place to learn and find community.
“One of the roles that the center has served in, not just for IU South Bend, but for the South Bend community as a whole is that it’s a really safe space that we’ve created,” Dr. Heller said.
To schedule a group tour or event at the Center, contact Assistant Director and Curator George Garner. More information about the Center’s mission, events, resources and history can be found at crhc.iusb.edu.