People's stories recorded from the Oral History Collection of the Civil Rights Heritage Center at the Indiana University South Bend Archives. Telling the history of the civil rights movement and the experiences of Black, Latinx, LGBTQ, and other marginalized peoples in South Bend, Indiana. For more, visit crhc.iusb.edu.
Paula Gonzalez on the first South Bend Hispanic Heritage Month
A Texas native who moved to South Bend in 1948, Paula Gonzalez saw first-hand how our city's Latinx migrant and immigrant community grew.
Paula spent her childhood working day and night in a tomato packing house in Edinburg, Texas. When she moved to South Bend, she followed the path of many migrant workers, first laboring in the fields of the Martin Blad farm. In 1957, she began working in the dining hall at the University of Notre Dame, a position she held until her retirement in 1992.
Settling in a Polish neighborhood on Western Avenue, Paula faced the challenge of learning English "the hard way" while navigating a community that was just beginning to transition into the predominately Latinx neighborhood it is today.
As a dedicated community advocate, in 1979, she led the first celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month in South Bend, ensuring the history of the Latinx community would be recognized.
In 2004, Dr. Les Lamon and David Healey sat down with Ms. Gonzalez to record her life story. They talked about her experiences as a migrant worker, her journey to South Bend, and how she helped establish a sense of community for the city's Latinx residents.
This episode was produced by Caleb Matz from the Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts at IU South Bend, and by George Garner from the Civil Rights Heritage Center.
Full transcript of this episode available here (https://indiana.sharepoint.com/:w:/s/msteams_184de9/IQAPfwtlOFFlTZo3spBMfk7mAQjMUCxliOnpD7Exl_zEfuk?e=f7W0Qy).
Want to learn more about South Bend’s history? View the photographs and documents that helped create it. Visit Michiana Memory at http://michianamemory.sjcpl.org/ (http://michianamemory.sjcpl.org/).
Title music, “History Repeats,” from Josh Woodward, used via CC-BY-4.0-DEED. Visit his website at https://www.joshwoodward.com (https://www.joshwoodward.com/).
Additional music:
“Lighthouse” by Ocean Bloom, https://freetouse.com/music/ocean-bloom/lighthouse (https://freetouse.com/music/ocean-bloom/lighthouse).
“Pida Vida” by u_w2a63gd7ea, https://pixabay.com/music/latin-pista-vida-480813/ (https://pixabay.com/music/latin-pista-vida-480813/).
3 Jun 2026
DeAnn Gatto on winning the Mr. South Bend male impersonator competition
DeAnn Gatto worked as a bouncer at the Seahorse, a center of queer culture in South Bend for decades. It was there that she befriended some legendary male impersonation performers. They encouraged DeAnn, teaching her the art and skill of impersonation and the differences between that and drag performance.
One day, DeAnn was pushed to enter the Mr. South Bend competition, a title that showed to her, and to everyone, that she could be the reigning champion of male impersonators.
In this episode of “South Bend’s Own Words,” DeAnn shares her experiences bouncing at the Seahorse and befriending its owner, Gloria Frankel. Many experiences were great. Some were pretty disgusting. Despite the Seahorse’s place in local LGBTQ+ history, it was a bar, after all. But DeAnn’s years in this storied place in South Bend’s queer history were special to her, to her fellow male impersonators, and to those who saw her pour countless hours (and wardrobe dollars) into her performances.
This episode was produced by Caleb Matz from the Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts at IU South Bend, and by George Garner from the Civil Rights Heritage Center.
Full transcript of this episode available here (https://indiana.sharepoint.com/:w:/s/msteams_184de9/IQDsHVotv8OpTqf3FD4N8gAzAf1sUxsIK5qVLqRJeNN1MyA?e=nGBZSK).
Want to learn more about South Bend’s history? View the photographs and documents that helped create it. Visit Michiana Memory at http://michianamemory.sjcpl.org/ (http://michianamemory.sjcpl.org/).
Title music, “History Repeats,” from Josh Woodward, used via CC-BY-4.0-DEED. Visit his website at https://www.joshwoodward.com (https://www.joshwoodward.com/).
8 Apr 2026
Dorothy Smith on the price of being the first
Born in Arkansas, Dorothy Smith and her family fled the state in 1937 due to a violent encounter with white men. They found refuge in South Bend. Dorothy fondly remembers her time at Hering House, a community center, and her involvement with the Phyllis Wheatley Girl Reserves.
She was also the first African American person hired at Wells Electronics company. Despite her hard work, she faced intense harassment including enduring racial slurs and sabotaged workspaces. Dorothy persevered, becoming an expert at her job and holding her position for thirty years.
Content notice: This episode contains stories of racial violence, as well as two uses of the slur known as the "n-word." You may want to skip this episode if that's too much to hear.
The book by Lisa Swedarsky, A Place With Purpose: Hering House, can be purchased (https://wolfsonpress.com/lisa-swedarsky-a-place-with-purpose-hering-house-1925-1963/) via Wolfson Press or borrowed (https://www.libib.com/u/crhc?id=11533041) from the Civil Rights Heritage Center’s library.
This episode was produced by Caleb Matz from the Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts at IU South Bend, and by George Garner from the Civil Rights Heritage Center.
Full transcript of this episode available here (https://indiana.sharepoint.com/:w:/s/msteams_184de9/EU1S98EinLJGlbkw_aG0tZIBZjUMTaakDgmUJUr8wCIO_A?e=Fh37lC).
Want to learn more about South Bend’s history? View the photographs and documents that helped create it. Visit Michiana Memory at http://michianamemory.sjcpl.org/ (http://michianamemory.sjcpl.org/).
Title music, “History Repeats,” from Josh Woodward, used via CC-BY-4.0-DEED. Visit his website at https://www.joshwoodward.com (https://www.joshwoodward.com/).
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