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<br /> HERITA IVILRIG E NTER i! `' t.,,.., ,,
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<br /> INDIANA UNIVERSITY SOUTH BEND
<br /> BILL NO. 18-75
<br /> RESOLUTION NO. 4681-18
<br /> A RESOLUTION OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND,INDIANA
<br /> THANKING DR.DARRYL M.HELLER FOR HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SOUTH BEND COMMUNITY
<br /> 00‘.4, Darryl Heller was born in Aiken, South Carolina, the grandson of sharecroppers, and a son in a
<br /> military family. He went to twelve(12) different schools between first(1st) and twelfth(12th) grades and his love
<br /> of education led him to become a first (1st)-generation college student at the College of Charleston where he
<br /> received a BA in Philosophy; and,
<br /> 61‘..f, Darryl developed a deeply held commitment to social justice when in his last year of college he
<br /> worked on a life changing project focused on migrant farm workers where he witnessed the oppressive conditions
<br /> under which they toiled; and he spent the next several years working in non-profit, community-based settings
<br /> dealing with the homeless, hunger, and HIV/AIDS; and,
<br /> 6)iftereao, organizing at the grassroots level, Darryl taught in and supervised work readiness programs,
<br /> developed trainings to confront the digital divide in inner cities, directed community development projects; he
<br /> co-founded the Amistad Institute, a non-profit with the mission to design, develop and implement replicable
<br /> programs for inner-city communities; and
<br /> 4‘.4, his work in the trenches with marginalized communities awakened a long-standing interest in
<br /> United States history,especially as it relates to labor,the African American experience,and mechanisms in which
<br /> race is constructed and deployed in the interests of the dominant society and culture; and Darryl's personal
<br /> mission led him to obtain a Master's Degree in American Studies from Columbia University and his PhD in
<br /> history from the University of Chicago; and,
<br /> 6)Xmid, Dr. Heller found his way to South Bend in 2015, where he became the Director of Student and
<br /> Community Engagement and the Director of the Civil Rights Heritage Center at Indiana University South Bend.
<br /> This off-campus location was designed to build collaborative relationships among students, faculty and the
<br /> broader community relating to issues of civil rights and social justice; and,
<br /> G,ff.a4 the Civil Rights Heritage Center operates out of the former Engman Public Natatorium, a once
<br /> segregated city-owned and operated swimming pool, it now hosts public lectures,programming, and exhibitions
<br /> on topics related to civil rights and social justice; and,
<br /> Off, under Dr. Heller's leadership the Civil Rights Heritage Center has set three(3)consecutive records
<br /> for the first(1st), second(2nd), and third(3rd)best attendance and renewed its reputation as a place for community
<br /> exploration into the history of marginalization and oppression, its current impacts, and its contemporary
<br /> manifestations; and,
<br /> Offomg,the center came alive with work that stirs the soul to action. Guest speakers,film screenings,poetry
<br /> jams, and historical lectures brought together an intergenerational community of activists, students, teachers, and
<br /> professors. People of faith, peace, labor, and law gathered to act on their commitment to justice. Dr. Heller
<br /> personally played crucial roles in advancing the work of many social justice organizations including Michiana
<br /> Social Justice Coalition and Community Action for Education (CAFE), and even served on the board for Imani
<br /> Unidad, and the Community Forum for Economic Justice and,
<br /> Gffemid, a unique mix of academic and activist, Dr. Heller navigated political and social communities with
<br /> ease creating an ever-expanding circle of influence. His opinion articles, lectures, and keynote speeches called
<br /> out the dynamics of institutional oppression, spoke truth to power, and challenged community leaders to make
<br /> real change; and,
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