The lower level of Broadway United Methodist Church on November 14 was a banquet hall filled with Indianapolis Liberation Center organizers, supporters, and our nine member groups along with our sponsors, local leaders, and even new faces. On the left was a generous table of native plants, gardening supplies, and merchandise from Keep Indianapolis Beautiful and, on the way to the bar and the Liberation Center Store was a series of gift baskets and silent-auction items donated by local bookstores and Center supporters, including Dream Palace Books & Coffee, Loudmouth Books, Indy Reads, Tomorrow Bookstore, Touch Grass, Indy, ANSWER Indiana, and individuals like Massage Therapist James Cramer.
Everything was moving throughout the night, with people grabbing food from Ms. Dixon’s Kitchen, talking with family and friends, hugging comrades, and meeting others for the first time. Even the slideshow projected on the backstage was in constant motion. In fact, one of the only other entities that remained stationary for several hours was Vernon T. Bateman who, throughout the evening, painted an original artwork to contribute to the live-auction.
“It’s a beautiful place”
Jok Huerta, the Director of FOCUS Initiatives LTD. and Sierra Nuckols, the Founder and Director of Community Food Box Project, opened the program. FOCUS was the first member-organization to join after the Center’s move to 18th and Meridian. Recalling our first meeting, Huerta said since that day “we’ve been growing together, and it’s a beautiful place and a beautiful experience.”
Nuckols, whose organization is the latest to join the Center, compared her experience with our city’s liberated territory with the “non-profit industrial complex” in which she formerly worked. “I’m working with people that are ready to see total change,” she said. “It’s beautiful to be in a space where I’m being uplifted, where people are behind me, and ready to make change together,” she continued.
Solidarity and struggle, hopes and hugs
Before we introduced the evening’s host, we debuted the music video of “GLORY” by Mych Win and El Bentley 448, which highlights the struggles of those still trapped behind cages–people like Vernon T. Bateman, the Pendleton 2, Shaka A. Shakur, and others.
El Bentley 448 is the stage name of Leon Benson, our host for the evening. Benson served over 25 years (11 in solitary confinement) for a crime the cops knew he didn’t commit. On March 9, 2023, he was the first person exonerated by the new Marion County Conviction Integrity Unit. His first time back to Indianapolis was one year later, for a weekend of “Re-Birth” called COMMON UNITY. We remembered protesting outside prison for Benson, and there was no greater honor than to receive his call asking if we would host and help organize his homecoming.
With his unique ability to translate messages into multiple languages and breakdown the tornado of knowledge, insights, and feelings–not to mention the transformations he has and is going through–Benson delighted and inspired the audience. He even called them onto the stage.
Organizational Relations Director Derek Ford spoke to the genius of Bateman’s paintings and saluted the steadfastness of attendee Jesse Brown, a City-County Councilor and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, for standing tall against genocide and sexism against every one of his “fellow” caucus members. Ford delivered a Certificate of Leadership, Solidarity, and Inspiration to exoneree Larry Darnell Smith Jr. of Detroit who, immediately upon release from prison in 2021, set to work liberating all of us.
Community Outreach Coordinator Stephen Lane brought AFSCME 3395 President and library worker Michael Torres to the stage. Torres was less interested in the award than in speaking about the years of shared struggle between the library worker’s union and the Center–one with victories and setbacks. And before the program began, Lane delivered the “People’s Choice for Indianapolis Public Library CEO” Award to Nichelle M. Hayes.
Before closing out with a performance of his hit, “Let my People Go,” he led a live-auction where supporters competitively bid over Bateman’s art work, time in Huerta’s recording studio, a live tarot-card reading for 2-6 people, signed artwork by Jacob Church, and more.
A communal effort for a communal city
“It all came together beautifully,” Center volunteer organizer Sam James shared. “The slideshows, the silent auction items–I think that all of our hard work paid off.” Indeed, the evening’s optimism was fostered by the successes of the past year and the promise of more to come.
Thanks to the hard work and generous contributions of all kinds, the Center’s one-year celebration and inaugural fundraiser set the bar higher for what we can accomplish when we work together. Altogether, we raised over $9,500 to directly expand our capacity and reach.
What the Center, which is entirely volunteer-run and community-funded, needs now is a paid-staff worker to take us to the next level and prepare for the battles ahead. Soon, we’ll launch the second phase of our fundraiser for those who were unable to attend that night.
In the meantime, please make a much-needed donation or become a monthly sustainer to keep our city’s independent organizing space thriving and growing!
Everyone at the Center is overcome with gratitude for the support in our community and to have experienced an evening made possible by the meaningful connections we fostered over the past 13 months. This success was a beacon of our progress and a reflection of the trust that our community places in us to show up and struggle not for you but with you.
Featured photo: Nichelle M. Hayes receives the “People’s Choice for Indianapolis Public Library CEO” award from Stephen Lane II. Credit: Indianapolis Liberation Center.
