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City of Bloomington 23 results
Recent mass shootings have ignited conversations about “the precarious ambiguity about what it means to be Asian American,” says Hiromi Yoshida, a freelance writer, editor, and diversity consultant for the Writers Guild at Bloomington. For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May, the Writers Guild will feature four Asian American performers for the virtual edition of its First Wednesdays Spoken Word Series on May 5. “To be Asian, however American, is dangerous in this volatile post-Trump era,” Hiromi writes. | Courtesy images.

Writers Guild Spoken Word Series: Observing Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Hiromi Yoshida
For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May, the Writers Guild at Bloomington is featuring four Asian American performers for the virtual edition of its First Wednesdays Spoken Word Series on May 5. Writer Hiromi Yoshida wrote a preview of the event for LP. “To be Asian, however American, is dangerous in this volatile post-Trump era,” Hiromi writes. Click here for Hiromi’s article.
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In the past 25 years, the housing supply in Bloomington has not kept pace with population growth, and housing prices have gone up while wages have remained flat. Housing expert Deborah Myerson says exclusionary housing policy creates issues related to housing affordability, accessibility, racial inequity, and climate change — as well as invisible neighbors in our community. The photos above depict examples of “missing middle housing,” courtesy of NeighborsUnited.info.

Invisible Neighbors: How To Include People Left Out of B-town’s Neighborhoods
Deborah Myerson
In the past 25 years, housing supply in Bloomington has not kept pace with population growth, and prices have gone up while wages have remained flat. Housing expert Deborah Myerson says exclusionary housing policy creates issues related to housing affordability, accessibility, racial inequity, and climate change — as well as invisible neighbors in our community. Click here to read Deborah’s article.
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Overcoming Barriers to Mental Health Services in a Pandemic
Eszi Waters
Economic distress, loss, and isolation due to the pandemic have increased the need for mental health services in Monroe County. While local providers have reinvented how they offer such services, many people still confront barriers to accessing them. Eszi Waters spoke to people at several agencies to see how they have adapted. Click here to read the article.
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On two consecutive days in downtown Bloomington, protestors expressed outrage at the racial aggression, profiling, and anti-Black violence that residents have faced — recently, historically, and continually — in the community. Each protest was attended by hundreds of supporters, culminating in a march through the streets. | Photo by Limestone Post

Peaceful Protesters Outraged at Racist Attacks and Anti-Black Violence
Limestone Post
On two consecutive days in downtown Bloomington, protestors expressed outrage at the racial aggression, profiling, and anti-Black violence that residents have faced — recently, historically, and continually — in the community. Each protest was attended by hundreds of supporters, culminating in a march through the streets. Click here to learn more.
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Late last year, a group called Women in Nature Gaining Skills (WINGS) was formed to encourage women to participate in outdoor activities such as archery, hiking, kayaking, fishing, and birdwatching. All openings were filled before the first event in January. A kayaking trip is schedule for July. This photo is from an event hosted by Monroe Lake. | Photo by Jill Vance

WINGS Offers Outdoor Adventures for Women by Women
Laurie D. Borman
Late last year, a group called Women in Nature Gaining Skills (WINGS) was formed to encourage women to participate in outdoor activities such as archery, hiking, kayaking, fishing, and birdwatching. All openings were filled before the first event in January. Writer Laurie D. Borman interviewed the organizers to find out why WINGS has exceeded expectations. Click below to read the article.
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Abby Ang at the People’s Market CSA drive-thru on March 28. Ang and a group of vendors, community organizers, and university professors began meeting last year to plan what would become the People’s Market, “a farmers market model unprecedented in Bloomington and Indiana,” writes Ellen Wu for Limestone Post. The group had to “reorient swiftly to the drive-thru CSA once it became obvious that COVID-19 would upend everything.” | Limestone Post

Ethos of New People’s Market Focuses on Food Justice, Mutual Aid
Ellen Wu
A group of vendors, community organizers, and university professors began meeting last year to plan what would become the People’s Market, “a farmers market model unprecedented in Bloomington and Indiana,” writes IU history professor Ellen Wu. When COVID-19 “upended everything,” the group quickly reoriented to create a drive-thru CSA. Click here to read about the People’s Market.
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United Way of Monroe County issued a press release announcing that nearly 30 local organizations are launching an emergency relief fund to support "human service organizations in Monroe, Owen, and Greene counties" during the COVID-19 outbreak. According to the press release, grants will be distributed to groups "best positioned to meet the emerging needs resulting from this crisis." | Courtesy image

Press Release: Local Groups Launch COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund
Limestone Post
United Way of Monroe County issued a press release announcing that nearly 30 local organizations are launching an emergency relief fund to support "human service organizations in Monroe, Owen, and Greene counties" during the COVID-19 outbreak. According to the press release, grants will be distributed to groups "best positioned to meet the emerging needs resulting from this crisis." Click here to read the full press release.
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Discussions about the controversy at the Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market have dismissed the voices of Bloomington’s people of color, says historian Ellen Wu. “This is a major omission, considering that African American, Latinx, and Asian American women have made integral interventions into the debate.” Wu interviewed eight of these women to hear what they say is at stake and what solutions can ensure the safety and well-being of everyone at the market.

Bloomington 2019: ‘The Year of the Farmers’ Market Controversy’
Ellen Wu
Media coverage and discussions about the Bloomington Farmers’ Market have dismissed the voices of Bloomington’s people of color, says historian Ellen Wu. “This is a major omission, considering that African American, Latinx, and Asian American women have made integral interventions into the debate.” For this article, Wu interviewed eight women of color to get their perspectives on the controversy. Click here to read the article.
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Photographer M.J. Bower photographed more than 30 murals in Bloomington to create a Bloomington Mural Trail. This mural, ‘Love This City,’ was painted by Eva Allen on the side of Mother Bear’s Pizza’s east-side location in spring 2019. The full list of murals is at the end of the article, as is a link to The Bloomington Trail Map. | Photo by M.J. Bower

The Murals of Bloomington — Photos and Trail Map
M.J. Bower
Murals provide “a splash of color” in downtown Bloomington during the winter when most natural color has gone dormant, writes M.J. Bower. She photographed more than 30 local murals for this photo essay on an art form that has existed since prehistoric cave paintings. She also created a Bloomington Mural Trail for some outdoor winter fun. Click here to see the Murals of Bloomington and Trail Map.
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Adam Nahas in Burl and Ingot Tool Library showing a piece of armor that he made. The Tool Library is part of Artisan Alley, the collective art space, studio, workshop, computer lab, gallery, and other projects that began in Nahas’s basement more than a decade ago. | Limestone Post

Big Mike’s B-town: Adam Nahas, Artist’s Artist
Michael G. Glab
The concept of Artisan Alley — the collective art space, studio, workshop, computer lab, gallery, and other projects — began in Adam Nahas’s basement more than a decade ago. But the path from home workshop to one of Bloomington’s largest art collectives was not a straight line. Writer Michael G. Glab maps out Nahas’s journey. Click here for the story.
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The Bloomington Fire Department sent five firefighters to Sierra Leone in February to share expertise and training methods with the Sierra Leone Fire Force. The trip was coordinated by BFD Chief Jason Moore and Sierra Leonean Eastina Taylor, who participated last summer in the IU Mandela Washington Fellowship. | Courtesy photo

Bloomington Firefighters Train with Sierra Leone Fire Force
Eastina Marian Boimadi Taylor
In February, the Bloomington Fire Department sent five firefighters to Sierra Leone to train with the Sierra Leone Fire Force. The trip was coordinated by BFD Chief Jason Moore and Sierra Leonean Eastina Taylor, who participated last summer in the IU Mandela Washington Fellowship. Taylor wrote about the experience for LP. Click here for the full story.
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A nonprofit called CDFI Friendly Bloomington offers financial support for underserved communities, including projects in the "creative sector." One possibility is to help fund public art in the Trades District, as shown in this rendering prepared for the City of Bloomington by Anderson + Bohlander, LLC. | Courtesy image

Guest Column: CDFI Friendly Bloomington Funds Overlooked Projects
Rachel Glago
Banking rules and regulations often prevent underserved communities from getting financing for needed programs. Without investments, projects to assist in affordable housing, develop small businesses, create community facilities, and support the arts go unrealized. Writer Rachel Glago explains how an innovative financial model, a nonprofit called CDFI Friendly Bloomington, expands opportunities for low-wealth communities. Click here to read more.
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