When over 38,000 residents in Gary, Indiana went over two weeks without power, social media and local reporters helped give a voice to the community.
The storms that took place on Aug. 11 impacted many communities across Northwest Indiana, including East Chicago, Munster and Hammond. While all communities faced extreme environmental distress, Gary was left without reliable power for weeks on end.
With no power and dwindling resources, Gary, Indiana residents, along with allies, took to social media in order to spread the word about their living situation.
Most notably, social media influencer Keith Lee hosted a community relief event Aug. 23 whilst sharing the stories of Gary residents which led to nationwide awareness of the blackout.
These social media posts are what first caught the attention of local Indianapolis news reporter and Hammond, Indiana resident, Barb Anguiano. She first learned about the outages while visiting family before leaving for a vacation, but she said she did not immediately realize how serious the situation had become.
“When I went home to go to the airport, they had almost no electricity for like a week. I had called my boss, and I told her hey, like, we really need to cover up here,” Anguino said.
Anguino’s outcry led to early coverage of Blackout updates and an interview with Gary’s mayor, Eddie Melton, to discuss public frustration and hope for the future.
The wreckage caused by the storms near Gary also caught the attention of food and culture reporter Aaron Dorman, who felt compelled to share the community’s story regardless of how much it deviated from his usual content.
Dorman said the scenery was bleak with “makeshift stop-signs” and fallen trees.
“Everything was closed. Power lines were down everywhere,” he said.
Most Gary residents gained power back on Aug. 24, but for the reporters and victims, this Blackout symbolized a larger issue of ensuring that the media has the manpower and resources to cover more vulnerable communities.
“There should be more of an effort for people to cover lower-income and lower-profile areas,” Dorman said.
Gary, Indiana, mainly consists of Black, working-class people. Roughly 33.1% of residents live below the poverty line.
Referencing Gary, Anguino says that she feels like the area has a “very unfair reputation.” Despite that, she still insists that no matter the community or their stereotypes, these narratives don’t “make it any less important to cover or care about.”
Copy edited by Sydney Middleton