South Bend, United States of America
The Civil Rights Heritage Center (CRHC) is an institution established by Indiana University South Bend as a result of student interest and faculty support as a center for the study and documentation of local civil rights history. Through community involvement, students, faculty, and community member
s joined forces to push for the restoration of a public building known for its policy of racial discrimination against African Americans as a center for the study of civil rights. Now housed in the former Engman Public Natatorium – South Bend, Indiana's first swimming pool that excluded and then segregated against African Americans for almost thirty years – the CRHC is dedicated to the preservation of the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement, as well as the history of race and ethnic relations in the South Bend area, and seeks to provide education, research, and forums, while examining human rights principles and challenges for future generations. Located within the West Washington National Historic Register District, the Engman Natatorium opened in 1922 as a public swimming pool that limited use to whites and was not fully integrated until 1950. The Natatorium closed in 1978, and sat for...
Listen to the audio guide for Civil Rights Heritage Center Free on WIP — starts by itself when you arrive, even with the screen off