December 2022 Update
Happy Holidays!
It has been a great year for the Rethink Coalition. Thanks to friends like you, we’re enthusiastic about the coming year. Read below for all that we've accomplished and are planning for 2023. Please consider giving to Rethink and tell all your friends. We need everyone's support for the work ahead. Our goal is to raise 65 new friends by March 1, 2023. Remember that donations are tax-deductible.
The Passing of a Legend: James (Jim) Thomas Kienle
Jim Kienle, Rethink friend, acclaimed architect, civic leader, and spouse of Rethink Board member, Marjorie Kienle, passed away on December 7. Jim was integral to downtown Indy's redevelopment, the emergence of its historic neighborhoods, and its transformation into a major metropolitan hub. Nationally recognized for his contribution to the field, Jim had a passion for preservation and architecture and was elevated to the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) College of Fellows in 2004. Jim was awarded the Sagamore of the Wabash for his pioneering work in preservation and received numerous others awards for his work and service. We say goodbye to a dear friend whose commitment to downtown Indianapolis was personal and transformational.
It's More than a Church by Lee Little
Lee Little, Indianapolis-based historiographer of the Episcopal Church in the United States, recently wrote a piece about how the original construction of the I65-70 Inner Loop destroyed numerous churches. As Lee explains, construction of the interstates destroyed 29 church buildings, nine of which were Black Baptist congregations. The collateral toll that interstate construction took on Indy’s churches is staggering. If “church” can refer to both the building and the people who meet there, then the number of congregations displaced by clearance and construction is particularly damning. Click here to read Little’s piece.
In the Shadow of the Crossroads of America: First Impressions of Indianapolis’s Inner Loop by Eavy Barbieux
We thank Eavy Barbieux, IU McKinney Climate Fellow, for her service to Rethink over the past six months. As part of her fellowship, she studied the environmental aspects of the Inner Loop, connected with environmental groups, and helped coordinate our community outreach in applying for the USDOT Reconnecting Communities grant filed in October. When Eavy first began her fellowship, she visited the Inner Loop for the first time to see how it has shaped the area. She documented her experience in a short photo-essay, available here.