I am from Gary, Indiana

I am from Gary, Indiana which is the birthplace of thousands of great people who make positive contributions in the world. There is good news that continuously happens in my hometown because of all the resilient people who make it happen. I am from a hometown with deep roots that produce strong fruit. I stand on a firm foundation built with the wisdom of my ancestors who invested so much in me that I can never give up on my dreams. As a result, each day that I rise I choose to write and speak life, no matter how difficult it seems.

If I could compare Gary to a bird, it would be an eagle; because the people of my hometown have used adversities to soar to new heights. If I could compare Gary to a time of day, it would be morning; because there are so many great things on our horizon. Gary, Indiana is in a prime location to all major modes of transportation. My hometown even shares Lake Michigan with another major city.

The most valuable assets of Gary, Indiana are the resilient people of my hometown. While there is room for improvement in the city of Gary, there is also beauty in the city of Gary. My hometown deserves some love because there are still people living, investing, giving and working to make Gary a better place. There are people who have conflicting thoughts about my hometown and I respectfully understand because my own journey has been complex.

I lived through the painful days when the city was known more for crime, than for a place that you could live and have a good time. While people all over the world were reading about the negative murder statistics, the obituaries in my high school memories book piled up from the classmates and neighborhood friends who made up those statistics. As a result of my experiences, I moved away in 1997 and planned to never return. However, I soon learned that it’s not where you are physically, but where you are mentally that matters the most.

I returned to my hometown and enrolled in college in 1998. While I was there, I met a woman who knew a lot about life; she was 60 years old and she had just enrolled in college. I shared my aspirations to move out of Gary again as soon as I could save enough money, but she shared words for thought. She asked, “If everyone abandoned the ship and left Gary, who would be able to steer the city back in the right direction? Her question revolutionized my attitude. I was dedicated to grow exactly where I was planted. I decided to do my part to help Gary get headed back in the right direction. I chose to be the positive change that I wanted to see in Gary. I made up my mind to remember an important lesson; no matter where life may lead me, Gary will always be my hometown. I write this story as a tribute to the resilient people in my hometown who have progressed from surviving to thriving. I am proud of you!

Childhood…

My childhood was an interesting combination of school, writing to process pain, community talent shows, parades and outdoor summertime fun. I am from a hometown where we learned how to turn flips by practicing on repurposed mattresses. I am from a hometown where summers were for roller skating outside and bike rides. I am from a hometown where we enjoyed hop-scotch, jump rope, baseball, volleyball, kickball, dodge ball, block parties and alley basketball with a milk crate as the rim. I am from a hometown where clothespins once allowed freshly washed clothes adequate time to dry in the sun while blowing in the wind.

I am from the housing projects of Gary, Indiana both Ivanhoe and Dorie Miller. I am from the hometown of one of the greatest artists of all time that gave the world, “Thriller.” I am from a family who has a deep level of appreciation for Michael Jackson and his family. It was Michael Jackson who inspired the high school talent shows in my hometown during my generation. My cousin Shawn won talent shows on a regular basis by entertaining like Michael Jackson.

I was listening to an audio app on the night of February 9, 2021 and something very special happened. A great DJ took the people in the room on a trip down memory lane with the voice of Michael Jackson and songs inspired by his music. The powerful voice of Michael Jackson was like sunshine that permeated the room. The artistic contributions of Michael Jackson left an indelible mark on the world. My journey that night served as a beautiful reminder that love and gratitude still runs deep for Michael Jackson and his family. The discussion about his greatness, talents, challenges and world changing videos reminded me once again that resilient people are still the greatest assets in the city of Gary.

Michael Jackson is a man that I did not know personally, but I recently realized that it is still possible to miss someone who inspired you even if you have never met that person. I learned about him through my family. His music was the soundtrack of my childhood in my hometown. I have a deep level of gratitude for the musical contributions he made to the world. He enriched life for so many people from all walks of life. I remember the last time that I saw him in Gary; there were thousands of people in the downtown area of my hometown. I met people who came from Australia to see Michael Jackson. His energy was so magnetic that people took off work early to see him and followed him from the downtown area to Roosevelt High School. It was a special day in my hometown because the royalty that was born there returned and inspired so many people. There are people who still love and miss Michael Jackson because he had a special ability to unite people form all over the world. He utilized music to educate and empower. He used music to spread light and love to people. His light on this earth is truly missed. It is reaffirming to be born in a city that is the birthplace of music royalty, great educators, world changers, courageous leaders, legendary actors and actresses.

My Hometown Teachers…

I am from Gary, Indiana where some of my heroes were my teachers. There is more good news in my hometown than what is shared about my hometown. For example, my art teacher, Mrs. Thomas often took me and my classmates to the local shopping center, “The Village.” She convinced the property managers to allow us to paint the windows. I quickly learned that drawing was not my strength, but because she was so brilliant, she allowed all her students to draw. When the window paintings were complete it was one beautiful display because the students with the strong artistic gifts complimented the students, who did not have strong artistic gifts.

My life changed forever when I met Mrs. Hopkins. She was the teacher who gave me a microphone and a pencil on a consistent basis. Those two tools allowed me to see my true talents come alive. She allowed me the opportunity to speak at talent shows every year from third grade through sixth grade. Then I was the keynote speaker for my sixth-grade graduation. When she gave me that microphone and a pencil, I was more alive than I had ever been before. It was like someone flipped the on switch in my life. It was pure joy to share all the thoughts that were in my mind and to witness the hope that my words were able to bring to mankind. I speak and write with purpose to honor the legendary educators and world changers who soared in my hometown like Mr. Quentin P. Smith, one of the Tuskegee Airmen.

I am thankful for the teachers who dedicated their life to education. Junior high school was challenging for me because I felt trapped by the expectations of a gifted and talented program that did not allow me to talk as much as I did in elementary school. Once I learned that people in drama class could talk, I chose that as my elective class. Then I learned that people on the Spell Bowl Team could talk so I participated with that team. As I progressed to high school, I faced challenges in my social studies class for talking too much. The teacher would either put me out of class by assigning me to stand in the hallway or sending me to the office. However, my English Teachers entered me into writing contests and speech contests. As a result, I was a published writer in high school. I learned valuable life lessons during the ups and downs of my grade school experiences. The first lesson is that each person is born with talents. The second lesson is just as valuable as the first lesson; the sooner you discover how to properly manage your talents, the better your journey through life will be.

My Mother often told me, “Child you better stay on the honor roll if you want to stay in this house because you are college material.” She unapologetically guarded my purpose by all means necessary until I could fully understand my purpose. She made it crystal clear that it was her way or the highway.

During the challenging teen years there were some bumps in the road. However, I am from a hometown where friends and family members stepped up to help me. My Uncle Dee Dee gave me shelter when I was experiencing challenges at home. Then my Auntie Maggie gave me shelter during the growing pains of my life, so that the streets would not become my home. She once told me, “We are a beautiful family.” Today I understand what my Auntie was teaching me as a child. She is one of the strongest people I know. She is such a vital member of my family and our hometown because she has literally helped at least five generations of children.

Pain to Purpose…

I experienced years of grief and trauma as the result of living in a city that was once known as the murder capital. I saw news crews rush into the community to report about the murders that happened on a consistent basis. However, I don’t recall seeing resources rush into my hometown to assist people through the grief recovery process. I lived with the pain of grief after the cameras went away and our hometown was no longer a headline. I lived with the pain of the tears from the mothers who carried the grief of their murdered children. I remember driving down the street one day and I saw the mother of one of my high school classmates who was murdered. I stopped to speak to her and realized she was sitting in her car while crying. After holding her hand to guide her into her house to rest and recover, I fully understood there was more work to do in my hometown.

One of the greatest adversities that I faced in Gary was the day of a drive-by shooting at my high school. It was very painful to see a person die in the day time outside on a sidewalk, like a really bad movie. There was something very strange about seeing people run to the hospital across the street from my high school. It was such a traumatizing experience and I often wondered who could help me process the pain.

Then I remembered the tools that Mrs. Hopkins gave me. I picked up my pencil again and began to write. I began to pick up microphones on stages in front of anyone who would listen because I wanted change in my hometown. I was not talking just to hear myself speak. I was talking to fulfill my purpose and help people push through pain to discover their purpose. I was able to overcome adversity through writing and public speaking. I made the decision to be the change I wanted to see in my hometown. I made the decision to be the help that I once needed. I began submitting the speeches that I wrote to various speech contests. Then my teachers began submitting my essays and poems to various writing contests. I received awards that often included bonus rewards. Some of the rewards included travel and that was a way out of Gary, Indiana to see the world around me. I even had the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. to speak at the Capitol as a youth leader representing my hometown. In that moment, I decided that I would not allow where I was born any space to limit how high I could soar in life. Traveling the world to share my gifts of writing and public speaking helped me regain hope. Each time I traveled it was like an escape from the violence that was happening in my community. Each time that I returned I was refueled to help the people in my hometown. In essence, writing and public speaking became my way out of the pain and into my purpose.

With the push of my Mother, the support of my Uncle Dee Dee, the wisdom of my Auntie Maggie and the encouragement of my friends; I graduated high school with honors in my hometown. Then I went to college out of state, but I returned to my hometown the following year and began the work of community organizing.

I enrolled in a local college and utilized the campus for community meetings and workshops. When I graduated, I gave my Mother my high school diploma and college degree as gifts. Those were gifts that I achieved to give to my Mother because she did not have the opportunity to graduate high school and life was challenging for her. As an adult, I have learned to appreciate her persistence in pushing me to graduate high school and college. She refused to allow me to become a negative statistic. In my hometown I learned that it is important to honor our parents. Once my work was done in college, I returned to writing and public speaking on a full-time basis.

Gary Life…

Some of the greatest opportunities of my life have also been experienced in Gary. I was able to overcome each adversity that I have ever faced because of the support of the resilient people in my hometown. To show my gratitude for the people who helped me, I founded Gary Life Education Initiative Incorporated. It is a nonprofit organization that has provided mentoring and educational programs for 21,000 children in my hometown.

One of the greatest opportunities of my life that happened in my hometown was marrying my Husband, Roosevelt when I was 23 years old. He loves me, believes in me, invests in me and encourages me to live every dream that I share to make our hometown a better place. His love and support is the wind beneath my wings that helps me soar to new levels in life and business. We developed a publishing company together and published eight books. We get to spread light in the city of Gary, during a time when publishing companies have moved out of the city.

While living my purpose in my hometown, I was often called naive for using the word life to describe Gary. That encouraged me to add the word life to even more ideas for my hometown. I was inspired to create and publish Gary Life Magazine to share positive news about the resilient people in my hometown. I remember being laughed at when people read the words on the shirts that I created to promote the magazine. I was asked, “Do you really believe life exists in Gary?” I replied with a resounding yes!

Then a television producer saw the magazine and invited me to create a television program to share more positive news about our hometown. In partnership with my Husband, I wrote the television program treatment and scheduled interviews. Once again, we strategically chose to celebrate life by branding the television program as The Gary Life Connection!

Compassion in action…

In my hometown resilient people take care of each other, especially during challenging times. For example, one of our neighbors who worked as a nurse at the local hospital invested the time to teach me how to be a caregiver for my Mother. One day a rain and wind storm caused the windows to shake and the power to go out in our house. Another neighbor came to our house to move the hospital bed from the window and set up a portable oxygen machine for my Mother. That same neighbor built a ramp so that my Mother could be transported to and from doctor appointments.

I am from a hometown where people still check on you by a telephone call and people show compassion by helping you get back up if you fall. I am from a hometown where people have experienced hurt, pain, sunshine and rain. Yet, each day, we wake up and look for the silver lining again.

A day that I recall it being more difficult to find the silver lining in life than any other day; was the morning of Monday August 5, 2013 at 7a.m. That was the moment that my Mother took her last breath on earth. When she passed, as I walked the halls of the local hospital, my hometown looked very different to me. I took the time to be still and reflect, which led me to doing the inside work of grief recovery. Since 2014 I have been dedicated to normalizing conversations about grief recovery in my hometown. I believe the sooner we can normalize conversations about grief recovery, the sooner people can maximize their life after grief. Friday January 5, 2018, I began the journey to speak about grief recovery at a local college in my hometown. It has been a beautiful purpose driven experience to honor the legacy of my Mother. I get to express compassion in action on a daily basis through my life. I get to provide grief recovery support online and by telephone since May 2020, to help the people in my hometown through the grief recovery process.

My hometown…

Gary, Indiana is the birthplace of people who taught me how to treat everyone with love and respect. In my hometown people transform pain into purpose and refuse to live in regret. I am from a hometown of people born with talents that the world can never forget. Today I stand up strong in the world because my life is the legacy that represents my hometown of Gary, Indiana. I represent my Ancestors, my Mother, my Uncles and my Aunties. I represent my classmates and neighborhood friends who were murdered before they could live all their dreams. Most days when I reflect on the grand scheme of things, it seems like I am the survivor who was chosen to speak and write to honor their legacy. I am from a hometown that has seen a lot of tragedy, yet we wake up each day and decide to live in triumph over the tragedy.

Whenever I hear people express concerns about people from Gary because of all the negative news reports about my hometown, I remind them about all the world changers who were born in Gary.

I am from Gary, Indiana a city with resilient people who taught me that true change begins with me. The journey of my life is living proof that hope is stronger than the pain of the past. When you move past the pain that may have originated in your hometown, you get to move into the future that is filled with beautiful possibilities in your hometown. I am thankful that I get to help people discover and live their purpose. I get to help people talk and write through grief. I get to speak and write with purpose. I get to help people discover the value of their authentic voice. I get to help writers become educated authors. I do what I do because I have a whole village of resilient people in my hometown who believe in me and consistently encourage me to keep going.

I am Tavetta Patterson and I am honored to say that I am from Gary, Indiana.