Introduced Version
SENATE RESOLUTION No. ___
DIGEST OF INTRODUCED RESOL UTION
A SENATE RESOLUTION to honor the Southside U.S.
Colored Troop Coalition (USCTC) as a catalyst to engage,
invest and mobilize the residents of the southeast
neighborhoods of Indianapolis.
HUNLEY, BALDWIN, JACKSON
, read first time and referred to Committee on
2025 DR 3848/DI tg Introduced
First Regular Session 124th General Assembly (2025)
SENATE RESOLUTION ____
MR. PRESIDENT:
I offer the following resolution and move its adoption:
1 A SENATE RESOLUTION to honor the Southside U.S.
2 Colored Troop Coalition (USCTC) as a catalyst to engage,
3 invest and mobilize the residents of the southeast
4 neighborhoods of Indianapolis.
5 Whereas, The Southside U.S. Colored Troop Coalition
6 (USCTC) was founded in 2021 and fully established in April
7 2023 by the descendants of the U.S. Colored Troops, the first
8 African American soldiers in the United States during the Civil
9 War;
10 Whereas, The mission of the USCTC is to protect, preserve,
11 and revitalize the communities, families, and stories of the U.S.
12 Colored Troops of the Indianapolis southside;
13 Whereas, Currently, the coalition represents four key
14 historic neighborhoods: Norwood (1841), Barrington (1839),
15 Babe Denny (1869), and Hosbrook (1867). This includes a
16 catchment area of Sherman Avenue (East), Meridian Street
17 (West), Michigan Street (North), and Troy Avenue (South);
18 Whereas, Over 200 descendant families have been
19 identified in the Southeast quadrant of Indianapolis and many
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1 still live on the lots their ancestors purchased over 190 years
2 ago, making them some of the oldest African American
3 communities in the Midwestern United States;
4 Whereas, Some of the materials in the USCTC archives
5 date back to the 1830s and include manumission papers,
6 photographs, pension documents, property records, letters,
7 diaries, church congregation records, uniforms,
8 autobiographies, artwork, and other artifacts;
9 Whereas, The USCTC has created opportunities to
10 preserve and share the narrative of their community on their
11 own terms, training the descendant families to use their stories
12 to re-contextualize the history of Indianapolis as a quilt-work
13 of cultures;
14 Whereas, The USCTC has worked to recover their history
15 both locally and nationally and has created multilevel
16 partnerships with many non-profit organizations to further
17 their impact;
18 Whereas, The USCTC, through their partnerships, have
19 facilitated the repair of homes and church buildings,
20 implemented business development programs, and created
21 historic and tax credit districts in order to stabilize their
22 neighborhoods for future generations;
23 Whereas, As a part of the recovery process, the USCTC
24 emphasizes the injustices they have suffered, including
25 displacement, environmental contamination, and racial
26 violence;
27 Whereas, Corrective history allows the USCTC to move
28 past these injustices and create a story of collaboration that
29 will redefine and repair their city;
30 Whereas, The Southeast quadrant was built by people of all
31 backgrounds and they do their best to tell the stories of all their
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1 neighbors who helped build and protect their community;
2 Whereas, The USCTC has been able to reframe their story,
3 advocating for themselves and winning their first major victory
4 in February 2022 with the cancellation of the new City Morgue
5 in Norwood; a 40-acre property donated by Indy Parks for
6 redevelopment will now be home to a Black arts and heritage
7 park, something the community dreamed of; and
8 Whereas, What the USCTC was made of at the start is
9 remarkable, what they have been able to maintain will be
10 unheard of, and where they will go from here is transformative
11 for everyone: Therefore,
12 Be it resolved by the Senate of the
13 General Assembly of the State of Indiana:
14 SECTION 1. That the Indiana Senate honors the Southside
15 U.S. Colored Troop Coalition (USCTC).
16 SECTION 2. The Secretary of the Senate is hereby directed
17 to transmit five copies of this Resolution to the Southside U.S.
18 Colored Troop Coalition (USCTC).
19
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