Author: Phil Metzler

From ‘Sundown Town’ to ‘Resolution’

From ‘Sundown Town’ to ‘Resolution’

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In March 2015, the Common Council of the City of Goshen unanimously resolved to acknowledge the City’s history as a “sundown town.” In advocating for the resolution, Dan Shenk documented the history of sundown towns in Goshen and beyond in a PowerPoint presentation titled “Goshen, Indiana: From ‘Sundown Town’ in 20th Century to ‘Resolution’ in 21st Century.” The Community Resilience Guild invited Dan to present and record this presentation as part of the Wide Angle Films and Talks series. The presentation was followed by a conversation principally with Lee Roy Berry Jr., a local attorney and former political science professor who helped champion the passage of the resolution.

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The Economy of Trust

The Economy of Trust

Maple City Health Care Center is not just a medical center; it’s a peace and justice organization, engaged in community development, whose entry point to the neighborhoods it serves is through health care. Many of the relationships and transactions involved are built on an “economy of trust”, the focus of this conversation with Dr. James Nelson Gingerich.

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A Community of Art

A Community of Art

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A common passion for art connects our community. Artisans, artists, and their supporters are helping grow Goshen’s identity as a vibrant center of creative enterprise.

The recent creation of the Mayor’s Arts Council, led by Amy Worsham seeks to support emerging networks and help new artists get established.

Dick Lehman is a master potter who has supported many apprentices and interns, contributing to a deep web of relationships and an artistic legacy appreciated around the globe.

The Community Resilience Guild invited these leaders to explore the intersections between Goshen’s past and present relationships to the arts, and the challenges and opportunities before us.

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Forest People Stories

Forest People Stories

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On May 29, 2018, the Community Resilience Guild hosted local writer, educator, storyteller, and city forester Aaron Sawatsky-Kingsley to launch “Wide Angle Films and Talks”. The event explored different aspects of Goshen’s identity as the Maple City through a variety of videos, information, and conversation.

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Remarks to Council on a history of racism in Goshen

Remarks to Council on a history of racism in Goshen

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The Goshen Common Council meeting this evening (May 15, 2018) marks one month since Ed Ahlersmeyer’s resignation from the Community Relations Commission and the Council. The resignation took many by surprise who were prepared to advocate for some form of resolution or appropriate response to Ahlersmeyer’s reading of a racially charged article at a CRC meeting and subsequent actions in the community.

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New Americans in the Michiana Region

New Americans in the Michiana Region

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Immigrants contributed $3.1 billion to the Michiana region’s GDP in 2016. Foreign-born households earned $1.2 billion in income in 2016. Of that, $212.8 million went to federal taxes and $103 million went to state and local taxes, leaving them with $880.3 million in spending power—6.9 percent of all spending power in the region.

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Community Relations Commission – Ed Ahlersmeyer

The current controversy surrounding Goshen’s Community Relations Commission and the actions of Councilman Ed Ahlersmeyer represent a dynamic story with the potential to have lasting impacts on opinions and attitudes and relations in our community.  In this case, we’re not looking to tell this story, but to provide a point of informational connection for anyone seeking to become as informed as possible and perhaps better understand the different perspectives and dynamics involved.

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