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Indiana Legislative Black Caucus Holds Town Hall In Fort Wayne

Zach Bernard/WBOI News

Members of Indiana’s Black Legislative Caucus held a town hall at the Allen County Public Library on Saturday afternoon.

The impact of gerrymandering was just one of several topics the caucus said it was looking into, as well as how to increase civic participation among black Hoosiers.

Black turnout in the 2016 election dropped 4.7 percent nationally compared to 2012, a significant dip compared to the 2.5 percent rise in white turnout.

Fort Wayne sixth district councilman Glynn Hines says the transparency that comes from town hall meetings is beneficial to the political process, and it encourages participation.

“These legislators were able to identify what it is we can do, which is contact our local legislators and ask them how they voted, and then why they voted that way,” said Hines.

The caucus also touched on the statewide impact of food desserts, something Hines says has affected his district on the southwest side of Fort Wayne.

Zach joined 89.1 WBOI as a reporter and local host for All Things Considered, and hosted Morning Edition for the past few years. In 2022, he was promoted to Content Director.