South Bend on Purpose

Antonius Northern is a public servant in the truest sense—whether as an activist, artist, resident, or municipal employee, he has a record of bringing goodness into the city. He is focused on helping…

Andrea Cramer is the founder of Neighbor to Neighbor, a friendship-based network cultivating mutual relationships among the South Bend area’s refugee, immigrant, and non-immigrant communities. Growin…

Magistrate Judge Andre Gammage presides over a variety of civil and criminal matters in the St. Joseph County Circuit Court in South Bend and teaches as an adjunct professor at the University of Notr…

Kathe Streeter is the district coordinator of restorative justice and restorative youth leadership at the South Bend Community School Corporation. Using Circle process in her classrooms and meetings,…

Juan Constantino is the executive director of La Casa de Amistad in South Bend, Indiana. For the inaugural Studebaker Talks, he shared his personal story of immigrating to the United States and findi…

Kathy Burnette is the owner of Brain Lair Books, a bookstore in South Bend focused on developing empathy and building community with inclusive books. In 2020, The Oprah Magazine included the store in…

Joe Molnar is a local demographer and proud 4th generation son of South Bend. He is the author of More People, a podcast and article series about how our city lost 50,000 people in 50 years and what …

Last fall, we collaborated with South Bend City Church to host The Studebaker Talks: a gathering of people to listen to stories about South Bend's people, ingenuity, and progress. It was a special ni…

This week, guest host Pam Blair is reading "Between" from Groshonda McDonald’s book In The Process and reflecting on what it might be saying about our life together in South Bend.

South Bend on Purpos…

This week, we enjoy a conversation with Karen White, who has devoted over 28 years of service to South Bend as an elected official.

We discuss her upbringing on Kenmore and Cherry Streets, how she lea…

This week, we are reading "Paradise on Fire" by Jahnari Pruitt and reflecting on what it might be saying about our life together in South Bend.

South Bend on Purpose is a podcast about place, belongin…

This week, we enjoy a conversation with Alex Ann Allen. Alex is a South Bend-based artist best known for spending the past couple of years painting murals all across the city.

We discuss Alex's path t…

This week, we are reading "Where We Are" by Gerald Locklin and reflecting on what it might be saying about our life together in South Bend.

South Bend on Purpose is a podcast about place, belonging, a…

This week, we enjoy a conversation with Joe Mittiga. Joe is a husband, father, and the second-generation owner of Corby's Irish Pub in the East Bank neighborhood. 

We discuss his path to being a small…

This week, we are reading a selection from Galway Kinnell’s poem "When You Have Lived A Long Time Alone” and reflecting on what it might be saying about our life together in South Bend.

South Bend on …

This week, we enjoy a conversation with Antonius Northern. Antonius is a public servant in the truest sense—whether as an activist, artist, resident, or municipal employee, he has a record of bringin…

This week, we are reading selections from Audre Lorde’s poem “New York City 1970” and reflecting on what it might be saying about our life together in South Bend.

South Bend on Purpose is a podcast ab…

This week, we enjoy a conversation with Beth Graybill, a resident of South Bend's near-west side historic neighborhood, who moved to the city with her husband and children two and a half years ago. B…

This week, we are reading Alice Walker’s poem “We Alone” and reflecting on what it might be saying about our life together in South Bend.

South Bend on Purpose is a podcast about place, belonging, and…

This week, we enjoy a conversation with Mayor James Mueller about his time leading our City government during the pandemic. We discuss why he is not often active on social media and why he is hopeful…