How New Shoe Day Is Building a Shoe Secure Indiana We were at one of our early shoe events, handing out brand-new pairs of athletic shoes to kids in the community. One young person sat down, opened the box, looked inside, and then looked up at us and said, "I've never gotten a pair of shoes in a box before." That sentence reframed everything. We were not just giving away shoes. We were stepping into a space where something as fundamental as a new pair of shoes in a box was a

Asian American Adoptees on Identity, Memory, and Belonging Adoption is not what people think it is. I feel like people want it to be simple so badly, like they need it to make sense in a clean, comforting way. A child is “saved,” placed into a better life, and grows up grateful. That’s the version that gets told, repeated, and accepted without much questioning. But that version leaves so much out. It ignores the parts that are harder to explain—the parts that don’t fit into s

Day by day, I see the term “community” used in various ways; some loose, some more exacting, some a bit myopic, some a bit more intentional. At its most basic level, community is a group of people connected by shared place, identity, experience, or purpose. I imagine there was a time when community literally meant your neighborhood, your street, or your block, but in 2026, that isn’t the case. Even in these shared spaces and shared ideologies, there’s nuance. The monolithic n

Looking back now, I can say with certainty that I would not be here today, in the United States, pursuing an education and a dream, if not for my aunt. Her hands were roughened by work that should never have been hers. Her dreams of education were traded for a life of sacrifice. She shed her blood, sweat, and tears so my father could learn, so he could build a different future. He did just that, but unfortunately, not with her. My aunt was born five years before my father.

“Women who.” It sounds unfinished until you meet the women who complete the sentence. Women who open a door and widen it. Women who speak truth with tenderness, work with rigor, and make room for others as a matter of practice. In our cohort, I’m honored to witness five such leaders whose paths are distinct and whose impact overlaps: Christian Massey, Karen Lyles, Belinda Murray, Dr. Juaneka L. Thomas, and Alexis Watts. Each is a graduate of A Seat At The Table’s Undivided Co

Alone means having no one else present. Everyone has felt this feeling at least once in their life—starting a new school, moving out, or launching something brand new. That moment of discomfort, when you don’t know where to begin, is exactly why communities matter. When building community, the questions that you ask yourself are simple but profound: Who? What? Where? How? Networking can be one of the hardest things to do if you don’t know where to start. Create. Connect. C

Success for women has too often been defined by impossible standards – balancing careers, families, and personal dreams without missing a beat. The pressure to be everything to everyone can feel relentless. In a world that often tells women to “do it all,” InspireHER Collective offers a powerful alternative: a trusted circle where ambition and authenticity can sit at the same table. Launched in 2024 by Colleen Hungerford and Cheryl Medeiros, InspireHER is an all-women’s ma

Art is often described as a mirror, but for some artists, it functions as something more powerful. For Indianapolis-based photographer Jordan Connor Christie, the force of art lives in the act of embodiment. Through her work as Animal in a Dress, Jordan uses boudoir photography to help people step fully into themselves, reclaim their stories, and see their own beauty reflected in lasting images. Jordan did not set out to be a boudoir photographer. Her journey began with se