Rudy Clay - Biography

WHY PEOPLE LOVE RUDY CLAY

AN UNTOLD SECRET THAT HELPED PAVED THE WAY FOR BLACKS IN NORTHWEST INDIANA
By Anthony KaDarrell Thigpen

GARY - Mayor Rudolph Clay, Sr.'s selfless life is a burning-torch that symbolizes liberty and justice for Blacks struggling to overcome the affects of racial segregation in urban America. His journey for civil rights started in the 1960's. Under the leadership of Dr. Martin L. King, Jr., the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) was instrumental in bus boycotts to desegregate transportation systems in six major cities across the south. The SCLC also participated in sit-ins, picketing, marches, and freedom rides. In 1970, Clay earned the SCLC's Operation Bread Basket's Outstanding Activist Award. By 1972, Clay's triumphant fight for African Americans took on a new dimension. He won the election for Indiana State Senate, where he made legislative decisions until 1976. As the first Black Indiana State Senator, among other initiatives, he cast the deciding vote, making it possible for the first Black to serve as the Lake County Commissioner in 1974. Clay uses politics to make conditions better for Blacks, despite how unpopular his efforts make him amongst his White colleagues and local media. The higher Clay climbs in politics, the more accessible he becomes to those he serve.

Mayor Clay is a product of southern struggles. Clay was born in Courtland, Alabama, where his mother died shortly after delivery. His father remained absent for 35-years. Little Rudy's two aunts, Daisy Washington and Lucy Hunter, relocated him to Gary, Indiana. Israel Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church and Roosevelt School served as the center blocks of his public life. Rudy, as a Steel City teen track star, earned a scholarship to Indiana University in Bloomington in 1956. He return to Gary a year later, and fell-in- love with Christine Swan, a Froebel School graduate – they married November 30, 1957. To this union was born one child, Rudy Clay, Jr. "I fell in love," Clay said. "And she's always supported everything I've done." Clay also fell in love with caring about the people of Gary, Indiana. Since 1957, those two love affairs continue flaming – Clay fights for the people of Gary as the elected Mayor, and his wife cheers in his corner.

Clay served in the United States Army from 1958-1960, during the Vietnam War Era. The Veteran fought from the streets with picket-signs, to the (1) State Senate in 1972 with legislation, and he continues marching onward. (2) In 1978, he was elected to the Lake County Council – and re-elected in 1982, where he soon became the president. (3) In 1984, Clay was elected Lake County Recorder. (4) In 1987, he was elected Lake County Commissioner, where he also served as presidents of the Board of Commissioners. In 1994, Governor Evan Bayh honored Clay with the Outstanding Hoosier Award. In 2005, Governor Joseph Kernan awarded Clay the Sagamore of the Wabash Award. (The highest award bestowed by an Indiana State Governor until 2006, for service rendered to the State). Also, (5) in 2005, Clay was elected the first African American to serve as Lake County Democratic Chairmen. In term, Clay's name is officially listed in the Steel City Hall of Fame. Clay served four elected terms as Lake County Commissioner before the Gary Precinct Organization appointed him Mayor of the City of Gary in 2006. (6) In 2007, he was elected Mayor of the City of Gary. During Clay's 39-years of political influence, he always exalted the people higher than his positions. "I'm just Rudy," he says. "When all is said and done, I want Gary to become a better city, with better people, and better jobs."

He explained that "better" always begins with education. "And education is everybody's business," Clay belted out!" When asked about current legislative debates about making public education private and dismantling unions, Clay replied, "I'm not a cheerleader for that." Despite Indiana legislation that prevent Mayors from appointing school board officials, Clay says he understands his voice carries weight. As a result, he helped to land the Veterans Outpatient Clinic in Northwest Indiana. He instituted an initiative of $100,000 into the state budget to recruit Black, Latino, and female state troopers. Recently, Clay conducted over 100 demolitions in Gary to strengthen city infrastructure. While Clay is not responsible for Gary's financial deficit, dilapidated structures, and weak infrastructure, the Mayor is making change happen, instead of making excuses. As with many triumphs of African Americans in Urban America, the mainstream media frequently fails to educate the public. Instead, these outlets ignore the progress of Blacks leaders, ridicule the citizens within urban communities, and paint grueling images that mislead readers. During the civil rights era, Black owned newspapers like the Crusader and Freedom's Journal highlighted African American perspectives to advance the movement. With no uncertainty, Clay is driven by results, not media responses. Black leaders are often ridiculed for what others feel they should have done, but did not. Although the greatest people in history are celebrated for their accomplishments, not their oversights. Clay has made history time and time again in one lifetime. Make no mistake about it, Mayor Rudolph Clay, Sr. is a living legend, and these are his contributions to African Americans in Northwest Indiana.