Glenda Rae Hernandez

South Bend's Own Words

Glenda Rae Hernandez embraced the movement for civil rights in the U.S. south. As a college student, she signed petitions not to eat at Woolworth’s until they integrated their lunch counters. She even attended a lecture by a young Reverend, Dr. Martin Luther King.

In 1965, Glenda and her husband moved to South Bend. She soon began advocating for her south east neighborhood, became an early ally to the growing Latinx community, fought discrimination against African Americans in their housing choices, rallied against war, and became a fixture in the local activist community. You’ll still see her at meetings today, carrying what seems to be her body weight in buttons with progressive messages.

In 2002, she sat down with the Civil Rights Heritage Center’s David Healey. They talked about some of her many local actions against racism, and against war.

Want to learn more about South Bend’s history? View the photographs and documents that helped create it. Visit Michiana Memory at http://michianamemory.sjcpl.org/.

Title music, “History Explains Itself,” from Josh Spacek. Visit his page on the Free Music Archive, http://www.freemusicarchive.org/.