From the Pan American Congress in August of 1985 to the official launch of the games in August 1987, Latino culture in Indianapolis took center stage.
The Pan American Games are a continental international competition and they happen every four years. When they took place in Indianapolis, over 4,300 athletes from 38 countries in the Americas competed in 297 events across 30 sports.
Forty percent of the X Pan American Games athletes were from Latin America. These athletes needed special attention, the kind of attention that could only be provided by Latinos.
In June 1987, the Indianapolis Museum of Art debuted, “Art of the Fantastic: Latin America, 1920-1987.” The exhibit featured 125 paintings and objects by 29 Latin American artists, including Frida Kahlo, Fernando Bottero and Rufino Tamayo.
In August 1987, the movie “La Bamba” premiered, and a special event around the showing of this movie was offered during the games.
And, the closing ceremony featured Miami Sound Machine, fronted by 8-time Grammy Award winning Cuban-American singer, Gloria Estefan.
Members of the Indianapolis Latino community stepped up to help volunteer and lead event initiatives.
I reached out to Albert “Al” Lerma and Monica Medina, who were young Latino professionals living and working in Indianapolis in the 1980s, to hear what the X Pan American Games were like from their perspective.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
When did you come to Indianapolis and where did you work at the time of the Pan Am Games?
Albert “Al” Lerma: I was working for the State of Indiana as the deputy director of the Department of Transportation and Commerce. But prior to the games I worked for Indiana University in Bloomington for their Office of Latino Affairs.
Monica Medina: I moved to Indianapolis in 1983, working as the education coordinator for the Hispanic Center (Hispano-American Multiservice Center, presently La Plaza.) So, a lot of my work was to develop relationships with hotels and businesses that were going to be working with Latino people during the Pan Am games. We developed Spanish education language and cultural programs so others could better understand Latino culture.
When did you hear of the Pan Am Games?
Medina: There were a lot of Latinos involved, lots of organizations. But El Centro (Hispano-American Multiservice Center, presently La Plaza) had a critical role. We had a good relationship with the mayor’s office (William H. Hudnut III) and when they went to do their bid on the games, the center was involved. Hudnut was one of the people to first give the center some money.
Lerma: I recall them making a big deal of forming a host committee. IU’s Office of Latino Affairs had some connection to Indy, especially the Hispanic Center.
What was one memorable moment from the games?
Lerma: The movie “La Bamba” had just come out. And so, they arranged for a preview. It was like a movie premiere; they made a big deal out of it.
I am a Hoosier, so I am a big basketball nut. The Brazilians were the team to beat. There was a guy, Oscar Schmidt, on the Brazilian team; he was the guy to watch and was a great ambassador for the games. The final medal game was between the U.S. and the Brazilians.
The Brazilians beat the USA that year. Months before that game, IU had won the NCAA national championships in basketball. So, a lot of the players on the U.S. team were from that IU team. Of course, the USA team came up short.
Medina: I was the volunteer attaché for the Ecuadorian team. It was a lot of work. Sometimes I got home at midnight and had to be up the next day at 5 to be at Fort Benjamin Harrison or something.
I learned a lot about Ecuadorian culture. I’ve got to say, Indianapolis was always really lucky to have volunteers. The X Pan American Games was almost an all-volunteer run event. One day we needed someone to be the bird, the mascot, Amigo. My brother Marc, from Chicago, volunteered. (Laughs.)
Did you know?
Between 1980 and 1990 the Indianapolis Latino and Hispanic population grew from 6,143 to 7,681 due to the growth of the local economy, which created demand for labor in the construction and service sectors.
How do you think the games changed the city’s relationship with Latinos?
Medina: I think mostly in economic development. People realized the importance of having the cultural knowledge about people coming from other countries, and the economic power of Latinos. It was around this time the Hispanic Chamber was born.
The (Pan Am Games) served as a cultural bridge to connect Indy with the Latino community. It led to more communication, and I would say awareness. It even changed some people’s dispositions, you know? But I think I would have liked to see more Latinos in decision-making positions for the games, because we all were volunteers.
Lerma: The city itself took a big step up. For those of us that were there at the time, we were just a small group. But I thought it was a big plus for the Hispano Center (Hispano-American Multiservice Center, presently La Plaza) and everyone affiliated with it. And things changed a little bit.
And then in 1989, Evan Bayh was elected governor, and the state’s politics shifted and opened up more. I thought that the games were a continuation of that, in terms of more Latinos being visible.
New Latino businesses with the (Hispanic) chamber were getting its start. There were more opportunities. But it did change. The games were a big shot in the arm for the Latino community.
What did Lerma and Medina do after the Games?
Lerma worked as deputy director of finance for the Indiana Department of Commerce and Transportation until 1995. In 1996, he moved to California to work as a program director of community economic development for the mayor of San Francisco until 2008. He is now a consultant in Sonoma County. During the pandemic he helped launch Mitote Food Park and serves as their operations manager.
Medina became executive director of the Hispanic Center until 1993. While there, she led the expansion of their human and social services, most notably during the HIV/AIDS crisis. She was awarded the Sagamore of the Wabash in 1995 by Governor Evan Bayh. She is now senior lecturer at Indiana University Indianapolis’ education school and coordinator for the Urban and Multicultural Education program.
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Nicole Martinez-LeGrand is a Mirror Indy freelance contributor. You can reach her at nicole.martinez.legrand@gmail.com.
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