When Aeschylus spoke was King Park Listening

A number of Indianapolis neighborhoods have seen improvements in the past few years, but of these one of the most remarkable success stories is that of the King Park neighborhood. Thanks to the work of the King Park Development Corporation, steps are being taken to revitalize the area, which has seen drastic improvements in social, residential, and educational standing. It is now a lively and welcoming place to live, and it is being seen to that this trend continues.

However these improvements have not come without obstacles, as described in The Neighborhood Ballad Project’s When Aeschylus Spoke, Was King Park Listening. The line “If it’s true that he who learns must suffer. Well you must have been learning a lot,” especially brings this point home. The neighborhood has undergone its share of economic troubles. Rather than giving up, however, residents, community developers, and others who have a passion for the area have worked tirelessly to bring King Park back to its former glory.

The Neighborhood Ballad Project sought to bring recognition to areas which have shaped Indianapolis and the people who established them. When Aeschylus Spoke, Was King Park Listening reminds us that King Park has been the only home many Hoosiers have ever known. To see its fall must have been heartbreaking, but they did not abandon it. They have dedicated enough of their time and effort to see it rise back up with pride. The end of the song rightly names it “the promised land.”

“The namesake’s sight is all but lost

His Dream is living on

For with his blood he paid the cost

King Park, you are his dawn

Push forward, keep climbing, may we all look upon the promised land.”