On this episode of the Morning Magazine, KGNU’s Abby O’Brien is joined in the studio by 13 Fires playwright Curtis K. Rogers and the new CEO of the YWCA of Boulder County, Soledad Diaz.
Premiering at the Dairy Arts Center in Boulder starting Wednesday, June 24th, Rogers’ play addresses gentrification and its impact on the Black community and is based on a true story that happened in Indiana, where Rogers is from. The play is sponsored by the YWCA of Boulder County, a long-standing community organization dedicated to eliminating racism and empowering women. Diaz and Rogers are also both members of the Boulder Police Oversight Panel. Together, the two discuss the role of arts in promoting racial justice and addressing the ongoing issues affecting our community here in Boulder.
13 Fires tells the story of Indiana Avenue in Indianapolis—once a thriving Black neighborhood filled with jazz clubs, Black-owned businesses and the pioneering entrepreneur Madam C. J. Walker, and legendary performers such as Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington.
Then the neighborhood was almost completely wiped out.
13 Fires explores how Indiana Avenue was dismantled during the expansion of Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, when property acquisitions, eminent domain threats, redlining, and rising taxes forced families out of the homes and community they had built. Through intimate storytelling and memories of the Avenue’s golden era, the play confronts the human cost of development and displacement.
While the story unfolds in Indianapolis, the production speaks directly to ongoing conversations about housing, belonging, and community change in Boulder and across Colorado.
Presented during the Juneteenth season, 13 Fires is a moving reflection on culture, displacement, and the enduring spirit of a people determined to keep their stories alive.
This story aired on the Morning Magazine, KGNU’s weekday morning show featuring in-depth discussions on local news issues. Click here to listen to other episodes of the Morning Magazine.
