Thousands from around the world visited the Indiana Convention Center this week for Rally 2025. The global cross-sector innovation conference focuses on innovation in the Hoosier state and across the globe.

Innopower is co-hosting Rally 2025. WISH-TV Contributor and Innopower CEO Emil Ekiyor stopped by to provide a closer look at Rally 2025 and give some insight into the hope for economic transformation.

Rally’s mission includes talent mobility, building a business, cultivating meaningful relationships, and feeling re-energized.

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Dia de la Familia has launched in Carmel to honor Hispanic Heritage Month. It’s in stark contrast to the cancelled La Fiesta Indianapolis. The in-person festival that’s been held for more than 40 years was cancelled due to security reasons related to immigration policies and potential ICE raids.

Claudia Escalante, an organizer for Dia de La Familia, said her community can’t hide in fear. Hundreds of residents attended to sing, dance, and eat in Midtown Plaza. There were food vendors, art installations, Zumba, a conga line, and murals.

“The best feature of Indiana are the people,” Escalante said. “There’s no beach here. There’s no Wall Street. There’s the Indy 500 and sports, but the greatest feature are the people are the Hoosiers.”

Escalante said Hoosiers also include the Latino and Hispanic community. She is a Columbian immigrant who came to Indiana more than 20 years ago.

Escalante said ICE wasn’t one of the security concerns. She said Carmel police are on standby for safety, and the people who spoke to News 8 said they felt safe attending.

Pablo Solano is a Carmel Resident and is originally from the Dominican Republic. He and his wife were enjoying warm arepas.

“This event here sends a message that we can have an event safely and we can enjoy ourselves,” Solano said.

Escalante said when it comes to security concerns, ICE wasn’t one of them.

Escalante said the event is an opportunity for local Latino entrepreneurs to get exposure, like baker Dioselim Garcia, who sold out her cookies.

“We are not in the shadows. We are seen as Latino People,” said Dioselim Garcia, founder of Waldis Artisan Bakery.

Escalante said the event is not just about celebrating Latino and Hispanic heritage, but also about sharing it with others. Escalante moved to Indiana more than 20 years ago. She is a Colombian immigrant who embraces her Carmel Community.

“We only ask for an opportunity,” Escalante said. “We’re here because we love this country and we want to make it better. So, give us an opportunity. We love you. We’re here. We’re part of your community, and it’s only going to get better.”

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The Indianapolis Black Theater Company is set to open “The Mountaintop” at the District Theater on Sept. 18. It’s a two-person play, offering an unconventional look at the final day of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life.

The play, which runs through Sept. 28, features Daniel A. Martin as Dr. King and Dija Renuka as Camae, a character inspired by playwright Katori Hall’s mother.

The two actors will carry the narrative for 95 minutes each night.

Renuka and Martin visited WISH-TV’s Daybreak on the morning after America’s latest act of political violence, the shooting of Charlie Kirk.

Martin says the play underscores the ongoing need for leadership and change, themes central to Dr. King’s legacy. “We were in need of a Dr. King as much then as we do now,” Martin noted. “So the political violence that took place yesterday is horrible. Yeah, we need new leaders. We need people to stand up for us all.”

“But it’s entertaining the entire time,” Martin said. “It’s a fun show. You’re going to love it.”

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Indiana has become a global hub for artificial intelligence empowerment with the launch of the Hoosier AI 1000 program, aimed at expanding AI access and training.

Emil Ekiyor, CEO of InnoPower, is a contributor to the program. He spoke about it Thursday on News 8.

The initiative, developed in collaboration with Indiana Wesleyan University, focuses on providing AI literacy and prompt engineering skills to people across Indiana and beyond. The program has trained 50 certified master trainers, who are now equipped to teach AI fundamentals to communities.

The Hoosier AI 1000 program began earlier this year with the goal of addressing the lack of AI training resources in Indiana. Trainers underwent 48 hours of intensive training over six weeks, led by Chris Daly, the program’s master trainer.

The program’s reach extended internationally when Dr. Olu Manje, president of Tubman University in Liberia, requested training for his staff and students. The training was conducted virtually, with 40 staff members and 35 students completing the program.

Ekiyor highlighted the importance of AI literacy, noting that while many people use AI tools like ChatGPT, they often lack a deep understanding of how to use them effectively.

Despite concerns about the rapid advancement of AI, Ekiyor believes that embracing technology is essential for competitiveness. He compared the evolution of AI to historical technological advancements, emphasizing the need for responsible use.

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Health insurance provider Managed Health Services is using a $1.2 million investment to improve youth mental health resources across 28 Indiana counties.

18 community organizations will benefit from the investment, distributed through MHS Serves; a partnership with Black Onyx Management and the Indiana Minority Health Coalition.

The organization uses collaborative partnerships to address health inequities and the disparities caused by service gaps.

WISH-TV contributor Emil Ekiyor joined News 8 at 5 p.m. Thursday to talk about how efforts to expand access to mental health resources will not only benefit individual clients, but the community as a whole.

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A downtown event Thursday night aimed to give audiences a better understanding of the role Indianapolis had in the musical road that led to rock ‘n’ roll.

Noted author and music historian Preston Lauterbach spoke, focusing on the historical significance of Indiana Avenue in the development of American music.

Lauterbach is well-known for his extensive research into Black culture and music, as highlighted in his 2011 book, “The Chitlin Circuit and the Road to Rock ‘n’ Roll.” The book revealed that the famed touring strategy that many musicians used began in Indianapolis, not the south as many presume.

“It was invented by the owners of a club on Indiana Avenue, Denver Ferguson and his brother, C. Ferguson,” Wilkerson explained. “They became not just club owners, but promoters and agents, and provided safe passage (to) places were where black musicians could play.”

Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino, and other famed musicians performed on Indiana Avenue, contributing to its role as, in Lauterbach’s view, a “true birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll.”

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A month-old Indiana law targeting chronic absenteeism in K-12 schools aims to collect data on student attendance to better understand and address the issue.

The law defines chronic absenteeism as missing 18 days of school, which is approximately 10% of the academic year. The initiative seeks to gather detailed data on why students are missing school, whether due to illness, travel, or other reasons, to develop strategies to reduce absenteeism.

Emil Ekiyor, a community leader and entrepreneur who is a contributor to WISH-TV, said Friday on News 8 at 5 p.m., “We need to collect data on what’s happening in this situation, why are kids missing school. It was shocking to find out that we didn’t have a strong data-collection system.”

The law does not differentiate between excused and unexcused absences when calculating chronic absenteeism. Even if a student has valid reasons for missing school, such as medical appointments or family travel, accumulating 18 absences categorizes them as chronically absent.

Indiana state Sen. Andy Zay, a Republican from Huntington, was involved in clarifying misunderstandings about the law, emphasizing that the focus is on understanding the reasons behind absenteeism rather than penalizing students.

It’s hoped the data collected will help educators and policymakers understand the correlation between absenteeism and academic performance, potentially leading to new policies or support systems to help students stay engaged in their education.

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The Madam Walker Legacy Center has elected two Indianapolis natives as board members: singer-songwriter Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and comedian Mike Epps.

The board says the addition of Edmonds and Epps “reflects the Center’s ongoing commitment to expanding national programming and elevating the visibility of the historic venue as a cultural destination.”

Board Chair Nicole Wilson shared, “We are thrilled to welcome Babyface and Mike Epps to the board. Their influence and commitment to Indianapolis will help us amplify our mission on a national scale.”

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