What if the vacant houses dotting Hamilton County neighborhoods were transformed into affordable housing? Families would have homes that didn’t eat up a majority of their income. Neighborhoods wouldn’t have empty, deteriorating houses. Neighbors would fill in the spaces on the block that were once dark windows and boarded up doors.
Read MoreDo you ever drive past the homeless, standing on the corner with a “Homeless. Please Help.” sign and wonder how that person got there? These are the stories of those experiencing and fighting housing insecurity here in Cincinnati.
Read MoreOur team ventured all around Cincinnati for this week's Reported By Women. From learning about the art of eating well to Xavier University's welcome for first generation college students, we've got it all for you.
Read MoreGrowing up in a Catholic family and going to Catholic school for primary education and high school shaped my foundation on the values of openness, community, and hospitality. “Safety” is a word I would use to describe it.
The first instance of gender inclusion – or rather, exclusion – that I experienced was when our parish priest came into our classroom in second grade.
Read MoreI tried to think of moments where I experienced gender inclusion.
I really haven’t.
I’ve had tiny moments of it. Usually they are disrupted. Almost always by a cishet man. Not always, but usually.
Read MoreTo me, gender inclusion comes in two bits: a recognition of everyone’s unique experience, and intersectionality.
Read MoreSo this week you may notice that we’re talking a lot about diversity, inclusion, and representation.
What’s that all about?
Read MoreI have always stood out. I was a fat kid that could not fit into girl clothes because they were not made for my body. Then I became the fat adult that basically said, “Gender is oppressive and life is too short to care about it.”
Read MoreI love people who cut to the chase: This is who I am; take it or leave it. Yelitsa Jean-Charles is one such woman. In the few months I’ve known her, I’ve grown to love our short-and-sweet exchanges at Union Hall: two tired-but-happy entrepreneurs with big dreams, high expectations, and serious sweet tooths. We finally got a chance to sit down for an interview, and the artist-turned-entrepreneur was everything I knew she’d be: snarky (her words), unapologetic, honest. Read on to meet the founder of Healthy Roots Dolls, a budding company dedicated to bringing diversity and empowerment straight to the toy aisles of America.
Read MoreI easily confuse people when talking about my mom. Mostly because I rarely fully explain who my mom is. My mom’s name is Jerry, and he is a transgender male.
Read MoreToilynn O’Neal is fully invested in the city of Cincinnati. She’s worked at St. Ursula Academy in Walnut Hills for the past 20 years and currently serves as their director of diversity. She works for the Cincinnati Visitors Bureau, helping to develop multicultural entertainment for Fountain Square in the summer. She’s the interim executive director of the Queen City Foundation, an organization devoted to helping young people succeed. Toilynn herself benefited from QCF, and she says it’s one of the reasons she is who she is today, doing what she’s doing to elevate young women in Cincinnati and inspire them to become leaders and community change agents.
This week’s Reported By Women dives into the political world of Cincinnati and the women that run it. Team member Abbey Bruce and her daughter Mackenzie ventured to The Hamilton County Commission on Women and Girls Public Forum to hear 21 community leaders discuss ideas to empower and support women.
Read MoreRoughly seven months after we last talked with Megan Park, we spent a beautiful April morning at the Ivy Hills Country Club catching up with the producer and storyteller and experiencing her project Putting Women in Their Place in action. Putting Women in Their Place is project that produces campaign videos for progressive, pro-choice women running from office. We met with Megan – in the midst of shooting videos for several candidates – to catch up on her many exciting projects, motherhood, and more.
Read MoreWe huddled around a table at Fountain Square amid the usual noise to find out what has driven Dora, chief operating officer at the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, to all that she has accomplished. As a vibrant guitarist played and groups of friends chatted nearby, we carried on a lively conversation surrounding our communities and the strategies for addressing those that need more attention. Dora is oftentimes at the center of the community both in her professional role and personal growth experiences, but that doesn’t stop her from taking a step back to the behind the scenes action of it all.
Read MoreAt the end of June, our team ventured to Washington Park along with 4,500 others to make a statement about recent immigration practices. Take a look at some moments from the day.
Read MoreIt was a near-perfect sunny day when we met activist and community organizer Megan Anderson at her go-to spot, Wyoming Community Coffee. The naturally lit, bright and open coffee shop is the perfect mirror for Megan’s warm and inviting personality.
Read MoreWe asked Cincinnatians of all genders, sexual orientations, races, religions, ethnicities, and cultures one question at the 2018 Cincinnati Pride Parade and Festival last Saturday: “What does Pride mean to you?” As rainbow flags flew through the rain and dancers pranced through the streets, smiles beamed while we dodged through crowds and heard their answers.
Read MoreI met Megan Fischer a few years ago, while she was working at an educational publishing company. She was smart and capable and sometimes had pink hair – the kind of person you suspect has interesting things ahead. When Megan started talking about a diaper bank, a term I’d never heard before, I stopped and listened. From her, I learned that diaper banks help provide diapers, a necessity for children that is not covered by any government program like food stamps or WIC. Health clinics and food banks aren’t regular sources of diapers either, so parents in need have no reliable way to get them if they’re short on cash.
Read MoreIt was a very cold April morning when we sat down with Amy Vann, founder of Give Like a Mother. The air was crisp, the sun was bright, and the scenery at the Cincinnati Nature Center was absolutely gorgeous. With an inviting energy and a smile that could light up any room, Amy opened up about her childhood, the important role faith plays in her life, and her aspirations for her nonprofit organization. Here is a glimpse of her inspiring story.
Danielle Gentry-Barth, a proud Bearcat, told us to meet her in front of Mick and Mack’s at the University of Cincinnati. We settled comfortably in an office borrowed from the philosophy department, and Danielle shared her journey from a master’s degree in history to her position now at Easterseals. She frequently described her work and her life as “awesome!” She fell into fundraising right out of graduate school and has yet to fall out of it. She also told us about the work she does to help others outside of Easterseals. It was clear that helping people is in her nature.
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