Questioning the American Dream: Shonetina Benson on Raising the Next Generation of Black Women
Questioning the American Dream: Shonetina Benson on Raising the Next Generation of Black Women

From a false eviction to housing insecurity to being undervalued in the workforce, Shonetina Benson has experienced a number of the economic barriers many Black women face every day. As a single mother, she’s worked tirelessly to provide better opportunities for her daughter, making tough sacrifices in the process. She shared her story with us – the happiness and the pain – with honesty and grace, beaming with joy as she talked about her daughter, her new business ventures, and what makes a home a home. Shonetina has a peaceful demeanor and an infectious laugh that entices you to join along, reminding you that although life is hard, there are blessings and sparkles of light in between the shadows.

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Kristyn BridgesAmerican Dream
Questioning the American Dream: Leola Lynch on Race, Motherhood, and Workplace Culture, Part 1
Questioning the American Dream: Leola Lynch on Race, Motherhood, and Workplace Culture, Part 1

Leola Lynch is incredible. Equipped with a strong work ethic, she’s confident, charismatic, and sincere. With a thoughtful transparency, she shared with us the barriers she faces in her career as an external auditor – the only Black woman in her region – and how she’s using her experience to push necessary changes to improve the corporate sector. She hopes to see work environments that are rewarding, flexible, and flourishing for all employees no matter their gender, race, or background.

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Kristyn BridgesAmerican Dream
Questioning the American Dream: Leola Lynch on Race, Motherhood, and Workplace Culture Part 2
Questioning the American Dream: Leola Lynch on Race, Motherhood, and Workplace Culture Part 2

Leola Lynch is incredible. Equipped with a strong work ethic, she’s confident, charismatic, and sincere. With a thoughtful transparency, she shared with us the barriers she faces in her career as an external auditor – the only Black woman in her region – and how she’s using her experience to push necessary changes to improve the corporate sector. She hopes to see work environments that are rewarding, flexible, and flourishing for all employees no matter their gender, race, or background.

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Kristyn BridgesAmerican Dream
Questioning the American Dream: Judith Warren on the Ties Between Economic Mobility and Healthcare
Questioning the American Dream: Judith Warren on the Ties Between Economic Mobility and Healthcare

Judith Warren’s career could be described like glitter: Once she touches something, she leaves a bit of shine behind. In 1993, she arrived in Cincinnati to become the C.E.O. of the West End Health Center. She then moved to the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati (now Interact for Health) and eventually became the founding C.E.O. of Health Care Access Now. Judith’s work has consistently shed light on health-related problems and fought to solve them for all people. Now retired, she’s still working to bring brightness to underserved communities through her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta, and serving on the board of numerous nonprofits. We spoke with her in July, and I’m in awe of her. Her advocacy for the Black community, especially Black women, offers me hope in our centuries-long fight to dismantle systemic racism which plagues the healthcare industry as much as any other.

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Sandra Okot-KotberAmerican Dream
Questioning the American Dream: Jeneya Lawrence on Supporting Black Women in the Workforce and Health Advocacy
Questioning the American Dream: Jeneya Lawrence on Supporting Black Women in the Workforce and Health Advocacy

Jeneya Lawrence’s spirit is just like her wardrobe: warm, colorful, and fun. Her vibrancy is felt even over the distance of a Zoom call. She’s a leader, community advocate, mother of two, and creative at heart. We spent an afternoon in mid May discussing her work as a Health Champion, the undervaluing of Black women in the workforce, and the need for access to more resources that will aid in self-sufficiency and building more unified communities.

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Kristyn BridgesAmerican Dream
Questioning the American Dream: Kurstin Jones Talks about the Fragility of our Systems
Questioning the American Dream: Kurstin Jones Talks about the Fragility of our Systems

Kurstin Jones, a social worker for The Salvation Army, has a passion for helping people reach their greatest potential. From housing to childcare to the workforce, Kurstin is open and honest about the uphill battles her clients face. She is undoubtedly committed to untangling the systems that have created generations of inequality and continue to function as roadblocks for the many women she works with every day.

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Kristyn BridgesAmerican Dream
Dr. Angelica Hardee: Passionate Public Health Professional and Lifetime Urban Leaguer
Dr. Angelica Hardee: Passionate Public Health Professional and Lifetime Urban Leaguer

When I logged on to my video chat with Dr. Angelica Hardee, I could feel her energy and enthusiasm – even through video. Dr. Hardee’s mother worked for the Urban League in Cleveland, which instilled in her a lifelong passion for service. When, as an undergraduate, she learned that a career in public health brought together her passions and interests in service, healthcare, and community-based research, she was all in! Dr. Hardee still maintains her youthful enthusiasm for public health. We talked about public health, policy, and her current projects as the V.P. of health strategy for the American Heart Association and president of the local Urban League of Young Professionals.

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Health + Wellness, Outreach + Advocacy, FeaturesTracy P. Van WagnerFeatures, Celebrate Black Stories
Having Heart: A Conversation with Melyssa Kirn and Michele Tibbs of Grainwell
Having Heart: A Conversation with Melyssa Kirn and Michele Tibbs of Grainwell

To step into Grainwell is to step into a rustic charm interior design wonderland. Nestled within the historic, red-bricked West Pike Street in Covington, Kentucky, Grainwell has established itself as the go-to place for sentimental family gifts and modern design.

The sisters behind the shop and business – Christine, Michele, and Melyssa – never set out to create a multi-faceted business; rather, it snowballed into one. They began by pursuing their interests in design by making items for family and friends while they were in school. Eventually, they teamed up and brought their collective skills together to form Grainwell. Their business now provides custom corporate work, wholesale items, and in-store shopping.

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September 2020, Arts + Culture, EntrepreneurshipOlivia TaylorCommunity Mix
This Is Entrepreneurship: Melis Aydoğan on Turning Passion into a Business
This Is Entrepreneurship: Melis Aydoğan on Turning Passion into a Business

We connected virtually with Melis Aydoğan, founder of the Turkish coffee brand, Rüya – “bold coffee for the immigrant dream.” In fact, Rüya means “dream” in Turkish. It’s aptly named as Melis does more than make a tasty source of caffeine. She creates community connections, pushes herself and others to dream big, and is a strong voice for immigrant families, such as her own.

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September 2020, This is Entrepreneurship, EntrepreneurshipMichaela RawsthornCommunity Mix
On Second Thought: Catching Up with Sweet Cheeks Founder Megan Fischer
On Second Thought: Catching Up with Sweet Cheeks Founder Megan Fischer

Getting to sit down a Wednesday evening and learn about the only diaper bank, Sweet Cheeks, in Cincinnati was such a treat. We first interviewed Sweet Cheeks founder Megan Fischer in 2018, but with so much changing for non-profit organizations during a pandemic, we knew we had to catch up with her.

I quickly learned what a well-oiled organization she began single-handedly. Megan left the corporate world and launched her original site in her home in 2016 after a year-long nudge in her gut wouldn’t quit – at the time, there wasn’t a single diaper bank in the entire greater Cincinnati area.

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September 2020, Entrepreneurship, On Second Thought, Outreach + AdvocacyAbby FarrCommunity Mix
Sex Talk with Emma: A New Era
Sex Talk with Emma: A New Era

It’s been a long time, I know. I didn’t mean to abandon you and your sex talk needs, but there have been a few changes like every aspect of life in 2020. Women of Cincy is such a groovy group – the insight, thoughtfulness, integrity in these women is so real. We have been brainstorming ways to transition the topic of sex education into a local community conversation.

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September 2020, By the Book, Sex Talk with EmmaEmma WilligCommunity Mix
Connecting the Dots: Architectural Designer and Affordable Housing Advocate Priyanka Sen
Connecting the Dots: Architectural Designer and Affordable Housing Advocate Priyanka Sen

I studied art history as an undergraduate at Boston University, and I kind of fell into architecture. They had a fantastic professor, an architecture historian, who became my mentor, and I studied architectural history and art history and then got the design bug. I love learning the history and theory of these things. What if I used my skills differently? I think I always loved watching buildings go up. Thinking about how we build community and society’s fabric – that’s what led me many years later to design school at the University of Cincinnati.

I wanted architecture to be more than it currently is. I wanted it to imprint more on community and society, and how we think about each other and spaces. Since I’ve graduated, I’ve focused my efforts on thinking about that, changing how I think about teaching. With everything that is going on in the world, I’ve been thinking more deeply about how we need to impact future generations and our earth. I would like to leave more of a legacy, getting my students to think about projects more deeply.

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Arts + Culture, Education, Outreach + Advocacy, FeaturesLaura LeavittFeatures
Nazly Mamedova on Humanizing Immigration Law
Nazly Mamedova on Humanizing Immigration Law

Nazly Mamedova, immigration attorney, world traveler, and linguaphile, has called Cincinnati home since she moved here as a teenager in 2004. We sat down to chat shortly after the June Supreme Court decision restoring the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, an immigration policy that grants recipients who came to the United States as children a renewable, two-year protection from deportation.

At Xavier University’s Brueggeman Center, where she studied as a fellow while earning her undergraduate degree in international affairs, we talked about the best and worst parts of being an immigration attorney, her family history, and her love of travel.

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Outreach + Advocacy, Arts + Culture, FeaturesSuzanne WilderFeatures
This is Entrepreneurship: Christina Davis on Time Management and Family Roots
This is Entrepreneurship: Christina Davis on Time Management and Family Roots

Sitting in her car between errands, Cristina Davis, C.E.O. of Davis Cookie Collection, shared her journey to entrepreneurship. Although our interview was virtual, I could feel her energy and excitement about her business and the forthcoming opening of her first brick-and-mortar store through the screen. I knew instantly that this is a woman who can successfully juggle many roles: business owner, baker, mother, wife, mentor, community leader. Whether describing how to make it work as a wife/husband team or how she thinks up her next cookie recipe, Christina shows how her creativity and perseverance make it possible to live her dreams.

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August 2020, This is Entrepreneurship, EntrepreneurshipJudy ZitnikCommunity Mix, Celebrate Black Stories
Home Away from Home: Erika Nj Allen
Home Away from Home: Erika Nj Allen

Erika Nj Allen is a soft, spoken, beautiful soul from Guatemala. She’s been on my mind for the past two days as I ponder what to write for her introduction. Should I describe Erika’s studio, where everything had a purpose and a reason why it was there? Should I describe her beautiful soul? Or maybe I should take a cue from her story and highlight how Erika comes full circle over 30 plus years – all of it starting in Guatemala with a letter of invitation to a U.S. art school she couldn’t, at the time, accept.

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August 2020, Arts + Culture, Outreach + Advocacy, Home Away from HomeClara Matonhodze StrodeCommunity Mix
Meet the Women of Cincy Team: Olive Taylor
Meet the Women of Cincy Team: Olive Taylor

As Community Mix editor a big part of my job is just making sure that writers have content every month. I help organize the plans for ideas or topics they want to explore, make sure photographers are assigned to them and interviews are arranged. Once we have drafts in, I make sure everything goes out to another editor and out the door in time for the deadline.

Residency director is the bigger part of my responsibilities. There are so many aspects to the residency program, from mentorship to editorial or administrative responsibilities. We also like to focus on the other side of things making sure residents feel comfortable talking to me and maintaining a work-life balance.

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August 2020, Meet the TeamShannon SmithCommunity Mix
Seeing Beyond the ‘Refugee Label’ with Tika Adhikari
Seeing Beyond the ‘Refugee Label’ with Tika Adhikari

We met Tika Adhikari at the University of Cincinnati a few days after World Refugee Day – a day that provides awareness of the experiences and struggles refugees face around the world. In her community liaison work and social work studies, Tika provides these services for refugee, immigrant, and minority populations and advocates for their representation in the decision-making process in our city. She believes in the power of kindness to build communities – which has inspired her to challenge impossibility and overcome significant obstacles to set and achieve personal and community-oriented goals.

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Arts + Culture, Outreach + Advocacy, FeaturesKelly CarriganFeatures
Wendy Calaway: Finding Hope and Fighting for a Safer, More Just Society
Wendy Calaway: Finding Hope and Fighting for a Safer, More Just Society

Wendy Calaway, professor and criminal defense attorney, grew up in Williamsburg, Ohio, just east of Cincinnati. She studied both political science and law at the University of Cincinnati. It’s there, in law school, where she found her passion for justice. We sat down via video conference to learn more about bail reform, overturning wrongful convictions, and what it’s really going to take for everyone to truly receive equal protection under the law.

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Features, Outreach + Advocacy, EducationMichaela RawsthornFeatures
This Is Entrepreneurship: Barb Smith on Sticking to Values and Pivoting During COVID
This Is Entrepreneurship: Barb Smith on Sticking to Values and Pivoting During COVID

Meet Barb Smith, co-founder and president of Journey Steel. She is the living embodiment of Journey Steel’s motto: “We build and support dreams.” Barb spoke with us via videoconference about the values upon which she built her company and how she kept it afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic by sticking to those values. She also talked about what it’s like leading in a male-dominated sector as a Black woman.

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This is Entrepreneurship, July 2020, EntrepreneurshipMichaela RawsthornCommunity Mix, Celebrate Black Stories