While most of us are content living what we jokingly call “our best lives,” Dr. Zaria Davis is dedicated to not only achieving the best version of her life, but striving to create opportunities for others to thrive, too. As a formerly incarcerated person, Dr. Davis has worked diligently to overcome the odds against her and right her wrongs, while helping others find a path to success through her nonprofit, Filling the Gap. We sat down with her via Zoom to discuss dehumanizing language, the effect of COVID-19 on incarcerated people, and what gives her hope.
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Blackness should be celebrated year-round, not just in February. However, this month brings the chance for people to intentionally reflect and learn more about the long, and often hidden, history of Black people in our country. High school history classes around the country are profoundly guilty of omitting Black history in their curriculum, and 28 days is certainly not enough time to dismantle a long cycle of educational exclusion. We’ve curated a list of books specifically detailing the history of Black people in Cincinnati by local historians, scholars, and writers as one way to help fill this gap.
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When you enter the Covington Farmers Market, you’re greeted with a warm hello and a spritz of hand sanitizer. People browse the stalls with masks and gloves – always making sure to follow the arrows on the ground. At 11 a.m., market volunteers shout over a megaphone for vendors to pause what they’re doing and sanitize their tables. These are just some of the new changes Covington Farmers Market has adopted to keep up with the new normal of COVID-19.
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This isn’t your typical “letter from the executive director,” nor your typical year at your typical nonprofit. 2020 began with high hopes and expectations as Women of Cincy entered our first year as a nonprofit organization. From our origin as an Instagram account in 2017 to evolve into a full-fledged media organization, Women of Cincy’s journey to this moment has been wild. In 2020, we quickly realized that not only was the year going to throw curveball after curveball into our plans – but it was also going to be the year we had to fight to survive, take a hard look at ourselves, and rewrite the rules.
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Nahamani Yisrael truly embodies the meaning of her name: compassionate leader. As an entrepreneur, mother, teacher, website designer, and community activist, Nahamani is a woman on a mission to share her spark with the world and to light a spark in others. From balancing being a single mother of two kids to becoming a successful entrepreneur, Nahamani’s story speaks to how far kindness, hard work, and having the courage to make connections and speak your truth can take you in life.
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From the moment you sit down with Dr. Pratima Shanbhag, she’s an old friend and an immediate joy to be around. Dr. Shanbhag’s compassion and empathy is effusive and she channels it toward her passion: advocating for children of abuse and neglect as a pediatrician. And maybe unbeknownst to her, through her example, she’s advocating for everyone she meets to view the world through a lens of compassion.
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Susan Austin is a creator, community volunteer, and fiber artworks program founder at the Barn in Mariemont. Susan combines artmaking with group activities and holds a communal space for creative expression through fiber artwork: weaving, knitting, sewing, and quilting. She enjoys the creative process of making something out of nothing, embracing mistakes, and appreciating beauty. She says every piece of art is unique, and although ideas and materials may be similar, they are imagined in brave and bold new ways of self-expression.
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Women of Cincy is nonprofit media platform. Our mission is to create more connected, empathetic, inclusive communities by centering the diverse voices that make up the fabric of our city. We act on this mission by focusing on three pillars: storytelling, community building, and mentorship. Since 2017, the organization has shared the stories of more than 370 people, graduated 24 residents from our Residency program, and expanded to over 100 volunteers. In January 2020, Women of Cincy officially became a 501(c)3 nonprofit.
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We cap off our series with our very own, Chelsie Walter, executive director and co-founder of Women of Cincy. Chelsie talks about how this idea to capture a few inspiring stories grew into a volunteer-driven media outlet that has published nearly 400 stories in just three years. She shares how she’s dealt with this rapid growth, a global pandemic that sent the organization into a tailspin, and how she stays committed to the Women of Cincy mission by keeping empathy at the heart of everything she does.
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Be so real with me right now. Dating was already tough pre-pandemic, then add on everything else that has been 2020. And what now? Are we supposed to date virtually? I mean it was already confusing enough trying to figure out which app to use, and which pictures to upload.
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I think it’s fair to say 2020 didn’t pan out how we were expecting. But the holidays will be arriving soon, and like most things this year, they’ll look different. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Festivus will be over Zoom, through the mail, and socially distanced. However you’re celebrating this year, the act of giving – to loved ones and to yourself – is as important as ever.
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Jazzy Sweeties started in 2013. I was working at Children’s Hospital. I was in housekeeping – and I was thinking about what I really wanted to do. I always baked as a child, so it came naturally to me. The first thing I started with was cheesecakes. I did cheesecakes for a holiday, and my mom told our coworker, and then I did an order for her. Before I knew it, I was doing cheesecakes! And then I was like, “Okay, this is a thing, so I need to give it a name.”
Jazzy came from my family. No one ever really called me Jasmine. It was always Jazz, Jazzy, just random names [laughs]. So that’s when I came up with the name Jazzy Sweeties. After that, I started doing pop-up shops, and then I had someone ask me to make a cake. So I tried it, and it took forever to do that cake. By the time I got done with that cake, the party was over. The cake got there, and I was like, “Well, it worked out, I guess, so I’ll try it again.” And then I started doing cakes and cupcakes.
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There are many words to describe Cathy Bailey. She is kind and resourceful. She has impeccable fashion taste and she is extremely smart. However, in talking with her over Zoom and in person, it’s easy to see the impetus behind Ms. Bailey’s actions is her fervent dedication to her community. A 28-year veteran of Greater Cincinnati Water Works, she has proven over the years that she is a civil servant to all of Cincinnati. We sat down to learn more about her commitment to her community, her desire to strengthen race relations, and her absolute obsession with Cincinnati water!
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Skeptical about Facebook romances? Not if you’re Beatrice, the Black lady from Kenya.
You will understand later why this is relevant. For now, let me walk you through Beatrice’s world. She and her husband own Stop N Go, a popular convenience store in Clifton. She divides her time between managing the store, completing her nursing degree, and working as a state tested nursing assistant.
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Sitting on the sprawling front porch at Amanda Sinclair’s charming home in Norwood, Ohio was the perfect backdrop to learn more about the Gem of the Highlands 5k, now it’s third year. As Amanda shared her passion for her Norwood community as well as building bridges among its diverse community members, it was no wonder to me that she felt compelled to launch the annual race three years ago.
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It was a bit surreal walking into an empty waiting room at Grace Kerr Orthodontics. Usually full of teenagers trying not to make eye contact, COVID had rendered it – like so many places – quiet and bare. But it was the perfect backdrop to talk with Dr. Grace Kerr about her thriving orthodontics practice.
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As a Women of Cincy resident, I had the opportunity to interview any team member of my choice. As I scrolled through the team member profiles on our website I was intrigued by Sarah Urmston’s interest in learning human stories and her experience in empathic research. I decided to interview her because I aspire to be a user experience researcher and hope to learn more about what she does.
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For the past two decades, the Women’s Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation has been conducting research to shine a spotlight on economic inequity in our city. Women of Cincy is joining that fight and using story to connect that research to our friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers. This series is part of a larger effort by the Women’s Fund to provide historical context, current analysis of where we are today, and recommendations for change for Black women’s economic mobility.
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There are few who are as fierce as Kendra Davis, and this woman embodies what this series is all about: saying “no” to the racism, the red tape, the obstinance that’s gotten us where we are today. She’s a single mom, tax examiner, and community advocate. Through her work with Cohear, a community engagement company connecting decision makers with everyday experts, and Champions of Change, a leadership program for folks seeking to advance Black-led ideas, she’s grown into a fiery voice fighting for grassroots change from within. She laughs when she says she might run for office someday, but this woman has a serious plan, an enormous heart, and more.
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