Cincy Black Magazine

Running requires you to be both strong and quick. Here are some leg exercises to build bigger quads, calves, glute, and hamstrings.

MEET THE

maintaining energy to repairing muscles runner and chef Isaac Mills shared some healthy diet plans on how to get that extra mile.

Azizah Nubia

Andrea Hall

Olivia Strawder

Carma Nance

Zion Henderson

Kennedi Parker

GeNiah Hughes

Egypt Howard

Ivy Staples

Ti'Quan Mays

Royana Hall

Nikita Anderson

of Community Affairs

1 VOLUME 1

Editor’s Note

The Cincy Black Travel Guide is Here!

This is a labor of love because I get to share my amazing city with so many people. Cincinnati is the land of FREEDOM especially for black people. It is here that you can thrive whether you have a business, wants to start a family or a new life. I love my city and I know you will too. Thank you for reading!

C I N C Y B L A C K T R A V E L

In the 1st Issue of Cincy Black, you will find interviews with Cincinnati Leaders. You will learn history. You will also learn about some amazing Black Owned Businesses!

TOP 3 PLACES TO VISIT IN CINCINNATI

NATIONAL UNDERGROUND FREEDOM CENTER

Through permanent and traveling exhibits, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center shares the stories of freedom’s heroes, from the era of the Underground Railroad to contemporary times, challenging and inspiring us all

DAVIS COOKIE COLLECTION

Davis Cookie Collection LLC provides gourmet desserts, handmade from scratch using a natural process for all ages to enjoy on any occasion!

CINCINNATI'S LITTLE KNOWN BLACK FACT

DID YOU KNOW?

Six boys were born to O'Kelly and Sallye Isley, a collegeeducated, musical couple, in Lincoln Heights, Cincinnati: O'Kelly Jr. in 1937, Rudolph in 1939, Ronald in 1941, Vernon in 1942, Ernie in 1952, and Marvin in 1953.

BLACK OWNED OUTERWEAR

or most Brands, the design is the main point and everything else follows For our Brand, The Brand Name is the main idea and as a result every garment tells the same story, but in a unique way

The City of Cincinnati is an excellent model for any city that is focused on inclusion. A part of this success comes from our extraordinarily diverse leadership at City Hall. Aftab Pureval is the 70th Mayor of Cincinnati. He was raised in Southwest, Ohio, the son of firstgeneration Americans. He has made history as Cincinnati’s first Asian American Mayor. As Mayor, he is committed to serving Cincinnati’s 52 neighborhoods. He has made equitable economic growth a top priority of his administration, as well as a comprehensive reform and improvement of public safety, affordable housing, and environmental action.

Cincy Black Travel had the opportunity to sit down and talk to the Mayor about what we have called the Best Week In July.

Words From Mayor Aftab Pureval

I'm looking forward to having so many people in our city. There are so many things to do here. Cincinnati has a strong Black Culture presence and there is a cultural economy that’s really led by our Black Leaders that help drive our tourism. So while visiting make sure you visit Black Owned a National Clothing Brand based right here in Cincinnati, they have licenses from The Reds, FC Cincinnati, and The Bengals they have world-class apparel Please visit Businesses like Nostalgia which is a Jazz venue in Over-The-Rhine then across the street we have Cinema which really is a bar but really celebrates Black Cinema from the past and into the future

There are so many extraordinary businesses but also cultural opportunities in Black Lead organizations here, the fact that Cincinnati was the end of the Underground Railroad and the beginning of freedom in the past and the fact that we have the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center the national museum right here in Cincinnati. There’s something here for everyone particularly even within the confines of a Black business or a Black institution.

We have an incredible history with a strong foundation, this week is an incredible moment where so much of our cultural economy is Black-dominated. Cincinnati has done a great job in making stories, but we haven't necessarily done a good job of telling our story, and when we tell our story people are like “Oh wow I didn’t realize Cincinnati was so critical then but also now” and so what the Cincy Travel Guide is doing to spread the word and to tell our story is so helpful.

THE BLACKMUSICWALK O F F A M E

THE HISTORIC GRAND OPENING EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH VISIONARY & FOUNDER HAMILTON COUNTY COMISSIONER ALICIA REECE

CDirector of Ohio Tourism , she introduced the idea on April 26th, 2021 at a press conference with a diverse group of Music and Community stakeholders in front of an empty lot filled with gravel and rocks. She called for the creation of the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame to celebrate the legacy and untold stories of music artists, songwriters, producers, and musicians from Cincinnati, Hamilton County, and Southwest Ohio.

The Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame was founded and created by President Hamilton County Commissioner Alicia Reece. The commissioner grew up in the music industry and later served as the Deputy B U I L D I N G A L E G A C Y

MUSIC LEGACY

On July 21st, 2021 the idea was unanimously passed by the Hamilton County Ohio Board of Commissioners, creating an international state of the art outdoor, interactive permanent tourism attraction and exciting music corridor on the Ohio River banks. The Cincy Black Travel Guide had the opportunity to visit Alicia and talk to her about her journey in the creation of the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame. She also gave us a personal tour around the development so we can see firsthand all the hard work that it took to make this vision a reality.

Hamilton County Commission president and founder of the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame Alicia Reece announces the 2023 inductees.

The 2023 Inductees are the Godfather of Soul Mr James Brown, the Deele with all original members including LA Reid and Babyface, civil rights songwriter Louis Shropshire, and lead singer of the Spinners Philippe Wynn. Over 60 black music influencers from southwest Ohio will also be featured in the new tourism attraction.

C I N C I N N A T I

Azizah: So we are here live at the site for the black music walk of fame and I am here with the visionary behind this massive amazing project Commissioner Alicia Reece, how are you doing today?

Alicia Reece: I’m doing fantastic. You know my heart is filled to see this come to fruition.

Azizah: That is super awesome. So what inspired this vision?

Alicia Reece: This vision actually came from God I had the experience, I’ve been Vice Mayor, State Representative, and now I’m County Commission President but I did a lot of work in tourism as the Deputy Director of Tourism for the State of Ohio, and my job at that time was to market Ohio so I had to market the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame and I was like wow this is great, we need this in the Southern Region of the State. So when I got elected to a County Commissioner I was at a press conference and Otis Williams who was at the time I believe 85 and was using a walker, had just gotten out of the hospital. Otis Williams had pointed over here to the music venue named after Andrew Brady who was a music teacher over on the West Side during the 1930s Otis Williams said “How can we be included?”, and he pointed over here and a tear came down and I just saw that as a sign from God to make a move now so that he could be alive to see this So next thing you know I had a press conference in front of a lot full of rocks on this corner and I said this would be great to connect Andrew Brady with a Black Music Walk of Fame. I stood there all I had was a flyer from kinkos that I made up and a prayer and it all began. It has been a journey because it’s a lot of technical things, a lot of legal things, getting the deed, and getting people, getting the votes, and getting the funding, and then getting more funding, and then the engineers, the architects, the construction folks, the technology because I wanted it to be Disney World, I said “Bring me Disney World” and I didn’t have money for Disney World but they brought me a retiree from Disney World I told them my vision of this being interactive and augmented reality, and connecting the legends with the future through technology and then this is only a half an acre but taking the technology that’ll make it a bigger platform and I want some

Hamilton County Commissioner President Alicia Reece & Cincy Black Travel Creator Azizah Nubia

people to come from all over the world to see what we did right here and I wanted it to be permanent We have a lot of murals and they’re fantastic but murals at some point have to be painted over. I wanted something that Otis Williams and others will know that it’s here beyond their time so that’s kind of the inspiration. So, what inspired me with music, I grew up in a household of music. My mother, the late Barbara Howard Reece was a professional singer who grew up in the West End My father was an intern at Motown and came back and had his own independent label So Red Fox was hosting one of my father’s events and that’s how my parents met my dad produced her album so growing up a lot of these musicians that will be honored here a lot of them were around while I was growing up, they were in the studio and I thought everyone knew about these stories When my mother passed at the age of 57 from Breast Cancer I realized that we can’t have can’t let the stories die with them We got to have something permanent that can be passed on to the next generation and maybe there was someone who is about to give up on their music dream or just their dream in general and they may hear some of these people’s stories and say “Oh I got to keep going, I can make it” So that’s really what inspired me and it has been an incredible journey with the people I’ve met and to be able to honor our oldest inductee is 101 years of age, Frank Payne Jr. and to see him show up in the wheelchair and say “Man no one ’ s ever acknowledged me ” he played with Duke Ellington and now he’ll be in the Walk of Fame.

Azizah: That’s amazing, so why was it important to have this event tied up with the Cincinnati Music Fest?

Alicia Reece: Yes so the Cincinnati Music Festival, which actually my mother opened up for Stevie Wonder at the music festival. I haven’t missed a music festival since I was 7 years old, My parents had an advertising company in marketing and this was one of their first contracts So I always was there they would tell me to be quiet and don’t make any trouble and I would see it grow but now as a County Commissioner when we look at the numbers, the Cincinnati Music Festival which is going into almost 52 years, has been and continues to be our number one economic impact weekend in the county of any festival any race, the hotel rates are the highest, people come and spend the most money, and so I thought it would be very important that this music fest which is huge tourism attraction when it leaves we have now another tourism attraction the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame that will be here permanent so when we pack up and we leave the stadium the Black Music Walk of Fame is still here. So it has to be connected to that weekend because a lot of people that are in here played in the Music Festival and the Music Festival’s history will also be in the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame It creates what I call this music corridor on the banks so you have Paycor Stadium, where the festival takes place, they also have a Thursday night here at Andrew Brady and then you have the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame and it creates this whole music corridor

Azizah: That is super amazing, so what impact are you wishing that this historical monument will bring to the city of Cincinnati?

Alicia Reece: Well it’s a tourist attraction, it is Ohio’s newest tourism attraction in the entire state and what I’m hoping that it will bring together, it’s been grandma to grandkids to come here

as a family and be able to enjoy, hear music, and hear the stories, I call it Edu-tainment you get educated and entertained at the same time while also bringing people from all over the world Penny Ford tours all over and lives in Germany you know people from around the world want to know where she’s from and where’s her hometown. We've got British Airways coming via CVG, now we’ll be able to have people come with direct flights from London right here to see what we have to offer. So this is an international tourism attraction it puts us also on the map to reclaim our culture and reclaim our history Too many people have captured the sounds that have come from Southwest Ohio and they’ve taken them and put them in their songs and so forth not given the credit that it came from Southwest Ohio. So it's very exciting I think the most important thing I want people to know is this is a tourist attraction.

Azizah: That’s awesome, so the Grand Opening is in July, July 22nd we have to wear all white so I’m looking for my all-white right now as we speak right. What can we expect? If you could tell us just a little bit

Alicia Reece: You’ll get the grand opening of a Black tourism attraction that you’ve never seen before You’ll have a tourism attraction that you’ll be able to go through that will have a beat machine that you can hit and play and water will jump to your beat. You will have an interactive tourism attraction that has augmented reality you’ll be able to perform with Bootsy Collins in a virtual way and then put it on your phone through a QR code. You’ll be able to perform with Penny Ford, you’ll be able to see the stars like you’ve never seen them before and you’ll be able to see their stories on the big screen in addition to that we will be inducting our new class of inductees which will be very exciting and you don’t want to miss it it’s going to be a wonderful thing we’re going to have Ohio Players who will open up our Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame and it’s going to be a party. So come on out, be a part of this and be a part of history this will never be done again you can’t have another grand opening and so this grand opening has a purpose it has the power it has legacy and it’s going to be a lot of fun.

Azizah: That is so amazing. I’m giving you your roses now because you did this for everybody and this is really amazing so I’m excited and I’m excited for this tour to see the insides of what we can see and I just thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us

Commissioner: Thank you for covering this and being a part because when people look for the history they’re going to have to look at this interview They’re gonna have to come to get it from the time capsule of what we did in this moment and this time in this part of history

Azizah: Well thank you so much for making history for us.

The Black Business Impact

Jan-Michele was born in Cincinnati and is a proud graduate of Cincinnati Public Schools (Rockdale Elementary and Walnut Hills High School). Her father, Dr. Luther J. Lemon, was a family physician for more than 50 years, and her mother, Elizabeth M. Lemon was a CPS teacher. She is honored to serve the residents of the city she loves.

A: How important has your work in City Hall been to the growth of Black Owned Businesses?

Vice Mayor: Well you know one of my passions has always been black businesses cause that’s how we move forward and knowing the struggles that black businesses have I’m able to advocate for them at City Hall. Black businesses, Women businesses, and Small businesses in general some of the issues we face are things like access to capital, so here at City Hall,

we have established the Lincoln and Gilbert fund to help businesses during a really hard time during COVID. We also have a lot of support for Black Businesses there’s free certification so that Black Businesses NBEs and WBEs can get certified and get more business with the city. So that’s been really important and I think it’s help that I know this is what businesses go through so our businesses here are growing. This is why The Cincinnati Music Festival is so important it brings in 107 Million dollars to the city every year, so it’s huge for our city in general and really it brings in all these outside tourists to come in and support our businesses, our restaurants, our retailers, hotels, hairdressers, barbershops, clothing stores, everything So it’s really exciting to have this huge event come in and help our businesses move forward

Q: How impactful is the Cincinnati Music Festival to our region?

Vice Mayor: Yes so you think of the Music Festival as being a hub and all these spokes have grown off of it like the Black Tech Week, the Black Music Walk of Fame, which is just going to be huge.

These events bring more and more people to Cincinnati and when people come here they go “Wow this is such a great city, maybe I’ll move here” and a lot of people start looking for ways that they can start their businesses here because we support a lot of startup businesses in this city. Cincinnati is one of the few cities in Ohio that’s actually growing and I think a big part of that is because of all these different spokes that are growing off of the Cincinnati Music Festival.

Q: What are you looking most forward to during the Best Week in July?

A: My Goodness so it’s hard to choose I’m going to say this year it has to be Al Greene I’m so excited about Al Greene, but let me tell you all the events that happen I will be out tasting the food and doing some shopping There will be vendors all over the place so many workshops are going on, just the music itself but getting out and seeing everybody is exciting. It’s like a huge family

CINCY BLACK MAGAZINE

reunion because I see people at the Cincinnati Music Festival that I haven’t seen all year long and everybody’s dressed up in all their different outfits and just hanging out I mean it’s so wonderful. Then just to see all these people from outside of the city coming in and enjoying us here really makes me feel so proud.

Q: How important are Black Businesses to our economy?

A: It’s just huge Black businesses bring a lot to the economy and so we want to make sure that we support them, this is one way we can do that by having these events that really highlight our businesses here This really brings more attention to them and we tell people “Don’t just patronize them this weekend but now that you’ve seen them, now that you know them make sure you use them all year round” so our businesses start to grow and so more spring up and that’s what we need END

Black Tech Week, an event that brings tog Black tech professionals and enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, and investors, returns this The three-day event will be held July 18-20, per the Black Tech Week website. This year's event is expected to feature over 3,000 attendees, 100 speakers, and 50 workshops It will be held at four separate locations around Queen City, including Cincinnati Music Hall, Cincinnati Memorial Hall, The Transept, and Washington Park. Actress, writer, and producer Issa Rae will be the keynote speaker. Issa Rae, creator and star of HBO's "Insecure,"

We re looking forward to hosting Issa Rae as our keynote speaker for Black Tech Week 2023," said Candice Matthews Brackeen, Lightship Foundation CEO, in a statement. "Her dedication to promoting diversity in the tech industry along with her remarkable achievements in entertainment, truly embody the spirits of solidarity and success so central to the Black Tech Week experience."

Cincy Black Travel had the opportunity to speak with Black Tech Week organizers about the Best Week in July

Q: Black Tech Week was an extraordinary moment for Cincinnati, what inspired bringing Black Tech Week to this region?

A: Black Tech Week was acquired by Lightship Foundation, which is headquartered here in Cincinnati. Lightship has been integral in advancing the tech ecosystem in Cincinnati through relationships with local corporations including Kroger and Procter & Gamble and in collaboration with the University of Cincinnati so bringing BTW to Cincy was the obvious choice in terms of leveraging the most meaningful support of the conference

Q: Whom was Black Tech made for?

A: Black Tech Week is for tech founders, tech professionals, and innovators of color, in addition to investors and corporations It’s a place where connections are made while Black tech culture is celebrated and advanced.

Q: What can we expect this year?

A: More speakers, more opportunities for corporate connection through Biz Dev Day, and more of the same incredible energy we brought to the city last summer!

BLACK TECH WEEK, WHICH HAD A MULTIMILLIONDOLLAR IMPACT ON CINCINNATI IN 2022, RETURNS IN JULY

With hundreds of International businesses, tech leaders, and national recognition for innovation, Cincinnati is no stranger to creating opportunities. Procter and Gamble, Kroger, and Cintas, all based in Cincinnati, are included as sponsors of Black Tech Week

The Lightship Foundation, which serves both entrepreneurs and organizations, acquired Black Tech Week in 2022. Candice Matthews Brackeen, founder, and CEO, said, “I am thrilled to bring this conference to Ohio and provide thousands of Black techies throughout the Midwest the chance to attend.”

Q: One of the goals of the Cincy Black Travel Guide is to showcase some of the amazing Black Owned Businesses in our city. Why is it important for Black Tech Week to support minority-owned businesses?

A: When planning for Black Tech Week, we actively seek local, minority-owned businesses as vendors for the conference, as well as providing our guests with a curated list of amazing Black-owned businesses around town Support of Black entrepreneurship is at the heart of the conference it’s who we are.

Q: Last year's keynote was Serena Willams, and this year Black Tech Week is bringing the amazingly talented Issa Rae. What do you look for when choosing Keynote Speakers?

A: We look for influencers whose missions and brands align with our own. Does this person embody the spirit of success and support of Black entrepreneurship, creativity, and innovation? This leads to our decision-making around keynote speakers

Q: Black Tech Week contributed 7.8 million dollars to the Greater Cincinnati Region last year, do you expect Black Tech Weeks' economic impact to double for 2023?

BrianBrackeen,generalpartneratLightshipCapital,andCandiceMatthewsBrackeen,founder,andCEOofLightshipFoundation, attendtheopeningceremonyforBlackTechWeekMondayeveningatMusicHall DavidStephenforACBJ

A: While we certainly cannot predict the future, this year’s conference is bigger and will bring more people to the city so the economic impact will definitely continue to be significant

Q: How important are events like Black Tech Week for Black Culture?

A: Black Tech Week is a culture-curated event a place and time for Black tech to be celebrated and advanced. We strongly believe that creating these spaces is necessary for us to connect with one another in meaningfully moving the culture forward

Q: What are you looking forward to the most for this year's Black Tech Week?

A: The energy The energy at Black Tech Week is so positive and uplifting it really has to be experienced to understand how incredible it is.

THE HEIGHTS MOVEMENT

Lincoln Heights Ohio is a Community roughly 13 miles north of Cincinnati city center what’s the population of approximately300 residence A historic and proud community nearing its 75th year of incorporation. Lincoln Heights was the first majority AfricanAmerican self-governing municipality north of the Mason Dixon line.

Despite economic isolation

Lincoln Heights was the largest majority African-American community in America which housed two grocery stores and pharmacy, fire and police departments, two skating rinks, a movie theater, night life venues, a high school and a dozen other businesses for its over 6000 residents in the 1970s.

Lincoln Height Community Mural

“THERE ARE NO LIMITS BECAUSE WE ARE THE HEIGHTS”

Some of the most prominent products of Lincoln Heights include renowned poet Nikki Giovanni, R&B soul legends The Isley Brothers, the National Underground Railroad Museum founder Carl West Moreland, Hall of Fame inductee Reverend Damon Lynch Jr and so many more prominent individuals who have impacted history in an amazing way were born right here in Lincoln Heights

The Cincy Black Travel Guide had the opportunity To visit the historic Lincoln Heights and learn about a prominent nonprofit organizations the Heights Movement The Heights Movement is a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit organization and is committed to the development of youth, young adults, and residents of the historic village of Lincoln Heights. The Heights Movement has several amazing projects that are happening throughout the entire year that include their Innovation Center and the Jackson Street Farm.

Our team had the opportunity to visit the farm and learn more about all the amazing things the Heights Movement does for the Lincoln Heights community

Q: Tell me your name and what you do for the heights movement Organization?

Durance Daniels: My name is Durance Daniels, I’m the executive director and co-founder of the heights movement

Q: What is the heights movement ?

Durance Daniels: The Heights Movement is a non-profit organization that’s really set to engage the residents on how to empower themselves, give them tools to show that they can change the community We have a saying “there are no limits because we are the heights” and we choose to believe that.

DURANCE DANIELS

"This is definitely not a one-man show, this is definitely not a one-organization show, it’s about a Community Coming Together."

Q: How has Lincoln Heights' history impacted your organization to do the things that you do?

Durance Daniels: Absolutely so, I’m a fifth-generation Daniels to come up and grow up in Lincoln Heights. As you can see we’re at our urban farm here but my grandfather really grew me up on stories on how Lincoln Heights got started. He was here during its inception, so I didn’t really grow up on the story tales of Little Riding Hood and Three Little Pigs I grew up on how the Hunters, the Greens, and how the Daniels built this community together Those were kind of the stories that really drive me. Really seeing Black people take their ownership, and create this community. It really motivates me, and thrives me to keep that legacy going I’m just proud to be a part of it.

Q: The Height’s Movement has so many levels: you have the Urban Farm, the Media Center, and you do a lot for the community, and for the youth. Can you give us a scope of the kind of work that you guys do?

Durance Daniels: We have 4 main initiatives that we work from. Public Health and Wellness, Economic Empowerment, Education, and Urban Agriculture These four pieces tie together to give the residents what they need. We have an Innovation Center where we can tell our own stories. We felt like that was important because the stories of Lincoln Heights that you hear on mainstream media are not always a reflection of what Lincoln Heights is all about If you really knew the true story about Lincoln Heights coming from the residents you’ll know that a lot of those stories are blown out of proportion We also feel that our Urban Agriculture and our Public Health is important. We have residents who don’t own a car or may have to walk to get to points A to B, can now have somewhere to get fresh produce and a healthy meal. We know how important what you put in your body is, that’s really a part of your holistic health

So building this Urban Agriculture Farm extremely was important for us And lastly, our policy piece about the Police Gun Range in our community.

This was a traumatic piece that’s really been affecting our community for over generations, 75 years to be exact So the removal of the Gun Range has also been a piece where we talk about organizing and coming together That’s kind of how we built our Heights Movement which was really just talking to the residents, asking them what they would like to do, asking them what they would like to see, and once again really empowering them and giving them the tools to make it happen This is definitely not a one-man show, this is definitely not a oneorganization show, it’s about a community coming together That’s what the Heights Movement is really about.

Q: Cincinnati Music Fest Week is one of the biggest income generators for our entire region. What are some things that people can do in Lincoln Heights while waiting for Snoop Dogg to get on stage?

Durance Daniels: Well you talk about Cincinnati Music Fest Week, you can’t really talk about it without talking about folks like the Isley Brothers. The Cincinnati Music Festival, in general, starts, (not to brag), here in Lincoln Heights with some of the great Kings Records.

People come here for great music but to see where some of these artists come from like here in Lincoln Heights is an amazing experience. So when you stop by Lincoln Heights make sure you come by and see our wonderful produce market. If you want to volunteer and get your hands dirty in the garden which is always fun, you can come out that Saturday from 10 am-12 pm And if you want to come out and also take away some of that fresh produce, or talk to some of our young people you can come by from 12 pm- 2 pm at 1136 Jackson Street in the heart of Lincoln Heights You can also check our website out at www.jacksonstreetfarms.com

For Cincinnati Music Fest weekend come get a full fill of the first African American City but also get a full fill of how it’s doing now, how it’s rebuilding itself, and how it’s using the young people to really carry this dream forward

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

My name is Tephra Fields and the name of my organization is Built To Last Non-Profit Solutions

What Does Your Business Do?

We help nonprofits maximize their impact through the development of sustainable systems.

Are you from Cincinnati?

So I am originally from the great state, the peach state of Georgia I moved to Cincinnati in December of 2016 and how I got here is I was recruited by another organization and that brought me here and I’ve been here ever since.

What Inspired Your Business?

I was inspired to start Built To Last Non-profit Solutions because as a former executive director of several non-profits in Georgia, Northern Kentucky, and Cincinnati, Ohio I felt like I started in a place where I didn’t actually know I just kind of started. I’ve been working in non-profit organizations for 20 years and made a jump from a case manager into an executive leadership position and I was kind of thrown in even though I had you know, support around me and my organization I had to learn on the job and sometimes when starting a business, start a non-profit organization, you are learning on the job but if I had somebody that kind of walked with me to guide me, coach me through the process it would have been a little easier for me in the beginning but I am so appreciative for the journey. I actually work with several other other or being able to work with other executive directors and other non-profits in my job, I found that we were all dealing with a lot of the same things so even though we were wanting to help or we want to help the individuals and our clients the people we serve there’s also that foundational work of the organization that needs to be done and sometimes you don’t understand or even know so as a new person starting a non-profit, you want to start

something because you want to help but at the same time you don’t understand or may not even know that there’s the foundational work that needs to be completed like your incorporation paperwork, building a board of directors how to build a board of directors, the fund development piece, fundraising, the strategic planning, volunteer recruitment, donor recruitment, maintaining your donors, program management, program development there’s so much involved in starting a non-profit, maintaining that nonprofit because you want to sustain it, you want to go on for years and I think of when you start your nonprofit you think of you want to eradicate something, you want to help something and once you’ve eradicated that thing you transition and you move on to the next. You know I always think you want to work yourself out of a job and transition to something else but you have to be able to plan and prepare to transition to the next step Built To Last Non-profit Solutions is an organization that can help the executive director, that board, that staff plan for the next step. So I want to be that person that walks hand in hand with that organization as they make those changes.

What Are Looking Forward To For The Best Week In July?

So even though I’ve been here since 2016, this will be my very first music week. I’ve never been to Cincinnati Music Fest and I am just kind of ready to see all the people that come from all over the country to this event. I actually was talking to a potential client in another state and they mentioned that they were going to come here actually it was fun because they’re from Cincinnati so it’s like a homecoming for them and it’s kind of a celebration for those individuals that are interested in music to see the concerts and to see everybody get together and have a good time and then highlighting a lot of the businesses in the area, the food trucks, the people that make t-shirts I mean all is just a great time and just to hear the music and just being excited about such a great event.

What Impact do you wish your Business adds to the community?

My impact it that I will be able to help non-profits sustain and to help them with their foundational work and to help them last we want organizations to last we don’t want them to get to the two-year itch and then it’s like “I don’t want to do this anymore” because it can be hard there are three things that I think that a lot of non-profit directors or individuals that want to start a non-profit or if you run:

You have to give yourself grace, you have to be persistent, and you have to make sure that you are prepared for all these other things that can happen you know it could be good it could be bad but just make sure that you are prepared for it. So grace, persistence, and preparation are important and I want to help them make the impact to grow in the community and past one or two years and to just make sure that they are doing what they say they are going to do and follow their mission.

Where do you see your business in the next 5 years?

In the next five years, I plan to be able to expand my business to bring on to be a training opportunity for those students that are looking to learn grant writing, those individuals or students that are interested in event planning to be able to grow and train other individuals as they grow their organizations and to be like a training hub for you know many other smaller nonprofits as well as creating tools for larger nonprofits.

What do we need to know about your business?

We’re Black Owned I guess you can see it but it was just something that started from the heart and I’m actually in a happy place and doing the thing that

I love and that’s being able to help nonprofit executive directors because I’ve been where they’ve been I’ve gone through those blood sweat and tears and not knowing what to do next and you know “Who do I partner with” “Where is my next donor going to come from”, I’ve been that lone staff member to do all the work and I want to let you know individuals know that you’re not alone, it’s not just happening to you. There are other nonprofits out there that go through those growing pains it doesn’t matter if you 5 years old as an organization, 10 years old as an organization it is a natural progression you are going to change after you know 2 years, 4 years which is why it has to be important to develop a strategic plan to prep you for those changes that are going to happen because the world is changing around us and I want to be able to grow outside of Cincinnati I want to be able to grow outside of Ohio and to build up those smaller nonprofits so that they can grow as well So if you’re looking for assistance with Built To Last Non-profit Solutions, if you need grant writing, fund development, program development, organizational development, board training, executive director coaching we can be reached by calling us, emailing us, messaging us on our website www.btlns.com Facebook page you can reach by social media at BTLNS Cincy and also you can give us a call at (513)713-0222 and if you would like to send me an email you can reach me directly at tfields@btlns.com

MORE THAN A BRAND BlaCk OWned Outerwear

BlaCk OWned Outerwear was created by Means Cameron in Cincinnati, OH, in 2011. The Brand is a creation inspired by both Cameron’s Upbringing in ‘The Hood’ of Cincinnati and his collegiate experience at a predominantly White University. Though at two different ends of the spectrum, Cameron discovered that BlaCkOWned™ energy is needed in all communities across America. Their Mission is to promote BlaCk Ownership while challenging societal inequities through our garments and storytelling. Cincy Black Travel had the opportunity to learn more about the brand.

Q: Can you tell me your name and a little bit about your business?

Means: My name is Means Cameron and I am the co-owner of Black Owned & The Black Coffee Lounge. Black Owned was first established in 2011 and we opened our first retail location in 2014 We are coming up on 12 years with Black Owned. Black Coffee was launched in July 2019 unfortunately right before the pandemic but we making our way back through.

BLACKOWNED™ IS ONE OF THE LARGEST BLACK-LED COMPANIES AND A GEM IN CINCINNATI.

We built our brands on promoting Black Ownership and telling Black Stories, which we believe inspiration is so important to people that grow up in areas like us. Inspiration can be really the one thing that triggers a new thought, a new life goal, what you believe about yourself, and what you can accomplish. My partner and I went through some things in our younger years like challenges like growing up in a single-parent home and growing up in the hood. The inspiration that we needed in life wasn’t really there so we built our brand around it, which was Black Owned. The brand is also personal to me because I grew up in an urban area but I went to a predominantly white University, so I got two totally different sides. Black Owned came out of that experience because growing up my idea was that I would do really well in school and I would grow up and be the first person in my family to get a really good job and that would be success for my family. But at Miami University the conversations were never around securing jobs it was about creation and ownership. That was the inspiration I needed to change my path so I started thinking along the lines of “How can I be an owner?” “what can I do?”. I also wanted to bring others with me with this concept which lead to Black Owned Being created.

Starting here in Cincinnati I wanted the brand to be bold and out there with it and that’s what we have done. We sell quality garments, but really it’s about the stories. It feels really good to create that community and have that wherever we go. In Cincinnati, I feel like we are in front of the community and we appreciate that. We have built our brands on Black Economics, Black Family, and Black Love because we can use a lot of it.

Q: That's amazing. Would you have ever thought that the world would be what it is today if you own a Brand that's titled Black Owned? I know you are happy to have gotten that trademarked.

Means: God Has His ways. I really truly believe even with all of the hardships that come with entrepreneurship I believe by God wanted me to have it. I couldn’t believe no one has ever come up with the name Black Owned for a Brand. So yeah I’m glad the idea came to me and we acted on it. Because now everyone is on the wave which is a good thing because 12 years ago nobody was really willing to step out there like that and put a neck on the line and that's why our brand today still gets a lot of love because we are the OG‘s.

Q: You hear a lot of black businesses and brands talk about how sometimes there can be a lack of support from the city when it comes to their business. That has not been the case for Black Owned. What were some of the strategic ways you were able to leverage the support that you have from the Mayor even the Bengals?

Means: In Cincinnati people grew up with Black Owned so we are a part of their lives. They went from watching us sell clothes out of our trunk to doing partnership deals with the NFL. So yes it can be hard to get the support, but our Grassroots, Underground feel that we have been able to maintain for 12 years is what people connect to. In a city like Cincinnati that’s almost 50% black, there’s a huge wealth gap, there’s a huge ownership gap, and I feel like Black Owned was necessary The people needed something to express themselves at work or at a restaurant without opening their mouths. Black Owned is so much more than a clothing brand it's a community. Now sometimes that can be a challenge for us from a business standpoint because it is a community people feel like they are a part of it without having to do anything. We still need people to show up and buy garments. So we still have to be activated and creative to get people to walk through our doors or go to our website.

Q: The Best Week in July is here. We have so many people coming to our city from all over. What are some ways Black Owned & Black Coffee will participate?

Means: For the Cincinnati Music Fest we are right here on Elm Street and since we are so close we have activated our shop We will have a Sip N Shop, Live performance in-store, on Saturday we will have a mobile print set up outside in front of the shop. People will be able to come and get a shirt printed on the spot and take it home with them. All of our designs have been inspired by the Cincinnati Music Fest and 50 Years of Hip Hop. Black Coffee will be the official Coffee Partner for Black Tech Week so we will be setting up a Coffee Cafe at Music Hall for Black Tech Week.

SOUL SECRETS

FoodForTheSoul

When it comes to Cincinnati and food there are a number of place you can go for a great mean But if there was a #1 Go To Soul Food restaurant to visit in Cincy then Soul Secrets is the place Named #1 for their delicious fried chicken, centered Downtown between Nostalgia and OTR Cinema Soul Secrets has been known to serve some of the best southern inspired dishes that will leave you wanting more.

Cincy Black travel had the opportunity to meet the owner of Soul Secrets and discuss why her restaurant is Cincinnati's newest gem.

Q: Tell us more about yourself and what started your business?

Candice: My name is Candice Holloway, owner of Soul Secrets Soul Secrets started as an opportunity for me to connect with my teenage daughter who was dealing with depression I began baking recipes that my grandmother shared with me to connect with her, it was an opportunity for me to create a safe space for her to open up, as well as teach her recipes that had been passed down by my great-great-grandmother Food brings families closer, it’s a way to connect and share.

Q: Your logo has a small red bird sitting on the U in your logo. What does that represent?

Candice: It's Red Cardinal Bird and it was important that we got to fit that into the logo. Growing up Red Birds were always symbolic of an Ancestral Spirit.

So it was important to me that it was included in the logo especially with the business being built from my grandmother's recipes Throughout this journey of opening up our storefront, there would always be a red bird around me

Q: I love the ancestral connection How important is it for you to incorporate that with your business?

Candice: We were very intentional in using photographs that are on the walls. They include pictures of my greatgrandmother, grandmother, and my mom. This was my way of being able to pay homage to them through the business. I remember growing up in church and my grandmother would be cooking for some gathering for the community Back then she didn't have the opportunity to start her own restaurant so having her included in this way means a lot to me I am so grateful that she took the time to share these things with me that I can share with our city.

Q: Why was OTR a prime place for you to open your business?

Candice: We started at Findley Market. Being Downtown with all of the revitalization happening here My father was very big on 2nd chance hiring, so it was my mission to bring my business here That way we can create jobs for our community and help give others 2nd chances 500% of my staff lives within walking distance from our establishment I also love that we are right next to Nostalgia and OTR Cienma is right across the street its an amazing vibe, and I had to be a part of it.

Q: If someone was new to Cincinnati and it was their first time at Soul Secrets what would you suggest they try first?

Candice: Definitely our catfish We were also voted best Fried Chicken in the Tri-State so try the fried chicken and our mac & cheese is top tier We also have desserts some of my favorites are our Banana Pudding and pound cake Our menu is fantastic you won't go wrong with anything you try on our menu.

Hay-J Thompson Comedian

Chase Opportunity

The Money Will Follow

Hay J Thompson is a Professional Stand Up Comedian, Host, and Comedic Actor since 2003 He is the owner of Ovation Entertainment and is a powerhouse of resources when it comes to entertainment. The Cincy Travel Guide had the opportunity to chat with Hay J to talk about his upcoming event happening during the Best Week In July.

Tell us more about yourself and your Business

Hay J:

I’m a comedian known as Hay J but my full name is Hayward J Thompson. I own a company called Ovations Entertainment and we started out as the one-stop shop for record labels. Our company is 20 years we started in the music industry but now we are a full-blown entertainment company We do everything from full-blown entertainment company so we can do everything from book acts, we can be the act, book security, staff event, and book the venue. We own several recording studios I personally run the company and we have 53 members across six states.

CINCY BLACK MAGAZINE

We all have different skill sets that we bring to the company, my skills come from my background in marketing I did marketing for Chrysler for 13 years so I am able to take that knowledge and add it to our Ovations Brand We also have a digital billboard company on top of the marketing agency We have billboards in 38 states I can get you anywhere from Six Flaggs, to Goodyear blimps, we can even get you in Time Square in New York City. We are 1 of 4 Blak Billboard agencies in the country.

Q: You have an event that will be happening in what we are Calling The Best Week In July can you tell us more about your event?

Hay J: Yes we are bringing Coco Jones and Ro James to Newport, KY Friday, July 21st. Our vision of bringing Coco who just recently won BET’s Female Artist of The Year Award, we were blessed because that happened right when we started the booking process with her. Let me say this, this is no disrespect to the organizers of the Cincinnati Music Fes, but we decided to go up against them on Friday night because this year line up is set for an older demographic and we wanted to create an event for the 40 and under crowd so we have Ro Jones, Liya Katana, and CoCo Jones all performing Friday night