Columbus Monthly - May 2021

COLUMBUS MONTHLY

Racial Divide: A Special issue || Guest Editor Wil Haygood

Black is beautiful.

Black is oppressed.

Black is threatened.

Racial Divide

Black is powerful.

Black is joyful.

Black is artistic.

Black is marginalized.

Black is traumatized.

Black is resilient.

May 2021

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Racial Divide: A Special Issue

Contents may 2021

Features 32

The Rev. Keith Troy at New Salem Baptist Church

The Kahiki Incident

The 1975 confrontation at the famed restaurant is a civil rights turning point, a Black political awakening and a tale of police violence that continues to resonate.

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The Teacher and the Student The extraordinary political career of Mike Coleman provided a road map for his protégé, Shannon Hardin. Then the world changed.

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Warning: Racism is Hazardous to Your Health

Franklin County and the city of Columbus have declared racism a public health threat for good reason. What’s being done to attack the inequities?

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Sundays in Franklin Park

A bygone era of cars, congas, bell bottoms and Black joy lives on in the memories of its participants—and in the photography of Steve Harrison.

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East Side Story

Can King-Lincoln Bronzeville retain its central role in the life of Black Columbus as white residents and investment dollars pour into the neighborhood?

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Year of Discovery

photo: tim johnson

How Black Columbus artists are responding to a time of crisis

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Let’s Talk About Race

Suburban school districts are finally grappling with what it means to be inclusive.

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God’s Country

While Linden has struggled, its roughly 100 churches have remained a source of strength in the neighborhood.

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Contents may 2021

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18

Arch City

Home & Style

Dining

Also in This Issue

14 History

104 Q&A

114 Profile

7 Contributors

18 Culture

106 Home

116 Short Order

Poindexter Village’s second life Nia Dennis’ ode to Black excellence

28 Neighborhoods My Southfield

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Creating a fashion vibe A peek inside Kelton House

Ena’s Caribbean Kitchen nourishes Linden.

Southern classics at LaGlory’s

118 foraging

Alexis Nikole Nelson’s gospel of wild food

8 from the editor 128 coda

photos: clockwise from left, tim johnson (3); right bottom, Don Liebig/Provided by UCLA Athletics

114 104

Columbus Monthly MAY 2021

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photos: clockwise from left, tim johnson (3); right bottom, Don Liebig/Provided by UCLA Athletics

DIGITAL

Columbus Site Manager Alan Miller

editor Julanne Hohbach

publisher/general manager Ray Paprocki

PHOTOGRAPHY Photo Editor Tim Johnson

EDITORIAL

GUEST EDITOR Wil Haygood Editor Dave Ghose

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Special Advertising Sections

SPecial advertiSing Section

Pink MoMents

The capital city is home to the largest Race for the Cure® in the country, drawing more than 20,000 walkers and runners to the Downtown 5K event in an average, non-pandemic year. In addition to raising awareness about researching, treating and curing breast cancer, it also raises funds: 100 percent of the race’s net proceeds—more than $1 million in 2020 alone—go back to Komen Columbus and the Susan G. Komen program. Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in Komen’s first-ever virtual Race for the Cure, which returns on May 15, 2021, to ensure the safety of all participants.

Visit komencolumbus.org for more information and to register for this year’s virtual event, and read on to meet four individuals who are involved with the Columbus race and learn why they dedicate their time, talent and treasure.

91 PINK MOMENTS

Breast cancer warriors and their supporters share why they Race for the Cure each year.

StorieS aS told to Emma Frankart

HEntErly PhotoS By tim JoHnson

Three local higher learning institutions share how they pivoted—or continued normal operations— during the pandemic to best serve adult learners.

photo: thinkstock

96 ADVANCED DEGREE GUIDE

Brought to you By

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Volume 47 / Number 5 Columbus Monthly (ISSN 2333-4150) is published monthly by Gannett. All contents of this magazine are copyrighted © Gannett Co., Inc. 2021, all rights reserved. Reproduction or use, without written permission, of editorial or graphic content in any manner is prohibited. Publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited materials. Known office of publication is 62 E. Broad St., Columbus, Ohio 43215. Periodicals postage paid at Columbus, Ohio, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Columbus Monthly, PO Box 460160, Escondido, CA 92046.

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Columbus Monthly MAY 2021

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photos: top row, from left, courtesy grace dearing; Jonathan Quilter; courtesy kathy lynn gray; courtesy steve harrison; middle row, from left, courtesy aaron hobgood; courtesy marcus jackson; courtesy donna marbury; courtesy aaron marshall; bottom row, from left, courtesy shannon shelton miller; Doral Chenoweth III; courtesy alexis wilson; mike mcgee

Associate Photo Editor Rob Hardin

photos: top row, from left, courtesy grace dearing; Jonathan Quilter; courtesy kathy lynn gray; courtesy steve harrison; middle row, from left, courtesy aaron hobgood; courtesy marcus jackson; courtesy donna marbury; courtesy aaron marshall; bottom row, from left, courtesy shannon shelton miller; Doral Chenoweth III; courtesy alexis wilson; mike mcgee

Contributors

Grace Dearing

Mark Ferenchik

“East Side Story,” Page 64 Ferenchik has covered Columbus neighborhoods and urban affairs for The Columbus Dispatch for the past 15 years. He wrote about King-Lincoln Bronzeville, Columbus’ historic Black neighborhood.

“Warning: Racism is Hazardous to Your Health,” Page 50 Gray is a former Columbus Dispatch reporter and a frequent contributor to Columbus Monthly. Her work has been published by Reuters, The Washington Post, Columbus CEO and Columbus Parent.

“Sundays in Franklin Park,” Page 56 Harrison spent 35 years as a photographer for the state of Ohio, primarily working for six governors.

His images of Franklin Park’s glory days as a Black gathering spot were shot in the late ’60s and early ’70s.

Aaron Hobgood

Marcus Jackson

Donna Marbury

Aaron Marshall

Shannon Shelton Miller

Erica Thompson

Alexis Wilson

Scott Woods

“This is Black Excellence,” Page 18 The freelance journalist and Ohio University student wrote about Columbus native Nia Dennis’ viral gymnastics routine.

“Image,” Page 26 The Columbus photographer specializes in composite and distorted images, which he shares on Instagram (@theblvcksiren). Originally from upstate New York, Hobgood moved to Central Ohio in 2013.

“Coach-in-Waiting,” Page 20 A former sports writer for the Detroit Free Press and the Orlando Sentinel, Shelton Miller wrote about Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson.

“Shoeless Acrobatics on High Street, 2020,” Page 128 Jackson is the author of the poetry collections “Pardon My Heart” and “Neighborhood Register” and is at work on a monograph of street portraits. He’s an associate professor of English at Ohio State University.

“Nourishing a Changing Community,” Page 114 Thompson is The Columbus Dispatch’s Ohio regional business reporter covering race, gender and the economy. She wrote about Ena’s Caribbean Kitchen in Linden.

Kathy Lynn Gray

“God’s Country,” Page 70 Marbury is a freelance journalist and communication consultant. She also manages a writer meetup group called Grammar + Chill and workshops using journaling for self-care called Writing For Wellness.

“Talking Out Loud,” Page 30 Wilson is an author, theater director and producer. The former professional dancer lives in Columbus with her husband, Columbus Jazz Orchestra artistic director Byron Stripling.

Steve Harrison

“The Kahiki Incident,” Page 32 Marshall is a communicator for Ohio State University’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion and a former staff reporter for The Plain Dealer, The Columbus Dispatch, The Other Paper and Columbus Monthly.

“My Southfield,” Page 28 Woods is a poet, essayist, Columbus Alive columnist and the founder of the nonprofit Streetlight Guild.

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From the Editor Special Guest Editor

Truth and Reconciliation Cities consist of neighborhoods, all awash with a hum of emotional histories. A city’s reputation announces itself to outsiders and chroniclers, all but saying, and often quite cheerily: This is who we are. A city, then, acquires a reputation, a notable identification that many are made aware of through the drumbeat of publicity. Los Angeles is known for entertainment, Chicago for its commerce, New York City for its melting pot. For much of its history, Columbus, a state capital, has been known, like Ohio itself, for its conservatism—and, of course, the sweet afternoons of Saturday football.

In the great swirling that goes on inside the American city, there exists one group of citizens whose political and social history has been marked by constant tension, inquiry and fairly consistent pain: the Black American. It did not take Jane Jacobs’ often cited 1961 book, “The Death and Life of Great American Cities,” to inform Black Ameri8

cans that politicians and city planners had often undermined their life, existence and quest for equality. The unveiling of annual statistics relating to Blacks—health care, crime, education—all bear this out. Black people have been the one American racial group constantly forced into a struggle to stitch themselves into the whole of the American dream. Despite the myriad civil rights laws enacted across the decades, the shadows of slavery and once-legal segregation remain real. Depending on the decade, the pain alternately eases and hardens.

Yet it never disappears, keeping full democracy for Blacks just out of reach.

To understand the temperature of past and present Black life in Columbus—or any American city— it is necessary to unravel the ever-present links of law enforcement intrusion into everyday Black life.

Beyond the expected duties of law enforcement— solving crimes, keeping the peace—the engine of

photo: Jeff Sabo

By Wil Haygood

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photo: Adam Cairns

photo: Jeff Sabo

those police duties churns in more ominous directions when it comes to Black people. The dynamic becomes painfully obvious concerning the lethal shooting of unarmed Black people in Columbus and across the nation. There is, as well, the gnawing disrespect routinely meted out to Black people. In late May 2020, following George Floyd’s death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, Columbus’ three top Black political leaders—U.S. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin and Franklin County Commissioner Kevin Boyce— gathered in Downtown Columbus to protest. Police officers on bikes sought to keep demonstrators out of the street and proceeded to pepper-spray the three officials, who were attempting to assist the officers.

Given Beatty’s stature—she is now chairwoman of the powerful Congressional Black Caucus—the incident made national news.

It is not just the past four years—the rise of hate crimes as documented by the FBI; the extrajudicial killings of unarmed Black people; the anti-civil rights tone of a presidential administration; the savagery seen in the Jan. 6 storming of the nation’s Capitol and the deaths it caused—that have been full of anguish for America’s largest racial minority population. The preceding decades have been fraught with heartbreak as well.

I’ve covered hundreds upon hundreds of stories across the years as a journalist working for two national newspapers—The Boston Globe and The Washington Post. My travels have taken me into nearly every state in America. I’ve slept outside under a crescent South Dakota moon, traveled the Mississippi River on a raft, interviewed Montanans about Barack Obama and rolled across Appalachian towns talking to poor white people about racial division.

I traveled alone across Louisiana with Klansman David Duke and stepped around the burned buildings in Los Angeles in the aftermath of police officer acquittals in the Rodney King uprisings. (The officers were later convicted in federal court.) I spent a month in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina listening to Black people wail about a federal government that appeared to have abandoned them. There also was plenty of traveling into foreign lands where, no matter where I landed, a question was always tossed at me: Why does America so mistreat Black people?

So, back to a city’s image.

A city’s reputation tends to glide along the tributaries of sociology, psychology, educational opportunities, race and law enforcement. Law enforcement has long been the colossus of American life, particularly as it relates to Black people. It is why the names of Emmett Till, Rodney King, Tamir Rice, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery—and now Casey Goodson and Andre Hill—can erupt with pain inside any conversation among Black people.

All are linked by lethal actions of law enforcement that resulted in national headlines and protests.

Goodson and Hill were Columbus residents, shot dead within weeks of one another last year. In a season of national reckoning over race, Columbus, like other urban centers, sits mired in a back-to-thefuture, 1960s-like drama of deadly law enforcement visited upon Black citizens.

When I look back at the part of my life spent growing up in Columbus, it comes down to this: I grew tired of being stopped by police officers— white police officers—for reasons that bewildered me. Two encounters with police are seared into my consciousness.

One night—late 1970s—my friend Steve and I were cruising down North High Street when, suddenly, unmarked cars screeched to a halt surrounding us. A white man in a brown suede jacket hopped out with a shotgun pointed at us; yes, a shotgun. Steve told me to stay still, which I did. Just as quick, marked police cars arrived, lights flashing. The man in the suede jacket peered inside the car. An officer behind him whispered there had been a robbery; we were suspects. In the mix of words and our denials, a Black police officer, Ron Kenley, walked over to the car, leaned in, turned to the other officers and said, “Man, these guys are friends of mine. They didn’t do it.” Ron, Steve and I had played summertime basketball together. Ten agonizing minutes later—and following routine background radio checks—we were allowed to go. (It would not be the last time I had a shotgun stuck in my face. However, the next time it happened, I was in Somalia as a reporter covering that country’s civil war.)

Not long after the High Street incident, Steve and I were in Town & Country Plaza on East Broad Street. I had just come from getting my temporary driver’s permit. Just as Steve started his car, a police officer appeared out of nowhere and pulled

Demonstrators march north on Third Street in protest against the killing of George Floyd.

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Siblings (from left) Jayla Williams, 7, Omar Jennings, 12, and Amere Williams, 9, of Akron, took turns chanting “Black lives matter” into the microphone at a protest at the Statehouse against the killing of George Floyd.

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his gun on us. He screamed, told us to stay still.

We did. The white officer, a member of the Bexley police force, accused us of robbing a lady of her jewelry. The accusation was bizarre. A second officer, with the lady victim, pulled up, ostensibly to identify us. The lady, white, looked at us and said, “Those are not the guys who robbed me.” The officer told her to make sure; she said the same thing again. Steve and I were so rattled afterward that we went straight to the Bexley Police Department to file a complaint. The officer’s supervisor apologized and told us if we filed any kind of charges the officer might be fired. We realized our presence at the police station meant nothing. Steve went on to become a Columbus firefighter before leaving the city and settling in Chicago. Following nearly every high-profile police shooting, he and I hop

on the phone and say to each other: There for the grace of God we go.

In the late 1970s I got a different view of crime and punishment in Columbus. I became a reporter for the Call and Post, a publication geared toward Black news. Every week I spent a few hours Downtown at the police station, rummaging through recent arrest records to write my column, titled Good Morning Judge. (I don’t ever recall seeing another Black reporter in town from the city’s two daily publications at the time.) Amos Lynch, editor of the Call and Post, knew that crime was palpable news in the Black community. Perhaps most who landed in my columns because of their arrests were guilty, but did they have recourse to equal justice?

Therein lies so much of the string now unwinding from the spool of the nation: Has justice ever been fair unto Black America?

I left the Call and Post after a year, taking a retailing job in New York City. I was awful at it, was shown the door and managed to claw my way back into the world of journalism, eventually becoming a national and international correspondent.

One of the most riveting moments of my reporting career was being in South Africa and watching freedom fighter Nelson Mandela walk out of prison after having served 27 years. I returned again to South Africa as President Mandela’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission was being formed. South Africa went on to do something Americans never have: Talk openly about race and the brutalities unleashed by white supremacy.

When the spotlight shines on police brutality in the U.S.—and the white juries that so often exonerate white police officers of wrongdoing—the conversations in suburban white America erupt in a familiar pattern: The police have hard jobs; they have to risk their lives; we want them to come home at night no matter what. Most officers indeed do good honest work. But that is not the backdrop Black America exists under.

Before they were murdered, both Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were talking emotionally about police brutality. But in the ensuing years of American life, police officers became mythic figures—featured in reality shows, as TV heroes, the modern cowboys on horseback. But reality points to something else: a justice system that has abetted the mass incarceration of Black people; cities giving up hundreds of millions of dollars to settle brutality lawsuits. The oftenheard excuse—“they need more training”—does not assuage the feelings of a mother staring down at her son or daughter in a coffin, put there by someone wearing a badge to protect society.

The death of a young, unarmed loved one by police freezes you. A family sits in stunned silence, garbling words. My family was once that family. It was the holiday season of 1979. Keith Burke, my cousin, had apparently stolen a taxicab. When he

photo: Courtney Hergesheimer

From the Editor

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photo: Courtney Hergesheimer

alighted from the car—running away from officers— he was shot in the back by the police. His last day on earth. He was 15 years old. Holidays haunt us.

Sean Walton, a Columbus attorney, has been working on police brutality issues for several years.

“It’s always been an issue across America,” he says.

“Columbus has been able to put on a good front to keep its dirty laundry from being aired. That’s how you egregiously get past the killing of these Black men.” Walton feels accountability is important to stem the wave of police killings. “Officers have to know they have to answer for everything they do.

The Columbus police have just turned a blind eye to it,” he says. Columbus voters have finally voted for a civilian review board, a policy long ago adopted by many other major cities. Though the last two leaders of the city of Columbus—former Mayor Mike Coleman and his successor, Andy Ginther—have earned progressive reputations, their administrations have been unable to turn the tide of police misconduct.

Not long after George Floyd’s death, Judge Steven Dankof of Dayton put a photo of Floyd up in his Dayton courtroom. He was quickly criticized by white police officers in Dayton, who felt the photograph was an attack against them. Dankof has been closely following the case of the police shootings in Columbus. “People of goodwill need to understand this is intolerable,” he says of the police shootings.

“It flies in the face of our seminal documents—the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.”

During his epochal 1963 March on Washington speech, which more than a few Columbus residents heard in person, Martin Luther King Jr. talked about the debt—the bounced check— America owed Black people. He talked about the “architects of our republic” who had designed the Constitution and Declaration of Independence so that all could enjoy equality: “It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned,” he said. Not long after King’s speech, the Columbus Citizen-Journal penned an editorial, “Petition on a Bounced Check.” The newspaper wrote: “James Baldwin, the gifted Negro writer, dealt perceptively with the problem in a brief, off-the-cuff interview during yesterday’s historic march on Washington.

It is time, he said, for Americans to get over their terror of Negroes.”

It is that lingering terror—few can now deny it— that seems to have guided the bullets that killed Casey Goodson, Andre Hill and so many others. If it is not vanquished, these moments will not only haunt a city’s image, but also a nation’s.

Wil Haygood, a prizewinning historian, journalist and faculty member at Miami University, is the guest editor of this issue of Columbus Monthly. His next book, “Colorization: One Hundred Years of Black Films in a White World,” will be published in October.

About the Issue What you hold in your hands is something unique in the history of Columbus Monthly. For the first time since this magazine launched in 1975, we are devoting an entire issue to a single topic: the experiences of Black people in our city.

I’ve been thinking about this project for a long time, pretty much since thousands of Columbus citizens took to the streets nearly a year ago to speak out against systemic racism and police brutality.

While we’ve written stories about racial inequality in our community over the past few months, I knew we needed to do something more substantial, something that delved deeper into how we got where we are today. To accomplish this goal, I needed help—and I’m grateful that the journalist, historian and Columbus native son Wil Haygood agreed to guide our team through this challenging topic. Since November, I’ve been working with Wil to put together an ambitious lineup of stories that explores Black life in Columbus, from the arts to law enforcement to education and more.

Frankly, I can’t think of a better person to serve as our guest editor than Wil. Wil, of course, is an acclaimed writer who’s produced many wonderful nonfiction books about important American figures such as Thurgood Marshall, Sugar Ray Robinson and Sammy Davis Jr. Yet throughout his rise to literary fame, he’s remained connected to Columbus. He cares deeply about his hometown, as evidenced by his two Columbus books—“Tigerland” and “The Haygoods of Columbus,” both atop my list of the best books ever written about our city. It’s been a joy and a privilege to spend so much time with Wil these past few months putting this issue together.

Also, we’re not done reporting on racial inequality and the experiences of people of color. As proud as I am of this issue, I recognize we need to keep up the work and do a better job covering these topics than we have in the past. This is a starting point, not the end. * * * Speaking of wonderful Columbus writers, Hanif Abdurraqib’s book “Go Ahead in the Rain” inspired the cover of this magazine. After recognizing that a single photo couldn’t do justice to this sweeping topic, we went with this text-heavy cover that visually alludes to Abdurraqib’s book, using similar lettering in the colors of the Pan-African flag.

Dave Ghose dghose@columbusmonthly.com MAY 2021 Columbus Monthly

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ArchCity 22 Helper on High

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Arch City history

The Second Life of Poindexter Like much of the city’s Black history, Poindexter Village was nearly wiped out. Two buildings survived to tell their story.

By Chris Gaitten

Reita Smith warned the crowd she might cry. It was Oct. 12, 2017, and she was standing in front of the two remaining buildings of Poindexter Village, one of the nation’s first public housing projects. She began the press conference by telling the assembled politicians, activists and neighborhood residents that they were there to celebrate their roots.

It had been 77 years to the day since President Franklin D. Roosevelt came through Columbus to mark the opening of the village, whose early residents, all of them Black, viewed the project’s modern housing as a sign of hope. As she teared up, Smith announced that the Ohio History Connection had agreed to purchase those last two structures from the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority, which had demolished the village’s other 33 buildings four years earlier. After a nine-year crusade by 14

Smith and many others, what was left of Poindexter was finally saved.

The organization she created in 2014, the James Preston Poindexter Foundation, is working with the Ohio History Connection to tell the project’s story by converting the buildings into the Poindexter Village Museum and Cultural Center. Progress has been slow, partly due to the pandemic, but the structures were also deteriorating and needed to be stabilized, says Charles Wash, director of the National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center in Wilberforce, a division of OHC. The first phase of construction is nearly complete, and the windows, doors and porches now resemble the originals from the 1940s. The interiors will be renovated next, and then work will begin on the layout and the look of the galleries. All told, Wash hopes it will be completed within four years.

In 2017, the city of Columbus committed over $1 million to the preservation, and though OHC doesn’t yet have an estimate for the remaining work, Wash expects financing to be the last major obstacle. Poindexter Foundation board chairman Tom Dillard says the organization has held small fundraising projects, and OHC is also ramping up its efforts.

When finished, the museum will tell a story much bigger than that of just two buildings. It will educate people about renowned former residents, like the late artist Aminah Robinson, and weave a larger narrative of the East Side. Wash hopes it will allow visitors to connect the area’s art and music to similar cultural movements in Harlem, Oakland, Baltimore. It’s a national story.

Today, the Poindexter site is an anomaly of barracks-style buildings, out of place and out of time, surrounded by brand-new multiunit residential complexes, part of the massive redevelopment threatening the village’s existence. At first blush, the preservation seems curious, but to know the history is to understand.

The village was a hub for the segregated East Side, providing safe, stable housing

photo: tim johnson

One of the two remaining Poindexter buildings, at Champion Avenue and Granville Street

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“

• Divorce • Dissolution • Legal separation • Child support • Child custody • Support • Property division • Temporary orders • Post decree matters

This tree cannot grow without roots.

Our children need their roots. They need their history.

photo: tim johnson

—Reita Smith

”

for many Black families who’d never had it, where they worked toward a better future and saved for homeownership. It was pivotal to the success of the whole city, says Ohio Sen. Hearcel Craig, who recently introduced a bill to declare Poindexter an official state historic site, alongside a companion measure in the Ohio House. Even the village’s namesake, the Rev. James Poindexter, is a symbol of progress: He was the first Black member of Columbus City Council and the Board of Education.

“It’s a story of the people,” says Smith, who raised her children at Poindexter in the 1950s. “It’s a story of the community.”

The lesson of Poindexter is a familiar one of Black people overcoming, but it’s also about the journey, the struggle, Dillard says. Yes, it’s the story of the vibrant midcentury East Side, but that was fueled in part by segregation that provided no options except for patronizing Black businesses. Yes, Poindexter’s residents did well, but there was opposition to their success, their survival. People don’t give a full account of that journey when they talk of Black history, Dillard continues. “They overlook the fact that to a large extent, the behavior of white folks was the barrier we had to overcome.”

The village can speak about it at volume— redlining, I-70 destroying a neighborhood, gentrification erasing Black history. They’ve lost so much, Smith says. From this perspective, the remaining buildings’ incongruity with their surroundings makes perfect sense: Their presence demands an explanation. There’s no telling of Columbus in which Poindexter Village can be omitted.

In her closing remarks in October 2017, Smith referenced an old oak near where everyone had gathered. The tree was symbolic, she said, not of her nor anyone there, but of their children and grandchildren.

“This tree cannot grow without roots. Our children need their roots. They need their history.” ◆

William L. Geary

Family Law and Litigation

Suite 101 Waterford Tower • 155 W. Main St. Columbus • (614) 228-1968 www.columbusfamilylawyer.com

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Arch City books

Jim Crow Never Died Michelle Alexander’s seminal book is still reshaping the way people think about criminal justice and race.

By Joy Frank-Collins

On testing legal assumptions: Marbley, a friend of Alexander’s, says “The New Jim Crow” sharpened his thinking about the role of the courts in mass incarceration. “It makes you think critically about what you’re doing, the impact of what you’re doing, and we all need to do that as judges so that we aren’t just automatons. It helps you stay focused on the purpose of sentencing, and it makes you think critically about how you go about sentencing.”

On motivating storytellers: Mark Lomax II, a local composer, recording artist and educator, cites the book as the spark for 16

Above, author Michelle Alexander

his magnum opus on the African diaspora, 400: An Afrikan Epic, which includes 12 genre-bending albums, a curriculum and a documentary. “Her book, and her lectures in particular, and what I would consider her forceful advocacy, impressed upon me the importance not only to tell a whole story, but to widen my perspective of what humanity is and can be.”

On educating artists: “I’m this Jew from the Lower East Side who’d never been to a prison,” says multidisciplinary artist Fury Young about his desire to better understand the experience of mass incarceration for Black men and convey that through music. His Die Jim Crow concept album was inspired by Alexander’s book, and it featured currently and formerly incarcerated Black men at Warren Correctional Institution in Lebanon, Ohio. “The book showed me that ‘the prison thing’—meaning the human rights crisis that it is, and the racial aspect to it, and the his-

tory of it, and the war on drugs, and mass incarceration, and ‘tough on crime’ and ‘law and order’—all of that stuff was very vast in America and way bigger than just my New York City bubble that I had experienced.”

On galvanizing new advocates: “Reading the book and learning a lot about the justice system and how it is essentially manufactured to inflict pain upon communities of color, I just felt like I could not fully understand it until I actually met those people,” says Maddie Rettig. While she was studying at Ohio University, “The New Jim Crow” prompted her to get involved with Healing Broken Circles, a community center with betterment programming inside Marion Correctional Institution. Alexander also personally encouraged Rettig to pursue civil rights law, which she now practices at the Marshall & Forman law firm in Columbus. “I feel like the work that I do is making a difference, and I credit that a lot to the book.” ◆

photo: courtesy The Heinz Foundation

In 2010, acclaimed civil rights attorney, legal scholar and New Albany resident Michelle Alexander published “The New Jim Crow,” an excoriating critique of the criminal justice system. It argues that slavery and the Jim Crow laws that disenfranchised and marginalized Black people until the mid-20th century were not eradicated, but merely replaced by the war on drugs and mass incarceration as a means of racial control.

The book won numerous awards, spent nearly 250 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list and inspired countless artists, educators and civil rights activists. Chief U.S. District Judge Algenon Marbley, who presides over the Southern District of Ohio, calls it one of the most important books of the century. “She had me at the first page.”

Marbley and three others from different backgrounds discussed the book’s enormous impact on their careers and lives over the past decade.

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photo: courtesy The Heinz Foundation

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Arch City culture

This is Black Excellence Breaking down the viral gymnastics routine of Nia Dennis

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By Grace Dearing

Early in her career, gymnast Nia Dennis felt discomfort with her skin color. She wished it was different, wished the chalk wouldn’t show up on her legs, she told Yahoo this year. But those insecurities were clearly long gone by January, when the Columbus native, who once trained at Buckeye Gymnastics in Westerville and now competes for UCLA, delivered a showstopping routine that celebrated Black pride.

At a meet against Arizona State, the senior’s floor exercise was a 90-second whirlwind of cultural references, political symbols, hiphop and dancing, and it received a nearperfect score of 9.95 out of 10. The online video racked up millions of views.

“The purpose of my floor routine is to open the eyes of those around me and also shine light on Black excellence,” Dennis said in a subsequent video by UCLA. Here’s how she put it together.

Stepping Out About halfway through her routine, Dennis shows off traditional step-dancing moves, inspired by her father, Casey. “He was in fraternities, and stepping is really big, so I wanted to incorporate that,” Dennis said in a January press conference.

Popularized in the 1900s by Black students in the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity at Cornell 18

Nia Dennis during her floor exercise against Arizona State on Jan. 23

University, the art of step is integral to Black culture. Casey was in Phi Beta Sigma at Ohio State—known for its “Sigma Nutcracker” step—so he sent his daughter short videos of step moves, one of which made it into the routine.

panied by Tupac’s “California Love.” Then, just before her final tumbling pass, Dennis places an imaginary crown on her head to represent “Nia becoming the beautiful Black queen she was always meant to be,” Das says via email.

Tuning In A mashup of Black musicians from different eras supports Das’ choreography. First comes Kendrick Lamar’s “Humble,” and Dennis pays tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman by incorporating the Wakanda salute from Marvel’s “Black Panther.” Later, the routine features Soulja Boy’s “Crank That” while also highlighting the Nae Nae and the Woah to represent over a decade of Black dance culture.

She also includes Crip Walking, a dance popularized by West Coast rappers, accom-

Moving for a Movement As people raved about her routine—including a retweet from Michelle Obama and a letter from Vice President Kamala Harris—Dennis and her teammates donned new leotards featuring an image of a raised fist for UCLA’s first-ever Black Excellence meet in February.

“It’s really important to take time to acknowledge the movement that we’re supporting, the Black Lives Matter movement,” Dennis told the press. “I feel empowered …

I feel a strong sense of unity, and I honestly feel unstoppable.” ◆

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F G s o a C t w

photo: Don Liebig/Provided by UCLA Athletics

A Salute to Black Power Dennis starts strong, placing her hand on her heart before dropping to one knee with her fist in the air. This stance combines the 1968 podium protests of U.S. Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos with that of former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Both gestures evoke the power of Black America. UCLA choreographer BJ Das says including them in Dennis’ routine was meant to do the same.

“We have Black gymnasts on the team, and we want them to feel welcomed and supported in this environment, and to also inspire and uplift other young Black gymnasts,” Dennis said in a February press conference.

S s S F m a a fi r

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4/15/21 4:12 PM

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4/15/21 11:42 AM

Arch City sports

Coach-in-Waiting Larry Johnson is an elite assistant, and for one fleeting moment, he was OSU’s first Black head football coach.

By Shannon Shelton Miller

Of the many college football recruiters Jalyn Holmes encountered during high school, a well-dressed defensive line coach made the most significant impression. “He wore a suit the first time I met him,” Holmes says about Larry Johnson, a Penn State assistant at the time, in 2013. “I’ve never seen an assistant coach do that, just head coaches. He carried himself like a head coach.”

Holmes, now a defensive lineman with the Minnesota Vikings, would eventually commit to Ohio State but ended up working with Johnson anyway, after Urban Meyer hired him as the Buckeyes’ defensive line coach in 2014. Holmes’ initial perception was prescient—after 25 years as a collegiate assistant, on Dec. 5, 2020, Johnson roamed the sidelines as a head coach for the first time when a positive coronavirus test forced Ryan Day into quarantine.

Johnson’s stint lasted just one game—a 52-12 rout of Michigan State—but history 20

was made. He had become OSU’s first Black head football coach.

Johnson’s brief stint at the top illuminated a larger problem: Black head coaches remain a rarity in college football. Only 12 of 130 Football Bowl Subdivision programs have Black head coaches, down from a high of 17 in 2011, despite roughly half the players being Black.

Coincidentally, Johnson’s debut came against another Black coach, Michigan State’s Mel Tucker, and Johnson noted the symbolism of two Black coaches shaking hands on the field.

“The biggest issue most of us have is getting an opportunity,” Johnson says. “There are a lot of great Black coaches doing a great job, and the toughest thing is when they fail or their programs don’t see change quickly, and they don’t get another shot. I root for them every day because their success gives a chance for the next guy to move forward.”

Johnson thought he too had a shot at becoming a head coach because of his

lengthy tenure at Penn State, but he chooses not to dwell on what could have been. In his 18 years there, six of his defensive linemen were first-round NFL draft selections. When he left after a leadership change, the prospect of replicating his success at OSU proved too appealing to turn down.

He values the relationships he builds with players and credits his late father, Herman, for the pride he takes in his work. Johnson has also shared stories with the Buckeyes about growing up in segregated rural North Carolina in the ’50s and how it shaped his drive to succeed. He credits Meyer and Day for being open to his perspective on issues about race, including the Black Lives Matter demonstrations last summer and Colin Kaepernick’s decision to kneel during the national anthem.

And Johnson was right about finding success at OSU. Just ask NFL first-round draft picks Joey Bosa, Nick Bosa and Chase Young, all of whom were named Defensive Rookies of the Year. And Holmes, a less-heralded recruit who became close friends with his coach as he developed into an NFL-caliber player.

Meanwhile, Johnson’s at peace with his current position. “I’m comfortable with who I am, and I don’t need a head coach title to show who I am. It’s been about being the best D-line coach in the country and making sure my players have opportunities to succeed.” ◆

photo: Kyle Robertson

Larry Johnson welcomes Jonathon Cooper to the sideline in a 2017 game, with Jalyn Holmes looking on.

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The head Coaching Gap College football is not alone in struggling to hire Black head coaches—the entire college sports world suffers from a racial coaching disparity.

The NCAA Demographics Database, which was published in March 2021 and includes information through the 2019–20 season, shows that 56 percent of Division 1 student athletes are white, but white coaches hold 80 percent of the top jobs.

Meanwhile, Black students account for 21 percent of athletes, but only 13 percent of head coaches are Black. Though demographics vary among the Power Five conferences, head coaches skew whiter than athletes by at least 18 percent in all of them, and Black coaches are underrepresented at the highest level.

In terms of progress, a recent analysis of the Big Ten by the Minneapolis Star Tribune found that eight of the conference’s 14 universities had more people of color as head coaches in 2021 than they did in 2017. Ohio State, one of those eight, was tied for fifth in racial diversity. The OSU athletic department reports that it has four head coaches of color out of 31 sports, about 13 percent.

Below, statistics from the NCAA Demographics Database show the percentage of white and Black head coaches in each Power Five conference. —Chris Gaitten and Marlie Griffith Black coaches

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Arch City identity

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Left, Hodan Mohammed, founder of Our Helpers; right, Dr. Seleshi Asfaw, CEO of Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services

Immigrants and refugees from Africa often face a difficult transition, navigating disparate cultures and questions of identity.

By Chris Gaitten

In her first dozen years in Columbus, Hodan Mohammed noticed that people tend to stay within their respective groups—Somalis in their “box,” white people in theirs and so on.

In 2017, her nonprofit, Our Helpers, began hosting the annual Somali Cultural Festival to celebrate their heritage while introducing it to the city at large. She wants to create one “unboxed” community.

Mohammed established Our Helpers in 2012 to serve immigrants and refugees from Central Ohio’s growing Somali population.

Dr. Seleshi Asfaw, founder of Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services, says nonprofits like theirs helped Columbus become a welcoming place. Both ETSS and Our Helpers have assisted thousands of new Americans from all over the world, first by addressing fundamental needs like language services and job placement, but also by supporting their integration into the city as they negotiate unfamiliar issues of identity and race.

Asfaw and his wife started ETSS in 2000 after leaders at their Ethiopian church noticed teenagers dropping out of high school and becoming less interested in tra22

ditions. The community’s children often deal with pressure at home to maintain African cultural values while classmates pressure them to dress and talk more like Americans, which can lead to an identity crisis and rifts in the family, Asfaw says. In response, ETSS developed youth cultural enrichment courses, which include traditional dancing, singing, readings in their native languages and teachings about the beauty of their clothing.

For adults, ETSS holds trainings with local companies, government agencies and other nonprofits to introduce them to new Americans and their cultures. The sessions also help immigrants and refugees understand U.S. working environments and how to participate in civic life. It helps them reconcile their divergent cultures.

The concept of race can also be disorienting and challenging, as identified by the 2018 inaugural report from Ohio’s New African Immigrants Commission. Asfaw offers several reasons. First, most refugees hail from rural areas, where education about American racial division is lacking. There

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Between Two Worlds

are also varying perspectives on race based on whether a country was colonized. In Ethiopia, which wasn’t, race and skin color are separate concepts, and color doesn’t determine success or social status the way it does in the U.S., Asfaw says.

Furthermore, when immigrants arrive, their identity comes from their nationality, but they eventually begin to align with African Americans, he says. It’s a tricky balance, which can shift based on the situation. “So when we are with a group of African Americans, we are African Americans,” Asfaw says. “When we are with Ethiopians, we are Ethiopian Americans. When we are in the general public, we are internationals.”

Mohammed recognizes that her dual identity—Black woman and immigrant woman—can elicit animosity, but she believes the problem stems more from lack of understanding than from hate. Hence, her goal of bringing the community together with the Somali Cultural Festival. In her daily life, she’s always asking new friends if they’ve ever seen a Somali person before or tried their cuisine. Many still haven’t.

Even if she hasn’t met them yet, more people are seeing her now. In 2019, her image became the focal point of the Graduate hotel’s towering Short North mural project, which honors the immigrant experience. It depicts mythic gods, birds and Mohammed kneeling amid flowers. “To me,” she says, “that mural represents how Columbus is a welcoming city for everybody.” ◆

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4/15/21 11:46 AM

Arch City education

What the Tigers Taught Them Forgotten athletes inspire a new generation—and give an author hope.

By Wil Haygood

Kids often gravitate toward heroes. It does not seem to matter if those heroes are mythical or mortal. They fly and soar; they go off on quests and return victorious, having defeated unimaginable odds. Growing up in Columbus, I watched Batman and Superman on television, but other heroes of mine had their feet on the ground. They were basketball and football players.

If you were a Black kid living in Columbus in the 1960s, and if you were wild about basketball, as I happened to be, you found your heroes among the East High Tigers, the all-Black school on the east side of town. I lived on the north side and had never laid eyes on East High, but I knew when East’s basketball team came to play a game at the Fairgrounds Coliseum—within walking distance of my home—I just had to be there. The Tigers were Black pride and Black power and Black-is-beautiful avatars; they were the whole song.

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I was 14 years old when the East High basketball season began in 1968. I squirmed in my fairgrounds seat watching the likes of Eddie Ratleff, Nick Conner, Dwight “Bo-Pete” Lamar and Roy Hickman take the court for their first game of that season. It was played at the Coliseum because East High’s auditorium wasn’t big enough to accommodate the East followers. East would go on to win the 1968-69 state basketball championship. They also would win the state baseball championship that year, the first all-Black baseball team in Ohio history to do so. The Tigers seemed better than any Friday-night-light football mania.

Years passed in my writing life, and after a book about Thurgood Marshall, I began to cast about for my next topic. That 1968–69 year of East High glory had long anchored inside of me. So I returned to Columbus in 2014 to do research and interview those players. It was a story that seemed lost, even forgotten. My book, “Tigerland: 1968–1969:

A City Divided, a Nation Torn Apart, and a Magical Season of Healing,” was published in 2018. Aside from the sports dimension, it also told the story of public school segregation, resilient schoolteachers and talent being exercised in unselfish ways.

Sharon Rab, founder of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, arranged for me to speak to groups of students from Dayton-area high schools. In Columbus, East High School students invited Big Walnut High students to join them for lunch and a discussion about “Tigerland.” The students came from a variety of racial and socioeconomic backgrounds.

“Tigerland,” they told me, made them want to talk about the quest for equality on American streets. It made them want to talk about the social justice movement begun by professional athletes who kneeled on the playing field in honor of the drive for equality. They talked about wanting to spend more time with other students from different racial backgrounds. They talked about the challenges that Black athletes continue to face today. And they talked about how a group of Black athletes from East High School had inspired them because they had done something remarkable all those years ago while staring down great odds. Their conversations left me with a feeling that there is hope for this world of ours. ◆

photo: tim johnson

Wil Haygood holds up a button promoting his “Tigerland” book during an event where Big Walnut High School students visited East High School in 2018.

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Arch City image

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This self-portrait by skateboarder and photographer Aaron Hobgood was composited with photos he took of I-670 in the Short North. After battling depression, he forced himself to go out and shoot. “It was a somber evening for me,” Hobgood says via email. “This is what became of it.”

Photo by Aaron hobgood

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4/15/21 11:48 AM

Arch City neighborhoods Author Scott Woods near the Golden Donuts Diner in Southfield

My Southfield A street fight, an out at second and the resilience that comes with defying expectations

Columbus may have many interpretations of the South Side, but there’s only one Southfield.

It isn’t terribly official, as district names go.

Its western border stops around Lockbourne or Champion, depending on who moved into the predominantly Black and working class area the previous year. The eastern cutoff is marked by the train tracks winding down the side of Driving Park to Groveport Road.

The northern border is less defined.

Some place it at Frebis Avenue, which is so far south of the action, it feels like another time zone. If you base it on the next major bus line, it’s East Whittier. If your measure is how much of the area is used by Southfield residents, you can draw your line as far north as Livingston Avenue.

I draw my line at a Sunoco station on a street where I grew up but did not live, and where certain values I’ve used all my life were born.

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I lost my first real street fight at the Sunoco station three blocks north of Golden Donuts (which is one of the few places that hasn’t changed, probably because there is nowhere else like it). I lived just outside of Southfield, but my mother—divorced and working two jobs—was constantly picking me up in the area, where I went to be watched by family friends after school, or participate in any extracurricular activity she could find to distract me. Free babysitting was how I ended up playing Pony League baseball, practicing every day behind what was then Southmoor Middle School.

I was waiting for my mother in a Burger King with a few of my teammates after practice, dusty and bored. Everything was fine until members of a nearby gang came in, perhaps as bored as I was, but resolved to filling the emptiness of a lazy afternoon with something. We were all around the same age, but they were wiser, deeper boys.

There was no poetry or care in them, and they were not tired from throwing baseballs and swinging bats all afternoon. They knew my teammates from around the way, but not me, and that made me an interloper and, soon after, a target. They teased me, and when fear seized my tongue, the teasing turned to threats. I want to say I was the bigger person by walking away, but I was really headed across the street to the Sunoco station, where the nearest public phone was, and I intended to call my mother. Instead, I was forced to square off with one of the boys.

It was a terrifying moment, having to fight someone in the street over nothing, surrounded by their friends cheering them on.

Things came to blows, but not blood. The maxim about standing up to a bully is actually true sometimes, even if your punches are more like caresses. The standoff was over almost before it began.

photo: tim johnson

By Scott Woods

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“

Southfield knows itself, is fiercely independent, and does not care what you think of it. It is a place that swings at whatever you throw at it. to first. I was tagged out by the second baseman, and I had to trot off the diamond and back to the dugout. I didn’t know how the outs system worked because no one had prepared me for success in baseball. There was no expectation that I would ever need such knowledge.

And yet, the Sunoco station fight had somehow prepared me for that moment.

It was a moment of dashed hopes, but also fulfillment. My teammates, who had not long before watched me lose a street fight, cheered me on, even after my walk of shame.

I had stood up for myself when it mattered, and conversely, what was a baseball to the head? Swing back at the punch, at the bully, at the low expectations of your existence.

Much of what remains in Southfield echoes its past in a way that exposes some-

”

thing like a value system. There are almost no social services there, so everyone must know how far away a thing you need is.

Businesses in Southfield don’t get gentrified; they just get tired and become something else residents need. Sills’ baseball diamonds now belong to Columbus Recreation & Parks. The fresh food market on Frebis is now a tire shop. Boyd’s Barbershop has been replaced three times since I last had my hair cut in its chairs. Through all of its ghosts I still love it, not for nostalgic reasons, but because it feels about itself the way I do: Southfield knows itself, is fiercely independent, and does not really care what you think of it. It is a place that swings at whatever you throw at it. That is a strength you must be taught, and I have carried that teaching with me ever since. ◆

photo: tim johnson

Betrayal was a lesson on the syllabus that day as well, as my teammates offered no protection. Here I must tell you that I was never good at baseball. I lived in constant fear of being hit by the ball, and in every position: at bat, in the outfield, standing on a base. I could only function at all through constant reassurance by the other players that no one was actually aiming for my head. Yet how could I trust them when a game was at stake if they would not protect my person when it truly mattered?

In a game not long after that fight, with the sun starting to dip under the trees lining Sills Ballpark, I stepped up to home plate and actually caught a piece of the ball. I had only ever gotten to bat a handful of times, striking out every time, my fear a better pitcher than any opponent I ever faced. My hitting a ball at all was a benchclearing development. Running for my life, I made it to first base, the only time I had ever touched that rubber pillow outside of practice. When the batter after me popped what looked like another single, I sprinted to second, already imagining my slide into home. Unfortunately, the single was caught and I didn’t realize that I needed to run back

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Arch City Theater

Talking Out Loud An original theater production allowed a new collective of high school students of color to finally be heard.

By Alexis Wilson

We sat in generic black plastic chairs, socially distanced, on the stage of the suburban Lewis Center high school. “Honestly, it’s the first time I’ve ever really talked about any of these things,” Tina said.

She was responding to what Michelle had said a day earlier—that she was always bothered by, but never talked about, “the thing about the hair.” The other girls chimed in, and I did, too. We were all familiar with it, one way or another: the very old and incredibly uncomfortable situation Black girls of all shades inevitably find ourselves in. The irrepressible fascination white people often have with examining, commenting on and touching our hair—often without permission.

That had been our first meeting together.

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We were there to talk about how to share these experiences in the form of a theater initiative. The idea was sparked by the head of the drama department, who imagined bringing a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) point of view to their already strong theater department. Not being a person of color, she reached out to me. Would I be interested in directing this first project of its kind at their school?

My biggest question, before agreeing to help, was whether this would be sustained.

Would the initiative go up in smoke after the momentary impulse to do the right thing began to wear off? I was assured that it would be continued. In that case, I was all in. We reached out to BIPOC students and ended up with six willing and open-eyed

young souls. We named it The Out-Loud BIPOC Theatre Collective.

Most of my six students were without stage experience. They were grappling with the challenges of hybrid or totally virtual learning; logistical difficulties attending rehearsals when parents had more than one job or were divorcing; health issues; anxiety. There would be a lot to juggle, but they were committed, and I was committed to meeting them wherever they were.

We began, simply, with conversations.

(I’ve changed the students’ names to honor the confidential nature of the conversation.) “I just feel so much pressure in school and what happens after,” Parker said. We would collectively write about that. “I don’t always feel seen and heard by my classmates or teachers,” Zoe commented. Everyone agreed with that feeling. We wrote some more, and for longer. Topics edged into more sensitive territory. Michael offered, “The protests really got me thinking about police brutality and how unfair the system is,” while Lisa timidly shared, “I really hadn’t thought much about race and rac-

photo: courtesy alexis wilson

Alexis Wilson (center) with students at Olentangy Orange High School

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ism before things in 2020 became so much clearer and closer to me.”

Some days we worked with movement.

We added vocal warm-ups. They started to work as actors. Some days I had five students; other days I’d have one. We developed characters. Some of the students would act as themselves, while a few created more fictional characters—although each was an extension of its creator. We had no rules; we were creating the process as we went.

We got more specific. We returned to our first meeting about hair, then colorism, then culture and language, empathy, microaggressions, and the daily experience of feeling “other” within their predominantly white and conservative school and community.

We decided on three sections for the piece. The first would consist of monologues. The middle section would be a montage of images and candid conversations. The final section would be a dialogue addressing that common topic: their need to be seen and heard. The project was taking shape.

The process of creating “Trilogy” deepened my understanding of the mounting

physical, emotional and psychological challenges our children face. Events seem to have been gathering speed to create a dangerous maelstrom. Distortions of truth off- and online; a resurgence of overt white supremacy; school shooting massacres; a global pandemic; a planet wailing for care.

On top of all this, our Black and brown children (including my own two daughters) are walking in their Black and brown skins to navigate a landscape filled with racial injustice. These young adults are charged with taking over the reins, fixing our faults and cleaning up a gargantuan mess.

“Trilogy” was, for me, an opportunity to use the only thing I know how to use—creativity—to tickle minds, expand hearts and pry open a portal of hope for these teenagers. To steep them in the work of creating something from nothing; something that could root them in the world of possibility.

This was our project, twice a week for two hours. There were ups and downs. A few thought about bowing out when things got tough, but they didn’t give up. They hung in there, and we became invisibly bound in the effort to make something honest and wholly different from anything that the BIPOC stu-

Race where you are.

dents had presented at their school before.

It was my job to keep the flame of encouragement lit, hold them safely and foster their trust that together, we could create a meaningful production. The day before opening I reminded them that this was theirs. This was their Out-Loud BIPOC Theatre Collective. They now needed to own it and, as we say, “leave it on the stage.”

And that’s what they did. The audience at the school theater on Feb. 19 was limited, with socially distant seating, but the students’ hard work was rewarded with rousing applause and testimonials to hearts inspired. Afterward, they told me how glad they were that they hadn’t given up. They had been seen, heard and felt. They were proud of the work we’d created together.

They liked the way it made them feel.

I had many goals, but more than anything I wanted to give these kids back their embrace of culture, language and pride in who they are—with all of their gorgeous differences intact. My gift from them was trust. My charge was to meet them where they were and let their own inner magic shine. To remind them, through theater, that they are enough. ◆

I race for my mom.

photo: courtesy alexis wilson

May 15, 2021 COLUMBUS, OHIO

May 15, 2021 Register today at COLUMBUS, 2021 OHIO raceforthecure.org

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raceforthecure.org ® ©2020 Susan G. Komen . ®

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Racial Divide

The

Kahiki Incident

By Aaron Marshall

The 1975 confrontation at the famed restaurant is largely forgotten by white Columbus.

But for longtime Black residents, it’s a civil rights turning point, a political awakening and a tale of unchecked police violence that continues to resonate.

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From left, Robert Morgan, Les Brown, Robert Stout and Jo Anne Johnson

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ing community relations between the police and the Black community.”

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As the tumultuous 1960s gave way to the swinging 1970s, the Columbus Division of Police held a well-earned reputation for a rough approach to policing, particularly when it came to arresting Black people or students demonstrating against the Vietnam War. In a 1975 decision in a class-action lawsuit, U.S. District Court Judge Robert Duncan found a “pattern and practice” of abuse of their authority when police confronted “student longhairs.” During that trial, 69 witnesses, both white and Black, gave detailed testimony about harassment and beatings by police for minor traffic violations. Prosecutors played an audiotape of Columbus police chief Dwight Joseph Sr. urging his officers to “kick the shit” out of protestors before one particularly violent clash in November 1971. These revelations weren’t surprising to Columbus’ Black citizens. Many considered the city’s officers (frequently ex-military and from longtime police families) the most dangerous and frightening law enforcement group in Ohio, capable of arbitrary violence and arresting Black people for unknown reasons.

In The Columbus Dispatch newsroom in the 1970s, stories about the Columbus police roughing up those being arrested came from Bernie Karsko, a night editor with a no-nonsense flattop haircut and a dozen years under his belt as a cops reporter. “Bernie used to tell stories that if you were considered a bad guy or had given the arresting officer some lip, justice was often meted out in the back of a [police] wagon or on the elevator ride up,” says Mike Curtin, a retired Dispatch associate publisher and former state legislator who was rising through the newspaper’s ranks as a reporter during the 1970s. “It was especially true for minorities who had been arrested.”

Ray Miller, a Black former state lawmaker who got his start in politics in the mid-1970s, says the Columbus police were known to be “brutal” with Black arrestees. “The last place you wanted to be was in the back of the [police] wagon because you were going to get beat up by the time you got to jail,” Miller says.

The local Fraternal Order of Police head during the mid-1970s was Dewey Stokes, a white cop from the West Side who later became a Franklin County commissioner.

Asked about the reputation of Columbus police for roughing up those they arrested, particularly in the Black community, Stokes

photo: dispatch file

The check came to $98.25. Like the $20 counterfeit bill that led to George Floyd’s death 45 years later, the monetary value didn’t match the violence that ensued once police arrived on the scene.

On Friday, May 30, 1975, the two young Black couples were gathered around a table at the Kahiki Supper Club, discussing the evening’s dinner tab. Something seemed off. Only three in the group had eaten dinner at the swanky Polynesianthemed restaurant on Columbus’ far east side, and the tab for drinks had been paid upon being served.

As 11 p.m. approached, Samuel Bryant, a 23-year-old Vietnam War veteran, took up the matter with the waiter, insisting that they could not possibly owe that much, and the restaurant was charging them for items they didn’t order. Unable to resolve the matter, the group left and had reached their car in the parking lot, according to an account given by gift shop employee Diana Tanaka in “Kahiki Supper Club,” a 2014 book by David Meyers, Elise Meyers Walker, Jeff Chenault and Doug Motz about the famed Columbus restaurant. At that point, the group—which also included a 9-month-old baby as the fifth member— was invited up to the office of Kahiki general manager “Chills” Verne to settle the matter once and for all.

By the wee morning hours of May 31, three of the four Black Kahiki restaurant patrons would be arrested and jailed on a variety of charges. All three would have severe facial injuries as a result of being brutally beaten by police while as many as eight officers would claim injuries in the melee that followed.

In the aftermath of the incident, the U.S. Justice Department would launch an investigation, two Columbus police officers would temporarily lose their jobs, the course of a Columbus mayoral election would shift and a popular Black radio DJ would have his life changed forever. Perhaps, most importantly, what came to be known as the “Kahiki incident” would open a gaping wound in the collective psyche of Black people in Columbus, an injury some say has never healed.

“It was the talk of the town and remains the talk of people even now,” says civil rights attorney John Waddy, a Black native of Columbus who was a Capital Law school student in 1975. “People my age and older remember the Kahiki incident. Who can forget it? That was one of those watershed moments showColumbus Monthly MAY 2021

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Samuel Bryant (left) and Jo Anne Johnson after the Kahiki incident

objected. “It was never a case where the African American community was singled out for any kind of enforcement,” he says.

“It was just a case where if someone violated the law, they had to answer for it.”

Stokes notes that many white police officers spent untold hours coaching youth sports for inner-city kids at a pair of Boys & Girls Clubs. “You can be a real good cop, and you have one incident, and it reflects back, and now you’re bad all of a sudden,” Stokes says.

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At the Kahiki, Samuel Bryant, his 21-year-old companion Jo Anne Johnson (holding her 9-month-old baby Nikki), her brother Jerome Johnson and his young wife, Julia Johnson, made their way into the upstairs office of general manager Verne. They were joined by assistant manager Johnny Gim, police officer Ronald Bentley and auxiliary officer Rocco Eramo. At officer Bentley’s suggestion that the bill be paid and the matter taken to civil court, Jerome paid the bill, and the group departed the office.

Accounts of what happened next depend on who is doing the telling, but officer Bentley testified that Jo Anne— still holding her baby—struck him on the way out. Other witnesses at the scene say the petite woman bumped him with her elbow as she walked by. Jo Anne described the bumping as an accident.

As Bentley turned to arrest her, Jo Anne dropped the baby, who was caught by Bryant. At some point, as Bentley struggled to arrest a noncompliant Jo Anne, the message went out over the police radio as “officer in trouble,” which brought about three dozen officers, including members of the special weapons and tactics team to the scene.

In a scene that was described in court records as a “melee or free-for-all,” the white male officers clashed with Jo Anne, her brother and Bryant as police placed the trio under arrest. Struck by one officer’s flashlight, Jo Anne was alleged to have attacked the officer’s face and bitten his leg. After falling headfirst into a fountain in the foyer, Jo Anne was carried out the front door and placed in handcuffs in the back of a police wagon.

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One officer testified that, during the trip to the jail, Jo Anne tried to take his service revolver while wearing handcuffs; another says she bit him. Both responded by punching her in the face. At Champion and Broad streets, officer Robert Stout joined the fray by climbing into the back of the wagon and hitting Jo Anne several times with his nightstick, according to one eyewitness.

Also involved in the Kahiki incident was officer Robert Morgan, who worked at the jail intake desk on the fifth floor of police headquarters. Known as “Machine Gun Morgan” for a notorious incident in 1970 when he killed a Black teenager by shooting him 37 times with a modified M1 rifle during an attempted burglary, Morgan allegedly struck Samuel Bryant in the face during the booking process.

Stokes says Morgan’s job as turnkey at the jail “was not the most sought-after job in 36

the department.” He says Morgan was “kind of a sourpuss” with a chip on his shoulder.

“You went up there, and you played by their rules,” Stokes recalls, acknowledging that allegations of police brutality sometimes arose as suspects were being booked.

In any case, Jo Anne was bleeding so profusely that one police officer had to hold her head to the side to keep her mouth from filling with blood on the drive to Grant hospital, where she was taken for medical attention, according to one officer’s account.

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In the days before viral videos and social media, word of the Kahiki incident didn’t really spread until white plumber Mike Catron dialed into radio DJ Les Brown’s popular morning program on WVKO-AM, then the city’s sole radio station devoted to the Black community. It was Tuesday, June

2, and polls had just opened to decide a sleepy mayoral primary election. Brown was reporting on a voter registration drive when Catron called in with his eyewitness account of seeing a petite Black woman being beaten while handcuffed in the back of the police wagon at Champion and Broad.

“He was so disturbed, he started crying and saying, ‘This is wrong. This is wrong,’” says Brown, who was also the station’s program director. “I remember playing a record, ‘Peace Be Still,’ and I kept asking Black people, ‘Do we have any pride?’ Evil prevails when good men and women do nothing.”

As Election Day went on, Brown stayed on the air, urging his listeners to head to the polls and cast ballots for Dr. John Rosemond, a Black physician and City Councilman vying with four other Democrats for the right to face Republican Mayor Tom Moody. “I locked myself in the control room

photo: columbus monthly file

Les Brown in the WVKO studio

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Photos: Top, Dispatch file; bottom, Aaron Marshall

photo: columbus monthly file

and told the other DJs not to come in and stayed on the air, urging people to come out and vote,” Brown says.

A political awakening in the early 1970s transformed Brown from a smooth-talking DJ into a political activist intent on building Black power in Columbus by registering voters. “I think Les had an epiphany and said, ‘This is crazy. I’m going to start dealing with these issues on the radio, and that’s what he did,” says the Rev. Mike Reeves, who worked as a DJ at WVKO alongside Brown for several years in the 1970s. “I think Les saw the power in the microphone, and he used it to inform Black folks what was going on when nobody else was doing it.”

While Black residents made up only about 20 percent of the electorate in 1975, when the votes were tallied in the mayoral primary, roughly one in three had come from Black precincts. Riding this wave, Rosemond triumphed to become the first Black mayoral candidate in Columbus history in the general election against Mayor Moody in November 1975.

Most political observers of that era say Brown’s urging of Black voters to the polls wasn’t a critical factor in the primary win. “It was clear that the white Democrats split up the vote in the white wards, and Rosemond did what he should have done in the predominantly Black wards,” says reporter Curtin.

Pam Conrad, an aide to Councilman Charlie Mentel during much of the 1970s, says she believes Brown did influence the size of the turnout for Rosemond. “Les might have got some members of the Black community to the polls that otherwise would not have bothered to vote. But I think the demographics were such that Dr. John had a good chance of winning.”

With Brown giving the Kahiki incident plenty of oxygen on the airwaves, the Black weekly newspaper, the Columbus Call and Post, jumped on the story in its June 7 issue with a front-page story headlined “Tension Rages in Wake of Brutal Cop Charges,” featuring dramatic photos documenting the swollen, misshapen faces of the trio.

No matter how it started, the three were left with severe facial injuries. The Call and Post story reported that “Bryant’s left eye was swollen shut, and his face was badly mutilated. He also suffered two lacerations of the head, split lips and a fractured nose. Miss Johnson suffered a gash in her left forehead and lacerations to the chin and right temple that required 11 stiches to close. Jerome Johnson suffered a broken nose, fractured

skull, severe injuries of both hands and neck and body bruises.”

Recently retired TV news anchor Jerry Revish, who was working as a radio reporter in 1975, says those two Black media sources were “paramount” in getting the story out initially. “You had Black DJs, Black commentators, Black reporters. The Call and Post was being pretty forthright about this kind of treatment at the hands of police,” Revish says. “It really became a cause for Black radio and Black media.”

Below, a copy of the June 7, 1975, edition of the Call and Post that featured the Kahiki incident; right, Dr. John Rosemond

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More cautious in reporting the story was the Dispatch, the establishment daily newspaper that leaned heavily on the official police narrative.

With the Black community now in a full uproar over the incident’s brutality, WVKO’s Brown and a group called the Coalition of Concerned Citizens, led by Rev. Cameron Jackson of the First AME Church, marched to City Hall demanding that the officers involved in the case be suspended, according to a June 14 Call and Post story. “I remember a very confrontational situation at a City Council meeting,” recalls Conrad.

“I remember a lot of tension and a lot of pressure on the members of City Council.”

While the Black community was pushing for the officers involved to be fired and for a civilian review board, Conrad says there was little support in the white community for a new disciplinary oversight panel. “Jerry Hammond always advocated for a civilian review board; the question was how hard he could push it without losing his seat,” Conrad says, referring to the charismatic 38

Black councilman who was just beginning to emerge as a force in the city. “Jerry was really between a rock and a hard place.”

In July 1975, following a police internal affairs investigation, officers Stout and Morgan were fired by city safety service director Bernard Chupka. However, the firings were short-lived, as the Civil Service Commission voted 2-1 in September to override the firings and reinstate the officers. Casting the dissenting vote in both cases was David Barker, the commission’s lone Black representative.

Officer Morgan died in 2001, and Stout did not return calls for this story. However, in 2000, he told the Dispatch that “when we opened up the back of that van, [officer Rick] Newpoff was being bitten by this woman, through to the bone. Some other officers restrained the two males, and I went to Newpoff’s assistance. I used the force that was necessary to get her off Newpoff.”

(Bryant died in May 2020, and the Johnsons couldn’t be located.)

While Rosemond made at least one statement decrying the violence, he didn’t seize on the Kahiki incident as a campaign issue as the general election approached. A gentlemanly doctor who was once a Tuskegee Airman, Rosemond was a staid campaigner, uncomfortable with throwing jabs at the

Columbus police. “Those two guys [Moody and Rosemond] could have been brothers— each was as boring as the other one was,” says Miller, the former Black state lawmaker.

“I don’t remember [Rosemond] providing any leadership there,” Conrad says. Rosemond “was caught in a terrible spot” as he tried to navigate the racially-charged incident, Conrad adds.

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It was a cold Monday morning in late September 1975, and Les Brown’s key wouldn’t work in the door at the WVKO studio in Upper Arlington. After returning to his car, Brown heard another DJ on the airwaves doing his radio show. “They had fired me without telling me to my face,” Brown says.

Not one to take it laying down, Brown talked a co-worker into letting him into the building and stormed into the studio as the substitute host fled. “I said, ‘Hello, this is Les Brown, this is my last day on the air. They changed the locks, and they didn’t have the guts to fire me to my face. There will be no music this morning. I will talk until I get tired.’”

Brown barricaded himself inside the studio as Upper Arlington police were called to get him off the air. As police pleaded with Brown to come out, the broadcaster gave his

photos: dispatch file

Left, officer Robert Morgan with his wife in 1971; right, officer Robert Stout (left) and his lawyer Joseph Hans in 1975

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Columbus Mayor Tom Moody meets with Black community leaders at Columbus City Hall on June 5, 1975.

audience a play-by-play. “I told them, ‘I’ve barricaded myself into the studio, and the police are asking me to move the furniture and chairs. I’ve been fired … and that’s work.

I’m not going to work for free.”

Eventually, WVKO management got the studio door off the hinges, and Brown walked out into the waiting arms of the Upper Arlington police. As the police prepared to take Brown out in handcuffs, a quick look at what awaited them in the parking lot changed their minds. “Wouldn’t you know that 3,000 people had filled the field at that radio station. There hasn’t ever been so many Black people in Upper Arlington before or since,” Brown says. Officers took his handcuffs off. “I walked down the steps of the studio and out to my car with 3,000 people cheering, ‘Les Brown! Les Brown! Les Brown!’ And that ended my time at WVKO radio station.”

Brown says station owner Bert Charles fired him for playing too many voter registration public service announcements. After losing his WVKO job, Brown says he was depressed, but that he is ultimately thankful as it led to his running for elected office and winning two terms as a state representative from 1977

to 1981. When his mother became sick in the early 1980s, Brown resigned and moved back to his native Miami to care for her, eventually becoming a top motivational speaker and syndicated talk show host. “It was a pivotal moment in my life,” says Brown, who was briefly married to singer Gladys Knight. “Even though I lost my job, I discovered that change requires patience, perseverance and perpetual optimism. You got to keep the fight.”

Ultimately, Rosemond would lose badly to Moody, earning only 37 percent of the vote.

While political observers laid blame on a fractured Democratic party and anemic fundraising from Rosemond, one-time WVKO DJ Reeves says he thinks the racism of white voters in Columbus played a role. “That was one of the worst elections I’ve ever seen….

At that particular time, Columbus was not ready for an African American to be mayor.”

Council aide Conrad says she does wonder whether the Kahiki incident influenced white voters. “The question is, did it play a role in how badly John [Rosemond] lost to Moody?” she asked.

While Bryant and the Johnsons were eventually convicted of misdemeanor assault and resisting arrest, a 1975 Justice Depart-

ment investigation into the incident fizzled when investigators were denied access to the police division’s internal records by federal Judge Duncan. However, other important employment class-action lawsuits were successful, leading to the hiring of more Black and female officers as well as promotions for Black officers.

Officer Cheryl Johnson, one of the female class-action plaintiffs who became one of the force’s first Black female officers, says that while she witnessed “a lot of racism” inside the department, the culture did slowly change for the better. “We had an influx of minorities and women, so that you had more mouths and more people who looked like you to speak up,” she says.

While most interviewed for this story give the Columbus police tepid credit for making slow progress in their relationship with the Black community, the Kahiki incident still lingers for some. “That’s a terrible thing to have that scarring and the feelings you get when you remember the officers who did this got away with it,” says Waddy, the civil rights attorney. “I’m still angry after all of these years, and I can tell you for certain that I’m not the only one.” ◆ MAY 2021 Columbus Monthly

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Racial Divide

By Dave Ghose

the Teacher the Student And

Mike Coleman is the most successful Black political leader in Columbus history. His career provided a road map for his protégé, Shannon Hardin. Then the world changed.

The two men stand next to one another, each dressed in blue suit jackets and white shirts, standard politician attire. One is the 66-year-old former mayor of Columbus, the first Black man to fill the role, whose 16-year tenure transformed the city. The other is his 33-year-old protégé, the first Black gay man to serve as City Council president, whose career is still taking shape.

Mike Coleman holds a glossy publication commemorating his City Hall years.

The document records his many mayoral achievements (job growth, financial stability, a Downtown renaissance), and he and Shannon Hardin, the man who’s replaced him as City Hall’s top Black political leader, enjoy looking through its 25 pages, laughing and reminiscing in the empty City Council chambers. This is now the home turf of Hardin, council’s leader since January 2018, but he tends to defer to his elder on this Wednesday morning in March. Even in his post-City Hall days, Coleman commands a room, and Hardin, who’s been learning from Coleman since childhood, is used to letting him lead.

“This is the glitzy stuff people will remember the most,” Coleman says, stopping at a

page devoted to Downtown redevelopment (new parks, new housing, new vitality).

Hardin notices an item about the defunct Neighborhood Pride program, weeklong outreach efforts in which city leaders descended on neighborhoods to encourage home fix-ups and host free-flowing town halls. He suggests bringing back the initiative. He says it could benefit neighborhoods that feel disconnected from City Hall. “It was good politics and good policy,” Hardin says.

Inspiration is a hot commodity at City Hall right now. The racial justice protests of 2020 have upended civic priorities, energized the public and forced Hardin and his colleagues to take on one of the most intractable issues in municipal government: police reform.

With the stakes so high, good ideas are in demand, and it makes sense that Hardin would do what he’s always done: look for guidance in the career and wisdom of the man who’s defined political power in Columbus for a generation, especially for Black leaders. It makes sense that Hardin would ask: What would Mike Coleman do?

It’s an interesting question, but it might not be the right one for this moment.

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Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin and former Mayor Mike Coleman

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Captions

“When you have a Black person who’s not a renegade or schlepping for Black power, it’s a nice look, particularly in that period,” says former Columbus Urban League leader Sam Gresham.

To be sure, Coleman focused on the Black community, earning praise and admiration while on City Council for his advocacy for neglected neighborhoods.

But he did it in a different way than his

political forebears, including his mentor, Espy, who faced off against Coleman in the 1999 mayoral race. Coleman was more collaborative, careful, cautious—and he didn’t scare the Columbus business and civic establishment, as evidenced by his endorsement from The Columbus Dispatch, the first time the then-Wolfe-owned paper had backed a Democrat in a mayoral race since the early 20th century.

photos: top, Chris Russell; bottom, Kyle Robertson

Coleman’s rise to power didn’t have history on its side.

While cities such as Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton, Atlanta and Chicago elected their first Black mayors in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, Columbus’ political power structure remained almost entirely white. Black Columbus politicians captured seats in the Ohio General Assembly and on the Columbus Board of Education and Columbus City Council, but the mayor’s office remained out of reach. African American leaders were handicapped by a smaller Black population in Columbus than in many other similarly sized cities, as well as a reluctance from both white voters and the white business community to support Black candidates.

This dynamic was perhaps best captured in 1981, when Ben Espy, a relatively unknown Black lawyer and former Ohio State football player, was elected to City Council. The Democrat benefited from a TV ad featuring an endorsement from perhaps the most influential man in Columbus—Espy’s former coach Woody Hayes. The ad also was notable for another reason: Espy wasn’t in it. Rather than risk offending white voters, Espy’s campaign advisers chose to hide his skin color. Two years later, in an interview with The Columbus Dispatch, Espy’s media consultant, Jerry Austin, credited the decision with helping his client score key votes in neighborhoods such as the South Side and Northland. Bigotry was an ugly and unavoidable reality of the Columbus electorate. “I hope it changes,” Austin said.

To capture the mayor’s office in 1999, Coleman needed to blaze a new path. The then-Columbus City Council president did have a few advantages that earlier Black leaders lacked: a more progressive and diverse electorate, statewide exposure from the 1998 gubernatorial race (he was Democrat Lee Fisher’s running mate) and the strong backing of the Franklin County Democratic Party, which appreciated his team-oriented 1997 council campaign that helped the party win an additional seat on the panel.

What’s more, Coleman had a different profile than an earlier generation of Black Columbus politicians. He was no firebrand, like Columbus Board of Education member and failed mayoral candidate Bill Moss, nor was he a cutthroat combatant like former City Council President Jerry Hammond, whose battles with Republican Mayor Buck Rinehart in the 1980s were legendary.

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photos: top, Eamon Queeney; bottom, dispatch file

photos: top, Chris Russell; bottom, Kyle Robertson

Clockwise from top left, Ben Espy (left) congratulates Mike Coleman (right) after Coleman received the Democratic Party endorsement to run for Columbus mayor; Coleman in 2015; Coleman in 1981; Coleman visits a hair salon in 2007 to talk about the importance of voting in elections.

As the 1999 mayoral campaign progressed, it turned into something of a generational choice. Coleman’s relative youth contrasted with his two veteran rivals—Espy and Franklin County Commissioner Dorothy Teater. They had more polish, experience and name recognition (especially early in the race). And Coleman struggled to get his message across in media interviews, as well as in an early debate. “Ben mopped the floor with me,” Coleman recalls. But he made up for those weaknesses with energy, enthusiasm and old-school, press-the-flesh campaigning. “If there was a garage sale, you had a good chance of Mike Coleman showing up,” says Mike Brown, a Coleman campaign staffer who went on to work with him at City Hall for a decade.

Coleman had the elusive quality Columbus Black leaders had sought for decades: crossover appeal. His inclusive message and style resonated with independents, the LGBTQ community, immigrants, even some Republicans—sort of a Central Ohio version of the coalition Barack Obama used to claim the White House nine years later. This strength revealed itself during the primary. Many expected Teater, a Republican, to win easily

since she was competing against two Democrats in an officially nonpartisan primary in which the two top vote-getters advance to the general election. But Coleman finished with 39 percent of the vote, ahead of Teater’s 37 percent and Espy’s 24 percent. In the general, Coleman absorbed most of Espy’s voters and clobbered Teater by 20 points.

As mayor, Coleman’s vision expanded.

He ran for office on a platform focused on revitalizing neglected neighborhoods, but by 2002, he also started pushing for Downtown redevelopment, which became his most high-profile achievement. After winning a second term without any opposition, Coleman began to shed his reputation for caution. “I think he felt he had more wingspan to be bolder and to start doing things that may not have been as politically safe,” says former Columbus Dispatch associate publisher Mike Curtin, who served two terms as a Democrat in the Ohio House of Representatives.

Coleman changed both the physical and cultural landscape of the city. He didn’t invent public-private partnerships in Columbus, but he seemed to perfect them.

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as the City Center Mall takeover, the Hollywood Casino site relocation, the city income tax increase, the Scioto Mile riverfront park and the Nationwide Arena bailout. Some projects didn’t work out—such as the 2008 streetcar plan and a 2013 failed Columbus schools levy—but few seemed to hold those failures against him because he had accomplished so much. The FBI launched an investigation into the sale of his home in his final term in office, but the probe didn’t lead to any criminal charges. He remained remarkably scandal-free despite his longevity.

As he left office, Coleman’s legacy was ensured. He helped birth “modern-day Columbus,” says Columbus Partnership CEO Alex Fischer. He fostered a culture of collaboration among the city’s political and civic establishment, and his brand of business-friendly, moderately progressive politics became the template for the city’s political leadership, including white leaders such as his mayoral successor, Andy Ginther, and Franklin County Commissioner John O’Grady.

That last detail underscores an underappreciated Coleman accomplishment: When he left City Hall, he was celebrated as a great leader. Period. No racial qualifier necessary. “Michael understood if Columbus was going to thrive, and if Black people were going to benefit, then he had to look at all communities,” says U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty. ● ● ●

Through his mother, Shannon Hardin got an up-close view of Coleman’s City Hall.

Kennetha Hardin worked as an administrative assistant for Coleman at both City Council and in the mayor’s office. A single mom, Kennetha often would bring her children to City Hall, and many staffers (especially Coleman) took to her son Shannon, who impressed them with his good manners, intelligence and inquisitive nature. The mayor would give young Shannon errands and assignments to complete: deliver an envelope to City Auditor Hugh Dorrian, photocopy a report. Sometimes, Hardin would read the documents and ask questions about them, even when he was as young as 12. “You could just tell, at a very young age, he wanted to be in the arena,” Coleman says.

Public policy became a passion as Hardin grew older. While at Columbus Alternative High School, Hardin and another student, Tyneisha Harden, proposed changing state law to allow 17-year-olds to help out as poll 44

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photos: top, Eamon Queeney; bottom, Joshua A. Bickel; right page, HARRY E. WALKER

Clockwise from top, Coleman after a short send-off program on his last day as mayor in 2015; Shannon Hardin (bottom left) visiting his mother, Kennetha Hardin, at the Columbus City Council office in the late 1990s; Shannon Hardin at the 2018 Stonewall Columbus Pride Parade with his husband, Ben Zachrich

workers on Election Day. The pair took their idea, developed for their Advanced Placement government class, to then-Ohio Rep. Joyce Beatty in 2004, and she shepherded the change through the legislature. Their efforts resulted in Youth at the Booth, a program offered all across Ohio that’s given tens of thousands of high school seniors a chance to serve as poll workers. “Shannon hates when I say this, but it was the first time I realized he would probably be my boss for most of my life in some capacity,” says Harden, who now serves as a legislative aide for Columbus City Councilmember Shayla Favor.

Hardin kept coming back to City Hall, too, completing internships in high school and college. During one, Coleman offered him a job after he finished at Morehouse College, the alma mater of Martin Luther King Jr. Hardin took Coleman up on his offer, and the mayor named him his community affairs coordinator in 2010. “I saw something unique about him,” Coleman says. “I knew there was a specialness in him.”

Indeed, Hardin has a unusual perspective. He’s a city kid who grew up in the Southfield neighborhood of Columbus, but as a child, he’d spend every other weekend in rural Kentucky, where his father raised quarter horses on a 100-acre farm.

Hardin is a proud progressive, but both his father and his grandmother, Marie Hardin, were Republicans. That personal bipartisanship has continued into adulthood: Hardin says his husband, Ben Zachrich, is a Republican, too.

Hardin also has experienced tragedy in his life; his father died during his freshman year of college, while an older sister, Shena, died of a heart problem days after giving birth to her son, Christian, who’s now being raised by Hardin’s mother with help

from Shannon and the rest of his family.

During his four years as a Coleman staffer, Hardin impressed the mayor even further. Much to Hardin’s chagrin, Coleman started calling him “Baby Barack.” It was a bit of a joke, a way for Coleman to needle his protégé. But the sentiment behind the nickname was real. “He was talented far beyond his years,” Coleman says. “And he had this charisma that I recognized, and he probably did not.” Coleman says Hardin has the capacity to “be molded into a role far higher than I will ever achieve.” Yet that isn’t what Hardin wants. He’s adamant that his political ambition stops at City Hall.

In 2014, the resignation of Troy Miller created an opening on City Council. Flying back to Columbus from a U.S. Conference of Mayors event, Coleman and Hardin discussed whether he should make the leap from a behind-the-scenes role to elected office. Coleman wanted him to seize the opportunity; Hardin had doubts.

“I’m young,” Hardin said.

“I know you’re young, Shannon.”

“I’m young, and I’m Black.”

“I know you’re young and Black.”

Finally, Hardin gave the full explanation.

“I’m young, and I’m Black, and I’m gay.”

Hardin’s sexual orientation wasn’t a secret, but the two had never spoken about it before. After pausing for a few seconds, Coleman responded. “That’s why you should do it. That’s why you should step up. This city is growing and becoming more diverse, and people need to see themselves in their representatives.”

The conversation provided the validation Hardin needed. He realized his story wasn’t a weakness; it was an asset. “Columbus was ready,” Hardin says. ● ● ●

For all of Coleman’s 16 years as mayor, he hung in his City Hall office a framed photo of Margaret Dean, his great-grandmother. Dean was born into slavery in 1839 and died in 1941 at the age of 102. The photo shows Dean sitting on the front porch of a Kentucky farm, circa 1930. In the background is a faint outline of a relative in a doorway holding a small child, Coleman’s father, John. Coleman didn’t give chapter and verse to all visitors to his office about the significance of the image. But it was important to him for everyone to see his great-grandmother—a visual reminder of his heritage.

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except he couldn’t say that. To “bring people in the tent and keep them in the tent,” Coleman needed to watch his words carefully.

But was his surreptitious Black agenda enough? While the overall Columbus economy thrived during the Coleman years, the city’s poverty rate—higher than most other comparable cities, according to a 2016 Columbus Foundation study—didn’t change much.

And much of that inequity was in Columbus’ predominantly Black neighborhoods.

Coleman also has a mixed record on the racially charged issue of police reform. In his first term as mayor, with a U.S. Justice Department civil rights lawsuit hanging over the Columbus Division of Police, Coleman established several significant changes: adding cruiser cameras, increasing officer training, collecting data on race and gender during traffic stops and beefing up the internal affairs bureau. But that initial flurry was a bit of an anomaly, and reforms became much rarer in his later years in office.

During his nine years on Columbus City Council, Kevin Boyce tried at least three times to establish some form of civilian disciplinary oversight of the Columbus police.

Each time, Coleman rejected the idea. “We weren’t on the same page about police reform,” says Boyce, now a Franklin County commissioner. Coleman says his views on a civilian review board evolved over time, and he twice unsuccessfully pushed for one during closed-door contract negotiations with the Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge No. 9, which represents the Columbus police. “I thought it was a necessary thing to do, but I didn’t have a burning platform, and I didn’t have people demanding it,” Coleman says.

The same can’t be said for Shannon Hardin.

Coleman with a photograph of his great-grandmother, Margaret Dean

That photo reveals how Coleman navigated race during his tenure: always there, but not always at the fore. He didn’t avoid the topic; he’d speak out on racial issues when they arose, in public or, more frequently, in private. His unique status as the city’s first African American mayor also required a delicate dance. “I know for a fact that there was fear among some that the first Black mayor would do only things for Black people and not anyone else,” he says.

So how could Coleman support his Black base without potentially offending the city’s white majority? He came up with a semantic solution: He avoided the word “Black.” He 46

championed “neglected neighborhoods,” launched programs with “urban” in their names (the Urban Growth Corp. and the Urban Infrastructure Recovery Fund) and invested millions in inner-city neighborhoods such as the King-Lincoln District, Weinland Park, American Addition, Southern Orchards and Franklinton. While Downtown and other high-profile initiatives attracted most of the publicity, he says these neighborhood-based projects were the most meaningful to him, a continuation of the work that made his reputation while on City Council. He called this his “urban agenda.” In reality, it was a “Black agenda”—

On May 30, five days after the killing of George Floyd, Columbus police peppersprayed a crowd of protesters gathered near Broad and High in Downtown Columbus. In the crowd were the top three Black elected officials in Columbus—Beatty, Boyce and Hardin. Columbus Dispatch photographer Kyle Robertson captured the chaotic scene, and his images became some of the most iconic of the city’s season of racial discontent.

After recovering from a direct shot of pepper spray to the face, Hardin phoned Coleman. Hardin was furious, telling the former mayor that officers overreacted.

He said he was going to say so publicly.

No cautious let’s-wait-and-see statement,

photo: tim johnson

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The Pioneers These leaders paved the way for Columbus’ current Black political establishment.

The Rev. James Poindexter The pastor of Second Baptist Church became the first Black man elected to Columbus City Council in 1880, a decade after the ratification of the 15th Amendment, which gave Black men the right to vote.

He was an abolitionist, an Underground Railroad conductor, a champion for Black schoolchildren and the namesake of Poindexter Village, the city’s first public housing complex.

Constance Nichols The Ohio State graduate co-founded the Vanguard League in 1940, which emerged as an influential civil rights organization in Columbus during a period in which Black people lacked political power.

The Vanguard League helped desegregate Columbus movie theaters and restaurants, secured jobs for African American women at Columbus’ Curtiss-Wright plant and pushed for racial equality in the Columbus school district.

Dr. John Rosemond In 1914, Columbus voters approved a city charter that eliminated the old City Council ward system, a change that made it impossible for Black citizens to win elected office at City Hall for decades.

Rosemond, a respected physician, became the first Black man to win an at-large council spot in 1969, overcoming the political obstacle. Rosemond served three council terms and ran for mayor in 1975, losing to incumbent Tom Moody in a lopsided race.

Jerry Hammond Before the emergence of Mike Coleman, Hammond was the city’s most significant Black political leader. He served 16 years on Columbus City Council, including six as the city’s first African American council president. He was beloved for his style, confidence, charisma and political savvy. He battled fiercely in the political arena—especially with Columbus Mayor Buck Rinehart—but he also groomed a new generation of leaders known as “Jerry’s kids.”

photos: dispatch file; Nichols photo, Ohio History Connection

photo: tim johnson

Bill Moss In a town that loves to get along, the shoe-pounding, camouflage-wearing, five-term Columbus Board of Education member refused to play the collegial game—and was the scourge of the city’s civic establishment as a result. In the mid-2000s, music lovers rediscovered his pre-politics record label, Capsoul, including his song “Sock it to ‘em Soul Brother,” the perfect epitaph for the iconoclastic and fearless Moss.

Ben Espy The former Ohio State running back made his mark at both City Hall and the Statehouse. After 10 years on Columbus City Council, he was appointed in 1992 to the Ohio Senate, where he eventually rose to become minority leader. His 1991 run for mayor was a significant moment in local Black history. He didn’t win, but his strong showing proved that a Black candidate had a real shot, paving the way for his protégé Coleman’s successful campaign eight years later.

Jennette Bradley Columbus has a long tradition of Black Republicans—U.S. District Judge Robert Duncan and the Rev. Leon Troy Sr., a close Rinehart ally, to name two. In 1991, Jennette Bradley—a moderate, businessfriendly Republican—became the first African American woman elected to Columbus City Council, and though she was in the minority during her time on the Democratic-controlled legislative body, she emerged as its most popular member. In 1999, Bradley was the leading vote-getter among eight candidates for four council seats. In 2003, Bradley was elected Ohio lieutenant governor, and Republicans have never been able to regain a seat at City Hall since.

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the typical response from a Columbus politician. If he didn’t speak out, Hardin believed it would invalidate his leadership, and the public would lose trust. Coleman’s response? “He thought I had lost my mind,” Hardin says. Coleman told Hardin to think carefully and avoid a knee-jerk reaction.

Later, the former mayor sent Hardin a text, urging him to put “anger into action” and “pain into policy.” Says Coleman: “He had some good ideas.”

A day later, Hardin and Beatty called for a civilian review board, urging the Ginther administration to push for one in upcoming contract negotiations with the FOP. Gin48

ther and other city leaders quickly backed the idea. Over the next several weeks, City Council hosted a series of public hearings on police reform. The response was off the charts. For instance, a June 30 virtual hearing lasted six hours and attracted 906 written comments and 69 speaker testimonies. In July, council approved several new pieces of legislation: a no-knock warrant ban, adding hate-group affiliations to background checks for officers and putting on the November 2020 ballot an amendment to the city charter for a civilian review board, which was overwhelmingly approved by voters.

Then, on Dec. 22, Columbus police officer Adam Coy shot and killed Andre Hill, a 47-year-old, unarmed Black man. The killing attracted national headlines, and Coy was charged with murder. In response, council approved “Andre’s Law,” which allows authorities to file charges against police officers who fail to turn on body cameras or render first aid to citizens injured by police. Council also funded the initial steps for creating a new alternative response bureau. This new unit, expected to roll out over the next few years, will handle nonemergency situations, as well as mental health and addiction calls. Hardin says that if such a unit was in place last December, Hill might not have died, because the original call to police was a noise complaint.

The racial justice protests and their legislative aftermath have shined a light on Hardin. His rise has been quick at council.

After just two years on the panel, he was elected president over his more experienced colleague Priscilla Tyson in a contentious January 2018 vote. Throughout his time on council, he’s earned praise for his diligence, inclusive leadership and wonkish command of public policy, particularly in transportation and urban planning.

But like other council presidents in recent years, the Democratic domination of City Hall has made it difficult for him to make a significant mark: He doesn’t have a mayor of the opposite party to push against to draw attention to his ideas. He also has made a few missteps. Shortly after joining council, he accepted a junket from lobbyist John Raphael, who was later sentenced to federal prison on extortion charges. Then, during their 2018 battle over the council presidency, Tyson accused Hardin of lying about graduating from Morehouse in 2009.

Back in 2018, Hardin said he learned three years earlier he was one credit short of graduation and received his degree from Morehouse in 2016 after earning his final credit from Franklin University.

When thousands took to the streets this summer, the protests gave Hardin a huge opportunity. And challenge. Coleman likes to say he saw everything during his 16 years at City Hall (often two or three times).

Well, he never saw this: a racial reckoning,

Photos: top, tim johnson; bottom, kyle robertson

Top, Shannon Hardin; bottom, Hardin (at left, pointing) after being pepper-sprayed by police during a Downtown protest last May. With him are Franklin County Commissioner Kevin Boyce (center) and Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (back turned); opposite page, Coleman and Hardin

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photo: tim johnson

Photos: top, tim johnson; bottom, kyle robertson

combined with a record-setting surge in homicidal violence and, oh yeah, a global pandemic. No Coleman template exists for this unprecedented moment.

That’s a lot of weight to put on a relatively untested legislator. And there’s no shortage of advice out there for Hardin: push harder, pull back, speak louder, watch your words, take command, share the stage. At times, he’s done a little bit of all those things. In September, he joined with three council colleagues to table a proposal that would have reduced the police department’s helicopter fleet from six to four and put limits on the use of chemical agents and military gear, angering progressives. Earlier this year, he attempted (unsuccessfully) to cut funding for a new police recruit class, drawing public pushback from Ginther and the police department. Hardin says the moment demands “radical transparency”—in other words, letting an increasingly engaged public see up close the legislative process, including disagreements and differences.

Even if it isn’t always a pretty sight, Hardin’s work is earning high marks across the spectrum, from the top of the power struc-

ture to the grassroots. Fischer, the Columbus Partnership CEO, praises Hardin for his curiosity, independent thinking and outreach. “I’ve felt like he’s come into his own, and he hasn’t shrunk from the responsibility.” Community activist Jasmine Ayres says he’s begun to find his voice. “What he thinks is possible has grown and expanded.” ● ● ●

The two men sit next to each other, each in a rolling chair in City Council chambers. One is the teacher, a wise man of Columbus politics, whose imprint is all over the city. The other is the student, a high-achieving upstart, whose moment has arrived.

As they talk, the roles reverse. The student, Hardin, speaks about what he’s learned from an unusual outreach effort he launched two years ago while the teacher, Coleman, listens quietly. Back then, inspired by a conversation he had with the activist Ayres, Hardin began calling the families of every homicide victim in Columbus under the age of 25. Hardin says the difficult

conversations ground him, make the harrowing statistics of the past year real. The city set a murder record in 2020 and is off to a horrific start this year as well. “I didn’t have to read in the paper that our homicide numbers are up because I’m having those conversations,” Hardin says.

Hardin wants to let the families know that “someone Downtown sees them and cares about their pain.” The calls help him understand the weight of his job, the city’s failures and the hurt of victims. Sometimes, the parents bring up policy issues or guns, but mostly the conversations are more personal. He says he’s not sure if the calls are beneficial to the families.

“I guarantee it is; it has to be,” Coleman says. “To have the president of council call a parent or family member about the death of their son or daughter—they’ll remember that for the rest of their lives. Keep doing it.”

A role reversal also occurs when Hardin and Coleman pose for a photo in front of the council president’s desk. A gavel sits on the desk, and Coleman notices the handle faces him.

He turns it to face Hardin. ◆ MAY 2021 Columbus Monthly

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!

Warning:

Racism is

HAZARDOUS

to Your

Health 50 50

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By Kathy Lynn Gray

Franklin County and the city of Columbus have declared racism a public health threat for good reason. Just look at the statistics.

What’s being done to attack the inequities?

Talk about a racial divide. Consider this: There’s Bexley, which is 87 percent white.

Compare it to the Near East Side of Columbus, which is 59 percent Black. They are essentially next-door neighbors. The average lifespan of residents in the wealthy suburb?

A little more than 85 years. In the minority community? Try 67 years.

Think about that. A difference of more than 18 years based on where you live.

Might as well put up a warning sign: Living while Black in Central Ohio can be dangerous to your health.

Perhaps it is a foggy memory for many after a year when a pandemic ripped through the world and killed millions and racial tensions skyrocketed after a white Minneapolis police officer held down a Black man until he suffocated. Many people feel they’re just waking up from a long, bad dream. But about a year ago, Franklin County commissioners and Columbus City Council separately issued proclamations declaring racism a public health crisis. Elected officials urgently called for action.

Sure, battling racial inequities is no easy fix, but what do these declarations mean and how will they improve the health of African Americans in Central Ohio?

As Franklin County Commissioner Marilyn Brown told reporters at the time, “People are talking about race in this community.

But talking isn’t enough.”

From Declarations to Action The recognition of the harsh impact of race on health actually took place prior to last year. In 2019, Franklin County commissioners laid out their plans in “Rise Together: A Blueprint to Reduce Poverty in Franklin County,” which includes changing longstanding racial inequities as a major goal.

One result has been the hiring of Lisa Dent as associate director of equity and inclusion at Franklin County Public Health.

She’s setting up a program to train all health department staff about equity, including ways to communicate with other employees and the community at large that are sensitive to different cultures.

That’s meant, for example, listening to community members about how health department messages encouraging masks to combat COVID-19 are perceived and how they can be tailored to specific groups such as African American males, she says.

“We came to realize we weren’t the experts in that, and that we needed boots on the ground to help,” says Dent. The Equity Advisory Council, made up of representatives of more than 20 community organizations, meets monthly to help provide some of those insights.

“We wanted to start looking at how we can address poverty in the broader spectrum and how racism fits in,” says Franklin County Commissioner Kevin Boyce. That means looking at factors in lower-income neighborhoods such as adequate grocery stores, health care facilities and transpor-

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Joe Mazzola and Mysheika Roberts

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of the canary in the coal mine,” she says. “It’s a big red indicator of a lot of health-related social factors and an indicator of access to health care, safety in homes and nutrition, to name a few things.”

CelebrateOne’s efforts have reduced Franklin County’s overall infant mortality rate, from 8.1 in 2012 to 6.6 in 2020, but the racial disparity in that rate hasn’t gone down. That’s the No. 1 goal now, says Maureen Stapleton, executive director of the program. “A society is judged based on how it cares for its most vulnerable citizens, so if we can’t keep babies safe, what does that say about our community?”

Stapleton says data shows the high rate of infant mortality among Black babies isn’t limited to those who live in poverty. “A Black mother who is college-educated with a good job still has worse birth outcomes than a highschool-educated white woman,” she says. “So when you peel away the layers of the onion, the two things that make that [Black] mother different are the color of her skin and how she is treated in her medical care. Somehow the Black woman is getting different medical treatment than someone who is not Black.”

CelebrateOne’s partners, which include area hospital systems, have reached the same conclusion, Stapleton says. So the program’s push going forward is to reduce

implicit bias among doctors, nurses and other medical staff.

Addressing Implicit Bias at Hospitals Consider the case of Chisholm, who is Black. She suspects she experienced racism as a child during many visits to doctors and hospitals because of her asthma. “I’d go to an emergency room, they’d give me a breathing treatment and send me home,” she says. “Then I’d go to another hospital and they’d admit me.”

Once during a hospitalization for asthma, nurses refused to answer when she pushed the call button. Finally, as Chisholm was turning blue because she couldn’t breathe, a doctor noticed and treated her. “Did the nurses not respond because I was a teenaged Black girl? I don’t know. But when you see that over and over again, you wonder.”

Some hospitals have begun programs to address implicit bias, and the statewide activist organization, UHCAN Ohio, has offered to help hospital systems set up anti-racism initiatives in conjunction with their communities.

“Hospitals grew up in a racist environment and they have to be explicit in examining the processes they have set up,” says Steven Wagner, executive director of UHCAN Ohio. “They have to try to change their belief systems and their implicit biases if they’re really going to

photo: rob hardin

tation links—all things that can improve the health of a community.

The city of Columbus is working on reducing racism as a public health threat in several arenas. One is the Center for Public Health Innovation, created after Mayor Andy Ginther called out the issue in his February 2020 State of the City speech. Dr. Mysheika Roberts, Columbus health commissioner, heads up the effort; she says its purpose is to improve health by increasing life expectancy and quality of life for all residents with a variety of programs that promote physical activity, losing weight and health screenings.

Another city effort is CelebrateOne, a program created in 2014 to reduce the high rate of infant mortality in the area, particularly among Blacks. The rate is calculated as the number of babies who die before the age of 1 per 1,000 live births. In Franklin County, that rate was 11.4 for non-Hispanic Black babies compared with 4.3 for non-Hispanic white babies in 2019. Statewide, the 2019 rates are even worse—14.3 for Black babies and 5.1 for white babies, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

Those statistics capture the reality of racism as a public health threat, says Dr. Deena Chisolm, director of the Center for Child Health Equity and Outcomes Research at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. “It’s kind Columbus Monthly MAY 2021

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Maps: alyse pasternak

photo: rob hardin

grow and eliminate racism.” That work needs to help hospital staff understand their biases, increase staff diversity and root out practices that perpetuate institutional racism, he says.

One organization that has embraced the moment is the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Although the system, which includes the university’s seven health sciences colleges, has long had programs to address racism, the killing of George Floyd last year prompted a massive attempt to face the issue and make changes, says Autumn Glover, cochair of the center’s anti-racism initiatives that began last summer. “Only when we address the real issues of racism are we able to develop sustainable solutions to transform the health of our communities and support our trainees, staff and faculty while doing so,” the initiative’s web page explains.

Through its Anti-Racism Action Plan, Glover says the medical center is examining how to erase racism “in every fiber of our work.” That includes how physicians, nurses, dentists and veterinarians are taught, how much diversity is in the hospital staff and how staff can examine and understand their implicit biases.

She knows changes won’t come easily or quickly. “We’re not fooling ourselves into thinking that everyone’s having this great awakening,” says Glover. “Some are ready for the stretch and some aren’t.” The biggest hurdle, she says, is systemic—the country’s history of slavery and all that has resulted from it. But, Glover adds, addressing racism is the only way to move toward health equity.

Health equity for Blacks isn’t a zero-sum game, says Kyle Strickland, senior legal analyst at the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at Ohio State University; the changes needed to make it happen will help whites as well as Blacks. “Racism costs all of us and hurts all of us,” he says. “It’s not as if when Blacks win, whites lose.”

Racism and COVID-19 The pandemic has spotlighted both historic Black mistrust of health care and how ongoing structural racism impairs Black health.

Communities of color have been disproportionally affected in myriad ways, ranging from a higher incidence of contracting COVID-19 to greater economic fallout.

“COVID-19 has really put this right in front of us,” says the Rev. Dan Clark, Ohio director of Faith in Public Life, a coalition of activist faith leaders. “There are people who deny that systemic racism exists in America, but we know that Black and brown and indigenous people have less access to health care and economic opportunity in this country.”

Central Ohio, by Race

1970

Distribution of Black residents in Franklin County (percentage of populaWesterville tion that is Black, by census tract) Dublin

1970

Westerville Dublin Hilliard

Gahanna

Upper Arlington Columbus

Hilliard

Gahanna

Upper Arlington

Reynoldsburg

Columbus Reynoldsburg Grove City

Insufficient data < 1.38% 1.38% to 5.27% 5.27% to 13.54%

Grove City

13.54% to 37.45% > 37.45%

2018

Westerville Dublin

2018

Westerville Dublin Hilliard

Hilliard

Gahanna

Upper Arlington Columbus

Gahanna

Upper Arlington

Reynoldsburg

Columbus Reynoldsburg Grove City

Grove City

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Troubling Numbers These are some of the trends affecting Black people in Franklin County that prompted city and county leaders to declare racism a public health crisis.

unemployment rate, nearly double the overall figure

34

33.4 percent

40

percent lower

33.4 percent home ownership rate, nearly 40 percent lower than the overall rate

percent

of COVID-19 hospitalizations, even though Black people represent just 25.2 percent of the overall population* *97 percent of hospitalizations reported race

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that Black Americans are nearly twice as likely to die of COVID-19 and nearly three times more likely to be hospitalized with the disease than whites. In part, that stems from higher incidences of underlying health conditions that can contribute to poor outcomes from COVID: hypertension, cardiovascular disease and obesity, to name a few, says Joe Mazzola, Franklin County health commissioner.

With that in mind, Franklin County and Columbus Public Health have reached into communities of color in a variety of ways during the past year. Franklin County Public Health has worked with minority community organizations such as the African American Male Wellness Agency to make sure its messages surrounding COVID-19 are culturally sensitive, Mazzola says. It also has partnered with faith and other community leaders to provide better testing and vaccination opportunities, including easier ways to sign up for vaccinations and vaccination sites on public transportation lines.

“For those who have certain barriers, we try to eliminate those to the best of our ability,” Mazzola says. “It’s the right thing to do, and that’s what guides us as a public agency.”

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637 out of 100,000 Black adults are in prison, an incarceration rate nearly three times higher than the rate for all people in the county

18.3-years

11.1 percent

11 infants out of every 1,000 live births die before their first birthday, an infant mortality rate more than twice the figure for non-Hispanic white people

18.3-year differential between the average lifespan of people living in neighboring Bexley (85.4 years, 87 percent white) and Columbus’ Near East Side (67.1 years, 59 percent Black)

Sources: Ohio State University, Ohio Department of Health, U.S. Census Bureau

The department also is putting together mobile vaccination units to go to churches, recreation centers and other public places where there are pockets of poverty, Mazzola says.

Columbus Public Health has set aside 20 percent of its vaccine allotment for vulnerable populations, says Roberts, the Columbus health commissioner. “It’s imperative that we as an urban health department value our vulnerable community and say: ‘We’re going to make special efforts to make sure you get vaccinated,’” Roberts says. To do that, the department has sent mobile teams to places such as senior centers and homeless shelters to get shots in arms of those eligible and has plans to set up a mobile vaccine van that can go to vulnerable neighborhoods.

Columbus Public Health also has offered vaccines at Opportunity Clinics at its headquarters on Parsons Avenue for vaccine-eligible residents of certain ZIP codes with high unemployment, high infant mortality, accessto-care issues and low graduation rates.

Efforts also are being made to reduce African American mistrust of health care and, in this instance, vaccines. Roberts, who is Black, addresses the issue almost daily in talks to groups large and small, explaining how the vaccines were developed and

reassuring residents that, despite racism surrounding health care in the past, the vaccines are safe. The efforts may be paying off.

“A few weeks ago one of the vaccine providers told me that an elderly Black woman walked into their site … and said she had had no intention of getting the vaccine until she listened to Dr. Fauci and Dr. Roberts and then became convinced it was safe,” Roberts says.

The Lack of Black Doctors Health care inequities for Blacks also can’t be adequately understood—or addressed— without examining how prevalent racism has been within the medical community.

Books have been written on the subject, but a few examples are revealing.

The American Medical Association, the largest nationwide organization of doctors and medical students, has a long history of discrimination against Blacks, particularly in severely limiting the number of Black physicians. For example, the association endorsed the 1910 Flexner Report, which set educational standards for medical schools that most African American schools couldn’t meet for financial reasons. Five of seven African American medical schools closed as a result. Those standards, and continued racist policies at medical schools for decades (few

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photo: rob hardin

admitted Blacks), created a modern health care system with a dearth of Black doctors.

A 2008 AMA study concluded that one legacy of its racist past was the continued underrepresentation of Black physicians. By 2006, when 12.3 percent of the U.S. population was Black, just 2.2 percent of physicians and medical students were Black, the study found.

A 2019 AMA report showed that percentage had grown to 4.2 percent at a time when 13.4 percent of the U.S. population was Black.

History, too, helps explain why mistrust of doctors and hospitals is common among Blacks. A 2020 examination of the impact of structural racism on the Black community by the American Public Health Association noted the 20th century is filled with examples of how scientists and physicians used people of color for research and experimentation. They include sterilizing Black women in welfare programs without their consent and the infamous 40-year Tuskegee Syphilis Study, where, beginning in 1932, Black male participants with syphilis were left untreated for research purposes.

More recently, inequitable and uneven medical care for Blacks has become harder to quantify but, in the minds of many, is still prevalent. That was driven home for Angela Gibbs, 50, of the King-Lincoln Bronzeville neighborhood on the Near East Side, in 2009 after surgery to remove an infected mass from a 2007 cesarean section. Gibbs and her family members felt that she needed a wound VAC—a mechanical device that helps wounds heal—to clear up the infection after her release. Her Medicaid insurance covered the device, but medical staff refused to prescribe it until then-state Rep. Tracy Maxwell Heard asked the president of the insurance company to intervene.

“It wasn’t until pushback and intervention that I received the medical care that kept me alive,” Gibbs says. She doesn’t believe any particular member of the medical staff who treated her was outwardly racist, just that there was “a general apathy” about her treatment because of her race and class.

It Started with Slavery “It goes back to the original decision to force people to come to America as slaves,” explains Amy Fairchild, dean of the College of Public Health at Ohio State University and a historian who assesses how social, political and ethical factors shape cultures. “How can we undo 400 years of structural racism?”

Long after slaves were emancipated in 1863 and the country appeared to have achieved a kind of egalitarianism, laws were

Creola Johnson receives her second COVID-19 vaccine shot from George Tazi, an advanced practice nurse at Columbus Public Health in March.

passed that discriminated against Blacks in housing, education, employment, law enforcement and voting rights. Opportunities to change those policies in the 1930s and 1960s were squandered, Fairchild says, and those discriminatory practices continue to hurt the health of black communities.

“We tend to think of racism as a mindset, but what we need to do is think of it as a social policy,” Fairchild says. “The laws, the rules, these historical structures that were created that allow racism to operate without us seeing it. A lot of things seem to be race neutral, but because of the policies built in, they don’t operate in neutral ways. Our systems put obstacles in the way of African Americans, and it’s insidious because we can’t see it. All of that translates into health outcomes.”

One systemic barrier was redlining, Fairchild says. That was when the federal Home Owners’ Loan Corp. in the 1930s labeled neighborhoods according to its view of their loan risk. Mortgage lenders for the most part wouldn’t lend to residents of neighborhoods that were “redlined”—labeled hazardous—so their largely Black and immigrant residents couldn’t build wealth by owning homes.

Other racial policies, such as restrictive covenants in property deeds that prohibited owners from selling to Blacks, also worked to keep minorities in specific neighborhoods—often poorer areas with health threats from factory pollution, highways and slum landlords.

The legacy of these practices remains. The National Community Investment Coalition found in a recent study that neighborhoods that were redlined in the 1930s have higher rates of chronic diseases and poverty as well as reduced lifespans today. “Where I live determines whether I’m more likely to have asthma, stress, mental health challenges

and higher infant mortality,” Fairchild says.

And, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Blacks were more than twice as likely as whites to live in poverty in 2018.

So, although many tend to think that health is merely the result of lifestyle choices, multiple studies, including some by the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at Ohio State University, have shown that lifestyle choices contribute just 30 percent to an individual’s health outcomes.

Another 20 percent depends on clinical care, while the other 50 percent depends on so-called social determinants of health, which the institute defines as “the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life.”

That includes air and water quality, housing, education, income, community safety, employment and family and social support.

All of those factors equal a stark health outcome: The life expectancy for non-Hispanic Black people in the U.S. in the first half of 2020 was 72 compared with 78 for non-Hispanic white people, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

That’s why declaring racism a public health threat is so important, explains the Kirwan Institute’s Strickland. Exposing inequities, many of which are the result of years of racist policies, can provide the impetus to invest in at-risk communities to improve housing, education, transportation and safety, which in the long term can improve the health of Black and brown communities, Strickland says.

“We can’t act as if the past doesn’t have an impact on where we are today,” he says.

“These are deep, structural problems. This is just a first step, but it’s really important.” ◆ MAY 2021 Columbus Monthly

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Sundays in Franklin P

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By Chris Bournea

Through the ’60s and ’70s, the Near East Side recreation area was a rare safe space for Black folks to gather in public. This bygone era of cars, congas, bell bottoms and Black joy lives on in the memories of its participants— and in the photography of Steve Harrison.

n Park

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It was a fashion show and a car show.

It was a place for culture and music and celebration. It was a bastion of Black pride, joy and fellowship, and there was nothing else quite like it in Columbus.

In the late 1960s through the 1970s, Franklin Park was a community gathering place for African Americans every Sunday afternoon, spring through fall. Those who frequented the park during this time describe an atmosphere similar to the classic George Lucas film “American Graffiti”—but with afros, hot pants and an all-Black cast.

Just east of Downtown in the heart of the city’s historic Black enclave, the 100-acre green space felt more welcoming to Black people than other city parks, such as Schiller in German Village or Whetstone in Clintonville. De facto segregation remained a reality of life in Columbus during this period, and when Black folks gathered in Franklin Park, they weren’t treated like intruders, as they would be elsewhere in the city. “We were a self-contained community,” says Bettye Stull, a recreation leader with the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department in the ’60s and ’70s. “We didn’t hardly go outside of the community for anything. We looked upon it as our park.”

What’s more, police didn’t interfere in the fun. Officers might break up smatterings of Black folks elsewhere in the city, but the rules were different for Franklin Park.

“Black folks pretty much had the run of the park,” says William Richardson, a retired general contractor. “They just let us have it.”

The glory days began to fade in the late 1970s. The police presence in the park became more aggressive when Black vendors began selling items such as food, eighttrack tapes and photos. Then the city of Columbus installed roadblocks in the park

to cut down on the number of cars. Broader demographic trends were at play, too, as more Black folks moved away from the Near East Side. But the death knell may have been AmeriFlora, the 1992 Franklin Park Conservatory horticulture exhibition held in honor of the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in North America. Parkgoers say that when the city began shutting down parts of Franklin Park in the ’80s to prepare for AmeriFlora, conflicts arose over whether African Americans would have any say-so in the future of the park. “We should have known it wasn’t going to last forever,” says Raleigh Randolph, a retired designer, East High School alumnus and the son of the well-known Columbus band leader of the same name. “We were not surprised when it was taken away from us.”

Today, this bygone era lives on in the memories of its participants. It also lives on in the photography of Steve Harrison, who as a budding young shutterbug in the late ’60s and early ’70s would hang out in the park with his friends and family and snap shots. In the following pages, images from the personal archives of Harrison (who went on to have a long career as a professional photographer, working for six governors) capture the bliss, energy and style of this largely forgotten chapter in Columbus history—one that few people are aware of outside of the Black community.

“It was a happy time for African Americans,” says Vonzell Johnson, a retired boxer who now works in security management.

“They went to the park to have a good time— nothing but to have a good time. And we looked forward to that. Now there’s nothing like that to make African Americans feel that way. And it’s unfortunate.”

“ On Sundays, the park would be jam-packed with people, and we never had a problem.”

—Raleigh Randolph, a retired designer and East High School alumnus 58

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Comedian Dick Gregory

“ We would stand on the side of the hill chitchatting and socializing.

We weren’t into drugs or drinking.

There were folks driving through every Sunday. It was just a nice, social time.”

— Jerry Saunders Sr., CEO of the Africentric Personal Development Shop and a former Columbus Recreation and Parks commissioner

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“ We would get new outfits. Back then, we were wearing hot pants and knee-high boots.”

— Audrey Carter Hutchings, an East High School graduate

“ If you were going to drive through, it was going to be a slow drive. People had their nice cars, washed their cars, rode through, showing off, waving.

It was just good times.

They’d drive through, come back around, drive through again.”

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“ Black folks go back to Franklin Park as far back as the 1920s and before. Blacks moved from High Street Downtown, east. Racism and segregation is what it is; there’s no timeframe to it. When Black folks started to socialize in Franklin Park, white folks, for the most part, let Black folks have that park.”

—William Richardson, a retired general contractor

“ Everybody knew about it. I would do all my chores so my parents would let me go to Franklin Park. It created a sense of unity in the Black community.”

— Audrey Carter Hutchings

“ On Sunday afternoons, you’d go up with your drums and sit up and play until you got tired. And you learned a lot.”

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“ I think that what happened was people started moving to the better parts of the city, and it started dying out from there. And for some reason, the tradition just evaporated. And I think that’s a big part of it: People started moving away.”

—Vonzell Johnson, a retired boxer who now works in security management

“ We didn’t trash it up. We didn’t litter. We didn’t park on the lawn. If there wasn’t a place to park, we’d park on the street.”

— Audrey Carter Hutchings

“ That was a part of the culture and a part of the history of Columbus, that gathering on Sundays. People still talk about it.

From time to time, I go places and people say ‘Man, we had some times in Franklin Park.’”

—Vonzell Johnson

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A mural at Long Street and Governors Place

Photos by Tim Johnson

East Side

Story Can King-Lincoln Bronzeville retain its central role in the life of Black Columbus as white residents and investment dollars pour into the neighborhood?

By Mark Ferenchik

On a Saturday afternoon in March, Ori Segev and Josh Nowak stand outside the Alebrijes food truck in a parking lot near the corner of Long Street and Taylor Avenue across from the Ohio State East Hospital.

Neither is from the neighborhood. Segev lives in Southern Orchards, south of Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Nowak came all the way from Powell. The 29-year-old Segev says he knows the artist who did the vehicle’s vibrant artwork depicting coyotes and mythical creatures.

“This truck has some of the best tacos in town,” says Segev, a filmmaker. “This is the main reason I come here. To me, this is a very authentic place.”

He is talking about the mobile food vendor, but the same can be said about the surrounding King-Lincoln Bronzeville neighborhood, which, for decades, has been the heartbeat of Columbus’ Black community.

Change is coming, though, to the area, which proudly houses the Lincoln Theatre, the King Arts Complex and

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the headquarters of the Columbus Urban League. Segev and Nowak are both white, much like the growing number of homeowners and renters flocking to the new apartments rising along Long and Atcheson streets and to the renovated homes on North 21st Street and Monroe Avenue.

Demographic data shows the changing racial makeup of the neighborhood, one of several on the Near East Side of Columbus.

According to 2013 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 78 percent of the population of the neighborhood’s ZIP code, 43203 (which also includes neighboring Woodland Park), was then Black, while only 14 percent was white.

By 2019, that estimate changed, the percentage of Black residents declining to 69 percent, and the percentage of white residents increasing to 25. The total estimated population also rose, from 7,297 to 8,014.

These population and development trends raise a question: As the neighborhood evolves, how will the changes affect its history and longtime residents? Property values are soaring. Homes are springing up on vacant lots. And those factors threaten to drive out the very people who are the soul of the neighborhood.

Catherine Girves says the concerns about gentrification are valid. Girves, who is white, worries about both cultural and housing displacement—and she’s witnessed those issues play out on social media. When she moved to the neighborhood in 2013, she was asked to join the community’s Nextdoor page. What she found on the website shocked her, with some posts running along the lines of, “Hey, there’s a Black man in a hoodie walking down the street.”

“That’s somebody who lives here,” she says.

Above, the Lincoln Theatre across the street from construction on the Adelphi Quarter on Long Street; below, MPACC BoxPark in King-Lincoln Bronzeville

Reita Smith grew up on the West Side, but she was born on South 22nd Street and really spent her teenage years on Long Street and Mount Vernon Avenue, the two main thoroughfares of King-Lincoln Bronzeville, the area bordered by I-71, Atcheson Street/ Mount Vernon Avenue, Taylor Avenue and East Broad Street. “Everything was there. … And I felt safe,” she says of this period in the late 1950s.

There were five theaters, including the Lincoln, the Cameo and the Empress. The neighborhood had its own bowling alley, a market, jazz clubs featuring singers such as Columbus’ own Nancy Wilson. “Then there was Tyler’s drugstore and the bakeries and the restaurants,” Smith says. Black entertainers, such as Count Basie, Ella 66

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Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington, stayed in Black hotels in the neighborhood such as the Macon and the St. Clair while in town to perform.

The dollars stayed in the community. “It was called the cultural and business center; it was labeled the million-dollar mile,” Smith says. “Back then, the physicians lived next door to you. The lawyer lived next door to you. Because of segregation, it was a selfsupporting community.”

Then came I-71, which sliced through the center of Columbus almost 60 years ago in the early 1960s. The freeway displaced scores of Black residents on the Near East Side, cutting off the heart of the city’s African American community from Downtown.

For decades, the area struggled with poverty, crime and depopulation.

The destruction of the neighborhood’s history continued through the years. Most recently, it was the Poindexter Village public housing complex, built in 1940 and dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was

the first public housing project in Columbus and one of the first in the country. Smith raised a family there and joined the battle to save it when the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority wanted to demolish the complex. CMHA eventually agreed to preserve two buildings (one as a museum and the other as a cultural center), replacing the rest with a senior high-rise apartment building and the Legacy Pointe apartments.

The city of Columbus did turn its attention to this struggling part of town during Mike Coleman’s tenure as mayor. Almost two decades ago, Coleman and his administration rebranded the neighborhood as the King-Lincoln District—which later added Bronzeville, the historic name of the area—traveling to Kansas City, Missouri, to study what that city had done to revitalize its historic Black neighborhood. At that time, Kansas City had spent $30 million in public and private money to rebuild the area.

Columbus came up with a King-Lincoln District redevelopment plan. From there, things slowly started to happen. The Lincoln Theatre on East Long Street was renovated with $13.5 million, including $6.3 million from the city, $4 million from Franklin County and private donations. A developer built a three-story office building, a project Coleman supported, across the street from the theater at Long Street and Hamilton Avenue. (But a nearby condominium project, The Whitney, had to be bailed out by the city.)

And the city continues to pump money into the neighborhood. In March, Columbus City Council approved $3.6 million for new storm sewers, water lines, sidewalks and streetlights along a section of Long Street.

Meanwhile, Partners Achieving Community Transformation, a collaboration of the Ohio State University, the city of Columbus and the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority, has been working for a decade to revitalize about 800 acres near Ohio State University Hospital East, including a $200,000 exterior home repair program with average grants of $14,000 that helps keep older residents in their homes. “People living in the neighborhood have stayed there for 20, 30, 40 years, and want to stay there,” says Autumn Glover, PACT’s president. “Our promise is a mixedincome community. We need private-sector developers to help us with that, working with the land bank and land trust to analyze where we are now,” she adds.

The investment was not only economic.

The city tried to reconnect the Near East Side to Downtown with the Long Street Cultural Wall, which spans I-71 and displays 139 imag-

es related to the neighborhood, including musicians Bobby Floyd and Arnett Howard, jazz singer Wilson, former Columbus school board member Bill Moss and artist Aminah Robinson, all Black natives of the city.

A brick house in the 200 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard highlights the transformation of King-Lincoln. In 2004, the 1,400-square-foot house with three bedrooms and a bath and a half sold for $55,000. In 2018, a couple bought the house, located just east of I-71, for $142,000.

After fixing it up, they are on track to sell it for $248,000. It listed for $245,000.

This economic demand offers both opportunities and challenges for longtime residents and businesses. Al Edmondson, a barber and president of the Mount Vernon Avenue District Improvement Association, says more residents means more business for local merchants. “My hope is that does happen, like back in the day when Mount Vernon thrived,” says Edmondson, who is Black. But what happens to longtime residents as prices rise? Will they still be around to get their haircuts at Edmondson’s barbershop or patronize other stores in a thriving future business district?

Willis Brown, a longtime Near East Side leader in King-Lincoln Bronzeville, says gentrification is unavoidable: The area’s proximity to Downtown, the Short North and the freeways make it desirable. But he also sees a potential counter force: “The churches have land. The churches must build affordable housing for African Americans, non-African Americans, to live in that.”

Shiloh Baptist Church is planning to do just that. It has spent years acquiring property around its historic church on Mount Vernon Avenue, visible from I-71, to build affordable apartments, as well as marketrate units and senior housing, among other things, says the Rev. Otha Gilyard, the church’s pastor for 27 years. Construction could begin this year. Asked about gentrification, Gilyard says, “You have to look in terms of how we’re going to progress. All of the things that have taken place are very positive. We’re a church. We want to do housing so it will strengthen us to do ministry in a greater way. We cannot forget who we are in this neighborhood.”

Black social justice activist Kimberly Brazwell, who grew up in King-Lincoln Bronzeville, worries about the loss of history as the neighborhood redevelops.

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Terrence and Kimberly Lawrence with their two young children, Sebastian and Quincy, at their King-Lincoln Bronzeville home

are priced out, she says, eliminating a link to the community’s Black roots. “When you knock down brick and mortar, you also knock down history,” she says.

Tyiesha Radford Shorts is less concerned that the neighborhood will lose its history.

Her greater concern is that history won’t be told accurately as the area evolves. Shorts is the program co-chair of the Maroon Arts Group, which runs the MPACC BoxPark on Mount Vernon Avenue, a community arts space anchored by three box containers, including one used as a stage.

A resident of the neighborhood for 15 years, Shorts says city and community leaders need to make sure that current and lifelong residents are included in the planning process. “What I’ve seen in the past is symbolic inclusion,” she says. She points to meetings before Poindexter Village was partially demolished and those residents were moved out of the neighborhood. Some people were still fighting to save it, but the decision to tear it down had already been made, she says.

Lela Boykin, a Near East Side community activist who’s lived on the same street for close to 40 years, says the neighborhood needs to have a sincere and honest conver68

sation about affordable housing and gentrification. “People need to talk with each other and not fight so much,” she says.

Just south of Long Street on 21st Street sits the house that Christian Minor and his wife, Shawna Windle, bought in 2008 for $58,900. On the day they closed, someone broke into the house, ripping out and stealing the staircase. “All the architectural woodwork,” says Minor, who owns a construction company, Capital C Masonry.

Today, Minor believes he and his wife could get $450,000 for their 2,384-squarefoot two-story with three bedrooms and a bath and a half. “We get calls about selling the house all the time. It’s obnoxious,” Minor says.

They’re putting on an addition (“All I’ve done the past year-and-a-half is work on this godforsaken project,” Minor jokes), and have no plans to go anywhere. “We love it,” says Minor, who is white. He says the neighborhood is safe and welcoming. “We found out what a tight community it was,” Minor says.

Many of those original neighbors moved away, he says, replaced by a lot of young professional families. “It’s nice to see the

neighborhood come around,” Minor says.

But, he adds, “I don’t want to see people in this neighborhood driven out.”

Dana Moessner’s family moved to North Monroe Avenue in 1993, a time when his was the only white family between Long Street and Mount Vernon Avenue. His father, an architect, noticed a house on North Monroe and bought it. He loved the neighborhood, and his father predicted it would rebound.

They arrived when the neighborhood was struggling with drugs, crime and poverty.

“In the late ’80s, early ’90s, it bottomed out,” he says. But even then, there was a sense that the neighborhood was special. “You had a lot of younger people, traditional Black families in this neighborhood,” he says. Many of those younger people who inherited their parents’ homes decided to sell. “A very large number of people left,” Moessner says.

White families aren’t the only ones moving in. Terrence and Kimberly Lawrence live with their two young children on North Monroe. They moved from Berwick into what had been a vacant house in late 2019 and have spent the past year fixing it up. The house is close to where Terrence works as a

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recruiter for the Weiler Scholars Program at Columbus State Community College. Kimberly is a lawyer with the Thomas Ingram Law Group, based in the neighborhood.

The Black couple plan to raise their children in the community. “Part of the reason we wanted to move over here, we understand the history, being a historically Black neighborhood,” he says.

But he doesn’t think everyone will embrace that. A year ago, he was working in the garden when a white woman approached him.

“She wanted to move here because of the homes,” he says. “You could tell they have no idea of the history of the neighborhood.

They see brick homes, the size of the homes.

They don’t care what was going on.”

The Bronzeville Bird and Butterfly Sanctuary on Monroe Avenue

Developers say they recognize the importance of neighborhood affordability. But they also stress the importance of “balance.”

Brian Higgins of Arch City Development is building the $15 million apartment development called The Frisbie on East Broad Street at Hamilton Park just east of I-71. He says 75 percent of the units will be affordable to people making 80 to 100 percent of the area median income. Another affordable project in the works is being developed by Woda Cooper Co. By November, the builder plans to open the $17 million, 80-unit Atcheson Place Lofts, a four-story apartment complex financed with low-income housing tax credits and the Housing Development

Assistance Program through the Ohio Housing Finance Agency. Apartments will be available to people making between 30 and 80 percent of the area median income (between $17,100 and $67,350, depending on household size).

“I don’t think people want the neighborhood to stay overwhelmingly low-income,” says Higgins, who also has developments in Franklinton and on the South Side. “There needs to be a balance with middle income, high income, without displacing people.”

Boyce Safford leads Columbus Next Generation, a nonprofit that is helping to redevelop the Long Street corridor with The Adelphi Quarter, a 132-unit apartment complex.

That project is transforming what had been a dead zone along the street with 9,400 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. It will incorporate the façade of the Adelphia Savings & Loan building, as well as include a plaza named after Ann B. Walker, the Black broadcasting pioneer who lives near Franklin Park. “Do you want a lot of vacant buildings and nothing’s happening?” asks Safford, who was Coleman’s development director at one point in his administration. “We’re bringing new stuff in, adding to the neighborhood.”

John Waddy has lived on Hamilton Park since 1991. In 2005, he co-developed with partners the Hamilton Park Place Condominiums, a project at Long Street and Hamilton Park that was one of the first of its kind in the neighborhood. “It was a commitment to the community for people who live here,” Waddy says. “It was an eyesore, a pivotal corner. The very first street into the Black community.

“We want the neighborhood to have all the progress that all the other communities are having,” says Waddy, who is Black.

But that means protecting longtime residents who might be pushed out because of higher property taxes or other reasons as homes are built around them—and as tired houses are renovated. Waddy imagines a scenario in which a new resident who just built a $400,000 house asks why the 80-year-old woman living next door hasn’t done anything to fix up her house. “Don’t let economic racism be a basis for someone to lose their home,” he says. “Their home is as important to them as someone who just built a $400,000 home.”

He suggests banks and community organizations come together and target older homes and buildings in disrepair to give homeowners some financial and other relief to remain in their homes. “I don’t want people to lose their homes because they are not as affluent,” he says. ◆ MAY 2021 Columbus Monthly

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God’s Country While Linden has struggled, its roughly 100 churches have a remained a source of strength.

Can these religious anchors keep the faith amid gun violence, unemployment and another neighborhood turnaround plan?

By Donna Marbury

Hebrews 11 says that faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. Some say the people of Linden have a faith that surpasses understanding. They’ve witnessed the neighborhood’s glory days—the restaurants, dentists, grocery stores, block parties, churches, love and connection—and are awaiting a return to that glory.

Though Linden pride beams from its longtime denizens, violence from both its citizens and the police stains its streets.

Though it’s now a ghost town compared to its vibrant peak, generations of families have stayed rooted to the predominantly Black, working-class neighborhood.

“It was a community where everyone looked just like me,” says De Lena Scales, neighborhood program specialist for the city of Columbus and a South Linden area

commissioner, who grew up in Linden and is still a resident. “That sense of community that we talk about and see in a Bexley or in some of these other communities, I had growing up in Linden.”

Scales was baptized at Travelers’ Rest Baptist Church at 10 and attended vacation Bible school at the church every summer.

Tutoring, basketball and other after-school activities kept her busy growing up, and her family often visited other Linden area churches for services, community sidewalk sales and dinners. “I grew up in that era where there was not an option whether you were going to church. You would get your dress and your stockings together Saturday night, and you were going to be at church sitting in those pews,” Scales says.

Within Linden’s 6 square miles, there are at least 100 churches. These religious institutions have remained remarkably resilient over the past few decades even as

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homeownership has declined, crime and unemployment have increased, and coordinated efforts to improve Linden have stalled. “The church has played a role in helping shape the narrative of Linden, and the pastors are also a reflection of the community,” Scales says.

Through slavery, Jim Crow, the civil rights movement and the continued push for equality, Black churches have served as much more than houses of worship. They are hospitals for those ailing, shelters for those escaping danger and activist training grounds for those tackling injustice. Over the years, Black pastors have often served on the front line in the face of racial conflict, political tumult and community outreach, many putting their lives on the line to call out hate and despair.

Following the example of love by action that Jesus displayed, Black churches have paid rent and provided meals, school supplies, bus passes and gas money for its members. Sometimes, people off the street sleep on the pews, and seemingly every pastor has a story of giving clothes from their backs or shoes from their feet to someone in need.

As revitalization is once again promised through the city’s One Linden Plan, some say it has been a struggle to galvanize Black churches and get Black pastors to be vocal and act when it comes to social justice issues that plague Linden and other Black communities. But Scales sympathizes with pastors who are offering spiritual guidance along with combating systemic racism.

She says these pastors are consoling families who’ve lost people to COVID-19, gun violence and natural causes. “And what about the leadership fatigue they have? Not just the physical capacity but mental capacity to handle the gravity of the Linden community,” Scales says. “It’s easier when you’re pastoring a community in Clintonville or the University District.”

A Civil Rights Textbook The history of faith and the fight for empowerment runs deep in Linden. “Linden is a civil rights textbook, without a doubt,” says Doreen Uhas Sauer, education outreach coordinator for Columbus Landmarks.

The area’s first church, McKendree Methodist Episcopal Church, started in 1832.

Like many churches, meetings and Sunday schools started inside homes. Later, a church was built and is still standing at Cleveland and Huy avenues.

In the mid-1800s, the development of Methodist churches in Clinton Town72

ship, what is now Linden and Clintonville, was closely tied to Underground Railroad sites. Abolitionists assisted Blacks seeking freedom, guiding them from Downtown through the wooded ravines of Clintonville and Linden. The goal was to reach Alum Creek, which Blacks followed to the abolitionist stronghold of Westerville (Africa Road is named for the area’s connections to the abolitionist movement). The Zenus

Jackson House (also called Fort Jackson) on Westerville Road, right outside of the Linden area, was a prominent Underground Railroad site.

By 1925, six churches populated the Linden community, but over the years, ideological differences caused several congregations to split, multiplying houses of worship in the neighborhood. At the same time, the community also started to diversify. “Cleve-

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land Avenue follows a community pattern, which is very common in the United States, of Irish, Italian, then African Americans,” Sauer says, noting that deed restrictions prevented Black people and other minorities from purchasing property and moving to the northern parts of the city. Neighborhood division between North and South Linden began in the 1960s.

Known as the “mayor of Linden,” the late activist Clarence Lumpkin moved to the neighborhood in 1961 as the southern half of the community turned into a haven for Black people. In 1960, the area south of Hudson Avenue was nearly 23 percent Black; by 1970, the Black population was almost 78 percent. The area north of Hudson Avenue remained more than 80 percent white through the 1990s, and is currently more than 60 percent white. “I didn’t move here because I was in love with the area. I didn’t have a choice,” Lumpkin said in a 1994 Columbus Dispatch article.

Black churches began laying down roots in the community to spread the gospel but also to offer tutoring, sports leagues, vacation Bible schools, community meals and support for Black families routinely disconnected from essential services.

One example is the now-closed Northside

Church of God, formed in 1967 at 1790 Cleveland Ave. and led by the late Rev. L’Tanya Lemon. For decades, the church served as a safe haven for runaways, drug users and those who needed food and shelter. Another Linden church, Bethel A.M.E., got its start in the auditorium of Windsor Terrace, a bygone housing project, in the 1960s. Legend has it that in 1967, a parade of 100 cars ushered the growing congregation from Windsor Terrace to its current location at 2021 Cleveland Ave. Kirk Napper, senior pastor of The Elevation Church in Linden, says he has fond memories of being raised in Maynard Avenue Baptist Church, where his father was a deacon and his mother was a deaconess.

“Both of my parents worked full time, and one of the members of Maynard Avenue Baptist Church was my babysitter. I ended up going to Hudson Elementary because that’s where she lived. So, my heart has always been in the Linden area,” Napper says.

While Linden’s Black population grew through the civil rights movement and the Fair Housing Act of 1968, the community also suffered as highway construction isolated Black communities across Columbus.

A growing Black population and the building of Windsor Terrace in South Linden

Clockwise from top left, Life Changing Empowerment Ministries, New Journey Christian Ministries, New Salem Baptist Church, Columbus Family Worship Center

and other federal housing projects contributed to white flight from Columbus inner-city neighborhoods. By the 1980s, South Linden community leaders began advocating for resources to rebuild and strengthen businesses, housing and jobs for the community, which is now nearly 90 percent Black.

Turnaround efforts have continued over the years, with the latest occurring after the 2015 election of Columbus Mayor Andy Ginther, who’s made revitalizing Linden one of the cornerstones of his administration. In 2018, the city released its One Linden Plan, outlining 10 big ideas to stimulate housing, economic development, safety, employment and overall community wellness.

Scales says that many of Linden’s churches helped develop the plan, but she’d like to see a more coordinated engagement with the city. “I think it’s important for the pastor to know the resources that are available for their community and serve as trusted messengers between city officials and their members,” Scales says.

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New Salem Baptist Church leaders were a part of the advisory committee of the One Linden Plan, says Adam Troy, executive director of Community of Caring Development Foundation, the nonprofit economic development arm of New Salem.

Troy says over the past 20 years, the foundation has provided affordable housing to more than 1,000 families through public and private partnerships.

“The One Linden Plan—simply, quite frankly—is the work that the Black church had been doing but not necessarily getting credit for,” Troy says. “We have phenomenal talent and pretty good resources within Linden. We’ve tried to make sure that we either get behind those resources or come alongside those resources to make sure that they can maximize their full potential.”

A Black Church in North Linden A common phrase at Black churches is “turn to your neighbor.” The idea is for parishioners to repeat a friendly phrase to build camaraderie. In the 1980s, the Rev. Keith Troy, the pastor of New Salem Baptist Church and Adam Troy’s brother, used that sentiment to build trust and understanding in the Linden community.

“Our position was that we wanted to be the best neighbor we could be and somehow help transform that community into what we thought God would want it to be,” Rev. Troy says.

With warmth and care, Rev. Troy connects with 5,000 members in Columbus and around the globe seeking refuge under God’s word. After 37 years in North Linden, New Salem is one of the largest, most prominent churches in the city. Rev. Troy is, along with his brothers, seated at Columbus tables where political and business decisions are made.

“I think it’s important to appreciate the background because oftentimes people will look at churches like New Salem through the lens of simply being, not what it took to become,” says Adam Troy.

The Troy brothers grew up in Warren, Ohio, where their father, the Rev. Leon Troy, was a pastor until relocating to Columbus to lead the historic Second Baptist Church on the Near East Side. (Leon Troy also served as a community affairs special assistant for Columbus Mayor Buck Rhinehart.) After graduating from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Keith Troy earned a master’s degree from Colgate Crozer Seminary in Rochester, New York, and a doctorate from the United Theological 74

The Rev. Keith Troy at New Salem Baptist Church

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Seminary in Dayton. At 33, he was named the leader of New Salem Baptist Church, and in 1983, he decided to move his growing, 400-member congregation from 47 N. Champion Ave. in the Near East Side to its current North Linden location.

Troy says he had to navigate community politics, learning the North and South Linden divide and bringing his Black church to a neighborhood that was predominantly white at the time. “I’m not from Columbus, so I did not understand there was some pushback because my people were saying, ‘Why are we going way up north?’ And having lived in Atlanta and New York, I was confused by ‘way up’ because I didn’t think it was that far,” Troy says. “But they were not talking about geography. They were talking about mindset, the difference in how they operate up north versus how we operate in the Near East Side.”

Troy acknowledges that the majority of the church’s congregation lives outside of Linden, but he says they are committed to seeing the neighborhood thrive. “Our whole income is based upon one thing—trust,” Troy says. “We don’t buy and sell goods.

People give us resources because they trust us to meet those needs. And the day they stop is the day we’re no longer relevant.”

A Lost Generation Whether Baptist, Pentecostal, African Methodist Episcopal or nondenominational, each of the churches that line the Linden streets has a different theology and philosophy that defines its place in a community with so many needs. Many say that the number of churches doesn’t necessarily represent an overflowing community of faith—some smaller churches may have split from a larger church and have 10 members. After longstanding pastors passed away, many of Linden’s oldest Black churches dwindled in attendance or closed.

Younger generations are also less likely to lean on churches like their grandparents did. Nearly half of Black people under the age of 40 say they never or rarely attend church, according to a Pew Research Center report released in February 2021. The number of Black people who grew up in church also has declined over the generations.

Nearly 90 percent of Black grandparents, who are now over the age of 75, grew up in a Black church. Today, only 64 percent of young adults and children say they grew up in a Black church.

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New Salem Baptist Church held a citywide revival in the church parking lot in March. The event featured a community dinner along with giveaways and resource information.

membership, many Black churches have moved from being spirit-focused to business-focused, Scales says. “They are figuring out what to do to keep the doors open,” Scales says.

Staying relevant may also require a more aggressive stance against racism, as well as less formal outreach methods.

Linden native Sherwin Armistead, pastor of True Love Ministries, says his North Linden congregation adheres to Black liberation theology, a philosophy rooted in the civil rights movement that views the world through the lens of racial oppression. Armistead and the church deacons walk the streets of Linden in sweatsuits and Timberland boots. “I even stopped some of the police officers and told them, ‘I’m the pastor of that church on Minnesota Avenue. We’re not gang members,’” 76

Armistead says. “We walk the streets with no Bible in our hands, because the word is hidden in our hearts.”

In the last five years, Franklin County has had one of the highest rates in the country of fatal shootings by police, and Black men are killed the most, according to the Ohio Alliance for Innovation in Population Health. Armistead says his goal is to empower Black people with self-love and spirituality but also with tools to be self-sufficient in a city riddled with systemic hurdles.

“I was once a young Black male. I have a Black son, and I know we are endangered species,” Armistead says. “My job is to protect them at all costs, educate them. So, they’ll know what to do when they get into situations where they do not know what to do.”

A Response to the Times Paisha Thomas attended several churches in Linden when she relocated from Piqua to Columbus in 2000. Coming from a Pentecostal background, she found it hard to maintain her interest in upholding church protocols in an evolving world. “I went to Grace Apostolic Church when I first got here, and they wouldn’t let women wear pants, and it was the year 2000,” says Thomas, who works with Say It Loud Columbus, an interfaith social justice organization that works in tandem with Faith in Public Life Ohio.

Thomas says that Black church leaders should be on the front lines of protests when Black men and boys continue to be victims of gun violence. Though many Black pastors are vocal when gun violence occurs, she says a more coordinated effort to yield that influence politically could change Columbus. “When it comes to justice, the powers that be respond to religious people. If you know that’s the point of power, then it’s wise to harness it for justice,” Thomas says.

Coming up in churches where singing, praising and shouting would override answering today’s tough questions on society caused a lot of young Black people to disconnect from the church, says the Rev. Vince Ford, senior pastor of the Church of Christ at Genessee Avenue, who moved to Columbus from Phoenix in 2019. “The emotionalism and the style in the Black church overshadowed content for a while,” Ford says. “A young Black man who’s proud to be Black but is still struggling with identity is going to struggle in the church because he can’t get answers to the questions he has.”

When he arrived in Columbus, Ford says he joined community outreach efforts, including the Concerned Clergy of Linden.

Ford taught his congregation the interconnections between faith and social justice for at least three months as civil unrest roused in Columbus during 2020. He says the church has a social justice ministry and a pastor who works directly on civil rights issues affecting the Linden community.

“We can’t be silent. As preachers, we have to spend time teaching our congregations what justice and righteousness is,” Ford says. “And also spend time explaining to other folks who don’t hold the Black community in the highest regard that private morality isn’t an indication of righteousness. We were expected to be advocates for one another: ‘love thy neighbor as thyself,’

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“

We walk the

streets with no

Bible in our hands, because the word is hidden in our hearts.

Sherwin Armistead, pastor of North Linden’s True Love Ministries

which means that I’m going to advocate for you because I love me.”

The Rev. Taelor Gray, pastor of Linden Life Ministries, preaches to a congregation that is mixed with Black and white members. He says that the church is constantly navigating cultural, social and political differences through the lens of God’s word, but he stresses to the congregation that its Linden location makes outreach a priority.

“This is not just a church that exists to be one size fits all. We’re in Linden,” says Gray, who made the tough choice to open the church back up in June 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic to address the immediate needs of the community and his congregation. “There were significant mental health issues that people go through when they have to be confined to their homes. It has to do with the decisions that were made at the beginning of the pandemic where the city took away the rims on the basketball court and the courts in Linden. These young folks have nowhere else to direct their energy, except towards one another.”

Gray is also a hip-hop artist who uses music and social media to bring awareness to social justice issues. Since Casey Goodson was killed by a police officer in the neighborhood just north of Linden in December 2020, Gray hasn’t cut his hair. When people ask him about his appearance, it gives him a chance to discuss justice issues.

The obstacles are huge in Linden. And faith without the work won’t save the neighborhood. Yet even amid violence and unemployment, Linden pride remains— and its churches are a main source of this hope. “In a lot of cities when the churches start to move, then we got problems,” Ford says. “It’s imperative that we galvanize the influence that we have right now and don’t lose faith.” ◆ MAY 2021 Columbus Monthly

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Brianna Rhodes

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Photos by Tim Johnson

Year of

Discovery How Black Columbus artists are responding to a time of crisis Interviews by Dave Ghose

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Brianna Rhodes Poet and dancer The 2019 Ohio State University graduate spent the past year stretching herself as an independent artist. A dancer all her life, the Dayton native discovered her voice as a poet amid the 2020 racial justice protests.

On mixing poetry and dance: In the aftermath of George Floyd’s killing, Rhodes was stuck as an artist. She felt the emotion and pain of the moment, but she was unable to express herself in dance until she started to write down her feelings. “The words just started coming to my mind, and I started to dance, and I was realizing that they really exist together.

The words are just the verbal manifestation of my physical being. I felt like dancing just wasn’t enough. So, once I got the words out, it opened the floodgates, and then I was able to move again.”

On finding a new audience: Rhodes worked with the Maroon Arts Group to put together a video, titled “Color(less),” that features her dancing to a poem about racial inequality.

“Ever since I put out ‘Color(less),’ I’ve had about four or five opportunities to either redo that, expand upon it or be brought back as a spoken word artist. I’m kind of baffled by it because it’s one of those things that was a hobby that actually became a part of you.”

On the joys of independence: For a dancer, the typical career goal is to get a job with a company. But a year of upheaval is leading Rhodes down a different path. She now wants to focus on freelance art, which provides her with more freedom to follow her muse. “If I’m with a company, then I’m waiting for someone to tell me when to go. When I’m by myself, then I can just go.”

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Lalese Stamps Ceramicist The founder of Lolly Lolly Ceramics made a difficult choice in 2020. As her side hustle took off after a surge in demand for products from Black-owned businesses, the 2017 Columbus College of Art & Design graduate decided to abandon her full-time job as a graphic designer to concentrate on her budding business.

On growth amid the protests: “That’s exactly when my business literally went from zero to 100, and I think the reason for it is because people were wanting to support Black-owned businesses.”

She acknowledges mixed feelings about

this initial surge, when she was picking up 10,000 Instagram followers a day. “I remember just thinking, ‘Wow, I don’t even care about ceramics right now.’ I’m literally out here in the streets every day. I’m dirty. I’m tired. I’m still working full time.

It definitely felt performative for a while. I felt like it wasn’t my work that people were following me for. It was for this whole ‘support Black’ kind of thing.”

On what changed her mind: “I was still gaining a lot of followers and still getting a lot of attention well after the fact. Even today, I get hundreds of new followers a

day. It made me realize it isn’t just because I’m Black. It is because of the work I’m actually making.”

On going full time: What started out as a side hustle to raise money for a 2017 study abroad program is now Stamps’ full-time gig. “There’s always that conundrum of being a creative and how do you adjust to being a business owner. But I actually really like being a business owner. I think I almost like it more. I think it’s interesting to be in a position where you can build a brand and make it what you need it to be or want it to be.”

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April Sunami Painter The pandemic started off rough for the mixed-media artist, with the cancellation of a gallery show at the King Arts Complex in March and a period of creative torpor. Then came the George Floyd protests, and everything changed.

On her initial rut: “I’ve always been a person who prides herself on having a daily, regular, art-making practice, just as normal as eating toast or breathing and drinking coffee. All of that stopped. And here I am just eating chips and watching Netflix and, poof, there goes all of my inspiration, my artistic practice.”

On moving outdoors: Painting murals helped Sunami regain her creativity. She painted several pieces outdoors during and after the racial justice protests, including murals on the barricades in Downtown Columbus, in Clintonville and in Milo-Grogan (a large piece on two walls featuring two Black women with flowing, multicolored hair). “For me as an artist, I felt like this is how I protest. This is how I speak. This is how I express.

This is how I pray. This is how I operate. This is how I walk in the world.

And this is how I say what I need to say about this moment.”

On the Power Series: Sunami is now working in her studio on several related paintings. They’re all part of what she calls her Power Series, with each featuring empowering images of women. The inspiration for the series really began with a painting Sunami did of her daughter. The painting includes a subdued black and gold background, as well as Swarovski crystals and a collage of 19th century images of the female warriors of Dahomey, a precolonial African kingdom. “It’s something I’ve projected onto my daughter, having that warrior spirit in her. I carry that same aesthetic in the Power Series. ”

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Tariq Tarey Photographer From the moment he first picked up a camera in 2002, the Somali portrait photographer has focused on documenting the experiences of his fellow refugees. Now, he’s thinking about a different kind of project, one that would bridge the divide between Africans and African Americans in Columbus.

On the pandemic’s impact on his work: “I couldn’t travel. I couldn’t photograph people. I’m a very intimate photographer.

I touch people’s faces. I move them, for my photographs. It’s insane not to touch people 84

and not to talk to them and have to wear a mask. That really put a huge dent in my artistic ability to do documentary work.”

On the African immigrant mindset: “When we come here, we are so focused on jobs, raising our families, moving to the suburbs. We just want to fit in, and we just want to do what America wants us to do.

We ignore engaging with people who look like us, who are descendants of slaves.”

On his outreach idea: Inspired by the racial justice protests, Tarey wants to help

his fellow Africans in Columbus better understand the African American experience. He envisions a project that would bring the two groups together, with photographs of “individuals who otherwise would never speak to each other.” The exhibition would also include focus groups and dialogue. “That is the direction I want to head: Engage both communities and bring a true conversation, a conversation where there is no white person involved, just an African American and African immigrant having a conversation and understanding one another.”

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Omar Shaheed Sculptor A double whammy hit Shaheed about a year ago. Just before the pandemic lockdown disrupted the arts world, the 73-year-old sculptor was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

He’s just now beginning to explore how he can continue his work despite his illness.

On his love of stone: Shaheed has been a sculptor for nearly 35 years, primarily working in limestone. He’s crafted pieces as big as 10 by 4 feet—demanding work that has taken a toll on his body. He once fell off a ladder and broke his leg. “It’s extremely challenging, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Stone is unforgiving. It makes you work for it.”

On Parkinson’s: Shaheed was diagnosed after his wife, Deborah, insisted he see a doctor when he kept falling down steps. Following a year of pandemic isolation and reflection on his Parkinson’s diagnosis, Shaheed is starting to explore his next artistic journey.

Though he’s always worked alone, he’s now considering putting together a team to create an 8-foot-tall stone sculpture he’s calling Images Gone By for a Central Ohio park.

He’s also been doing some sketching and may do some work in clay, wood or smaller pieces of stone. “Who knows? Maybe something good will come out of this.”

On why he needs to keep creating: “I don’t have a choice. That’s all I know. That’s all I can do. There’s nothing else I can do or want to do. I’m 73. I’ve lived a great life. I’ve been all over the world. But I’m not quitting. I’m taking another avenue.”

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By Suzanne Goldsmith

Let’s Talk About

Race Columbus’ suburban school districts—some diverse, some not so much—are finally grappling with what it means to be inclusive.

photo: tiim johnson

When Sophia Baker was in middle school, she was stopped by a police officer while riding her bike on the Bexley street where she lives.

She was headed to an after-school sports practice. The officer, she recalls, said her bike “fit the description” of a stolen bicycle. Or maybe she “fit the description.” Baker was young and flustered by the stop, and doesn’t quite remember what the officer told her. He eventually let her go on her way, and even after confirming with her white teammates that police didn’t pull over any of them on their bikes that day, she put the incident out of her mind. So much so that she didn’t tell her parents, although her father, Jonathan Baker, was a founder of the Bexley Minority Parents’ Alliance.

It wasn’t until last summer, five years later, after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, after the protests against police misconduct that took place across the country in June, and after Bexley students started their own antiracism initiative, that Sophia, now a student at Ohio State, told her parents what had happened that day. She finally allowed herself to wonder if the police officer racially profiled her.

The incident, and Sophia’s desire to tuck it away and forget it, is indicative of the subtle dynamics of race in a mostly-white, affluent suburb like Bexley, where a Black student is

Sophia Baker

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often the only person of color in a classroom, where acceptance is prized and where a feeling of exceptionalism can make it difficult for residents to acknowledge a problem. Last summer, at a teach-in sponsored by the studentled Bexley Anti-Racism Project at Wolfe Park, a rapt audience of neighbors listened as Black students and alumni took the mic to describe uncomfortable and seemingly hard-to-justify encounters with local police. An organizer shared the group’s finding that while the city was 7 percent Black, 58 percent of drivers issued traffic citations in the city limits were Black.

Later in the summer, when an article in Columbus Alive described bullying and racial taunts a Bexley boy had endured from a group of his peers both on Snapchat and in person, the headline was “Bursting the Bexley Bubble.”

“It’s opened a lot of people’s eyes who thought Bexley was so liberal and open-minded to the fact that maybe we’re not as open-minded and supportive as we think we are,” the boy’s mother told Alive.

That awakening is not happening only in Bexley. Throughout the past year, suburbs across Franklin County have been having uncomfortable discussions about diversity, equity and inclusion. And with newly vocal young people of all ethnicities calling for change, suburban school districts have been at

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the forefront of the debate, addressing the issue more explicitly and in a more focused manner than ever before. From places that resemble Bexley, where the percentage of students who self-identify as Black has remained at just over 6 percent since 2005, to rapidly-changing Reynoldsburg, where white students are now in the minority, students, parents and school staff have struggled to figure out how to create a welcoming and inclusive environment. Districts are reviewing curriculum from an equity perspective, looking at data to evaluate whether implicit bias is affecting outcomes for Black and minority students, seeking out strategies to diversify their teaching staff, and engaging faculty in diversity, equity and inclusion training.

“Across the county, I think schools are starting to do better and to be better,” says Steve Shapiro, the Bexley City Schools’ coordinator of experiential learning. Over the past school year in Bexley, he says, “Almost any time we’re not talking about COVID, we’re talking about race and equity and how to be better.”

But the conversations are hard, and often messy, and answers can seem elusive.

Born in a Bhutanese refugee camp in Nepal, Dipisha Kc immigrated with her mother to Texas in 2009. They lived in a “not-so-nice” neighborhood outside Dallas, but Kc attended a charter school with students who were mostly white and betteroff and who did not understand her history.

She found the code-switching exhausting. “I was trying to be American, but I’m also not 88

American, and it was a weird balance,” she says.

Kc and her mother, who owns a boutique specializing in Nepali and South Asian clothing, moved to Reynoldsburg in 2016, attracted by the suburb’s growing Nepali community. “Now I was surrounded by people who had shared experiences like me, and who I can talk to in my native language, which is a whole different type of thrill,” she says. “I finally got to be friends with people who understood where I was coming from and who understood the struggles of not always fitting in.”

Kc says the diversity in her school made her feel comfortable claiming her Nepali identity and speaking up about issues in the school. She’s organized cultural celebrations. Addressed the school board. And then, last summer, after spending a night weeping over the video of George Floyd’s death beneath the knee of a Minneapolis police officer, she decided to organize a Black Lives Matter event. She posted a flyer on Facebook at 2 a.m. She was stunned by the response.

“What I expected to be like me and my three friends marching angrily down Main Street turned into over 200 people.”

That response is perhaps not surprising to anyone who has tracked the recent transformation in Reynoldsburg. While Bexley is landlocked, with high home values and little room for growth, Reynoldsburg’s population has increased 20 percent in the past two decades, in part as a result of new development. As the student body has expanded,

the proportion of nonwhite students has increased rapidly. While in 2005, the school population was 64 percent white, today it is 31 percent white. Black students are at nearly 38 percent, with other groups growing rapidly as well, including immigrants.

Superintendent Melvin Brown says there are 33 languages spoken in the district.

Reynoldsburg is also changing economically. “If you went back about 10 or 12 years, we were probably 22, 23 percent free and reduced lunch. We’re pushing 65 percent now,” Brown says.

Brown, who is African American and who joined the district in 2017, thinks the demographic change took Reynoldsburg by surprise. In 2019, the city’s voters elected three Black women and a Bhutanese man to the eight-member city council. “Prior to that, many people in the district didn’t realize that we were as diverse as we are,” Brown says.

But while the students are strikingly diverse, the teachers are still largely white.

Schyvonne Ross, an assistant principal at Reynoldsburg’s STEM middle school, recalls that when she was teaching high school English in Reynoldsburg just a few years ago, she was the only Black teacher in her academy. Minority students flocked to her classroom at lunchtime; some told her she was the first Black teacher they ever

photos: Courtesy Schyvonne Ross

Above, the door to a Reynoldsburg classroom, welcoming students in different languages; right, Students perform in an African American cultural celebration at Reynoldsburg High School’s Livingston campus in 2019.

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More Diverse Districts State data shows how some Columbus suburban school districts are changing, by percentages.

White

Black

Multiracial

Asian

Hispanic

Bexley 2005–06

90.2%

2019–20

6.5

81.1%

6.7 6.3

2005–06

77.8%

3 3.7

59.7%

5.2 6.2

12.5

2005–06

3.6

2019–20

21.1

2005–06

14.9

57.8%

3.9

27.4

3.3 1.8

90.2%

4.3

2005–06 2019–20

2.5

1.5 1.3

Hilliard 82.6%

5.6 3.3 5 8.7 3.7 6.7

71.2%

2019–20

3.3

9.4

5.3 3 6.9 9

8.7

11.7

Olentangy Local

2019–20

2005–06

10.9

11.3

86.7% 70.4%

4 4.3 6

14.9

1.6

4.5

15.8

6.2

1

91.1%

6.4 0.7

83.4%

6.3 6.1 1

72% 53.4%

25.4

3.2

2.2

18

5.4 9

2.3

4.7 7.4 1.4

56.9%

27.2

2019–20

43.3

2005–06 2019–20

5.9

9.6

81% 67.9%

8.4

23.8 0.6

22.4%

4.3 1.5

6.6

17.5

0.8

2005–06

2005–06

2

2.8

Worthington

3.9

8.6

11.8

57.6%

2019–20

2.4

1.7

77.6%

2005–06

2019–20

3.3

2005-06

37.7

6.2

Whitehall

83.2% 65.9%

25.4

Westerville

New Albany-Plain Local 2005–06

63.9%

Upper Arlingon

93.8%

2019–20

2005–06

2019–20

2.1

2005–06

1.9

31.4%

1.5

1.6

7.3 4.5 5.8

27

South-Western City Schools

5.5 6.5

Grandview Heights

55.1%

2019–20

7.7 2.9

76.7%

2.8 4.3

15.4

75.8%

Reynoldsburg 2.8

Gahanna-Jefferson

2019–20

1

2.2

Dublin

2019–20

Pickerington

0.9 1.4

2.6 6.4

9.1

8.8 4.8

6.8

2.9

9.2

photos: Courtesy Schyvonne Ross

Source: Ohio Department of Education

had in 12 years in the district. They asked her to teach them some Black history, and lunch periods gradually became “lunch and learn” sessions. In 2017, she began teaching the district’s first African American literature class. The course was popular enough to fill two classrooms.

In her new role as assistant principal, Ross has been part of a team that over the past year put together a series of districtwide professional development programs focused on increasing awareness of implicit bias and a range of other topics related to diversity, equity and inclusion. She’s also part of a task force that is conducting a

thorough equity audit of the district’s curriculum, policies and practices.

“I’m extremely proud of the work that we’re doing,” Ross says. “We’re recognizing where we need to make changes, and I think that is the biggest part—just that recognizing and admitting. Our district and our leadership is committed to the work.”

Kc says that she feels warmly embraced by the Reynoldsburg community. The success of the Black Lives Matter march was exhilarating, with teachers, city leaders and police all helping make the event both peaceful and participatory. She followed up by joining the effort—passed by voters last

fall—to create a civilian police review board in Reynoldsburg.

But speaking up and getting active has also brought her awareness of division within the community. After announcing the march, she received dozens of angry Facebook messages and texts, some of them “borderline scary.” And shortly after she announced the event, a Blue Lives Matter march was announced in Reynoldsburg.

“For a second I was just in my little bubble of my world where I’m like, ‘Yeah, this entire community supports us,’ and then we had the Blue Lives Matter march,” she reflects. continued on Page 125

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Pink Moments

The capital city is home to the largest Race for the Cure® in the country, drawing more than 20,000 walkers and runners to the Downtown 5K event in an average, non-pandemic year. In addition to raising awareness about researching, treating and curing breast cancer, it also raises funds: 100 percent of the race’s net proceeds—more than $1 million in 2020 alone—go back to Komen Columbus and the Susan G. Komen program. Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in Komen’s first-ever virtual Race for the Cure, which returns on May 15, 2021, to ensure the safety of all participants.

Visit komencolumbus.org for more information and to register for this year’s virtual event, and read on to meet four individuals who are involved with the Columbus race and learn why they dedicate their time, talent and treasure.

Stories as told to Emma Frankart Henterly Photos by Tim Johnson

photo: thinkstock

Brought to you by

MAY 2021 Columbus Monthly

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special advertising section VITALS: Karen was diagnosed with an aggressive Stage III breast cancer in February 2020; despite chemotherapy, a mastectomy and radiation, the cancer advanced to Stage IV and metastasized to her brain in late 2020. A January surgery removed her brain tumor, and she continues to take oral chemotherapy.

WHY KAREN RACES: I never had a family history of breast cancer, but I always scheduled my mammogram to be six months after my annual OB/ GYN visit; that way, I was getting a breast check every six months. My exam in July 2019 was fine, but in January 2020, I noticed a lump. I decided to wait until my scheduled mammogram in February. That was on a Tuesday; by that Friday, we knew I had triple-negative breast cancer, which is the most aggressive form.

I’ve had coworkers and friends with cancer, and I’ve always supported them by donating to Komen.

The organization has really helped me connect with a community and to help others who have received diagnoses. I have always prided myself on being a cheerleader, an encourager. So if I can help somebody, I want to.

Cancer presents so many challenges, so many hurdles. But luckily, we’re pretty good jumpers.

KAREN and RICH GANDARILLAS BIOS: Both have careers with Nationwide Insurance; Rich is retired and stays active with hobbies and being available as a caregiver for Karen. They have been married 10 years; both have children and grandchildren from previous relationships.

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WHY RICH RACES: I had contributed to Komen in the past, but my participation became more intentional when Karen started her breast cancer journey. We’ve set a goal to raise $2,500 for this year’s virtual race.

No one volunteers for these kinds of life changes. We know now that our journey will continue for the rest of Karen’s life. We will count on modern medicine to keep our journey free of cancer while we enjoy all the plans we have and the treasures life brings.

Karen did not ask to be a cancer patient. I did not volunteer to be a caregiver. However, we have been accepted into this unique family. Now we have a greater sensitivity when listening to others’ cancer journeys, and we have a greater responsibility to educate others. We will give. And we will encourage others to give.

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special advertising section VITALS: Darlene is a 20-year survivor; she elected to have her breast removed after a lumpectomy and chemotherapy for Stage II breast cancer. She and Kelli met at church, where Darlene is vocal about her journey. Their team has raised nearly $100,000 in the last 10 years alone.

WHY DARLENE RACES: My aunt had breast cancer and growing up I saw the ugly side of it. I was always fearful because I had cysts. In my 40s, I felt a lump; the mammogram didn’t pick it up, and the doctor told me not to worry. I didn’t like that, so I had them remove the lump and it turned out to be cancer. If I hadn’t been persistent, I would be dead.

Nobody in the African American community talks about breast cancer. But when I was diagnosed, I knew I needed people praying for me. My pastor called me down before my second surgery and asked if there were any breast cancer survivors in the church. Women came out from everywhere—I was so irritated, because here I was dealing with this by myself. Right then I said, this’ll never happen to another woman. Now, women call me all the time, people I don’t even know, and I’ll listen and support them.

Komen Columbus helps so much, too; it’s almost impossible to go through breast cancer without receiving some kind of support from Komen. Race for the Cure is especially inspiring. It shows that breast cancer is not a death sentence.

It’s so important to talk about breast cancer. People think, “If I don’t know about it, it’ll be alright.”

No. If you don’t know, you’ll die.

DARLENE MATTHEWS and KELLI MOORE-BLACKWELL BIOS: Darlene (seated) of Berwick is a hair stylist, owns the Beauty All Over salon and is a cosmetologist at a funeral home; she has one adult daughter. Kelli of Columbus is a publications editor for the Ohio Emergency Management Agency; she has two adult daughters and is about to become a first-time grandmother.

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WHY KELLI RACES: Darlene brought it to our attention. This is real; this impacts us. That’s one thing I love about her; she’ll tell you like it is, and she’ll tell you what you need to do so that you don’t go through what she went through. I wanted to do my part to help her as much as I could. I’m tired of cancer winning. It’s an honor and it’s humbling to be part of Race for the Cure and to know that the dollars you raise are helping to save lives.

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Advancing Online

By Peter Tonguette

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illustration: getty images

Local higher education institutions have emphasized virtual learning for years to support adult students pursuing advanced degrees.

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During the coronavirus pandemic, many colleges and universities have pivoted to online or hybrid models, but several Central Ohio institutions of higher learning have barely had to break a sweat over the transition.

To help adult students pursue advanced degrees, Franklin University, the Mount Carmel College of Nursing and Indiana Wesleyan University’s Columbus Ohio Education and Conference Center each are longtime players in virtual education. Online learning is one of several strategies the schools use to ease the burden on students seeking to balance their education with full- or part-time jobs, family obligations and other responsibilities.

We spoke with leaders at each institution about the various resources available—including flexible in-person experiences and tuition discounts—to help adults return to school.

photo: getty images

illustration: getty images

Franklin University Leaders at Franklin University aren’t shy about touting their home institution.

“Franklin is really a pioneer in online education, especially in Central Ohio,” says Sara Burris, the associate director of graduate admissions at the 119-year-old university geared toward serving adult students. “We have years and years of experience with this.”

Franklin offers 20 master’s programs encompassing everything from computer science to criminal justice and doctoral degrees in business administration, organizational leadership, health care administration and instructional design leadership.

To help make graduation attainable to its adult clientele, the school boasts a vigorous online component that dates back to long before the pandemic—so vigorous, in fact, that students are enrolled across the nation and around the world.

“There’s high flexibility with online learning, and you don’t have to go sit in the classroom,” Burris says. “If there are recorded lectures, students can go back and watch those recorded lectures.”

At present, each of the doctoral programs are administered online only, while some popular master’s programs, such as business administration, include in-person options engineered for those with busy schedules. “If students feel they need that classroom experience, we do have evening classes that run one night per week from 6 p.m. to 9:40 p.m.— when COVID is not happening,” Burris says.

With an average age for master’s students around 30 and doctoral students around 35, Franklin’s graduate programs cater to those who are seeking to advance their career prospects, whether through a promotion in

their existing job or a complete change in their profession. Burris points to the example of someone who might have earned a businessoriented bachelor’s degree but now finds themself working in human resources.

“Maybe they want to tack on an HR master’s degree to really hone those skills,” Burris says. “We feel that a master’s degree is kind of the new bachelor’s degree.”

Doctoral students are usually seeking to become an expert in their chosen field. “They want to do this for personal satisfaction,” Burris says. “They’ve always just wanted a terminal degree, or they want to teach for a university.”

Alert to the unique financial needs of students juggling academics and careers, Franklin offers scholarships up to $5,000 for master’s students and $9,000 for doctoral students. A tuition freeze remains in effect, and application fees at the master’s and doctoral level have been eliminated. The school also works with employers that have tuition reimbursement policies. “The student can pay us after the employer pays them,” Burris says. “We offset their tuition until they get that check, and then they can pay us.”

Many faculty members are in the same boat as students, with one foot in school and the other in “the real world,” as Franklin hires its professors based on their actual experience in a given field. “If you’ve done research your whole life, you’re not going to be a fit at Franklin,” Burris says. “A lot of our projects and curriculum content goes directly to what is involved in industry experience.”

Indiana Wesleyan University At its main campus in Marion, Indiana, Indi-

ana Wesleyan University operates as a traditional university. But, thanks to a series of education centers in its home state as well as nearby Ohio and Kentucky, the institution has considerable contact with adults seeking advanced degrees.

Offering master’s programs in 10 fields, ranging from business to nursing to religious and theological studies, IWU’s Columbus Ohio Education and Conference Center is located in Hilliard. These days, however, the facility itself functions more as a resource for students than a destination, according to Gregory Bond, the associate vice president of adult enrollment.

“Columbus is one of our larger centers that we have for on-site courses,” says Bond, adding that many of its master’s programs are online-only.

Yet there are advantages to pursuing a virtual education at an institution that retains a physical presence in a student’s area, including, in the case of Indiana Wesleyan, access to its library services. Plus, studies show that students embrace the arrangement.

“Research shows that 6 out of 10 [students] select an online institution in which they live within 50 miles of the facility,” Bond says. “Even though it’s online modality, having that presence there in the community does drive an increased enrollment.”

The school has expertise in managing adult students’ career responsibilities with their educational commitments; students take just a single six-to-eight-week class per term.

Bond, in his late 40s, is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in business administration, one of four online doctoral programs alongMAY 2021 Columbus Monthly

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side education, organizational leadership and nurse practitioner.

“The program is very conducive to the working professional,” says Bond, whose own program features synchronous elements—that is, Zoom-meeting style classes with live interaction with faculty—as well as “asynchronous” elements wherein work is completed and submitted independently on students’ time.

“The good thing about the DBA program is it’s a blend of both,” Bond says. “Typically we have weekly Zoom meetings with the instructor, about an hour long, to talk about the research, ask your questions, get feedback. Then the asynchronous component is … doing your work on your own.”

For programs that feature in-person components, sessions take place one day per week in the evening, usually around 6 p.m., and are designed with predictability in mind.

“We like to keep that day locked in for the duration of their program,” Bond says. “If it’s a Wednesday evening, we like to say, with a 95 percent accuracy, we’re going to have this same evening throughout their program, so that they can know what to expect and their employer will know what to expect.”

Leaders recognize that costs can drive students’ decisions, making Indiana Wesleyan’s relationships with local businesses especially appealing. “We have hundreds of partnerships where we are able to provide a discount for our students,” Bond says, referring to tuition discounts for individuals working for a particular employer who wish to further their education. Other financial aid opportunities, including scholarships, are available.

Mount Carmel College of Nursing At Mount Carmel College of Nursing, educators are accustomed to saying goodbye to graduating students—but only for a short while.

Upon earning a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from the college, which is affiliated with Mount Carmel Health System, some 68 percent of students say they intend to return for graduate-level education, according to Jami Nininger, the associate dean of academic affairs.

“It’s pretty common that they will go out into the workforce and then return,” Nininger says. “We have students who come back immediately—they pursue right after they finish their bachelor’s degree—[and] others feel there’s benefit in getting some realworld experience before they come back for advanced-degree options.”

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Mount Carmel offers a trio of master’s degree programs, each of which can be completed in 18 months: adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner, family nurse practitioner and nursing leadership-clinical operations. Online learning is blended with face-to-face instruction, including immersive experiences that, during the pandemic, have been reimagined to take place in concentrated periods, rather than spread out over time, to minimize the number of times students must travel to campus.

“Those types of experiences are when we’ll bring students on campus to really give deliberate practice to skills that they may not have gotten in their prior programming,” Nininger says. “We’re really helping get those higher-level competencies for those learners, but instead of short bursts, it’s an all-day-long, or a couple-day-long, type of classroom, clinical, lab and simulation types of experiences.”

Helping students balance their work, family and educational responsibilities is a top priority.

“We’ve done a lot of intentionality to make sure that there is balance,” she says.

“Students may take three classes in a given semester, but they’re never taking more than two classes at once.”

The college offers a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, which can also be earned in 18 months. “It has three specialty areas: We have academic leadership, clinical practice and health care executive,” Nininger says.

“It’s 100 percent online.”

Scholarships and tuition reimbursement programs with health care agency partners (including Mount Carmel Health System) are available.

“There continues to be strong interest in nursing,” Nininger says. “Even though we were innovative before [the pandemic], it challenged us to look at ways that we can continue to evolve in our innovation.”

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Graduate’s Guide An overview of the graduate and doctoral programs available in Central Ohio; tuition rates are in-state for the 2021–22 academic year and do not include room and board or fees, unless otherwise noted.

Compiled by Marlie Griffith

Ashland University Columbus Center

Capital University

1900 E. Dublin-Granville Road, Columbus; 614-794-0803; ashland.edu Status: Private Religious affiliation: Brethren Church Advanced degrees offered: Master’s degrees in arts in American history, business administration, education, fine arts, health risk communications and science in applied exercise science; doctoral degrees in leadership studies and nurse practice Program length: One to five years Tuition: All-inclusive tuition, one-year international MBA and online accelerated programs, $33,900; all other MBA programs, $860/ credit hour; master of education, $570/credit hour; executive doctorate in leadership studies, $965/credit hour; DNP, $695–$710/credit hour Accreditation: Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs

1 College and Main, Columbus; 614-2366011; capital.edu Capital University Law School, 303 E. Broad St., Columbus; 614-2366500; law.capital.edu Trinity Lutheran Seminary at Capital University, 2199 E. Main St., Columbus; 614-2366856; capital.edu/trinity Status: Private Religious affiliation: Lutheran Advanced degrees offered: Main campus: master’s degrees in education, music education, business administration and nursing; doctorate of nursing practice; CULS: master’s degrees in taxation and legal studies; juris doctorate; TLS: master’s degrees in divinity, theological studies, youth and family ministry and sacred theology Program length: Varies

Tuition: Master’s programs (including Trinity Lutheran Seminary), $624–$676/credit hour; doctoral programs, $950–$1,367/credit hour Accreditation: Capital University, Higher Learning Commission; Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada

Columbus College of Art & Design 60 Cleveland Ave., Columbus; 614-2249101; ccad.edu Status: Private Religious affiliation: None Advanced degrees offered: Master of Fine Arts in visual art; forthcoming Master of Professional Studies in retail design (pending accreditation; expected to launch January 2022) Program length: MFA, two years full-time; MPS, one year full-time or two years part-time

Tomorrow you LEAD. Ready to take your career to the next level?

Look into Mount Carmel College of Nursing’s online graduate and DNP programs, today. They can get you to where you want to be tomorrow.

photo: getty images

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Learn more about all of our graduate programs at www.mccn.edu/academics, or call 614.234.1085.

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Tuition: MFA, $36,500/year; MPS, $25,000/ year full-time or $12,500/year part-time Accreditation: MFA, The National Association of Schools of Art and Design, The Higher Learning Commission; MPS, The National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Ohio Department of Higher Education, The Higher Learning Commission (pending)

seling ministries, practical theology, social justice; doctor of ministry Program length: Two to three years (master’s programs); four years (doctorate) Tuition: Master’s programs, $885/credit hour; doctorate, $19,500 if completed in four years Accreditation: Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada

Franklin University 201 S. Grant Ave., Columbus; 614-7974700; franklin.edu Status: Private Religious affiliation: None Advanced degrees offered: Master’s degrees in accounting, business analytics, business psychology, computer science, criminal justice administration, cybersecurity, data analytics, health informatics, health care administration, human resource management, informational technology, instructional design and learning technology, marketing and communication, nursing (including MSNFNP), public administration, business administration; doctorates in business administration, organizational leadership, health care administration, instructional design leadership Program length: 14–20 months (master’s programs) Tuition: Master’s programs, $670/credit hour; doctoral programs, $748/credit hour Accreditation: The Higher Learning Commission

Indiana Wesleyan University Columbus Education Center 3455 Mill Run Drive, Ste. 550, Hilliard; 614-529-7550; indwes.edu Status: Private Religious affiliation: Evangelical Christian Advanced degrees offered: Nearly 40 master’s programs in dozens of subjects, including business, education, religion, nursing, hard and soft sciences, and more; doctoral degrees in business, education, health sciences, organizational leadership and nursing Program length: Typically two to three years Tuition: $470–$617/credit hour Accreditation: The Higher Learning Commission, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Methodist Theological School in Ohio 3081 Columbus Pike, Delaware; 740-3631146; mtso.edu Status: Private Religious affiliation: United Methodist Church Advanced degrees offered: Master’s degrees in divinity, theological studies, coun-

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Mount Carmel College of Nursing 127 S. Davis Ave., Columbus; 614-2344266; mccn.edu Religious affiliation: Catholic Advanced degrees offered: Master of Science degree program options: adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner, family nurse practitioner, nursing leadership-clinical operations, psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner; Doctor of Nursing Practice with three track options: leader in clinical practice, executive leader, executive academic leadership Program length: 18 months Tuition: Master’s programs, $582/credit hour; doctoral programs, $722/credit hour Accreditation: The Higher Learning Commission

Ohio Christian University 1476 Lancaster Pike, Circleville; additional locations in Chillicothe, Columbus, Grove City and Lancaster; 855-628-4723; ohiochristian.edu/adult-degree-programs Status: Private Religious affiliation: Wesleyan tradition Advanced degrees offered: Master’s degrees in leadership, ministry, business administration; dual MBA/MA in ministry degree Program length: Two years Tuition: $338–$530/credit hour Accreditation: The Higher Learning Commission, Teacher Education Accreditation Council, Ohio Department of Higher Education

Ohio Dominican University 1216 Sunbury Road, Columbus; 614-2514615; ohiodominican.edu Status: Private Religious affiliation: Catholic in the Dominican tradition Advanced degrees offered: Master’s degrees in English, TESOL, theology, business administration, education, physician assistant studies and sport management Program length: 16–18 months (most programs) Tuition: $540–$939/credit hour Accreditation: The Higher Learning Commission, Ohio Department of Higher Education

Ohio State University 250 University Hall, 230 N. Oval Mall, Columbus; 614-292-6031; gradsch.osu.edu Status: Public Religious affiliation: None Advanced degrees offered: 127 master’s degrees, 101 doctoral programs and 26 certificates in 114 subject areas Program length: Varies Tuition: $719–$4,037/ credit hour Accreditation: The Higher Learning Commission

Ohio University Dublin Integrated Education Center 6805 Bobcat Way, Dublin; 614-367-9371; ohio.edu/dublin Status: Public Religious affiliation: None Advanced degrees offered: Combined Master of Science and dietetic internship; Doctor of Nursing Practice Program length: Varies Tuition: $334–$628/credit hour Accreditation: The Higher Learning Commission

Otterbein University 1 S. Grove St., Westerville; 614-823-3210; otterbein.edu/gradschool Status: Private Religious affiliation: United Methodist Church Advanced degrees offered: Master’s degrees in allied health - healthcare administration, allied health - exercise and health science, athletic training, business administration, education, educational mathematics, teaching, nursing; Doctor of Nursing Practice Program length: Two years (most master’s programs) Tuition: Most programs, $570–$662/credit hour; nursing programs, $630–$1,052/ credit hour Accreditation: The Higher Learning Commission, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Pontifical College Josephinum 7625 N. High St., Columbus; 614-8855585; pcj.edu/theology Status: Private Religious affiliation: Roman Catholic Advanced degrees offered: Master of Divinity; Master of Arts in Theology Program length: Four years Tuition: $41,015 (including room and board) Accreditation: Association of Theological Schools, The Higher Learning Commission, Ohio Board of Regents

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Home&Style 100 History in Place

The Kelton House Museum and Garden portrays the lifestyle of two Columbus abolitionists.

Photo by Tim johnson

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Home & Style Q&A

Creating a Fashion Vibe A marketing entrepreneur wants to increase the city’s pulse.

Yohannan Terrell started his marketing firm, Warhol & Wall Street, almost 10 years ago after the Akron native arrived in Columbus and attended Ohio State University. Through volunteer work on the Create Columbus Commission, he began pondering the city’s fashion industry.

“Columbus was really low on pulse,” he says. The city was third in the U.S. for the number of designers working in the region, yet there seemed to be much less of a creative vibe than in the top two fashion cities, New York and Los Angeles.

The fashion industry was the gem for the region, Terrell concluded. “If we could polish up this gem we could shine a lot more,” he adds.

A lightbulb moment occurred at ComFest when Terrell was talking to a booth operator who created college alumni products. The operator told him that he would manufacture clothing in Columbus, but the city had no infrastructure for such work.

So, in 2019, Terrell and his colleagues conducted additional research. By 2020, he was ready to launch the Columbus Fashion Alliance.

Like everyone else, though, he got caught in a pandemic swirl. Funds he expected to get to support the cause were delayed. A gathering he planned for March 19, 2020, was quickly canceled.

Terrell admits he almost gave up. “I’ve tried to kill this idea as many times as possible,” he says, laughing.

Instead, people kept encouraging him. By early 2021, he received $557,000 in grants to set up a physical facility at Franklinton’s Idea Foundry. It’s there that the organization is based, along with his marketing firm. With the funding he received, he installed top-ofthe-line sewing equipment, an embroi104

dery machine, printers and software necessary for those looking to launch fashion brands.

He’s currently immersed in phase one of his three-phase goal, he says. The first phase is connecting the fashion culture in Columbus. He’s working with leaders at L Brands, Express and DSW to connect them with startup designers, entrepreneurs and skilled craftspeople who can manufacture goods that are needed.

In many ways, the COVID-19 slowdown was a blessing in disguise. While the disruption in supply chains for imported products was a headache for corporate managers, it proved fertile ground to the entrepreneurial Terrell.

Phase two of his project, which is just beginning, is to train local residents for jobs in the industry. The Fashion Alliance is offering sewing courses and such at its Franklinton facility. Additional training is

photo: tim johnson

By Sherry Beck Paprocki

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planned to focus on the technology and skills needed to make shoes, for example, or weave fabric. Already, the Columbus Fashion Alliance is offering fellowships for those ages 18–25, as well as programming to encourage high school and middle school students to enter the field.

Most of the world transitioned to online shopping during the pandemic, and products produced internationally had difficulty making it to U.S. shores. This confirmed a definitive need to make things local and do small batch production.

That’s been a dilemma that startup designers in Columbus have dealt with for many years. CCAD’s fashion program, for example, graduates many entrepreneurial-minded designers, but the city’s infrastructure to produce their work just doesn’t exist. Additionally, designers whose jobs have been cut from major retailers need options to keep them in Central Ohio, explains Terrell.

The third phase of the project is Terrell’s most ambitious. His vision has Franklinton evolving into a full-blown fashion district in years to come. “It’s really an economic development plan,” he says.

Certainly, that idea would raise the pulse of the city center. It is in Franklinton that he plans to attract four different audiences related to fashion: learners, creators, entrepreneurs and retailers.

It’s a big goal, for sure. But talk to Terrell and he’ll convince you that it’s a reachable one.

photo: tim johnson

You are working on the model, “If you build it, they will come.” Are you attracting people to the courses you’re currently offering at the Idea Foundry?

Yes, we actually spent a lot of time just listening to our customers and learning about their needs and what they wanted to learn.

We are still listening to them, constantly engaging our members, industry experts and even our interns to make sure we are creating programming that is useful and forward-thinking. We want to make sure we are sharing knowledge that is focused on moving the industry forward.

How have Central Ohio’s biggest retailers responded to your ideas?

So far a few of the retailers have responded very well. Some retailers have looked into moving their design offices into the Idea Foundry to be in the environment as we build this connected fashion community. We are really looking forward to

“

I grew up against the odds so—as corny as it may sound—I truly believe that with the right intention and hard work you can do anything.

more of the top retailers getting engaged this year.

Your accomplishments during the pandemic are admirable. How are you viewing this rather quiet time?

It has not been quiet at all over here. Since the pandemic, our activity has actually picked up a lot. There are many people who are no longer working for the large fashion retailers here. That has resulted in the beginning of new innovative startups being formed and many experts in the field wanting to discover their next opportunity.

Can you be any more specific about the vision that you have for Franklinton 10 years from now? What do you see happening in that space?

We see Franklinton becoming more of an arts and design district. Makers have made this neighborhood thrive for years, and we want to add to that community through fashion. We also realize that Columbus is a hub for design, from products to fashion to architecture. You see that with developments like Gravity in Franklinton, which is becoming the most unique development we’ve seen in Columbus. So, over the next five to 10 years I see this neighborhood becoming and thriving as the Franklinton arts and design district, the future home where fashion is being designed, products are being designed, creative environments are being designed. This is the type of uniqueness that could really elevate Columbus’ pulse, profile and help the rest of the world see just how much of a forward-thinking and innovative city this is.

This is the question that every entrepreneur would like to know the answer to: How and where did you receive your start-up funding?

We started down this path years ago. But we had to prove the case of the need. Once we did the proper research, supporters like [Columbus City Council President] Shannon Hardin and the city [administrators] were the first to step up and give us a chance with some early funding in 2020.

”

Then COVID-19 hit and we had to work with what we had while responding to the pandemic. Luckily, the Franklin County [Economic] Development and Planning Department was there to support our efforts for community impact and sustainability. The city also invested more dollars, as did the Columbus Foundation, Verizon, Red Bull, UpWest and some individual donors toward the end of the year. We’ve been very blessed.

People really see the opportunity we have here in Columbus.

Are you fully funded for 2021?

No, not at all. We are still a small, startup nonprofit trying to get off the ground. Most of the funds received … were spent within the year. Those funds allowed us to acquire much-needed state-of-the-art equipment and tools for teaching. Now we need support for operations and to reinvest into the fashion community here. We want to do that by hiring experts, hiring teachers, and providing programming and resources to support those looking to grow through fashion here in Columbus.

What do you want the Central Ohio community to know about you?

I want people to know that I am just a guy who likes to laugh, create moments and dream as big as I can. I grew up against the odds so—as corny as it may sound—I truly believe that with the right intention and hard work you can do anything. Perseverance has helped me do a lot of things I never thought I’d do, and I don’t plan on stopping.

What do you want Central Ohio residents to know about your love for the city?

Since moving to Columbus, I have always been involved in some type of communitybuilding. From creating spaces for people to enjoy themselves, creating a media channel for African American voices to be heard, launching 614 Day, or creating a hub for people to realize their fashion dreams. If you know me, you know I represent for our city and our communities and, hopefully, I will be able to keep doing so. ◆ MAY 2021 Columbus Monthly

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Home & Style Home

A Peek into the Past The landmark Kelton House offers visible and hidden lessons in history.

By Laurie Allen | Photos by Tim Johnson

M

ore than 150 years ago, Sophia Stone Kelton and Fernando Cortez Kelton left the city and moved to the country for a quieter, safer place to rear their children.

That country home is now squarely in the city at 586 E. Town St. It is known as the Kelton House Museum and Garden and offers visitors a glimpse of family life during the Victorian era. Built in 1852, the home incorporates elements of the Greek Revival and Italianate styles of architecture.

Less apparent, however, is its secret past as a stop along the Underground Railroad. That intimate history has now been substantiated and recorded by descendants of those who were involved.

As local lore has it, the Keltons decided to move outside of the city hub, which surrounded the state capitol building and was quite unsanitary, after their son died of typhoid in 1848. They found a more bucolic scene on East Town Street, where little else existed at the time.

The historic residence was home to three generations of Keltons and a few others. In 1975, Fernando and Sophia’s granddaughter, Grace, died and willed the property to the Columbus Foundation with the stipulation that it be preserved and used for educational purposes. The Junior League of Columbus began renovating and restoring the house a year later as a league service program, which continues today. The Kelton House hosts tours, educational and other events, including wedding receptions.

Nearly 90 percent of the artifacts displayed in the home belonged to the Kelton family, unusual for house museums, which

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Clockwise, from above: the formal sitting room at the Kelton House Museum and Garden contains many furnishings from the Kelton family. A quill and writing paper can be seen on a desk in an upstairs bedroom. The original scrapbook kept by Anna Kelton is displayed at the home. At right, the formal dining room showcases the grandeur of the Kelton family’s residence.

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Home & Style Home

The Kelton House’s Underground Railroad History With all its stately elegance and ornamental panache, the Kelton House stands as a monument to unwavering courage during a bleak and treacherous time in this country’s history.

Fernando and Sophia Kelton, both abolitionists hailing from New England, built their family home in Columbus two years after the passage of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act, which compelled people in free states to capture those who were fleeing slavery. The Keltons’ East Town Street home became a “safe house,” one of several in Ohio along the Underground Railroad, which was used by formerly enslaved people who went north, fleeing slave states.

Few, if any, written records exist for most homes along the Underground Railroad, making it difficult to recount a thoroughly accurate history. In the case of the Kelton House, however, enduring family connections helped fit pieces together, says Mary Oellermann, education coordinator at the house.

When third-generation descendants of Fernando and Sophia gathered for the funeral of Grace Kelton (who lived in the home until her death in 1975), they shared stories with the descendants of Martha Hartway and Thomas Lawrence.

A century earlier, Hartway and Lawrence were married in the home’s front parlor. Hartway had lived with the

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Left, a bunk area was created in the museum to depict those that may have existed in the home as family members assisted formerly enslaved individuals on their path to freedom; above, Education coordinator Mary Oellermann plays the part of Sophia Kelton at the Kelton House.

more often display items “of the period,” says Kathe Daniel, a house manager.

Executive director Sarah Richardt says the home’s purpose today is “to reflect the culture and the times of the people who lived there. … It’s a living, breathing house.” The oldest family piece in the house is a grandfather clock, built in 1790 and transported across the country before there were roads.

Somehow, it survived intact.

The formal front parlor, which was used solely to receive visitors, faces Town Street and still has its original ornate ceiling medallions, moldings and trim. A conversation area, small by today’s standards, contains velvet sofas next to one of the home’s 14 fireplaces. Plant stands are situated at tall windows, which are adorned with lace panels and luxurious draperies.

The room’s ceiling soars to nearly 13 feet.

The minimalist look, this is not. Like the rest

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of the house, it is wallpapered, carpeted and furnished in highly patterned fabrics and materials.

The front parlor now is the setting for indoor weddings, but its most historic nuptials were more than a century ago.

A young woman named Martha Hartway, who came to Columbus in 1864 to escape the tyranny of slavery, married Thomas Lawrence, who worked for the Kelton family. He arrived in the city in 1873.

Sophia Kelton had spotted Martha outside a window and brought her into the home to live as a family member, Richardt says.

The rear parlor was used as a family room and is where Sophia brought in a pool table to keep her sons out of Downtown’s billiard halls. Her presence in the room is felt in a delicate vignette containing needlework, glasses and a sewing kit.

In the center of the room is a marbletopped table surrounded by four chairs that was used for playing games.

Opposite the front parlor is a morning parlor, so named because of the way the room receives the day’s early light. It was Sophia’s favorite, and is now the museum gift shop.

Upstairs, a bedroom believed to have been used by the couple’s daughters contains toys of the era. Richardt says the doll playset and other child-size items illustrate the utilitarian side of family life in the mid 19th century, during a time when young girls were taught the fine arts of mothering and housekeeping with the toys that were purchased for them.

“They were not just playing with toys, they were learning to be mothers,” she explains. “Lace curtains were not just pretty, they kept bugs and dust out dur-

ing the summer.” The bed is covered in an original velvet and satin crazy quilt, which like others of the era, displayed the lady of the home’s fine fabrics and stitchery skills.

Fernando and Sophia’s bedroom is a step back in time, filled with the trunks they used for travel, Fernando’s letters to Sophia when he was away, and a dresser on which castor oil and other odd-sounding potions sit. The bed where the husband and wife each died remains standing.

The second floor also bears imprints of the last generation to live there. A scene at the landing’s Town Street window displays a screen made of wallpaper panels Grace used in decorating the White House Diplomatic Reception Room for Jacqueline Kennedy. An interior designer, Grace has been credited with professionalizing the industry and was 81 at the time she worked for Kennedy.

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Home & Style Home Keltons as a family member from the time she was about 10, when Sophia spotted her hiding in bushes outside the home. It is believed she and her sister, Pearl, were running from a Virginia plantation because their mother feared for their safety. Lawrence, a free Black man, worked for the Keltons in various capacities, most notably as a carpenter. (Martha’s sister, Pearl, who was older and stronger, is thought to have kept fleeing north.)

Martha and Thomas had a son, Arthur Kelton Lawrence, who became one of the first Black physicians in Columbus. When Arthur’s son James married, his wife Ruth made it a point to connect with Grace Kelton and revive the families’ shared history.

“We had two different families telling the exact same story. That’s how we have some sense of [history] and why we were designated an official stop on the Underground Railroad,” Oellermann says.

Because it was built at a time when harboring those who were escaping slavery, “you couldn’t exactly tell your architect to build you a secret room,” she says. The Keltons may have hidden freedom seekers in the root cellar, attic or barns on the property. A cistern beneath what now is the Kelton House garden is another possibility.

Oellermann has led thousands of schoolchildren through the Kelton House and Museum Underground Railroad Learning Station, which contains a replica of a cellar space where those escaping slavery might have stayed. She has asked children to imagine what it would feel like to ride for hundreds of miles hidden in a wooden-wheeled wagon, unable to see the road ahead.

“Would you be willing to get in that wagon?” she asks.

With a number of wagons on the roads in and around Columbus at the time, Fernando Kelton’s dry goods and pharmaceuticals business had the ability to move both merchandise—and people—without attracting unwanted attention.

“I liken it to UPS,” Oellermann says. Kelton also was a prominent and formidable figure, which probably worked to his advantage. “He was an extremely important person in Columbus,” she adds. “You would have to have a really good reason to go after him.”

The Kelton family and others like them put themselves, their livelihoods and their families in jeopardy every time they tried to ensure safe passage for those fleeing slavery along a route that went north, all the way into Canada in some cases.

“You could go to jail, your kids would go to orphanages, people lost businesses, they lost their houses and everything in them,” Oellermann says. The URR operators had to ask themselves, “Are you willing to risk everything you have for someone you don’t even know?” she says. “Most of us like to think we’d say ‘yes.’

We know what the Keltons answered. ... I think that’s remarkable.” —Laurie Allen

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Above is another room reconstructed in the home’s basement to depict its history with the Underground Railroad. At right is a period desk in the museum’s sitting room.

In another upstairs room, tiny indentations made by Grace’s stiletto heels pit the pine floor.

“She was a character,” Richardt says. “She drove a red Cadillac convertible up and down Town Street and threw lively parties.”

The former carriage house at the property’s rear overlooks the gardens and is the main space for wedding receptions and other events, all of which have been scaled back due to COVID-19. Large, arched windows in the building were former carriage openings.

The Kelton House is open to the public, but in response to the current pandemic, the museum capacity is about half what it was and other accommodations have been made. Tours flow one-way through the home. Teas and lectures have been curtailed for the time being.

Richardt, who took her position just a year ago, plans to delve deeper into history and family trees, particularly those of Martha and Thomas, who married there. She wants to add more labels to include additional details for visitors.

Homes of the time customarily had ballrooms on their third floors, but not the Kelton House.

“They were the original packrats, and thank God they were,” says Richardt. “There is so much documentation … we have so many stories, and storytelling is such an important part of museums.” ◆

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Dining 118 FORAGING

Alexis Nikole Nelson is using social media to spread the gospel of wild food.

Photo by tim Johnson

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Dining profile

Ena Hayles with her son, Marlon Hayles

Nourishing a Changing Community Ena’s Caribbean Kitchen provides encouragement and opportunity for Linden, as the neighborhood awaits long-promised improvements from the city.

It could be a phone store in Columbus, a hotel in Miami or even an airport in Jamaica.

In any setting, there’s a chance Ena Hayles will be recognized. If people don’t know her face, they certainly know the name of her restaurant, Ena’s Caribbean Kitchen, based in the Linden neighborhood of Columbus.

Her son and general manager, Marlon Hayles, says the 71-year-old entrepreneur doesn’t realize the extent of her fame.

“She’s super humble,” says Marlon, 43, of the North Side. “Someone tried to chastise me for calling my mom a living legend, but she’s done with a middle-school education what some people with college degrees can’t do.”

Since 1999, “Ms. Ena” has been serving up authentic cuisine from Jamaica, from where she immigrated in the early 1980s.

Her famous jerk chicken drew out Food Network star Guy Fieri, who filmed an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives at the restaurant in 2017.

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Despite the fame, Ena’s remains grounded in Linden, a tenacious community working to combat food insecurity, limited access to jobs and high crime rates—while awaiting the effects of the city’s long-promised redevelopment plan. In addition to feeding the residents, the establishment offers nourishment through encouragement and opportunity.

After running the restaurant for 20 years, no one would fault Ms. Ena for taking a backseat to the business. But she’s always in the restaurant, stirring pots, taking orders and more.

“I’m going to be in the middle of it,” she says. “You know how everything tastes. You know how everything looks.”

Such was the case around lunchtime on a recent afternoon in March. A steady stream of diverse patrons filed into the small restaurant, which is enlivened by vivid green walls and a reggae soundtrack. Some rec-

ognized Ms. Ena behind the counter and some did not.

“I have a lot of fun with the people,” Ms. Ena says. “They say, ‘Is Ms. Ena here today?’

And I say, ‘You know what? I don’t think she’s here today.’”

Bruce Davis, 66, of Westerville, knows the Hayles family well. He has been visiting the restaurant once a week for several years, ordering the same meal each time: jerk chicken, rice and beans, and cabbage.

“She makes the best food in town,” says Davis, general manager of a manufacturing company in the neighborhood. “People come from all over to eat here. She’s a magnet for foodies like me.”

Ena’s offers a variety of chicken, beef and seafood dinners. While jerk chicken is the most popular item, oxtail is a close second.

Fieri’s fried-food selection of choice was the escovitch red snapper. Ms. Ena says the secret is in the seasoning, which happens overnight.

photos: tim johnson

By Erica Thompson

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photos: tim johnson

The proteins are complemented by a wide selection of sides and extras, from collard greens and mac ’n’ cheese to fried plantains and coco bread.

When asked about the taste, customers erupt in praise.

“That flavor, oh my God, it’s so good,” East Sider Tajanae Smith, 18, says of the barbecued jerk chicken. “There’s a little spice to it, but I like that sweet heat.”

Denis Simiyu, a 20-year customer, is a fan of the oxtail. “There’s a lot of Jamaican restaurants in Columbus, but the closest to the real food in Jamaica is Ms. Ena’s,” he says.

Ms. Ena began sharpening her cooking skills in Mendez, St. Catherine, largely a farming community in Jamaica. She gained even more food knowledge from her job at Linstead Market. Collecting taxes from vendors, she had to be strict. “That’s where she gets her edge from,” Marlon says.

Later, while raising five children in Linden, Ms. Ena’s Sunday dinners were attracting not only her kids’ friends but others in the local Jamaican community.

“It would just get bigger and bigger,” Marlon remembers.

It was only a matter of time before someone said, “Ms. Ena, you should probably sell this food.” That person happened to be a restaurant owner on Cleveland Avenue who was planning to close his business. Ms. Ena and her husband, Lloyd, took it over and the Caribbean restaurant was born.

As Ena’s thrived, Linden declined. The effects of redlining and disinvestment have taken their toll on the predominantly Black neighborhood. According to the city’s 2018 One Linden Plan to revitalize the community, 45 percent of residents live below the poverty line. And the unemployment rate is more than twice the rate for the city of Columbus.

The only full-service grocery store in the neighborhood is Saraga International Grocery, but some residents say not everyone is familiar enough with the products to shop there. With few healthy places to patronize, some residents rely on Ena’s, which is a frequent caterer of community events.

Adam Troy, director of missions at Linden’s New Salem Baptist Church, called Ena’s a “gap-filler” for many community needs. “There has never been a time when I have reached out to Marlon for a meal or a food subsidy for a needy individual or family where they haven’t come through,” says Troy, who also runs the church’s foundation. “And in many cases, it happens without any sort of remuneration. That’s just the heart of Ena’s.”

Homicide rates have been higher in the Columbus area in recent years, and Linden

is one of the sites of increasing violence.

Young people are often sucked into dangerous lifestyles, Marlon says.

“They don’t have hope,” he says. “The reason there’s no hope is because there’s no opportunity. … Most of them don’t want to be in the streets. [But] we can catch them.”

Ena’s employs young people in the neighborhood. Marlon also partners with other local entrepreneurs to ensure young men and women are getting job experience in landscaping and home renovation. And he participates in a mentorship program.

One person Marlon has influenced is Miguel Geno Tucker, founder of Lindenbased Urban Scouts, a youth development organization that focuses on entrepreneurship training. “Marlon personally helped me get more connected with the community in Linden, as well as some members of the city council for my organization,” he says. “Business owners in a lot of communities don’t do that.”

Tucker also received encouragement from Ms. Ena, whom he calls Mom. “They watched me grow up from a young man that was headed in the wrong direction to who I am now,” he says. “[Ms. Ena] is there to help me in any way that I need. I’ve been invited to the family dinners and cookouts, so they’re family to me. They’re family to Linden.”

Because of what Ena’s contributes, the restaurant is “the safest corner in all of Linden,” Marlon says. “We embody Linden,” he adds. “We have the rough edges of Linden.

Ena’s Caribbean Kitchen 2444 Cleveland Ave., Linden, 614-262-0988, enascaribbeankitchen.com

We have the loving warmth of Linden. We have the pride that you get from being a part of Linden. But at the same time, it’s the realness of Linden.”

Businesses like Ena’s, as well as community organizations, have stepped up to improve the neighborhood as residents have grown impatient with the city.

“They come around and promise all these things that they’re going to do,” Ms. Ena says. “They tear down all these buildings and nothing gets done. The crime rate is bad, but if they invest in Linden, the crime rate will go down.”

But some residents fear that investment might mean they will get priced out of the neighborhood.

“That’s where they’re going to get backlash,” Ms. Ena says. “If they start to force people out who lived there for years.”

But Marlon and his family aren’t worried about the restaurant; they started their own development company, which owns the building and other properties on Cleveland Avenue. They have plans to open a bakery and add an outdoor dining area to the restaurant.

“Not only is the food outstanding, but they are well-positioned simply because of their level of professionalism, the way they have given back to the community and where they’re located, to serve as that cornerstone for community revitalization,” says Troy, who is working with a collaborative to advance the One Linden Plan.

Though Ms. Ena and Marlon don’t always see eye to eye, she feels good about inevitably passing the torch to her son.

“I’ve got to give thanks,” she says. “God is good.” ◆

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Dining short order

Sunday Dinner LaGlory’s dishes up Southern classics in a welcoming space on the East Side.

By Brittany Moseley

Marc Bradley is really good at feeding people.

When it comes to the actual cooking, though, the owner of LaGlory’s Soul Food Café is quick to give props to his kitchen staff. “If it’s not for those ladies back there, there’s no business,” Bradley says during a March interview at the restaurant. “They take care of this guy.”

While the ladies of LaGlory’s deserve endless praise, it’s worth noting that the vision for the restaurant—one based on community, family and classic soul food dishes—comes from Bradley. The Flint, Michigan, native opened LaGlory’s in 2013. He originally planned to serve in a consulting role in partnership with City of Grace Church, which owns the building where LaGlory’s is housed. But as time went on, Bradley began putting more of his own resources into it and was soon fully committed to running the restaurant.

Almost eight years later, LaGlory’s has found its footing with a solid menu, a 116

Chicken wing dinner with mac ’n’ cheese, greens and cornbread

devoted clientele, a sharp LaGlory’s serves the kind LaGlory’s Soul Food Café staff led by head cook Tia of fare that would be right 3350 Allegheny Ave., Wright and a robust carat home on a Sunday dinner East Side, 614-237-5844, ryout operation that has table: fried chicken ($9.49lagloryscafe.com kept the restaurant going $10.89), catfish ($11.49) and through the pandemic. meatloaf ($10.99). Meals “What I tell everybody is, and I truly come with cornbread and a choice of two believe this, other than God wanting us to sides such as mac ’n’ cheese, collard greens be here, there’s no reason why this restauand yams. And you can’t skip dessert. There’s rant is still here,” Bradley says. a rotating cast of cakes—lemon, pound, carBradley often refers to the staff as famrot ($4.95 per slice)—and a stellar banana ily, and he means that literally. Several of pudding to choose from.

Wright’s children work with her at the resThe restaurant’s top seller is its smothtaurant, and Bradley hopes to one day pass ered pork chops ($10.49, with two sides LaGlory’s on to one of his kids. Ever the and cornbread). The dish is an ode to a gentleman, in a follow-up call he politely Columbus notable, the Rev. Charles E. asks if I can mention his wife, Altheda. An Booth, the late pastor of Downtown’s HR specialist by trade, she helps out on the Mount Olivet Baptist Church, which Bradbusiness side of LaGlory’s. ley attended. “When he’d come back from The warm, friendly atmosphere of the New York, he would always talk about restaurant will be familiar to anyone who how he had the smothered pork chops has spent time in a close-knit congregation. at Sylvia’s,” Bradley says, referring to the Staff dish up food behind a cafeteria line, landmark Harlem restaurant. “I said if I and a chalkboard menu takes up a large part ever open up a restaurant, I want to do of one wall. The other walls are decorated smothered pork chops.” with Black artworks, several depicting scenes As we’re wrapping up our conversation, from Columbus history. During our interBradley looks toward the front door. One view, Bradley stops to chat with customers of LaGlory’s “charter members” has just and joke with his staff. He fondly mentions walked in. the restaurant’s “charter members”—those “How long you been coming here, Ms. customers who are known by name and Nichols?” he calls to the familiar face. order—and looks forward to opening up for “Eight years,” she responds. “Ever since dine-in service again in the near future. y’all been serving that good food.” ◆

photos: tim johnson

Owner Marc Bradley at LaGlory’s Soul Food Café

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people Dining

After Hours with

Joshua Dunson The Cameron Mitchell staffer talks about his path as a wine professional.

photo: tim johnson

photos: tim johnson

By Erin Edwards

The wine world is a notoriously exclusive club, one not known for diversity and accessibility—though that’s starting to change.

Oftentimes, the barrier to entry for people of color is simply a matter of having exposure to wine in the first place, says Joshua Dunson, a bartender and server at The Pearl Dublin who is working toward a career in wine and beverage development with Cameron Mitchell Restaurants.

Dunson says he didn’t grow up around the rarefied world of wine—unless you count sweet moscatos like Arbor Mist. But he did have exposure to the Food Network, which stoked Dunson’s “innate curiosity” about food and set him on a path to The Culinary Institute of America (where his boss Cameron Mitchell went).

“I come from southwest Georgia. That’s where I was raised, so it was a bit of a jump going to upstate New York for schooling, but it was one of the best decisions that I’d ever made,” says Dunson, a five-year employee with CMR. “It took some arm-wrenching to get my mom on board with sending her son to New York.”

Dunson earned both associate’s and bachelor’s degrees at CIA, which is where he was exposed to the wonders of wine for the first time. He enjoyed it so much that he took CIA’s advanced wine concentration, which involves studying in Napa Valley for a semester. “I love nerding out about wine, but I also enjoy providing an experience for people who don’t necessarily have those experiences in life,” he says.

Last year, Dunson had been studying for the level 2 certification exam with the Court of Master Sommeliers, the most well-known of the wine certification avenues, when the exams kept getting canceled because of the pandemic. Rather than wait, Dunson opted for an alternative: The Society of Wine Educators, through which he earned a Certified Specialist of Wine certification. Next up, Dunson plans to study for SWE’s Certified Wine Educator certification, an intensive exam that will test his ability to impart wine knowledge to others.

We asked Dunson to share some of his favorite local haunts and recommended reads.

First food memory: “Watching [my mother] cook one of our regular dinners of chicken adobo. Relatively simple but packed full of flavor.”

Comfort food: “Back to my Southern roots of Georgia. My friends know me for my buttermilk biscuits and honey-butter fried chicken.”

Go-to adult beverage: “My love triangle consists of wine, tequila and gin. I find I favor a Corpse Reviver No. 2 gin-based cocktail when I’m deep in wine studies to break up the pace.”

Go-to bar: “Curio back in the day. Today, Veritas on Gay Street.”

Spot for global cuisine: “My home and Tensuke Market. I enjoy cooking global cuisine dishes and blending those flavors in my down time with a good college friend. Tensuke Market has a wonderful selection for Japanese-inspired meals.”

Hidden gem: Skillet. “It seats only a few tables, but this breakfast/brunch café has some of the best food I’ve experienced in this city. Exceptional flavors and execution. Their biscuits and cinnamon roll are must-have.”

Recommended reading: “How to Love Wine: A Memoir and Manifesto” by Eric Asimov ◆ MAY 2021 Columbus Monthly

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Dining foraging

Alexis Nikole Nelson Wants You to Go Outside The forager is using social media to spread the gospel of wild food—and it’s working.

By Brittany Moseley

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Alexis Nikole Nelson

ing trees in their neighborhoods. She got creative with the edible plants she already knew about and found new ways to use them. She researched foraging laws and pollution’s effect on wild food.

“That somehow has snowballed and spiraled into seaweed panna cotta,” Nelson says.

Things really began to snowball for Nelson when the COVID-19 pandemic hit Ohio last March. At that time, her foraging Instagram account (@blackforager) was less than a year old and had about 800 followers. In January 2020, she started a TikTok account. She did all the usual TikTok trends—dances, funny voiceovers. Then the shutdown happened and something

as routine as going to the grocery store became a much bigger deal. So, Nelson made a video about edible plants you could forage in your neighborhood. “I posted it, and I didn’t think anything of it,” Nelson says. “I opened the app the next day and it had like 40,000 views.”

The appeal of Nelson’s videos is as easy to spot as onion grass. For one, she’s really funny. The “occasional professional comedian” loves reminding people that she’s a “filthy vegan.” She is known to burst into song in many of her videos, whether she’s writing an ode to the much-maligned cattail, showing you how to make pine needle cookies or asking you very nicely to stop

PHOTo: tim johnson

Alexis Nikole Nelson is fond of saying she’s been eating food off the ground since she was a kid. While it sounds like a funny “kids do the darndest things” moment, it’s true in Nelson’s case. And she remembers her first experience with wild food clearly.

She was 5 years old, running around her mom’s garden in Cincinnati with her “tiny trowel, digging in the dirt,” when her mom introduced her to onion grass. The grass, which grows in tall, thin tubes, is considered an invasive weed—and also an edible one. It has a distinct onion smell and is similar in look and taste to chives.

“For some reason, that stuck,” Nelson says of her first lesson in foraging 101. “None of the other really cool organized gardening things really stuck. I was like, ‘No, I want to find more of these accident[ally] tasty plants.’”

Nelson’s family has a long history with agriculture. Her maternal grandmother worked in a cranberry bog as a kid in Massachusetts. Her mother’s paternal family immigrated to the United States in the 1600s from Cape Verde, a small set of islands off the west coast of Africa.

“They were farmers from the get-go— land-owning farmers in Massachusetts, as people of color, 300, 400 years ago,” Nelson says. “We have this very strong connection to pulling things out of the earth on both sides of the family.”

Foraging became a larger part of Nelson’s life out of necessity. After graduating from Ohio State in 2015, Nelson was “super broke.” She quickly realized if she wanted to incorporate anything leafy and green into her diet, it was going to be food she found for free. So, she did her homework and began using the app Falling Fruit, which allows people to mark and share fruit-bearColumbus Monthly MAY 2021

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Alexis Nikole Nelson’s Foraging Favorites by Season

photos: top, getty images (4); bottom, tim johnson

PHOTo: tim johnson

“In the springtime my favorite is dame’s rocket. The flowers smell super sweet, even though the leaves and the shoots are that peppery arugula kind of taste. It tends to be up and doing its thing around my birthday, so I love it for that, too. And the flowers are beautiful.”

“In the fall it’s definitely pawpaws. Just the thrill of finding them is so exciting. It’s like a tropical fruit ended up here by accident.”

“Summertime, I’m usually up in Massachusetts with my family, so my favorite thing to forage is pretty much any seaweed. If I had to choose an Ohio thing that I love foraging during the summer, it’s wild bergamot. It’s one of our native wildflowers, and it really thrives in our region. It’s like an oregano with more depth.”

pulling ramps up by their roots, which she does in a rap that would make Lin-Manuel Miranda proud.

Nelson’s TikTok isn’t all song and dance— although there is plenty of both. She also uses the platform to educate people about the intersection of race and foraging. In a February video, Nelson discussed foraging’s long history among Black people, Native Americans and poor rural populations. Those groups are also the ones who are most often hurt by anti-foraging laws.

“The history of early American antiforaging laws reveals that supporters of restricting foraging rights typically grounded their efforts in racism, classism, colonialism, imperialism, or some combination of these odious practices and beliefs,” food lawyer Baylen J. Linnekin wrote in a 2018 paper from the Fordham Urban Law Journal.

Linnekin goes on to note that after the Civil War, Southern states enacted criminal trespassing laws that “sought to prohibit the freed slaves from continuing their subsistence foraging practices as a tool to chain freed men to plantation work.”

He sums up the current state of foraging in the U.S. with this: “Anti-foraging laws trace their origins to contempt for the rights of those deemed by those in power to be ‘other’: Native Americans, African Americans and rural white farmers. Modern foraging regulations, intentionally or not, are built upon this foundation.”

Because it’s the internet, Nelson isn’t a stranger to a question that plagues many Black creators: Why do you have to bring race into [insert whatever the creator is known for]? As a Black woman, there’s no way for Nelson to separate the two. They are on display as soon as she walks out her front door.

Although foraging has deep roots in the Black community, when Nelson started sharing her adventures on social media, she didn’t see foragers that looked like her.

“In the wintertime, I would say my favorite thing to forage is field garlic, just because it persists so well through the winter. It’s not only delicious, but it’s a really nice reminder that things are still alive.”

She recalls discovering @eric.ofthewoods on Instagram, a Korean forager in Indianapolis, and being so excited to see another nonwhite forager.

“It’s a very white space,” Nelson says about foraging, the legality of which varies greatly, depending where you are. (Nelson encourages her followers to check local laws before foraging, and when in doubt, ask.)

“There’s a trendiness that comes with these types of, maybe a little bit illegal actions, or maybe a little bit dangerous actions, when they become associated with whiteness. It’s become commodified in a way that makes me a little bit sad and uncomfortable.”

For Nelson, foraging is an act of resistance. She is reclaiming an activity that was taken from her ancestors. Not only that, she is taking up space. The history of laws, barriers and violence that kept Black people from enjoying the outdoors—from swimming pools to national parks—still has ripples today. To Nelson, this part is even more important than the foraging aspect.

She knows foraging isn’t for everyone. But everyone deserves to feel comfortable and welcome in outdoor spaces.

“That’s an aspect of wellness that a lot of Black communities are left out of,” Nelson says, referring to the benefits of spending time outside. “Anything that I can do to speak to why that’s not OK and how we can slowly start shifting this cultural identity that organizes us separately from folks who spend a lot of time outside is a dream.” ◆ MAY 2021 Columbus Monthly

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Dining drink

Crafted Culture Brewing Co. 505 Morrison Road, Gahanna, 614-269-8920, craftedculturebrew.com

Mr. Imagination Man

For the founder of Crafted Culture Brewing Co., it’s about more than the beer.

By Erin Edwards

Picture a craft brewery owner in your head.

He’s probably male, white, burly and sports a beard, right?

That description doesn’t apply to Anthony “Sizzle” Perry Jr. He’s Black, an East Side native (Livingston and Barnett), a father of five, an Army veteran who did two tours in Afghanistan, an accounting major, a serial entrepreneur and a seeming extrovert who claims he’s more comfortable playing video games in his basement.

As the founder of Central Ohio’s first Blackowned brewery, Crafted Culture, Perry is also one member of a small club of Black brewery owners who make up only 1 percent of the industry nationally, according to a 2019 survey by the Brewers Association. Crafted Culture opened in February, taking over the former Kindred Brewing space in Gahanna.

“Geographical exclusion” is one reason there’s a dearth of Black-owned breweries, Perry says. “When you talk to people who brew beer, home brewers, you ask them where they brew beer: ‘In my garage, in 120

my basement, in my shed out back.’ Where I grew up, we didn’t have garages, many of us didn’t have basements. … We definitely didn’t have sheds in our backyards. So how do you homebrew?”

Perry says Crafted Culture is less about the beer—though he loves beer—and more about the mission behind it: creating a community space that is comfortable and inclusive for women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ community, non-alcohol drinkers and others. The brewery’s tagline is “Be[er] the Change.”

Helping to execute whatever Perry dreams up is Crafted Culture’s head brewer, Zac Baaske. “What’s Zac’s really great at is what Disney would call ‘imagineering,’ right? He turns my imagination into feats of engineering great beer,” Perry says. One example is Crafted Culture’s warm-weather series of radlers, Return of the Hot Girl Summer, featuring flavors such as guava, grapefruit and lime.

(Radlers are half-beer/half-soda concoctions that originated in Bavaria, Germany.)

“Especially this time of year, I want something fruity, crisp, light, easy-drinking,” Perry says. “Stereotypically, I’m not the consumer for that beer, right? They’re like, ‘dudes, don’t drink beer like that.’ ... I’m not pretending to be a bro with my beer, I’m drinking the beer I enjoy.”

Another summertime offering in the works is Mr. Ice Cream Man, a series of beers that pay homage to the ice cream truck business Perry ran with his granddad on the East Side. Every summer, from age 9 to 17, that’s how Perry learned the ins and outs of being a small business owner. “I went from riding around on ice cream trucks to reading over the lease with people who wanted to drive our trucks,” he says.

At Crafted Culture, Perry now owns a business where he strives to reach consumers and palates that the predominantly white and male beer industry has long ignored. Or as Perry puts it, he’s building “a fun house where the only rule is: No one else makes the rules but us.”

If some big-idea brews don’t work out, Perry says he isn’t bothered. “Failure is the sugar that made success sweet. I’ve always said that,” he insists. “If I fail, it only makes my next success even sweeter. There’s a lot of failures before Crafted Culture opened up, but I can’t stop smiling about this place.

This place is sweet.” ◆

photo: tim johnson

Crafted Culture founder Anthony “Sizzle” Perry (foreground) at the Gahanna taproom with his kids, from left: Robyn, Thomas, Isaac, Joe and Thomas’ twin brother Daniel

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let’s eat our guide to the best restaurants in columbus

Editor’s Note: While some Central Ohio restaurants have reopened for dine-in service, others remain carryout only.

Our listings include restaurants that are open for dine-in, carryout, delivery or all three. This is not a comprehensive list.

Given the fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, please call restaurants to check hours and menu availability.

101 Beer Kitchen Gastropub | 7509 Sawmill Rd., Dublin, 614-2101010; 397 Stoneridge Ln., Gahanna, 614-934-5501; 817 Polaris Pkwy., Westerville, 614-776-4775. At this expertly executed gastropub (its owners could school others in the art of developing a restaurant), craft brews are paired with made-from-scratch, seasonal dishes. BRLD $$ 1808 American Bistro American | 29 E. Winter St., Delaware, 740-417-4373.

Josh Dalton’s bistro uses both contemporary and classic elements in décor and cooking. The menu features short ribs, filet medallions, and shrimp and grits. BRLD $$$ Aab India Indian | 1470 Grandview Ave., Grandview, 614-4862800. Aab India boasts a large menu of authentic Northern Indian-style curry offerings, plus papadi chaat, chicken tandoori and shrimp bhuna. LD $$ Addis Restaurant Ethiopian | 3750 Cleveland Ave., North Side, 614-2698680. The injera here is about as good as it gets with traditional Ethiopian dishes like tibs, kitfo and doro wot. LD $$ Afra Grill Somali | 1635 Morse Rd., North Side, 614-591-3816.

At this fast-casual spot specializing in East African cuisine, you build your own meal by choosing a base, protein, hot topping, cold toppings and a sauce. Don’t miss the chicken suqaar, malawah (sweet crêpes) and spiced tea. LD $$ Akai Hana Japanese | 1173 Old Henderson Rd., Northwest Side, 614-451-5411. This entertaining Japanese bento shop boasts some of the city’s best sushi and a wide range of Japanese and Korean entrées. LD $$ Alchemy Café Juicery | 625 Parsons Ave., Schumacher Place, 614305-7551. This café is no protein shake shack. It’s simple, healthy food that’s familiar and whole, with recipes created by a registered dietitian. The menu is vegetarian-friendly and includes smoothies, toast, açai bowls, sandwiches, juice, and grab-and-go salads and snacks. BLD $

Alqueria Farmhouse Kitchen Contemporary American | 247 King Ave., Campus, 614-824-5579. This rustic yet refined neighborhood restaurant is the work of two veteran chefs.

Expect fine cheeses and charcuterie to start, plus entrées like buttermilk fried chicken and walleye with heirloom grits. The bar offers several cocktails and takes care in selecting its craft beers and wines.

LD $$$ Bamboo Thai Kitchen Thai | 774 Bethel Rd., Northwest Side, 614-326-1950.

This bright spot in a drab strip mall offers well-executed Thai staples like som tum (green papaya salad), flavorful green and red curries and pad thai, plus some Vietnamese, Korean and Chinese dishes. LD $$ Bangkok Grocery & Restaurant Thai | 3277 Refugee Rd., East Side, 614-231-8787.

A family-owned grocery and eatery specializing in authentic Thai fare for more than 30 years. Go for some of the city’s best pad thai, tom yum soup, nam tok and Thai curries. LD $ Barcelona Restaurant & Bar Spanish | 263 E. Whittier St., German Village, 614443-3699. Longstanding Barcelona is a classic for approachable Spanish tapas and other palate-expanding fare with an American influence. The patio is one of the most charming in the city. BRLD $$$ Black Radish Creamery Soup & Sandwiches | 6750 Longshore St., Dublin, 614683-8799; 59 Spruce St., Short North, 614-517-9520.

This North Market cheese shop also offers cheese plates and traditional raclette. BLD $ NEW! Boxwood Biscuit Co. Southern | 19 W. Russell St., Short North, 614-7452105. The owners of the Law Bird cocktail bar have teamed up with chef Tyler Minnis to open this fried chicken and biscuits joint near Goodale Park. The menu features biscuits and gravy, breakfast sandwiches, fried chicken sandwiches and more. BLD $ Cleaver Contemporary American | 1099 W. First Ave., Grandview, 614-914-8057. At this neighborhood spot, the owners

of The Butcher & Grocer offer a chef-driven menu of meat-centric fare that’s sourced responsibly. A full bar with happy hour specials sweetens the pot. D $$$ Club 185 American | 185 E. Livingston Ave., German Village, 614-228-3904. You’ll find cozy booths and a swinging jukebox at this dimly lit German Village hangout serving better-than-average bar fare like cheeseburgers, wings and pizza. LD $ Coastal Local Seafood Seafood | 6750 Longshore St., Dublin, 614-683-8782; 59 Spruce St., Short North, 614-929-5701. In addition to fresh seafood for cooking at home, this North Market fishmonger offers lobster rolls, chowder, lobster poutine and more. LD $$ Comune Contemporary American | 677 Parsons Ave., Schumacher Place, 614-947-1012. Joe Galati’s restaurant and bar fills a void in Columbus with a plantbased approach to upscale dining. The seasonal and globally inspired menu includes shareable dishes like house-made pita, dan dan noodles, tempura cauliflower and sesame ice cream. LD $$ The Crafty Pint Gastropub | 2234 W. Dublin-Granville Rd., Northwest Side, 614-468-1675. The Crafty Pint is a gastropub offering rustic American food, craft beers (with a heavy emphasis on local brews), creative cocktails and a large outdoor patio. It’s all wrapped in a playful setting where beer samplers are built from old license plates and checks are delivered inside Dr. Seuss books. LD $$ Cravings Café Soup & Sandwiches | 114 N. Front St., Downtown, 614670–4439. This café from Matt and Lindsey Tewanger offers sandwiches made with locally sourced ingredients, house-baked brioche and roasted meats. Also featuring small-batch coffee and breakfast pastries.

BL $ Creole Kitchen Cajun/Creole | 1052 B Mt. Vernon Ave., East Side, 614-372-3333. This family-owned restaurant founded by chef Henry Butcher serves Louisiana classics like gumbo, po’boys and crawfish étouffée. BLD $$

photo: tim johnson

Let’s Eat comprises Columbus Monthly editors’ picks and is updated monthly based on available space. Send updates to eedwards@columbusmonthly.com.

$$$$ Average entrée $26 and higher $$$ Average entrée $16–$25 $$ Average entrée $11–$15 $ Average entrée under $10

- Valet Available Outdoor Patio Seating

B Breakfast BR Brunch L Lunch D Dinner

Critics’ Choice Columbus Classic

NEW! Restaurant has opened within the last few months.

MAY 2021 Columbus Monthly

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Donna’s Delicious Dozen Doughnuts | 5322 N. Hamilton Rd., Gahanna/New Albany, 614-245-4859. At Traci Lukemire’s year-old doughnut shop, customers can adorn warm doughnuts with a variety of toppings, drizzles and icings. BL $ Dosa Corner Indian | 1077 Old Henderson Rd., Northwest Side, 614459-5515. This affordable, family-owned South Indian spot specializes in expertly thin, pancake-like dosas, uthappam and vegetarian curries. LD $ Dough Mama Café & Bakery | 730 S. High St., Brewery District, 614826-0688; 3335 N. High St., Clintonville, 614-268-3662.

The creation of Perrie Wilkof, this hip café showcases Dough Mama’s scratch-made pies, scones and savory eats like soups and biscuit sandwiches. BL $$ Ena’s Caribbean Kitchen Caribbean | 2444 Cleveland Ave., North Linden, 614-262-0988. Founded more than 20 years ago by matriarch Vinell “Ena” Hayles, a native of Jamaica, this Linden area restaurant offers authentic Caribbean fare like jerk chicken, callaloo and goat curry. BRLD $$ Figlio Wood Fired Pizza Italian | 1369 Grandview Ave., Fifth by Northwest, 614-481-8850; 3712 Riverside Dr., Upper Arlington, 614-459-6575. The vibe is simple and relaxed at both locations of this contemporary neighborhood restaurant with Italian dishes, wood-fired pizzas and a hearty wine list inspired by the travels of owners Peter and Laurie Danis. D $$ Final Cut Steak & Seafood Steakhouse | 200 Georgesville Rd., West Side, 614308-4540. A contemporary American steakhouse inside Hollywood Casino featuring USDA prime beef, wagyu beef, Colorado lamb, lobster and an extensive wine list. D $$$$ Fireproof Contemporary American | 1026 N. High St., Short North, 614-706-4425. Featuring a chic atmosphere, hand-crafted cocktails and globally inspired tapas by chef Michael Koenig, Fireproof takes its name from its historic building on High Street. BRD $$$ Flavor 91 Bistro Burgers | 5186 E. Main St., Whitehall, 614-845-8840.

This family-owned craft burger joint on the border of Whitehall and Reynoldsburg is dedicated to serving local, organic and fresh ingredients. Go for the flavorful salads, the berbere-rubbed chicken wings, the Flavor Burger and the friendly atmosphere. LD $ Flip Side Burgers | 3945 Easton Station, Easton, 614-472-3547.

This burger and shake joint with a heavy emphasis on local ingredients (burgers are made with Ohio-raised, grass-fed beef) serves great cocktails and boozy milkshakes, plus craft beers. LD $ Forno Kitchen + Bar Italian | 721 N. High St., Short North, 614-469-0053.

Located in a historic building in the Short North, this restaurant features pizza, sandwiches and shareable appetizers, plus house-made cocktails. BRLD $$ Fox in the Snow Café Coffee & Desserts | 210 Thurman Ave., German Village; 1031 N. Fourth St., Italian Village; 160 W. Main St., New Albany. A bakery and coffee shop offering pastries made in-house daily and coffee from Tandem

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Coffee Roasters. Be sure not to miss the famous egg sandwich. BL $

nation. Think Salty Caramel ice cream, ice cream sundaes and ice cream sandwiches. LD $

Fukuryu Ramen Japanese | 4540 Bridge Park Ave., Dublin, 614-553-7392; 1600 W. Lane Ave., Upper Arlington, 614-929-5910. Jeff Tsao, whose family owned the Kahiki Supper Club, brings his Melbourne, Australia, ramen shop stateside.

It’s quick, modern, bustling and adds a little rock ’n’ roll to traditional Japanese fare. The Signature Tonkotsu and Red Dragon ramens are standouts. LD $$

Jiu Thai Asian Café Chinese | 787 Bethel Rd., Northwest Side, 614-7325939. Located in the Olentangy Plaza shopping center, this restaurant specializes in flavorful, authentic cuisine from northern China. Go for the tofu skewers, lamb dumplings and handmade noodles in generous portions at low prices. LD $

G. Michael’s Bistro & Bar Low Country | 595 S. Third St., German Village, 614-464-0575. This historic German Village eatery promises fine dining with a low country influence.

Expect bold flavors in dishes layered with components and exceptional sauces. Preparations and ingredients change with the seasons. D $$$ Gallo’s Kitchen & Bar Cajun & Creole/Italian | 2820 Nottingham Rd., Upper Arlington, 614-754-8176. Expanding on the menu at its sister Tap Room locations, Gallo’s Kitchen is more upscale, serving Walleye with Louisiana Crawfish Sauce, chicken étouffée and Pasta Russo. D $$ Hot Chicken Takeover Southern | 4203 N. High St., Clintonville, 614-754-1151; 4198 Worth Ave., Easton, 614-532-7435; 59 Spruce St., Short North, 614-800-4538; 435 Polaris Parkway, Westerville, 614-954-0008.. Head fryer/owner Joe DeLoss jumped on the Nashville hot chicken trend and hasn’t looked back. HCT does an excellent impression of Prince’s, the Nashville original—the fried chicken is juicy, super spicy (unless you ask them to hold the heat) and sits on a bed of white bread. LD $$

Hoyo’s Kitchen Somali | 5788 Columbus Sq., North Side, 614-899-8800; 59 Spruce St., Short North, 614-745-3943. Hoyo’s Kitchen offers Somali cuisine with authentic dishes inspired by the owner’s mother. Don’t pass on a combo plate with goat and a berbere-spiked sauce or the daal soup, a hearty lentil dish. Hoyo’s added a fast-casual location inside North Market in 2019. LD $$ Hubbard Grille American | 793 N. High St., Short North, 614-2915000. Hubbard specializes in upscale takes on downhome and down-South dishes made with organic and local ingredients. BRLD $$$ Huong Vietnamese Restaurant Vietnamese | 1270 Morse Rd., North Side, 614-8250303. Housed in a Northland-area strip mall, this bright and simply decorated restaurant turns out great Vietnamese fare with pho, Bun Nem Nuong and Asian-style barbecue pork. LD $ Indian Oven Indian | 427 E. Main St., Downtown, 614-220-9390.

Friendly and chic eatery serving Northern Indian and Bengali meals. The menu includes palak paneer, tandoori chicken, biryani and roasted lamb shank. LD $$ Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams Ice Cream | 4247 N. High St., Clintonville, 614-447-0500; 1 W. Bridge St., Dublin, 614-7925364; 3998 Gramercy St., Easton, 614-476-5364; 900 Mohawk St., German Village, 614-445-6513; 1281 Grandview Ave., Grandview, 614-488-2680; 59 Spruce St., Short North, 614-228-9960; 714 N. High St., Short North, 614-294-5364. Jeni’s creative and seasonal ice cream flavors are renowned across the

Jonys Sushi Japanese | 195 Thurman Ave., German Village, 614706-4979. The owners of South Village Grille opened this takeout sushi shop right next door. The colorful shop offers appetizers, nigiri, sashimi, classic sushi rolls and a variety of interesting specialty rolls. LD $$$ Kabob Shack Afghan | 4568 Cemetery Rd., Hilliard, 614-742-7054.

Owner Sakeena Bary’s casual eatery offers a cuisine rarely found in Central Ohio. Kabob Shack’s menu includes mantu (Afghan dumplings), lamb chops, kofta kebab, daal, samosas, falooda (an Afghan dessert) and more. LD $$ Katalina’s Soup & Sandwiches | 3481 N. High St., Clintonville, 614-689-8896; 1105 Pennsylvania Ave., Harrison West, 614-294-2233. Expect an eclectic menu of Latinleaning items at this café known for its chalkboard walls, scratch-made salads and sandwiches and killer patio in the warmer months. BLD $ Katzinger’s Delicatessen Deli | 7160 Muirfield Dr., Dublin, 614-389-8444; 475 S. Third St., German Village, 614-228-3354. A 35-year veteran in German Village, Katzinger’s is a traditional East Coast-style deli, with 60-plus sandwiches, potato latkes, pickle barrels, specialty foods and cheeses. The Dublin location opened in 2019. BLD $$ The Keep Kitchen & Liquor Bar Contemporary American | 50 W. Broad St., Mezzanine Level, LeVeque Tower, Downtown, 614-745-0322. The Keep strives for LeVeque Tower luxury without being overly fussy. Chef Courtney Nielsen emphasizes regional ingredients on her American bistro menu.

The adjacent bar is darkly lit with an emphasis on craft cocktails. BBRD $$$ Lalibela Ethiopian | 1111 S. Hamilton Rd., Whitehall, 614-2355355. One of the best places for Ethiopian food in the city is Lalibela, a strip-mall restaurant that’s modest on the outside and welcoming on the inside. Request to be seated at a mesob, a colorful woven communal table, and start off with some Ethiopian beer or honey wine. LD $ Lan Viet Market Vietnamese | 6750 Longshore St., Dublin, 614-6838783; 59 Spruce St., Short North, 614-227-4203. The Le family runs this counter-order spot in both North Market locations, offering tried-and true Vietnamese fare such as pho and banh mi plus a variety of rice and noodle bowls. LD $$ Lindey’s American | 169 E. Beck St., German Village, 614-228-4343. A Columbus institution, this upscale German Village restaurant with Upper East Side New York flair is a diner favorite, no doubt due to its classic and consistently good fine-dining fare and lush patio.

BRLD $$$

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Little Palace Pub Grub | 240 S. Fourth St., Downtown, 614-4618404. The owners of Club 185 revived this longtime eatery, turning it into a hip neighborhood bar. The menu includes fried cheese curds, fried chicken sliders, sandwiches, lasagna and more. BRLD $$ Los Guachos Taqueria Mexican | 7370 Sawmill Rd., Dublin, 614-726-9185; 1376 Cherry Bottom Rd., Gahanna, 614-471-4717; 5221 Godown Rd., Northwest Side, 614-538-0211; 1121 S. Hamilton Rd., Whitehall, 614-852-3000. The brick-and-mortar version of the popular taco truck (461 Commerce Sq., West Side) offers all the truck favorites—authentic tacos, tortas and gringas—and, of course, the city’s best al pastor. LD $ The Lox Bagel Shop Café & Bakery | 772 N. High St., Short North, 614-8244005. Kevin Crowley’s cute Short North shop offers handmade bagels that are boiled and then baked over a live fire. The shop’s namesake sandwich and pastrami sandwich are standouts. BL $ Lupo Spanish | 2124 Arlington Ave., Upper Arlington, 614-9145455. From La Tavola’s Rick and Krista Lopez, this tapas spot offers a menu of seasonal small plates combining Spanish and Italian influences. The full bar focuses on aperitivo-inspired cocktails and a curated list featuring Spanish and Portuguese wines. LD $$ Mikey’s Late Night Slice Pizza | 268 S. Fourth St., Downtown, 614-737-3801; 668 Grandview Ave., Grandview, 614-488-2114 (at Woodland’s Backyard); 457 N. High St., Short North, 614-869-0249; 1030 N. High St., Short North, 614-7373488. What started as a late-night pizza shack in the Short North has grown into a mini-chain offering thin crust whole and by-the-slice pizza, wacky seasonal toppings and famed hot sauce—a mix of barbecue, ranch and other hot sauces—to top it all off. LD $

for an especially charred crust. A killer nightly live music lineup provides an Americana soundtrack.

BRD $$ Natalie’s Music Hall & Kitchen Contemporary American | 945 King Ave., Grandview, 614-436-2625. This exciting addition to Grandview is the sister restaurant/music venue to Natalie’s in Worthington. Here you’ll find Neapolitan-style pizzas and an excellent cocktail program cultivated by bar manager PJ Ford. D $$$ NE Chinese Restaurant Chinese | 2620 N. High St., Old North, 614-725-0880.

Authentic dishes from the Dongbei region of China are the specialty at this unfussy Old North spot. Go for the Cumin Potato, Spicy Twice-Cooked Fish or any of the hot pots. LD $$ Neehee’s Indian Vegetarian Street Food Indian | 6080 Sawmill Rd., Dublin, 614-389-6304.This lively, Michigan-based franchise offers a wide variety of vegetarian Indian fare. In addition to several variants on chaat, a traditional savory snack, the large menu also includes Indo-Chinese dishes, sandwiches, veggie burgers, dosas, lassis and more. LD $ Neighbor’s Deli Deli | 2142 W. Henderson Rd., Northwest Side, 614459-0188. Some of the city’s best (and biggest) deli sandwiches and hoagies are served at Jon Snyder’s friendly shop. Go for the Hondo, featuring pastrami, salami, cream cheese, onion, pickle and hot mustard on rye. BLD $ Northstar Café American | 4241 N. High St., Clintonville, 614-7842233; 4015 Townsfair Way, Easton, 614-532-5444; 951 N. High St., Short North, 614-298-9999; 109 S. State St., Westerville, 614-394-8992. Northstar’s imaginative menu has a healthful emphasis on organic ingredients served in a casual, order-at-the-counter café setting.

At peak times, it’s common to see diners lined up for the beet-laden veggie burger, pizzas, salads, rice-andveggie bowls and oversized cookies. BBRLD $$

Momo Ghar Nepalese/Tibetan | 2800 Festival Ln., Dublin, 614-7492901; 59 Spruce St., Short North, 614-495-6666. Since 2016, Momo Ghar has gained a loyal following thanks to the handmade dumplings that co-owner Phuntso Lama and her crew make by the hundreds, weekly. No trip is complete without the best-seller, jhol momo.

The new location in Dublin offers an expanded menu and private dining rooms. LD $

The Pearl Contemporary American | 88 N. High St., Dublin, 614-695-6255; 641 N. High St., Short North, 614-2270151. Gastropub meets oyster bar at this Cameron Mitchell restaurant with a throwback vibe, craft beer and barrel-aged cocktails. BRLD $$$

Nada Mexican/American | 220 W. Nationwide Blvd., Arena District, 614-715-8260. Sure, we love our taco trucks and taquerias. But we’re quite happy to have this lively (sometimes too loud) Cincinnati transplant for upscale Mexican fare—like Mexican Mac ’n’ Cheese and pork belly tacos—and signature cocktails on tap.

BRLD $$$

Portia’s Diner Diner/Vegan | 3269 N. High St., Clintonville, 614-9727130. This cozy diner from owner Portia Yiamouyiannis specializes in tasty, plant-based comfort food. Try out the flavorful breakfast burrito or the customer favorite Yumburger, a gluten- and soy-free veggie burger served on a gluten-free bun with classic burger toppings. BLD $$

Namaste Nepalese | 1279 Morse Rd., Northeast Side, 614-2613636. At humble Namaste you’ll taste Nepal via influential neighbors India and China. Familiar favorites like samosas, tandoori chicken and curries are all here, but the menu lets you know they’ve been seasoned Nepali style (think ginger, cumin, fenugreek, cardamom, coriander, cloves and mustard seeds). LD $$

Preston’s: A Burger Joint Burgers | 59 Spruce St., Short North, 614-400-1675.

Chef Matthew Heaggans of Muse Hospitality is serving some of the best burgers (and pudding) in the city at this North Market spot. Don’t overlook the fried chicken and biscuits from Preston’s new sibling brand, Honey’s. LD $

Natalie’s Coal-Fired Pizza and Live Music Pizza | 5601 N. High St., Worthington, 614-436-2625.

Pies topped with imported cheeses and high-quality meats are cooked in an ultra-high-heat coal oven

Ranchero Kitchen Latin American | 984 Morse Rd., North Side, 614985-0083. Previously located in Saraga International Grocery, this Salvadoran eatery specializes in pupusas, thick tortillas stuffed with savory fillings. LD $

Ray Ray’s Hog Pit Barbecue | 424 W. Town St., Franklinton, 614-404-9742; 2619 High St., Old North, 614-753-1191; 41 Depot St., Powell, 614-441-1065; 5755 Maxtown Rd., Westerville, 614-329-6654. Since launching Ray Ray’s food truck at Ace of Cups, owner James Anderson has built a thriving barbecue business and snagged a James Beard nomination. Expect excellent barbecue fare, with ribs, pulled pork and beef brisket sandwiches, $ plus sides. LD NEW! Ray Ray’s Meat + Three Barbecue | 1256 Columbus Rd., Granville. Barbecue purist James Anderson has opened his first sit-down restaurant: a chef-driven riff on a Southern meat-and-three. Ray Ray’s beloved brisket, jerk chicken and ribs are all here, with the addition of new sides and desserts. The big kicker: This location serves Anderson Farms whole-hog barbecue from 5 to 9 p.m. See you in line. LD $$ Red Door BBQ Barbecue | 81 Lake St., Delaware, 740-404-4550; 177 S. Cypress Ave., Franklinton, 614-557-7469. Go for the smoky, dry-rubbed spare ribs, rib tips, scratch mac ’n’ cheese and cinnamony bread pudding. LD $ The Refectory Restaurant & Wine Shop French | 1092 Bethel Rd., Northwest Side, 614451-9774. Columbus’ iconic French restaurant might put more effort into a single plate than an ordinary restaurant does into an entire menu. Inside this church-turned-fine-dining spot, expect impeccable service and a world-class wine cellar to pair with your meal. D $$$$ Restaurant Silla Korean | 1802 Henderson Rd., Upper Arlington, 614459-5990. You’ll find real-deal Korean cuisine and a menu with semi-explanatory color photos at this casual restaurant. Its bibimbap is a textbook example of how the dish should be done—served in a scalding hot stone bowl with crispy rice on the bottom. LD $$ Riziki Swahili Grill African | 1872 Tamarack Cir. S, North Linden, 614-5477440. Specializing in authentic Tanzanian fare, Riziki’s most popular dish is the fish of the day with a side of rice, ugali, chapati or plantains. LD $$ Rockmill Tavern Gastropub | 503 S. Front St., Brewery District, 614732-4364. Housed in the historic Worly Building, the tavern’s jumping-off point is Rockmill Brewery’s impressive list of Belgian-style beers. The menu includes a spicy chicken sandwich, fish and chips, and pork shoulder. BRLD $$$ Rooh Indian | 685 N. High St., Short North, 614-972-8678.

A San Francisco import serving high-end, “progressive Indian” fare. Go for the inventive cocktails, buzzy atmosphere and conversation-stoking small plates. D $$$ Scotty’s Café American | 2980 E. Broad St., East Side, 614-2371949. This family favorite on the East Side serves a full breakfast menu with specialty omelets, as well as American classics for lunch. BL $ Service Bar Contemporary American | 1230 Courtland Ave.,

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Special advertising opportunities coming in Columbus Monthly

JULY BEST OF COLUMBUS Celebrate the best that Columbus has to offer, from our restaurant scene and nightlife to arts, entertainment and everything in between. The Columbus Monthly editorial staff and readers will select their favorite people, places and events and the results will publish in our July issue, which is one of our biggest newsstand sellers! In fact, Columbus Monthly published the city’s original Best of Columbus contest in 1983. Readers view the Columbus Monthly Best of Columbus winner list as a very credible resource! It’s the perfect time for you to advertise!

HOMETOWN STORY Local communities play an important role in why Central Ohio receives national attention as a thriving region. But is everyone aware of the valuable cultural, economic, historical and recreational assets many of these communities offer?

Hometown Story will feature villages, townships and cities in the Columbus Metropolitan Area. Our readers love history, culture, concerts, art, farmers’ markets, museums and so much more. These affluent and active consumers frequently dine out and shop and enjoy exploring new things to see and places to visit. Make sure your community story is represented in this special magazine section.

VACATIONS & GETAWAYS

Sí Señor Peruvian Sandwiches & More Latin American | 1456 W. Fifth Ave., Fifth by Northwest, 614-369-1500. This Peruvian-style, orderat-the-counter sandwich shop adds Latin style to familiar American lunchtime staples. Go for the empanadas, Chicharrón Peruano (fried pork shoulder sandwich), cilantro pasta salad and tres leches cake. BLD $ Skillet American | 410 E. Whittier St., Schumacher Pl., 614443-2266. Chef Kevin Caskey has developed a huge following for his creative comfort food, served out of a cozy, no-reservations Schumacher Place space.

The menu changes nearly daily to reflect whatever local ingredients the chef can source. BBRL $$ South Village Grille American | 197 Thurman Ave., German Village, 614826-0491. From the owners of Local Cantina and Old Skool, South Village Grille offers a classy atmosphere in a familiar neighborhood setting. You can expect lunch classics like the Croque Madame Toast, plus dinner options like roast chicken, short ribs, seafood and pasta dishes. BRLD $$$ Starliner Diner Diner | 4121 Main St., Hilliard, 614-529-1198. After 21 years in its Cemetery Road location, Starliner moved into a former post office in Old Hilliard.

This funky diner serves giant helpings of zesty, Latin-leaning comfort food at breakfast, lunch and dinner. BLD $ Strongwater Food & Spirits American | 401 W. Town St., Franklinton, 614-9283170. Inside this 100-year-old former manufacturing space, expect a small-plates menu with an emphasis on smoked meats and thoughtful vegetarian fare. The bar, in the former lobby, features specialty cocktails with a focus on simple, house-made ingredients, plus local and imported beers. LD $$

Columbus Monthly’s active readers are always looking for new getaway ideas. Whether your vacation spot is a weekend escape or a trip that provides a lifetime of memories, this is a prime opportunity to reach this audience.

Sunflower Chinese Restaurant Chinese | 7370 Sawmill Rd., Northwest Side, 614764-7888. An authentic Chinese restaurant in a shopping plaza just outside of I-270. Sunflower is best known for its delicious dim sum, served daily but most intensely pursued by diners on weekends.

LD $$

July Issue Ad Close: May 21

Sushi Ten Japanese | 1159 Old Henderson Rd., Upper Arlington, 614-451-9100. Located next to Tensuke Express, this contemporary Japanese spot offers a large variety of fresh sushi rolls, nigiri and poke bowls. LD $$

For complete information call (614) 888-4567 or email advertise@columbusmonthly.com

BEST CITY MAGAZINE IN AMERICA, 2018 CITY AND REGIONAL MAGAZINE ASSOCIATION

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Short North, 614-947-1231. From Middle West Spirits comes this fine restaurant run by executive chef Avishar Barua (a Top Chef Season 18 contestant). Excellent seasonal cocktails complement Barua’s playful, globe-trotting menu. Don’t miss the Cheesy Brisket Crunch, kati roll and family-style whole chicken (inspired by his Bengali roots). D $$$

Sushi Time Japanese | 2653 N. High St., Old North, 614-3725228. Standard sushi bar fare, with tempura, udon, soba, bento boxes and more in the former home of Angry Bear Kitchen. Offers dine-in, takeout and delivery. LD $$ Sweet Carrot 1417 W. Fifth Ave., Fifth by Northwest, 614-488-7151.

Angela Petro’s fast-casual café sprouted from a food

truck of the same name. The mix-and-match menu focuses on smoked brisket, pulled pork and Ohio chicken meatballs served over corn cakes or mac ’n’ cheese. LD $ Veritas Contemporary American | 11 W. Gay St., Downtown, 614-745-3864. Chef Josh Dalton’s modern, tasting-menu-style restaurant celebrates the art and science of cooking while offering one of the finest dining experiences in town. Located in the Citizens Building at Gay and High streets, Veritas prides itself on excellent service and exhilarating cocktail and wine lists. D $$$$ Wolf’s Ridge Brewing Contemporary American | 215 N. Fourth St., Downtown, 614-429-3936. French- and Californiacuisine-inspired Wolf’s Ridge is a truly delightful reflection of how we enjoy fine dining today—a happy marriage of high-end small plates, pints of housecrafted beer and craft cocktails. BRLD $$$ Woodhouse Vegan Café American | 851 N. Fourth St., Italian Village, 614-3902410. The Woodhouse family offers plant-based comfort food at this cute brick house in Italian Village. Highlights include the Caesar salad, loaded nachos and West African peanut stew. D $$ Wycliff’s Kitchen African | 2492 Home Acre Dr., North Side, 614-7723461. The gregarious and charming Wycliff Nduati is usually on hand to guide diners through the menu at his Kenyan eatery. Dishes such as the karanga mbuzi (goat stew) make Wycliff’s a worthy destination. Be sure to pair dinner with notable sides like pilau (seasoned rice with meat) and kabeji (cabbage). LD $$ Xi Xia Western Chinese Cuisine Chinese | 1140 Kenny Centre Mall, Northwest Side, 614-670-7736. Xi Xia offers an authentic tour of flavors from the Ningxia autonomous region in northcentral China. Highlights include the chewy stirred noodles and rice pilaf with cubed lamb. LD $$ Yellow Brick Pizza Pizza | 415 W. Rich St., Franklinton, 614-372-5983; 892 Oak St., Olde Towne East, 614-725-5482. This pizzeria has the feel of a beloved neighborhood haunt while offering a fresh take on the classic ’za, with specialty pies and appetizers. LD $ Yemeni Restaurant Middle Eastern | 5426 Cleveland Ave., North Side, 614-426-4000. Offering a cuisine rarely found in Columbus, this no-frills eatery serves authentic Yemeni specialties like fahsa and foul stews, lamb mandi and Adeni milk tea. LD $ Ying’s Teahouse & Yum-Yum Chinese | 4312 N. High St., Clintonville, 614-262-7587.

This humble shopping plaza spot hangs its hat on Northern-style Chinese fare. Skip the American menu and go for Xi’an-style dishes like barbecue skewers, spicy incense pot and qi-shan noodles with ground pork. LD $ Z Cucina di Spirito Italian | 6584 Riverside Dr., Dublin, 614-916-9200; 1368 Grandview Ave., Fifth by Northwest, 614-486-9200.

An upscale Italian restaurant offering a blend of traditional and modern Italian flavors with an emphasis on sourcing local ingredients. LD $$

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continued from Page 89

“Right there on Main Street, where a few days ago, we stood in solidarity for minorities, and then … people were literally telling me that it didn’t matter.”

She was also taken aback last year by the stories that emerged on an Instagram account, Dear Reynoldsburg City Schools (@dearreynschools), where students and alumni anonymously aired complaints against the school district and its teachers.

Some of the comments called out racist and racially insensitive comments by specific teachers. While there was a lot of discussion of the social media account within the community, Kc says, she would like the school to respond more firmly. “I want to see accountability for that.”

“We typically don’t respond to anonymous complaints,” says Brown, pointing out that some of the posts on the site referenced incidents that were alleged to have taken place before his tenure. “If a kid brings us a specific complaint against an individual, absolutely, we will investigate,” he continues. “I was troubled that people felt they couldn’t bring that information forward.”

Members of the Bexley Minority Parents’ Group, which has a collaborative relationship with the school district, are similarly disappointed with the schools’ apparent failure to respond to the Snapchat incident last summer. While Columbus Academy announced that it had taken disciplinary action against students involved in the bullying, the Bexley Board of Education issued a general statement condemning racism but would not comment further.

The father of a boy who had been targeted, a Bexley graduate who had gone on to play football for Ohio State, removed his name from the Bexley Athletic Hall of Fame to protest the inaction.

Racquel Armstrong, who is assistant principal at Bexley Middle School and who— while she was not yet on staff when the incident took place—is currently also helping the district with diversity and inclusion, defends the administration’s silence. She says that while she can’t disclose details, the boys have made amends. “The issues around race and

equity are deeply entrenched things in most communities, and the only way that we’re able to break those patterns is to give people opportunity to change,” she says. “But when we sort of criminalize behaviors early, that opportunity is taken away. When we try to make things public too fast, children don’t have an opportunity to make amends or grow or learn or forgive, and those are the things that we want to teach.”

It’s a nuanced response from an administrator in a school district that was putting resources into combating racism well before many other majority-white suburban school districts. As far back as 2013, Bexley created a position aimed at improving the social-emotional climate in the schools— an area that was defined as including drug and alcohol abuse as well as race and sexuality. The first person in that role, Kim Brazwell, who had managed diversity initiatives at the Columbus College of Art & Design, initiated a series of community conversations on diversity, inclusion and race. But two years after joining the district, Brazwell declined to renew her contract.

“This work required one person to till through the growing pains ... and will need a new person to harvest that growth in the next stage,” she told ThisWeek Community News. A book she self-published in the aftermath of her departure, “Browning Pleasantville,” in which names and locations were changed but the subject was clearly Bexley, described snubs from other teachers and a population that was not ready, she felt, for deep self-examination.

As she left, however, Brazwell tapped Jonathan Baker, a former CCAD colleague (now an associate professor at OSU) and a Bexley parent, to continue the work in a more grassroots fashion. He and several other parents founded the Bexley Minority Parents Association. “I think Kim was about five years ahead of her time,” Baker says.

Over the six years since its formation, the volunteer parents’ group has been active in a range of ways. They were represented on the search committee for Brazwell’s replacement, Leisan Smith. They hosted picnics.

They helped Smith organize a spring break tour of historically Black colleges for Bexley juniors. They met with the police chief. Concerned that the district’s efforts to hire more Black and minority teachers were not succeeding, they tapped their own networks, even hosting a reception for potential candidates. They initiated a Circle of Excellence awards ceremony to highlight the achievements of Black students at Bexley.

This past school year, as in other districts, efforts within the school to uncover and

address barriers to inclusion ramped up significantly. In addition to increased faculty development programming, the district won a $70,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Education to develop and implement a plan to recruit and retain minority staff members.

Armstrong, who wrote the grant, says that the district plans to get creative, starting with a listening tour to find out from preservice teachers around the country “what it would take to come and work in a district like Bexley,” Armstrong says. “To have an open, honest conversation about the challenges and constraints … and what is within our power to do to meet those needs.”

In addition to the focus on race and diversity in this year’s faculty development programming, Bexley faculty read and discussed the book, “So You Want to Talk About Race,”

by Ijeoma Oluo. In order to connect with the broader community, Shapiro is currently facilitating a series of online discussions of the five-part podcast, Nice White Parents.

Similar conversations and initiatives to those in Bexley and Reynoldsburg are taking place in suburbs across Franklin County.

Upper Arlington, which has only 1 percent Black students and 6.3 percent who identify as multiracial, last fall hired an executive director of diversity, equity and inclusion. Two Upper Arlington parents, eager to collaborate with those in other districts who may be further along in the effort to cultivate a diverse community, formed the Columbus Communities Coalition for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

“While not every suburb has the same demographic or culture, there’s certainly a lot of commonalities in terms of the barriers that are created in suburban communities that are unique to suburban communities,” says Catherine Kennedy, who co-founded the group with Seyla Kramer. “We all have something to gain, and we all have something to share.” To date, representatives of 16 suburban communities have joined the effort.

And that sharing will be needed, because after a long year of Zoom trainings and tough conversations, most suburban school districts that have made a commitment to inclusivity—wherever they are in the process—have had to acknowledge that progress will be slow and success difficult to measure. “What’s very hard to grapple with is that there is no end point,” Armstrong says.

“There isn’t this, ‘if I arrive here, we’ve made it’ metric. It’s a ‘lifelong journey’ metric.”

“This is not work for the faint-hearted,” comments Ross of Reynoldsburg. “And even if you are faint-hearted, you still have to do the work.” ◆ MAY 2021 Columbus Monthly

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Ask your Realtor to market your home in the Executive Homes section of Columbus Monthly Magazine!

East of I-71 call Telana Veil at (614) 469-6106 or e-mail at tveil@dispatch.com West of I-71 call Amy Vidrick at (614) 461-5153 or e-mail at avidrick@dispatch.com

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Mike Carruthers (614) 620-2640 www.mike carruthers.com

Richard & Monique Pinkerton (740) 973-8169 PinkertonRealEstate @yahoo.com

297 STANBERY AVENUE - Prestigious Stanbery Avenue – $429k in Recent Renovations – 4 To 5 Bedrooms – 4 Full, 2 Half Baths – Approx. 6,506 SqFt –Grand Foyer w/ Open Stairway – Exposed Hardwood – Chef’s Kitchen w/ SS Appliances & Granite Counters – Family & Media Rooms – Master Bdrm Suite w/ Private Terrace – Inground Pool –2 ½ Car Attached Garage – Shows Better Than New!

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PINKERTON REAL ESTATE

Richard & Monique Pinkerton (740) 973-8169 PinkertonRealEstate @yahoo.com

Richard & Monique Pinkerton (740) 973-8169 PinkertonRealEstate @yahoo.com

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546 WELSH HILLS ROAD, GRANVILLE - Spectacular 6,200 sq. ft. home on professionally landscaped 2.7 acres. 4 spacious bdrms, 4.5 baths, vaulted ceilings and fireplace in the great rm plus living rm/music rm, formal dining rm, gourmet kitchen w/ breakfast counter.

1st floor master suite, 1st floor study, and convenient laundry. Each bedroom has a full bath.

Incredible walkout LL w/ 2nd kitchen, gathering area w/fireplace, theater rm, gym and guest bdrm w/ full bath. Paved driveway with a 4 car garage. $1,075,000

PINKERTON REAL ESTATE

82 PINEHURST DRIVE, GRANVILLE - Custom two-story home with walk-out lower level onto magnificent Donald Ross golf course. Located adjacent to the 5th Green, the view of the golf course is one of the most spectacular in Central Ohio. This home has it all including a Mother-inLaw suite. First floor Master suite and four additional large bedrooms including 4.5 full baths. Exceptional outdoor entertaining areas. $825,000

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20 TRINITY COURT, GRANVILLE - Custom built two-story brick home on 2.7 acres. 4 BD & 3.5 BA. Approx. 5,500 sq. ft. living space. Spacious kitchen w/access to enclosed 20x12 porch.

Walk-out lower level w/family room, fireplace, bar area & gym w/ full bath. Beautiful hardwood floors. 12 x 20 elevated sun deck. 3 car garage w/ charging port for your hybrid vehicle. $750,000

4/15/21 10:21 AM

Coda

Shoeless Acrobatics on High Street, 2020 Photo and Poem By Marcus Jackson

128

From the old killings, the new killings differ only slightly, and my grace is the same as my grandmother’s,

bequeathed to me, moving through the city still struck with sudden glimpses of dusk

a grace originally born on some night specified by the blue, weighty air, and by the soil insisting

daubing clouds above the high-rises, the enormous nervous system of crosswalks and traffic lights,

violence is veiled meagerness.

Certainly, there were landlords, hungers, nakedness, and taxes

the memory of dancing as a child, and today the great want, as if no faulty flip or no hateful, mistaken man could kill me,

all to be quelled, so I’ve worked among others, into exhaustion and trepidation, though I’ve somehow retained the fluidity

to still be dancing.

Columbus Monthly MAY 2021

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4/15/21 10:05 AM

MAY IS BETTER HEARING & SPEECH MONTH LIFE IS SWEETER WITH BETTER HEARING!

Call (614) 219-2524 by May 31 to schedule an appointment.

Most insurance plans accepted.

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Are yo ou missing g out on the sou unds of sp pring?

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Our new Dublin location is now open (614) 212-2670 5155 Bradenton Ave., Suite 150

• Experienced treatment by our board-certified audiologists to find the best fit for your hearing and lifestyle needs.

Clintonville location (614) 219-2524 510 E. North Broadway

Come see why your neighbors trust Columbus Speech & Hearing Center for their hearing care!

OUR PROVIDERS Emily Kirkendall, AuD

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4/15/21 9:33 AM

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4/15/21 9:33 AM