The Columbus Communicator Week of Nov 17, 2022

$1.00 VIRGINIA MCLAURIN, CENTENARIAN DIES AT 113

BY GINA MARTINEZ

Other tenants will include the YMCA of Central Ohio, Future Ready Columbus, Communities in Schools, Universal Health Care Action Net work, Per Scholas and nonprofit ac countant Wells CPA. Creation of the facility comes after United Way CEO Lisa MOVE page 2

Virginia McLaurin, who went

Facebook

page. “She lived an incredibly full life and appreciated all

she received from

Athens City Council Gets Peek At Abortion Resolution

ATHENS — Athens City Council got its first look at a resolution that asks officials to reprioritize enforcing any abortion laws.

The council held its committee meeting on Monday in the city building, third-floor city council room.

The resolution, called “Safe Reproductive Healthcare,” was introduced by Councilmember Sarah Grace.

She noted that a draft came to council through the Athenians for Bodily Autonomy. It was modeled after a City of Columbus resolution. Grace and several city officials met and revised the proposal before presenting it to council.

“Some changes were necessary because of the authority city council has,” Grace said. “The power to give specific funding allocations is with the city administration, not stipulated by council. It is set by the administration and the po-

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lice chief. The resolution reprioritized these types of investigations.”

Abortion is considered a felony charge under the Ohio Revised Code. It would be the Athens County prosecutor, not the city attorney, who prosecutes such crimes.

“Because abortions are coded as felonies, we are limited in the scope of our authority,” Grace said. “The purpose of this resolution is to make a statement of our beliefs, while acknowledging the limitations of our authority.”

The resolution calls on the mayor and city administration to not use city funds to store or give out information on abortions unless state or federal law requires the city to do so or if it can be used an evidence in a criminal case, such as a rape, she said.

Councilmember Alan Swank asked if council, either individually or collectively, would be at risk of violating their oath of of-

fice to uphold both the Ohio Constitution or federal laws if the resolution passes.

“We’re carving out exceptions by saying to not do these things, except when it is required,” Grace answered. “City council is not asking the mayor to violate any laws. We’re saying except when state and federal law applies, we want you to not do these things.”

The resolution received mix response from those in attendance.

While Ari Gaber, operations coordinator of United Campus Ministries, recommended an edit to the ordinance, Gaber also noted that the resolution shows the council’s commitment to protecting residents and Ohio University students.

Another resident said they thought city council would be passing an ordinance, and was hoping for something more substantial. They asked city council why it went with a

resolution and why they put something together that is more a statement of beliefs with nothing to back it up.

Grace noted that there are not any facilities in Athens in which abortions are performed.

“City council only had authority over what happens in the city,” she said. “When a crime is a felony, we, as a statutory city in the State of Ohio, have no authority to dictate what the county prosecutor will prosecute. We don’t have any authority to dictate to an elected official what their job is. … I wish I could say which state laws apply within the City of Athens, but I can not. The city doesn’t have the authority to say some state laws apply because we are within the state.

“It wouldn’t hold up in court,” Grace continued. “In my own personal opinion, we’re creating a target if we say ‘Hey people, come down here to do some-

thing the rest of the state doesn’t allow.’ We create a target on the people who provide those service, and possibly subject them to further prosecution.”

While Grace said she believes abortion is healthcare and everyone should have the right to chose what their healthcare should look like, she swore an oath to uphold the state and federal laws.

“I have limited power,” she said. “It’s not something I can change.”

Another resident noted that the city passed ordinances on misdemeanor marijuana charges and a watershed protection act that prevents fracking in the city limits.

They said the resolution is a step in the right direction, but hopes the city considers an ordinance in the future.

City Council will hold a regular meeting at 7 p.m. Monday in council chambers on the third floor of the city building.

Courtice pitched her vision for such a shared space when the nonprofit announced its intent to sell its downtown home. “This is a dream come

on this FB page and everywhere she went. (Before the pandemic that is — for the past few years she largely stayed inside.),” the post said.

McLaurin was best known for a viral video of her meeting then-President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama. In the video, taken over six years ago, McLaurin gleefully breaks into dance as she

greets the couple. After someone informs Obama of her age, he asks McLaurin: “So, what’s the secret to still dancing at 106?” She then hugs the couple and poses for photos.

The video has been viewed on the White House Facebook page 70 million times.

The Obamas offered their condolences to McLaurin in a

joint tweet on Tuesday. “Rest in peace, Virginia. We know you’re up there dancing,” they wrote.

Although she was best known for her White House visit, her loved ones said McLaurin lived a life of service, even as she grew older.

“As she shared in her interviews with the media following the visit to the White House,

true,” Courtice said.

she volunteered as a UPO foster grandparent and collaborated with other tenants in the fight for quality living conditions,” a GoFundMe for a memorial fund in her name said.

“She was a devoted member of her church. During the pandemic, she viewed services regularly via YouTube.”

Following her visit to the White House, CBS News spoke

to her outside her apartment in Washington, D.C. When asked if she shouted when she first saw the president, McLaurin replied: “I sure did, for joy. I felt good all in my soul. It was the greatest time of my life.”

“I felt like I made it,” she said of meeting the couple. “I feel like I can die happy.”

Mayor Ginther Releases Proposed 2023 General Fund Budget

Budget includes more than $1 bil lion for safety, affordability, city services

Columbus, OH Mayor Andrew J Ginther today released his pro posed 2023 General Fund budget the largest ever in city history Through sound fiscal management aimed at mitigating the financial fallout of the pandemic and the revenue impacts of remote work legislation, the city is presenting a balanced budget totaling $1 14 bil lion for programs, services and pri orities benefiting Columbus residents and neighborhoods while restoring key reserves and estab lishing new goals for the city’s rainy day fund

“Our economy is strong, and the city’s financial position is secure, ” said Mayor Ginther “With this ro bust, thoughtful and comprehensive budget, we will be better positioned to deliver on and expand efforts that address our community’s high est priorities safety, affordability and vital city services while preparing for and guarding against potential economic challenges and uncertainties that we may face in the future ”

Mayor Ginther highlighted the fol lowing investments as part of his budget priorities:

·Over $2 3 million for summer, after school and job readiness pro

gramming to keep Columbus’ youth safe and engaged

$3 1 million for operating ex penses at the Hilltop Early Learning Center

Additional staff to support the Columbus Housing Strategy

·$10 million in Human Services Grants for social services organiza tions that provide support for vul nerable residents and neighborhoods

$6 million to increase recycling to once a week citywide

·More than $2 1 million to reduce illegal dumping by expanding refuse collection to include hot spot in spections; opening two convenience centers for residents to properly dispose of hard to recycle items, food and yard waste, hazardous waste and bulk items; and hiring more drivers for refuse trucks

Expected balance of $95 2 mil lion in the city’s Rainy Day Fund by the end of 2023

The City Charter requires the mayor to present a balanced budget to City Council on or be fore Nov 15 annually Columbus City Council will now begin budget deliberations, including public hear ings, and is expected to approve an amended budget in early 2023

The full budget can be viewed at: http://columbus gov/2023budget/

Patrol recruiting next generation of troopers on TikTok

tect,” Colonel Charles A Jones, Patrol super intendent, said “Tik Tok provides us with another avenue to begin conversations with individuals who we know are looking for a meaningful ca reer of service ”

TikTok content will feature an innovative look at the rewarding career opportunities within the Ohio State Highway Patrol, and will be another plat form on which to pro vide traffic safety messaging

COLUMBUS The Ohio State Highway Patrol is recruiting the next generation of state troopers on its new TikTok account that launched today The Patrol’s TikTok account can be found at @OfficialOSHP

The new TikTok ac count will primarily be utilized for recruitment purposes to promote interaction and create

a community of en gagement with those seeking to make a dif ference in their com munities and looking for a career of service

“Launching our new TikTok account on November 15, which is the Patrol’s 89th birth day, was intentional as it further illustrates our commitment to engaging with the pub lic we serve and pro

Anyone wanting to see how the Ohio State Highway Patrol is using social media for recruitment pur poses can follow along on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and our new TikTok account

People interested in a career with the Ohio State Highway Patrol should visit statepa trol ohio gov or follow

Well-Being In The Nation Network Makes Enormous Strides To Advance Racial, Economic, and Civic Justice

are too big for microfinance and too small for most im pact investors These enter prises aggregate the work of other women or women led micro enterprises and add value in a way that helps end poverty sustain ably and systemically

Actionable Solutions to

Ad dress Pressing Problems Identified During a Success ful “WIN Week”

The leading justice organ ization Wellbeing In the Na tion Network (WIN) hosted an interactive and engaging virtual series of events themed How Might We Sharpen Movement Strategy For Lasting Change?" late last month Virtual sessions addressed ways to achieve racial justice, an equitable well being economy, and the right to voice and vote for everyone

WIN Week featured the nation's foremost social jus tice change and thought leaders across sectors com mitted to advancing inter generational health and well being, and equity across the country To ad dress these unprecedented challenges, WIN Week's de sign was rooted in commu nity, building non traditional bridges, and changing the narrative, system, and struc tures to advance intergen erational well being and equity.

Speakers and attendees discussed ways to change the narrative, system, and structures to advance racial justice for everyone Addi tionally, attendees learned from and networked with key leaders across multiple sectors who delivered inno vative solutions to drive real change and create a more equitable and well being so ciety

All WIN members are committed to dismantling oppressive policies of struc tural racism and other in equities and creating the vital conditions everyone needs to thrive "There is strength in collaborating with like minded organiza tions to pool our collective resources More than ever, we need to act, organize, and build equitable systems to effectively combat this divisive political and eco nomic climate," noted Abeni

Bloodworth, co founder and chief executive officer of chromatic black™, which serves on the Core Imple mentation Team of the WIN Network "

"Those closest to the problems are likely to be the most resourceful in cre ating the solutions," said Somava Saha, founder of Well being and Equity (WE) in the World and executive lead of the WIN Network

"By restoring agency and voice to communities which have been marginalized, by looking to our roots and history, we are gaining fresh perspectives and solutions to addressing what previ ously seemed like in tractable challenges "

Actionable solutions to implement in communities across the nation and around the globe are listed below

Building Equitable Well Being Economies Indige nous practices are at the root of shifting current economies and building ones rooted in intergenera tional well being

For too long, we have pri oritized extractive business practices that are unsus tainable and create harm to people and the planet Laina Raveendran Greene, founder, Angels of Impact, is building a restorative well being economy by in vesting in Indigenous women and women of color social entrepreneurs

Through this organiza tion's Women Impacting So cial Enterprise (WISE) fellowship, Ms Raveendran Greene provides Indigenous women and women of color social entrepreneurs funding for their social enterprise to:

1) help women earn an in come, and 2) re invest their earnings in their communities

Angels of Impact supports missing middle women and Indigenous led commu nity based enterprises that

By investing in these emerging social enterprises, we invest in growing women leaders who in turn help to build thriving families and communities that create a well being economy Indigenous communities who have experienced some of the greatest harm have identified ways to heal in tergenerational trauma by reclaiming Indigenous prac tices

Dr. Ruby Gibson, executive director, and Kara Big Crow, director, Freedom Lodge and The Black Hills Histori cal Trauma Research & Re covery Center, shared their deep work in healing gener ational trauma leading the way with "The Future of Na tive Wellness(™) "

This organization incorpo rates Somatic Archaeol ogy©, which centers on "unearthing in the human body those remains and ar tifacts of our familial, an cestral, and spiritual lineage in order to uncover our myths and remember our stories for personal and planetary evolution " (Source: Freedom Lodge and The Black Hills Histori cal Trauma and Research & Recovery Center)

As one example, Pine Ridge Reservation was de scribed by a former Sur geon General as the deadliest place in the na tion to grow up: more than 500 youth and thousands of adults died by suicide in one year, fell prey to drug and alcohol addiction, teen pregnancy, and poor chronic disease outcomes, driven by trauma from colo nial practices such as boarding schools

By restoring Indigenous healing practices to the schools and community, Freedom Lodge and its partner Oceti Wakan are in terrupting the cycle of trauma and addiction and creating post traumatic re silience and growth Using Data for Power in Boston, MA

Ramandeep Josen, Stan tec, works with the city of

Boston to allocate dollars to repair sidewalks Re search found a system that privileged those who trusted the government to meet their needs the wealthy and predominantly white neigh borhoods despite these being the least walked neighborhoods in the city.

Those who walked the most and needed sidewalks to get to jobs and school every day didn't feel they would get help if needed and had a reason for this mistrust. By engaging the community where sidewalks were broken, mapping where the greatest traffic was and how that mapped to social vulnerability, they flipped the process of allocating ten million of repair dollars to prioritize neighborhoods and communities that needed the repairs the most

This helped to rebuild trust with the community and used data to shift the balance of power to create an equitable distribution of resources for everyone Dur ing six years, they watched as communities built trust and became engaged in their communities.

Fannie Lou Hamer was a Black sharecropper in Mis sissippi fed up with Jim Crow, literacy tests, poll taxes, violence, intimidation, racism, and state sanc tioned terror. Still, Hamer remained steadfast in her determination to vote and teach Blacks and other marginalized groups to do the same

About The WIN Network

The Well Being In the Na tion (WIN) Network is a growing strategic network of organizations, communities, and federal agencies work ing together to advance in tergenerational well being and equity.

WIN Network is building an intersectional, multiracial, transpolitical, grassroots to grasstops movement that stands in solidarity: those who have been leading movements for Black, Latino, Indigenous, migrant and other lives of commu nities of color those who have been leading intersec tional movements to build a more equitable and just democracy, those who have been creating the condi tions for well being and eq uity in economy, health,

business, housing, and other sectors WIN Net work Core Implementation Team

While WIN is powered by hundreds of partners, it is led by five core implemen tation partners

chromatic black™ a Black female led artist activist col lective and producer of the award winning short FANNIE, starring Oscar nominated actress Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard) in the titular role chromatic black™ is pow ered by a collective of 10,000 artist activists across a spectrum of creative dis ciplines chromatic black works across film, television, live, and digital entertain ment By amplifying futuris tic perspectives on intergenerational healing and well being, chromatic black™ seeks to introduce counter narratives to the conventional perspectives that normally dominate the public common.

chromatic black™ signa ture campaign Keep Black Love Alive is a storytelling and story catching cam paign to preserve cultural memory and immunize the Black community from truth decay chromatic black™serves on the Core Implementation Team of WIN

Community Initiatives Net work is a network of curi ous and committed souls, advancing communities marked by a sense of be longing, stewardship, and willingness to act for the common good Community Initiatives is a founding partner in the WIN Network.

The Institute for People, Place and Possibility is a nonprofit organization work ing to create healthy, equi table, sustainable communities that advance well being now and for fu ture generations IP3 serves on the Core Implementation Team of WIN

Well Being and Equity (WE) in the World (WE in the World) is a diverse team of well being and equity ar chitects who advance inter generational well being and equity on a foundation of racial and economic justice WE in the World leads the Core Implementation Team of the WIN Network.

High School Girls of Color Will Compete in

(Columbus, Ohio) TECH CORPS is hosting a hackathon for Girls of Color on Saturday, Novem ber 12th from 9am 9pm at Capital University. The TECHCORPShack is free and open to Franklin County high school students Nearly 100 girls from all over Franklin County applied to participate in the hackathon Of the 50 girls selected, 65% are Black and 6% are His panic. Seven school districts are represented with 31% attending Columbus City Schools

No prior technology experience is required In fact, one of the goals of the TECHCORPShack is to pro vide a safe and supportive environ ment where students can learn more about technology Each win ning team member will take home a cash prize of $200

The hackathon is sponsored by the Franklin County Board of Com missioners and CoverMyMeds. The Franklin County Commissioners re cently invested $4 5 Million to help women of color join the tech sec tor Despite years of efforts to in crease the diversity of the tech workforce, women of color remain underrepresented According to TECH CORPS National Executive Di rector, Lisa M Chambers, “To en sure a robust and diverse tech workforce tomorrow, we must pro vide opportunities for girls to ex plore, tinker and learn new skills in safe and supportive environments today ”

Rana Ghoneim is in 10th grade at Dublin Coffman High School and was on the winning team at the 2021 TECHCORPShack “Competing in the 2021 TECHCORPShack was a team building experience,” Ghoneim explained “We named our mobile app, HAP (Health, Art, Per sonal) It helped to regulate or im prove a person ’ s mood with interactive categories ”

Ghoneim and her teams’ app provided a database of encourag ing quotes, music and art that was customizable to the user By par ticipating in the hackathon,

Ghoneim gained three important skills she uses today, networking, public speaking and team building.

The TECHCORPShack coding event gives high school students the opportunity to learn about computer science in a fun, engag ing and inclusive environment while competing in teams to create an app that tackles a real world prob lem or need

According to TECH CORPS Na tional Executive Director Lisa M Chambers, “Hackathons can some times be intimidating to students who have little or no previous ex perience with technology ”

“One of our goals with the TECHCORPShack is to recruit stu dents who are traditionally under represented in high school technology classes and who have little to no experience with coding,” said Chambers

Through the event, students will learn how to use a mobile app de velopment tool and receive support and guidance from technology vol unteers from the community, ex plained Chambers Each team of five girls will have a woman of color mentor Some of the mentors are technologists with JPMorgan Chase, CoverMyMeds, The Web

Nexus and LBRANDS

About TECH CORPS

For more than 25 years, TECH CORPS has worked to ensure K 12 students have equal access toCom puter Science (CS) and Information Technology (IT) programs, skills and resources thatenhance early learning and prepare them for col lege, credential or career TECH CORPS develops CS and IT pro grams and deploys tech savvy tal ent to assist K 12 schools and youth serving organizations across the country TECH CORPS is the longest operating education tech nology nonprofit organization in the United States Over the years, partners such as Nordson Corpo ration, JPMorgan Chase, Google, Battelle and KeyBank have pro vided TECH CORPS with the fuel to deliver much needed technology resources to K 12 students and teachers Since 1995, more than 15,000 TECH CORPS volunteers have shared their time and talents assisting schools and nonprofit or ganizations in their communities TECH CORPS was founded in 1995 by Gary Beach, Publisher Emeritus of CIO Magazine and author of The U S Technology Skills Gap

HIGHLIGHTS

Racist, antisemitic graffiti in Ohio State building prompts investigation

COLUMBUS, Ohio—

Racist and antisemitic graffiti found in an Ohio State University academic building last weekend has prompted a university investi gation.

According to a report filed by an Ohio State police officer Monday, an employee found racial slurs and antisemitic hate symbols spray-painted on walls in multiple stairwells of Hitchcock Hall, an engineering building on Neil and West Woodruff avenues.

On the basement level, the re sponding officer found a swastika and other pro-Nazi images, as well as the phrase “White Power Zone,” the report read. Stairs leading up to another floor had the phrase,

“Whites Only” spray-painted in red. On the third-floor landing, the officer noted an anti-Black slur.

Ohio State University enrollment reaches number not seen in years “It happens, but to think, ‘Oh, it happens at my campus,’ is like, ‘Ugh,'” said second-year OSU stu dent Briari Russell.

No cameras cover any of the vandalized areas, according to the police report. The incident likely occurred between Nov. 9 and last Saturday, Nov. 12. A spokesper son confirmed the graffiti was re moved, and an investigation into the incident is ongoing.

In a university-wide statement Tuesday, Ohio State President Kristina M. Johnson condemned

the incident and all antisemitism and racism, on campus and na tionwide.

“There is no room for hate in our home,” Johnson said. “The univer sity is where we work and live — and we will not tolerate violations of the values, principles and be haviors that constitute the Shared Values we agree to uphold when we become part of Ohio State.”

That sentiment was shared by sophomore Gabrielle Tarr.

“Just to think like, ‘Yeah, that happened to me, near me, that could have been me or my group of people,’ that kind of hurts,” she said.

“I was just honestly shocked at how somebody could think to do

that,” said freshman Nastia Kly niouk. “Like, how somebody has those thoughts alone and then to go and vandalize a wall.”

Rusell said she wants to see the university take more action.

“Kid of makes you want to not at tend because it’s, like, this is still going on,” she said. “Like, I don’t feel safe where I should feel safe.”

Students, staff, and campus vis itors can report discrimination, ha rassment, and hate speech to Ohio State’s Office of Institutional Equity here or by calling 614-2475838. Johnson encouraged anyone subjected to violence or threats to call Ohio State’s nonemergency police line at 614-2922121.