Questioning the American Dream: A Look at the Economic Mobility of Black Women in Cincinnati

Women of Cincy and the Women's Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation are teaming up to bring you six stories spotlighting the economic mobility of Black women in Cincinnati. “Questioning the American Dream: A Look at the Economic Mobility of Black Women in Cincinnati” supports the Women's Fund's “Historical Analysis of Black Women's Labor Trends and Systemic Barriers to Economic Mobility” study.

These are the stories of Black women navigating life in Cincinnati. We believe telling stories changes things; we believe listening changes things. We promised our community we would tell their stories. It's up to you to listen.

The following Q&As are based on interviewee’s firsthand account of their experiences and opinions alone.

Stories

“A lot of times people don't really take up something that isn't affecting them, and to do that we have to bring it to the forefront.”

–Kendra Davis

Ready to Dive Deeper?

Explore all three phases of the Black Women's Economic Mobility Project created by the Women’s Fund here: www.gcfdn.org/womensfund/learn.

Special Thanks

A special thanks to our interviewees, Jeneya Lawrence, Kendra Davis, Leola Lynch, Shonetina Benson, Judith Warren, and Kurstin Jones; our interviewers, Kristyn Bridges and Sandra Okot-Kotber; and the entire Women of Cincy team for making this series possible. 

To the Women’s Fund: Thank you for trusting us with this series. It’s been an absolute privilege to work on this alongside you. Our hope is that the words in this series become bigger than words.

Series sponsored by the Women’s Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation. All content created by Women of Cincy. © 2020.