Let’s travel back in time to the halls of high school. Remember that civics or history class where the teacher drummed on about this thing called gerrymandering? Well, it turns out that word is pretty darn important.
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Queen City Pollinators began over a cup of coffee at The Upside Brew and a newfound love for bees. Fully caffeinated, Carrie Driehaus and Jenny O’Donnell set out on a mission to support our city’s pollinators through education, conservation, and collaboration with a multitude of nature-based organizations and local schools. We met up with Carrie this Spring to hear how it all started, score tips for supporting pollinators, and her message on why we should care about these special six-legged creatures.
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I met with Amanda Laskowski on a rainy spring day at Vessel Collective in Bellevue, Kentucky. Although the weather was dreary, the space where we sat was bright and welcoming: two words that also spring to mind to describe Amanda and the energy she brings to Cincy Postpartum and her work with new moms all over the region.
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What can be better than attending an event full of people dedicated to energizing their city and each other? Everything feels more meaningful when you think about the time, energy, sweat, and tears that go into organizing a book reading, or speaker series. By being intentional with our time, our empathy, and our cash, we can support the people building up communities and uplifting others.
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I was welcomed into La Shanda Sugg, LPC’s comfortably-curated home for our Thursday evening interview – it was effortless to get settled in and open up, feeling like a cozy therapy session. She spoke passionately about her work, often using analogies to tie grand realizations into easy-to-digest teachings. La Shanda also made sure the environment was appropriately catered for the occasion from the background ambiance music to the natural lighting. And during the conversation, we frequently stopped to check-in and regulate our nervous system. La Shanda embodies many roles in this life: a mother, a teacher, a partner and an artist to name a few. From the totally on-brand accents of gold in her flowy outfit to the Paw Patrol bandaid she humbly fashioned on her finger, she was everything I imagined meeting her in person would be like – radiant, respectful, and real.
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Cincinnati Pride, like other Pride demonstrations across the United States and the world, began at The Stonewall, a club in New York City that was at the center of a police raid in 1969. The Stonewall was a popular place for Black drag queens, transgender and gender nonconforming folks, and others in the community. The demonstrations in response to the raid became a defining moment in history. While these demonstrations were not the first in the L.G.B.T.Q+ rights movement, it was the instance that these issues became more visible – and impactful. In the years following Stonewall, parades and demonstrations began across the country – including in Cincinnati.
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“Best all-around gal” was how the C-Ring Women's Leadership Award was first presented in 1922. It was an award given by the University of Cincinnati Athletics Department. The award, like the world around it, has evolved and transformed in the more than 100 years since it was first presented.
The C-Ring award is now presented by the UC Women’s Center and is awarded to a woman-identifying or non-binary graduating senior student who demonstrates outstanding leadership on and off campus. Faculty and staff nominate students, and the lengthy selection process begins. Through rounds of interviews and applications, five final nominees are ultimately chosen, with one winner picked by the selection committee.
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Alison Rampa knows something about setting a scene. Entering her mid-century modern home with twinkle lights and books lining the shelves in her family room, jazz music playing quietly in the background, and candles lit all over, it felt like a scene in a movie. With Alison’s infectious laugh and the smell of coffee in the air, we felt immediately at home as we sat down for a chat about her life and work as a middle school English teacher, leader of a women’s theater company, and founder of a body-positive summer camp for adult women.
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With new art exhibits, performances, Black History Month programs, Women’s History Month events, concerts, sweet treats, and more, you can celebrate our community by supporting locally organized events.
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On a sunny winter morning a few weeks ago, we met with author, consultant, and life coach Quanita Roberson at the Underground Railroad Freedom Center. Though we hadn’t met before, we fell into deep topics quickly – touching on race, wisdom, and much more. While we walked around the museum, we learned about her path to healing, the leadership workshop she facilitates (called Fire and Water), and the book she wrote over the course of a decade (called “The InnerGround Railroad”).
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I met Rebecca by responding to a call for volunteers at the Wavepool Gallery back in March – even as strangers, we easily slid into an exchange of expression, direction and trust as we brought her vision to life for TLACUĀ PAHTIĀ. Across the two shows I’ve had the honor of helping her install, we’ve shared intimate words of wisdom, encouragement and vulnerability. These rich moments were embedded in the materials we lay on the ground as ephemeral offerings – an ode to the beauty of sacred communication over time on Earth.
Coming back to interview her for Women of Cincy was a full circle moment. Nothing can be done to recreate the beautiful conversations we’ve had over the last nine months, but this feature was an opportunity to capture something that could be easily shared with the world; a chance for others to get a glimpse of the perspective Rebecca brings to the community.
We met at her studio and worked on an experimental mixed media art piece while chatting. As we intuitively played with her selection of colored wood shavings, our hearts opened organically.
Read MoreThe 2023 Election Day is just around the corner! On November 7, Cincinatians will elect nine city council members to serve two-year terms. In addition to city council members, voters will decide who serves on the Cincinnati Public Schools Board of Education, whether or not to legalize recreational cannabis use and enshrine reproductive rights into the Ohio Constitution, and several other critical issues and levies. To put it mildly, this is an important election, with lasting effects on our community. To view a sample ballot, click here.
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Did you know Ohio has a new voter ID law? This law has the potential to affect how many Ohioans vote. Ohio Governor Mike Dewine signed the law on January 6, 2023, and it went into effect in April.
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Election season has arrived! There are many choices on your ballot – from city council candidates, to issues, levies, and more it can be overwhelming. If you live in the Cincinnati Public School District, you will also be tasked with electing a new school board this election cycle. Not exactly sure what a school board does? Have no fear! Our Women of Cincy Residents have taken the time to break it all down for you. Happy reading and forget to VOTE on or before November 7. Find your polling place here.
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Dr. Kara Ayers knows the importance of empathy to change hearts, minds, and actions. From navigating a disability, finding community support, expanding her research and prolific career, lobbying policymakers, and raising her family, empathy underscores Dr. Ayers’ life. The summer sun poured into her brightly colored office at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital as we talked about why community connections change lives, what’s missing when we talk about disability, and how we can do better in caring for each other.
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Pam Remmel is a self-proclaimed “typical Westsider” – born and raised in Delhi, she never dreamed of leaving the west side of Cincinnati, and married “an Elder boy” with the same vision. They raised their children here, and play with grandchildren here, and now co-own the brewery that sits at the center of it all: West Side Brewing. We joined her there to chat about crocheting, good beer and memory, specifically that of her late mother. Pam was nominated for Women of Cincy by a stranger, who bought a blanket created by Pam’s mother. It’s the story behind this blanket that brings us here today.
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The Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati campus sits in a suburban neighborhood about 25 minutes from where I grew up and now live – something I didn’t know until Shabana Shakir-Ahmed suggested we meet there. During the time we spent talking and touring the center, I learned there was a lot Shabana and I shared, and even more that I did not know about the Muslim religion and the center.
Like me, Shabana is a mother of three, spent time at the University of Chicago, and is active in the Cincinnati non-profit scene. But unlike me, she battles harsh and unfair misconceptions about who she is – a Muslim woman. Shabana opened up about how she’s working to combat Islamophobia by living authentically and sharing her faith.
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I met Julia Lipovsky at the studio she co-owns with her partner in Northside, and it looked exactly how I imagined it would: neatly organized, brightly colored, and sprinkled with sentimental mementos with unironic mise en place. We sat down on a red leather couch next to the old hair shoppe windows, sharing vulnerable tears in memory of loved ones who continue to influence the work she produces today, and discussed the importance of making time for play in a world that tends to be too serious.
Her energy is comforting and inviting. With an infectious smile and aura that sings in warm colors, Julia kindly gave me a hug of hope and a spark of inspiration for the days to come.
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There is only one way to summarize Ms. Renee Mahaffey Harris: A Powerhouse. While her office at the Center for Closing the Health Gap in Clifton is fashionable and cozy, it’s hard not to notice the accolades that cover the shelves and cabinets. She is the recipient of a UC Health Humanitarian Award, MLK Humanitarian Award, Business Courier’s Women Who Mean Business Award, and countless others. A picture of her standing with Dr. Cornel West adorns a corner. A lifetime of serving others has not gone unnoticed. After completing this interview, I mentioned Ms. Mahaffey Harris to several people who turned out to have connections with her, and all said the same thing: “Isn’t she amazing?”
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Summer is finally here and with it the thrill of finding a new favorite shop. If you need gifts for friends, want to reconnect with family, or are eager to stock up your summer reading list, ensure you support your local businesses and fellow Cincinnatians. With the sun out, explore your city – and bring your sunscreen!
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