A Celebration of Cincinnati Moms: 2021
Photo by Stacy Wegley.
At the end of every interview, we ask our interviewees about influential women in their lives, and each Mother’s Day, we compile the times our interviewees mentioned their mothers in their answers. Across all these interviews, one thread is evident: to be a mother is to persevere, constantly.
The moms you will read about in this compilation persevered. Some immigrated to a new country to build a new life for their children; some had to raise children alone; many went on to juggle careers and home life, be community leaders, or be the keeper of the home; a few were scared, many faced racism, misogyny, and limiting social norms – but they all found the strength to continue forward.
So here’s to the moms, the grandmas, the great-grandmas, the aunts, and the caregivers. Here’s to the friends and mentors who become mother-type figures. Here’s to those who are still with us and those who have passed. Here’s to the moms who wear spaghetti-stained shirts, down cups of coffee, and still somehow make time for us. They’re here to give the hugs and advice only they can give. They’re not always perfect, and that’s okay. We still love them.
This Mother’s Day, we celebrate the women who persevered.
Interviews and Photos by Women of Cincy Staff. Intro written by Olivia Taylor.
Melis Aydoğan
Interview by Michaela Rawsthorn. Photography by Chelsie Walter.
Oh, without a doubt, my mom. She’s just so positive. I mean, look at her story. She came to this country when she was pregnant with my older brother. She was 23 or 24. She did not have much. She was pregnant, she did not have a plan, and she did not have money. Now, we have so much.
I cannot believe the things that she has gone through, yet she has been so happy. She has the best laugh ever and is just so positive. I honestly think she is one of the main reasons that Rüya is what it is today. She was in the shop every day that I was telling fortunes and she was at every pop-up. People call her Mama Rüya. She is a dream mom. I cannot ask for anyone better.
Cathy Bailey
Interview by Blaire Bartish. Photography by Heather Colley.
Definitely my mom. Just thinking about her makes me smile and beam from ear to ear. My mom divorced when I was maybe 10 or 11. Back then, in the ‘70s, that was a big no-no. She was an English teacher, and then she became a principal. But in the evenings, she was also going back to school to get her master’s; she was juggling everything [extracurricular] we were into. Right across the street was my grandma and my great-grandma, and so there were plenty of family interactions she juggled, and she did a lot in the community – it seemed like she was always going off to meetings. She set those examples for us. But she still had plenty of time and energy for us, too.
In hindsight, we were poor. We didn’t have a whole lot. But she never shared that with us. She made it happen in such a way that [my sister and I] didn’t realize it until we were adults. She instilled in us that “it’s way bigger than just you,” you have to care for other people, serve your community, and do what you can to help others. And that was always her example in our lives and what she put in us, in ways that we’re living today. Right now I look at myself as a “mask mama,” because I’ve been making face masks left and right. I’m just concerned, particularly about the Black community – we know we have higher rates of COVID. So since April, I’ve made over 1,100 masks and donated them. Sometimes people ask me, “Why are you doing that? What’s wrong with you?” I feel like it’s the right thing to do. As long as I’m capable and there’s a need, I should be doing my part, and I know that goes back to my mom.
Kristyn Bridges
Interview by Natalie Galle. Photography by Karly Nemeth.
I've been blessed with so many impactful women in my life. Of course, I got to give it to my mom, my grandmas, my stepmom, and my mother-in-law. They all have really influenced me and taught me what resilience looks like. They taught me what caring for other people and being there for people looks like. They taught me a lot – caring for others, caring for family, and doing what you have to do. All of those things are just so essential to life, and they really taught me that.
Tia Brown
Interview by Suzanne Wilder. Photography by Karly Nemeth.
My mom, because I get my work ethic from her. She’s been so strong through the years. I see how strong she is and what real love looks like. She’s amazing. And my mother-in-law, who’s a woman of very strong faith; it encourages me to keep growing in my own faith. My aunt Gladys, who gave her life to her family with selflessness but balance.
Wendy Calaway
Interview by Michaela Rawsthorn. Photography courtesy of Pete Bender.
I will say my mother is an influential woman in my life. We’re very different. She was a traditional wife and mother; she worked very hard to raise a family and provide the traditional family environment; she made a beautiful life for us. But she also showed us what it means to show up. When things got tough, she got a job to provide for us but also still made sure things were taken care of. My mom was there. She was there to say that whatever problem you’re facing, you can solve it. You have the strength in you to dig down deep and find the power to survive, whatever the circumstances are that you’re facing.
Christina Davis
Interview by Judy Zitnik. Photography by Chelsie Walter.
An influential woman in my life would be my mother. She's instilled a lot of value within my character since I was a little girl. I feel like the way I've turned out as a woman – how responsible I am, how passionate I am about things – it all goes back to what she taught me. It makes me a great entrepreneur: the hard work, being dedicated to what you do, never giving up, giving it all that you have, the creativity. My mom always pushed me to the limits to think beyond what the norm is, which really helps our business stand apart. So yes, I would say my mom. She's a wonderful woman and a great cook!
And then my aunt Fox, who died last year. She was a key piece to everything that I know about baking and cooking now. She was very inspirational because I wouldn't be here without her teaching me in the kitchen. I have all her southern recipes written down, or on video or memorized. Those help us generate all types of ideas - like the sky is really the limit with using the southern twist of what our family foundation was.
Kendra Davis
Interview by Kristyn Bridges. Photography by Chelsie Walter.
I would have to say my mother. My mother is one strong Black woman that came from a strong Black woman. She embodied that her whole life. From being 16 and giving birth the day before her mother gave birth to twins, to watching her mother die and raising her siblings, to marrying my father, a man who had his own unstable mental health and background issues… Not only being a wife but a mother to him, but also being there for my sister when I was 5 and gifted a niece, making sure that she was there for her daughter and her sister who wound up giving birth to a baby boy that same year… To being the actual cornerstone of a family. The matriarch. And having to be so from a young age.
People talk about my mother and her love and ability. My house was filled on weekends and though my mother and father struggled, – 'cause I'm not gone tell you everything was great – family was first. She divorced my dad, and I saw her live her life as herself. As a child having to go through divorce, I had animosity towards my mother. But then to become a grown woman and be able to talk to my mother and understand that you cannot be a good mother and not put yourself first... And we don't teach ourselves that. My mother couldn't stand by me when I made my decisions that I had to make if she didn't stand up for herself. Her strength is just so big and so massive that I can only give praise to the Most High and the ancestors for making her my mom.
Rubina Dosani
Interview by Tracy Van Wagner. Photography by Angie Lipscomb.
My mom, Aisha, has been among the main influences in my life. She had four daughters. I didn't really understand how well she brought us up until I was older. You may know this about India, but it's a very male-dominated society. If you have a son, you are ecstatic – but not if you have a daughter. I didn't know about that part of life until I grew up, because my mom never had that view. She always encouraged us to do as well as we could and to make sure we got good grades. There was no expectation that we would just get married, and not have anything else in our lives. I was always interested in science, and she pushed me to go for that; she’s always encouraging me. She was never one to back down from anything. She showed us that you can be a woman and you can still be strong. You have to make sure your opinions are respected and that you respect other people. You are in charge of your life. She lived like that.
I feel like my confidence, my energy for doing good for others, my love and passion for this work, comes from her. She was always helping everyone. She's 75 years old, and she's still helping. This was some years ago – she's had to back off a little bit since then – but she had a group of women she would help support. They’d have gatherings at home, or if somebody was getting married and their daughter needed something, she’d go out and fundraise. She likes to take care of people and that’s one of the reasons why I wanted to stay home with my children. I remember growing up having my mom’s presence in the house. I could always rely on her for advice or that afternoon snack when I came home from school, things like that. If you needed to study for an exam tomorrow, then she was staying up with you to make sure you didn't fall asleep. She was there to support you. It’s not easy to do that with four kids.
My mom also influenced my love of cooking, which I passed on to my children. We all enjoy being in the kitchen together. They come up with their own recipes and they’ve learned our traditional recipes. With COVID, we can get online and be in our kitchens doing things together, living in different cities. My mom never stops learning. Imagine all these changes with technology; it’s not easy to just catch up with everything. Yet, she was messaging us before we even had cellphones! We had landline phones where you could message through the landline, and she’d message with that. She's an amazing person. I'm glad she's my mom.
Christine Fisher
Interview by Judy Zitnik. Photography by Chelsie Walter.
My mom. She was a working mom. They [parents] were in Chicago right after they had their first kid. My father finished his Ph.D. and she was having a successful career at an actuarial firm. He was a stay-at-home dad with their first kid while he was finishing his graduate work. Then he got a job teaching at a university in Canada, so they upped and moved and she left her job making more money than what he was going to make. But of course, in the early 70s, they weren't going to make any other kind of choice.
So, she did take some time out of the workforce, but then went back and got her M.B.A. The early years for me were seeing her finishing up her degree, then teaching at the university with her M.B.A, working full time, volunteering, and raising us. She just sort of established very clearly that it was an equal world in our household. My dad did a lot of the cooking and a lot of the child-raising, and that was because she prioritized both her family and her career. So she's definitely influential.
Jasmine Ford
Interview by Kelsey Graham. Photography by Angie Lipscomb.
My mom. My mom raised four kids by herself; it was a struggle. Seeing her maneuver through that and push through that, and just staying positive regardless of everything that was going on around us. She made sure we were all right and that we had everything we needed. So, my mom is truly an inspiration. I couldn’t have gotten here without her.
Dr. Angelica Hardee
Interview by Tracy Van Wagner. Photography by Stacy Wegley.
My mom, Gardenia. I mentioned the influence of her working for the Urban League and the impact that has had on my life. I did not think about that until about four years ago. People kept asking me where it all started. I was like, college? I didn’t think about where the service aspect of it started. I now think about how influential that was and the implications it made to my trajectory and my career.
Melyssa Kirn and Michele Tibbs
Interview by Olivia Taylor. Photography by Stacy Wegley.
Melyssa: Mom is number one. She also started her own small business, and she’s also a nurse. It’s neat to see her following her dreams and seeing that she can find a good work-life balance. And she was able to raise four kids. She worked full-time and night shifts to make it work for us. And then, she took time off and continued to raise us and help us pursue our dreams and our sports, and all our extracurricular activities.
Michele: She always told us you could do anything you put your mind to and made it ingrained in us to be a go-getter – she doesn’t let any grass grow under her feet. She’s probably been our biggest inspiration.
Jeneya Lawrence
Interview by Kristyn Bridges. Photography by Chelsie Walter.
My mom, for starters. And my boyfriend's mom. They are two different types of people, but the reason I pick my boyfriend's mom is because I feel like she's a leader; I feel like she has nothing but good advice for me all the time. We have so much in common. She’s always so happy; I've never seen her mad or sad. She just gives energy and life.
As far as my mom, she just influences me to do better. I mean, growing up, I didn't have the perfect household, but I know how to prepare a made-up meal if I don't have everything I need. I'm so much of a community leader because of my mom. Everybody knows her for doing great things. I get my style from my mom. I just know that you're a reflection of who you call “Mom.”
And she always says how proud she is of me, and I always tell her it's because of her that I am who I am today. I hope that that plays a big part of my kids’ lives and that they recognize and understand that it starts at home first before anything.
Nazly Mamedova
Interview by Suzanne Wilder. Photography by Nicolette Young.
I would say my mother – what she went through and how much she has done for me to be where I’m at. I wasn’t a great teenager. I remember thinking, “I’m going to grow up, leave the house, be on my own.” That’s what teenagers do. With age, we come to appreciate what our parents have done for us. My mother sacrificed a lot to come to the United States for a better opportunity and future, and worked very hard – sometimes several jobs – to help me get an education here. That’s what I appreciate now, more and more.
Jackie Roberto
Interview by Judy Zitnik. Photography by Chelsie Walter.
I have several, and they're all family members. So my grandmother Helen, my great aunt Helen, and my great aunt Alma. And my mom.
My great aunt Alma was a nun. She was a music professor at Marian University in Indianapolis and had traveled the world. She was such a bright mind, an open mind and heart, and just very loving. She influenced me because of her independence. Here she was, a Catholic nun, and yet, when I was a teenager in college, I talked to her about all kinds of stuff. She was in a college environment, and she was very used to talking with young people. So, she was inspiring.
And then my great aunt Helen. She was a buyer for Shillito’s. When I was a little kid, she was still working. And she was probably the only woman I knew who was working in a traditional environment. I just found that to be eye-opening. She was just sharp.
And then my grandmother, my dad's mom, was super creative. She was born ahead of her time. She had an entrepreneurial spirit and an incredibly creative spirit. Of course, she couldn't work because her husband didn’t want her to, but she was a loving and creative woman.
And of course, my mom. My mom was a stay-at-home mom, but she ran that family. I have four brothers. My dad is super kind and easygoing. Mom was like, “I have expectations of you. What are you doing today?”
We all laugh; we're like, “Oh, Mom's the one that pushed us to become something.”
She went back to work when I was in college. My dad started a business and my mom started working with him. So that was pretty inspiring that they worked with one another. They have a wonderful marriage. But health care became a thing, so she went to work at a brokerage firm full time and worked there until she retired. And what's cool about that is all of my sister-in-laws and I, we all work to some level. And my mom says, “I think I'm more understanding because I worked, too.” When she went back to work, my little brothers were in high school.
So I had all these independent women around me. I guess I just thought, “Well, that's how you do it.” I mean, I grew up in a very conservative environment, and my mom did stay home, so I think in the beginning, I had a lot of head trash around, “Should I stay at home?” But I didn’t, for lots of different reasons. And I'm here now.
Tia Rochelle
Interview by Judy Zitnik. Photography by Chelsie Walter.
My mom, Paula Moore, is a huge inspiration to me – knowing what she went through when I was a teenager, and seeing her on the other end of that. And now that I'm a full-grown woman, she can talk to me on the same level, and that’s been amazing.
And then my aunts! My aunt Melanie Ridgeway. She’s my mom's only sister and she's like my best friend. She is just a huge inspiration to me. My aunt Geneva Moore is a retired Marine who dedicated her life not only to her country but to her family as well. She taught all of her nieces and nephews that we can be anything we want to be, and she helped us have every opportunity available to us.
Priyanka Sen
Interview by Laura Leavitt. Photography by Angie Lipscomb.
My mom. My parents are immigrants and I appreciate both my parents more and more every year I get older. I appreciate my mom more and more because she was new to the country and had a lot of unknowns, went to graduate school, had a family, and was a great mom who took me to ballet class every single day. I know that was really hard for her at the time, working a job and making sure I still had every opportunity I wanted: from shoes to leotards, everything my heart desired. She’s still so excited about things I get excited about, like working on the ballet project. It’s so fresh and new to her, and even when I don’t want to talk about it, she wants to know about it. It’s a nice reminder and a memory that we did come this far. That connection has been very meaningful.
Dr. Pratima Shanbhag
Interview by Chelsea Weaver. Photography by Nicole Mayes.
My mom. She’s an immigrant. She and my father came to this country and they both gave our family their all. I think about what it must have been like for her to leave her home country – everything she knew, the language, her friends, her family, the food, even the weather – to come to another country and start over. And when I ask her if she was nervous to come to America, she says no. America is where you go. It’s where your dreams can come true. So, that’s the way we were raised. Hearing this is the place where if you work really hard, then you can achieve what you want.
And certainly, that’s not true for everyone. There are challenges, but she was so inspirational. She worked really hard raising our family. She’s a very good mother and a very good person. She’s resilient. I think that’s the thing I admire the most about her. No matter what has happened in her life, you’d never notice that it has affected her because she’s always had this ability to bounce back so well and give us light in our lives. She’s definitely been one of the biggest, if not my biggest, supporter in life.
Jamie Sivrais
Interview by Michaela Rawsthorn. Photography by Alex Larrison.
My mom had such a direct impact on not only my childhood, like everybody’s mom, but my experience recovering from abuse. When I was being abused, I didn’t recognize it as abuse. Even though I was educated about these topics, that’s not what I saw it as. It started with my mom. When I finally said, “I don’t want to go to my dad’s anymore, and here’s why,” she immediately named it abuse and made sure I knew it wasn’t my fault. I am quite literally able to do the work I do because of how my mom responded to it. I never once had to question whose corner my mom was in. I try to model myself after her; I fall short all the time, but that keeps driving me.
Miya Sohoza
Interview by Emma Segrest. Photography by Heather Colley.
I would say the memory of my mother. She died when I was 12. Farming was in her family and I feel a lot of connection to her since moving to the farm. I remember her as such a bright-light of a person. She was so happy and joyful, and that's something I try to aspire to be for other people, through farming or just in general – and I hope I do that.
Dr. Ashley Solomon
Interview by Kelsey Johnson. Photography by Chelsie Walter.
It’s cliché but I'll say my grandmother, who my daughter is named after. She's a very special person in my life. I mentioned before growing up in a very feminist household... My mom had me before she was married, so we lived with my grandma for a period of time. She had a part in raising me, so she was influential in that way, for sure. She was sort of the matriarch of that sense of feminism I grew up with, even though it had to be very subversive for her. On the surface, she was very traditional, you know, a Catholic housewife raising six kids and all of that. And now she's quite outspoken, which is really cool.
Ciara Staunton
Interview by Laura Leavitt. Photography by Angie Lipscomb.
I have to give a shoutout to my momma. She is a healthcare worker as well, and she’s also on the front lines. I think it’s a different level of commitment you have to have when you’re near retirement and you could say, “You know what? I’m going to wrap this up now.” But she’s been so committed and dedicated, and seeing her compassion renews my own commitment to healthcare when I’m feeling flustered and burnt out. Seeing her commitment after all these years is so inspiring as a nurse.
Reverend Derek Terry
Interview by Blaire Bartish. Photography by Ella Barnes.
The closest woman in the world to me was probably my grandmother. She died five years ago. She was my cheerleader, my biggest champion, and my biggest encourager. She is the one who told me I could do anything. If I was defeated in something, she would say, “Hang in there; that’s okay; you can do it; don’t worry; I’m so proud of you!” She said it so often that I can still hear it in my head right now. And that’s just been the greatest gift of all, still being able to process that.
And also my great-grandmother. She died when I was in college… she lived to be in her mid-90s. [She was] Black and from the south – a rural community. She graduated college and had a really illustrious career as a nurse. She was the first Black director of nursing in the county where I’m from, the largest county in Kentucky. So that’s always been encouraging – if she could do this in the ‘30s, ‘40s, ‘50s, and ‘60s, then there’s no excuse for why I can’t graduate, or why I can’t achieve big things. So those are the two women that laid that foundation in me early on.
Sarah Urmston
Interview by Janet Chu. Photography by Karly Nemeth.
The other person would be my mother. I probably would not have said that a few years ago, but I’ve learned a lot about her in the last couple of years. She's been through a lot recently. I’m slowly watching her give less and less of a shit about what people think. She's so boldly her. Some of the best advice she ever gave me was that I need to stop worrying about making people feel comfortable, because it's time people get a little bit uncomfortable. I’ve kept that in my head every time I have to make a decision for myself or to be myself in any scenario. Because people need to be a little uncomfortable sometimes. That's not my problem; that's theirs.
Judith Warren
Interview by Sandra Okot-Kotber. Photography by Chelsie Walter.
I don't know how many times you've heard this answer, but my mom, my grandmoms, and my godmothers. As you get older – you will find this out, ladies – people will say you sound like and have mannerisms like your mom. My sons tell me that all the time now: “You sound just like Grandma.”
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