Celebration of Cincinnati Mothers: 2022
“To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power. Or the climbing, falling colors of a rainbow.” – Maya Angelou
Mothers are pathmakers for the younger generation. Caretakers who lead with courage, strength, and empathy – all values which we uphold at Women of Cincy. To little surprise, when asked who the most influential woman in their life is, many of our interviewees immediately thought of their mother.
Many of our interviewees are mothers themselves, leading by example as they reinvent their identity, support their community, further their education, and persevere with strength. Others reflected on the mother-type figures who gave them love and support on their journeys – grandmas, step-moms, aunts, sisters, teachers, mentors, and friends.
To celebrate Mother’s Day, we are presenting a collection of all the times throughout the past year when our interviewees spoke on the influence, intelligence, strength, and other endearing qualities exemplified by their mothers.
Interviews and Photos by Women of Cincy Staff. Intro written by Molly Spitzer.
Elaine Townsend
Interview by Janet Chu. Photography by Angie Lipscomb.
My grandma, for sure. She raised seven kids as a single mom. She has lived a very Barbie-like lifestyle. She used to compete in beauty pageants. Then she was helping her husband run an electronics store back in the ‘80s, and she was a nurse for a long time. She owned her own food business, too. She's done a little bit of everything and somehow managed to come here with all of her kids. She's an amazing cook and a very hardy woman. She doesn't take bullshit from anyone, like most grandmas.
Venita Thomas
I remember my wonderful mother daily because of the final verbal lesson she imparted into my heart, mind and soul before she transitioned ten days before my birthday in 2013. Every lesson has come to past; and the biggest gift from her, she named me after herself. How wonderful.
Monique Gilliam
Interview by Kristyn Bridges. Photography by Chelsie Walter. Sponsored by Cohear.
There is one person who immediately comes to mind. Her name is Shannon Phoenix. This person has been in my life since I was 14 years old. She has been by my side through the loss of my mom, my brother, my firstborn child, and my grandmothers. She's been there guiding and advising me when I was homeless. She's always been my greatest supporter and my biggest cheerleader.
I really admire her because she is a mother of two, and in the midst of the pandemic, she started her own business. She's like the jack of all trades. She has her master’s degree in human resources, and she has a call center. With her call center, she’s giving people the opportunity to work from home for reputable organizations like Home Depot and Intuit Tax. What I really love about her work is that she acquired grant funding when she found that people wanted to work from home, especially during the pandemic, but didn't have the equipment to do so. So she acquired grant dollars to be able to get people new computers, eliminating a barrier. I've since connected her to organizations that I love, like MomsHope, so they can partner, and she can give single moms opportunities. She's just a really amazing person. She's my sister. Even though we're not sisters, I look at her as a sister. I honestly don't know where I would be without her support over all these years.
Nikita Anderson
Interview by Kristyn Bridges. Photography by Chelsie Walter. Sponsored by Cohear.
Well, I would have to start with the first person that I met, my mother. Her death (10 years on April 7th) definitely rocked me to my core. I was only 25 and as independent, assertive, and ambitious as I am, I was not ready to live without my momma. She definitely got me ready to live without her – I think about my ability to serve my neighborhood and my community and my peers and the work that we do. I watched my momma take care of neighbors and family. She would buy food for some of our neighborhood friends who were moms who just didn't have it for whatever reason. Everybody loved her, and all the kids called her “Momma Sue.” I don't think she ever was intentionally trying to be nice, it was just who she was. She could also be brutally honest, but it didn't stop people from liking her overall, even if she had to tell them about themselves.
She always got up and was hard working, and able to take care of business by any means necessary, but with character and with integrity. Always do your best and with integrity. She could not stand a liar or a thief; if you can steal, you can lie and if you can lie, you can steal. That was definitely drilled into me. Her ability to give even when she didn't have a lot, I think that just really meant a lot. I have an obligation to work hard and to take care of others and to do my best, not just for my immediate household, but for the people around; for my neighborhood. My mom was definitely that person for a lot of our neighbors who checked in on them or made sure that they had their groceries or took them to the store if they needed a ride. I really think a lot of her caring and giving is why I am the way that I am.
Nia Baucke
Interview by Michaela Rawsthorn. Photography by Chelsie Walter. Sponsored by Cohear.
I don't want to go with the obvious one, but my mom. Especially right now in the season of life that I'm in – in the thick of it with kids.
I remember when I ran for student council, my mom picked out an outfit for me, and we prepped the night before I did the speech. When I came home from school, I told my mom that I didn't get it. And I pretended like I was crying a little bit and she started bawling. But I was joking. I was like, “Oh, just kidding, Mom! I won.” But she was still crying. She was like, “Don't do that!”
I always tell that story because it's the best way to describe her. She was just this incredibly empathetic person. I wish I had the heart that she did because she just connected with every single person that she interacted with. She tried to understand where people were coming from. If you told her a goal, it was her goal. If you told her you were sad about something, she was sad about something. I love any woman that connects with other women in that way. I just adore them. So, my mother is my answer, but also other people in my life who've just been there for me in that way. I just try to take that energy and be that for other women.
Jessica Moore
Interview by Michaela Rawsthorn. Photography by Chelsie Walter. Sponsored by Cohear.
My sister, Lydia Daniels. She is my baby sister who is very grown. She’s a social worker in Columbus and is winning awards for programs she’s developing. She has a huge, huge heart. My parents raised a couple of bleeding hearts, for sure. She has fibromyalgia, but she just keeps going. She's super funny, and she's a Bridgebuilder. I love her so much.
Annie Ruth
Interview by Kelsey Graham. Photography by Heather Colley. Hair and makeup by Annie’s niece, Jovian Bailey.
It may sound cliche but it’s definitely the truth: my mom. In October 2020, she passed away. But she was really the major influence in everything I do. To watch her experience mental illness in a time with so much stigma, and it was so taboo, to watch her breakdown but yet not stop, to watch the love that she poured into us and the sacrifices she made as a mother, influenced my role as a mother.
Dr. Nicole Avant
Interview by Michaela Rawsthorn. Photography by Chelsie Walter.
Oh, I would have to say, my grandmother. She was a sharecropper from the South. I remember having to interview her for school about her experience with picking cotton. It was eye-opening for me in the fourth or fifth grade. I remember how hard my grandmother worked for her family.
She would wake up at five o’clock in the morning to get the house clean. Then she would ride the bus for an hour or maybe two to get to work. She was a maid at a Marriott in Chicago. I get so emotional when I think about it.
She did not have access to a lot but she made sure I was taken care of. She protected me. She died when I was 18, a new mother, and in desperate need of guidance. I look back now at the vision she set for her descendants by migrating to Chicago from Tutweiler, Mississippi. The obstacles she faced, and I am like, how did she do it? I think back on the few times I rode with my mother to drop her off at work. At the back of the hotel. Not the front entrance but the back. I did not understand what that meant as a child, but I know now. I imagine the indignities she faced navigating the world as a poor Black woman. I want to live my life in pleasure, ease, and relaxation for her and all my ancestors like her who were denied their privilege and birthright.
Aiesha Little
Interview by Suzanne Wilder. Photography by Angie Lipscomb.
Also, my mother taught me to be the person I am. To be able to come into a space, and say ‘Hey, I don’t see any space for me, so I’m going to move you out of the way and you out of the way, and I’m going to be right here.’ I definitely get that from my mother. She’s a social butterfly, she’s an extrovert. When I was younger I was an introverted, wallflower kid. To go from that to ‘I’m going to dress up in costume, and go through self-checkout at the grocery store in costume’. That is some of her influence.
Doris Thomas
Interview by Blaire Bartish. Photography by Stacy Wegley.
First, my mother: From her, I draw my strength and my faith. Secondly, I’m going to say all ancestors. I mean that with sincerity of heart, for having the tenacity, strength, courage, and willpower to endure; those who know their past but live in their present.
To Michelle Obama – I give her credit for exemplifying what a lady is supposed to look like – how she is supposed to raise her children, and how to stand and honor her people, her country, and her friendships.
I give honor to my friends who understand me and speak truth to me. And lastly, to my daughter, whom I look at and wish that when I was her age, I was her. She has not a clue how much I honor her for everything; the way she is with her family, the way she is spiritually, the way she cares for children, and her servitude.
Monica Toro Gomez
Interview by Kelsey Graham. Photography by Chelsie Walter.
My mom is number one, but I have an aunt too. My mom is very religious, and she has gone through very, very tough things. She’s always like, “Okay God, you know we will survive.” She’s positive and strong and a hard worker and she has a very kind heart. She used to volunteer in an organization in Colombia where people in the poor towns around my city were going through cancer treatment, and she would collect items in the neighborhood. Sometimes she’d ask me, “Monica, I have this girl who is your age, and she doesn’t have any toys. Could you give me one toy?” Sometimes she’d ask me even for the most special ones, and I was able to learn how to put yourself in somebody else’s shoes and not think about what you want and what you need. Sometimes those people would need help, and she would take them into our house and she would take care of them, so that gave me strength
Mayra Sidler Guzman
Interview by Sarah Wheatley. Photography by Nicolette Young.
My mom is the most influential woman in my life because she is intelligent and strong. She inspires me and pushes me to be a better person every day. She’s caring and supportive, but most importantly, she always believes in me.
She pushes me to get out of my comfort zone, to become independent, to learn new things, to enjoy life. She taught me to explore the world and not to be afraid of change or new things. She is my inspiration; she is my strength.
Lauren White
Interview by Michaela Rawsthorn. Photography by Stacy Wegley.
That’s such a hard question because there's so many popping in my head right now.
But it would have to be my mom. Like I said, she’s the backbone within our family and within my life. She's very driven and innovative in her career. Her motto in life has always been, “You're blessed and highly favored. Are you doing your best?” Anytime I hit obstacles, she's like, “Well, did you try? Did you try your best?” If you did, that's all you can ask for. And so even with this book, she was there every step of the way. She read through to make sure the pieces were relatable and to check for grammar. She's been awesome all throughout my life.
Becky Blank
Interview by Tracy Van Wagner. Photography by Nicole Mayes.
I have a few influential women in my life! My parents were divorced when I was very young and so I’ve had this gift of my dad marrying multiple times and having three mom-type figures in my life. My mom, of course. My dad remarried when I was young and I had a stepmom for most of my childhood up until early adulthood. Then he got remarried again after that divorce and then I had stepmom number two, and all of them have just been incredible humans! Then I got married, and my mother-in-law is also the most amazing human. So, I have been surrounded by really great women. I think the common thread with them is this fierce independence and resistance to ever hearing things like, “Oh, you can't do that,” or “That's not appropriate for women,” or whatever. They have this cold rejection of that.
LaTosha Ward
Interview by Kelsey Graham. Photography by Nicolette Young.
I have two: my mother and my H.R. director. My H.R. director, Robin, keeps me balanced at work and my mom keeps me balanced at home. They’re both very strong women and they’re both women of God – I couldn’t ask for anything more.
My mom has faith like no other, so even when I’m tired and upset and think I can’t go on, she’ll say something that lifts me up. And she always tells me, “It won’t be like this always. This too shall pass.” There is no one like her. She works at the Women’s Center at U.C., and the way that she uplifts these women, it’s unbelievable and it’s shocking for me, and it’s my mom!
When I talk to my H.R. director, she’s the one who says, “Say what you mean and mean what you say. Don’t be afraid to have your voice be heard.” I think Vernita, [our office manager,] and Robin are two of the most courageous, sensible, understanding women I’ve ever met. You never know when something is bothering them because they’re always encouraging somebody else. These two are just the most decent women I’ve ever seen in my life; they’re the most encouraging and uplifting women. Both of them have uplifted me with this business and made me feel like I am Michelle Obama all day long [laughs].
Jillian Harrison-Jones
Interview by Chelsea Weaver. Photography by Stacy Wegley.
Certainly my mother – just having grown up underneath her and witnessing the strength she’s shown in my lifetime.
There’s an African American orchestra conductor by the name of Jeri Lynne Johnson, founder of the Black Pearl Orchestra based out of Philadelphia. She is such a trailblazer. I’ve admired her for many years; she is the representation I needed as a musician, as an aspiring conductor. She’s what I needed to see to believe that I could do this.
Megan Seard
Interview by Blaire Bartish. Photography by Nicole Mayes.
The generic answer would be my mother, but because she’s influenced me in ways that I see what I don’t want. That’s not to say that she’s not great, but she’s creative as well and didn’t do anything [professional] with it. When I was a child, I remember her sitting in bed mixing all her stuff because there were never any Black hair products for us on the shelf. She would take her Vaseline, her aloe, and her cocoa butter and would create whatever concoction to oil up with every night. She’s very creative, but she used to get on me for being a dreamer.
The absolute most influential person in my life, though, is my best friend, who’s a man! But he saw everything I was capable of. And he told me, “Be whatever you are for a good reason and it’ll work out for you.”
Jamie Sivrais
Interview by Michaela Rawsthorn. Photography by Alex Larrison.
My mom, and my wife as well. My wife's just all-around badass. She has such a strong passion for women. She inspires me because of her drive to help people. I'm pretty glad I get to be the one married to her.
But my mom had such a direct impact on not only my childhood, like everybody's mom, but my experience recovering from abuse. I am quite literally able to do the work I do because of how my mom responded to it. Some of our stories say, “You know, I love my mom, but she just doesn't get it,” or “She's just not supporting me the way I need or thinks it just wasn't a thing.” 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.
Claire Bryson
Written by Janet Chu. Photography by Emily Palm.
I would say, my mom. She just retired this year after teaching art for 36 years. She always allowed me to pursue creative endeavors not only as a passion but as a viable job opportunity. Making a living wage as an artist is hard, but she's always given me the opportunity, resources, and space to create and pursue those creative endeavors.
She's also instilled in me a crazy work ethic – any opportunity you're given, you can do with it as you may. Seeking work here, there's this kind of relentlessness, determination, grit, and figuring ways to get projects done. Creative thought is used in every part of my life. It's not like, "Oh, I'm out painting something," it’s also, "Oh, how do I overcome this obstacle?" That's always been how I've been taught to think. When I didn't feel like those needs were being met while working at the architecture firm, my mom said, "Well, then what's next? This isn't a dead end. It's just a fork in the road." She's a huge inspiration.
She also loves taking care of my kids and that's been really helpful this year as childcare was very messy with COVID-19. Having a supportive network of people around is really important.
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