By Bill Woods May 4th is remembered by many older Ohioans as a day in1970 when a tragedy at Kent State University shook the nation and garnered feature stories in The New York Times and Time Magazine. Four student protesters were shot and killed that day by members of the Ohio National Guard. Campus protests opposing the Nixon Administration's invasion of Cambodia a few days earlier had sprung up across the country, and Ohio's Governor Jim Rhodes had called out the National G

By Dr. Mark Mussman People look back at Over- the-Rhine in the year 2000, and call it things like an economic wasteland, a drug infested slum, or the most dangerous neighborhood in the country. It’s clear that these comments come out of a certain group of people who wish to exert ownership, or who feel they weren’t making money off of the approximately 8,000 residents. Many underground economies exist because of racist drug policies, or even racist permitting processes. Even

By Sam Schloemer I once had a neighbor who was irritated that I would visit and take cookies to the men incarcerated at Lebanon Correctional Institute. I wonder what he would say if he knew I was now visiting men on Death Row at Chillicothe Correction Institute. My friendship with men in prison began in 2000 as I continued to work to reduce my tendency toward being judgmental. You see, I was very indifferent to people who looked, dressed, spoke, drove different cars than me,

By Pinecrest Residents’ United On Tuesday, April 28, 2020, at 11am, spokespeople from Pinecrest Residents’ United will gather in front of their building at 3951 Eighth Street W #100 for a press conference. When residents at the Price Hill CMHA property first learned their building was undergoing a conversion called Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) alongside major renovations, they organized themselves and formed the Pinecrest Residents’ United to protect their tenant rig

By Alexandra McIntosh You’ve probably heard the one about canaries in the coal mines—how old-timey miners took birdcages into the dark passages with them, the birdsong winging its way along the slick rock roofs. The birds' bodies were more sensitive than the miners, and their chirping would stop if there was a gas leak, alerting the crew that they needed to pack out. The soft thud of bird bodies against cage floors was the equivalent of modern day detection system alarm bells

By Bill Woods Today is Earth Day. As this article gets written in the midst of the Coronavirus Pandemic on April 22nd, the country celebrates the 50th Anniversary of this day that was officially set aside to remember the importance of protecting the environment. Although most of us are at home fixated on the impacts of COVID-19, it is important that we put some time aside to affirm that the goal of addressing environmental issues is more important than ever before. A lot has

By Dr. Mark Mussman The Minority of housing in Cincinnati was built before 1970. This means that while some housing has modern amenities, much of the housing was built before electricity, modern wiring, or even sewer systems (as in the case in Over-the-Rhine and the West End). The 1960’s and 70’s represented the tail end of the Great Migration of American Black families moving out of the South, and going as far north as possible. Unfortunately, once they arrived, they were st