Dear Ms. June, I know you are here with us. You sat in this lobby and all the rooms of Peaslee many times before. So your spirit is right here, right now. As it is in all the many rooms and places and organizations your body, and heart, touched. And there are many, including Bethany House, Tender Mercies, OTR Learning Center, Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition, Over-the-Rhine Community Council, Keep our Courts/Do Development Differently, Miami University Urban Cohort and Residency Program, Cincinnati Action for Housing Now, Storefronts Artists Group, Imagination Alley, NKU Writing Collaborative and you made good trouble at City Hall. Ms. June you demonstrated how to be an active, participatory member of our community. I know deep down that you enriched our Over-the-Rhine People’s Movement, you told me often it gave you purpose to be a part of it. You gave us the will to carry on. Ms. June you are alive in each one of us in a unique way. And oh how we were blessed with your warm and loving presence, your robust laughter, the colors you donned brightened any day’s drabness, your voice an invitation to sit down by your side and draw from the deep well of wisdom you imparted. You walked and talked in the footsteps of your Alabama and African ancestors. You did them proud by carrying the torch of freedom forward. We are grateful for all that you taught and challenged us on. You were profound in what you had to say, always direct and prophetic. And Ms. June, you had this special way of making people feel comfortable being uncomfortable. You showed us how to be in community with each other. When you met someone, you held on to us, and did not let us go, or off the hook. You earned the title of Womanist Weaver of a Wide Web of connections. In these days since you crossed over, I’ve heard so many stories of how you stayed in relationship by phone, with those near and far. Your phone was a lifeline, not just for you but for us too. “I just want to hear your voice,” you’d say or “Last night I had a dream about you.” What we wouldn’t give to hear your southern voice again, and please Ms. June, come visit us in our dreams. Thank you for being a community anchor, a guiding light, leading us with love, showing us how to live with joy even as we face hurdles in righting wrongs in our personal and collective lives. You saw beauty in each of us. Ms. June you often said “Everyone is a master piece”…and it was up to us to see and find the best in others, even if we disagreed. You had a conscious practice of loving across differences. Your life was truly a work of art. You taught us how to be good and kind neighbors. Your mantra was always DO JUSTICE, but “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Ms. June, you insisted on self-love, to love ourselves regardless of what mainstream might say about us. Speak your truth. Tell your story. You believed living on the edges is a strength. That there is power in just anger as long as we put it to good use. Ms. June, I know you felt deeply the pains and sufferings of this world. And you were honest about your own grief and trauma. You were always looking out for the children, persons homeless on our streets, and the elderly. You were always telling anyone who needed it, “Lay your burdens on my breasts for a while.” But then, encouraged us to get up the next morning and use the gifts we were given to make our neighborhood and world a better and healthier place for all to enjoy. You told us we all have a responsibility in this freedom struggle if there’s a new world a coming. You had a vision for that new world. You saw it. You drew it. You wrote about it. You spoke of it. You inspired us to believe in it. Your life expressed that we needed a vision, even more than we needed hope. Where you are, I hope they are serving ribs, green Jell-O, pound cake and sweet potato pie. That you are in a rocking chair on a porch breathing in fresh country air, no longer needing your oxygen tank, hearing voices singing Hallelujah from that Amen Corner you always spoke about. Ms. June, may you forever be draped with the colors of the rainbow, especially the color purple. We are so glad we had you for the time we did, which now feels way too short. I love you Ms. June. We all love you. Rest Sweet Sister, you gave to the world what was yours to give. With Love, Bonnie Neumeier Delivered at Ms. June’s Celebration of Life at Peaslee on November 5, 2022

By Bill Woods The culture wars are raging in this country. As if the current threats to democracy aren't sufficient to keep us active and afraid, these movements to ban books and restrict subjects in schools are troubling and cannot continue unopposed. These efforts, promoted especially by the white male base of the Republican Party, represent a reassertion of white power in the U.S. An appropriate slogan for this movement would be: "White Lives Matter More!" In numerous states across the country, legislatures are passing laws and school boards are establishing policies that put in place many of the restrictions that are central to the culture wars. One of the most persistent themes of this movement is to question any teaching in Public Schools that might lead to a discussion of racism or other prejudices that exist or have been part of our history. The bogey man used by proponents of stripping curriculums of any discussions of racial prejudice is the term "Critical Race Theory." Although scholars and reputable journalists have repeatedly reported that Critical Race Theory has only been taught in a few Law Schools and never in the Public Schools, the name provides a terrific foil for the advocates of removing any mention of race from U.S. classrooms. This scarcely taught theory holds that a population's views about race have a large impact on a country's economic, political and social structure. Although turning this thesis into an ideology may be questionable, it is hardly a revolutionary concept when looking at historical facts over time. The advocates for removing any discussion of race from the classroom declare that students exposed to negative descriptions of slavery or Jim Crow will come away with negative views about their country. Worse still, they say, white students may have their feelings hurt by any negative portrayals of white behavior toward African-Americans or Native Americans. One response to this view is to ask: What about the feelings of African-American students? Do they deserve to have their heritage stripped from all textbooks? How are they to know the long and difficult journey from slavery to the election of President Obama? This writer started his working career teaching American history at Wilmington College in 1968. At that time, the history profession was under attack for not adequately narrating the experiences of African-Americans in the development of this country. What resulted were actual courses in Black History and a better attempt to integrate the African-American experience in general courses of U.S. history. At that time, there was not a white public or political outcry to this movement. As someone who has always valued a comprehensive knowledge of history warts and all, I believe that we must mount an effective campaign against this white supremacist effort to water down or eliminate the black experience from U.S. History. The adage, "those who ignore history are bound to repeat it," possesses a lot of truth. Our past is connected to who we are and what we stand for today, and this fact makes it important that we know both the good and the bad and the challenges and responses that the people of this country have experienced since its founding. A history class that includes all of a country's struggles, its good and bad events, need not end up with students holding negative views about their country. Slavery was a stain on our history, and with it came all the heroes and heroines who need to be remembered from the Abolitionist Movement and the Underground Railroad. Thomas Jefferson, a slaveholder, penned the words "all men are created equal," which then served as a jumping-off point for white allies and people of color to demand America stand true to these claims of freedom and equality. Historical accounts of struggles and resilience of people of color such as wins like the Voting Rights Act of 1965, can give us all hope today in our current efforts to save and renew our democracy or to fight against this new rebranded wave of white racism. We cannot let our curriculum erase historical facts. One way to study a country's history is to study its responses to the problems that it has caused or faced over time. Historian Arnold Toynbee is the architect of this approach that grades a country's rise or decline according to its successful or failed responses to the critical issues confronting it. Obviously, initiatives to erase racism or past responses to it from our educational process both deny this long-term issue or any need to respond to it. The current culture war raging across the country to eliminate racism and issues of race from our children's textbooks or from being discussed in classrooms is an initiative to create an alternative reality. It's the same type of alternative reality that portrays the January 6th insurrection as just a messy tour of the Capitol by well-meaning Americans. Denying facts and creating an alternative reality is central to the current erosion of our representative democracy and the efforts to renew white male supremacy. Thus, these culture wars and the initiatives to weaken political diversity and involvement must be countered if we hope to prevent our decline by failing to respond to the critical crises that confront us.

Dr. Mark Mussman The solution to ending homelessness and the housing crisis isn't going to be easy. Proposed quick-fixes by our local governments are likely to increase income inequality and reduce the availability of affordable housing in our city. Simply changing the zoning laws does nothing but incentivize market-rate and luxury housing. Relying on one-time loans from the federal government (like the Section 108 Loan Pool) borrows against our future, and if not directed correctly, could result in massive displacement. Taking the easy way out is often seen as politically expedient, but it often results in worse conditions for people who are experiencing homelessness and those on the edge of homelessness. Paying less than 30% of your income towards your housing, including utilities, means that you have affordable housing. Unfortunately, Cincinnati City Council Members continue to call for housing "at all income levels" which completely ignores the housing crisis we are experiencing. Calls for "housing for all" is the "All Lives Matter" of the housing crisis. All Lives Matter became a refrain in contrast to Black Lives Matter, which calls for the unequivocally support of Black people in all aspects of life, including legal, political, educational, healthcare and beyond. Black Lives Matter was created at a flashpoint, when lives of Black Americans were (and still are) undervalued, and police brutality continued without reproach. Calls for Black lives to matter are needed simply because of the insurmountable injustice that Black people face in America. When "All Lives Matter" came on the scene, it was to signify that the focus should not be on those who are suffering, but rather that we should "come together" to value all people. Coming together to value all people might be great in church, but when police enjoy qualified immunity and every known metric of happiness and success in America is depressed for Black citizens, the need is greatest to support Black Americans, not to lift everyone else up. This reminds me of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, passed in 1870, which only applied to non-white citizens. It only applied to non-white citizens because it said that non-white citizens should enjoy the same rights as white citizens. At the time, immediately after American chattel slavery, questions of rights were on the forefront for recently emancipated citizens. This law made it so that everyone born on American soil (with the likely exception of Native Americans) would now be considered American citizens. It also explicitly said that non-white citizens would be able to sue, be represented in court, and they would now be able inherit, purchase, lease, and hold land. However, with this legislation came a 100-year backlash - Jim Crow. Jim Crow was a period in American history (many argue continues today) where segregation was the law of the land. Segregation was upheld by courts through the 1960's, and although we still see high rates of racial segregation today, the courts are not likely to penalize someone for selling their home to someone of another race, but home appraisals are brutally lower when images of Black familes are on the walls. The true brutality of American life isn't the laws themselves, but rather the inequitable application of the laws. Redlining, for example, which was born out of the Great Depression and the New Deal, was exclusive of non-white Americans - over 98% of over 120 billion went exclusively to white families to enjoy generational wealth. While the program itself was brutal in many ways, the requirement that families receiving these loans include deed restrictions barring Black people from ever living on the property is truly barbaric, and would likely still be in place today had not the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. forced the Fair Housing Act of 1968. Homelessness is brutal. The effects last lifetimes. But to add insult to injury, homelessness is criminalized. People who are experiencing homelessness are revictimized through police harassment, refusals of service by emergency services, and a revolving door at medical facilities. The brutality in homelessness is both the lived experience of scarcity, and the two-fold excommunication from society. Whether someone is experiencing homelessness or not, laws should be upheld to protect the rights all citizens deserve, including a right to free speech, a right to travel, protections against unlawful searches and seizures, and protections against cruel and unusual punishment. Seeing how local officials have said that the proper place for people experiencing homelessness is in jail, it becomes hard to trust the system's "fair application" of the law. Cincinnati is in too deep. We can't just take crumbs and think that it will be enough to make up for over 100 years of deep-seated anti-Black racism. White supremacy ideology must be addressed. This is a time for a call to all sectors of the city to come together to address white supremacy. But saying we "need housing at all levels" is in fact the exact opposite of working towards solving the problem. Trickle-down housing is a myth. What's not a myth is the dire need for affordable housing in Cincinnati. The 2017 LISC study showed that any household making up to $58,000 per year is either paying more than 30% of their income towards housing, or competing with thousands of other households for an affordable unit. In Hamilton County, most Black families pay more than 30% of their income towards housing, with a full 25% paying more than 50% of their incomes towards housing. This is simply unsustainable and should be addressed. With international and other investors eyeing Cincinnati for the "eviction-friendliness" and long-term affordable housing providers seeing their costs rise, without subsidy affordable housing will continue to decrease rapidly. Currently, most city housing subsidies go to luxury housing. If we continue this model, which values certain types of people over others, we will not have learned anything from the past 8 years of the former city administration - that favoring out-of-city suburban white residents will only result in worse outcomes and massive displacement for Black residents - then we surely only have ourselves to blame for voting in the current administration. The current city council and mayor have made grand gestures towards the Black community in just the last couple months, but when it comes to the nuts and bolts of creating and sustaining affordable housing, they are choosing market-driven, business models that are palatable to the heavy-hitters at the Cincinnati Business Committee, rather than their own constituents. When the city focuses on drawing in new residents to lift the earnings tax, rather than focusing on our actual neighbors today, we are losing the stability and social fabric that the city once had. It is a mistake to think that several small actions will reverse the rapid loss of affordable housing in Cincinnati. While it might help in next year's election cycle, it will not aid the people who are suffering the most, especially people who are experiencing homelessness today. There's an old saying about shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic, which essentially means that we can move around all the parts, but if we don't change the system that created a market-driven housing crisis, we will continue to sink. And in Cincinnati, that means losing more than 1000 Black residents each year. This means more than 150 people dying from homelessness each year. It would be beneficial for people who are interested in housing to look at the documents that the Trump White House put out on homelessness in 2019 and question if their own worldview aligns with the assertions made within. Do you believe that people choose homelessness? Do you think that only people who work deserve safe housing? Do you think that homelessness increases because police aren't brutal enough? These are serious questions that anyone in power should consider before believing that the system, as is, will not continue to brutalize those at the bottom while rewarding those who already have enough.

Where do we go from here? Cold winters and warm summers Howling winds and blazing heat Endless days and everlasting nights Scrambling for something to eat Mothers with their children Trying to make ends meet Children with their mothers Walking on their feet How do people cope with, Sleeping in the freezing cold? How can people eat, Food that’s old and growing mold? Fathers they are crying “Don’t let the sadness show” People out their struggling “We cannot let them know” Bills go left unpaid The rent too high to sustain No food to fill the pantries Stomachs growl in pain Children they are playing Unaware of the struggles they’re facing Laughter, love, and family No sadness, stress, no pacing Families sticking together Through thick and thin no doubt Brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers They are never truly without How do we go from here? By Taj Ross

By Bill Woods "Now is the winter of our discontent." This famous line from Shakespeare's play, "Richard III," certainly captures the mood of many people in this country in February 2022. For those of us concerned about the future of democracy in the U.S., this discontent when coupled with deep anxiety create moments when we feel that any actions on our part are quite useless. Some grim new facts buttress this mood. The evidence mounts up that the violent attack on the Capitol last January 6th was far more than an isolated event brought on by then President Trump's rhetoric to his supporters to march down to the Capitol to raise hell about the imminent vote by Congress to approve the Electoral College Votes. January 6th now appears as just one major horror connected to a comprehensive plan designed to prevent the traditional transfer of power in order to keep Trump in the White House. In other words, we are learning about a coup that would have temporarily if not permanently cast aside representative democracy in this country. Besides the effort to convince Vice President Mike Pence that he had the power when chairing the Senate to put a halt to the ceremonial vote of that body to approve the Electoral Votes of the states, new evidence shows that Trump's team worked with certain Republicans in key states to print up pro-Trump Electoral College Vote slates that were available at the Capitol on January 6th to replace the legitimate state slates. Producing these fraudulent slates was a complex process that involved many people, and the January 6th Congressional Committee is in the process of interviewing a number of these folks. The White House documents that were finally turned over to this Committee are also helping to shed light on these behind-the-scenes movements to prevent Joe Biden from becoming President. For instance, these documents turned up a written proposal circulated in the White House that would have had the Department of Defense seize voting machines from various states. The justification for this step would be the need to examine these machines as producers of fraudulent votes. Related to this proposal was an idea for invoking a state of emergency in order to review how other countries had employed illegal technological methods to throw the election to Biden. Then we have the words of the former President himself. On tape, we have Trump trying to persuade Georgia's Secretary of State to find 11,780 votes to make him instead of Biden the winner of that state. Currently, an investigation moving forward in Georgia looking into the illegal activities undertaken by Trump and his allies to change the results in that state. Over a year later, Trump's words at a rally reveal his total commitment to "the big lie" and the actions aimed at keeping him at the White House. Declaring that the rioters of January 6th were being treated unfairly, he promised to pardon them if he is re-elected President in 2024. As one legal scholar viewed it, Trump's promise could be viewed as a way to keep those indicted for their participation in the insurrection from giving a testimony about the planners of this event. Besides Trump's inaction to take any steps to stop the violence at the Capitol on January 6th, a clear picture of his activities and conversations on that afternoon have not yet emerged. Nevertheless, the January 6th Committee is thoroughly investigating this aspect of that day. Who did the ex-President speak to during those hours? Any one of the activities just described amounts to an illegal action designed to undermine the Constitutional process of the peaceful transfer of power. Collectively, they clearly add up to a plot to keep a would-be autocrat in power after he lost a fair election. Although these discoveries make this author fearful about the future of representative democracy in this country, an optimist might counter: "Hold on! The system held together. Biden became the President, and legitimate government carries on!" This optimism might make sense if everyone was horrified by this attempted coup and committed to preventing it from happening again. However, this is not the case. The current Republican Party seems not only to embrace "the big lie," but it seems to accept these coup activities as part of the new normal in U.S. politics. A few days ago, the Republican National Committee censured Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for serving on the Committee investigating the events of January 6th. In its written statement, the RNC described the violent storming of the Capitol as "legitimate political discourse." With one of the two major parties promoting those views and ready to nominate the twice impeached ex-President in 2024, the rest of us cannot afford to let our guards down. What will be the results of all this evidence gathering? The January 6th Congressional Committee will hold public hearings as early as this Spring, and it will certainly publish a final report compiling this evidence and its recommendations for preventing further assaults on our representative democracy. Since it is not a judicial body, criminal activities found in its investigation will have to be pursued by the Justice Department. These facts must get out to the general public! Even though we live in a moment when political polarization and the creation of alternative realities on social media often get in the way of real facts, it is critical that a majority of Americans absorb this information about this plot to prevent the traditional transfer of power after a fair and well-administered Presidential election. Not only must the news media focus on this evidence, but we as citizens need to emphasize these facts to our friends and neighbors. If these facts are accepted by a large enough majority of Americans, we might just be able to stop this slide toward autocracy. Meanwhile, at the local and state levels, citizen activists need to keep fighting voter suppression laws and gerrymandering, while they propose reforms for improving the health of representative democracy. For instance, the anti-gerrymandering campaign (with assistance from the Ohio Supreme Court) has a chance to succeed in this state. Thus, if we stay active and focused, we just might be able to overcome "our winter of discontent."

By Dr. Mark Mussman In 2016, members of Affordable Housing Advocates (AHA) brainstormed priorities for the upcoming year: inclusionary zoning, eviction prevention, and affordable housing trust funds were rising to the top of a very long list of issues in housing that need addressing. After much discussion, it was decided that instead of pushing forward on all of these issues, focusing on one would have a greater impact: the affordable housing trust fund. Cincinnati had no trust fund to raise and distribute funds creating and maintaining affordable housing, so AHA was essentially starting at square one. Fortunately, the collective experience in the room was able to find a way to not only research and develop the optimal structure of an affordable housing trust fund while educating the public, but to also bring it to city hall for approval. In 2018, AHA brought proposed legislation to city hall which called for reducing homelessness in addition to creating and maintaining affordable housing. Essentially, the trust fund would have three parts: 1. an account to hold the funds; 2. an oversight board to approve the uses of the trust fund; and 3. a funding source. Unfortunately, only the first part was approved by city council in 2018 - an account to hold the funds. An initial deposit of approximately $600,000 was made into the fund from the sale of the city-owned Norfolk Railroad, but no funding source was determined at that time. Furthermore, because the trust fund is technically separate from the city, a lack of an oversight board meant that the funds would go unspent. To this day, nothing has been spent from the affordable housing trust. Rather quickly, interest in finding ways to fund the trust began springing up. After community pressure, an excise tax was added to short-term rentals (AirBNB) that the city is able to discretionarily place into the trust. City hall explored, and passed, regulations to Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district funding that would require at least 25% of TIF funds to be spent towards affordable housing within the district. This city has over two dozen TIF districts, so TIF funds could support affordable housing throughout the city, but this fund is separate from the affordable housing trust fund. Community organizing efforts, like the one supporting affordable housing at Elm and Liberty in Over-the-Rhine, directed additional one-time funding into the trust fund in lieu of voluntary tax incentives contribution agreement (VTICA) payments for the streetcar. Even as funds were being collected in the affordable housing trust, there still lacked a mechanism for spending it, and there was no oversight, so even basic accounting has been difficult. At the end of 2020, there was reported to be around one million dollars in the affordable housing trust fund. Then in 2021, AHA, the Homeless Coalition, and the Metropolitan Religious Coalition of Cincinnati (MARCC) presented a collaborative solution to the fledgling affordable housing trust fund, including funding and oversight. The city manager's office used this solution to craft a report on affordable housing, calling for increasing support for affordable housing and outlining ways in which the city supports affordable housing through the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) program. Strikingly, it called for the creation of the Housing Advisory Board (HAB) and a way to seek out tens of millions of dollars for affordable housing by borrowing against future federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) allocations with a Section 108 loan and by asking for private contributions. In the past, Section 108 loans have been used to support market-rate and luxury housing. Funds from the Section 108 loans are not restricted to affordable housing. Section 108 funds have been used to build parking garages and businesses. The city manager vowed that at least 51% of the loan would go towards affordable housing, but defined affordability as paying less than 30% of household income on housing, opening the fund to any level of income. True affordable housing is housing that is affordable to someone making 60% AMI or less, or about $35,000 yearly, or less. When questioned about it at a press conference, the (now former) city manager said that "deeply affordable" units, at 30% AMI, for instance, are too difficult to do, so these funds would not likely support housing at that level. This statement is in contrast to the biggest need for housing, at or below 30% AMI, which is essentially a full-time minimum wage earner in Cincinnati. Towards the end of 2021, the former mayor appointed members to the Housing Advisory Board. The heads of 3CDC, Model Group, the Port Authority, Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA), Shelterhouse, Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME), TriVersity Construction, a representative from Cincinnati Chamber USA, a senior vice president at Fifth Third Bank, former mayor and real estate agent Roxanne Qualls, and city councilmember Greg Landsman were appointed to the HAB. Very little has been reported or communicated to the public about the HAB, its meetings, or even its existence. City council now has new committees including Equitable Growth and Housing, which is focusing on understanding the issues and finding legislative solutions. It is chaired by councilmember Reggie Harris, who is one of six new council members. Recently, Harris joined the monthly AHA meeting to talk about proposed zoning changes and other legislative opportunities to support affordable housing. He shared the recent legislation that gives automatic tax abatement to city-recommended low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) projects approved by the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA). LIHTC is currently seen as the most useful tool for creating and sustaining affordable housing in America, and is funded by corporations, including banks and insurance companies, who off-set their tax liability by buying tax credits that non-profits and other developers use to build affordable housing units. Generally, these are projects that have 40 or more units, receive upfront funding, and are required to provide housing to households who make an 60% AMI or less (with income averaging allowing up to 80% AMI units) for 15 years. Developers must report and work in tandem with the tax credit holders to ensure compliance. Recent examples of LIHTC projects in Cincinnati include new builds like Willkommen in Over-the-Rhine and rehabs like the Arts Apartments in the West End. Harris also spoke about the push to change zoning rules to encourage more affordable housing. Unfortunately, this theory will not result in affordable housing on its own and requires regulations and incentives, perhaps even inclusionary zoning, to be successful. In the past, developers have routinely received variances, even with objections from community councils, to increase density and remove square footage requirements. The proposed zoning areas are also more likely to be in Black neighborhoods and communities who are already seeing displacement due to gentrification. If deregulation goes unchecked, it will further increase the wealth divide and ensure the continued rapid displacement of Black residents. The proposed zoning changes do not impact the largest zoning in the city - single family housing. Finally, the councilmember spoke about the Section 108 fund and the partnership with the Cincinnati Development Fund (CDF) who will now administer the Section 108 loan pool and any private contributions to the affordable housing trust fund. Until the HAB creates affordable housing priorities for the trust, existing funds will be unspent; however, TIF funding is already being dedicated towards affordable housing and the NOFA program will continue to provide gap financing for developments in the works. But without dedicated funding sources, the affordable housing trust will not be able to even keep up with the simple loss of affordable units in Cincinnati. In our city, nearly 30,000 families are already paying too much for their housing, sacrificing full participation in civic life, as additional units are being lost to out-of-state and foreign investors. Without tenant protections, guaranteed livable wages, and access to affordable housing, Cincinnati will continue to lose affordable housing to incentivized, market-rate, multi-use development as displacement will continue to outpace affordable housing production, resulting in a further loss of Cincinnati's residents and social fabric.

By Alex McIntosh The winter blues are a reality for many of us. The cold season was difficult enough before COVID, but surges and restrictions have compounded the normal loneliness of this time, leaving many people to struggle alone. While there are no easy solutions, there are things we can do to care for ourselves during these months: exercise, a healthy sleep schedule, nourishing food, staying connected with loved ones, and making time for creativity, to name a few. Creativity, particularly in the form of writing, has been a great help to me in difficult seasons. Writing regularly has helped me feel more content, more grateful, and less alone. And I’m not the only one—there are loads of scientific research confirming my belief that writing is a gift we ought to give ourselves. In the winter, especially, writing helps me notice the beauty around me. Winter’s beauty that may not be as obvious as that of the shining summer months, but it is there, in the frost shining on the branches of the Dogwood tree, or the birds making circles in the grey sky. It’s easy to want to rush through this season, but writing helps me slow down and pay attention—what the poet Mary Oliver called “our endless and proper work.” When I’m having trouble writing, I’ve found it helps to read poetry. Oliver’s work is an invitation to appreciate the natural world, but there are many others I return to as well: Ocean Vuong, Tarfia Faizullah, Joy Harjo, Christian Wyman, and Brigit Peegen, just to name a few. When I’m not feeling particularly creative, it can be helpful just to note a few things about my day that brought me joy—if joy feels unreachable I settle for things that weren’t awful. Like watching my dog Grizzly sniff the ground on our walk, or talking to my mom, or hearing someone laugh on a phone call across the street. And sometimes it helps to write about the things that made me sad, like a racoon with its foot in a trap on a hunting show that someone left playing silently on the tv. Or not being able to scroll down past 2019 on my photos app because it still hurts to see my grandpa’s face and remember he’s gone. Writing is a strange kind of balm that eases my pain even as I confront it, like the words take a bit of sorrow with them as they go and hold it there for me on the page. Even when I’m missing someone or physically alone, writing makes me feel more connected. If nothing else I feel like I’m a part of something, like I’m adding my voice to the history of humans who have recorded their experiences through the written word. Imagining my notebook or word document in a giant library of human voices makes me feel a part of something—though it’s comforting to know that no one will read my words unless I choose to share. Writing also makes me more aware of myself, of who I am and what I like, and the unique way I experience the world. It’s funny how often I ignore myself, how often I forget this most intimate relationship. But hearing my voice on the page helps me to practice self-compassion, to love myself, and even like myself, a little more. And I’m not the only one who’s experienced the benefits of writing. Cambridge University Press published an article in 2018 about the many ways expressive writing improves mental and physical health. Interestingly enough, the data shows that writing about difficult things is very good for us: studies have shown that individuals who write about traumatic or stressful experiences for 15-20 minutes on 3-5 occasions are healthier than those who use that time to write about neutral experiences. (So my sad racoon description is a means of healing!) Of course, it’s not just writing about trauma that helps. WedMD says that journaling regularly about any topic can help reduce anxiety, combat brooding, create awareness, and regulate emotions. Health benefits aside, writing is a great way to pass the time in these winter months. It makes me feel like I’m creating something, and it doesn’t come with the guilt of binge-watching Real Housewives. It helps me find the beauty in the current moment, practice gratitude, and know myself more deeply, all while supporting my mental and physical health.

By Bill Woods Ohio's Redistricting saga continues. Since the recent StreetVibes review of this process, the following actions have occurred. The Ohio Supreme Court rejected the Congressional district maps that were drawn and approved by the Republican majority in the Ohio General Assembly. The Court found that these maps failed to meet the guidelines of the Ohio Constitutional Amendment passed by the voters in 2018, and ruled that they must be redrawn. Next, revised State Senate and House maps were resubmitted to that same Court by the Ohio Redistricting Commission to replace the new districts that were rejected earlier by that body for violating the reform Constitutional Amendment passed in 2015. Although slightly less gerrymandered than the earlier submissions, this map redo has again been called unacceptable by the reform groups that initially challenged them before Ohio's highest Court. These maps will now be reviewed by the Court. At the Community Issues Forum on February 27th, Catherine Turcer, Executive Director of Common Cause Ohio, provided an update on both the state map redo and the the status of the Congressional map redrawing process currently underway. Not only did Turcer provide an insider's view of this ongoing saga, but she outlined what concerned citizen could do during this process. The Ohio Supreme Court's decision on the Congressional maps was rendered on January 13th. By a four to three decision, the. Court found the maps approved by the Republican majority in the Ohio General Assembly basically ignored the redistricting process mandated by the 2018 Constitutional Amendment. Instead of creating Congressional Districts that did not favor one political party, the Republican majority approved maps that were as gerrymandered as the ones drawn in 2011. Furthermore, the map makers ignored the Amendment's wording that calls for compact districts that keep communities and counties intact as much as possible. Hamilton County is the poster child of how masters of gerrymandering work their partisan magic. Cincinnati has been home to a Democratic majority for a number of years, and Hamilton County has become more Democratic as well. In 2011, the Republican-controlled process divided Cincinnati into two districts with enough outer suburban and rural areas included in them to keep them safely in GOP-control. In this round, the map makers went even further. Totally ignoring the language of "compactness" called for by the Amendment, the map drawers split Cincinnati and Hamilton County into three districts attached to outer rural and suburban areas. This new rendering would have created three Republican Congressional seats. Needless to say, reformers who challenged these new maps used Cincinnati and Hamilton County's situation as good evidence when they argued their case before the Ohio Supreme Court. The Court's January 13th decision included a ruling that the General Assembly must go back to the drawing board and produce Congressional District maps that follow the strictures of the 2018 Constitutional Amendment. Legislators have a thirty-day time frame to produce these geographic political units. At the Community Issues Forum, Catherine Turcer called on all concerned citizens to write or call their State Senators and House members to tell them to be faithful to the 2018 Amendment in order to produce Congressional maps that are not politically gerrymandered. Meanwhile, reform groups such as the League of Women Voters and Turcer's organization (Common Cause) await the Ohio Supreme Court's reaction to the second round of Ohio Senate and House maps that were submitted for that Court's review. If the Court again rejects these maps as unconstitutional, then reformers can gear up yet again. Stay tuned!

By Dr. Mark Mussman For years, the wave of gentrification in Over-the-Rhine has washed over, and washed out, Black and Appalachian residents. The wave, fueled by massive city, state, and federal investments, shows no signs of letting up, as the 2020 Census shows the neighborhood has become majority white for the first time since urban renewal provided the financial incentive to white residents to leave Over-the-Rhine to build generational wealth in segregated whites-only suburbs. Save for a few organizations dedicated to affordable housing, the push to create a so-called "mixed-income neighborhood" has only provided the structural mechanism for inserting white wealth into this historically disinvested neighborhood. This same structure that has brought inclusion to whiteness in Over-the-Rhine has simultaneously removed Blackness, and with it, Black belonging, in the neighborhood. The loss of more than half of the Black residents in the last 10 years alone, has permanently altered the cultural fabric of the neighborhood in a way that is built upon exclusion of Black voices, Black agency, and ultimately, Black people. If you were to remember Over-the-Rhine 10 years ago, there were more places in the community for people to meet up with their neighbors, play games, and spend time together in a non-consumerist manner. You could be in the park and not be pressured to spend money at the flea market, or be forced to listen to pre-programmed music, or you could pick up a basketball game without a reservation or being surveilled. While Cincinnati's anti-Black racism's incubation of poverty continues to this day throughout the city, Over-the-Rhine has a particular history related to public and supportive housing. Certainly, being so close to downtown, and services, Over-the-Rhine is conveniently located, but also the buildings dating back to the 1850s provided the shell for high density housing. Capitalizing on the density, slum lords were able to own thousands of units, many taking subsidies and not maintaining properties for decades. Changes in federal housing programs lent to further privatization of public housing funds, and to further concentration of federal subsidies into a few developer and housing provider hands. In Over-the-Rhine, we have a handful of housing organizations that maintain the less than 900 units of affordable housing left in the neighborhood. Since we lack tenant protections, these organizations are the dam holding the flood of market-rate housing and mixed-use development from fully removing all persons in poverty from the neighborhood. These organizations have different models and follow different ideals. From providing for our neighbors who are suffering mentally and physically, to creating a pathway to homeownership, there are many supportive services needed to simply maintain housing in the neighborhood. We all need help. Unfortunately, they too are drowning in gentrification. Like the thousands of families that have lost their home in Over-the-Rhine or whose housing is threatened today, the organizations who provide affordable housing are also struggling to keep up with the changes in the neighborhood. From sharply rising property taxes to issues with neighboring properties, no one is untouched by the wave of gentrification. In addition to the every 3-year property value re-evaluation which recently resulted in massive increases to property taxes, the Over-the-Rhine South Special Improvement District (SID) has levied an additional proportional property tax to provide funding to 3CDC to provide "safe and clean" services. Considered a redundant service, the "safe and clean" model increases surveillance, cultural modification, and criminalization. The "safe and clean" model has been shown to be anti-Black and harmful to people who are experiencing homelessness. The Over-the-Rhine South SID is expected to bring in at least $750,000 each year to provide for sidewalk cleaning and shoveling and increased reporting to police, through an increase in street-level 3CDC ambassadors. By law, property owners themselves are responsible for maintaining the sidewalks abutting their properties, so a state-level SID, like the one we have in Over-the-Rhine South, uses the front footage of your each property to determine the tax - meaning that large property owners, such as those providing affordable housing, have seen a larger increase than the high-end condo owners, even though many affordable housing providers staff their own maintenance crew to maintain their sidewalks. In addition to rising taxes, affordable housing providers are seeing an increase in neighborly disputes, mainly with bars and breweries popping up throughout the neighborhood. Rooftop decks, outdoor seating, street closures, removal of parking, alleyway access issues, etc., have become all-too-often the ire of long-term residents. Does it make sense to put a bar next door to a supportive housing-first home, or an outdoor bar next to a senior facility? What about next to a building where people are in recovery and NA and AA meetings are held? It's not to say that people don't have to live in the real world, and therefore be exposed to the pressure of addiction, but it is to say that as you add to the fabric of the neighborhood, it does make sense to be conscious, and indeed conscientious of your neighbors. Is there a way to limit the negative interaction between the old and new wave to create a harmonious community, or is that some idealistic gentrification propaganda that relies on a false model of neoliberal anti-regulation? Regardless of the case, it should be said that 3CDC intended to change the fabric of the neighborhood by removing corner stores that sold alcohol, and then replacing them with high-end bars. This is the model. The wave of gentrification in Over-the-Rhine can be described as a tidal wave. People have lost their homes and their lives to displacement. Organizations too have been forced out, forced to sell their buildings for public projects or simply private development. Homelessness is being forced upon thousands of mainly Black residents in Cincinnati each year. Each month, buildings are being bought by local, out-of-state, and international investors whose primary goal is to turn a profit by evicting affordable housing residents to rehab units into market-rate housing. This real-estate investment model ultimately provides a funnel of wealth out of Cincinnati. It also makes things more difficult for those who are providing affordable housing because the increased investment brings increased property taxes to longstanding housing providers while new developments see long-term tax abatement. As the city only takes a specific amount, around $29 million per year, when wealthy developers don't pay their fair share, low-income and affordable housing providers shoulder a larger burden, forcing them out. On the street level, the discomfort gentrification has created to Black residents is underplayed and often ignored completely. The dominant narrative repeated in the media and by local politicians for so long has demonized low-income Black residents, who have been made to be seen as a barrier to progress, rather than a part of the process. The proof is in the massive displacement of Black residents at the same time as the increase in white wealth generated in the neighborhood. This can also be seen in the community council's recent push for zero-tolerance policing and other white supremacist tactics, such as fencing off public alleyways, and calls for a neighborhood watch, at the same time they are pushing for market-rate housing and upscale commercial development. We have seen how aggressive policing has made the neighborhood unwelcome to its own Black residents, who have been harassed for "fitting the description," and we have also seen housing providers work in concert with gentrifiers to gain access to funding under the guise of public-private partnerships. Ultimately, the culture of exclusion incubated and nurtured by white supremacy, masked as "gentrification," forces Black residents out while creating a hostile environment for individuals and supportive organizations alike.

By Grace McConn Everyone, whether we like to admit it or not, has a talent. Some of us are wonderful mathematicians, while others of us can’t do math above a six-grade level but can compose beautiful, thoughtful pieces of prose. We have many talented leaders, delegators, and organizers on this planet, and to accompany these leaders we have followers who specialize in quickly and efficiently completing tasks. Many of us specialize in the “money talk” side of business, while others of us are far better at creating personal connections with clients and customers. No matter your talent, we all have something meaningful to offer this world. However, what if your talent was hidden from the world, your true capabilities buried deep down within you? What if you were instead excluded from society based simply on your inabilites? For people with disabilities, this reality of being excluded from society is all too familiar. Rather than being recognized for their skills and abilities, those with disabilities are often defined by what they cannot do. Subsequently, those with disabilities face loneliness because they are often excluded from social interactions within the workplace and the community that most people experience daily. However, one Cincinnati organization, Starfire, is aiming to rewrite this narrative. Starfire’s website writes that since 1993, their mission has been to “[empower] leaders to build community and inclusion alongside people with developmental disabilities. We do this by increasing social connectivity through meaningful relationships and by working to remove barriers to opportunities in the community where people can be known for their gifts, not their disability.” Take the story of Sean and Emily, a powerful example of an individual’s disability being overshadowed by her talents, detailed in Starfire Cincy’s YouTube video Ladles Soups- Sean and Emily’s Story. A few years ago, the pair was connected through Starfire’s Customized Competitive Employment Program, which “works one-on-one with people with disabilities to secure competitive community employment tailored to match their strengths and the employer’s needs.” Sean is the general manager and director of operations for Ladles Soups, located in Oakley, Cincinnati, and because of this program, Emily was connected to Sean and began working for the company as the social media manager. Seeing that Emily utilizes speech-to-text technology as well as a motorized wheelchair for her mobility impairment, Sean admits that at first, he “had a hard time understanding exactly where Emily would work.” Since it would not be feasible for Emily to cook or ladle the soups, the pair instead identified a strong point for Emily in social media. Now, she is tasked with posting the specials that Ladles Soups offers to social media. Not only has working at Ladles Soups given Emily the chance to be seen for more than just her disability, but it has also given her an opportunity to increase her social connectivity. In the same YouTube video, Emily admits that “Life is much better since I met Sean and other co-workers. I am more social and have met more people.” In fact, one regular customer comes into the shop about every other day to order the “Emily’s Choice” soup that she creates and adds to the menu herself. The experience that has continued over the years, overall, has been “life changing” for both Sean and Emily who now consider each other to be friends more than they are employer and employee. At the center of another story involved with the Customized Competitive Employment program, we have Joe. Joe was hired as an Office Assistant at Empower MediaMarketing, located in Over-the-Rhine. While he is tasked with re-stocking drinks for the employees, in Starfire Cincy’s YouTube video Joe’s Story-Empower, Kate, director, explains that “Joe is truly an event planner at heart, so we have been able to tap into some of his brilliant ideas there.” Not only is Joe being seen for the creative ideas he brings to the table instead of his disability, but he also now has an environment where he can interact with multiple co-workers each day. Kate continues, “Everyone loves saying hi to Joe, getting greeted by Joe, that is really a highlight of all of our days.” These stories from Starfire provide us with a glimpse of what we can expect our future to look like if we continue to build an inclusive Cincinnati. However, building an inclusive Cincinnati doesn’t stop at recognizing the talents of those with disabilities within our communities and workspaces. In fact, besides disabilities, there are a plethora of other “barriers” capable of hiding a person’s talents and gifts: a former criminal record, poverty, a lack of education, etc. Like how oftentimes people with disabilities are defined by that disability, many individuals are often unfairly defined by poor choices they have made in the past or their socioeconomic status, for instance. It is human nature to focus on the negative. To focus on deficits as opposed to assets. To highlight what makes others flawed rather than what makes them unique. In turn, this causes the energy of a community to be closed-minded and judgemental as opposed to open-minded, inclusive, and willing to see people for what they are capable of bringing to the table. If we are truly to build an inclusive Cincinnati, then, it is crucial that we address these negative tendencies and begin to adopt a more open mindset. Consider Venice on Vine, a pizza and pasta serving restaurant on 1301 Vine St, for instance. While this non-profit could easily hire employees with no criminal record and/or college education, Venice of Vine chooses to take an alternative route: Progress Inspires Progress. As stated on Venice on the Vine’s website, PIP is a program with a mission to “create economic opportunities for those with chronic barriers to employment through a process of individualized stabilization, structured pre-employment training, and ultimately job placement within the community.” A website highlighting non-profit organizations in Cincinnati, Cincinnati Cares, elaborates on these barriers to unemployment, adding that they could include “generational poverty, lack of access to a quality education, a history of addiction, and/or a history with the court systems.” Like Starfire’s Customized Competitive Employment program, then, Venice of Vine is refusing to judge a book by its cover by looking beyond the surface and recognizing that each person has skills and assets to offer to an organization or company. Whether donating to organizations such as Starfire, supporting local businesses like Venice on Vine, or creating your own inclusive community events and opportunities, striving towards creating an inclusive Cincinnati means striving towards creating a better Cincinnati.

By Bill Woods Reformers in Ohio just won a needed victory. The Ohio Supreme Court rejected the new district maps for state representatives drafted and approved by the Republican members of the Redistricting Commission. In a four to three decision delivered on January 12th, the Court found that the maps failed to follow the redistricting procedures spelled out in the Ohio Constitutional Amendment passed by the voters in 2015. It further ruled that the Commission must draw new maps that comply with this Constitutional Amendment. The Court ruling brought at least temporary relief to reformers who were stunned last fall when Republicans completely ignored the 2015 Amendment. The GOP members of the Redistricting Commission approved state district maps that were every bit as gerrymandered as the ones drawn in 2011. In fact, this earlier case of extreme political gerrymandering inspired reform groups and citizen activists to get behind initiatives to reform the redistricting process such as the 2015 Amendment. "This ruling," declared Freda Levenson, Legal Director of the ACLU of Ohio, "sends a clear message to lawmakers in Ohio: They may not put politics over people." The majority opinion of the Court written by Justice Melody Stewart argued that the new maps for electing State Representatives and Senators failed to follow the wording of the 2015 Amendment that district drafters attempt to match the statewide voting preferences of Ohio voters. Numerically calculating these preferences over the last decade show a fifty-four percent preference for Republican candidates to a forty-six percent preference for Democrats. Responding to arguments by Republican defenders of the new maps that the voter preference language in the Amendment was "aspirational," Stewart wrote: "We reject the notion that Ohio voters rallied so strongly behind an anti-gerrymandering amendment to the Ohio Constitution yet believed at the time that the amendment was toothless." What happens next? The Court ruled that the Ohio Redistricting Commission must create new maps in the next ten days. What can average citizens do in this short time frame? The organizations that both support redistricting reform and challenged the new maps before the Ohio Supreme Court are already preparing for action. Fair Vote, the coalition that includes Common Cause Ohio, the League of Women Voters of Ohio, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, just issued an action alert to their members and supporters about how to get involved. In a telephone conversation with Catherine Turcer, Executive Director of Common Cause Ohio, she outlined these points. Turcer emphasized that the most important steps for citizens to take are calling, emailing, or writing letters to members of the Ohio Redistricting Commission. As they begin their task of creating new state district maps, it is critical that they know that their actions are being watched by thousands of concerned Ohio voters. First of all, said, Turcer, tell them to create fair districts that follow the procedures called for in the 2015 Constitutional Amendment! "The Fair Vote" coalition recommends these specific requests that should be included in communications to members of the Commission. Ask them to immediately hold public hearings that include expert witnesses as well as concerned citizens. Demand that a non-partisan and transparent process be used in creating the new maps. That process should also strive to keep communities together as much as possible. Finally, the Commission must adhere to the mandate of the 2015 Amendment that the new districts reflect the vote percentages that the two major parties received from Ohio voters over the last decade. B These are the Commission members who need to hear from you. Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman (huffman@Ohiosenate.gov). Ohio House Speaker Bob Cupp (rep04@ohiohouse.gov). Senator Vernon Sykes (sykes@ohiosenate.gov). House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes (rep34@ohiohouse.gov). Governor Mike DeWine. A footnote to this article concerns the separate legal challenges to the new Congressional Districts that were approved by the Republican members of the Ohio General Assembly in the fall. These highly gerrymandered districts reveal that Republican legislators completely ignored the 2018 Ohio Constitutional Amendment mandating that new Congressional Districts should not be drawn to favor one political party. The Ohio Supreme Court has also heard cases challenging these maps, but it has not yet issued its opinion. Stay tuned, as the Court may very well rule that these districts must be redrawn.

By Gabriela Godinez Feregrino A notice on the American Red Cross website reads “This is serious. The Red Cross is experiencing the worst blood shortage in over a decade. The dangerously low blood supply levels have forced some hospitals to defer patients from major surgery, including organ transplants.” According to Cleveland 19 News, early in 2021, there was a resurgence of elective surgeries as the pandemic waned in the United States. Vaccines becoming more readily available meant more people were comfortable leaving their homes. However, the Delta and Omicron variants have dangerously slowed donations. The Community Blood Center (CBC) based in Dayton, Ohio services a 15 county area including Butler and Warren County. The Springfield News-Sun reported the CDC has “less than a four-day supply.” The CBC website has a notice that they are in “critical need for O-, O+, and B- red blood cell donations and platelets from all blood types.” To add to the pandemic complications, it is common that donations slow down during the holidays and generally in winter. It is important that our local blood banks stay stocked up for scheduled surgical needs, but also for accidents and natural disasters that occur without notice. Luckily, according to Dayton Daily News, the CBC was able to help our Kentucky neighbors with emergency donations after they were hit with the surprise tornadoes in December. This Blood Donor Awareness Month (January) consider donating. If you are outside of the Hamilton County area, consider donating to the CBC or the American Red Cross. If you are in Cincinnati proper, another option for donation is Hoxworth Blood Center. According to their 2020 community report, Hoxworth Blood Center “is the only blood center in the Greater Cincinnati area,” and distributes “blood and blood components to more than 30 area hospitals and medical facilities.” They have been calling and texting past donors as recently as January 5th, 2021 with messages of an immediate need for blood and red cell donations, particularly type O. Type O- blood is a universal donor and is frequently used in emergency cases. Type O+ is the most common blood type and, according to the Red Cross, is compatible with all positive blood types. Whatever your blood type, this shortage will only be remedied with your donation. Search for a blood drive in your area today.