African-Americans

On the last Sunday in March, a dozen Revelation Baptist Church worshippers are wearing royal purple accents as they bounce between aisles making sure the sanctuary is ready for its final day of service in the West End.

The 31st Black Family Reunion is this weekend. While the annual celebration has disappeared from other communities, local organizers say it's going strong here.

The income disparity between African Americans and whites in Cincinnati is vast. Only 18% of businesses are black-owned, according to the State of Black Cincinnati report – a jarring statistic for a city whose population is 43% black. In other areas, black Cincinnatians fall behind their white peers in education, employment and income. Now, through a number of initiatives, efforts are underway to increase access to early childhood education, job training and other support mechanisms in an attempt to level the playing field.

Some say, though, those efforts still aren't enough.

Hamilton County is reporting 2018 saw a 50-year low in the number of babies dying before their first birthday. Cradle Cincinnati says there were 92 deaths last year, down from 97 in 2017.

The Center for Closing the Health Gap will launch the Black Women's Health Initiative early next year. It will be crafted from focus group results being released Tuesday evening.

Ohio's infant mortality rate remains higher than the national average. The rate of African-American babies dying before their first birthdays is three times that of white babies.

In her book White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide, writer Carol Anderson argues that the threat of black advancement is what fuels white rage.

One of the first African-American business districts in Cincinnati was Walnut Hills. The Lane Theological Seminary, owned by Dr. Lyman Beecher, father of Harriet Beecher Stowe, began leasing plots of land to African-Americans in the 1840s.

The Beyond Civility project allows citizens and civic leaders to meet and explore the barriers and bridges to effective dialogue. At Beyond Civility's Back-to-Back programs, high profile advocates of opposing positions on a legal or social issue agree to speak convincingly on behalf of the other side’s views. It's a challenging exercise, but one that fosters understanding and respect for those who hold different viewpoints.

World War I began in Europe on July 28, 1914, but the United States did not enter the war until April 6, 1917. More than 17 million military personnel and civilians died, and another 20 million were wounded, in what was once known as "the war to end all wars." American deaths totaled more than 116,000.

Former Cincinnati Mayor Dwight Tillery, currently president of the Center for Closing the Health Gap, is organizing the Black Agenda Cincinnati  summit to look at and develop solutions for challenges facing the African-American community. The day-long summit will be held June 11 at Woodward High School. Joining us to discuss the Black Agenda Cincinnati summit are Word of Deliverance Ministries for the World Senior Pastor and President of the Greater Cincinnati Chapter of the National Action Network, Bishop Bobby Hilton; and Center for Closing the Health Gap Founder and President, Dwight Tillery.

Last November, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center hosted the program Manhood to Brotherhood: An intergenerational discussion on the ideals of manhood and brotherhood from an authentic African American male perspective.