Black Voices 2024 — March 7, 2024

Black OF OHIO STATE

Voices

THE LANTERN | BLACK X BOLD MAGAZINE

Professor María Hammack tells the littleknown story of Blackness in Mexico

By Carter Kohli Lantern Reporter

Students interested in learning about an aspect of Black history not commonly taught in the classroom were able to hear from María Esther Hammack, an assistant professor of African American history, Feb. 28 during her talk on the history of Blackness in Mexico.

Hosted by the Center for Social Belonging and Change, the presentation, “Things We Weren’t Taught about AfroMexican History” was held in honor of United Black World Month and was open to all students to inform them about former American slaves who found their freedom through the underground railroad from the United States to Mexico.

Hammack, who grew up in Northern Mexico in the state of Sinaloa, said there is a gap in knowledge about Blackness in Mexico, and it is not something that is taught in schools; she was only able to start learning about the topic years after immigrating to the U.S.

“When I fnally was able to get my papers and go to college, that’s when I started asking questions and learning about this,” Hammack said.

In her research, Hammack said she found that Black women played a prominent role as the engineers of liberation in Mexico, being at the forefront of fghting for people’s freedom. They were leading the liberation process and underground railroad routes to Mexico, bringing their chil-

dren and families along with them.

“The records that I have found, particularly in Mexican archives, clearly show women, and what I have learned is that when you fnd women, you fnd the children, you fnd the families,” Hammack said.

Hammack highlighted several historical fgures, including María Juana, a woman who escaped her French enslaver in Louisiana in 1793 to San Antonio in Northern Mexico; Phibi, a woman who was born into slavery in North Carolina, where she was married and widowed after her husband was violently killed by her enslaver; Mathilde, a woman who escaped her enslaver in Louisiana and made it to freedom in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas in the early 1850s; and Silvia Hector, a woman born enslaved in Louisiana who came to Mexican Texas in 1826 with a white settler but in 1834 was able to secure freedom for herself and her three children.

Hammack said Juana helped others claim their freedom in San Antonio, including her son, who was taken from her by slave hunters.

Those helping people escape to Mexico were a diverse group, Hammack said. White Americans and former slaves were fghting for the freedom of others, but Mexicans of all backgrounds and Indigenous peoples played a key role. Many served as guides, ofering their boats for transportation, food and money for those traveling to freedom.

“Mexican boat owners were known to ferry people back and forth across the Gulf,” Hammack said. “At other times, local Mexicans ofered assistance in the form of providing food or raising money for people who arrived on Mexican soil with nothing but their clothes that they had.”

There were more enslaved people brought to Mexico than even the United States, Hammack said. This is what she refers to as the frst diaspora — the movement of people of African ancestry — that shaped Mexico.

“As soon as colonialism began, peo-

ple were brought [and] forced from African nations, through the transatlantic slave trade,” Hammack said.

The second diaspora, starting in the late 1700s, happened as a result of enslaved people escaping the United States to Mexico, which abolished slavery in 1829 — 36 years before the United States, Hammack said.

Hammack said Phibi’s story, which contains interview records from an ofcial asking Phibi why she fed, provides a crucial historical record of a Black woman’s experience escaping slavery.

“It’s a beautiful record of a Black woman’s experience when in many ways a lot of these records are often hard to fnd,” Hammack said.

Hammock said the freedom found in Mexico was fragile, and slave hunters would still attempt to track down and return people to their former enslavers.

“People that were reaching both Canada and Mexico were often hunted,” Hammack said. “They were pursued, and so their fght to be free was constant.”

Hammack said Mathilde lived free in Mexico for years with her daughter before her former enslaver tried to kidnap and return her to the U.S. Her experience was documented through the testimony she gave to local authorities after her former enslaver was put in jail for 10 months.

“When I say that I call historical actors like Mathilde freedom fghters, she literally had to fght,” Hammack said.

Hector, who was able to secure her freedom for herself and her children, licensed a ferry to carry people from central Texas down to the Gulf of Mexico and opened her ranch to people seeking freedom from slavery.

“In freedom, she made it her business to help people to freedom,” Hammack said.

Hammack said she was able to write the frst biography on Hector in graduate school and meet with her descendants who were unaware of the contributions she had made to the abolition of others. On Feb. 17, she said she attended the opening of an exhibit on Hector at the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History in Austin, Texas.

Researching and telling these stories are about more than retelling past histories and can be relevant and help the world today, Hammack said. It challenges the erasure of Black experiences and Black life, as well as the racialization of Black communities in the United States, Mexico and Canada, Hammack said.

“These stories and the work that I do help all of us to challenge anti-Blackness,” Hammack said.

CARTER KOHLI | LANTERN REPORTER

The “Things We Weren’t Taught about AfroMexican History” talk by María Hammack was presented in the Alonso Family Room of the Center for Belonging and Social Change in the Ohio Union.

The parallels between the Black experience in America and the Palestinian experience

By Amani Bayo BLACKXBOLD Editor-in-Chief

“Our founding ideals of liberty and equality were false when they were written. Black Americans fought to make them true.”

This quote from journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones serves as a refection of the progress Black Americans have made in the fght for equality and recognition.

Ogechi Muruako, marketing chair of Black Students in Psychology and Neuroscience and second-year in psychology, said Black Americans have always recognized the most efective way to rise out of oppression is through persistence and a refusal to settle for anything less than absolute rights.

“We wouldn’t stop fghting to get more rights than we had,” Muruako said. “Back in the day there would be a time of little bits of freedom but it didn’t stop them from getting complete freedom.”

Although the fght is not quite fnished, the achievements from past decades make the struggle deserving of acknowledgment. One way some students refect on America’s history of oppression and progress toward equality is by recognizing other systems of oppression around the world.

In an efort to promote solidarity between Black Americans and Palestinian Americans, Students for Justice in Palestine, Black Students in Psychology and Neuroscience and the Somali Student Association collaborated in an event one month after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack

in Southern Israel to highlight parallels between the oppression of Black Americans and Palestinian people.

“By drawing parallels between the African American plight and the Palestinian plight, we can build collective power so that we can call for the liberation of both parts,” said Angelina Atieh, a fourth-year in biomedical science and one of the presenters for the event.

Leaders of SJP said the unique experience of Black Americans makes it possible for this community particularly to understand the conditions of Palestinian oppression and help support their cause.

Naima Wedow, a second-year in psychology and president of SSA, said her organization collaborated with SJP because it is important for all humans, not just Black students, to always stand up for human rights.

“To sit idly and watch a genocide happen is not something that I think is appropriate or acceptable for humans to be doing,” Wedow said. “I think it was important to be a part of an event that is solely based on educating people on the Palestinian movement and the country’s history.

Heba Latif, co-president of SJP and fourth-year in political science, outlined the history of Palestinian occupation to explain how poor living conditions and systematic oppression also relate to the historical experience of Black Americans.

“There are 139

staf checkpoints with [Israel Defense Forces] soldiers and over 300 roadblocks, making it miserable for the Palestinians and difcult for them to move from one city to another,” Latif said. “When you are living in such a situation, it makes you not want to be there anymore.”

Tying this to the lynchings Black Americans experienced in the Jim Crow South, both Latif and Atieh said this lack of autonomy is present in all systems of oppression around the world.

“Palestinians feel like low-class citizens even in their own country and the same can be said about African Americans,” Atieh said.

Another indicator of oppression outlined by the student organizations is the generational impacts that afect chil-

dren who are socialized into oppression.

While studying the apartheid regime in South Africa, writer Frank Chikane coined the term Continuous Traumatic Stress Disorder, or CTSD, to describe the impact violent oppression has on children.

According to a 2022 World Social Psychiatry article on Continuous Traumatic Stress in Palestine, 97% of children had been exposed to the sound of explosions and/or bombs.

“People living on apartheid were especially vulnerable to developing CTSD in response to inescapable long periods of political repression, civil confict, violence and racism against their people,” Latif said.

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AMANI BAYO | BLACKXBOLD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Students for Justice in Palestine hosted an event Nov. 7, 2023, a month after the Israel-Hamas war began, in an efort to educate and build solidarity among students of color who may not be fully aware of the historical oppression of Palestinians.

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Among many other examples, Mukuraro said the anxiety and paranoia Black men experience in America of becoming a victim of police brutality is an example of CTSD as well. This idea was also studied in a New York Times project last year.

“The violence they have to deal with, they’re forced to present themselves as strong people but that also presents this stigma towards mental health because they don’t want to be considered as weak,” Mukuraro said.

These parallels are not new ones, civil rights leaders like Malcolm X also expressed strong solidarity for Palestinians.

According to NPR, Malcolm X was among the frst Black activists to show support for Palestinians and was quoted in a 1958 press conference by the New York Amsterdam News saying, “People of color in the U.S. ‘would be completely in sympathy with the Arab cause. The only point is they are not familiar with the true problems existing in the Middle East.’”

Malcolm X later visited a Palestinian refugee camp in 1964 and went on to publish an article in the Egyptian Gazette titled, “Zionist Logic.”

Murukaro said this long-term support is very telling of how similar oppression is around the world and further validates a need for Black

Americans to stand with Palestine.

“It kind of tells us that this isn’t a new relationship. People should support them [Palestinians] regardless, but it kind of gives them more encouragement seeing historical Black leaders stand in solidarity back in the day,” Murukaro said.

The ability to share empathy for groups sufering from oppression is possible through understanding others’ experiences. Murukaro said though many may not be fully aware of Palestinian oppression, most Americans understand the historical racism against Black Americans and can use this to draw parallels.

“Take time to learn more about the

history, not just the current history, and be open-minded,” Murukaro said

Celebrating Black History Month this year means turning the focus to systems of oppression that exist around the world and being willing to make these connections to continue advocating for freedom for all.

Five childhood friends turned business partners: The KodeCustoms journey

By Fatima Barro BLACKXBOLD Design & Marketing Chair

The transition from childhood best friends to business partners could not have been smoother for these fve Columbus-local young men.

Embarking on a unique venture to make their own waves in the emerging fashion capital, Ohio State student Hassan Hassan, a third-year in computer science, and his four friends, Donal Fadlalmawla and Cayeden Huynh, who attend Columbus State, along with Malcolm Green and Michael Thomas, formed the custom-made tufted rug brand, KodeCustoms.

KodeCustoms was born out of a simple desire to express their passion for creativity and create a sense of community.

“We just wanted to create something unique,” said Hassan, echoing the shared sentiments of his friends. “We saw a gap in the market and we wanted to fll it with our own designs.”

“We also wanted to make money.” Fadlalmawla added sheepishly, earning a smile from the childhood friend group.

As college students, such motivation is what encouraged the group to pursue the new business last year. The friends said after coming up with KodeCustoms, they set out the very next day to purchase their supplies and start executing their brand.

The Process

It all starts with a pen and a projector in the basement of Huynh’s home.

The group said creating a KodeCustom rug is a meticulous and personal process that refects the dedication of the fve friends behind the brand. Drawing inspiration from pop culture icons, characters from popular shows or personalized requests, the design is then translated into a detailed sketch onto a canvas.

From there, the rug design is outlined using a yarn gun, where the friends say they make sure to stay true to the design, taking the time to ensure all details are accurate to the drawing. Then, each rug is strategically woven, cut and sealed to ensure that every piece is unique and carries the signature touch of its creators.

The fnished product is then subjected to a rigorous quality check to ensure that it meets the brand’s high standards before being released to the customer. The members said this dedication is at the heart of KodeCustoms’ ethos and is evident in every piece they create.

In recent years, a popular fashion style known as “streetwear” and “Y2K” has taken the fashion scene by storm. With styles nodding to the early 2000s, the design can best be described as bold, tapping into the nostalgia of the

2000s and incorporating trendy pieces of present day. Those who are familiar with KodeCustoms can argue they are no stranger to this growing trend. While the brand is unique in its vision and delivery, competition looms over the company. Major corporations and wholesalers, who are aware of the emerging Gen-Z fashion trends, have the ability to create thousands of stylish rugs on a large scale. When

asked about the competition, KodeCustoms was clear to distinguish themselves from mass producers.

“Other rugs are from manufacturers and they are printed onto a rug and the design wears of,” Fadlalmawla said. “Our rugs are hand-made from scratch, and we never sell a product that isn’t 100% good quality.”

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KY SMILEY | BLACKXBOLD CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

KodeCustoms members and clients (from left to right): Michael Thomas, Hassan Hassan, Malcom Green, Cayeden Huynh and Donal Fadlalmawla

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He also said one of the things that sets KodeCustoms apart from other streetwear brands is its focus on handcrafted designs.

“We do everything ourselves, from sketching out the designs to weaving the rugs,” said Thomas. “We’re not interested in mass-producing products, we want each piece to be unique.”

What’s Next?

As college students who also work part-time, the founders of KodeCustoms have a lot on their plate. However, this does not stop the team from pursuing this business endeavor or even thinking about their place in the future.

The business partners said they do not want to be known as just a “rug company,” but instead as a cre-

ative group of friends. Their focus on authenticity and artistry is evident in every aspect of their brand.

“We’re not just trying to sell products; we’re trying to build a community,” explained Green. “We want people to feel like they’re part of something bigger when they buy from us.”

The artistic team said they hope to expand the business to ofer more products like jewelry, clothes and home decor.

With KodeCustoms headquartered in the basement of Huynh’s home, the group said they aspire to own their own studio in Downtown Columbus to better optimize their workspace and host rug-creating workshops.

Despite being a local company, the dedication to their craft has not gone unnoticed.

“We’ve had a lot of positive feedback from our customers,” Huynh said. “People appreciate the attention to detail and the personal touch that goes into each piece.”

The group is not only well-received by the local community. One of the major highlights for this growing business was increasing their product’s visibility through a famous entertainer, Din Muktar, commonly known as Agent00. He became one of KodeCustoms’ many supporters last year.

Looking ahead, the founders of KodeCustoms said they are excited about the future.

“We’ve got a lot of ideas for new products and collaborations,” said Hassan. “We’re looking forward to growing the brand and reaching even more people.”

Although KodeCustoms seeks to grow its brand, the group said at the end of the day, it’s not just about the products; it’s about the people.

“We’re really grateful for the support we’ve received from our customers and our community,” said Fadlalmawla. “It’s what motivates us to keep going.”

In a world full of emerging young talent, KodeCustoms demonstrates they are more than just a brand; instead, they are a testament to the power of friendship, creativity, and the result of following one’s passion.

KY SMILEY | BLACKXBOLD CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

Malcom Green spinning yarn in preparation for a new rug.

KY SMILEY | BLACKXBOLD CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

Donal Fadlalmawla holds a fnished product of a Cincinnati Bengals rug he customized.

Thompson Library’s ‘Regenerative Champions’ installation celebrates BIPOC farmers

By Lauren Spirk Lantern Reporter

Aninstallation at Ohio State’s own Thompson Library demonstrates how farming takes on a diferent meaning for BIPOC individuals.

Opened on Jan. 4 and set to close on Sept. 8, “Regenerative Champions” fea-

tures photographs and written materials that tell the unsung stories of Columbus’ BIPOC — Black, Indigenous and people of color — farmers, according to the University Libraries’ website. As its name suggests, the project also highlights BIPOC farmers who actively engage in regenerative agriculture. According to the Natural Resources

Defense Council’s website, regenerative agriculture is a movement that combats climate change by “farming and ranching in a style that nourishes people and the earth, with specific practices varying from grower to grower and from region to region.” Some common regenerative agriculture practices include limiting soil disturbance and protecting local pollinators, the website states.

Sherifat Alabi, a doctoral student in the Department of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership, is the chief creative behind the “Regenerative Champions” project.

Last year, Alabi asked her adviser Joy Rumble — an associate professor within the department — for guidance in writing the grant proposal that eventually secured funding for “Regenerative Champions.” Alabi said documenting the lived experiences of BIPOC farmers was her driving goal.

Rumble said she became an avid supporter of Alabi’s quest.

“It’s been awesome to really see her passion allow this to be successful and elevate [BIPOC] voices in a way that the farmers and the community can beneft,” Rumble said.

Through her research, Alabi found the No. 1 reason why BIPOC individuals get involved with farming is to tackle food insecurity. By drawing upon their communities’ personal needs, BIPOC farmers have developed a deep understanding of what nutritious agriculture means, Alabi said. Rumble agreed. She said recog-

nizing the individualized eforts of BIPOC farmers means empowering them to continue growing sustainable and shareable food items.

“We can’t overlook the importance of the work that these small-scale farmers are doing,” Rumble said. “While they may not be feeding the world in a global sense that many of our largescale farmers are, they are feeding their communities and they’re making change in their communities.”

One of the farmers featured in “Regenerative Champions” is Aaron Hopkins, who founded South Side Family Farms in 2014. Though South Side Family Farms began as a community garden, it has since evolved to encompass two separate farm gardens and a seedling farm, its website states.

Beyond his eforts to reduce food insecurity in Columbus, Hopkins is also a minister at the Family Missionary Baptist Church and civic president of the Southside Community Action Network Civic Association.

“I’ve lived in this community for about 35 years,” Hopkins said. “And actually, on this block right here, I raised my family. I’ve got six children.”

When speaking about the challenges he or his neighbors have faced, Hopkins specifcally mentioned gentrifcation and its displacing effects. Due to Columbus’ history of redlining, BIPOC communities have been ousted from receiving proper access to resources, Hopkins said.

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LAUREN SPIRK | LANTERN REPORTER

Aaron Hopkins, founder of South Side Family Farms, points to a rainwatercatching system at one of his properties.

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In February 2023, a traveling exhibit titled “Undesign the Redline” explored Columbus’ complex history with redlining, or the process of denying loans and investment services to neighborhoods that largely house people of color.

One of redlining’s enduring consequences is a lack of fresh food options within certain areas, Hopkins said.

Through South Side Family Farms’ numerous locations, Hopkins distributes fresh produce to Columbus residents of all ages. He said these residents are encouraged to give back by tending to various gardens, making food deliveries around town and completing modest construction projects.

“Where we’re standing right now, this is considered food apartheid,” Hopkins said. “We’ve got a lot of corner stores that carry beer and wine and lottery and snacks, but no grocery store where we have access to all the fresh fruits, vegetables and meats.”

Another community farmer showcased in the “Regenerative Champions” project is Dianne Kadonaga, whose “Sunny Glen Garden” likewise promotes regenerative agriculture.

Kadonaga said keeping forest gardens — which integrate trees and shrubs into food production, thereby mimicking a woodland habitat — is one way to combat the environmental damage that occurs from having manicured and chemically fertilized lawns.

“What I’ve been trying to tell people is to consider having a forest garden instead of an annual vegetable gar-

den,” Kadonaga said. “They usually have more pests, more diseases and usually require more resources because they’re not adapted to our climate.”

Many of the forest gardening strategies Kadonaga employs are drawn from Native and Indigenous cultures. For example, she said a practice called the “Three Sisters Guild” involves planting corn, beans and squash together to encourage the simultaneous growth of all three crops.

“If you’re growing corn, you grow beans and the beans will naturally stalk up your corn,” Kadonaga said. “The beans will provide nitrogen that your corn and your squash will need, and then the squash will provide shade cover that prevents any weeds from coming out.”

One of the major challenges that Kadonaga faces is being a bridge for the gap between BIPOC farmers and other farmers, she said. Kadonaga recalled a time when

she had attended an herb class with friends, during which they sat together as the only BIPOC in the room. Class participants were asked to split up and sit with other people, but when Kadonaga sat next to her new classmate, she could feel a sense of discomfort. Unfortunately, they never made an efort to mingle with her, she said.

“I’m always having to be the one to initiate the conversations,” Kadonaga said.

This type of interaction is only a small microcosm of the cultural barriers within agricultural environments at large, Kadonaga said. While

such instances can be frustrating, she said they drive her to continue farming in a socially inclusive manner.

“We can create these edible forests that provide food security, increase the biodiversity, make us more resilient to climate change and help us build community,” Kadonaga said.

More information about Hopkins, Kadonaga and additional BIPOC farmers is available via the “Regenerative Champions” installation in the Thompson Library. The installation’s display hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

“Art Uncu ed” enlightens Ohio State community on the success capabilities for the formerly incarcerated

By Xiyonne McCullough BLACKXBOLD Writer

For many incarcerated people, the ability and hope to build a life post-incarceration can feel very out of sight as the prison experience is known to belittle a person’s sense of autonomy.

Yet, the Backwall Performance Collective, an experience that inspires creative expression for those who have been incarcerated, proves otherwise.

The “Art Uncufed” event, hosted Jan. 31 in the Frank W. Hale Jr. Black Cultural Center, showcased formerly incarcerated performers to stimulate a period of growth.

“Within a society, you’ve got certain levels of care or victimhood that can be attributed to diferent levels of the population, and the prisoner is kind of on the bottom of that totem pole,” said DeAndre Gaston or “Coach Poo,” one of the formerly in

carcerated members of the collective.

This event connected with Ohio State’s prison educational experience, “Ohio Prison Education Exchange Program,’’ or OPEEP, and the nonproft rehabilitation social service provider, Healing Broken Circles.

Backwall Performance Collective is a byproduct of Healing Broken Circles and is made up of four formerly incarcerated men—Blakk Sun (Michael Powell), Coach Poo (DeAndre Gaston),

All of these men served lengthy prison sentences and experienced a period of hopelessness due to the negligence encountered within the system. The men shared how systemic issues in and out of prison contributed to their resilience and involvement in their communities.

LAUREN SPIRK | LANTERN REPORTER Cards made from pressed fower petals, courtesy of Sunny Glen Garden owner Dianne Kadonaga.

Tronee Threat (Guy L. Banks), and Zerious Business (Montez Mickens).

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A Q&A session concluded the event, where collective members joined with the Healing Broken Circles’ executive director, Kendra Hovey, to discuss the importance of healing for those negatively impacted by systemic barriers and the prison system.

“The goal was to share the talent, stories, experience, and success of people who have been incarcerated, and confront biases people didn’t know they have,” says Hovey.

Many students in attendance asked questions about how much life changes after being incarcerated.

Alana Ray, a frst-year in environmental science, said she attended the event with an open heart and the intention to learn about a lifestyle diferent from her own.

“This event just really opened my eyes. It’s just very inspiring to show the possibilities of what you can do, and not judging a book by its cover,” Ray said. “This event was really helpful for that.”

Blakk Sun, Tronee Threat, and Zerious Business said they found music to light up their worlds both in and out of prison. They combine their networking skills from prison with their musical talent to collaborate with one another and create art.

Blakk Sun shared two rap songs, “More” and “Humble,” from his newly released project, “Elevated EP.”

Zerious Business took his artistic inspiration a step further and began shooting photography and videography as a means of expression. He currently has his own business, “MJ Photography and Videography,” that started from his

self-taught skills and determination.

Coach Poo, on the other hand, found his inspiration within leadership and direct mentorship. In Toledo, he currently owns his own ftness center, “Go Tyme Grynd,” where he helps Toledo community members incorporate ftness into their lifestyles.

Looking beyond the barriers and seeing the life that the collective members created for themselves after incarceration through art, performance, and conversation made the Art Uncufed event an inspiration for those in attendance.

XIYONNE MCCULLOUGH | BLACKXBOLD WRITER

On Jan. 31 the BackWall Show panel, (Left to right) Kendra Hovey of Healing Broken Cirlces, Coach Poo, Tronee Threat, Zerious Business and Blakk Sun, shared their journey back into society after being incarcerated and how artistic expression made this transition easier.

Author and activist Tameka Ellington encourages Black women to embrace their natural hair during Black hair event

By Sharon Nimyel BLACKXBOLD Writer

AsFebruary came to an end last week, an event celebrating Black history through hair offcially bid the month farewell.

Featuring

Tameka Ellington, CEO, activist, author and associate professor of design at Kent State, the event

across the United States is because there’s still some way that our overall society wants to be able to remain and have some agency on black people,” Ellington said. “And this is a way for them to be able to do that.”

In recent years there has been a rise in Black children facing disciplinary actions for wearing their natural hair. Last year, a high school

was hosted at Thompson Library Feb. 28 with a goal of educating students about the signifcance of Black hair.

One of her main points of discussion was The Crown Act, which is a 2019 legislation originally passed in California prohibiting discrimination based on hairstyle or texture. Although 23 states have adopted this law as of last year, Ellington said she is concerned about the states that have not, especially Ohio.

“I truly believe that the reason why the Crown Act has not passed

boy from Texas received an in-school suspension for refusing to cut his dreadlocks, according to ABC News.

Ellington led engaging discussions during the event as she explored topics related to Western beauty standards and dispelled stereotypes about Black hair based on her extensive research and her personal story.

Ellington said while growing up, her hair was often called “nappy”—a derogatory word often used to describe type 4b and 4c hair on Black

individuals. She said the peak of this discrimination occurred while wearing her natural hair to work and being told by a manager that she needed to look “American” to ft in.

“They told all the employees that if you want to work here you have to look all American,” Ellington said. “That means they’re trying to tell me that I’m not American.”

Ellington said she advocates for Black women to remove themselves from the preferred aesthetic of wearing wigs and even suggested high rates of alopecia in Black women could be tied to suppressing natural hair.

According to the National Institutes of Health, alopecia is the fourth most common diagnosis for Black Americans.

“We deal with it the most because of the diferent types of hairstyles that we’ll wear and the weaves will defnitely do that to you,” Ellington said. “I want us to get to a point where natural hair is not no longer a trend. But it’s a way of life.”

Event organizer Tracey Overbey, assistant professor and sociology librarian, said she created this event for Black people to have a space where they can feel seen and be encouraged to embrace their authentic selves.

“I do see a lot of us around, people that look like me and I wanted to make them feel that it’s okay to be who you are,” Overbey said. “That’s why we’re trying to bring scholars that can address the issues that we face in the Black community.”

Overbey said she agrees with Ellington’s calls for Black women to em-

brace their natural hair more often because Black women have too long edited themselves to satisfy others.

“Change those narratives, how they look at Black people and Black women and how we wear our hair,” Overbey said. “That’s what I would like young and older Black people to take away from Dr. Ellington’s research, that it’s OK to be who you are and show up as your true authentic self.”

Ellington said this issue is not exclusive to Black women in America but all people of color around the world with hair textures diferent from the socialized standard. Ellington said changing this narrative starts with creating a new norm.

“We are still trying to attain a Western standard that we have been conditioned and brainwashed to believe that is the only form of beauty,” Ellington said. “Until we decide we are done assimilating it will keep happening.”

SHARON NIYMEL | BLACKXBOLD WRITER

Speaker Tameka Ellington, left, and moderator Deidra Herring, right, led a discussion on the discrimination Black women face due to their natural hair.

Artist Spotlight: The journey to self-discovery

By Amani Bayo BLACKXBOLD Editor-in-Chief

“Artis not an accessory, it’s a necessity.”

If you would have told this poet, performer and fourth-year in health and rehabilitation sciences that these would be his words, he actually may have believed you.

Travis McClerking always knew he wanted to help people, yet it wasn’t until he changed his major three times that he realized helping people

Being the son of a nurse practitioner and political science professor, McClerking was college-bound before ever receiving an acceptance letter. Yet, once enrolled at Ohio State, he found himself still searching for his calling.

“It’s a long line of self-discovery,” McClerking said. “Somewhere in between there, I discovered writing as a great outlet for me and for therapizing myself and understanding my place in the world.”

McClerking had work featured in U.OSU, a platform that features independent student work, such as Unon the climate of racial injustice during the height of the pandemic.

“Thinking about the Black experience and thinking about who I am as a Black man in America is very prominent in my work to the point where a majority of it centers around me trying to basically shift my weight into a comfortable position,” McClerking said.

McClerking said he draws inspiration to write through his lived experiences as a Black man along with personal experiences that have shaped how he perceives his many identities in society.

“It’s extremely tough being an oppressed oppressor. And so you’ll see a lot of investigations of masculinity in my work as well,” McClerking said.

McClerking is also an avid member of Kafe Kerouac, a well-known Columbus hosts and socializes with fellow poets.

What he describes as a rambunctious, queer and unapologetically Black space has become a hav-

en for nurturing his self-identity.

“It means a lot to me. If I’m not on the stage, I will be very loud in the back, either encouraging or cheering one of my coworkers or I will just be hosting,” McClerking said.

What intrigues him the most about writing is having the auton-

unknown about life’s experiences.

“There’s a lot of beauty in things that are almost. Things that you wish could happen but could not, because there’s a lot of hopes that you can weave into that,” McClerking said.

Despite being passionate about his work, McClerking said he wants to balance his career as a poet and a health

care professional. He said being part of a close-knit family fueled this need to see his way through higher education.

“Having not only a present father in my life, but a successful present father has been probably the biggest and my hope for the future because I have someone living in a sphere that I would like to be in,” McClerking said.

Though McClerking has a clear life trajectory now, the path to get here was not always easy. He said he has al-

pose and staying on the academic path.

“My college experience is riddled with either physical crises or mental health crises or just crises within my family,” McClerking said. “And so I’ve had to take a lot of time away from

McClerking said being anchored by his family has allowed him to get through these bouts of uncertainty.

Now aspiring to be a physical therapist, McClerking said his journey taught him the power of unity and he encourages new students looking for a creative outlet to engage with their community, no matter how daunting.

“Say hi, nod, do something. Interact with the folks on campus. Do not be afraid to spend a bunch of time in Hale Hall. Don’t be afraid to take up space and be unapologetically Black,” McClerking said.

There are far too many stories to tell and learn from that cannot be contained in one month and this poet implores students to continue to celebrate their Black identity through expressive creativity.

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COURTESY OF ALEXIS MITCHELL

Poet Travis McClerking performing his work at poetry slam event.

‘More than plows, cows and sows:’

Yolanda Owens promotes agricultural education among younger generations

By Olivia Riley Lantern Reporter

A small shed sat near the back of Yolanda Owens’ grandmother’s house.

Nestled within were terracotta pots, piles of dirt, gardening gloves and seedlings covering handmade wooden tables. Cobwebs lingered in the corners. The ceiling, which was made of glass, opened to the sky during warm, North Carolina summers.

To most, a backyard greenhouse is just a home to pots and plants. But for Owens, it’s where her love of food and agriculture bloomed.

“That gave me an understanding and an appreciation of the work that brought food to our table,” Owens, a 2007 Ohio State alum, said. “There’s a love that goes into every stage of growing food, and I want everyone to have access to that.”

In 2020, Yolanda Owens became Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences — or CFAES — Alumni Board. After holding the position for two years, she began working as a pathways and partnerships strategist for the CFAES.

Now, Owens said she wants to educate more young people on agriculture’s societal importance.

“[Agriculture] is more than plows, cows and sows,” Owens said. “It’s the food that we’re eating, the clothes that we wear and it’s the fuel in our cars.”

Owens said she wasn’t always certain about having a career in agriculture. In fact, she came to Ohio State to study communications.

During what would have been her second year, Owens took a break from her studies and traveled to Ghana, West Africa, through Rites of Passage — an organization focused on improving the lives of at-risk youth via specialized programs and partnerships — where her path was forever altered.

While there, she visited a cocoa farm and spoke to a young girl whose family harvested cocoa beans. Nota-

bly, Owens said the girl wasn’t ablely had worked so tirelessly to make.

“Seeing a group be so resource-rich yet so economically poor changed my outlook,” Owens said. “That’s when I realized that our system is so broken for people in certain communities.”

When she returned to Ohio State, Owens hit the ground running. She changed her major to agricultur al communications, specialized in international, social and economic development, and didn’t look back.

Latina president of the CFAES Alumni Society Board was an im mense source of pride, Owens said.

an in a role like this, I was grateful to have been given a platform,” Ow ens said. “Not only to share my sto ry but to help share what it looks like to be a person of color in this space.”

Andy Vance, the board’s cur rent president, said he of ten seeks out Owens for advice.

“Among her superpowers is this in nate ability to connect with people,” Vance said. “When she led our stra tegic planning process during her term as president, her vision truly helped us rechart the course of where we are going as an organization.”

While working with the CFAES Alumni Society Board, Owens

cant disparities within the agri cultural industry, especially when it comes to diverse populations.

“We can engage more young peo ple in the [agricultural] sector with more diverse thoughts and more di verse perspectives,” Owens said.

And she’s right about the dispari ty. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest agricultur al census of Ohio in 2022, less than 0.01% of Ohio farms are owned by Black or African American producers.

As stated on its website, CFAES is working to change such statistics

through various programs and initiatives. One such workshop — titled “Implicit Associations, Insidious Assumptions: Unintended Manifestations of Bias in Everyday Life” — is scheduled for March 14, the website states.

everybody,” Kathy Lechman, assistant dean and director for diversity, equity

Black culture and increased green thumb development.

“As an agricultural communicator, I love words, right?” Owens said. “I wanted something on my products that was [agriculture-related] but also spoke to my Black culture and my experiences.”

Beyond her other roles, Owens is a mom of two daughters, who remind her of her work’s crucial importance every day. So much so, in fact, that Owens is currently collaborating with Columbus City Schools and other educators to incorporate agricultural education into their curric-

“I realized not long ago that I can’t go out and save the world when there are people right in my own community who need a better connection with food and where it comes from,” Owens said. “We need to understand that we don’t only need food to survive, but to thrive, too.”

More information about Owens, as well as Forage + Black, can be found on the company’s website.

COURTESY OF YOLANDA OWENS Owens wearing a Forage + Black shirt while speaking at her TEDx Talk, titled “Agricultural Education: A Love Story,” in 2020.

Alum translates makeup talents to cake decorating

Adrian Jones opens Kennedy’s Kakes, a custom cake boutique and cafe

By Molly Goheen and Jayla Vanhorn Lantern Editors

From foundation to fondant, Ohio State alum Adrian Jones shifted her talents from the makeup world to baking and cake decorating.

What started as an at-home business

mortar location that opened July 2023. Located inside the Westin Great Southern Hotel at 310 S. High St., Jones said Kennedy’s Kakes now serves guests

“When they think of Kennedy’s Kakes, they think about the wedding cakes and the custom cakes. One thing they don’t realize, they can come in and get things every day.” Jones said. “We have a display, cupcakes, cookies, macarons, all those goodies. Then there’s an area where you can sit down. We have breakfast sandwiches, lattes and things like that.”

Jones said prior to starting her business, she worked as a makeup artist for over 20 years.

“You needed the makeup artists when it was before social media and YouTube and how everybody was teaching you how to do it,” Jones said. “I could see that industry changing.”

Jones decided to shift her talents in 2010 when her daughter was about 10 or 11. She started using her family’s pound cake recipe to serve clients, and ultimately named her at-home business Kennedy’s Kakes, after her daughter, Kennedy. did I want to do that would make — I was a single mom for so long — that would make a little money on the side and be away from that industry,” Jones said. “And that’s kind of how I got started.”

Although her daughter is now a recent college graduate pursuing her movie production career in Los Angeles, Jones is embarking on a new chapter of her career too. The business, which started at home and shifted into a commercial kitchen space, YWCA Down-

Adrian Jones, an Ohio State alum, has been running her custom cake business for over a decade. In July 2023, she opened her own brick-andmortar boutique.

town, in 2019, is now going through its biggest adjustment yet in its new space.

I mean, I was a solo makeup artist. I did freelance. I did work for Charles Penzone, but you still feel a little more solo individual,” Jones said. “This, I have employees. I’m responsible not just for myself, but for them as well. I have a door, that door. And so it has to stay open.”

One of those employees, Bevin Kallmerten, a cake decorator at Kennedy’s Kakes, said she’s been decorating for over seven years, but only started working with Jones last year before she opened her doors. However,ence in how this boutique functions.

“Everything that we put out, actually, we care about. It means something to

us,” Kallmerten said. “So not only do we want it to taste awesome, which would be [baker] Theo taking care of that part of it, we want it to look amazing.”

Because Kennedy Kakes creates cakes for an array of events like weddings, baby showers and birthday parties, Kallmerten said her

“Where I mostly excelled before was like buttercream drawings and more cartoony, I guess. What I didn’t do often was like weddings and that kind of vintage, really classy level. And that has been something that I get to do here,” Kallmerten said.

Jones said the combination of all the employees’ talents allows the boutique to make their unique designs. She said she believes some of her talents stem from her experience as a makeup artist.

“I think the makeup artist part, I love color. I love mixing. I have a really good eye for color,” Jones said. “You can probably describe a color over the phone. And I can create it and I probably nail it.”

Along with the dozens of wedding cake orders that Kennedy’s Kakes receives each year, there have also been cakes commissioned for other events by some notable names.

Jones said Kennedy’s Kakes has made cakes for former NBA player Trey Burke, “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” personality Marlo Hampton and car company Ricart Ford.

Kallmerten said working with someone with the experience level of Jones has been one of her favorite parts of working at the boutique.

“Being part of something new, and building a new business with somebody who has worked for a while to get to this point and to see all the support that she has for a family or friends, and then to work with somebody who pushes me and has built my skill set,” Kallmerten said.

Kennedy Kakes’ location inside the Westin Hotel has been open for less than a year, but Jones said she’s already thinking of what’s next, including potentially franchising within other hotels.

“If it’s not just like the youth, you know, little girls or little boys, but even adults that are starting their business, that inspires me to keep going so they can see you can do it,” Jones said.

WATCH THE LANTERN TV FEATURE VIDEO HERE:

MOLLY GOHEEN | MANAGING EDITOR FOR DIGITAL