Supporting Cincinnati Public Schools

PRESS RELEASE August 28, 2012 For Immediate Release Contact: Christopher Smitherman Cincinnati NAACP

Baptist Ministers Conference Endorses CPS Renewal CINCINNATI, OHIO - AUGUST 28, 2012 - The Baptist Ministers Conference will campaign for the passage of the Cincinnati Public School (CPS) Renewal.  "Public education is critical for our children in Cincinnati.  This renewal does not increase taxes.  However, the passage of the renewal will help support the education of children," Dock Foster, President of the Baptist Minister Conference and Vicinity said.

Place Matters Helps Oyler School

Place Matters Helps Oyler School Succeed Julie Irwin Zimmerman, August 23, 2012 This week, students at Price Hill’s Oyler School start classes in a state-of-the-art building and a school that’s succeeding academically. But not long ago, the school was in “academic emergency” and high-school graduates in the neighborhood were rare. "It used to be you got to seventh, eighth grade, you'd drop out and hang out on the street," explains Jim Holmstrom, Youth Development Program Coordinator for Santa Maria Community Services. In June the school graduated its third class of seniors, with 35 of 42 students heading to college and three entering the military. Oyler's success has attracted national attention and is inspiring other school leaders. Oyler's turnaround began when the school added grades 9-12, so students could stay in the neighborhood to attend high school. Improvements took off when place matters partners helped Oyler add a Community Learning Center. The Center offers medical and mental-health services, vision and dental care to combat the causes of low attendance and poor performance at school. Funded in part by the Greater Cincinnati Foundation and the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati, the Community Learning Center is considered to be a major factor in the school's recent successes. Students also receive help outside of school. Place matters lead agencies Price Hill Will and Santa Maria Community Services  teamed up with local nonprofits and social-service agencies to provide free school supplies, free meals, homework help, mentoring, after-school care, and on-site day-care. Oyler’s dramatic transformation exemplifies the guiding principle of place matters—that the best way to effect change in a neighborhood is to bring together residents, community groups, governmental agencies and funders to cooperate on the many elements that lead to success.

Interfaith Memorial Service for Sikh Community

CAIR Cincinnati

The Guru Nanak Society invites the community to participate in an

Interfaith Memorial Service

August 26th, 2012

4:00 p.m.  Interfaith Memorial Service

5:30 p.m.  Open House and Reception

In association with the Metropolitan Area Religious Coalition of Cincinnati (MARCC), the entire Sikh community invites you to an Interfaith Memorial Service honoring victims of the recent Wisconsin Gurdwara Attack.

The program will include reflections from various faiths and introduction to a Sikh prayer service.

The African Summit lll

Making African Markets Accessible to the Midwest

Join CHRC in attending the African Summit hosted by the African Foundation USA on Saturday September 8, 10am- 5 pm. This event will be held at The James and Caroline Duff Banquet Center in the Cintas Center at Xavier University. CHRC will be passing out information about ourselves at this time. For more information please visit www.africafoundationusa.org.    

Keynote Speakers-

11 a.m.- Why Should You Do Business In Africa!

Jessica Hall, Consumer &Market Knowledge Director

The Proctor & Gamble Company

12 p.m.- Africans And The American Dream- How To Attain Yours!

Evans Nwankwo, Megen Construction 

Small Business of the Year Award Winner 

1-4 p.m. Breakout Sessions 

CHRC Weekly Newsletter

                         National Night Out

 This years National Night Out, located at Findlay Market, was a huge success. Dozens of people came out to show their support for their local neighborhoods and and the men and women who help to make our communitites a better place. CHRC would like to give a thank you to the CIRV Street Advocate Team for all their work throughout the Cincinnati area, along with all the men and women that came out from the Police Force, Fire Department, and EMT. We would also like to thank Mayor Mark Mallory for for attending this event and showing his support for the Over-the-Rhine community. 

Summer Youth Employment Program

This years Summer Youth Employment Program has been doing so many amazing things throughout their 8 week program. This summer's focus was on the history of the 7 hills, creating a PowerPoint presentation and learning how to do condust research. Some of our older youth also learned how to become a mentor. In honor of the youth CHRC hosted an end of the summer party for all the participants at Gameworks in Newport, to thank them for all their hard work and dedication.

                    UPCOMING EVENT
Black Family Reunion- August 17-18 located at Sawyer Point
Come join us to celebrate the African American Community through musical performances, food, fun and games. CHRC will have an informational booth set up on Saturday the 18th.  

Celebrating Cincinnati's Black Brigade

Come Join us on Sunday, September 9th at 5:30pm at Smale Riverfront Park to Commemorate the 150th Anniversary of Cincinnati's Black Brigade hosted by Cincinnati Parks!

FREE events and activities will include:

• Cincinnati Pops Concert
• Civil War era experiences and actors
• Information and activity booths from Cincinnati Parks, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, the Civil War Museum, the National Park Service (Taft House), Cincinnati Civil War Roundtable, Hamilton Civil War Roundtable, Camp Nelson Museum, OhioCivilWar.com, the 5th Independent Battery of Ohio Volunteer Light Artillery, and the U.S. 5th Regiment Colored Troop (also known as 127th OVI). 
• Discounted admission to the Freedom Center will be only $5 on Sunday, September 9 from 11 am-5pm. ($7 off regular adult admission) The Freedom Center will also have Black Brigade artifacts on display, including the Black Brigade flag from the Ohio Historical Society and the sword that the Black Brigade presented to Colonel William Dickson. There will also be videos, panel displays that tell Black Brigade members’ individual stories and more.

Guests are encouraged to bring blankets, lawn chairs and picnic items if desired. Visitors can also purchase food from outdoor concessions that will be set up adjacent to the Schmidlapp Event Lawn.

The Cincinnati Pops concert is made possible by a generous gift from the Jacob G. Schmidlapp Trusts, Fifth Third Bank, Trustee.  The entire event is free and open to the public.

The Story of the Black Brigade

Prior to the construction of the Black Brigade Monument, the story of over 700 African-American men who volunteered to build fortifications to defend Cincinnati from a Confederate attack during the Civil War in September, 1862. was little known. The city’s black men were denied the opportunity to enlist as soldiers, but they were abducted from their homes and forced into labor. This led to protests of the inhumane treatment of the men and an outcry by local media. The protests led to an intervention by Union officers, who freed the men from the forced labor and returned them to their homes. The men were then invited to volunteer their services and become a part of the team of 7,000 Cincinnatians who constructed the fortifications that ultimately protected Cincinnati from a Confederate attack. The Black Brigade monument pays tribute to this very significant moment in Cincinnati's—and the nation’s—social history. 

The monument’s creation was sponsored by the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr. / U.S. Bank Foundation, the City of Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Park Board, the Cincinnati Parks Foundation and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

For more information, please contact Joyce Kamen at 513.543.8109; or Manda Hurdelbrink at 513.324.8610

OSHA 10 Certifications

All construction jobs now require all workers to have a OSHA 10 certification to be able to work for the City of Cincinnati. A $10 Workshop is being offered to recieve this certification on September 10-11 between the hours of 9:00a.m.- 3:00 p.m. Attendance at both workshops is necessary. Please contact Vernon Carter at 513-352-3258 for information on how to register. This workshop will be held downtown, across the street from City Hall at Centennial Plaza- 805 Central Ave. Late Arrivals will not be permitted.  

The Great Youth Debate

The Cincinnati Human Relations Commission (CHRC) is hosting our annual Great Youth Debate inspired by the movie “The Great Debaters”. Teams from all over the Cincinnati area will come together and debate against each other on current political issues. The debate topics will be chosen by our CHRC staff . Influential members of the community will make up our judge panel who will pick our 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners. The 1st– 3rd place winners will receive a cash prize, and each participant will receive a trophy. To sign-up for the Great Youth Debate contact Melissa or Jaime at the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission at 513-352-3237.

Upcoming Events

Come out and celebrate family and friendship with us at some of these upcoming events.

• Aug. 7- 6-9 pm- National Night Out, Owls Nest Park
• Aug. 17-18- 8am-5pm- Black Family Reunion - Sawyer Point
• Sept. 8- 10am-5pm African Summit - Xavier University Cintas Center
• Nov. 10- 10am-3pm- Great Youth Debate - City Hall