InFocus Discovers How Renter Equity Improves Over-the-Rhine

Cornerstone Corporation for Shared Equity finances, develops, and manages affordable multi-family Renter Equity communities in which residents participate in the upkeep and management of the communities and earn financial equity from their rent payments. Renters become vested and can draw on their equity building financial security.

This goal attracts socially conscious investors to Over-the-Rhine creating loans for housing and community development projects that serve low-and moderate income individuals and families in the Greater and Northern Kentucky area.

Watch the full interview with InFocus host Bill Bell, Cornerstone Corporation's Executive Director Rob Sheil and Property Manager Gordon Henry - https://vimeo.com/125069837

For more information, visit www.cornerstone-equity.org

InFocus Highlights a Creative Resolution (Louder Than a Bomb)

Louder Than a Bomb features wordsmiths, poets and storytellers armed with - 

A Mic. A Stage. A Pen. A Page.

Every year, teenagers across the country gather in various cities for the world's largest youth poetry slam, a competition known as "Louder Than a Bomb".  This event was a documentary film launched in 2001 in Chicago and the only one of its kind.  Youth teams work collaboratively with their peers, presenting, critiquing and rewriting their pieces in an academic context.  Cincinnati is one of the host cities giving voice and a platform to today's youth in the Queen City. 

Watch the full interview with InFocus host Khrys Styles and Dr. Adrian Parr, Director of Taft Research Center at University of Cincinnati.

For more information about the event, visit www.louderthanabombcincy.com

Vimeo URL of the interview: https://vimeo.com/125078411

InFocus Extends the Education on Transgender and LGBTQIA

LGBTQIA is an acronym that has gained traction in controversial discussions and in the media. This community is the only minority group not federally protected.

InFocus TV host Khrys Styles extends the education with City of Cincinnati Council Member Chris Seelbach and PFLAG Board Member Tom Jenkins. The discussion will give viewers an insight on the struggles and breakthroughs of the transgender and the overall LGBTQIA community and how we can look beyond the labels and see this group for what they truly are, just normal people going about their daily lives.

Watch the full interview starting June 16 - June 30 on Time Warner Cable 23 and City of Cincinnati's Livestream

InFocus Talks Transportation with Everybody Rides Metro

Everybody Rides Metro is the nation's first foundation dedicated to public transit for low-income riders in Greater Cincinnati.  Executive Director Joe Curry talks to InFocus TV host Bill Bell about ERM's role in Mayor John Cranley's Hands Up Initiative in the goals to reducing joblessness, poverty, and homelessness.  Everybody Rides Metro is the transportation partner of the Hands Up Initiative in getting people within Hamilton County back and forth to training and securing jobs.

Watch the full interview 
Visit www.everybodyridesmetro.org for more information
Video URL: https://vimeo.com/127961452

COA's "Push 4 Peace - "Soft Ball Game", Saturday, May 30th

COA's "Push 4 Peace - Talent Show", Saturday, June 6th

The CPS Allegiance Project Walking School Bus, Thursday, May 20th, 10am at The Cintas Center

Join us to start the conversation about how our children are getting to and from school on a daily basis. Cincinnati has one of the highest number of children in poverty and about 45% of CPS students do not receive transportation to school.  Given the number of students living in poverty, it’s very likely they have little or no access to transportation. The likelihood of them attending school on a consistent basis is very low.  Access to transportation affects attendance which in turn impacts achievement.

Opening remarks by Cincinnati Vice Mayor David Mann.

Keynote Speaker: author, educator and sociologist Dr. Peter Cookson of the American Institutes for Research.

Afternoon Panel will look at the issue of student transportation equity with the help of an expert panel from multiple disciplines including:

•    Dr. Jessica Saunders, RAND

•    Dr. Ericka King-Betts, Executive Director,

     Cincinnati Human Relations Commission

•    Dr. Noble Maseru, Cincinnati Health Commissioner

•    John Davis, Director, Transportation-Cincinnati Public Schools

•    Michael Moore, P.E., Director, Transportation & Engineering

•    Tom Arnold, P.E., Ohio Department of Transportation

This event is supported by the National Institutes of Justice's "Developing Knowledge About What Works To Make Schools Safe" grant.

Attorney General Lynch's Visit to Cincinnati, Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Yesterday, CHRC's Executive Director, Dr. Ericka King-Betts, Community Outreach & Engagement Coordinator, Christina Brown & Community Outreach Advocate, Pastor Pete Mingo had the opportunity to attend a roundtable discussion with Attorney General Lynch. The purpose of the roundtable was to discuss the City of Cincinnati’s experience with police-community relations, particularly the best practices that have come as a result of the collaborative agreement and (continuing) hard work from the community and police. 

At the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission we will continue to work with the diverse commissions comprised of business and community members & youth to enhance relationships between the police and community, educate others on Cincinnati’s Collaborative Agreement, and provide trainings on cultural sensitivity & understanding. Since 1943, the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission has worked tirelessly to help our community to overcome prejudice and discrimination, build mutual respect and understanding, and to become more harmonious and cohesive.

TODAY at 5:00pm, FREE Exclusive Screening of "I Shall Not Be Silent"

TODAY, Tuesday, May 19th, 5:00pm at the American Jewish Archives, 3101 Clifton Avenue, The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives presents a FREE Screening of "I Shall Not Be Silent". This documentary traces the remarkable life of Rabbi Joachim Prinz, and his contributions to strengthening Jewish-Black relations in America, and the power of our collective voice in the universal struggle for peace. 

A panel discussion will follow screening.

CHRC is excited to be a Community Partner in this event.

DUE TO LIMITED SPACING, PLEASE RSVP to Sue Boyce at 513-487-3000 or by email at sboyce@huc.edu

CHRC is a Community Partner in the Prinz Film Debut, Tuesday, May 19th, 5:00PM

The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives presents a FREE Screening of "I Shall Not Be Silent", Tuesday, May 19th, 5:00pm at the American Jewish Archives, 3101 Clifton Avenue. This documentary traces the remarkable life of Rabbi Joachim Prinz, and his contributions to strengthening Jewish-Black relations in America, and the power of our collective voice in the universal struggle for peace. CHRC is excited to be a Community Partner in this event.

A panel discussion will follow screening. 

DUE TO LIMITED SPACING, PLEASE RSVP to Sue Boyce at 513-487-3000 or by email at sboyce@huc.edu

POLICE MEMORIAL WEEK EVENTS HONOR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS

People around Greater Cincinnati took time out Monday, May 11^th, to remember local heroes at the start of Police Memorial Week.

Members of law enforcement come together with the citizens they serve for more than fifty years to recognize the dedication of peace officers and to honor those killed in the line of duty.  In 1962 President John Kennedy signed the proclamation declaring May 15 Peace Officers Memorial Day, and the week has come to be known as National Police Week.  Ceremonies and events bring the community together to honor those who serve and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

Numerous Hamilton County law enforcement departments and agencies participated in yesterday's events, which included remarks from Cincinnati Police Chief Jeffrey Blackwell, Mayor John Cranley, City Manager Harry Black, and Councilman Christopher Smitherman, who delivered the keynote address.

After the ceremony, there was the annual parade formed with members of all area law enforcements agencies, their families, and friends from Fountain Square to the police memorial outside police headquarters in the West End. A changing of the guard ceremony opened the program at the memorial, followed by a bugler sounding Taps, a flyover, and a 21-gun salute, to remember officers lost in the line of duty.

During Police Memorial Week, open houses at each of the Cincinnati Police Districts allow citizens to meet the officers who work in their neighborhoods and to learn about some of the specialized units such as canine patrol and detection teams, Segway and bike patrol, and the Special Weapons and Tactics team.  The schedule for open houses at the Districts is as follows:

·         Monday, May 11               District 1 and CBS

·         Tuesday, May 12               District 2

·         Wednesday, May 13         District 3

·         Thursday, May 14              District 4

·         Friday, May 15                    District 5

The open houses will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day.

At the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission, we will continue to work collaboratively to enhance relationships between the police and community.  

Congratulations to CHRC's 2015 Annual Awards' Honorees

The Cincinnati Human Relations Commission (CHRC) Annual Luncheon, Silent Auction & Awards Ceremony will be on Friday, June 26, 2015 at the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza. There will be a light reception and silent auction from 11am-12pm followed by lunch. This year's keynote speaker will be Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, Jr., Theologist and Activist.

For more information on CHRC or the Luncheon, please visit our website at www.chrc.us, call the office at 513-352-3237 or contact Nina Jackson, Administrative Assistant, at nina.jackson@cincinnati-oh.gov

Tickets are $75. A list of our sponsorship opportunities is available on our website www.chrc.us.

Huffington Post Article on Sunday's Interfaith Peace Ring

Thank you to the Huffington Post for covering Sunday's Interfaith Peace Ring. We remain united with our Muslim brothers and sisters and will continue to spread the message that Islam is about "love and unity" and that "we do not want individuals to define what Islam is for the rest of us."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/05/interfaith-peace-ring-cincinnati-mosque_n_7214250.html

Congratulations to our 2015 Merlin G. Pope, Jr. Diversity Leadership Award honoree: Mary Stagaman!

The Merlin G. Pope, Jr. Diversity Leadership Award was created in 2003 to recognize an individual executive in the Greater Cincinnati area who has demonstrated outstanding commitment and proactive leadership to diversity and inclusion within their organization and/or our community.

Mary Stagaman is vice president for regional initiatives and executive director of Agenda 360—a plan to grow talent, jobs, and economic opportunity—for the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber.

Since 2012, Agenda 360 has engaged hundreds of volunteers and more than 150 organizations across the region in a ground-breaking diversity and inclusion initiative. Diverse by Design is intended to attract, develop and retain diverse, high potential talent and move Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky to full inclusion.

Programs emerging from Diverse by Design include CONNECT, a regional network of employee resource groups; CINC, a program to create positive perceptions of the region among summer interns; Table of 8, an engagement program for newcomers to the region; the annual Fifth Third Bank Diversity Leadership Symposium; and Insights in Inclusion, a series featuring thought leaders in inclusion created in partnership with the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

Prior to joining the chamber in 2010, Stagaman was the top marketing and community relations officer at the University of Cincinnati, serving in a time of unprecedented growth and reputation building for UC. She played a leadership role in the creation of the Uptown Consortium, an alliance of the region’s anchor institutions and Uptown neighborhoods.

Stagaman currently serves on the boards of United Way of Greater Cincinnati, the Health Collaborative, Partners for a Competitive Workforce, The Corporation for Findlay Market, ArtsWave and Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati. Stagaman has also served as chair of the board of Women Helping Women and of the Leadership Council of The Women’s Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation. For the latter, she was a leader in the creation of “Pulse: A Study on the Status of Women and Girls in Our Region.”

CHRC’s Annual Luncheon, Silent Auction and Awards Ceremony will be held on June 26th, 2015 at the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, 35 W. Fifth Street at 12:00 pm. This year's keynote speaker will be Dr. Rev. Otis Moss, Jr., theologian and activist. 

For more information on CHRC or the Luncheon, please visit our website at www.chrc.us, call the office at 513-352-3237 or contact Nina Jackson, Administrative Assistant, at nina.jackson@cincinnati-oh.gov. All proceeds from the luncheon will provide direct support to CHRC's Youth Services and Community Outreach and Engagement programs. A list of our sponsorship opportunities is available on our website or click below to find out more information. Individual tickets are $75.

Free Premiere Screening of "I Shall Not Be Silent"

The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives presents a FREE Screening of "I Shall Not Be Silent", Tuesday, May 19th, 5:00pm at the American Jewish Archives, 3101 Clifton Avenue. This documentary traces the remarkable life of Rabbi Joachim Prinz, and his contributions to strengthening Jewish-Black relations in America, and the power of our collective voice in the universal struggle for peace. CHRC is excited to be a Community Partner in this event.

A panel discussion will follow screening. 

This event is FREE and Open to the Public.

DUE TO LIMITED SPACING, PLEASE RSVP to Sue Boyce at 513-487-3000 or by email at sboyce@huc.edu

Interfaith Peace Ring, Sunday, May 3rd, 2:30PM at Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati

The Cincinnati Human Relations Commission in collaboration with the Islamic Center of Cincinnati is holding an "Interfaith Peace Ring" event with various interfaith leaders on Sunday May 3, 2015 from 2:30-3:30pm. All faith groups are invited to join in a short prayer and help form a "peace ring" around the Islamic Center in a show of unity for acceptance of all people and faiths.