Reshaping Ohio's Queen City

Reshaping Ohio's Queen City Black Women's Activism in Cincinnati, 1970-1990

My central argument encompasses the belief that Black women activists in Cincinnati profoundly reshaped the city through activism because of the methods employed. This argument includes their unique ability to connect with target audiences and navigate spaces that men and non-Black people could not traverse. This argument derives from an investigation of Black women activists who contributed to the history of Cincinnati and the economic, social, and political ascension of Cincinnati’s marginalized citizens.

By examining Black women in Cincinnati, Ohio, from 1970 to 1990, this examination explores how Black women activists redefined Black womanhood by investigating what they did, who these Black women were, and who they evolved to be. This study shines a light on a vastly understudied arena. Cincinnati has a long and documented history of hostile race relations, and black women have been interwoven within that fabric for many generations. Previous scholars have focused more on White saviors who have aided Blacks in Cincinnati and Black men whose names are etched into the granite of history.

When scholars turned their scholarship toward black women, they attempted to devalue her accomplishments or hitch them to men's progress. The Black woman activist in Cincinnati has yet to receive a comprehensive study that accurately investigates her as a woman, her cause, effort, and impact. This work contributes to the gaps in scholarship that have not accurately exalted the Black woman activist and her shaping of the Cincinnati political landscape.