Age:
28
?Neighborhood:
Walnut Hills?
How long have you lived in Cincinnati?
Five years?
Why did you move here?
My corporate hustle moved me here, haven't been able to shake the city since.?
What's your day job?
I work as a retail consultant for The Nielsen Company. Yes, the company that does ratings. Nielsen is the largest consumer research company in the world. My focus is on Kroger and how to help optimize their digital focus and focus on their multicultural customer base.?
What work or projects do you tackle after the workday ends?
My focus right now is The Sportsfan Journal. TSFJ functions as a full-scale online sports and culture publication. We have up to 10 writers from across the country who contribute to the movement, and my biggest focus is growing the range of our voices.?
Where are your favorite places to hang out in the city?
You can usually find me in one of the many great bars in OTR. Mr. Pitiful's, Japp's, Neon's and The Lackman always seem to be filling up my cup. Also in OTR I'm in Incredible Creations every Friday like clockwork for a haircut or a razor shave on my beard. When I need to fill my belly, I'll go devour some Bibimbap at Suzie Wong's or some flatbread at The Skinny Pig in Walnut Hills.?
What's the biggest challenge you've faced here?
Getting buy-in from the locals. In Cincinnati, sometimes its all about "who you know" and "who's willing to vouch for you." As my time has progressed in this city, I've gained more advocates who know me and believe in my work. It can be a struggle, but it can pay off.?
What's the biggest opportunity?
Cincinnati's waiting for more young folks to be power players and take ownership. The powers that be are hesitant to let the young blood move mountains, but the young bloods aren't necessarily trying to put roots down here either. If you're patient and persistent, big things can happen.?
What could be done to improve opportunities for young African Americans in Cincinnati?
If you're young and black and ready to settle down, then Cincinnati is where you want to be. Cincy is a settle down city, and unlike our white brothers and sisters, young black professionals aren't as focused on "settling down" by age 23, 24, 25. That was a big struggle when I first moved here at age 23, I worked with about 40 to 50 YP's and like I was one of three single folks in the office. Cincy is just working on its "cool" with the build-up in OTR, downtown and over the river, but it's got a ways to go to be appealing to the masses. I like it here, though.
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