Living For We

The powerful girls of the QueenIAM program, run by 27-year-old founder and mother Dameyonna Willis, tell us all about their big dreams and hopes for their lives in Cleveland. While the Commission for Black Women and Girls– an entity conceived in those girls’ best interest– struggles to get off the ground at City Hall, these young women are building a future for themselves through self-love and sisterhood.  Learn more about the QueenIAM program here.  Want to share your thoughts as a Black woman in Cleveland? Leave us a message at (216) 223-8312 and you may just hear yourself on the podcast.  Learn more about Living For We here. Read our foundational research, Project Noir by Enlightened Solutions, here!  Join Enlightened Solutions and the Living For We team for a live podcast activation event with our creative director HeyFranHey!

In a conversation led by creative director HeyFranHey, go behind the scenes of “Living For We" with the production team– host and executive producer Marlene Harris-Taylor, lead producer Hannah Rae Leach, and our in-pod therapist Dr. Angela Neal-Barnett. Learn more about Living For We here. Donate to Ideastream Public Media here! Leave us a voicemail at (216) 223-8312 letting us know your thoughts on the season! Read our foundational research, Project Noir by Enlightened Solutions, here. Check out photos from Enlightened Solutions’ Living For We: Live event here!

Is there anything more beautiful than Black love? From sister-friends and treasured co-workers to devoted husbands and boyfriends, love makes life worth living, especially in a city where it can be so tough. How can we use the power of love to make Cleveland a better place for all of us, and how can we shape its future through the act of “living for we?” If you are someone you know doesn’t feel safe at home, Dr. Angela recommends the below resources: Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 Text “START” to 88788 Visit http://thehotline.org/get-help/ for support via chat Learn more about Living For We here. Donate to Ideastream Public Media here! Leave us a voicemail at (216) 223-8312 letting us know your thoughts on the podcast. Read our foundational research, Project Noir by Enlightened Solutions, here. Check out photos from Enlightened Solutions’ Living For We: Live event here!

In the classroom, even the best and brightest of Black women are often encouraged to think small and aim low. Chronic underfunding of public schools in Black neighborhoods, steering of Black girls away from honors classes in suburban schools, and abundant microaggressions from preschool to graduate school make learning a challenge. Despite it all, Black women are finding ways to shine. If you’re a Black woman in Cleveland and want to share your thoughts, leave us a voicemail at (216) 223-8312 and you may just hear yourself on the podcast! Learn more about Living For We here. Read our foundational research, Project Noir by Enlightened Solutions, here. Check out photos from Enlightened Solutions’ Living For We: Live event here!

When a Black woman becomes the first of her kind to receive a sought-after title or high-powered role, it’s a cause for celebration– but these breakthroughs have always hinged upon a lineage of elders forging thorny paths for those coming up behind them. In this episode, we trace that lineage from 94 year old former nurse Miss Arnell Hendricks all the way to Metrohealth’s new CEO, Dr. Airica Steed. Learn more about Living For We here. If you’re a Black woman in Cleveland and want to share your thoughts, leave us a voicemail at (216) 223-8312 and you may just hear yourself on the podcast! Read our foundational research, Project Noir by Enlightened Solutions, here. Check out photos from Enlightened Solutions’ Living For We: Live event here!

Cleveland is allegedly a healthcare mecca. There should be an abundance of quality care right here in town, but why can't Black women seem to find it? Dr. Carla Harwell of University Hospitals and Dr. Linda Bradley of the Cleveland Clinic, two Black woman doctors, join us to unpack that very question. Learn more about Birthing Beautiful Communities here. Learn more about Living For We here. Read our foundational research, Project Noir by Enlightened Solutions, here. Check out photos from Enlightened Solutions’ Living For We: Live event here!

When their lives are placed into the hands of white doctors and nurses, Black women’s basic needs can quickly evolve into life-threatening ordeals. Medical professionals’ lack of empathy demands that Black women prioritize advocating for themselves and their families over self-care. How can Black women be healthy when doctors refuse to really hear them? Learn more about Birthing Beautiful Communities here.  Learn more about Living For We here. Read our foundational research, Project Noir by Enlightened Solutions, here.  Check out photos from Enlightened Solutions’ Living For We: Live event here!

Black women don’t want to fight for basic respect in the workplace. When do they walk away from a “great opportunity” in a white space? How do they find the strength to do it? And what do they do next? This week we share the stories of two dynamic Black women– Leah Hudnall of The Legacy Perspective and Ramat Wiley of Adun Spice Company– as they create their own spaces and become their ancestors’ wildest dreams.  Learn more about Living For We here. Learn more about The Legacy Perspective and Adun Spice Company. Read our foundational research, Project Noir by Enlightened Solutions, here! Want to share your thoughts as a Black woman in Cleveland? Leave us a message at (216) 223-8312 and you may just hear yourself on the podcast.  Learn more about Living For We here. Read our foundational research, Project Noir by Enlightened Solutions, here!

For Black women, the climb to the top is often filled with impossibly high standards, blatant disrespect, and jealousy from those both outside and inside their community. What should they be expected to sacrifice in order to succeed? Author and former TV news anchor Romona Robinson, entrepreneur Ariane Kirkpatrick, and Cleveland Housing Court Judge Moná Scott share their bittersweet journeys to dream jobs.  Want to share your thoughts as a Black woman in Cleveland? Leave us a message at (216) 223-8312 and you may just hear yourself on the podcast.  Learn more about Living For We here. Read our foundational research, Project Noir by Enlightened Solutions, here!  Join Enlightened Solutions and the Living For We team for a live podcast activation event with our creative director HeyFranHey!

Living with trauma as a Black woman in Cleveland isn’t a rare experience, but what’s it like here when we find ourselves in the white-hot light of controversy and public scrutiny? How do we cope? Samaria Rice and Ayesha Bell Hardaway, both Black women with unique painful experiences in the court of public opinion share their stories.  Want to share your thoughts as a Black woman in Cleveland? Leave us a message at (216) 223-8312 and you may just hear yourself on the podcast.  Learn more about Living For We here. Read our foundational research, Project Noir by Enlightened Solutions, here!

In 2020, Cleveland– a city with a nearly 50% Black population– was labeled the least livable city in America for Black women… and with data to back it up. This news has undeniably focused a lens on the not-so-positive lived experiences of Black women and femmes in our city, but… what can be done about it? 2020 CityLAB article naming Cleveland the least livable city for Black women Project Noir by Enlightened Solutions  Want to share your thoughts as a Black woman in Cleveland? Leave us a message at (216) 223-8312 and you may just hear yourself on the podcast.  Learn more about Living For We here.

This new podcast from Ideastream Public Media addresses livability metrics and recent findings surrounding the health and wellness challenges Black women face in Northeast Ohio. Each episode shares firsthand accounts of Black women’s experiences in Cleveland’s workplaces, schools, and educational systems. Living for We is a part of Connecting the Dots between Race and Health, an ongoing Ideastream initiative that looks at how racism contributes to poor health outcomes in Northeast Ohio, along with uncovering what actions local institutions are taking to tear down the structural barriers to good health. The initial data that inspired Living For We was released back in 2020 when cityLAB of Pittsburgh released a study that ranked Cleveland dead last in terms of livability for Black women. In response, Cleveland’s Bethany Studenic and Chinenye Nkemere of Enlightened Solutions published Project Noir, a survey featuring over 450 Black women from the Cleveland area who share accounts of frustration, isolation, marginalization, and discrimination, within the workplace, healthcare facilities, and the education sector. With ChiChi and Bethany of Enlightened Solutions on their team, Ideastream has worked with Evergreen Podcasts to explore these findings through their new audio series, Living for We. Our first episode drops March 2023. We'll see you then!

Hey, Living for We listeners, long time no see! We're gearing up for season 2, which will focus on the gun violence epidemic in the Cleveland area. We want to hear from you! If you have been personally impacted by gun violence, or are working to solve this problem in your community, please leave us a voice message at https://www.speakpipe.com/LivingForWeSeason2. Or, please share this link with anyone in your life who has a story to tell. We might use the voicemail on the show, or call you for a full interview!

Today, we’re sharing an episode of When Magic Happens, a new podcast from WBEZ Chicago, where intergenerational convos of love and laughter collide. In this episode, we’re discussing body-ody-ody-ody. Slim-thick, bean pole, pear, apple – how has your body been categorized? Cheryle, Jennifer and Taylor discuss body image and their relationships to their bodies over time. Then, we hear from Michaela Duerson, a plus-size model, talent agent, photographer and former gymnast, who explains the importance of appreciating our bodies at their many stages and why everyone is wrong. Find When Magic Happens from WBEZ Chicago wherever you listen to podcasts.