Click CINCINNATI – Institutional Racism has been deeply rooted in the fabric of this Country for decades. Unfortunately, Cincinnati is experiencing it at an all-time high and it needs to stop. Cincinnati has always held superficial discussions regarding the symptoms of racism, issued reports like All in Cincinnati or State of Black of Cincinnati, but never want to discuss the root causes of racism. Today, Black leaders put out a call to rally the community to address this issue of racism head on in the city of Cincinnati.
 
Institutional Racism has caused the City of Cincinnati led by Mayor John Cranley to direct our tax dollars to the White community leaving the other half of the city at the bottom of everything. The Mayor and City Council have known this for decades and have done little or nothing about it. According to the City Charter, the Mayor is the recognized official head and representative of the City of Cincinnati. Mayor John Cranley talks about improving race relations, but his actions shows he ignores it. City Council voted to fund a study of institutional racism and the Mayor in his last budget chose not to fund it.
 Cranley’s attack on our Black leaders and organizations is not acceptable to the Black Community, and his behavior is similar to President Donald Trump. Cranley’s behavior has amplified the city’s institutional racism with the departure of United Way’s former CEO, Michael Johnson three months after his arrival.
Black Agenda gathered hundreds of citizens and put forth some actionable items for the community to move on that will begin to erase Institutional Racism now. The demands put forth were:

1. Fund Institutional Racism Study Approved by City Council in a 9-0 Vote
2. End the City Funding of United Way
3. Address the Affordable Housing Crisis in Cincinnati
4. Reinstate televising on Citicable the Public Comment portion of City Council Meetings
5. Transparency of the City Budget Process 
6. Attend the Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018 City Council Meeting at 6 p.m.

There has been much talk about being an inclusive, equitable and fair City but our outcomes in the black community continue to keep us on the bottom. It’s time for action and it is time to end Institutional Racism in this City NOW!​

​We are the physicians of the Cincinnati Medical Association representing “the collective voice of African American physicians and the leading force for parity and justice in medicine and the elimination of disparities in health.”

We are writing this letter to alert ALL individuals that your VOTE counts as far as maintaining your pre-existing healthcare coverage which is currently mandated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (commonly referred to as Obamacare or the ACA). This single protection is of benefit to every American, no matter who pays for your insurance coverage.

Let us restate the other manners in which every citizen of our country benefits from the ACA. Because of the law, 37% more non-elderly adults are insured. Insurance companies’ ability to implement price discrimination because of age or gender has been eliminated. The “lifetime limit” on the amount an insurance company would have to pay for a beneficiary has been eliminated, thus lessening the potential for financial ruin from medical bills. The preventive services mandates of the ACA require coverage, with no copay, for 15 preventive services for adults; 22 preventive services for women; and 26 preventive services for children. The ACA allowed for adult children under the age of 26 to be covered by their parents’ insurance. So, the constantly articulated goal of repealing the ACA, by the President and his Congressional allies, would eliminate all of these protections which benefit every American.

Another major provision of the ACA is the Medicaid expansion provision chosen by 27 states. The uninsured rates in small towns and rural areas of these states dropped from 35% to 16% compared to a decline from 38% to 32% in the non-expansion states. Ohio accepted Medicaid expansion and experienced a decline in its low income insured rate from 35% to 18%. This benefit to the small towns and rural areas is especially realized by our Kentucky neighbors. The Kentucky Medicaid expansion resulted in a decrease in the uninsured rate from 43% in 2008-2009, to just 13% in 2015-2016, according to a 2018 Georgetown University study. Across the country, when Medicaid expansion has been implemented, the uninsured rates drop and the gap between the higher uninsured rates in the rural areas compared to the urban areas has narrowed. Note that every policy that increases access to healthcare is beneficial for patient continuity of care, lessens the burden on our emergency rooms, decreases human suffering, and decreases costs.

So, let us now address the elephant in the room, pre-existing medical conditions coverage. The ACA eliminated the insurance companies’ pre-existing conditions exclusion policy that had made 52 million adults under the age of 65 uninsurable. A Kaiser Foundation report from Summer 2018 reveals that 75% of Americans say that it is very important and another 15% say that it is somewhat important that the “ACA’s provisions protecting those with pre-existing conditions remain law.” Additionally, 90% of Americans say that insurance companies should not be allowed to charge the unfortunate citizens with illness more for health insurance coverage. The following local legislators have voted against and/or voted to repeal parts or all of the ACA which would eliminate the pre-existing conditions protection; Senators Rob Portman (R-OH), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Rand Paul (R-KY), Todd Young (R-IN) and Representatives Steve Chabot (R-OH1), Brad Wenstrup (R-OH2), Warren Davidson (R-OH8), Thomas Massie (R-KY4), and Luke Messer (R-IN6). The Trump administration, being unable to repeal this legislation, which has so greatly benefited ALL Americans, has slowed or eliminated subsidies payments, diminished website access and support, eliminated navigators, slashed the advertising activities and budget, and shortened the open enrollment period. Here we provide an important reminder that the Open Enrollment Period for 2019 coverage runs from Thursday, November 1, 2018 until Saturday, December 15, 2018. Go to the HealthCare.Gov website or call (800) 318-2596 for specifics.
 
The President and Congress continue to chip away at ACA benefits by passing the Tax Cut and Reform Bill of 2017 which contains a provision eliminating the individual mandate of the ACA. Contrary to the President’s statements, this does not repeal the ACA. The mandate repeal in the Tax Bill is not in effect until 2019 and the other protections of the ACA will still be in place as long as the ACA remains the law of the land. Nevertheless, 13 million fewer Americans will be insured by 2027 and premium increases of 10% are expected due to this repeal of the individual mandate alone, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Another result of the Tax Bill of 2017, which adds a projected $1.5 trillion dollars to our National Debt, is that mandatory budget driven cuts in Medicare will also need to be addressed. Despite all of these destabilization measures there is still insurance company coverage on the ACA exchange in every state in the United States.

As our government stands now, both the executive and legislative branches are pushing to implement healthcare policy that is opposed by a majority of Americans. The next phase of this fight will be waged in the courts.  The Trump administration has decided to not defend the ACA in a suit brought by Texas and 19 other states. These states are contending that Congress’ elimination of the individual mandate in the 2017 Tax Bill should render the ACA null and void in its entirety. The majority of Americans, 17 state governments, the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, the AARP, and a number of other organizations are opposed to the Texas argument. This case will eventually go to the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS).  Unfortunately, SCOTUS is trending toward a partisan third branch of government. We can only hope that these and all federal judges, who have lifetime appointments, will judge for the majority of the people and not for the partisans who selected them. If you are concerned about these judges, then you should VOTE for individuals for the US Senate who reflect your healthcare needs and values.  

So, we as committed citizens, who are privileged to be able to provide healthcare to our patients, are encouraging you to vote before or on November 6, 2018. It is clear, that the repeal of the ACA will eliminate the protections currently assured and every American citizen will be adversely affected. When you vote ask yourself if the voting record of the person on the ballot indicates proper action, not convenient words, regarding your healthcare coverage. Vague or broad descriptions of policy positions on the campaign trail cannot be allowed to mask or overshadow the candidate’s positions on pre-existing conditions, documented by a previous vote. If a candidate voted against or wants to repeal the ACA, then that person has voted against the only law that assures the preservation of pre-existing conditions coverage as well as all other benefits of the ACA. In addition, it is clear that small towns and rural areas have the most to lose if the Medicaid expansion afforded by the ACA is eliminated. We need a House of Representatives and Senate in place that will listen and vote the healthcare needs of the majority.  Why vote for someone who has voted against you maintaining your pre-existing conditions exclusion or against your having insurance coverage? 

​By Andria Y. Carter
Guest Columnist

Cincinnati City Council made a commitment to the Black community last Wednesday when it voted 6 to 3 to overturn a mayoral veto to fund a number of organizations including The Center for Closing the Health Gap.
 
The political drama surrounding the City Council’s vote regarding the Health Gap’s funding should never have occurred. The Black community—as well as some White organizations-- spoke of its support for the Health Gap. The community sent emails, letters, phone calls and over 1,200 postcards.
 
Councilwoman Tamaya Dennard told City Council during a public discussion, “The reason why we have the Center for Closing the Health Gap in the first place is because of the disparity of Black people are treated with regards to their health.  Dennard along with Council Members Greg Landsman and Wendell Young spoke passionately about the unique work the Health Gap is doing and understands why it needs to continue the work of eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities.
 
Community members and Health Gap clients appeared before City Council and told their personal stories of how the Health Gap helped them. Amongst those who spoke were several mothers from the Do Right! Babies program. The young mothers noted how the Health Gap has helped them especially those living in a shelter trying to find permanent home so their young children will have a roof over their heads.
 
Despite the overwhelming community support, the rhetoric continues from some in the news media and certain political leaders working overtime to discredit the Health Gap’s work. Much of their effort to undermine the Health Gap’s work demonstrates a clear lack of understanding of Health Disparities and the complexities it presents. Reporter Sharon Coolidge who did the initial “investigation” of the Health Gap was on a recent radio program commented on how much money the community-health organization had received and the same health disparities remained.
 
Public health expert, Melicia White Glover wrote Council Members saying the “Health Gap represents the type of community-based organization that can connect with disparate communities in ways government officials and scientists cannot. The work of the Health Gap addresses important root causes of health disparities, which are critical for successfully impacting health disparities and creating models that can be implemented nationally. The Health Gap’s work is gaining national attention because of their important outcomes.
 
One of the Health Gap’s biggest defender is Greg Landsman. Prior to Council’s vote, Landsman noted that Blacks can expect to live 10 years less than Whites due to health disparities and called it “despicable.” “This investment and our ability to close these despicable health disparities is important,” he said.
 
The National Urban League released its State of Black America report last month and revealed that the health disparities gap between black and whites was narrowing, but is now stagnant and in some areas, the gap is wider. Health and racial disparities were not created in a day and will not be solved in a short period-of-time. For those to imply otherwise, their privileged view of society is clouding their judgement.
 
Under the late Dr. Malcom Adcock’s (former Health Commissioner) leadership, the City made a commitment to fight racial and ethnic disparities as part of the settlement with the Health Alliance. 
 
Our city leaders have a responsibility to address the needs of its population. The Black community, especially from those who are the most vulnerable, gave city council an overwhelming response to what they wanted to be funded with their tax dollars. That means their wishes should not become political weapons because someone does not get their way.  In addition to the desires of the community being served by the Health Gap, several noted local experts wrote the Council in support of the funding.  For example, Dean Grear of the College of Nursing, Dr. Jun Yin, Director of the Department of Public Health, U.C, School of Medicine, and new chair of the Health Gap and Cincinnati Medical Association (local organization of black physicians). 
 
The continuous effort to undermine the Health Gap bespeaks more profound darkness, which has nothing to do with the Health Gap or its outcomes.   The Health Gap is one of a few black organizations that is singled out each year and maligned by some in the media, and a few political leaders; their behavior does not pass the smell taste of fairness, honesty, and racism.

​Now that several weeks have passed since Roseanne Barr tweeted that former President Barack Obama adviser, Valerie Jarrett was a child of the “Muslim brotherhood and Planet of the Apes” I purposely decided to wait to share my thoughts. Of course, like so many Americans, Black and White, I was outraged. It is so hard for me to reach this point in my life to see the blatant bigotry that pours through the public scene.  Whether in workplaces or entertainment venues, racial jokes and racial stereotypes continue to exist. Like many Black Americans, we at times struggle with the notion of being too sensitive when Whites tell racial jokes or make fun of Black people in a racial way. Yes, we all do make jokes about one’s ethnicity or race but so called harmless jokes or negative racial stereotyping that goes beyond simple jest to hurtful comments are easily distinguishable. Was Roseanne’s comment meant to be funny or hurtful or does one’s intent really matter?

​Black Americans have been the victims of racial stereotyping since their arrival on American soil. There is no question that other racial and ethnic groups have been victim of stereotyping. However, that stereotyping pales by comparison of what Black people experience. Because of the history of Blacks in this nation, their treatment is very different from other racial and ethnic groups who came here as immigrants. Blacks came here as slaves and that experience too often portrays Blacks in a negative context and perpetuate beliefs, values, and attitudes.  Comparing Black people to apes has a long history in this country. Melissa Burley, PhD wrote an article about Roseanne’s tweet in the magazine, Psychology Today. She wrote in part:

            “…The idea that Black people were less evolved than White people, and therefore genetically closer to apes than Whites, was historically used to hide the justification of slavery and unequal rights in a cloak of science.  Such “scientific racism” spread the false idea that Blacks are inherently inferior to Whites.  As a result, the portrayal of Black people as apelike became an iconic representation in the 19th and early 20 centuries.”

So, was Roseanne’s comment racially harmless or did she try to convey a deeper message? According to Dr. Phillip Atiba Goff, a psychologist whose done research regarding racial attitudes stated “…that most Americans—liberal and conservative.  White and non-White—hold an unconscious association between Black people and apes.  And this isn’t just among racist people; his studies found the association existed even in the most egalitarian individuals.” “…Some racial associations are embedded so deeply that they are difficult to recognize, much less eradicate-and they continue to shape our behavior and ideas.”
​
Valerie Jarrett is not the only prominent Black compared to an ape. LeBron James on the cover of Vogue in 2008, President Obama photo shopped with a banana and Michelle being compared to “an ape in heels.” Roseanne Barr’s tweet was neither funny nor instructive. It is what it is—racist.  It reflects a deep and ugly past where black people were defined as three-fifths human.  The ability to define black people as less than human allowed the slave master to wreak havoc on the souls of Black people.  When you are devalue the lives of people, man can commit some of the most heinous acts towards people like the Holocaust. As Dr. Goff said, Americans have a conscious and implicit bias that are deep within us that are harmful and when surface does great destruction to the recipients of such mindset. Racial bigotry has no place in our society on anyone’s part and when a person who uses their celebrity status to perpetuate racism, they should pay a consequence. According to Dr. Goff, It is the subconscious belief today by many Whites that Blacks are three fifths human allowing White supremacy to flourish at the suffering of Blacks.

By the Honorable Dwight Tillery

Cincinnati is a unique city in its relationship to the Black community. The majority population is Black, and it suffers some of the worst social determinants in the nation. Unlike many cities in this country with significant Black populations, Cincinnati's Blacks have little political and economic power as well as few institutions to reflect its history. The history of this city doesn't chronicle the contributions Blacks have made in any meaningful way. Because of the systematic efforts over time to deny Blacks a significant opportunity, the progress of Black Cincinnatians is nothing to brag about.
 
Yes, Cincinnati is the quintessential good old boys' town where White men decide who gets what even if much of the money belongs to taxpayers. In many ways, this city is 50 years behind similarly situated cities in this country. One need only to look at the social determinants here, and you may be surprised or even astonished how poorly Blacks are doing here where some of the nation's most renowned corporations exist.
 
In the United States, the minority population has increased since 1980 while the White poplation has seen a decrease. The Black population increased by nearly 11% from 1980 to 2010, while the percentages of whites has declined by approximately 17%. In Cincinnati, the percentage of people of color jumped from 35.3% to 51.9%.
 
Immigrants who came to this country recognized they could use the government as a ladder to lift them from the bottom of society. Government jobs were decent in pay and steady work that gave generations opportunity to go to college and beyond. In the 1950s, Cincinnati Mayor Ted Berry who ran well under the proportional representation system became a threat to the White community as many Blacks thought he should be mayor. As the Black population started to grow, the White power structure decided to go to an at-large system which clearly disadvantaged the elections of Blacks let alone a Black mayor.
 
In other cities with sizable Black populations and a political ward system that gave jobs to Blacks never existed in Cincinnati. Cities like Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia at least has a ward system which ensures Black representation and employment for Blacks living in those precincts. There was never a serious effort to have a ward system in Cincinnati nor any other system that would increase the numbers of Blacks on the local city council. Many researchers cited Cincinnati as a city that changed the political system to keep White Power structure.
 
As we fast forward, the power structure saw that Blacks would soon be the dominant population and of course, came up with various ideas to make sure the eventual White minority will continue to control the wealth of this city. The business community in particular and others came up with ideas of a The Port Authority, DCI, 3CDC, and a direct election of the mayor. These organizations are pretty much run the economic development of this city, unlike other cities that would never give up that power to private entities. After all, it was the government that allowed Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson to give opportunities to Black businesses to acquire wealth and changed the face of an old southern city that now has thousands of Blacks flocking there. Mayor Jackson understood how to use the political power to create real and sustainable opportunities for Blacks to live better lives.
 
Unless we demand that the Cincinnati mayor and  city council, have the courage to be fair to all of its citizens, the playing field won't be level, and Blacks will continue to bear the burden of inequities. Political power is the power that Blacks now have to use to change the injustice in this city.

First published in The Cincinnati Herald. 

Jeff Berding and FC Cincinnati want the West End stadium named after Willard Stargel to be the new home stadium for FC Cincinnati.  Coach Stargel was a great athlete, coach and man. I knew him and his children.  I roomed across the hall from his son Scott while we were students at U.C.  Coach Stargel endured many racial roadblocks while growing up in this city.  He led U.C. to a big ten victory season in football resulting in his team being invited to the Sun bowl-- only to be told he could not play because of the color of his skin.  He developed some of the best sport teams and athletes in the city while coaching at Taft.  As a student at Withrow, our teams knew we were in a tough fight when we played Taft in football, basketball, and track.  Even Taft’s marching band had the same flare and excitement we see today with the marching bands of the historically Black universities and colleges. 
​
February is the month of Black History and Jeff Berding wants the school board to vote to demolish a perfectly good stadium named after our hero in order to provide a soccer stadium for entertainment and yes, profit.  This stadium is shared by several public schools.  I find it just insulting that Berding would not only make such a request but use our tax dollars from Council and the school board to make this happen.  What is he thinking and why is the school board members seem to be dragging their feet with a simple issue facing it—sell a perfectly good stadium that our children are using to an organization that wants it for a private purpose—to make money?               
                                         
This proposed transaction has absoutely nothing at all to do with educating our children.  The School Board’s own vision/mission states the following: “Cincinnati Public Schools will be a community that ensures equitable access to a world-class education, unleashing the potential of every student. Mission: We educate all students with rigor and care in a culture of excellence to develop engaged citizens who are prepared for life.”The school board says it need inputs from the community, FC, the business community to make a determination?  Parents ought to be outraged.  This decision is a no brainer unless there’s more to the story and believe me there is more to this story and it stinks and black people once again will be sacrificed for the good of the majority.  And how about the person for whom the stadium was named after?    Can you imagine going to LaSalle, St. Xavier or Elder and say we need your stadium for a similar purpose.  The school board owes the taxpayers, parents and their children a quick answer—no.  Why are you wasting time unless you really think this is a good idea? 

Folks, I’m told that Berding said in a meeting recently with stakeholders in the downtown area that the West End will become OTRWest.  You heard me right.  From OTR to the central city to the Montgomery Boathouse, Black residents will virtually be non-existent.  Go to the Google maps and you will see why just not Berding wants this land but the Cincinnati business community as well. It will be an all-white community with Music Hall, three stadiums, CSO looking to be entertainment on the Banks, street car etc.  The gentrification is ugly, and soon Blacks will be displaced in numbers you won’t believe.  Look at the gentrification in Avondale, Walnut and East Walnut Hills, Mt. Adams, Mt. Auburn, Madisonville etc.  Where will black people be able to call home?  Where are our institutions and statutes recognizing that we passed through this life—gone. 

As I think about what is going on in the West End, it reminds me when our family lived there.   In particular, I recall peering out of my attic bedroom window and saw the bright lights of Crosley Field during the Reds game.   White people laughing and driving those beautiful cars in our community.  But one of the things that I’ll never forget was the fact that my father had to move his car off the public street so that the white people could park on game day.  Now we’re being asked to remove a stadium named in the honor of Coach Willard Stargel—one of our heroes-- so that white soccer fans can enjoy themselves there and our black leaders once again sat silent.  

What an incredible time to be black and to have lived through the height of the Civil Rights Movement in this nation.  For me, it is difficult to celebrate the racial progress this nation claims to have made.  President Trump’s honesty about how he feels about people of color is not his exclusively but represents a significant part of people in this Country.  And, unlike far too many whites who will deny the existence of racism, Trump is being honest about his feelings towards blacks.  Of course, he’ll deny being a racist or racially prejudice but there are few who will make such admission.  What else would you expect President Trump or others to say.  I recall a debate that Malcolm X had at Harvard when he said he would rather deal with the Ku Klux Klan than to deal with liberal whites.  His reasoning was that only when a person is honest with you can you have honest dialogue.  It has taken my lifetime to understand the importance of Malcolm X’s statement.                                                                                                            
Many whites say the discussion of race is difficult and that they are uncomfortable with the topic.  At the same time, blacks have to endure it--even deny it in their own minds.   What about our discomfort? How is it that only whites can decide when racism exist while intimidating blacks for even making such a suggestion?  More than any group of people, blacks who would know better about the existence of racism.  If it were not for King’s courage to speak out against the injustice of racism, would there even be a Dr. King holiday.  From the history of slavery all the way up to present, there is a trail of attitudes among far too many whites that blacks aren’t their equal.  Many surveys show that whites have racial attitudes that often result in discriminatory practices which keep blacks at the bottom of the ladder in America. 

Studies reveal that when it comes to deciding whether racism exist in this nation, blacks and whites are deeply divided.  That being the case, how can so many white Cincinnatians in particular say it doesn’t exist.   From the media, to the local governments and the business community, the perception of race is sharply divided.   But doesn’t the denial of racism only keep it in place?  Whites want to point to what they call “racial progress” as their way of avoiding the truth about the two societies that exist.   Whites want to speak about “inclusion, diversity, affirmative action and equity” without ever facing up to the reason(s) why they use this terminology. 
                                                                         
Am I to wait another two hundred years to be a man in this city or nation?  Am I still 3/5ths human based on institutional racism?  Am I to believe that blacks are poor because they want to be poor, poorly educated because they want to be, unemployed because we want to be, live in terrible housing, unarmed black men shot down by police because we want to die.   Either we are free or we are still in human bondage because of the color of our skin. There is no in between.
 
Segregation in and of itself is a clear statement about how whites feel about blacks in this community.  Some surveys say Cincinnati is the fifth most segregated city in the country.  And in the last four years, gentrification is the work to further segregation in this city. Professor Julian E. Zelizer of Princeton wrote the introduction to the 2016 version of the Kerner Commission report.  He makes the following observation:

Does this mean that all white people are racist—no.  Does this mean that all whites make conscious decisions to discriminate against people of color—no.  For me, it does mean that racism/implicit bias is deeply embedded in this culture. Racial discrimination is morally reprehensible and everyone must take a meaningful stand against it.                                                                                                                                                                                           
Unfortunately, Civil Rights organizations lead by blacks and black leaders have been so badly compromised that they are so fearful of calling out racism as it exists—not as whites will allow them.  Whites have picked and promoted certain black leaders as their proof that they aren’t racist while those blacks have the false belief that their achievement has nothing to do with their color.  I don’t care how smart and talented you might be, your color always has something to do with your success or failure in America.  Personally, I will continue to speak out against racism in this community; and those who want to continue to attack the Health Gap and threaten its funding, the Black Agenda, will not silence me.  Anything less would be a dishonor of Dr. King’s Holiday.

Originally published in The Cincinnati Herald. 

By the end of this month, Councilmembers Simpson, Winburn, and Flynn will finish their tenure on the City Council. In the case of Yvette Simpson, she was unsuccessful in defeating John Cranley for mayor. Charlie Winburn is term-limited, and Kevin Flynn decided not to run for reelection.

Councilmember Simpson is a very dedicated member of City Council. She seems always prepared for committee meetings and Council sessions. Simpson is smart, debates well, and pretty much supported the Council’s agenda. While I had nominal contact with her or her campaign, I’m not sure that she had any idea what was about to come against her in the final days of the campaign.

I remember meeting with her early June for a brief discussion, and she asked me, “When did they turn against you?” I know who she was referring to –the power structure– and I said, they were never with me.
The lesson that she was about to learn was that Black members of Council are great when they do what they are told and not make waves. If you are cooperative, the press, i.e., the Enquirer will reward you with at best no coverage; but if you’re willing to challenge the status quo—look out.

Simpson decided to challenge Cranley—a protégé of Tom Luken—but she had no idea how nasty this race would become. She wanted to appear as non-threatening as possible because she thought if she could just show the citizens – especially the White community – that she is smart, has integrity, and didn’t make waves, they would elect her. But Jason Williams, the political reporter for the Enquirer, went after her so relentlessly that it felt like the Cranley campaign was orchestrating it.
During the time period leading up to the vote on Children’s Hospital expansion – and her not making a committee meeting, Williams went after the Black members for missing the committee meeting with a vengeance.
Yvette texted me and said,” I’m not used to having my reputation smeared, but I’m sure you understand.” And yes, I do.

And of course, the Children’s Hospital expansion was the Cranley campaign way to find some issue against Simpson. Children’s Hospital was a bogus issue with clear racial overtones. Simpson was trying to get money for a poor and depressed Black community. It’s no different than the Democrats in Congress who are trying to hold the budget hostage for the passage of DACA; it’s what politicians do. Their job is to work for their constituency. Furthermore, it was well known by members of Council and many in the community that Cranley had the votes for the expansion. Again, Simpson got a raw deal on this, but politics can be dirty.

Councilmember Charlie Winburn is a seasoned politician and has a passion for politics. As a Black Republican, as he likes to say, he’s done well in this city where Democrats make up a large percentage of the vote. I spent six years with him during the nineties and He would have given John Cranley a run for his millions had he run against him.

Councilmember Kevin Flynn is someone I knew very little about before he became a member of Council. I invited him three times to come to the Center for Closing the Health Gap to learn about us, but he would respond with a grumbling voice, saying that he already knew what we did. How wrong. He had no clue, but was satisfied to attack the Center with misinformation, mischaracterization, and flat-out lies. Flynn’s attacks on Simpson and op-eds were shameful, dog whistling, and mean-spirited.
​
The day the Council was to vote on Children’s expansion, Flynn strongly suggested that Simpson was a “criminal,” which fits all too well the racial stereotyping of Black people. As a lawyer, he should know better than to make such an accusation. Councilmember Simpson, which seemed to matter little to most of the Council members. Additionally, and as a member of a legislative body, such accusations are way out of line. His appearance in John Cranley’s commercial attacking Ms. Simpson was a new low for a member of Council. In my forty years of public service, I’ve never seen that kind of behavior out of any sitting Council member. His career on Council has been lackluster at best, but I will give him credit to know when it’s time to go.

Originally Featured in the The Cincinnati Herald. View Original