Black is Excellence honors unsung local hometown heroes

By Marla Hurston Fuller

Office of Human Relations

City of Cincinnati

In recognition of Juneteenth, the City of Cincinnati’s Office of Human Relations (OHR) is collaborating with Kai Stoudemire-Williams, community advocate and Black is Excellence founder, on the fifth annual citywide marketing campaign, Black is Excellence (BIE). The campaign celebrates the numerous contributions to the city of 15 of Cincinnati’s finest. The honorees will be featured on banners that will be on display downtown and in surrounding areas beginning June 1 through July 1.

Sponsored by Fifth Third Bank, 2024’s Black is Excellence theme, “We’re not next. We’re now,” this year’s artistic direction is inspired by local photographer Ninamdot, BIE’s creative director, who designed the digital content and artwork on the street banners.

Black is Excellence’s visual campaign aims to acknowledge and promote diversity, inclusion and representation, and to celebrate the achievements of local Black/African Americans. It’s also a way to ensure that Black/African Americans see themselves represented truthfully and accurately in print and digital media.

Kai Stoudemire-Williams said, “Black is Excellence is committed to honoring local hometown heroes that are actively creating spaces for future generations to thrive.” She refers to Fannie Lou Hamer’s quote “We are to work for the not yet but function as if it already is, our responsibility is to build for a generation that is not yet born, that’s all you can do with your time, with your space, with the gifts that you’ve been given, build for those who have not yet been born.”

The fight for justice continues through the work of Black leaders and allies, organizers and advocates who ensure all lives feel loved, listened to and affirmed in the spaces we call home and in every corner of our democracy.

Paul M. Booth, Office of Human Relations division manager, said that Black is Excellence is an important time to reflect on the contributions of African Americans today and in the history of our great city. “It is important because, as we have discovered, in too many instances these contributions have been either deliberately ignored or are just not known or recognized,” he said.

“I am proud to work for an organization that continues to recognize African American trailblazers in our communities,” said Phenise Poole, senior vice president and deputy general counsel for Fifth Third Bank. “Our continued support of this campaign shows our commitment both to celebrating our leaders’ achievements and recognizing that we all play a part in creating a community of belonging.”

The 2024 BIE honorees are:

Andra’ Ward — President, chief culture & transformation office, KhafreWard

Donna Robinson — Police chief of Cincinnati State

Chenelle B. Price, Ph.D. — Founder/CEO, LIMBright Education

Rikki Lee — CEO/founder, The Rikki Lee Agency

Sylvia Brownlee — CEO/founder Skin by Brownlee & Co

Deasa Dorsey — Founder, I Can Health

Manny Addo — CEO, True Shea 

Delores Hargrove-Young — Vice chairwoman of d.e. Foxx & Associates, Inc. 

Ozie Davis — President, Ozie Davis & Associates 

Renee Mahaffey-Harris — President/CEO, Center for Closing the Health Gap

Natasha Williams — Resident Lush/CEO

LeAndre McFadgen — Vice president, business controls manager, Fifth Third Bank

Samantha Rogers — Assistant vice president/Lead business analyst, Fifth Third Bank

Brian Thomas — Associate general counsel/SVP, Fifth Third Bank

Barbara Turner — CEO/founder, BT RISE

“There’s a long list of influential African Americans who made their mark on society either as dreamers, brave achievers or innovators,” said Booth. “We not only celebrate Black men and women, but we remember their sacrifices, their determination and resilience in the face of adversity. The Office of Human Relations is committed to recognizing the historical and present-day contributions made for the advancement of our society.”

      Additional visual locations for the BIE project can be found at:

• Fountain Square’s LED screen.
• Fountain Square’s Plaza Garage
• Orange Barrell Media LED screen outside Kroger on Vine Street.
• Findlay Market.
• The “Cincinnati” sign at the Cincinnati Convention Center and interior LED screen colors will be changed to red, yellow and green.
• Washington Park LED screens in the parking garage entrances. 

To learn more about BIE, visit blackisexcellence.com or @blkisexcellence on Instagram.

The Office of Human Relations serves as a catalyst to promote the building of positive relationships between and among the various groups and cultures that make up Cincinnati. The office works to mobilize institutions and individuals to resolve diversity issues while developing mechanisms to ensure fair treatment of all persons.

The office also functions as an integral part of furthering relationships between various community groups and the City of Cincinnati Government.

A celebration of Black History Month, the Black is Excellence campaign seeks to acknowledge, celebrate and promote the contributions African Americans are making in our communities. The BIE campaign aims to acknowledge and promote diversity, inclusion and representation and to celebrate the achievements of Cincinnati’s African Americans.