BRONZEVILLE COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK

🚧 The Black Wall Is Evolving. Something much bigger is on the way. Many of you have asked when Black Wall will become a mobile app. We're excited to let you know that the official Black Wall Native App is currently in active development. So what is a native app? Unlike a website that opens in your browser, a native app is built specifically for your phone. That means a faster experience, smoother navigation, better performance, real-time notifications, improved security, and access to features that simply aren't possible on a traditional website. The goal isn't just to put Black Wall on your phone. The goal is to build the digital home our community deserves. ### Here's what we're working on: ✅ A completely redesigned Wall experience ✅ Melanin Motion short-form video ✅ Village community awareness tools ✅ Rich photo and video posting ✅ Faster timelines and smoother scrolling ✅ Modern user profiles ✅…

Another $50 Million in Tax Breaks. But What Does the Black Community Get? Columbus City Council just approved nearly $50 million in tax breaks for five private development projects. We're told this will create 188 new jobs while retaining about 1,300 existing jobs. Now let's ask the questions nobody seems interested in answering. How many of those 188 new jobs will go to Black residents? How many Black-owned businesses will receive contracts from these projects? How many Black construction companies will help build them? How many Black suppliers will benefit? How many of these jobs are located in neighborhoods where unemployment has been highest? For several of the warehouse jobs, the projected wage is around $20 an hour. Can a family in Columbus build wealth on $20 an hour while millions of public dollars are being used to support private development? Every tax abatement is money that is not immediately…

For months, some people have mocked the Black Wall Grade Card. They called it divisive. They called it unfair. They asked, "Who are you to grade anyone?" Here's my question. If the State of Ohio can grade our children, if schools can grade students, if the state can grade school districts, and now an independent national education organization gives Ohio an F and ranks it among the 14 worst states in America for supporting public education, why is it suddenly a problem when the Black community wants to grade the systems that are shaping our children's future? The Black Wall Grade Card isn't about attacking people. It's about demanding results. For generations, Black families have been told to be patient. Be patient while our children fall behind. Be patient while schools fail. Be patient while billions of taxpayer dollars move through the education system. Be patient while politicians promise reform.…

Before the Black community celebrates Columbus' new youth curfew, ask yourself one question. Who is most likely to pay the price? The first violation is a warning. The second can lead to a citation and court involvement. Now ask yourself something even bigger. How does an officer know who is 15, 16, or 17 years old just by looking at them? They don't. That means more young-looking people may be stopped, questioned, and asked to prove their age during curfew hours. Even when an officer is acting within the law, those encounters can affect teens who have done nothing wrong other than look young. Research has consistently shown that Black youth have more contact with the juvenile justice system than many other groups. If that pattern continues under a curfew, then our community has to ask whether we have fully considered who will bear the greatest burden of enforcement. Protecting our…

Today marks a major milestone in our journey.

We have officially begun production of The Black Wall as a downloadable mobile app for Google Play and the Apple App Store!

This is an exciting step forward, but we're asking everyone to continue using and sharing The Black Wall web app while development continues.

The stronger our community becomes today, the stronger the mobile app will be on day one.

Every new member matters.Every conversation matters.Every story matters.Every share matters.

Ohio has awarded nearly $11.7 million in Historic Preservation Tax Credits to restore four historic buildings in downtown Columbus. Preserving history is important, and these buildings deserve to be protected. But many people in our community are asking a different question.

What happened to the history of Bronzeville?

Once known as the heart of Black Columbus, Bronzeville was filled with Black owned businesses, restaurants, hotels, theaters, clubs, churches, professionals, and families who built a thriving community despite segregation. Over the decades, much of that history disappeared through urban renewal, highway construction, demolition, and redevelopment.

Today, millions of public dollars are available to preserve historic buildings downtown. So why wasn't the same commitment made to preserve more of Black Columbus before so much of it was lost?

How many historic Black buildings could have been saved?

Columbus City Schools is preparing to close more schools. Not because our neighborhoods disappeared. Not because Black children disappeared. Because the district has more buildings than students willing to attend them. Think about that. For decades, billions of tax dollars have flowed through Columbus City Schools. Graduation rates have been celebrated. Bond issues have been passed. Superintendents have come and gone. Yet today, entire school buildings are sitting half empty. Johnson Park Middle School is operating at just 60 percent capacity. Several other schools remain below the state's utilization threshold and could face closure or sale under Senate Bill 311. The question isn't which school closes next. The real question is, how did we get here? How did Black neighborhoods go from demanding better schools to watching neighborhood schools become too empty to keep open? Empty classrooms are not an accident. They are the result of years of declining enrollment,…