Black Buckeyes A Tale of Two Cities

In Black Buckeyes, the Reverend Dr. Leah Lewis interviews African Americans in her hometown of Cleveland, a city seeking to emerge from eight decades of population loss and decline; and engages activists in Cincinnati where African Americans are squarely in the midst of a social and economic renaissance. But first, Dr. Lewis introduces the story of Margaret McQueen, who with two other women escaped slavery in Parkersburg, West Virginia, crossed the Ohio River into Cincinnati and whose descendants are positively impacting life in Cleveland.

Black Buckeyes: A Tale of Two Cities (A Cleveland Portion Preview)

December 14, 2019

East Cleveland Public Library

 We would like to thank everyone who came out to show their support for the project. Your questions were fantastic and we hope you enjoyed watching along with getting to know the cast members!

Black Buckeyes: A Tale of Two Cities is supported by the Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation, by SPACES Urgent Art Fund, and by the residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.

After viewing a sponsor-required preview of the Cleveland portion on the unfinished documentary, Black Buckeyes: A Tale of Two Cities, audience members had this to say:

“Leah Lewis’s film Black Buckeyes is a look at Black liberation and individual and collective resistance to racial and economic oppression in Ohio. The story is told by hearing the voice of both the generations that came before us and those active now. I was particularly touched by the stories of the elders and those of the next generation of young people coming up to carry on the struggle with creativity and intelligence. I learned history I never knew. The film helped me take isolated instances of history and patchwork it together for a broader perspective on what makes change and what stops it. I am excited to be a part of a city with so many powerful change agents. I look forward to hearing what comes out of the Cincinnati portion of the tale.”
-Sue W.
“Black Buckeyes: A Tale of Two Cities is a well done, meaningful documentary. It was so powerful to have so many local individuals interviewed as part of this project. I learned a lot about Cleveland’s history that I did not know. I also walked away frustrated at the lack of progress with racial equality in the city of Cleveland over the past 50 years. We MUST do better. Go see this documentary so you can learn more and be inspired to make changes!”
– Marcia D.
“Though Black Buckeyes: A Tale of Two Cities is a work in progress, the Cleveland piece of it possesses four qualities of all good documentaries. It shares powerful personal stories, in a social/historical framework, as it connects viewers emotionally with the persons who share their stories, and it educates! I look forward to seeing the next chapters!”
Mary P.
“Through ‘Black Buckeyes: A Tale of Two Cities,’ Leah C. K. Lewis provides insight that is often spoken about in beauty salons, barbershops, church, and family gatherings yet dismissed as anecdotal ‘black experiences’ by the mainstream society. Not only does it give factual account and historical accuracy of the stories of those who dare seek liberation across the boundaries of the Mason-Dixon Line represented by the treacherous waters of the Ohio River, but it portrays with dignity the struggles of African American’s in the ‘free’ North and the continued struggles for liberation through the Civil Rights, Black Power, and Black Lives Matter Movements in Ohio. This film is a must-see.” – Rev. D. Anthony Everett, Church In The Circle, Cleveland, OH

Reverend Dr. Leah C.K. Lewis

The Reverend Dr. Leah C.K. Lewis, Producer-Director-Narrator, conceived Black Buckeyes: Tale of Two Cities after hearing a surprising remark. An African American male entrepreneur and founder, who relocated from New York, declared Cincinnati “a phenomenal ecosystem for African American entrepreneurs.” Blown away, but this statement about a town that had a prevailing reputation for being racist set Dr. Lewis, a native of Cleveland, back on her heels. Indeed, Cincinnati has had at least one race riot a century since the 1700s. So, she queried, “What has happened in Cincinnati, allowing it to become a go-to place for African Americans seeking to launch businesses?”

Dr. Lewis is a boomerang. She returned to Cleveland, her hometown, after living in Brooklyn, Kansas City, MO, Washington, D.C., New Haven, and Atlanta. Her lived, professional, and academic experiences have given her an insider-outsider perspective on Cleveland, Cincinnati, and the state of Ohio. She is both native and foreign, making her an objective, but appropriately empathic interlocutor. As a scholar with degrees in education, law, and theology, Dr. Lewis brings a critical and empathic lens and approach to Black Buckeyes.

Feel free to reach out and share your thoughts, suggestions, and ideas!

You may also use this form to contact the lead on the project, Rev. Dr. Leah Lewis, founder, CEO &  Chief Creative Officer of Three Butterflies LLC., to find out how you can get involved!

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Little Lumpy’s Center for Educational Initiatives, the fiscal agent and non-profit home of Black Buckeyes: A Tale of Two Cities, can now benefit from your purchases on Amazon via AmazonSmiles.  Sign-up at AmazonSmiles. Select Little Lumpy’s Center for Educational Initiatives and we receive .05% on all of your eligible purchases. It is that easy!

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