April 29, 2025 • 34 mins
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As President and CEO of the Ohio Black Expo, Sherri Hamilton brings a fascinating blend of technical expertise and community vision that's reshaping how we think about empowerment. Want to experience the Ohio Black Expo's impact firsthand? Join thousands at the Riverfront Culture Fest on May 24-25, featuring everything from health screenings and youth activities to cultural performances and business showcases. Visit OhioBlackExpo.com to learn more about getting involved.
From her early days taking apart electronics as a curious child to her groundbreaking work as a programmer analyst in the Air Force during Desert Storm, Sherri's journey reveals how STEM skills can become powerful tools for community transformation. Enjoy this powerful episode.
The conversation takes us through Sherri's upbringing in Columbus during the 70s and 80s, where a strong "village" of family, church, and community members shaped her values. She candidly shares what it was like being often the only Black woman in technological spaces, and how that experience drives her passion for creating pathways for the next generation through initiatives like youth STEM programs and partnerships with COSI.
What's truly inspiring is how Sherri approaches community building - rejecting competition in favor of collaboration, focusing on amplifying rather than overshadowing others' work. Under her leadership, the Ohio Black Expo has become far more than an annual event; it's a comprehensive platform addressing critical challenges facing Black businesses and providing youth with transformative opportunities.
The wisdom Sherri shares about legacy-building resonates deeply: "When I think about legacy, I think about my parents. Is what I'm doing making them proud? Is what I'm doing walking in God's will? Am I doing things that help people or am I doing things that hurt people?" Her powerful mantra - "The best way to predict your future is to create it" - serves as both challenge and inspiration.
Want to experience the Ohio Black Expo's impact firsthand? Join thousands at the Riverfront Culture Fest on May 24-25, featuring everything from health screenings and youth activities to cultural performances and business showcases. Visit OhioBlackExpo.com to learn more about getting involved.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
When I think about legacy, I think about my parents
, and is what I'm doing makingthem proud?
Is what I'm doing walking inGod's will?
Am I doing things that helppeople or am I doing things that
hurt people?
We shouldn't waste any of theseprecious days hurting people.
(00:23):
I don't care if someone hurtyou or wronged you.
Don't spend any energy on that.
Let God take care of that.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Welcome to Be A Baller where we're building a
lifelong legacy for our families, communities and the world.
Your host, coach Tim Brown, isexcited for you to join him on
this journey.
On each episode, we'll betalking about how to be
intentional about building alasting legacy.
We'll be exploring what itmeans to leave a mark that goes
beyond just our lives but has apositive impact on those around
(00:54):
us and even generations to come.
So if you're looking forinspiration, guidance and
practical tips on how to build alasting legacy that makes a
difference, then you're in theright place.
So grab your earbuds, getcomfortable and let's dive in.
It's time to Be A Baller.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Welcome to Be A Baller podcast, where we're
honored to have as our specialguest Sherri Hamilton, president
and CEO of the Ohio Black Expo.
As a dedicated servant leaderdriven by faith and not just
sight, sherri's making asignificant impact in the
community with her extensivebackground in technology.
By faith and not just sight.
Sherry is making a significantimpact in the community with her
extensive background intechnology, innovation and
community development.
She's leading the Ohio BlackExpo to reclaim its title as one
(01:33):
of the largest events of itskind in the region.
Join us today as we exploreSherry's inspiring journey, from
her early days as a programmeranalyst in the United States Air
Force and her current role inleading the Black Expo.
We'll discuss her experiencesas and I'm really excited about
this Black girls who code, youknow, and her love of music,
(01:54):
line dancing, cooking andtraveling.
We will discuss her vision forthe future and how technology
can be used to drive positivechange.
So let's get started on thisjourney.
Welcome, sherri Hamilton, to BeA Baller podcast.
Let's get started on thisjourney.
Welcome, sherri Hamilton, to Bea Baller podcast.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Thank you for having me today.
I'm really excited to talk toyou.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Yeah, I am too about this, but before we get started
we got to talk about this linedance and all this kind of thing
.
Now are you a professional linedancer?
Speaker 1 (02:20):
I'm not going to make that claim.
I did grow up with a dancebackground.
I danced growing up everythingfrom ballet, jazz and tap to
liturgical African modern.
I was on drill team, so I loveto dance.
I won't claim the title asprofessional line dancer, but I
do have a good time and it'sgood exercise.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Good, good, good stuff, Good stuff, you know.
Speaking of growing up, yougrew up in Columbus Ohio, went
to Warner Ridge High School andall that Can you talk about?
I always ask the guests aboutthe village who raised you,
because it was a different timewhen we grew up.
Can you talk about that village?
Who raised you?
Speaker 1 (02:55):
Absolutely, I'm telling my age, but it's okay, I
won't hide it.
I was born in the late 60s, soI was raised in the 70s and 80s
and you know it was a good time,it was an interesting time.
There are a lot of things aboutthose days that I miss, even
though some would say those weretumultuous times.
You know we're on the heels ofthe civil rights movement and
(03:19):
then went into the crack erawhen I was in high school era,
when I was in high school.
So there was a lot going on.
But for me there was awonderful, beautiful village
here in central Ohio that Ibenefited from.
My parents moved here in themid-60s from New York.
They were both born and raisedin New York and so they quickly
(03:40):
attached to some really greatpeople and they became our
extended family.
So I had all the.
You know in our community wehave play cousins and aunties
and uncles and plenty of thoseand people that went on to
prominence, city council and anddifferent spaces like that.
So my village growing up, Iwould say it was a mix our
(04:05):
extended family as well as, uh,church family, um, different
community organizations that myparents were a part of, um
really strong village, and thenteachers, um so uh, and that was
a mix of cultural backgroundsas well.
So you know, we lived, um, notwhere we lived, it was more
(04:30):
based on where I went to school.
I went to a private school,from kindergarten through
actually preschool, throughsixth grade, um, and then I went
to public school.
I begged to go to public school.
I want to go to public schoolwith all my friends, right, um,
so that my school, uh, myelementary school, was very
diverse and then I enteredpublic school.
(04:53):
But I really had a great, greatexperience with the village
growing up.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Awesome.
You know you mentioned faith inthere.
Can you talk about your faithjourney and how it guides your
work today?
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Absolutely.
My mother was a phenomenalmusician.
She played at Carnegie Hallwhen she was five and again when
she was eight, so she was agifted pianist.
She studied vocal pedagogy atJuilliard and so music was her
life and she started playing inchurch when she was 15.
(05:32):
She was the full-time organistfor her church growing up,
starting when she was 15.
So my mother never missed aSunday.
I never missed a Sunday ofchurch.
There was no.
I don't feel well you know thatwas okay, well, you can sit
there and be quiet.
Here's the box of tissues.
You know, and so you know.
(05:54):
Faith to me was something thatyou know when you're a child.
You don't necessarilyunderstand what's going on.
You're in it more for theritualistic things of okay, it's
time to stand up and pray, it'stime to do this, it's time to
sing.
But as you get older I wouldsay probably by the time I was a
(06:15):
preteen I felt more of aspiritual, that direct spiritual
connection that I couldidentify.
I'm not saying that was thefirst time I felt it, that was
the first time I could identifyand I knew when it happened.
I felt that's God, that's myconnection to God in this moment
, and so my evolution, myspiritual journey, has just
(06:41):
become stronger, so that now Idon't have to do those
ritualistic things to pull Godinto my moment, that I'm in.
And it's important, I think,through life, to lean on your
faith, because we can't controlwhat other people do, we can't
control what happens to us.
Well, we can.
(07:01):
I'll talk about that later.
But, if we have that strongconnection and we have that
faith, we know that God is incontrol and everything is
working on our behalf.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
The Bible says this all things work together for the
good of those who love the Lordand are called according to his
purpose.
Sometimes we miss that, but aswe go through life, some things
will happen and then we think,oh, that's what that?
That's what that was forExactly.
There's a purpose behind all ofthat, both the good and
whatever happens.
You know, we know God's incharge.
You know you kind of grew up inthis technical space, you know,
(07:36):
in technology, going to OhioState and going to the Air Force
, and what was it like being afirst off, being a female in
that area, and then also being ablack female during those times
.
You know, because I'm sure itwasn't a popular thing, were you
, were you one of those nerds inhigh school.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
I won't say that but actually, you know, in my role
with the Ohio Black Expo, I'm soexcited that we have a really
great partnership with COSI.
Growing up I loved going toCOSI and I was a young fan of
math and science and I used todrive my parents crazy because
they would buy me toys andelectronic toys were starting to
(08:15):
become a thing by the time Iwas nine or ten.
But if they got me a littleelectronic toy I would take it
apart because I wanted to seehow it worked.
But I was able to put it backtogether properly and it still
worked.
So but yeah, I've always hadthat curious math and science
mind and uh, my internship whenI was in high school was working
(08:36):
in a mainframe room at BlueCross, blue Shield, uh actually,
uh here in Worthington, and so,um, yeah, I've always been a
geek, wow, yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
How was the experience?
Were you sometimes the only one, the only Black female?
How was that?
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Yes, I would say 98% of the time that I was in the
military and in the corporateworld, I was the only.
I was either the only female,the only black female, or both
the only black person or youknow there was.
It was very rare that I workedwith someone else who was also a
(09:13):
person of color or someone elsewho was also a woman.
It was very, very rare.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
You sound like a hidden figures on here.
You know you have to tell yourstory.
You know I know you can talkabout that experience in the Air
Force and some of the thingsyou did there with technology
and program analysts.
And then you went on to work ata, at a channel 10.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
I did.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
In that space.
Can you talk about thoseexperiences?
Speaker 1 (09:35):
Yes, so I spent almost six years just shy like
five years, 11 months in theUnited States Air Force, and I
was a computer analyst there'sanother name for it
communications something,computer system analyst.
But I worked with mainframesback then, and so we were just
transitioning from what theyused to call dumb terminals to
(09:58):
actually desktop computers, andI had the great experience of
having to install desktopcomputer systems all around our
base at the time, and so thatgave me experience also with
hardware.
I already was getting greatexperience with software, but
having to install thosecomputers I learned how to build
(10:20):
computers.
I still can build computers tothis day, build computers I
still can build computers tothis day and so it was a great
experience, and I served duringDesert.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Storm.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
So there was quite a bit going on, and then Desert
Shield became Desert Storm.
So I was, you know, I saw a lot, I learned a lot, I lived a lot
, and thankful that I learned alot, I lived a lot, and thankful
(10:49):
that I, you know, I wasprotected and I was not put
directly in harm's way, and soI'm grateful for that.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
So, coming back from that experience to Columbus and
to Ohio, what sparked yourpassion for serving the
African-American community?
Speaker 1 (11:02):
That started early, really, by the example of my
parents.
My mother was an educator.
She taught for 44 years inColumbus City Schools and that's
after teaching in Brooklyn inNew York, where she was from.
She taught the first couple ofyears in the private school that
I went to and then she startedat Mohawk and old.
(11:23):
Mohawk back in the day, and shewas there in the early seventies
and then went on to teach atother Columbus city schools, but
she always led with wanting toteach life skills.
She was a music teacher but shedidn't just teach music, she
used music to teach life skillsto all of her students and she
(11:45):
cared for all of her students inthe same way.
It didn't matter yourbackground, she cared for them
all in the same way.
And then, with my father, hisbackground was in journalism and
communications and marketing,but he also led with service.
Uh, that mindset and um, youknow, he um was early in the
(12:06):
days with Mount Vernon Plaza.
He used to hold um events atthe focal point, which was a big
you know place where, uh, blackpeople would gather Uh, and so,
um, I just just watched theirexample.
And and my dad, before he wasuh, had his own business at
Mount Vernon Plaza.
He worked at Lazarus and helooked out, for he was in
(12:30):
leadership there and he lookedout for a lot of the black
employees at the time he reallyadvocated for them and just so
they both kind of always ledwith doing for others and
treating others the way you wantto be treated, and so that's
how I was raised.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
It came.
All this comes by kind ofnaturally for you.
It really does.
You're a co-founder of, is itTano?
Speaker 1 (12:52):
I'm saying that right Tano.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
Tano Innovation.
Yes, you're a co-founder ofTano Innovation.
What inspired you to mergetechnology and creativity with
community development?
Speaker 1 (13:04):
I just see a need, especially in the Black
community, for technology tosolve some of the issues that we
have.
And, again because of myexperience, what I didn't see
working in the field oftechnology I didn't see a lot of
us, um, and so I feel that it'simportant for those of us that
(13:27):
do have a technical backgroundand understand technology and
how to use it, that we use it,um to help empower our community
.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Good.
Um, how did you become thepresident and CEO of Ohio Black
Expo?
I know that's a story.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
That's a story.
So our founder, rhonda DRobinson, created the Ohio Black
Expo in 1988.
And she did that after havingthe Columbus Black Expo in the
80s I believe from 1980 or 81through 87.
It was the Columbus Black Expotook place at the focal point of
(14:03):
Mount Vernon Plaza.
It was before coming home.
So when the expo, when the expoleft the focal point and moved
downtown because it continued togrow and grow and grow, outgrow
the space that's when cominghome started.
So it became the Ohio BlackExpo when she noticed people
were coming not only from allover the state but all over the
(14:26):
nation and she had majorspeakers and performers come
here at the time.
And I did research to learn moreabout those early days because
I would have been a teenagerthen, but I found that it was
(14:47):
the largest.
It was written up in thedispatch as the largest event of
its kind at the time.
That was an article I found in1991.
She approached my husband and Ibecause we were having
community events Again not forany other reason but just
wanting to serve.
We weren't making money fromthis or anything, but we just
(15:09):
had meaningful community eventsand she would always come to
them and she walked up to us oneday and said I'm Rhonda D
Robinson, founder of the OhioBlack Expo, and you are the ones
that are going to help me bringit back and we're like what?
Speaker 3 (15:25):
are you talking?
Speaker 1 (15:25):
about but flash forward.
I believe that God wasorchestrating things and made
her realize because she realizedthere was a need for it to come
back.
It was originally created tosupport and amplify Black
businesses and organizations andthere's still a need for that
(15:46):
today.
And she saw that and, you know,she just realized before she
leaves this earth she wanted tosee it come back, and so she
literally kind of chose us, andit took us a few years to get to
know her more and decide thatwe were going to commit
ourselves, because we don't haveto anything.
If we're going to do something,we're in it.
(16:08):
And so we had to reallyevaluate is this something we
can do full force?
And we finally made thatdecision and got to work.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
What was that turning point that made you guys
realize?
What was it about that?
Conversations with her and justthe need.
What was it?
What was that turning pointwhen you guys realized that, hey
, this is, we need to do this.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
I think we thought about the work that we were
already doing in the communityand realizing that this would be
an opportunity to do it at alarger scale, because we were
doing it, you know, very localand in smaller groups, maybe two
, three hundred people, when wewould have events.
And we thought, you know whatbeing able to do this work,
(16:55):
positive work, and do it infront of thousands of people and
attract people from all over isreally going to further.
What we feel is our purposedriven work to empower and
support our people, and so itkind of was a no brainer.
We did have to pray about itbecause, we knew it was going to
be a lot and it is.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
You know how do you see the Ohio Black Expo's work
contributing to the broaderconversation about equity and
inclusion in this region.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
Not just Ohio but in the whole region.
How do you see Ohio Black Expocontributing to that?
I think in a lot of ways.
There are several differenttouch points that address that.
So one is cultural enrichment,and so, unfortunately, the Black
community has a reputation ofnegativity and it's just not
(17:46):
true.
And it's just not true.
You know, we know as a peoplethat we're not innately negative
, that we're not innatelyconnected to violence and crime
and all of these other labelsthat we're given, and so we work
really hard to help, bothinternally and externally,
(18:07):
people to know that that's notus, this is us, and so we bring
thousands of people together.
We have never had an incidentof violence, we've never had any
issues and we have, you know,on average about 12, 13,000
people a year, and so we'rehappy to show people that that's
(18:28):
not true, that depiction of us.
So that's one way.
Another way is just helping ourpeople to understand who we are
through our culture, and youknow the Ohio Black Expo
celebrates all culturesthroughout the diaspora.
So you will see people fromAfrica, directly from the
(18:50):
continent, that are here invarious countries.
You'll see people,afro-caribbean people, so we've
had Afro-Brazilians thatparticipated.
We've had people from Ghanaparticipate.
We had some artists fromSomalia last year that performed
.
We have Caribbean culture, sothis year we'll have Soka
(19:12):
dancers that have you knoweverything that's worn during
Carnival and, of course, africanAmerican culture.
So, we celebrate with everythingfrom gospel to R&B, jazz, funk,
go-go you know every musicgenre you can think of, every
dance type you can think of, andit's just a celebration.
(19:32):
And so, when we're talkingabout equity, the foundation of
our organization is empowerment,and so that empowerment comes
through the 100 plus Blackvendors that you'll see out
there, and they are not onlymaking money during the expo and
(19:52):
those numbers are nearing amillion dollars but on top of
that they get long-termcustomers that support them
throughout the year.
And we have a new internallyand by building internally that
helps us to get what we of whowe are, we also, at the same
time, have to build, and that'swhat Ohio Black Expo is about.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
It sounds like you've kind of bridged that gap,
bringing in everyone together.
How have you been able toaccomplish that, bringing all
these groups together?
Speaker 1 (20:52):
I think just by approaching from a true place of
wanting to bring us together inunity and in a positive way, in
a collaborative way, we move ina sense of collaboration over
competition.
We don't see competition withany other person or any other
group, and that's not out ofarrogance, that's because we
(21:15):
truly want to amplify and helpevery organization.
So we don't look at otherorganizations and say, you're
doing that, I can do that better.
No, it's like how can we cometogether and help each other?
What is the win-win situationthat's going to help your
organization grow and help ourorganization continue to grow?
Let's work together to help ourpeople, and so that's.
(21:39):
You know, when we approach thatway and just from a genuine
place, I think people feel thatand they're happy to be
connected to what we're doing.
Speaker 2 (21:48):
Wow, that's a good word.
That's a good word.
What advice would you give toyoung leaders who are just
starting their journey,particularly those from
underrepresented communities?
Speaker 1 (21:58):
I think the biggest advice I would give is to find
what you're passionate about.
That's very important.
There's a saying if you do whatyou love, you'll never work a
day in your life.
I believe that to be true and Ifeel blessed right now.
This point has given me thetools that I need.
We talked about it earlier.
(22:34):
Every adversity that I've had,every stumbling block that I've
had, has added tools to my toolbelt.
And so I think, really findwhat you're passionate about,
hone that skill and that craftand you'll be successful.
The success will come if you'redoing what you love to do every
(22:56):
day.
So I think, just identifyingthat we actually have a youth
program for that.
It's called the DreamPathprogram.
But, identify what gives you joy, and there's, I'm sure, a
career attached to that givesyou joy and there's, I'm sure, a
career attached to that.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
You know, as your organization's mission is to
improve the quality of life forAfrican Americans in Ohio, can
you share and we just kind ofmentioned a few of those can you
share some specific initiativesor programs that have made a
significant impact on thecommunity?
Speaker 1 (23:27):
Sure, yeah.
So I spoke about what we, whatwe're doing to help businesses
and business owners.
Ninety eight percent of ninetyeight percent of the businesses
I think 98 to 99 percent of thebusinesses in America are
categorized as small businesses.
(23:48):
Those small businesses make upalmost half of the workforce in
this nation.
However, when you look at thestats for Black small businesses
, it's really really tough.
Within the first one to twoyears, most Black businesses go
out of business.
I think that's 98% of Blackbusinesses are out of business
(24:11):
in the first one to two years.
96% of Black businesses have noemployees, and so it's someone
trying to operate in their dreamand they don't get to the point
where they grow enough to beable to hire employees.
And so we see that as extremelyimportant to our community,
because we will hire people,hire who they look like, just by
(24:37):
human nature, and so the theunemployment rate for our
community is double, and a wayto take a stab at that is by
building up our businesses.
So that's one piece, and wehave business education and
resources built in.
Our youth empowermentprogramming is very strong.
We have a youth initiative withCOSI right now for youth and
(25:02):
families, where families can geta free membership annual
membership to COSI and I talkedabout how COSI influenced my
life.
That's even more important now.
There was no STEM when I wentinto it, and so we also have our
youth programming, ourDreamPath programming and our
(25:22):
Learning Labs programming thathelp youth with learning,
learning who they are and thenalso identifying career pathways
and giving them the tools andthe resources to get there.
So those are just a few.
There's a whole list on ourwebsite at OhioBlackExpocom, but
those are some really importantones, and that's our festival,
(25:46):
our big annual festival thatculminates everything that we do
.
It's an exciting time andcelebration, but a lot of people
think that's all that OhioBlack Expo is.
It's an event, but it's so muchmore than an event.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
You know there's probably some young people
listening to this today.
Could you share with some younggirls about STEM?
You know, and it's cool to bein STEM work.
Can you encourage a young ladywho's probably has some interest
in science and doesn't see anopportunity?
Can you share a word ofencouragement to them?
Speaker 1 (26:19):
Absolutely.
One of the exciting things thatI think about with STEM now is
just the access.
Again, I started at a timewhere there was no internet that
was accessible.
There, you know, there weren'tall these easy things that you
can get to learn.
(26:39):
But I would say, if you haveinterest in science, if you have
interest in math, don't shyaway from that, Don't try to
hide it, Don't think that you'renot cool, If if you're, you
know if you're doing the gettinggood grades.
Um, don't feel that way because, uh, it's, it's more than cool,
you know.
And for me, being able to saythat I'm a black girl who codes,
(27:01):
I love it.
You know I can create, I there,I feel like the sky's the limit
.
I don't feel like there'sanything that I can't create
because I've made up my mind todesign and create things that
people would say there's no wayyou can do that and I've done it
, and so don't shy away fromthat.
Stem is here to stay.
It's only going to continue tobecome more of everyday life,
(27:25):
and so I have never struggled tofind work having a technology
background.
I've never.
If I've gone from one city toanother or one job to another,
I've never looked for more thanthree days to find work and have
multiple offers, and again,that was at a time where it
wasn't even the most prevalentthing.
(27:46):
So I would encourage any younggirl who's thinking about going
into technology medicine, youknow, engineering, science any
of that go for it.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
That's coming from a drill teamer.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
One of the cool girls at school in that space?
Absolutely.
This is a legacy podcast and wetalk about building a lifelong
legacy.
What do you hope people takeaway from your legacy, and how
do you yourself want to beremembered?
Speaker 1 (28:19):
That's a good question.
When I think about legacy, Ithink about my parents and my
family.
Is what I'm doing making themproud?
Is what I'm doing walking inGod's will?
Am I doing things that helppeople or am I doing things that
hurt people?
We shouldn't waste any of theseprecious days hurting people.
(28:44):
Don't do it, just don't.
I don't care if someone hurtyou or wronged you.
Don't spend any energy on that.
Let God take care of that.
You focus on what's good, andhelping people, because it
always comes back to you, makesJim and Joyce Robinson proud.
Those are my parents, andsomeone who has been helpful and
(29:07):
um has made space for others toto do good work.
And so, um, that's what I thinkabout when I think of legacy,
and and when I want to inspireyoung people, I want to remind
them.
There's a, a saying that keepsme going, and and it going, and
(29:29):
it's the best way to predictyour future is to create it, and
so what that means to me is-.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
Say that one again.
I don't want them to miss thatone.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
Absolutely the best way to predict your future is to
create it.
And so life the modern term forthis is life is always going to
life.
Right Things are always goingto happen.
If you think you're going towalk out there and every day is
going to be sunshine andrainbows, you're setting
yourself up for a life of pain.
So realize that life is goingto life and don't let life toss
(30:01):
you back and forth like aballoon where the air is popping
out Like you have the abilityto chart your path.
So if you make a decision yes,this bad thing happened to me If
you make a decision that I'mgoing from here to there and
then you make a plan to get fromhere to there and you work that
plan, it's going to work.
So don't sit back saying Iwonder if I'm going to be
(30:25):
successful, I wonder if this isgoing to happen.
I wonder if that's going tohappen.
Make it happen.
Make the plan, write the visionright, make it plain and then
walk in it.
Speaker 2 (30:39):
That's it.
That's it.
That's good work.
This has been a greatconversation.
You know, as we kind of wrap up, what's next for Ohio Black
Expo and how can our listenersget involved and support the
organization.
Speaker 1 (30:52):
Absolutely A number of ways.
All of it can be found onOhioBlackExpocom, but we have
our big annual event coming up.
It's the Ohio Black ExpoRiverfront Culture Fest.
It takes place downtown, behindCoSci, right on the riverfront.
It's May 24th and May 25th,which is Memorial Day weekend,
but it kicks off on Friday withour youth summit a Friday
(31:15):
evening, and then we also havesome adult activities, kickoff
activities, networking forFriday evening.
But anything that you can thinkof is happening inside of those
gates.
It is.
It is a true festival Um,everything from health and
wellness with with yoga and freehealth screenings in um, uh,
(31:37):
root uh, which is, uh one of oursponsors.
They, they, um are helping withmaternal and infant mortality.
They have a zero mortality rate, um, when it comes to families.
And then and then the Columbuscrew will be out there with some
activities.
We have marching bands and drumlines and dance teams and local
entertainment and nationalentertainment.
(31:57):
We have some nationalentertainers on Saturday night.
Sunday night, cosi will be outthere with science kits.
It's just a great time.
Food trucks the food is amazing.
So we want people to come outand join us.
Memorial day weekend.
Go to Ohio black expocom fortickets, donate If you feel so,
moved um on our website.
(32:19):
Uh, on our about page you seeall of our programs and
initiatives.
You can donate and you candesignate where that donation
goes if you want to Um, and youcan volunteer.
We have a volunteer forum atthe bottom of the website.
But, more than anything, comeout and enjoy and join us.
Get your tickets Children 10and under are free and inspire
(32:39):
others to do the same.
Nice, michelle.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
I want to thank you for your time and I want to
thank you for making yourparents proud I'm sure they are
so proud of you, the little girltearing up toys or whatever,
taking toys apart and look ather now and the spaces that it's
taking you to.
And I want to thank you forbeing a trailblazer.
You know, we think about thosespaces that you've been in.
You've kind of been that onlyone and you have really blazed a
(33:04):
trail for others, to encourageothers.
So when young girls are lookingfor opportunities in science
and technology, I always saythis you can't be what you can't
see.
Speaker 1 (33:13):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
Now they see somebody who's done it, so now they can
be encouraged to do itthemselves.
So I want to thank you for allthat, but most importantly, I
want to thank you for being amighty woman of God, trusting
God and putting God first, andand we can see.
The Bible says seek first thekingdom of God and his
righteousness, and then allthings will be added on to you,
and I'm so thankful that God'sadding all these things to you
(33:35):
and even more, even more, andI'm just so proud of you for
saying yes to taking over theOhio Black Expo and taking it to
another level.
So I want to thank you forbeing a guest today and for the
audience.
Please listen to the podcast,subscribe and continue striving
to be a baller.
Continue building a lifelonglegacy.
So thank you, sherry, for beingpart of the show today.
Speaker 1 (33:54):
Thank you for having me and I want to thank my
husband.
I'm representing both of ustoday, but we work side by side.
He works so hard on this withme and just thankful to be in
this position.
Speaker 2 (34:06):
Right, thank you.
Speaker 3 (34:07):
Thank you.
If you've enjoyed this episode,please share it with family and
friends.
The be a baller podcast isavailable on all major podcast
platforms.
This podcast was created bycoach tim brown and recorded and
edited by the video productionclass of worthington christian
high school.
Be sure to come back next weekas we continue to discuss on how
(34:28):
to build a lifelong legacy.
Until then, don't how to builda lifelong legacy.
Until then, don't forget to bea baller.
When I think about legacy, I think about my parents
, and is what I'm doing makingthem proud?
Is what I'm doing walking inGod's will?
Am I doing things that helppeople or am I doing things that
hurt people?
We shouldn't waste any of theseprecious days hurting people.
(00:23):
I don't care if someone hurtyou or wronged you.
Don't spend any energy on that.
Let God take care of that.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Welcome to Be A Baller where we're building a
lifelong legacy for our families, communities and the world.
Your host, coach Tim Brown, isexcited for you to join him on
this journey.
On each episode, we'll betalking about how to be
intentional about building alasting legacy.
We'll be exploring what itmeans to leave a mark that goes
beyond just our lives but has apositive impact on those around
(00:54):
us and even generations to come.
So if you're looking forinspiration, guidance and
practical tips on how to build alasting legacy that makes a
difference, then you're in theright place.
So grab your earbuds, getcomfortable and let's dive in.
It's time to Be A Baller.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Welcome to Be A Baller podcast, where we're
honored to have as our specialguest Sherri Hamilton, president
and CEO of the Ohio Black Expo.
As a dedicated servant leaderdriven by faith and not just
sight, sherri's making asignificant impact in the
community with her extensivebackground in technology.
By faith and not just sight.
Sherry is making a significantimpact in the community with her
extensive background intechnology, innovation and
community development.
She's leading the Ohio BlackExpo to reclaim its title as one
(01:33):
of the largest events of itskind in the region.
Join us today as we exploreSherry's inspiring journey, from
her early days as a programmeranalyst in the United States Air
Force and her current role inleading the Black Expo.
We'll discuss her experiencesas and I'm really excited about
this Black girls who code, youknow, and her love of music,
(01:54):
line dancing, cooking andtraveling.
We will discuss her vision forthe future and how technology
can be used to drive positivechange.
So let's get started on thisjourney.
Welcome, sherri Hamilton, to BeA Baller podcast.
Let's get started on thisjourney.
Welcome, sherri Hamilton, to Bea Baller podcast.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Thank you for having me today.
I'm really excited to talk toyou.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Yeah, I am too about this, but before we get started
we got to talk about this linedance and all this kind of thing
.
Now are you a professional linedancer?
Speaker 1 (02:20):
I'm not going to make that claim.
I did grow up with a dancebackground.
I danced growing up everythingfrom ballet, jazz and tap to
liturgical African modern.
I was on drill team, so I loveto dance.
I won't claim the title asprofessional line dancer, but I
do have a good time and it'sgood exercise.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Good, good, good stuff, Good stuff, you know.
Speaking of growing up, yougrew up in Columbus Ohio, went
to Warner Ridge High School andall that Can you talk about?
I always ask the guests aboutthe village who raised you,
because it was a different timewhen we grew up.
Can you talk about that village?
Who raised you?
Speaker 1 (02:55):
Absolutely, I'm telling my age, but it's okay, I
won't hide it.
I was born in the late 60s, soI was raised in the 70s and 80s
and you know it was a good time,it was an interesting time.
There are a lot of things aboutthose days that I miss, even
though some would say those weretumultuous times.
You know we're on the heels ofthe civil rights movement and
(03:19):
then went into the crack erawhen I was in high school era,
when I was in high school.
So there was a lot going on.
But for me there was awonderful, beautiful village
here in central Ohio that Ibenefited from.
My parents moved here in themid-60s from New York.
They were both born and raisedin New York and so they quickly
(03:40):
attached to some really greatpeople and they became our
extended family.
So I had all the.
You know in our community wehave play cousins and aunties
and uncles and plenty of thoseand people that went on to
prominence, city council and anddifferent spaces like that.
So my village growing up, Iwould say it was a mix our
(04:05):
extended family as well as, uh,church family, um, different
community organizations that myparents were a part of, um
really strong village, and thenteachers, um so uh, and that was
a mix of cultural backgroundsas well.
So you know, we lived, um, notwhere we lived, it was more
(04:30):
based on where I went to school.
I went to a private school,from kindergarten through
actually preschool, throughsixth grade, um, and then I went
to public school.
I begged to go to public school.
I want to go to public schoolwith all my friends, right, um,
so that my school, uh, myelementary school, was very
diverse and then I enteredpublic school.
(04:53):
But I really had a great, greatexperience with the village
growing up.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Awesome.
You know you mentioned faith inthere.
Can you talk about your faithjourney and how it guides your
work today?
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Absolutely.
My mother was a phenomenalmusician.
She played at Carnegie Hallwhen she was five and again when
she was eight, so she was agifted pianist.
She studied vocal pedagogy atJuilliard and so music was her
life and she started playing inchurch when she was 15.
(05:32):
She was the full-time organistfor her church growing up,
starting when she was 15.
So my mother never missed aSunday.
I never missed a Sunday ofchurch.
There was no.
I don't feel well you know thatwas okay, well, you can sit
there and be quiet.
Here's the box of tissues.
You know, and so you know.
(05:54):
Faith to me was something thatyou know when you're a child.
You don't necessarilyunderstand what's going on.
You're in it more for theritualistic things of okay, it's
time to stand up and pray, it'stime to do this, it's time to
sing.
But as you get older I wouldsay probably by the time I was a
(06:15):
preteen I felt more of aspiritual, that direct spiritual
connection that I couldidentify.
I'm not saying that was thefirst time I felt it, that was
the first time I could identifyand I knew when it happened.
I felt that's God, that's myconnection to God in this moment
, and so my evolution, myspiritual journey, has just
(06:41):
become stronger, so that now Idon't have to do those
ritualistic things to pull Godinto my moment, that I'm in.
And it's important, I think,through life, to lean on your
faith, because we can't controlwhat other people do, we can't
control what happens to us.
Well, we can.
(07:01):
I'll talk about that later.
But, if we have that strongconnection and we have that
faith, we know that God is incontrol and everything is
working on our behalf.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
The Bible says this all things work together for the
good of those who love the Lordand are called according to his
purpose.
Sometimes we miss that, but aswe go through life, some things
will happen and then we think,oh, that's what that?
That's what that was forExactly.
There's a purpose behind all ofthat, both the good and
whatever happens.
You know, we know God's incharge.
You know you kind of grew up inthis technical space, you know,
(07:36):
in technology, going to OhioState and going to the Air Force
, and what was it like being afirst off, being a female in
that area, and then also being ablack female during those times
.
You know, because I'm sure itwasn't a popular thing, were you
, were you one of those nerds inhigh school.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
I won't say that but actually, you know, in my role
with the Ohio Black Expo, I'm soexcited that we have a really
great partnership with COSI.
Growing up I loved going toCOSI and I was a young fan of
math and science and I used todrive my parents crazy because
they would buy me toys andelectronic toys were starting to
(08:15):
become a thing by the time Iwas nine or ten.
But if they got me a littleelectronic toy I would take it
apart because I wanted to seehow it worked.
But I was able to put it backtogether properly and it still
worked.
So but yeah, I've always hadthat curious math and science
mind and uh, my internship whenI was in high school was working
(08:36):
in a mainframe room at BlueCross, blue Shield, uh actually,
uh here in Worthington, and so,um, yeah, I've always been a
geek, wow, yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
How was the experience?
Were you sometimes the only one, the only Black female?
How was that?
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Yes, I would say 98% of the time that I was in the
military and in the corporateworld, I was the only.
I was either the only female,the only black female, or both
the only black person or youknow there was.
It was very rare that I workedwith someone else who was also a
(09:13):
person of color or someone elsewho was also a woman.
It was very, very rare.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
You sound like a hidden figures on here.
You know you have to tell yourstory.
You know I know you can talkabout that experience in the Air
Force and some of the thingsyou did there with technology
and program analysts.
And then you went on to work ata, at a channel 10.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
I did.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
In that space.
Can you talk about thoseexperiences?
Speaker 1 (09:35):
Yes, so I spent almost six years just shy like
five years, 11 months in theUnited States Air Force, and I
was a computer analyst there'sanother name for it
communications something,computer system analyst.
But I worked with mainframesback then, and so we were just
transitioning from what theyused to call dumb terminals to
(09:58):
actually desktop computers, andI had the great experience of
having to install desktopcomputer systems all around our
base at the time, and so thatgave me experience also with
hardware.
I already was getting greatexperience with software, but
having to install thosecomputers I learned how to build
(10:20):
computers.
I still can build computers tothis day, build computers I
still can build computers tothis day and so it was a great
experience, and I served duringDesert.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Storm.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
So there was quite a bit going on, and then Desert
Shield became Desert Storm.
So I was, you know, I saw a lot, I learned a lot, I lived a lot
, and thankful that I learned alot, I lived a lot, and thankful
(10:49):
that I, you know, I wasprotected and I was not put
directly in harm's way, and soI'm grateful for that.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
So, coming back from that experience to Columbus and
to Ohio, what sparked yourpassion for serving the
African-American community?
Speaker 1 (11:02):
That started early, really, by the example of my
parents.
My mother was an educator.
She taught for 44 years inColumbus City Schools and that's
after teaching in Brooklyn inNew York, where she was from.
She taught the first couple ofyears in the private school that
I went to and then she startedat Mohawk and old.
(11:23):
Mohawk back in the day, and shewas there in the early seventies
and then went on to teach atother Columbus city schools, but
she always led with wanting toteach life skills.
She was a music teacher but shedidn't just teach music, she
used music to teach life skillsto all of her students and she
(11:45):
cared for all of her students inthe same way.
It didn't matter yourbackground, she cared for them
all in the same way.
And then, with my father, hisbackground was in journalism and
communications and marketing,but he also led with service.
Uh, that mindset and um, youknow, he um was early in the
(12:06):
days with Mount Vernon Plaza.
He used to hold um events atthe focal point, which was a big
you know place where, uh, blackpeople would gather Uh, and so,
um, I just just watched theirexample.
And and my dad, before he wasuh, had his own business at
Mount Vernon Plaza.
He worked at Lazarus and helooked out, for he was in
(12:30):
leadership there and he lookedout for a lot of the black
employees at the time he reallyadvocated for them and just so
they both kind of always ledwith doing for others and
treating others the way you wantto be treated, and so that's
how I was raised.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
It came.
All this comes by kind ofnaturally for you.
It really does.
You're a co-founder of, is itTano?
Speaker 1 (12:52):
I'm saying that right Tano.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
Tano Innovation.
Yes, you're a co-founder ofTano Innovation.
What inspired you to mergetechnology and creativity with
community development?
Speaker 1 (13:04):
I just see a need, especially in the Black
community, for technology tosolve some of the issues that we
have.
And, again because of myexperience, what I didn't see
working in the field oftechnology I didn't see a lot of
us, um, and so I feel that it'simportant for those of us that
(13:27):
do have a technical backgroundand understand technology and
how to use it, that we use it,um to help empower our community
.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Good.
Um, how did you become thepresident and CEO of Ohio Black
Expo?
I know that's a story.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
That's a story.
So our founder, rhonda DRobinson, created the Ohio Black
Expo in 1988.
And she did that after havingthe Columbus Black Expo in the
80s I believe from 1980 or 81through 87.
It was the Columbus Black Expotook place at the focal point of
(14:03):
Mount Vernon Plaza.
It was before coming home.
So when the expo, when the expoleft the focal point and moved
downtown because it continued togrow and grow and grow, outgrow
the space that's when cominghome started.
So it became the Ohio BlackExpo when she noticed people
were coming not only from allover the state but all over the
(14:26):
nation and she had majorspeakers and performers come
here at the time.
And I did research to learn moreabout those early days because
I would have been a teenagerthen, but I found that it was
(14:47):
the largest.
It was written up in thedispatch as the largest event of
its kind at the time.
That was an article I found in1991.
She approached my husband and Ibecause we were having
community events Again not forany other reason but just
wanting to serve.
We weren't making money fromthis or anything, but we just
(15:09):
had meaningful community eventsand she would always come to
them and she walked up to us oneday and said I'm Rhonda D
Robinson, founder of the OhioBlack Expo, and you are the ones
that are going to help me bringit back and we're like what?
Speaker 3 (15:25):
are you talking?
Speaker 1 (15:25):
about but flash forward.
I believe that God wasorchestrating things and made
her realize because she realizedthere was a need for it to come
back.
It was originally created tosupport and amplify Black
businesses and organizations andthere's still a need for that
(15:46):
today.
And she saw that and, you know,she just realized before she
leaves this earth she wanted tosee it come back, and so she
literally kind of chose us, andit took us a few years to get to
know her more and decide thatwe were going to commit
ourselves, because we don't haveto anything.
If we're going to do something,we're in it.
(16:08):
And so we had to reallyevaluate is this something we
can do full force?
And we finally made thatdecision and got to work.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
What was that turning point that made you guys
realize?
What was it about that?
Conversations with her and justthe need.
What was it?
What was that turning pointwhen you guys realized that, hey
, this is, we need to do this.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
I think we thought about the work that we were
already doing in the communityand realizing that this would be
an opportunity to do it at alarger scale, because we were
doing it, you know, very localand in smaller groups, maybe two
, three hundred people, when wewould have events.
And we thought, you know whatbeing able to do this work,
(16:55):
positive work, and do it infront of thousands of people and
attract people from all over isreally going to further.
What we feel is our purposedriven work to empower and
support our people, and so itkind of was a no brainer.
We did have to pray about itbecause, we knew it was going to
be a lot and it is.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
You know how do you see the Ohio Black Expo's work
contributing to the broaderconversation about equity and
inclusion in this region.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
Not just Ohio but in the whole region.
How do you see Ohio Black Expocontributing to that?
I think in a lot of ways.
There are several differenttouch points that address that.
So one is cultural enrichment,and so, unfortunately, the Black
community has a reputation ofnegativity and it's just not
(17:46):
true.
And it's just not true.
You know, we know as a peoplethat we're not innately negative
, that we're not innatelyconnected to violence and crime
and all of these other labelsthat we're given, and so we work
really hard to help, bothinternally and externally,
(18:07):
people to know that that's notus, this is us, and so we bring
thousands of people together.
We have never had an incidentof violence, we've never had any
issues and we have, you know,on average about 12, 13,000
people a year, and so we'rehappy to show people that that's
(18:28):
not true, that depiction of us.
So that's one way.
Another way is just helping ourpeople to understand who we are
through our culture, and youknow the Ohio Black Expo
celebrates all culturesthroughout the diaspora.
So you will see people fromAfrica, directly from the
(18:50):
continent, that are here invarious countries.
You'll see people,afro-caribbean people, so we've
had Afro-Brazilians thatparticipated.
We've had people from Ghanaparticipate.
We had some artists fromSomalia last year that performed
.
We have Caribbean culture, sothis year we'll have Soka
(19:12):
dancers that have you knoweverything that's worn during
Carnival and, of course, africanAmerican culture.
So, we celebrate with everythingfrom gospel to R&B, jazz, funk,
go-go you know every musicgenre you can think of, every
dance type you can think of, andit's just a celebration.
(19:32):
And so, when we're talkingabout equity, the foundation of
our organization is empowerment,and so that empowerment comes
through the 100 plus Blackvendors that you'll see out
there, and they are not onlymaking money during the expo and
(19:52):
those numbers are nearing amillion dollars but on top of
that they get long-termcustomers that support them
throughout the year.
And we have a new internallyand by building internally that
helps us to get what we of whowe are, we also, at the same
time, have to build, and that'swhat Ohio Black Expo is about.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
It sounds like you've kind of bridged that gap,
bringing in everyone together.
How have you been able toaccomplish that, bringing all
these groups together?
Speaker 1 (20:52):
I think just by approaching from a true place of
wanting to bring us together inunity and in a positive way, in
a collaborative way, we move ina sense of collaboration over
competition.
We don't see competition withany other person or any other
group, and that's not out ofarrogance, that's because we
(21:15):
truly want to amplify and helpevery organization.
So we don't look at otherorganizations and say, you're
doing that, I can do that better.
No, it's like how can we cometogether and help each other?
What is the win-win situationthat's going to help your
organization grow and help ourorganization continue to grow?
Let's work together to help ourpeople, and so that's.
(21:39):
You know, when we approach thatway and just from a genuine
place, I think people feel thatand they're happy to be
connected to what we're doing.
Speaker 2 (21:48):
Wow, that's a good word.
That's a good word.
What advice would you give toyoung leaders who are just
starting their journey,particularly those from
underrepresented communities?
Speaker 1 (21:58):
I think the biggest advice I would give is to find
what you're passionate about.
That's very important.
There's a saying if you do whatyou love, you'll never work a
day in your life.
I believe that to be true and Ifeel blessed right now.
This point has given me thetools that I need.
We talked about it earlier.
(22:34):
Every adversity that I've had,every stumbling block that I've
had, has added tools to my toolbelt.
And so I think, really findwhat you're passionate about,
hone that skill and that craftand you'll be successful.
The success will come if you'redoing what you love to do every
(22:56):
day.
So I think, just identifyingthat we actually have a youth
program for that.
It's called the DreamPathprogram.
But, identify what gives you joy, and there's, I'm sure, a
career attached to that givesyou joy and there's, I'm sure, a
career attached to that.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
You know, as your organization's mission is to
improve the quality of life forAfrican Americans in Ohio, can
you share and we just kind ofmentioned a few of those can you
share some specific initiativesor programs that have made a
significant impact on thecommunity?
Speaker 1 (23:27):
Sure, yeah.
So I spoke about what we, whatwe're doing to help businesses
and business owners.
Ninety eight percent of ninetyeight percent of the businesses
I think 98 to 99 percent of thebusinesses in America are
categorized as small businesses.
(23:48):
Those small businesses make upalmost half of the workforce in
this nation.
However, when you look at thestats for Black small businesses
, it's really really tough.
Within the first one to twoyears, most Black businesses go
out of business.
I think that's 98% of Blackbusinesses are out of business
(24:11):
in the first one to two years.
96% of Black businesses have noemployees, and so it's someone
trying to operate in their dreamand they don't get to the point
where they grow enough to beable to hire employees.
And so we see that as extremelyimportant to our community,
because we will hire people,hire who they look like, just by
(24:37):
human nature, and so the theunemployment rate for our
community is double, and a wayto take a stab at that is by
building up our businesses.
So that's one piece, and wehave business education and
resources built in.
Our youth empowermentprogramming is very strong.
We have a youth initiative withCOSI right now for youth and
(25:02):
families, where families can geta free membership annual
membership to COSI and I talkedabout how COSI influenced my
life.
That's even more important now.
There was no STEM when I wentinto it, and so we also have our
youth programming, ourDreamPath programming and our
(25:22):
Learning Labs programming thathelp youth with learning,
learning who they are and thenalso identifying career pathways
and giving them the tools andthe resources to get there.
So those are just a few.
There's a whole list on ourwebsite at OhioBlackExpocom, but
those are some really importantones, and that's our festival,
(25:46):
our big annual festival thatculminates everything that we do
.
It's an exciting time andcelebration, but a lot of people
think that's all that OhioBlack Expo is.
It's an event, but it's so muchmore than an event.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
You know there's probably some young people
listening to this today.
Could you share with some younggirls about STEM?
You know, and it's cool to bein STEM work.
Can you encourage a young ladywho's probably has some interest
in science and doesn't see anopportunity?
Can you share a word ofencouragement to them?
Speaker 1 (26:19):
Absolutely.
One of the exciting things thatI think about with STEM now is
just the access.
Again, I started at a timewhere there was no internet that
was accessible.
There, you know, there weren'tall these easy things that you
can get to learn.
(26:39):
But I would say, if you haveinterest in science, if you have
interest in math, don't shyaway from that, Don't try to
hide it, Don't think that you'renot cool, If if you're, you
know if you're doing the gettinggood grades.
Um, don't feel that way because, uh, it's, it's more than cool,
you know.
And for me, being able to saythat I'm a black girl who codes,
(27:01):
I love it.
You know I can create, I there,I feel like the sky's the limit
.
I don't feel like there'sanything that I can't create
because I've made up my mind todesign and create things that
people would say there's no wayyou can do that and I've done it
, and so don't shy away fromthat.
Stem is here to stay.
It's only going to continue tobecome more of everyday life,
(27:25):
and so I have never struggled tofind work having a technology
background.
I've never.
If I've gone from one city toanother or one job to another,
I've never looked for more thanthree days to find work and have
multiple offers, and again,that was at a time where it
wasn't even the most prevalentthing.
(27:46):
So I would encourage any younggirl who's thinking about going
into technology medicine, youknow, engineering, science any
of that go for it.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
That's coming from a drill teamer.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
One of the cool girls at school in that space?
Absolutely.
This is a legacy podcast and wetalk about building a lifelong
legacy.
What do you hope people takeaway from your legacy, and how
do you yourself want to beremembered?
Speaker 1 (28:19):
That's a good question.
When I think about legacy, Ithink about my parents and my
family.
Is what I'm doing making themproud?
Is what I'm doing walking inGod's will?
Am I doing things that helppeople or am I doing things that
hurt people?
We shouldn't waste any of theseprecious days hurting people.
(28:44):
Don't do it, just don't.
I don't care if someone hurtyou or wronged you.
Don't spend any energy on that.
Let God take care of that.
You focus on what's good, andhelping people, because it
always comes back to you, makesJim and Joyce Robinson proud.
Those are my parents, andsomeone who has been helpful and
(29:07):
um has made space for others toto do good work.
And so, um, that's what I thinkabout when I think of legacy,
and and when I want to inspireyoung people, I want to remind
them.
There's a, a saying that keepsme going, and and it going, and
(29:29):
it's the best way to predictyour future is to create it, and
so what that means to me is-.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
Say that one again.
I don't want them to miss thatone.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
Absolutely the best way to predict your future is to
create it.
And so life the modern term forthis is life is always going to
life.
Right Things are always goingto happen.
If you think you're going towalk out there and every day is
going to be sunshine andrainbows, you're setting
yourself up for a life of pain.
So realize that life is goingto life and don't let life toss
(30:01):
you back and forth like aballoon where the air is popping
out Like you have the abilityto chart your path.
So if you make a decision yes,this bad thing happened to me If
you make a decision that I'mgoing from here to there and
then you make a plan to get fromhere to there and you work that
plan, it's going to work.
So don't sit back saying Iwonder if I'm going to be
(30:25):
successful, I wonder if this isgoing to happen.
I wonder if that's going tohappen.
Make it happen.
Make the plan, write the visionright, make it plain and then
walk in it.
Speaker 2 (30:39):
That's it.
That's it.
That's good work.
This has been a greatconversation.
You know, as we kind of wrap up, what's next for Ohio Black
Expo and how can our listenersget involved and support the
organization.
Speaker 1 (30:52):
Absolutely A number of ways.
All of it can be found onOhioBlackExpocom, but we have
our big annual event coming up.
It's the Ohio Black ExpoRiverfront Culture Fest.
It takes place downtown, behindCoSci, right on the riverfront.
It's May 24th and May 25th,which is Memorial Day weekend,
but it kicks off on Friday withour youth summit a Friday
(31:15):
evening, and then we also havesome adult activities, kickoff
activities, networking forFriday evening.
But anything that you can thinkof is happening inside of those
gates.
It is.
It is a true festival Um,everything from health and
wellness with with yoga and freehealth screenings in um, uh,
(31:37):
root uh, which is, uh one of oursponsors.
They, they, um are helping withmaternal and infant mortality.
They have a zero mortality rate, um, when it comes to families.
And then and then the Columbuscrew will be out there with some
activities.
We have marching bands and drumlines and dance teams and local
entertainment and nationalentertainment.
(31:57):
We have some nationalentertainers on Saturday night.
Sunday night, cosi will be outthere with science kits.
It's just a great time.
Food trucks the food is amazing.
So we want people to come outand join us.
Memorial day weekend.
Go to Ohio black expocom fortickets, donate If you feel so,
moved um on our website.
(32:19):
Uh, on our about page you seeall of our programs and
initiatives.
You can donate and you candesignate where that donation
goes if you want to Um, and youcan volunteer.
We have a volunteer forum atthe bottom of the website.
But, more than anything, comeout and enjoy and join us.
Get your tickets Children 10and under are free and inspire
(32:39):
others to do the same.
Nice, michelle.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
I want to thank you for your time and I want to
thank you for making yourparents proud I'm sure they are
so proud of you, the little girltearing up toys or whatever,
taking toys apart and look ather now and the spaces that it's
taking you to.
And I want to thank you forbeing a trailblazer.
You know, we think about thosespaces that you've been in.
You've kind of been that onlyone and you have really blazed a
(33:04):
trail for others, to encourageothers.
So when young girls are lookingfor opportunities in science
and technology, I always saythis you can't be what you can't
see.
Speaker 1 (33:13):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
Now they see somebody who's done it, so now they can
be encouraged to do itthemselves.
So I want to thank you for allthat, but most importantly, I
want to thank you for being amighty woman of God, trusting
God and putting God first, andand we can see.
The Bible says seek first thekingdom of God and his
righteousness, and then allthings will be added on to you,
and I'm so thankful that God'sadding all these things to you
(33:35):
and even more, even more, andI'm just so proud of you for
saying yes to taking over theOhio Black Expo and taking it to
another level.
So I want to thank you forbeing a guest today and for the
audience.
Please listen to the podcast,subscribe and continue striving
to be a baller.
Continue building a lifelonglegacy.
So thank you, sherry, for beingpart of the show today.
Speaker 1 (33:54):
Thank you for having me and I want to thank my
husband.
I'm representing both of ustoday, but we work side by side.
He works so hard on this withme and just thankful to be in
this position.
Speaker 2 (34:06):
Right, thank you.
Speaker 3 (34:07):
Thank you.
If you've enjoyed this episode,please share it with family and
friends.
The be a baller podcast isavailable on all major podcast
platforms.
This podcast was created bycoach tim brown and recorded and
edited by the video productionclass of worthington christian
high school.
Be sure to come back next weekas we continue to discuss on how
(34:28):
to build a lifelong legacy.
Until then, don't how to builda lifelong legacy.
Until then, don't forget to bea baller.
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