Urban Roots

Latest Episodes:

The Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs – Juneteenth Cincinnati Shorts Jul 25, 2025

Show notes

We at Urbanist Media (and the Urban Roots podcast) are excited to have, yet again, celebrated Juneteenth with Cincinnati Public Radio.

This year, we produced brand new ⁠Juneteenth Cincinnati Shorts⁠: weekly, 90-second tributes to people and places important to Cincinnati Black history and African American history. This one is all about the Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs…

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Tucked away on Chapel Street in Walnut Hills, this short takes you to the Cincinnati Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs, which, for over a century, has continued to serve as a hub for Black women’s activism. Founded in 1904 by Mary Fletcher Ross, the Federation united local clubs to provide education and social services that, at the time, weren’t available to the Black community. In 1925, members purchased the Hannaford-designed mansion on Chapel Street that still stands today, transforming it into a lasting symbol of resilience, sisterhood, and civic leadership.

Listen to the entire archive (2023-2025) on Cincinnati Public Radio's website: https://cinradio.org/juneteenth-special-programming-from-urbanist-media/

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Juneteenth Cincinnati Shorts is brought to you by Urbanist Media’s Urban Roots podcast team: Deqah Hussein-Wetzel (Executive Producer / Host & Narrator), Tania Mohammad (Producer / Story Editor), Vanessa Maria Quirk (Story Editor), and Connor Lynch (Audio Editor / Mixer).

Dr. Lucy Orinthia Oxley – Juneteenth Cincinnati Shorts Jul 18, 2025

Show notes

We at Urbanist Media (and the Urban Roots podcast) are excited to have, yet again, celebrated Juneteenth with Cincinnati Public Radio.

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Dr. Lucy Oxley broke barriers as the first Black graduate of UC’s medical program in 1935, only to be denied internships due to discrimination. Undeterred, she found opportunities at historically Black colleges outside Cincinnati and eventually returned to open a private practice, first in Walnut Hills and later in Avondale. This short dives into Dr. Oxley’s story as a local pioneer in family medicine.

Listen to the entire archive (2023-2025) on Cincinnati Public Radio's website: https://cinradio.org/juneteenth-special-programming-from-urbanist-media/

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Jennie Davis Porter – Juneteenth Cincinnati Shorts Jul 15, 2025

Show notes

We at ⁠Urbanist Media⁠ (and the Urban Roots podcast⁠) are excited to have, yet again, celebrated Juneteenth with Cincinnati Public Radio.

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Jennie Davis Porter was a trailblazing educator in Walnut Hills before she opened the all-Black Harriet Beecher Stowe School in 1914 in the West End (an effort that sparked controversy), and she became Cincinnati’s first Black female principal. In 1928, she became the first African American woman to earn a PhD from the University of Cincinnati. This short tells the story of Jennie Porter and the cultural legacy she left behind in our great city.

Listen to the entire archive (2023-2025) on Cincinnati Public Radio's website: https://cinradio.org/juneteenth-special-programming-from-urbanist-media/

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Robert S. Duncanson - Juneteenth Cincinnati Shorts Jul 11, 2025

Show notes

We at Urbanist Media⁠ (and the Urban Roots podcast⁠) are excited to have, yet again, celebrated Juneteenth with Cincinnati Public Radio.

This year, we produced brand new ⁠Juneteenth Cincinnati Shorts⁠: weekly, 90-second tributes to people and places important to Cincinnati Black history and African American history. This first one is all about Robert S. Duncanson and his connection to the ⁠Taft Museum of Art⁠⁠!

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Born in 1821, Robert S. Duncanson became a nationally celebrated 19th-century African American landscape artist who built his career in the Cincinnati area. In 1850, Duncanson murals were commissioned by Nicholas Longworth (a local white abolitionist and famous landowner) for his home, which is now the ⁠Taft Museum of Art⁠ building. You can visit the museum to see Duncanson’s murals today, and, if you find yourself in Washington, D.C., you can see his landscape paintings on display at the ⁠Smithsonian American Art Museum⁠.

Listen to the entire archive (2023-2025) on Cincinnati Public Radio's website: https://cinradio.org/juneteenth-special-programming-from-urbanist-media/

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BONUS: Architects Who Opened Doors w/ Michael Burson and David Kirk Mar 24, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of the Urban Roots podcast, host Deqah Hussein-Wetzel sits down with two accomplished Cincinnati-based Black architects—David Kirk, President and CEO of DNK Architects, and Michael Burson, a longtime (now retired) architect who has worked extensively with Cincinnati Public Schools, and now serves as an owners representative for local architectural projects ---including the Robert O’Neal Multicultural Arts Center’s (ROMAC) rehabilitation of the Regal Theatre in Cincinnati’s West End neighborhood.

Guests David and Michael expand on how and why they fell in love with the profession and what the road to licensing looked like for both of them. In a field where only 2.8% of licensed architects are African American, Michael and David are the definition of architects who opened doors.

Being that Deqah worked closely with David and Michael to preserve the Regal Theatre and help Toilynn O’Neal Turner’s vision of the ROMAC take shape, this episode also celebrates our shared success in securing BOTH Federal & State Historic Tax Credits, which supports monetary funding for the project! If you don’t remember what the Regal Theatre is all about, you can go back to Juneteenth Cincinnati Short to learn more about the building's rich African American history.

PS: On Saturday, March 29th, Deqah is moderating a 9 AM panel discussion with panelists Michael, David, and Toilynn at the 2025 Invest in Neighborhoods Summittitled, Rehabbing the Regal: Community-Driven Approaches to Black Cultural Preservation and Neighborhood Redevelopment

And a huge thanks to our episode sponsor, Hub+Weber, for helping us continue to promote equity in the built environment. Hub+Weber is a Cincinnati-based architecture firm founded in 1973 that does more than renderings and construction documents — they are creative problem solvers who understand that each project is more than just a building to their clients. Founded in 1973, this architecture firm has has a long legacy in Cincinnati’s built environment.

Urbanist Media thanks Hub+Weber for their continued support and for sharing our values in promoting equity within the built environment.

Thank you to guests David Kirk and Michael Burson, and sponsors, Hub+Weber, who helped make this episode possible. This podcast is brought to you by Urbanist Media and is hosted by Deqah Hussein-Wetzel. Editing by Deqah, Connor Lynch, and Skyler Ficklin. Mixing by Connor Lynch. Our music is by Adaam James Levin-Areddy.

Urban Roots is brought to you by Urbanist Media, a non-profit that preserves place through story. You can make a tax-deductible donation to us via Venmo or Paypal.

BONUS: Building Little Saigon w/ Erica Allen-Kim Dec 30, 2024

Show notes

In this bonus episode, Deqah and Vanessa have a much-needed conversation with Erica Allen-Kim about her new—must-read—book, Building Little Saigon: Refugee Urbanism in American Cities and Suburbs, about Vietnamese American-built landscapes and cultural heritage. In this interview, Deqah and Vanessa dive deeper into themes from her book to explore the role that Vietnamese Americans played in physically and socially shaping their ethnic neighborhoods in American (and Canadian) cities and suburbs. They discuss how refugee and immigrant communities adapted urban spaces to meet their needs, the importance of Asian American preservation efforts, community advocacy, and legacy preservation, and the challenges these communities face today to remain extant.

Erica Allen-Kim is an Associate Professor in the University of Toronto’s Department of Architecture, Landscape, and Design. Her newest book, Building Little Saigon: Refugee Urbanism in American Cities and Suburbs, is out now and available for purchase!

Credits:

Your hosts are Deqah Hussein-Wetzel and Vanessa Quirk. This episode was edited by Deqah, Vanessa, and Skyler Ficklin. Mixing by Connor Lynch. Our music is by Adaam James Levin-Areddy.

Urban Roots is a project by Urbanist Media, a non-profit dedicated to preserving place through story.

Even though we do need money to keep going, we try not to spam you with ads. Instead, we add the occasional giving plug, encouraging our listeners to support us by giving. Anything helps, even $10 or $20. Please consider sending us a donation via ⁠Venmo⁠ or ⁠Paypal⁠.

*Want to give big? Consider sponsoring a bonus episode. Email us at: urbanrootspodcast@gmail.com

Follow us on IG at ⁠urbanrootsculture⁠ and on YouTube (⁠Urban Roots podcast⁠). Have a thought or question – drop us an e-mail

BONUS: Making Noise With No Money: The Decay Devils Oct 26, 2024

Show notes

Deqah and Vanessa chat with Lori Gonzalez and Tyrell Anderson from the ⁠Decay Devils⁠, an organization that started as a group of friends in Gary, Indiana who loved playing in abandoned buildings. They then started making some noise—posting on Instagram, starting a nonprofit, organizing community events—and gaining notice from the public and “big money” people. In this episode they dish on the trials and tribulations, ups and downs, they've faced trying to preserve Gary’s Union Station. For anyone working in nonprofits, partially in the areas of preservation and community-engagement, this episode is a MUST-listen!

Credits:

Your hosts are Deqah Hussein-Wetzel and Vanessa Quirk. This episode was edited by Skyler Ficklin, Deqah, and Vanessa and mixed by Connor Lynch. Our music is by Adaam James Levin-Areddy. Thanks again to Lori Gonzalez and Tyrell Anderson.

Urban Roots is a product of Urbanist Media, a non-profit dedicated to community preservation. You can make a tax-deductible donation to us via Venmo or Paypal.

Carolyn Cortner Smith Jul 03, 2024

Show notes

Throughout its history, Decatur, Alabama has produced a number of unapologetically bold, creative, and “difficult” women who weren’t afraid to break the mold. In this episode, we’ll tell you the story of one of them: Carolyn Cortner Smith, believed to be the first licensed female architect in the state of Alabama.

Carolyn was born at a time when Southern women were expected to be gentile, acquiescent, amenable. Carolyn…wasn’t. As a young girl growing up in 1900s Decatur, Carolyn would assemble lean-tos in the backyard; she was mesmerized by the idea of building. In 1913, she was rejected from three architecture schools, in all likelihood because she was a woman. Nevertheless, Carolyn persevered — believing she would become the architect she knew she meant to be. By the time she was 40, in 1934, she owned and ran a lumbermill company, had designed/built multiple houses in her signature stone style, and was tapped by the City of Decatur to oversee some significant projects: the restoration of the Old State Bank, one of Decatur’s most treasured buildings, and the rehabilitation of City Park (now Delano Park) into a family-friendly area for recreation. Today, Delano Park’s structures have been beloved by generations of Decaturites, and yet too few people know of Carolyn’s struggles, accomplishments, and gifts to her hometown.

Guests in this episode:

Barbara Kelly (Delano Park Conservancy)
Norman Kent Johnson

The oral histories of Carolyn Cortner Smith you heard throughout this episode were courtesy of the Alabama Historical Commission. You can access these recordings via the Shelby County Museum & Archives website.

Thanks to Caroline Swope and the City of Decatur who made this episode possible. This material was produced with assistance from the Historic Preservation Fund, administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior.

Barbara Kelly is part of the non-profit Delano Park Conservancy; you can learn more about them, and their mission to preserve Delano Park, at their website.

Credits

Urban Roots is a podcast from Urbanist Media. Your hosts are Vanessa Quirk and Deqah Hussein-Wetzel. This episode was written and executive produced by Vanessa Quirk, with support from Deqah Hussein Wetzel. It was edited and mixed by Andrew Callaway. Music by Adaam James Levin-Areddy. Editorial support from Andrew Callaway.

First Missionary Baptist Church Jun 19, 2024

Show notes

The city of Decatur, Alabama is home to many historic Black churches, including one with a particularly rich history: First Missionary Baptist Church, in Old Town, the city’s predominantly Black neighborhood. Designed by one of the first African American architects, Wallace Rayfield, the church has — from its post-Civil War beginnings — been a cornerstone of Decatur’s African American community. During the segregation era, it was particularly vibrant, hosting hundreds of congregants, including many teachers, and taking an active stance in the Civil Rights movement.

However, de-segregation, and the decades of disinvestment that followed, have taken their toll on Decatur’s Black neighborhood of Old Town — and First Mission Baptist is no exception. Today, this historic property is struggling to stay afloat. But its congregation, and dedicated leader, Pastor Daylan Woodall, see that the church matters today more than ever — and are determined to make sure this important piece of Decatur history has a future. This episode not only features the voices of Pastor Woodall and his congregants but also Ms. Frances Tate — of Celebrating Early Old Town with Art and the imminent Scottsboro Boys Museum — and relies on the historical research of Peggy Towns.

Guests in this episode:

Frances Tate
Pastor Daylan Woodall
Stephanie Gray
Mary Lou Kelly
Brenda Smith
Nella Fletcher
Lester Fletcher

Also thanks to Peggy Towns, whose tour around Old Town and book, Scottboro Unmasked, gave us crucial context for this episode.

The non-profit Miss Frances Tate is a part of is called Celebrating Early Old Town with Art (CEOTA). The CEOTA board is currently developing the Decatur Scottsboro Boys Civil Rights Museum. If you’d like to learn more or get involved, visit www.sbcmuseum.org

Credits
Urban Roots is a podcast from Urbanist Media. Your hosts are Vanessa Quirk and Deqah Hussein-Wetzel. This episode was written and executive produced by Vanessa Quirk, with support from Deqah Hussein Wetzel. It was edited and mixed by Andrew Callaway. Music by Adaam James Levin-Areddy. Editorial support from Francis Ramirez O-Shea of Alta Gracia Media and recording help from Alexander Richey.

Ohio River to Freedom: New Richmond Jun 18, 2024

Show notes

Today New Richmond is a charming town along the Ohio River with a relatively tiny Black population. But for a moment in time in the 19th century, it was not only a hotspot of abolitionist activity, it was also home to a vibrant Black community. How did that happen? And why are there so few Black families left today?

In this episode, part two of the Ohio River to Freedom series, the Urban Roots podcast team will explain this history. Along the way, they’ll take you on a tour of New Richmond’s abolitionist homes, schools, and churches — and introduce you to the people who are fighting to keep the town's Black history alive.

Guests in this episode:

Greg Roberts, resident and Vice President of Historic New Richmond
Mary Allen, resident and longtime member of Historic New Richmond and the Vice President of the Clermont County Genealogical Society.
James Settles, resident and great-grandson of Joseph Settles
Dr. David Childs, Ph.D., Northern Kentucky University

Thanks to Michael and Carrie Klein, who recorded the spirituals you heard throughout this episode as part of their 1996 Talking Across the Lines project. In this episode you hear "Oh Freedom Over Me" sung by Ethel Caffie-Austin and “Wade in the Water" by Emma Perry Freeman.

This series was made possible due to funding from the Ohio Arts Council, Cincinnati Public Radio, and the private donations of the Mohamed family and Hub+Weber.

Credits
Urban Roots is a podcast from ⁠Urbanist Media⁠. Your hosts are ⁠Vanessa Quirk⁠ and ⁠Deqah Hussein-Wetzel⁠. This episode was written and executive- produced by Vanessa Quirk, with support from Deqah Hussein-Wetzel and Francis Ramirez O-Shea of ⁠Alta Gracia Media⁠. It was edited by Connor Lynch and mixed by Andrew Callaway. Theme music by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and additional music from Artlist.

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