-
Girls’ Studio uplifts and inspires young women in Akron community.
By Cassidy Gladieux Once a week, girls from the Jennings Community Learning Center school in Akron race to Gum Dip Theatre in North Hill to participate in Girls’ Studio, an after-school theater program. The Girls’ Studio, for ages 11-14, originally began in 2017 when Katie Beck worked with South Street Ministries, who had their own…
-
Chasing the dream: Afghans pursue cricket in Akron
By Jacob Hansen At 16 years old, Homayoon Ahmadzai had to make a difficult decision between trying to play for Afghanistan’s national team or moving to the United States. “It was tough to leave our country but you know at that time we haven’t had much education there. So it was like, good and bad,”…
-
Growing Together: the story of ballfields converted for agriculture
By Alexandra Golden When you drive into Akron Cooperative Farms, an old concession stand converted into a storage facility for seeds and supplies greets you. “Growing Together” can be read on the facility in big green letters. To the left and right are old t-ball fields turned into plots of land for farming and hoop…
-
Immigrants, refugees are part of North Hill’s past, present
By Kaitlyn Finchler As a city established in 1825, Akron’s earliest residents were Irish and German immigrants. Fast forward to the 1860s reconstruction era, immigrants made up 14% of Ohio’s population. Twenty years later, immigrants came from countries such as Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Italy. Akron was a hot commodity for immigrants because the city…
-
Settling into religious freedom
By Gabby Jonas With a silk scarf, I covered my hair as I walked into the Islamic Society of Akron and Kent. I have never done this before and struggled as I used bobby pins and three hair ties to keep my hair in place. Removing my shoes as I walked in, I sat in…
-
North Hill library acts as hub of services for those new to U.S.
By Jenna Bal When Maurice moved from Mexico to the North Hill area of Akron about one year ago, he felt like he was starting a new life. “It’s all different,” Maurice said, “country, language. It’s another life completely.” Maurice, referred to only by his first name for privacy, moved to North Hill when his…