July 18, 2025
Haunted by a Childhood Memory At nearly 59 years old, Melissa Hill-Nance still hears the voice of her third-grade teacher—negativity haunting her for decades. “I clearly remember I was in a pretty little ruffle dress, had my hair with ribbons,” she says. “That day, we had to write about what …
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July 13, 2025
Imagine fleeing your home as a child because of civil war—only to have to flee again, and again. That’s the story of Zainab, a Seeds of Literacy graduate whose path to success was shaped by loss, resilience, and unwavering determination. A Childhood Marked by Conflict Born in Iraq, Zainab was …
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April 10, 2025
James Thomas Garrett III – aka Chef Jay Le Soul – is a private culinary artist in some of the city’s most exclusive homes and events. “This is the spread I made for The Whispers concert. And here’s me with Don King,” he says as he scrolls through his business …
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March 01, 2025
[Summer 2024 Intern Erika Scharf wrote this article. She attends Oberlin College] If you don’t believe in you, what’s the point? The first step is always the hardest. Amanda Murphy knows that better than anyone. Amanda, 45, has been coming to Seeds of Literacy on and off since 2011. The …
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February 10, 2025
Ask people to name their favorite tennis player, and there are a variety of names that come up, from Serena Williams to Roger Federer, or perhaps Billie Jean King. A name which should perhaps come up more often is Althea Gibson. Tennis is one of the most demanding physical activities …
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December 12, 2024
The Black Unicorn, aka Uni, hosted Our Voices Today, a show on the Burton Bell Carr Community radio station, last January. The nearly hour-long episode featured Bonnie Entler (President for the last 20+ years) and Student Ambassador Karen Brown.
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December 06, 2024
In this installment of our Have You Heard video series, Assistant Director of Programming Chris Richards discusses Pearl Harbor. Watch the video or read the transcript below. A day which will live in infamy! That is what then-president Franklin Roosevelt said to describe December 7, 1941, when America was shocked …
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October 24, 2024
[Summer Intern Erika Scharf contributed to this article. She attends Oberlin College] For much of her life, 53-year-old Charise Mayfield has been focused on taking care of others. But at Seeds of Literacy, she finally has the opportunity to do something for herself. Charise began studying at Seeds of Literacy …
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October 09, 2024
[This article was written by Intern Erika Scharf. She attends Oberlin College.] When you walk into the classroom at Seeds East, you might see Shanta Moore, hard at work studying or making friends with the new people that came in. Either way, you’ll be able to tell it’s her from …
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August 05, 2024
[This article was written by Intern Erika Scharf. She attends Oberlin College.] Carol Baraga is not a know-it-all, but she does know a lot. Growing up, Carol liked school. She self describes as an easy learner, someone who could enjoy all the subjects. But she had a wicked adversary: algebra. …
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