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Black history and Afrofuturism
Credit: KRISTA FRANKLIN
Credit: KRISTA FRANKLIN
• Celebrating Black history: February is Black History Month, a time to celebrate the contributions of Black Americans to art, science, politics and American society in general.
• Dayton’s Black historian: As part of our Black History Month coverage, we recently published a piece remembering Robert Rice, a former Dayton schoolteacher who spent a lifetime collecting written and oral Black history from the area. Go here for an article on Rice and notable elements of Dayton’s Black history that he chronicled.
• Afrofuturism: This year, we are also exploring the Dayton region’s contributions to a field of art and thought called Afrofuturism. From Black Panther’s set design to art, music and dance, Daytonians have helped define the genre.
• Black voices: Our Ideas and Voices page also includes local residents sharing their insight on Afrofuturism.
• Local events: Go here for a listing of Black History Month events in the Dayton region, including a special exhibition at the Edward A. Dixon Gallery downtown.
Addressing lead contamination concerns
Credit: Alexis Larsen
Credit: Alexis Larsen
• Lead concerns: Health experts say there is no safe level of lead exposure for children, yet area children routinely test positive for lead in their blood at levels that can impact their development.
• Addressing lead pipes: A proposed strengthening of the federal Lead and Copper Rule could require public water systems to identify and replace every lead line in their communities, even lines connecting to homes that historically were the responsibility of property owners.
• A massive undertaking: The Dayton area contains hundreds of known lead service lines and thousands more that may contain lead and would need to be tested under the proposed rules. Reporter Sydney Dawes looked into how the rule will impact local residents.
• Local children tested: A national study found Ohio children have elevated levels of lead in their blood at more than two times the national rate. Blood testing has found elevated lead levels in hundreds of children in the Miami Valley. Here’s what local health departments are (and aren’t) doing about it.
• Other efforts: We recently reported that Ohio is allocating more than $84 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds for communities to use for lead abatement for homes, daycares and congregate care shelters.
Election 2024: We want your input
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
• Election 2024 : In addition to a host of consequential candidates and ballot issues on the local level, this year’s March 19 primary election will set the stage for which candidates will face off in November for president as well as races to represent our region in the Statehouse and U.S. Congress and Senate.
• Our survey: We want to know what issues matter most to you, our readers. Go here to fill out our survey. We will use this information to help guide our coverage and decide what questions to ask candidates for state and federal office.