Browse Interviews

Maria Smith recollects her early life growing up in Jefferson City, Missouri, attending Catholic schools and later studying Political Science in college. Smith decided to go to law school soon after, later reconnecting with her faith. Smith highlights the need to find community in her life, which eventually led her to Cleveland’s Near West Side. Smith and her husband were involved in the Witness for Peace where they lived and worked in Nicaragua during the Contra War. They would eventually live…

Maryellen Eickman-Fiala details her early life growing up in Forest Park, an early planned suburb of Cincinnati. Eickman-Fiala recollects her college experience at Case Western Reserve University. She highlights her work in dietetics and as a diabetes instructor. Eickman-Fiala shares her experience living in the Near West Side and discusses its continued gentrification since her arrival. She shares her involvement in various community boards. Eickman-Fiala recollects her experience with…