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Written and Photographed by Doreen Dawkins Edited by Kyra Dawkins This was my second year attending Summer Jam West (held at Westgate Park), an annual free music and arts festival. It brought back memories of walking to Westgate Park from my grandparents’ house to play basketball. It was hot as fire outside. Zoo Trippin, a local blues/rock group, was performing in the background. In between songs, the lead singer shared some of his memories of the West side. While listening to Zoo Trippin, I talked with a few of the festival participants.  Zoo Trippin  Esther Flores, working with children What are you doing? Working with children painting rocks. While they are doing that, I am sharing with them the Golden Rule, which is to love God and to love everybody. Believe in the power of the tribe because in unity we can do so much. The Hilltop has a lot of children that are forgotten. This organization is all about the children and working with the mothers who are the victims of human trafficking. We have the Hilltop Butterfly Garden on South Oakley. The Hilltop is the hub of human trafficking and the opioid epidemic. We try to meet people where they are. Feed them, clothe them, if they are ready to go into recovery, we are doing that as well.  John Rush, CEO and President of Clean Turn Enterprises John Rush, CEO and President of Clean Turn Enterprises Tell me about the organization. Clean Turn Enterprises is a social enterprise incubator. We have three different social enterprises that we manage. For starters, there’s Clean Turn Demolition Services which provides employment for individuals coming out of incarceration. We have employed about 400 individuals in the last 6 years, providing a pathway into trades. We have She Has a Name Cleaning Services which is a residential/commercial cleaning company hiring individuals coming out of human trafficking, domestic violence, addiction, and sometimes the combination of all of the above. We have employed over 200 people (primarily women) over the last 3 years through that business. We have a little coffee shop on the west side called Third Way Café. In a polarized society when everyone thinks there is an either/or choice, we would like to think about maybe a third way of looking at things. Is there a question that I should be asking but haven’t? If so, what is it? What can businesses do to intentionally impact our society in a positive way especially in mass incarceration and the opioid epidemic? Step up the game and get more engaged with the public and non-profit sectors. It’s more than just donating money. Be intentional in creating policies within your company that are conducive to working with individuals who are coming out of challenging backgrounds.  William Huffman, Operations Manager of Friends of the Hilltop William Huffman, Operations Manager of Friends of the Hilltop Tell me about the organization. Friends of the Hilltop was started in 1996 out of the frustration of nothing being done out of the administration. We are in 2018 and we still have some frustrations with the current administration, but this administration is trying to work to help bring the Hilltop back. We provide land remediation, build flower beds, and mend fences. We do what is needed one block at a time, turning the neighborhoods back to empower people.  Refuge Ministries participants Jeffrey participant in Refuge Ministries, http://therefugeohio.org What is Refuge Ministries? The Refuge Ministries is a 13-month ministry that affects the lives of addicts and their families. We learn about the Lord and we follow the walk of the Lord, which is loving our brothers as we love ourselves. We learn how to work with each other and become integral parts of the society around us by bringing hope and faith. Other activities for children of all ages:  Artist Wrestling League  Spider man and the Princess  Honey and Blue I paused to listen to the microphone check of Honey and Blue. The vocals were fantastic! While interviewing Rashid Hill, their music entertained me. If it weren’t so hot, I would have stayed for the entire set.  Rashid HIll, Artist Rashid Hill, Artist, @Rashidhill.art, rashid@rashidhill.co Tell me about yourself. I’m a self-taught professional artist. I knew I was going to be serious about art in the 3rd grade when I entered the BET art contest and won second place in the nation. I like to be everywhere from fine art, to abstract, to surreal life, still life, etc. I don’t want to be in one lane. My favorite medium to use is charcoal. I like how you can blend and manipulate charcoal (erase, darken, make highlights, etc.). About a year and a half ago, I started using oil paints. As an artist I’m learning every single day. The last couple of years I have been doing Walking Dead artwork. I get permission from the artist to make prints of my work in exchange for giving them the original piece. I am currently working on a graphic novel.  Lousia Heyer, Fine artist Louisa Heyer, Fine artist (sidewalk chalk art) Louisa.heyer@yahoo.co Why do you do this? I like to do this because it’s performance art. It engages people. It makes them ask questions. I like to intrigue people.  Darrean Brown, Artist Darrean Brown, Artist (pavement art) FB: @misunderstood brilliance, misunderstoodbrilliance@gmail.com What are you doing? I’m out here trying to get a picture of Bruce Lee going and not pass out. Initially, I just tried pavement art because my friend Lori tried to get me to do it for the longest time. I decided to give it a shot. I found out I like it and it’s free advertisement. People get to know who I am and see some of my work. I like interacting with people who admire my work.  Sheryl Lazenby, Artist Sheryl Lazenby, Artist chalkstiz.weebly.com  Lori Hughes, Artist Lori Hughes, Artist FB @Lori Hughe What are you doing? 3D Monsters Inc. Raz. 3D chalk art from a specific perspective. You have to stand in one spot to see it correctly. Every other angle it is going to look skewed. I started in 2006. Up until 2012, I only did one a year. In 2012 I started doing 8 a year. Within the last two years I learned how to do 3D.  3D Monsters Inc., Raz The slideshow can be viewed on our 614whats2love youtube channel: https://youtu.be/MV0A6pdXWX My take on Summer Jam West: This is one of my favorite festivals because they pack a lot in a smaller area. If you want to sit in the shade and listen to music, it offers that. If you want to find out about organizations in the Hilltop area, it offers that. If you want your children to participate in free activities, it offers that. If you want to talk to local artists and/or purchase their art, it offers that. If you want to buy food from local food trucks, it offers that. So suffice to say, Summer Jam West is the place to be! Category: Festivals
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