#ohioblackexpo – Nikki Giovanni grew up in Lincoln Heights, a once thriving predominately Black community in Cincinnati. Born in Tennessee, Giovanni’s family moved to Ohio where she spent her childhood years. Nikki Giovanni attended Fisk University and became a world renown writer and poet.
Ohio Black Expo is a statewide humanitarian organization, originally formed in 1988, that is dedicated to improving the quality of life for Ohio’s African American citizens, by establishing and encouraging an independent self-help approach to problem solving.
The founder of The Ohio Black Expo, Rhonda D. Robinson, was initially inspired to create the Columbus Black Expo after successfully registering 70 plus vendors for the Columbus Black Convention in 1980. The Columbus Black Expo was held at the Focal Point of Mt. Vernon Plaza from 1981 – 1987. After seven (7) years, realizing that the event was drawing people and vendors from around the state and beyond, she changed the name to the Ohio Black Expo to reflect what was happening.
The first Ohio Black Expo (OBE) event took place at Veterans Memorial downtown. It was held there from 1988 through 1991, peaking at almost 300 exhibitors and over 30,000 attendees.
