This Ohio City Triumphed in the Face of 2019 Devastation

#ohioblackexpo (VIDEO) Much respect to the community of Trotwood. Two (2) state championships and a devastating tornado all in one year. In March, Trotwood-Madison won their first ever Ohio Division 2 State Basketball Championship against Columbus South 77-73. In late May, a powerful EF4 tornado ripped through Trotwood (a predominantly Black suburb northwest of Dayton) damaging over 1,000 properties. Despite the hardship, students, parents and the entire community persevered. In early December, Trotwood-Madison closed out the year and won their third state championship title in football by beating Mansfield Senior in overtime 14-7.

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.