'The Connector' of Canton: Mark Bigsbee devotes himself to public service

CANTON − You'd be hard-pressed to name anyone in Stark County who wears more hats than Mark Bigsbee.

The Massillon native is one of the area's foremost civic activists and often uses his skills to advocate on behalf of the Black community.

"I'm a servant of the community. I try to either help or influence the progression of each organization," he said. "I try be a connector, so that's why I'm part of a lot of organizations because I can immediately say, 'No, that's not what they're trying to do.'"

Bigsbee holds leadership positions and memberships in the Stark County Urban League, the Stark County NAACP and the Stark County Minority Business Association. He chairs the Juneteenth community festival; has memberships in the Stark County Black Caucus, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission, and the Greater Canton Chamber of Commerce; and is event coordinator of the Black College Hall of Fame's committee.

He also serves as an adviser for She Elevates, Walking With a Purpose, My Sister's Oil, the Canton Film Festival and the H.O.P.E. Coalition and is the organizer behind an upcoming boxing tournament at the Memorial Civic Center.

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Bigsbee's activism echoes the mission of his late mother, Mary Bigsbee, who died in 2004.

"My mother has an extensive bio of her own," he said. "She was a community activist and leader who worked at the Massillon Urban League for over 25 years. She wrote many, many programs for the Urban League, and that's why this organization is so important to me. I call myself an 'Urban League baby.' I grew up in the Urban League.

"She probably was doing that somewhere in the early '70s, late '60s," he added. "And then she went into education. She started running an adult learning center in Massillon where she taught adults how to get their GEDs. After that, her transition was into the Urban League."

Bigsbee said his mother was at the forefront of AIDS prevention during the 1980s.

"She was trying to really educate people and passing out condoms and all that," he recalled. "That was a big joke between me and my friends because I used to really be mad at them, coming to my house and asking my mother for condoms. I was like, 'If you guys come to my house one more time ...'"

Her biggest accomplishment was creating Dial-A-Ride, he said.

"She did it in Massillon for maybe one or two years and then it transitioned into ABCD, and is still going today," he said. "When I see the vans, I just smile because you know, that's still her work."

Bigsbee said he initially resisted his destiny.

"As a youth I ran from all the things she was doing," he said. "She made me go (to events). She just knew. I think she knew that eventually it would be a part of me, that I would gravitate to it. And now community is my purpose."

Bigsbee said he is committed to serving a community that he describes as "broken." He has a special concern for kids.

"Growing up without a father, I had to rely on other people to help raise me," he said. "What do they really want? Honestly I believe it's just flat-out love. When you show them love and respect, they'll show it back to you."

DeLores Pressley is founder of She Elevates, a mentoring and enrichment program for teen girls. She said Bigsbee's advice has been invaluable.

"I'm always amazed at how Mark helps the community is so many ways," she said. "We have worked with Mark in the area of technology. His brilliance shows when he handles our sound and lighting. He is aware of the latest technologies and techniques to provide anyone with the help they need."

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A few years ago, Bigsbee and Canton Ward 4 Councilwoman Chris Smith co-founded "Unforgettable Christmas," a yearly community giveaway that recently served 900 families.

Smith describes Bigsbee as a "true servant," lauding his work with youth and with expanding the city's annual Juneteenth celebration.

"Mark is a very passionate about what happens in underserved areas of the city," she said. "He's very knowledgeable about fundraising, but most of his time is about giving."

Betty Smith, founder of the EN-RICH-MENT music education program for children and the African American Arts Festival, also said Bigsbee's contributions are invaluable.

"Mark is a community-minded person who loves to provide support in whatever way he can," she said. "Mark is very resourceful, has a big heart and rarely says no."

The Rev. Michael A. Pressley Sr., pastor of the Mount Zion Church of God in Christ, is the founder of the H.O.P.E. Initiative, which is working to increase awareness of rising drug overdoses within the Black community.

"I call him 'The Connector,'" Pressley said. "He has a gift for bringing everybody together in the community and getting us all on the same page. He loves the youth, and he'll do anything for you."

Bigsbee lists Juneteenth as one of his favorite events. As chair of the local community festival, he has expanded it into a two-day celebration offering live music, vendors and free food for children.

The festival was started by Ida Ross-Freeman, Mabel Gordon, Linda Campbell and Georgia Daniels.

"That event has been carried on for I want to say over 30 years, but I've been heading it pretty much the last seven or eight," he said. "The way it's grown is just incredible. Now, there's like 3,000 people that attend."

He sees Juneteenth as a "community festival," not just a Black-themed event.

"I can go to the Italian festival and learn about the Italian culture, and I can go to the Greekfest and it's the same thing, and we attend those, right?" he said. "And I need the rest of the community to attend Juneteenth so they can understand our culture."

Bigsby credits his wife's influence

Bigsbee credits his wife, Katrice Austin-Bigsbee, whom he met at a mutual friend's New Year's Eve party, with enabling him to do his work. The couple have a son and three daughters ranging in ages from 23 to 37, and five grandchildren.

"She's a super supportive wife," he said. "Seriously, I can't do this without her; I absolutely could not. When you are serving the community, it's not about money because there's no money, right? My wife is really my backbone. She's my everything."

Recently, Bigsbee, barber Adrian Culler and businessman Kenny Peterson formed a new nonprofit, the Men of Canton Foundation, which provides a safe and confidential space where men can talk about their issues.

The group, which has about 100 participants, meets at 9 a.m. every other Saturday (next meeting is Feb. 17) at the Southeast Community Center, 1400 Sherrick Road SE.

They're searching for a building to be able to offer resources and services to men of all ages.

"It's a safe space where men can be men," Bigsbee said. "Some people think men have to be hard and not vulnerable. We have the opportunity to just share with each other and explore possibilities as men and strengthen each other because most men, most people, are broken."

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Bigsbee is a graduate of DeVry University with a bachelor's degree in computer information systems and programming. He co-owns Total Media, a sound business, with Marcella Gattuso Petree.

He's excited about the recent resurgence of Black-owned businesses.

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"I'm inspired about the amount of businesses we are creating and starting," he said, "Because at one point, Canton had a great community of businesses, but it kind of died. And now I feel there's a resurgence of businesses coming to the community. The Urban League is going to be instrumental in supporting and nurturing some of these things."

Stark County Urban League President Thomas West credits Bigsbee and Assistant Director Clishawn Wiggins with keeping the agency operational when it was undergoing financial and personnel challenges.

"Mark is everywhere, and he makes himself available to everyone," West said. "His mother was an amazing woman and a community-minded person. I think Mark is just following in her footsteps by making himself available and being able to use his talents and his gifts to every organization that's out there."

When asked what's been most challenging about being a community activist, Bigsbee replied that he doesn't get discouraged.

"That's because I pray every night, and usually I wake up with answers," he said with smile. "People think that's kind of crazy but it's just how it's always been with me."

Two years ago, Bigsbee was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and now has pacemaker and defibrillator.

"I say this is my guardian angel now," he said, tapping his chest. "God is in the doctors that heal you. You can't always ask for, you know, a miracle when you have a person that he has already put in place."

Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com On X, formerly Twitter: @cgoshayREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Massillon's Mark Bigsbee talks about his life in community service