After six months, the best of the Mobile Newsroom

Sheridan Hendrix, The Columbus Dispatch
·4 min read
The Columbus Dispatch Mobile Newsroom
The Columbus Dispatch Mobile Newsroom

Happy Wednesday, Mobile Newsroomies!

Today in the newsletter, we're celebrating six months of the Mobile Newsroom. When we started in late October, we planned to visit three neighborhoods and see how things stood. I love where this initiative has taken us so far, and I can't wait to see where we take it.

So today, let's take a little walk down memory lane and revisit some of my favorite Mobile Newsroom stories from each of our neighborhood stops. It's impossible to narrow down all of our work to just a handful of stories, so the pinned articles at the bottom of this newsletter will include some of my honorable mentions.

Northland

How Northland's Global Mall became a landmark for Columbus' Somali community, by Micah Walker

A major reason we chose Northland as our first Mobile Newsroom location was because of the diverse community there. I had driven by Global Mall on Morse Road dozens of times and never knew what was inside before I read Micah's story.

Global Mall is a microcosm of Somali culture and home to 30 businesses, the majority of which are owned by Somalis.

"Global is a landmark for the community," Hassan Omar, president of the Somali Community Association of Ohio, said of the mall. "Even when people come from overseas and want to meet somebody, they say, 'Let's go to the Global Mall.'"

Tue., Feb. 1, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Herbie Johnson Sr., left, and Herbie Johnson Jr., right, pose for a portrait outside of H. Johnson Bar-B-Q in the Driving Park neighborhood. Johnson Sr. opened the restaurant 45 years ago with his wife, Sandra. The neighborhood fixture closed during the pandemic.
Tue., Feb. 1, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Herbie Johnson Sr., left, and Herbie Johnson Jr., right, pose for a portrait outside of H. Johnson Bar-B-Q in the Driving Park neighborhood. Johnson Sr. opened the restaurant 45 years ago with his wife, Sandra. The neighborhood fixture closed during the pandemic.

Driving Park

Gone, but not forgotten: The legacy of Black-owned businesses in Driving Park by Erica Thompson

As a business reporter who focuses on the intersection of race, gender and the economy, Erica used part of her time in Driving Park to report on Black-owned businesses. She heard over and over during her reporting that Black entrepreneurs thrived in Driving Park from the 1960s through the early 2000s, but the number of businesses declined in recent years.

Erica spearheaded an ambitious reporting project to map out 16 former businesses and five still hanging on today to explore the legacy of Black entrepreneurs in Driving Park.

It is, in my opinion, the pinnacle of what the Mobile Newsroom is about. Our reporting in these neighborhoods is not bound by the few weeks we spend there, and Erica's commitment to this story is a prime example of that.

The Hilltop

Father-son duo at the Hilltop's Beck & Orr still binding books 'just like we did in 1888' by Sheridan Hendrix

OK, color me biased – I know it's my reporting, but I'm still allowed to love it! The folks at Beck & Orr have been binding books the old-fashioned way for more than 130 years.

Ron and Skip Bowman captured my heart from the minute I met them. Their father-son banter had me cracking up when I went to visit their workshop back in February. In an increasingly digital world, it was refreshing to step back in time a little and watch them bind books by hand.

Ron Bowman, 86, cuts material to make a new cover for a book at Beck & Orr Book Binding on the Hilltop, which has been in business since 1888. Ron has been there since 1956. Their specialty is the repair and restoration of old books and they work on many Bibles but also bind theses, magazines and
Ron Bowman, 86, cuts material to make a new cover for a book at Beck & Orr Book Binding on the Hilltop, which has been in business since 1888. Ron has been there since 1956. Their specialty is the repair and restoration of old books and they work on many Bibles but also bind theses, magazines and

Whitehall

'A story like no other': E.E. Ward Moving & Storage's legacy on the Underground Railroad, by Ceili Doyle

This story explores a real Columbus hidden gem. Not only is Whitehall's E.E. Ward Moving & Storage a Columbus stalwart and the oldest continuously Black-owned business in the U.S., it also has ties to the Underground Railroad.

Eldon Ward, the last Ward to own the company, was was the fourth-generation to operate the company, which has evolved from a local horse and buggy operation in 1881 to a cross-country moving company.

His great-grandfather, John T. Ward, was a conductor on the Underground Railroad, known for hiding freedom seekers on his farm before transporting them to the next stop. Eldon's godson and current owner, Brian Brooks, is hoping to honor the company's past, as well as his former boss' legacy as a true civil servant.

Coming up: I'm happy to announce that we will officially be starting our time on the South Side beginning May 23! Our kickoff event will take place at the Columbus Metropolitan Library Branch on Parsons Avenue on May 25.

What's happening: I wanted to take a moment here to congratulate our Mobile Newsroom team for some recent recognition! Last week, the Columbus Dispatch won first place in the 2021 Best of Gannett awards Diversity Achievement category for our work with the Mobile Newsroom. We certainly don't do journalism for the awards, but the recognition is a testament that the work we do is important and valuable. We couldn't do it without you, our readers, and we thank you.

And as always, thank you for reading! If you aren't already, please consider subscribing to the Dispatch. And if someone sent you this email, make sure you subscribe to this newsletter to never miss an issue.

Until next week,

Sheridan Hendrix

Email: shendrix@dispatch.com

Twitter: @sheridan120

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Best of the Mobile Newsroom