Displayed at the Ohio History Center, the traveling exhibit Queens of the Heartland highlights African American women from Ohio, spanning the 1830s to today. It features their photos, narratives, memorabilia, portraits, and the contexts of their work, achievements, and movements. The Center showcased nine women from history, providing amazing insight into American heroes that often go unrecognized.

The OHC, also known as the Ohio History Connection, is dedicated to preserving and sharing Ohio’s history. The organization’s mission is to inspire curiosity about Ohio’s stories and use history to build a better future, operating multiple historic sites and educational programs for all ages.

The National Afro-American Museum & Cultural center presented this exhibit as part of the OHC and Women’s Suffrage Centennial Celebration. In February, I attended the Tea Room event at Ohio History Center, which was organized to celebrate the Black community. The Tea Room is a signature annual event, a recurring “pop-up” experience used as a platform for networking and fundraising within museums and the arts community. These events are like a callback to traditional twentieth-century tea rooms or ceremonies and their significance to social history. For their February Tea Room, OHC collaborated with the traveling Queens of the Heartland exhibit.

As I ascended the red carpeted stairs, the smell of hot tea and baked goods grew stronger, as did the sounds of music and laughter. The room was filled with lively chatter and old RnB like “Sweet Love” by Anita Baker. There was warm yellow lighting and bright colors in the décor and attire of the guests. I felt a bit out of place at first, and I was not sure where to sit. There were mostly older Black women there, dressed to the nines in pieces they had likely been collecting throughout their whole lives.

I originally planned to sit with someone my age but decided to step out of my comfort zone. I chose a table near the podium and asked three women if I could join them, and they welcomed me. The plating was beautifully designed: some crystal, others porcelain with intricate patterns resting on white doilies. Like the attendees’ attire and exhibit’s memorabilia, each piece felt like it carried its own history. I took my detailed crystal cup and asked for chamomile lavender tea.

After taking some pictures, I sat down and had a lovely conversation with my table. It was such an inviting space to be in, especially as a young Black woman. I loved watching everyone interact with friends old and new, telling stories and discussing the exhibit and its programming. Seeing the vibrant room and exhibit against the dull, industrial interior inspired me; I wanted to be surrounded with community like this and respectfully give this same love back to it. They asked me questions about what I was writing about, gave me ideas, and even helped me take pictures.

Once settled, Lyn Logan-Grimes, OHC’s Interpretation and Content Specialist, welcomed us. She thanked those who attended and introduced Cynthia Amoah, who handled poetic interpretation. My favorite one was dedicated to Toni Morrison, inspired by one of her quotes: “There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.” Amoah read it with such power, and at some points the mic had feedback that almost made it sound like there were two voices, as if Toni herself were reading it with her.

Karen D. Brame—historian, librarian, archivist—and curator Hadley Drodge held a thoughtful dialogue about the exhibit, their work, and how we can participate in archiving history, especially within the Black community. The program ended with a beautiful vocal interpretation by Dione Bennet, a singer inspired by Leontyne Price, one of the first Black opera singers. After the scheduled programming, I took more time to look through the exhibit. There was a timeline of Black movements and ideologies: The Anti-Lynching Movement, Labor Movement, Africana Womanism, and the ongoing fight for representation, many of which I had not learned about before.

I never realized how many of my inspirations were from Ohio, like Toni Morrison, or Black women who broke barriers within showbusiness like Ruby Dee. As someone pursuing a career within museums and theatres, reading her story of becoming an actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and civil rights activist made me all the more motivated to continue her work in breaking barriers. These women worked to bring access to the arts regardless of age or background. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be in that room, to hear the words of Black women who have lived and laughed, and see why they are titled “Queens of the Heartland.” For a queen is not crowned by applause alone, but by impact.