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Columbus City Council honors local labor leaders, entrepreneurs at Poindexter Awards ceremony
Summary
Columbus City Council hosted a Black History Month program and presented its annual Poindexter Awards to labor and community leaders, highlighted by a keynote on local Black history and tributes to longstanding businesses and architects.
Council President Shannon Harden opened the Columbus City Council's Black History Month program on Monday evening in City Hall, inviting the public to "Happy Black History Month, Columbus" and saying the event belonged in "the people's living room." The ceremony included a keynote history talk, musical performances and presentation of the council's Poindexter Awards to local labor leaders, business owners and civic figures.
The keynote address came from Rita Fuller Hicks, a Columbus historian and storyteller, who traced Black entrepreneurship and community-building in Columbus from the early 1800s through the 20th century. Hicks highlighted figures such as Hanson Johnson, an early Black barber and property owner she said became one of Columbus's first Black millionaires, and families behind long-standing local businesses. "The history of Black leaders in Columbus is a testament to the power of a few good men who decided to lay the foundation for the future of our communities," Hicks said.
Elon Sims, chief of staff to Mayor Andrew Ginther, offered city greetings and framed the month as both reflection and action. "Black History Month is a time to reflect on our past, recognize our present, and envision our future," Sims said, adding a call to carry the legacy forward through mentorship and community support.
The event emphasized labor's role in local Black history. Councilmember Rob Dorrance noted the intersection of labor and racial justice: "You cannot separate racial justice from economic justice," he said while introducing honorees drawn from unions and the building trades. Louella DeJeter, president of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists in Columbus, accepted an award and thanked colleagues for decades of organizing work. "I worked over 45 years with the State Highway Patrol," DeJeter said, acknowledging union colleagues in the crowd.
Other Poindexter Award recipients included Brian Brooks, president and owner of EE Ward Moving and Storage, a family business founded in 1881; Lois Carson, president of the Ohio Association of Public School Employees and a 37-year Columbus City Schools secretary; Rhonda Johnson, an educator and former Columbus Education Association president who has served in multiple district and state roles; and Jonathan Moody, who spoke about continuing the architecture legacy of his father, Curtis Moody, and leading Moody Nolan.
Speakers noted the Near East Side's Long Street and Mount Vernon Avenue as historical centers of Black business and culture in Columbus and pointed to examples of entrepreneurship, union organizing and education as pathways to community wealth. The council acknowledged NBC4 as a sponsor and thanked the event organizers and performers, including Robert Fleming, who led the assembly in "Lift Every Voice and Sing." Council members said the awards are named for James Preston Poindexter, the city's first Black council member, and intended to highlight contributions across labor, business and civic life.
The ceremony was largely celebratory and ceremonial: council members and city staff presented awards and speakers shared historical context and calls to action. There were no formal votes or policy decisions recorded during the program.
About the award program: the Poindexter Awards are presented by the Columbus City Council to honor community leaders who have contributed to labor, business and civic life in Columbus. This year's honorees were recognized for decades of local service and multigenerational impact.
