Interview with Reginald Stroud, November 5, 2022

Interview Summary

Reginald Stroud moved to Cincinnati from Atlanta with his mother in the late 1960s as part of the ‘Great Migration’ of African Americans from the South to the Midwest and North. In this interview, Reginald describes growing up in the Avondale area, his schooling, having his first child, getting married, serving in the Army, and living in public housing in the 1980s. From there, he talks about using his skills in martial arts and retail to create a school and store. In 2004 he opened “Anybody’s Dream, by Reginald” on Walnut Street in Over-the-Rhine. Stroud talks about developing relationships in the community until gentrification caused his eviction in 2014. He describes the unfairness and challenges of leaving his store and those students who couldn’t travel for martial arts training. He discusses reopening in the Northside neighborhood and his concerns about being displaced again.

Interview Keyword

Anybody's Dream, by Reginald Avondale Great Migration Property managers Northside Gentrification Martial arts Displacement Two Cents and the Rainbow Cincinnati (Ohio) Over-the-Rhine Prostitution African American businesses

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