COLUMBUS, Ohio — The nation is experiencing a shift in history, according to one Columbus community leader. And Yaves Ellis says the change is a long time coming.
“I think the biggest thing now that I’m seeing is for us to realize this right here is not a moment in time where it’s just going to last for a couple of days or a couple of weeks and then we go back to life as normal,” he said.
Ellis is a performer, pastor, radio host and marketing director for Radio One. For the past several months, he has used his time on-air on Mondays to host community discussions. It started with a focus on the disproportionate way COVID-19 is affecting the black community.
“So now you have something, this respiratory issue that has no vaccine that’s now on top of a situation where you have a lack of access to healthcare, where your neighborhoods are in food deserts, where you can’t even really get fresh foods, fresh vegetables, to even help your immune system be able to combat this thing, on top of the systematic oppression, the systematic racism going on,” he said. “So when you look at what’s happening with COVID and what’s happening in America right now, it’s one of those things that I’ve been trying to echo to people, that now more than ever, it’s time for us to, one, declare racism as a public health crisis, not just in Columbus but all across the nation it needs to be said, and then for us to begin to band together and figure out how we can begin to rectify years and centuries of wrongdoing to a people.”
Of course, in recent weeks, the conversation has turned to the fight against racial injustice, with a spotlight on the protests, both in Columbus and beyond.
“It’s not about a single incident,” Ellis said. “This is a rising up against a system that has metaphorically had its knee on the necks of black people, poor people, immigrants,” he said. “And so what you’re seeing is the effect of shaking up a bottle and then taking the top off. Now you’re seeing the fact that you tried to suppress something so long, and we refuse to continue to be suppressed.”
Ellis has talked about the protests from behind the pulpit, at New Birth Christian Ministries, and behind the microphone, with community leaders, including Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther, Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin and Columbus Urban League President Stephanie Hightower.
“This is an opportunity city, is what we call it, and now it’s an opportunity for us all to make history together, and that’s what’s beautiful about what’s happening in Columbus,” Ellis said. “I’m seeing people from all sectors of life, reaching out, asking questions, asking how they can get involved, asking what they can do. People are willing to listen now but also willing to take action.”
But this is not the first time Ellis has spoken to 10TV about racial injustice. Back in 2016, just after the officer-involved shooting deaths of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling, Ellis talked about the need for change. Still, several years later, he says, this time, is different.
“I do believe that this is just the start of something bigger, and I do believe that this is different than before, only because it feels like, with the city being in unrest and the city being on fire, more people are awakened, more people are really hands-on about making change, as opposed to just marching and talking about it,” he said. “Everybody can play a part in change. If you’re not on the front lines and protesting, don’t feel like you can’t still be involved. Again, there are people who we need to help out in policy, people we need to help out in the law reform, police reform, talking with government officials and negotiating, and really just looking at your own implicit bias to figure out, what do you really believe about people, what do you really think about people, and give yourself a chance to be able to grow and to learn from others. I think that’s so important.