Abstract

In this 2025 joint interview, Mrs. Moore-Harper and Ms. Etheridge reflect on their shared experiences growing up in East Cleveland, graduating from Shaw High School in 2006, and remaining deeply connected to their community as adults. Moore-Harper and Etheridge discuss life, career, and education. They also discuss their long-standing involvement in Donte’s Gift Express, an initiative she has supported since its inception. Both interviewees speak about the formative impact of Shaw High School, highlighting close-knit peer networks, caring teachers, and the importance of the annual Shaw Reunion in sustaining community identity. Together, they offer insight into the pride, resilience, and enduring relationships that shape East Cleveland’s social fabric across generations.

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Interviewee

Moore-Harper, India (interviewee); Etheridge, Seretha (interviewee)

Interviewer

Mays, Nick (interviewer)

Project

East Cleveland

Date

11-8-2025

Document Type

Oral History

Duration

106 minutes

Transcript

Nick Mays [00:00:00] Good afternoon. My name is Dr. Nicholas Mays. I am conducting this interview as a part of the East Cleveland oral history project. Today is November 8, 2025, and I am joined by two remarkable East Clevelanders, Mrs. India Moore Harper and Ms. Seretha Etheridge. Both are graduates of Shaw High school class of 2006 and active members of Dante’s Gift Expresse, a community initiative that brings hope and joy to East Cleveland families during the holidays. [00:00:35] Both are professionals in their own right and have a story to tell. The purpose of this project is to document the lived experiences, memories, and contributions of East Cleveland residents whose stories reflect the city’s history, culture, and spirit of service. Yes, ladies, thank you for being here.

Seretha Etheridge [00:00:54] Thank you for having us.

Nick Mays [00:00:56] So let’s start by each of you telling us your name, age, and date of birth.

India Moore-Harper [00:01:03] Who you want to. You want me to go first? Okay. So my name is India Moore Harper, and My birthday is […] 1988. A big Aquarius. And I am 38. It’s hard sometimes. I have to do the math. I’m sorry.

Seretha Etheridge [00:01:19] I’m Saritha Etheridge. […] 1988 is my birthday. Big Virgo. 37.

Nick Mays [00:01:30] Okay, so let’s start off with. With Mrs. Moore Harper. We asked your name and date of birth. Where were you born and raised?

India Moore-Harper [00:01:44] So I was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. So I’ve been here all. All my life. Well, I’ve lived in East Cleveland. I was born in Cleveland.

Nick Mays [00:01:51] So you were born in Cleveland. How many years did you live in Cleveland before moving to East.

India Moore-Harper [00:01:58] Never lived in Cleveland. I was. The hospital was just in Cleveland. I’ve always been to east Cleveland.

Nick Mays [00:02:02] Okay, so the hospital. You were born in Cleveland.

India Moore-Harper [00:02:04] Yes.

Nick Mays [00:02:05] But you lived all your life in. In East Cleveland, Ohio?

India Moore-Harper [00:02:08] Yes.

Nick Mays [00:02:09] Okay, tell me about your. Your family, your parents, siblings, grandparents.

India Moore-Harper [00:02:20] Okay, so my grandparents, they are both deceased now. May they rest in heaven. But my grandmother is from Alabama, and I think so is my grandfather. My mom, she passed away April of 2022. She was from Cleveland. My dad, actually, I just found him when I turned 30, so. And with him, I got three amazing sisters. So now I am not an only child anymore. I have three amazing sisters, and I love them dearly. And then now it’s me, my husband, and we have a daughter, and we’re still in East Cleveland. So, like, born and raised here, and I still haven’t left, so I’ve never lived anywhere else outside of east Cleveland.

Nick Mays [00:03:01] Are you a homeowner?

India Moore-Harper [00:03:03] I am a homeowner. I bought my house in 2016. Yep. So I’ve been in the same house since 2016.

Nick Mays [00:03:10] Can you. Do you know or can you recall when your parents or your grandparents first moved to East Cleveland or the decade?

India Moore-Harper [00:03:19] The decade? No. They’ve been in East Cleveland forever. Like, I don’t ever remember them living anywhere else outside of East Cleveland. My grandmother has always been on 133rd, to my recollection. Prior to that, they did have an apartment somewhere, and I’m not sure where that address was. But as far as I know, it’s always been East Cleveland.

Nick Mays [00:03:47] What is your educational journey? K through 12. In this question, Shaw has his own topic. Right. So just tell me about what schools you attended.

India Moore-Harper [00:04:02] Okay, so I attended Chambers Elementary. I attended Mayfair Elementary. I attended Kirk, and then I attended Shaw, of course.

Nick Mays [00:04:13] Do you have any fond memories of junior high. Or if you can recall, elementary?

India Moore-Harper [00:04:21] All my memories center around, like, my friends and the teachers. Like, we had really cool teachers. So, like, we would get into trouble and everything, but I think. And I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I feel like I was positive popular. I was in a popular crew. But, like, We basically, we ran to school. We got to do what we wanted to do. We got in trouble, and, you know, they reprimanded us or whatever, but we got to do what we want to do. So. Yeah.

Nick Mays [00:04:48] I had an additional question, but it would force you to talk about Shaw and I want you guys to talk about Shaw later on.

India Moore-Harper [00:04:53] Okay.

Nick Mays [00:04:55] What led you to pursue a career in social work?

India Moore-Harper [00:05:03] Actually, social work was not my first choice. On my list was pharmacy and then real estate and then social work. But what happened was when I went to Cleveland State and I sat in those pharmacy classes, I could not pass the science part; so I was like, okay, so the guidance counselor was like, well, take an intro to social work class. So I took the intro class, and it was written ever since then. And then I found out later on in life that I actually had a social worker myself, you know, that was involved in my life and my upbringing, which I didn’t really recognize or realize until I was told she was just like another helpful hand. So I kinda. I kind of felt like it was destined almost, because I’ve always wanted to do for. Be like, a helping hand to others, specifically, like, kids, young adults, things like that. So that’s what I’ve been doing since I graduated.

Nick Mays [00:05:58] You know, I don’t think I asked you about siblings. How many siblings do you have?

India Moore-Harper [00:06:03] I have three. Sisters.

Nick Mays [00:06:04] Okay. Yep.

India Moore-Harper [00:06:05] I have three sisters now.

Nick Mays [00:06:06] So it’s four. Oh, you did bring up. So it’s four girls.

India Moore-Harper [00:06:10] Yep. Four girls.

Nick Mays [00:06:11] Okay.

India Moore-Harper [00:06:11] I was the only child for 30 years. Okay. And then, boom, now I’m one of four.

Nick Mays [00:06:18] But I’m sure you had some of your friends were probably like, your sisters.

India Moore-Harper [00:06:21] Like, oh, yeah, I have some cousin. Cousin sisters. Cousin brothers. Yeah.

Nick Mays [00:06:25] Yep. How was that? How was that dynamic did you have? It was interesting. In my conversation with Mr. Gibbs, he talked about growing up with cousins that was like brothers. Did you have that?

India Moore-Harper [00:06:38] Absolutely. I grew up with a house full of cousins that we. And we don’t even call each other cousin. Like, we say, like, oh, that’s my sister. That’s my brother. But because that’s how tight we were. Like, we dressed in the same outfits. We took pictures together. We went to school together. We had sleepovers together. So it was kind of, that’s my sister. That’s my brother.

Nick Mays [00:06:55] Interesting. Tell me about your current work with the say yes program and your role supporting families. So right now, I am a say yes family support specialist. So I work inside of the CMSD school. It kind of looks different now because I have two schools versus just one, but it’s the same role nonetheless. So I provide resources and connect families to things that they need inside and outside of the school. And that can look like clothing, utility assistance, food, access to medical or dental assistance, anything like that. I basically tell families, like, if you’re not sure I can help, just come and ask me, because I’m gonna find the answer. So I’ve always kind of played the role of, like, a connector.

Nick Mays [00:07:34] What is your family roots beyond East Cleveland in terms of–you know, a lot of us are people migrated from the South. Do you know where your Southern roots lay? Or do you even have southern roots?

India Moore-Harper [00:07:51] Yes. So I know. I know they’re in Alabama and they’re somewhere else, too, because my grandmother always used to talk about, like, Geechee. Like, geechee. And I know. I don’t know, like, what type of, like, witchcraft she had going on, but I know it’s somewhere deep down in there. But I was so young. Like, I was. I was even kind of young when she passed away, too. So I didn’t really get, like, a lot of it, But I know if I sat down, like, with my aunts and my uncles, that they would, you know, let me know.

Nick Mays [00:08:21] Okay, so, Ms. Etheridge, you’re next. What is your full name, date of birth, age?

Seretha Etheridge [00:08:33] Seretha Etheridge. […], 1988. 37.

Nick Mays [00:08:40] Did you live your entire life in East Cleveland? Were you born in East Cleveland?

Seretha Etheridge [00:08:45] So basically kind of similar to India. The hospital was in Cleveland, but I was born and raised in East Cleveland. Well, brought up in.

Nick Mays [00:08:56] Tell me about your family dynamic. Your parents, siblings, if you have.

Seretha Etheridge [00:09:01] So my parents, Peggy and Charlie Etheridge. I have six siblings, three brothers, three sisters. I’m the baby, of course.

Nick Mays [00:09:18] Okay. You talked about your parents, siblings. Do you know your Southern roots? If. If you have it.

Seretha Etheridge [00:09:28] So my dad is from Atmore, Alabama. My mom was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. My dad moved up here, I want to say around the 60s, somewhere in there. And he moved to East Cleveland. That’s where he moved to East Cleveland. And then from there him and my mom met and they’ve been there since.

Nick Mays [00:09:54] Did your parents own a home?

Seretha Etheridge [00:09:56] Yes, we actually still owned the home. No longer in East Cleveland, but they still have the house in East Cleveland. My brother actually stays in the house.

Nick Mays [00:10:05] Okay. Oh, interesting.

Nick Mays [00:10:09] You know, Ms. Moore-Harper, I, I wanted to come back to you for a quick second. There was a question that now I think I’m forgetting it. We’ll get back to it. So tell me about growing up in East Cleveland, attending the schools.

Seretha Etheridge [00:10:36] So I went to Chambers Elementary. Like halfway through elementary school, Chambers shut down. We were moved to Mayford elementary, where we finish off the rest of our elementary school year years. Then we went to Kirk for middle school, and then after middle school, we went to Shaw.

Nick Mays [00:10:57] What is the. Talk about the dynamic? Because it seems like there’s different middle schools and elementaries, but everyone goes to Shaw. So is that the case for your generation?

Seretha Etheridge [00:11:08] So there’s. There were multiple elementary schools in East Cleveland.

India Moore-Harper [00:11:13] And then just the one middle School.

Seretha Etheridge [00:11:15] The one middle school and then.

India Moore-Harper [00:11:16] Then one high school. So we all kind of funneled, you know, no matter what elementary you came from, you kind of funneled to that middle school. Right. And then you went to sh. So we basically. You followed you was with the same people, like all through your grade. Yeah. So you grew up with these people.

Seretha Etheridge [00:11:32] Yeah.

Nick Mays [00:11:32] That is interesting. It was not like that in Cleveland. Let’s talk about your. What influenced your decision to pursue pharmacy and then your studies.

Seretha Etheridge [00:11:47] Honestly, growing up, I thought I was going to be an obstetrician. And one day I was in the car with my parents and we pulled up to the pharmacy and I saw one of the pharmacists come to the window with a white coat. And I was like, oh, I want to do that when I get older. And here I am. Pharmacy.

Nick Mays [00:12:07] For each of you. For both of you. What’s school did you attend, starting with you?

Seretha Etheridge [00:12:14] For pharmacy, I went to the Cleveland institution of Dental Medical, where I received a certificate of pharmacy.

India Moore-Harper [00:12:23] I went to Cleveland State University for undergrad, and then I went to Case Western for grad school.

Nick Mays [00:12:29] What inspired you to go to Cleveland State first and then Case?

India Moore-Harper [00:12:37] I think Cleveland State. It wasn’t that I. That it was, like, my first choice. I just knew I didn’t want to go, like, out of state and. But I didn’t want to do Tri-C, so, like, Cleveland State was the next best thing because it’s close to home. That’s basically why I chose it. And then moving on to grad school, I. I kind of. Or people or I kind of got this idea that the bachelor’s just wasn’t enough. Like, I had to keep going. I don’t know why I felt that way, but I applied for the accelerated master’s program. I got in. I did that in a year, and then I graduated, and I’ve been in social work ever since.

Nick Mays [00:13:15] Okay, good for both of you. I didn’t have this question, but I just thought about it now because I feel like I want to get a sense of who you were as a young girl. Or early teenagers. So if I ask somebody who knows you really well, what would they say? Who were you as a young girl, early teenager?

India Moore-Harper [00:13:42] mischievous. We was always into something. Like, we were always into something, but we also were always together. Like, we lived in the same neighborhood. And this it. You can really talk a little bit about, like, what East Cleveland was like back then. Right. We didn’t have all of the phones. We didn’t have social media media. So it was pretty much, hey, I’m about to be outside, come meet me at the corner type situation. And we would just be together outside all day getting it to. We pranked Dante a couple times over the phone. Like, he’ll tell you. He tells that story every time we get together. But it was just. We felt safe. Like, everybody in the neighborhood kind of parented us. So it wasn’t like, you can go over there and be on trash. So it’s like we were. We were mischievous, but we were also the good kids. Kids, like, if you ask people, they’re gonna be like, oh, they were always good. Honor students did what we had to do. But we also knew how to have fun.

Seretha Etheridge [00:14:29] Right. So I can just, like, piggyback off of that? Basically. Yeah, we were. Yeah, a handful, but we knew how to handle business, like in school. Cause I knew if I came home with bad grades, it was over with. Like, so you know.

Nick Mays [00:14:45] You were doing your homework?

Seretha Etheridge [00:14:48] Yes, I was doing my homework, but I was also, like, you know, playing around. But I knew, like, hey, I catch you after school. Like, but I was going to class.

Nick Mays [00:14:58] So now I’m interested. Obviously, we don’t have Mr. Gibbs here, but what is the story?

India Moore-Harper [00:15:03] So it’s a couple stories, but. But the one. Wait, you want to tell the cell phone or the scholarship one? The scholarship one is mean.

Seretha Etheridge [00:15:11] It is mean.

India Moore-Harper [00:15:12] But like, after.

Seretha Etheridge [00:15:13] So after hearing it, like, from the outside in, like, you got to be like, all. 

India Moore-Harper [00:15:20] So we called him. He was. Mind you, he was at a house party. I don’t know if his mama knew, but he was at a house party. And he had told us that he had got this scholarship. I think he had just got a scholarship from.

Seretha Etheridge [00:15:30] Case–Yeah, yeah.

India Moore-Harper [00:15:31] So we called him on the phone and we was like, hi, can we speak to Mr. Gibbs? And he was like, oh, yeah, I can’t hear you. So he, like, leaves out the party and everything. And so we’re like, we’re sorry to tell you, but the scholarship that you received was actually for Dante Giblet and not Gibbs. [00:15:44] And he was like, what? Like, hold on. And he just got to, like, freaking out. And like, in hindsight, I’m like, that was so mean. And like, we were dying.

Seretha Etheridge [00:15:56] After we hung up from that conversation with him, he ended up calling us. He was like, yall, I didn’t get the [scholarship]. Like, what? You didn’t get it? That’s crazy. Who was Giblet? Who was this Giblet person? Like, how did they choose him over you?

India Moore-Harper [00:16:11] We was ready to ride for him knowing that we just made this whole story up.

Seretha Etheridge [00:16:17] But then after hearing. After hearing, like.

India Moore-Harper [00:16:18] After hearing him talk about it, I’m just like, Dante, we are so sorry. And then I have to tell the other one. We called him and.

Nick Mays [00:16:25] Wait, who did the voice, though? Like, who?

India Moore-Harper [00:16:27] Was it me?

Seretha Etheridge [00:16:28] I can’t even remember if it was you. It probably was you.

India Moore-Harper [00:16:31] It probably was me.

Nick Mays [00:16:33] Okay. All right, but go ahead. Go to the next one.

India Moore-Harper [00:16:34] The next one, we called him and told him that he was eligible for a cell phone upgrade and that we needed. And that he needed to pay for it over the phone. And he was about to give us his mama credit card information. I’m like, this could have been a scam. Gullible. Gullible. But also like, why was we doing that?

Seretha Etheridge [00:16:53] Yeah, why was we doing that?

India Moore-Harper [00:16:55] Like, we was bored.

Seretha Etheridge [00:16:56] But I mean, he, he pranked us.

India Moore-Harper [00:16:59] No. Dante? Yes. 

Nick Mays [00:17:01] So he got his own story about pranking you.

Seretha Etheridge [00:17:05] And his probably was way worse than ours.

India Moore-Harper [00:17:09] Like Remember. He would grab our book bag in the hallway and like run real fast and like twirl us around and we would like, twirl around.

Seretha Etheridge [00:17:15] So we were like turtles. Like, you know how a turtle has a shell? So like we’re the turtle. And imagine somebody taking a turtle and spinning them around.

India Moore-Harper [00:17:22] That’s what he would do.

Seretha Etheridge [00:17:23] He would jump in the middle of a busy hallway, jump down whole flights.

India Moore-Harper [00:17:27] Of stairs on us. Oh, he was a menace. He probably ain’t tell you none of that. He was a menace. Our whole friend group, I feel like we’re menaces, but it was kind of like, we’re still friends. It was like, it was like. But also like her.

Nick Mays [00:17:42] How funny.

India Moore-Harper [00:17:45] So interesting.

Nick Mays [00:17:47] I love it though.

Seretha Etheridge [00:17:48] And that goes back to like, you know how you like, my friend is my sister or my friend is my brother. Like when you’re in the household with the, your brothers, your siblings, like, you fight with them every day. Like that’s us, like, basically.

India Moore-Harper [00:18:04] Yeah.

Seretha Etheridge [00:18:04] Like, we literally fight.

India Moore-Harper [00:18:05] But that’s East Cleveland, though. Yeah. Like family. It’s not really like, you know what I’m saying? Like friends. It’s family. Everybody, auntie, everybody’s cousin. 

Nick Mays [00:18:11] Ms. Etheridge. I don’t know if I asked you about your parents. How did your parents meet? How did they come to East Cleveland? Did they meet in East Cleveland?

Seretha Etheridge [00:18:28] Actually, My grandmother introduced my parents to each other. They were out and my grandmother kept telling my mom, like, hey, I have. I know this nice gentleman. Like, that’ll be nice for you. My mother’s like, yeah, whatever. Like, whatever. And one day, one day she was willing to meet my father and, and they work. They worked out. Yeah.

Nick Mays [00:19:00] You’re here today.

Seretha Etheridge [00:19:03] Right! So shout out to my grandmother.

Nick Mays [00:19:05] Was it in East Cleveland?

Seretha Etheridge [00:19:07] No, it was in Cleveland, cuz my grandmother stayed in Cleveland, but my parents stayed in East Cleveland.

Nick Mays [00:19:14] Do you, do you know the year or the decade that your parents moved to East Cleveland?

Seretha Etheridge [00:19:21] My dad was first and I believe it was in the 60s where he moved to East Cleveland. I’m not exactly sure. Like, the exact. But I believe it was the 60s.

Nick Mays [00:19:38] Okay. So we’re. We’re gonna move on. And this is interesting because we already got collective, but now’s the collective part. But the dynamic is really. It’s going so well. So we talked about growing up in the East Cleveland school system. So let’s talk about Shaw. What stands out most when you think about your years at Shaw High School?

India Moore-Harper [00:20:09] Fun. The camaraderie again, the staff. Like, I feel like we had amazing staff back there. Like they did not want to see you fail, which is a part of the reason why we were able to come out of it the way we did. Like, our class and below and a couple above us. [00:20:28] Like, there’s so many successful people in our class. And to hear people say, like, oh, nothing good comes out of East Cleveland, but we can line it up. Like, we can line us up, you know, and it. Doctors, authors. Yeah. So like, people who have entrepreneurship. So we can line it up. And I think it has a lot to do with, like, the mentorship that we received at school and also, like, our friends pulling us up because, like, when I was weak or whatever. No, come on. We about to go do this. We about to go join this program, or you about to come and serve these meals or whatever. So it was, like. It was, like, so small.

Seretha Etheridge [00:21:05] And even still to this day, like, the teachers didn’t stop after we graduated. Like, we still keep in contact with those teachers for sure to this day.

India Moore-Harper [00:21:14] Yeah, like, they still checking in. We still checking in on them.

Seretha Etheridge [00:21:16] They’re at events with us. They’re social media. Like, hey, haven’t heard from yall. What’s going on. Like, haven’t seen yall post. Like, what’s. Like, just checking in.

India Moore-Harper [00:21:26] Yeah. High school friends are still friends. We going through marriages with each other. We going through expanding our families. We going through family deaths. And. Yeah.

Nick Mays [00:21:38] Tell me each of both of you, tell me a teacher or a staff member that. And I’m sure you had a number, but one that just inspired you, empowered you. Mentorship. You’ll never forget.

Seretha Etheridge [00:22:04] I’ll say. Ms. Moore, she was just. She was like a mother.

Seretha Etheridge [00:22:14] Like She didn’t take any junk at all. Like, you can give her any excuse, and she would just cancel it right there. But it was from the heart, so it was like tough love. And she just. She pushed us and whenever we needed something extra, she was just. She was there. I don’t know. She was just like, a A family member. Like, after school, we would go to her class and she. She would just like, you know, I wouldn’t say, like, curse us out, but she would give us attitude. But we knew, like, oh, Miss Moore mean business, but with love. Like, it wasn’t like, oh, my God, I’m going home to my mother. [00:22:58] Like, this teacher did this to me. Like, no, my mother was like, yeah, Ms. Moore. Yeah, get on. So I. That was one of the teachers. I mean, it’s plenty more, but, yeah, it’s a week.

India Moore-Harper [00:23:10] Yeah, that’s a whole roster. But the first person that come to my mind, and he gonna always come to my mind, and I’m always giving his flowers. He’s not a teacher per se, but he taught us a lot. And it’s Donshon Wilson. That was our Shaw band director. And he. I can’t even like the stuff that he taught. Like, when you’re younger, you don’t really understand or like, you’re listening, but you’re not really listening. But, like, to this day, certain stuff that he said or certain things that he taught us, I find myself repeating or doing as far as, like, how I carry myself. And then the discipline that he instilled in us from the bad side, but also just from, like, being humans and bringing us up so that we can be community members that are, you know, giving back. He just. I will always give him his flowers and he know that.

Nick Mays [00:24:00] Give me something that still resonates or sticks with you. And then for you, too.

India Moore-Harper [00:24:05] Let me see, what’s it? It’s a lot. First of all, don’t quit. And then the discipline for me is the biggest thing. When I’m in front of somebody or like, if we’re in a group and somebody is talking and I can hear little whispers, I’m automatically like. Because I’m like, almost like he in the room with me. Like, I’m like, he gonna get me or something. I’m just like, like, everybody be quiet. But then the other thing, and this is so random, but I was a highlighter. And he always told us. Or one day we were getting dressed or something. He told us, like, like, when you getting dressed, you never want to be naked on the top and the bottom. Like, you have to balance it out. So, like, if you’re gonna wear a crop top, then put some jeans on or put something long going. And vice versa. If you’re gonna have a skirt on down here, then I don’t want to see your belly out up here. I dress my kids that way. Like, so the Balance is. And that was just so minuscule. Like, that has nothing to do with nothing. But it’s something that, like, has stuck in my brain. So.

Nick Mays [00:24:59] Yeah, an action, a saying, a reprimand.

India Moore-Harper [00:25:10] What Miss Moore used to say. I know it was a saying. What did she used to say?

Seretha Etheridge [00:25:13] It was.

India Moore-Harper [00:25:14] She had a saying. She had a fan, and I can’t even remember what it was.

Seretha Etheridge [00:25:21] Oh, you are too confused.

India Moore-Harper [00:25:23] Huh? That’s what it was. You are too confused. Yes, that’s what it was.

Seretha Etheridge [00:25:26] You know how Rasputia be, like, how you do. Like, she was saying, like, you are too confused. Like. Yes. That’s the voice that she would use when she, like, somebody come in. Be like, Miss. Moore, I forgot my homework. She, like, okay, what you want me to do? Oh, I was wondering if I could do. You are too confused.

India Moore-Harper [00:25:43] Right. You either love Miss Moore or you did not like her. Like, it was no in between. And I feel like the people who didn’t like her just didn’t like that she, like, came down. Yeah. Like that she was on top of her stuff. So, like, either you folded into it and kind of emerged from it, or you kind of crumbled.

Nick Mays [00:25:59] So, okay, so you guys graduate middle school or junior high? What did they call it? Did they call it middle school?

Seretha Etheridge [00:26:09] Middle school.

Nick Mays [00:26:10] Okay, middle school. And now you’re freshmen at the same time, are you. Do you guys know each other going into high school?

Seretha Etheridge [00:26:22] Yeah.

Nick Mays [00:26:22] Okay, like, have developed a relationship or just know each other for school?

India Moore-Harper [00:26:27] No, we developed a relationship.

Nick Mays [00:26:29] So you guys are going into the. Yeah, we’re going to Shaw school. Start next week. What you wearing?

Seretha Etheridge [00:26:36] Oh, I’m about to see if I can switch to that class.

India Moore-Harper [00:26:38] Yeah.

Nick Mays [00:26:39] So freshman year, did you guys have any classes together?

India Moore-Harper [00:26:42] I think we traveled together.

Seretha Etheridge [00:26:43] Yeah.

India Moore-Harper [00:26:44] Yeah, I think we traveled together.

Nick Mays [00:26:45] Okay. But not classes together, like, history.

Seretha Etheridge [00:26:48] So. Yeah, like.

Nick Mays [00:26:49] Oh, travel. Oh, okay. Did they have cohorts or something? Like, cohorts: A,B, and C?

India Moore-Harper [00:26:56] So in middle school, we did have different. They broke it down into different schools, remember?

Seretha Etheridge [00:27:01] So, like, if you thought about being a doctor, you was in medicine and technology. If you thought about being such and such, you was in another school. So they broke up into schools. But then once we got to Shaw.

India Moore-Harper [00:27:11] In high school. Yeah, in high school, it was just, here go your schedule. And this is like, we’re. And we pretty much travel with the same class from 9th to 12th grade.

Nick Mays [00:27:20] So now I want to know. And I asked this question earlier for both of you. Who are you freshman year?

India Moore-Harper [00:27:31] Who are we freshman year? I think.

Nick Mays [00:27:34] Like if I said, you know, Donte or, like, if I asked you know, what are your siblings or cousins and friends? Like, you know. You know, who is. You know?

Seretha Etheridge [00:27:47] So I think freshman year, we were, like, innocent, like, sweet and like. Or I would say even, like, not scary, but we was fresh.

India Moore-Harper [00:27:57] Yeah.

Seretha Etheridge [00:27:57] Like, going in some. Like, we knew everybody in middle school, but, like, going into the big school, like, you got the bigger kids. Yeah, you got the bigger kids. We didn’t really know them. We knew of them because some. Some were, like, relatives to other kids.

India Moore-Harper [00:28:11] It was generational. Right. It was a lot of, like, generational in there, so a lot of sisters, a lot of cousins, but also, like, I was a tower boy. I was a towel boy, and it was bad. My hair wasn’t relaxed. I mean, baggy pants, tennis shoes. Like, I. Yeah, I was a tomboy.

Seretha Etheridge [00:28:28] Yeah. I’ve always been, like, the girly girl. Like, I needed a purse, so I had bag lady. I needed a purse. I need a book bag. I need everything.

Nick Mays [00:28:39] So wait, what was you. What was you guys rocking in those days? What was you dressing like? What was the. What was the fashion?

India Moore-Harper [00:28:48] The hair store flops and the matching jewelry.

Seretha Etheridge [00:28:51] Yeah. A lot of beads. Layered polos.

India Moore-Harper [00:28:56] I made a purse out of capri sun patches. I carried a. I carried a lunchbox as a purse one time. Double belts around your waist. Double shirt. It was what? Yeah, yeah.

Seretha Etheridge [00:29:10] Look at colored pump. Yeah. To match the. The two polos. You were wearing, like, waist and clothes.

India Moore-Harper [00:29:16] With the short pants. Capri pants, gauchos. Yeah. If we look back at pictures.

Seretha Etheridge [00:29:26] That song with the fur, that was literally.

India Moore-Harper [00:29:29] Literally. That was the outfit. That was the outfit.

Nick Mays [00:29:35] Do you. Do you guys have, like, a striking memory from freshman year. Whether it’s the first day of school, the last day of school, an event at school, a program, et cetera, et cetera. A game.

India Moore-Harper [00:29:51] The games was always lit. The games were always lit, though. Like, the pep rally. I think my most fond memory are the pep rallies. Even as a freshman, I think it kind of was just like. Like, wow. Like, this is our first time being able to go here. I don’t got my mom with me. I’m just with my group of friends. Like, are we about to show up?

Seretha Etheridge [00:30:10] Right.

India Moore-Harper [00:30:10] We about to start up. So, yeah. And it was a lot of. We had a lot. Like, now enrollment is down, but it was a lot of kids in school. Like, we were packed in that gym.

Seretha Etheridge [00:30:20] And it was an open enrollment, so, yeah, everybody had to be from East Cleveland to attend Shaw. So for it to be like, as packed as it was, we had a lot of people in the city.

India Moore-Harper [00:30:30] Yeah, I didn’t even think about that.

Nick Mays [00:30:32] What about you?

Seretha Etheridge [00:30:35] I don’t know. I guess I would say.

India Moore-Harper [00:30:38] I don’t know.

Seretha Etheridge [00:30:39] I can’t even remember years. Like, so much stuff happened. But, like, the games again. Like, just being able to attend the games, like, we. We heard about them. Like, oh, yeah, when you got some games, like, it’s about to be jumping. Like, you can be there on, like, you know what I’m saying? Like, we didn’t have to be in when street lights came out.

India Moore-Harper [00:30:59] And then homecoming, too.

Seretha Etheridge [00:31:00] Oh, yeah. Homecoming.

India Moore-Harper [00:31:01] Homecoming. Like the dance.

Nick Mays [00:31:02] Oh, you want the homecoming, the dance.

India Moore-Harper [00:31:04] The parade, the whole nine. The homecoming game.

Seretha Etheridge [00:31:08] I was about to say the homecoming game.

India Moore-Harper [00:31:10] Football game. Yeah, yeah.

Seretha Etheridge [00:31:12] And I would say the homecoming games because I had cousins who went to Glenville. So it was like we. You played like, those rival teams. And I was like, oh, yeah, girl. Shaw gonna win. They would be like, oh, no. So you would see your cousins with that group of friends from Glenville. [00:31:27] And then it was like, us from Shaw. We all in the stands, like, yeah, Shaw. Yeah, Shaw. And then they over there, like, you know, chanting. They look Glenville stuff. So it was like, okay, this will.

India Moore-Harper [00:31:38] Be having your little chance. Having your little glenville Chance.

Nick Mays [00:31:43] So, Mrs. Moore-Harper you were in cheerleading, or the band?

India Moore-Harper [00:31:50] In the band.

Nick Mays [00:31:50] Okay. Were you.

Seretha Etheridge [00:31:53] I was just.

India Moore-Harper [00:31:54] She didn’t do nothing. She didn’t do nothing. She came to the game to support me.

Seretha Etheridge [00:31:57] Yeah, I was just.

Nick Mays [00:31:59] So what do we do? What. And you can. We can extend it to, like, you know, freshman, Sophomore. Right. But let’s not go further than sophomore. What are we doing after high school? After school’s over for leisure?

India Moore-Harper [00:32:15] Like, after school’s over.

Nick Mays [00:32:18] Yeah. Like, what are you guys doing in that period of your life for leisure? Like, to hang out?

India Moore-Harper [00:32:23] Well, we. We go. Well, if we’re not stopping at, like, Peter Pans or something, like, on the way home. Because. Did you have your car at that time? Were you driving?

Seretha Etheridge [00:32:32] Not sophomore.

India Moore-Harper [00:32:33] She was driving at age nine. If we did not. She was the first one with her car. But since we not there yet. But we were straight home, like, I know I had to go straight home, do my homework. And then I immediately was outside. Like, my grandmother was just like, you’re not gonna sit up in here all day and not. And be in my face. Go sit on the porch. Go play a game. Go walk down the street. So we came home, you changed your clothes, you Ate a little something. You did your homework and then you was outside so the street light came on.

Seretha Etheridge [00:32:58] Yeah, that’s the same for me. My parents both work, so it was kind of like, you know, get home until we get home from work. And then, you know, same thing. Do your homework, change your clothes and find something to do.

India Moore-Harper [00:33:15] Because we was in uniform, right? Yeah, yeah.

Nick Mays [00:33:17] Talk about Peter Pans. Because everyone talks about.

India Moore-Harper [00:33:21] Because that. That’s like where you went, flies included. But, like, they had, like, donuts. They literally had everything. Like, why was there so many different kind of foods in there? They had the barbecue, they had breakfast, they had donuts. So, like, we. Well, I ain’t going to say that was senior year when we ditched school to go to Peter Pan one time. [00:33:41] So they had everything like Peter Pants was. And it was right down the street, like right there. And we was hurt when they closed that.

Nick Mays [00:33:48] Okay, so we’re in. Okay, we’re in Junior. Senior year. Tell me about ditching.

India Moore-Harper [00:33:53] Oh, yeah, that was. That was senior. This day. We. And yeah, we left, like, and it was. It wasn’t a small group of us. It was a large group of us. And we left off that school and we turned around and our teacher was standing in that window.

Seretha Etheridge [00:34:05] So, like, imagine the hallway has a big picture window at the end of it. So our classroom, it sits right by the picture window. So that we tell the teacher, we’ll be right back. And she’s an Indian lady, she’s like, okay, we’ll see you in a couple minutes. She thinking, like, we’re going to run to the restroom or something real quick. No, we’re all leaving out the building, going to get in parts. And we’re waving at her through the. Like, we wave outside and she’s waving.

India Moore-Harper [00:34:33] Back, waving at us in the window. Like, how did we even get out the building? We’re for security. Like, we’re was the security. But then also remember in class when we was. When we was throwing those Cheerios.

Seretha Etheridge [00:34:45] We Will always tell her, like, we would pass our test if she fed us. Like, we were hungry, we wasn’t getting good grades on our test. So she’s like, okay, no problem. So she brought us in, like a big Sam’s Club box of Cheerios. So everybody’s like, oh, yeah, we need some of those. We need some of those. So everybody passed out their napkins. So she spread us out for our test. And they’re literally throwing Cheerios across the room, like a food fight to get your attention. And they like. Because they Trying to cheat on the test. So we throwing Cheerios. And she walking around, crunch, crunch, crunch. And he’s dying, laughing, like, what is happening right now? She’s like, oh, oh, you guys. Oh, you did good on yourself. We like, oh, yeah, you gotta keep bringing in Cheerios. Like, if you want us to do good on our test. Whole time we like, what’s like “A.”

India Moore-Harper [00:35:34] It wasn’t a lot of behaviors. Like, we wasn’t bad. We was just bad. I don’t know. We wasn’t getting sent home, though.

Seretha Etheridge [00:35:44] Yeah, we wasn’t getting sent home, but we were, like, sneaky.

India Moore-Harper [00:35:47] Yeah, we was.

Nick Mays [00:35:48] I love it. And this is junior senior year time. You know, I asked you about staff and teachers that had lasting impact, but I didn’t ask you about classmates that had a lasting impact in your life. Can you identify a person or a couple people that had a lasting impact?

India Moore-Harper [00:36:13] Impact. It’s a few. You want names?

Seretha Etheridge [00:36:15] I was about to say, like, it’s.

India Moore-Harper [00:36:17] But because we. It’s. It’s like a core. It’s a core group of us. I would say that if you ask any one of us that we always say each other’s names. So, like, that’s how tight we’ve been since middle school. Probably like upper elementary school.

Nick Mays [00:36:32] Well, maybe not names. Maybe the type of impact, then.

India Moore-Harper [00:36:36] The type of impact. I would say motivation, but also, like, seeing them excel, it kind of make me say, okay, I gotta do more. Like, I need to be, you know, like, I. It keeps me, like, motivated to keep doing more. And I think it’s important when you surround yourself with people who are like minded, but also that are above you. Right. Because we don’t want to stay right here. So, like, I want to be friends with somebody who’s doing what I want to do so that way they can pull me up. And I think there’s no shortage of. Come on, we’re gonna do this together. Like, there’s no selfishness going on.

Seretha Etheridge [00:37:14] Yeah, I feel the same.

Nick Mays [00:37:20] In what way? Like an example. Right. Maybe not a name, but like an example. Well, I mean, of how they had a lasting impact.

Seretha Etheridge [00:37:30] I just feel like the same way, like, they. They lift you up. Like, nobody is. Nobody is left behind. So, like, if we see somebody down, we’re not gonna just be like, oh, they’ll be all right. They’ll be cool. Like our friend group is. Is there, like.

Nick Mays [00:37:48] Does this include, like, telling the truth maybe when you don’t want to hear it?

Seretha Etheridge [00:37:53] Oh, absolutely.

India Moore-Harper [00:37:55] Yeah. Yeah. I think we say it in a way that it’s received. You know, we’re not just like, do you not like, it’s not coming like that. But it’s like, okay, friend, I’mma hold your hand when I say this. But.

Seretha Etheridge [00:38:09] But, yeah, what’s going on?

India Moore-Harper [00:38:12] And I think because the friendship is so tight, it’s not seen, like, oh, you just being a hater? Or are you just, you know, like, me wrong?

Seretha Etheridge [00:38:19] Like, why asking me that or why you telling me that? Like, I think everybody receives it with.

India Moore-Harper [00:38:25] With love because, you know, the intention is to better not to hurt or harm.

Nick Mays [00:38:32] So now we can talk about. Since we’re not identifying one or picking one, describe the community. Who is the community of your classmates, and describe the sense of community that you guys had. Like, who is this. This group? Whether it’s five, ten of you guys and. And talk about your dynamic and sense of community.

India Moore-Harper [00:39:07] I think we’re fun. And I think no matter how much time passes, right? Because there’s some people in my group that I don’t talk to you every day. I probably don’t even talk to them every week or, you know. Know what I’m saying? But when we get on the phone or when we see each other, it’s like, we never left. We never missed a beat because I can see what you’re doing on social media or, oh, I saw you had this program or this project. I can’t make it, but here go $5 towards your whatever. Here goes $10 storage or whatever. So. And. And like, the compassion and the empathy is there. So, like, when you feel a loss, we all kind of feel a loss. And we rally. I love that we rally around each other. So, like, if I see something I going on, I’m not just taking it upon myself to do something, but I’m starting a group chat, like, hey, y’ all see what’s going on with someone? So, like, we need to reach out or has anybody spoke to them? So I think it’s just that that’s. That’s kind of like keeping us like, close, close knit did, right?

Nick Mays [00:40:05] How many. Who’s in this group? Is it 5, 10? How many guys that were like, really close knit group in. In high school?

India Moore-Harper [00:40:15] You want me to drop names?

Nick Mays [00:40:17] You can.

India Moore-Harper [00:40:18] So it’s me, Re, Ruby, Sarah, Donte Charde. I feel like that’s like the close, close knit. And then, of course, we branched off, and I have, like, work friends, and I have these friends, like, each pocket, but specifically this, I think that’s like, the group. And then you have, like, Marcus, and then you have know. So and so. So I think. But I think that’s the core group.

Nick Mays [00:40:44] Senior year. Prom. Let’s break this down. Prom. Where’ prom? What did you guys wear? Where did you guys go for your senior trip? Did you guys do the sweaters and the shirts with the sayings?

Seretha Etheridge [00:41:01] Yes.

India Moore-Harper [00:41:02] So let’s preface this by saying we are always late. Okay, let me say that. Do you want to start for prom, or do you want to start? Yeah, we can start at.

Nick Mays [00:41:16] Let’s start with Ms. Etheridge because we want your voice to be a part of it. And then we will let Mrs. Moore-Harper chime in.

Seretha Etheridge [00:41:26] Okay, we’re getting dressed for prom. She’s at her house. I’m at my house. Of course, we have all these ideas, like, are we gonna get dressed early? We’re gonna meet up so we can, like, take pictures, and, you know, we’re gonna get the whole group together. Of course, it went nothing like that. Like, we were late, still trying to meet up and take pictures. We have what we call, like, lineup where everybody meet up at the elementary school parking lot. And, you know, you just. So everybody’s able to see everybody go off the ground. They can see their cars, their outfits, and everybody’s just up there taking picture. We’re late again. So, like, we’re literally driving through, and everybody’s getting their cars. Like, okay, y’, all, we about to head to. Where was it?

India Moore-Harper [00:42:13] To the venue, the hotel that’s attached to Tower City. What was. I don’t know what it’s called, but it was at that hotel.

Seretha Etheridge [00:42:21] So, yeah, everybody’s there. And we still like, okay, hop out, get a picture. Like, get the background. Everybody’s moving and everything. Then we head to prom. Late again.

India Moore-Harper [00:42:32] Late to prom.

Seretha Etheridge [00:42:33] Late to prom. We get in prom. They’re like, okay, last call for pictures. Last. So now we’re running straight through the door. Gotta hurry to take prime pictures.

India Moore-Harper [00:42:42] I don’t even think we ate.

Seretha Etheridge [00:42:43] Yeah, we didn’t eat.

India Moore-Harper [00:42:45] We missed the food.

Seretha Etheridge [00:42:47] Yeah, miss. Miss the food. Missed the activities that was going on, whatever they had. We don’t even know who won. Well, we know who won. Prom king, the queen. We wasn’t there to see it happen.

Nick Mays [00:43:00] How late were you to prom?

India Moore-Harper [00:43:03] Oh, we were pretty late. We missed dinner and everything. We. We literally only had time to get in, take a picture, like. Like, walk around a little bit, and that’s it. And then we was late to aftermath prom.

Nick Mays [00:43:14] I was going to say, what was after prom?

Seretha Etheridge [00:43:16] Where was after prime was on the good time three.

India Moore-Harper [00:43:19] So we missed the boat. We ended up at Denny’s.

Seretha Etheridge [00:43:22] Yeah, we missed the boat. I got to the boat, but I wasn’t getting on without my friends, So I was like, I’m not getting on this boat. I’m calling them. Like, where are they? Where are they? You can hear the ball and, like, it’s literally about to take off.

India Moore-Harper [00:43:37] It was me. I think we ended up at the. The wrong boat or something. I don’t know. It was.

Seretha Etheridge [00:43:41] But I’m like, I’m not getting on here.

Nick Mays [00:43:43] So my friends. Wait, your other friends, Like, Dante got on the boat? Like, hey, what y’ all gonna do? We on the boat.

Seretha Etheridge [00:43:49] They were trying. They made the boat. And, like, I’m coming up the walkway of the boat, contacting her like, hey, where y’ all at? She like, we at the boat. I’m like, I don’t see y’. All.

India Moore-Harper [00:44:00] He was at the wrong boat.

Seretha Etheridge [00:44:01] Yeah, they were at the wrong place. Because I’m like, well, I’m not getting on. And they’re like, the teachers are like, I need everybody on the boat. Not me. You’re not. So Dante is like, I’m getting off the boat. So he’s trying to argue with the teachers to get off the boat.

India Moore-Harper [00:44:14] Did they let him get on?

Seretha Etheridge [00:44:15] No, they had to stay on the boat.

India Moore-Harper [00:44:18] Well, I know he was mad, and.

Seretha Etheridge [00:44:19] Actually, one of the students tried to jump on the boat and ended up missing a boat in the water.

India Moore-Harper [00:44:28] We heard about that after, of course, because we didn’t make the boat.

Seretha Etheridge [00:44:30] Right, but. And then they still made him get on the boat. So he was, like, at after prom, wet, like shambles.

India Moore-Harper [00:44:39] Shambles is what it was.

Nick Mays [00:44:41] So you guys end up going to Denny’s.

India Moore-Harper [00:44:43] Yeah, we ended time.

Nick Mays [00:44:46] It. It sounds like you guys didn’t have dates.

Seretha Etheridge [00:44:48] We did.

India Moore-Harper [00:44:49] I did have a date. Well, I had a date.

Seretha Etheridge [00:44:50] I had. Yeah, I was. Yeah, I went last night.

Nick Mays [00:44:53] And so the date is late, too. The date is not.

India Moore-Harper [00:44:55] He was just rolling with the flow. Marcus. He was just rolling with the flow.

Seretha Etheridge [00:44:58] He. He supported it.

India Moore-Harper [00:45:00] Was. Yeah, he in the group, too.

Nick Mays [00:45:02] Okay, I see. So you guys go to Denny’s and eat well, at least.

India Moore-Harper [00:45:07] I mean, dress Denny’s.

Seretha Etheridge [00:45:09] Dress to the teeth, to the nine.

India Moore-Harper [00:45:11] Dress to the nines.

Nick Mays [00:45:12] It was dating folks, like, looking at you when you walk in.

India Moore-Harper [00:45:15] Yep.

Seretha Etheridge [00:45:16] And then he’s sitting there loud. Of course, everywhere we go, we, like, made it a party, made it a scene. So we had our. After.

Nick Mays [00:45:26] Any senior trips, we went to.

India Moore-Harper [00:45:30] Did they go to Cedar Point?

Seretha Etheridge [00:45:31] We went to Cedar Point.

India Moore-Harper [00:45:33] We Did a. Did we have a picnic?

Seretha Etheridge [00:45:36] We had the senior picnic and then Senior Ditch Day. Yeah, but I don’t think it was, like, an actual, like, class trip.

India Moore-Harper [00:45:43] Yeah, I don’t think. I don’t remember doing a class trip. That would have been nice.

Nick Mays [00:45:48] And then graduation. Tell me about it. Wait.

Seretha Etheridge [00:45:53] First.

Nick Mays [00:45:53] Wait, so hold on. Like, take me from, like, getting up in the morning, got your alarm crack, you get up, today’s the day, all the way to the ceremony.

Seretha Etheridge [00:46:02] Okay? So before we get to graduation, we.

India Moore-Harper [00:46:05] Gotta tell a story.

Seretha Etheridge [00:46:06] We have to get to rehearse, though. Graduation. Rehearse, though. So we. Everybody. Oh, the class of O6 gets on the bus, the school bus, and goes down to the Playhouse Square. That’s where we’re graduating from. So we’re doing a rehearsal. I don’t even know how we.

India Moore-Harper [00:46:23] I don’t know.

Seretha Etheridge [00:46:24] Separated from the class.

India Moore-Harper [00:46:26] Me, you, and Donte.

Seretha Etheridge [00:46:27] And Dante separated from the class. So the buses are gone. We’re literally walking up the street. Where’s the school buses?

India Moore-Harper [00:46:35] Not a teacher in sight. I don’t know how they left three kids, but we were, like, stuck downtown trying to figure out. We don’t know how to catch the bus. Like, we don’t know what. We don’t have any money. So we called my aunt, who happens to live downtown. Did she bring us some money? [00:46:51] She came and put us on the bus.

Seretha Etheridge [00:46:52] Yeah, she came, put us on the bus. And when we got back to the school, everybody was like, where y’ all was at?

India Moore-Harper [00:46:58] Like, stuck downtown. Like, what Teachers, like, was like, okay, look, just come on.

Seretha Etheridge [00:47:05] Come on.

India Moore-Harper [00:47:05] Like, Like, y‘. All. We ain’t graduating yet. We not adults yet. Y’ all left us, and that’s how we really.

Seretha Etheridge [00:47:11] Standing out on the street.

India Moore-Harper [00:47:12] Like, what we supposed to do?

Seretha Etheridge [00:47:13] So now, that was so funny.

Nick Mays [00:47:15] Was that the same day of graduation?

Seretha Etheridge [00:47:17] No, it wasn’t the day before.

India Moore-Harper [00:47:19] I think it was the day before starting.

Nick Mays [00:47:21] That is. That is so funny. So you go back to school, okay? So the next day, you wake up. What’s. What’s the day like? What’s graduation like? But I just want you to. I love stories. So start me. You wake up the alarm clock. You’re excited. You’re going to graduate today.

Seretha Etheridge [00:47:39] Of course. Late, right?

India Moore-Harper [00:47:41] No, for real. It was euphoric. I think it’s surreal. Like, you know, not to go out.

Seretha Etheridge [00:47:47] There and be on our own.

India Moore-Harper [00:47:48] Yeah. Not only work was I getting dressed, but, like, my mom was getting dressed and my cousins was getting dressed. So, like, everybody putting on they suit and tie because Everybody felt like they had to be dressed up on that day. I’m putting on my outfit, my catch. We taking pictures and stuff before we get there. [00:48:07] And then, you know, you get there, and now you see the crew, and we all got on our caps and gowns, so now we all pictures gotta.

Seretha Etheridge [00:48:13] Be stuck in there. Hey, everybody, getting your seats? Give your seats. And of course, our parents know each other’s parents, so they like, girl, did you get this picture from this angle?

India Moore-Harper [00:48:21] Hold on.

Seretha Etheridge [00:48:22] I need all four of you all to turn this way. So now everybody is just all over the place, but we’re getting our pictures taken.

India Moore-Harper [00:48:29] And then, of course, everybody. Oh, we can’t wait to graduate. Like, we so sick of this school. Crying, bawling.

Seretha Etheridge [00:48:35] The minute they throw them caps up, everyone.

India Moore-Harper [00:48:39] I could not contain myself. Like, I was so overwhelmed with emotion. And what’s crazy is, like, Dante was a valedictorian, but, like, we tied at number seven in the class, and everybody was like, we’re not shocked because, like, when you saw her, you saw me, and when you saw me, you saw her, and it was like, it’s only fitting that y’ all tied for number seven in the class. [00:48:59] Like, who does that? Like, how did y’ all do that?

Nick Mays [00:49:02] That’s funny. So graduation is. Is such a. A beautiful thing, especially when you do it, you know, when you do it together and you have friends and. And, you know, and you guys haven’t spoke a lot about it, but I’m sure there’s some adversity and growing pains, you know, throughout high school, and you’re overcoming. [00:49:27] Everyone has adversities that you have to overcome. So you. You. You. You have that, right. You have the joy of graduating. And now, you know, now it’s time to really adult, really, right, and go to college. What. What was the summer or the immediate year like after graduation, individually, for your lives, whether you started school, whether you started work or.

Seretha Etheridge [00:49:55] So for me, like, directly after high school, summer was like, oh, yeah, all fun and, you know, hanging out. But then it was like, reality had to set in. I’m the scary one. So it’s like going away to school. So it was like, I. I got accepted to Toledo and to Cleveland State. Went to Toledo, and I was accepted to the pharmacy program. Got there and realized I had to share a room with other people. And I was like, who doing that?

India Moore-Harper [00:50:30] I do not remember that. I don’t want.

Seretha Etheridge [00:50:32] I don’t want to go here. So I was like, my parents, like, so, what you gonna do? I was like, I’m going home. So I went back. I went back home. I tried to do Cleveland State, got to Cleveland State, went in the middle of the courtyard and turned around and saw all these doors and was like, I don’t know what room 103 is, and went back home. So it was like that summer to me was like, girl, what are you gonna do? Like, what’s about to happen? So I was like, I’m gonna get a job. I’m gonna get a job. And I ended working up. I ended up working at a daycare center while going to school. School for pharmacy.

Nick Mays [00:51:15] So I see you made the decision to not go to the university or college or to the university, but to go to, like, a trade school?

Seretha Etheridge [00:51:24] Yes.

Nick Mays [00:51:25] How did you become aware of that trade school?

Seretha Etheridge [00:51:29] I think it was just, like, doing research because I was like, I. I want to do something, but, like, my fears won’t let me go to a university. So I was like, I need to do something else. And I wanted to be a pharmacy tech. So I was like, what else is out there? [00:51:47] And then I came across the Cleveland Institution of Dental Medical. And I was like, oh, girl, you can do that. You could go in, do your work and come home. Oh, yeah, that’s me. So I ended up signing up and going there.

India Moore-Harper [00:52:03] Yeah, I think for me it was little jobs here and there, but I knew that I was going to Cleveland State, so it really wasn’t like a hustle and bustle for me because I knew I had a plan. And then once I started, absolutely loved college life. I collected my core group of friends there, so I have my corporate friends there. [00:52:26] And we had a little table that we called, and we had only group members of the table could sit at the table. And everybody in the school knew it. So shout out to the table. But then also, like, when you were talking about, like, adversities and stuff, it made me think about, like, when we were younger in school, it was work or go to school. [00:52:46] Like, you had to go to school, you had to graduate. Now they have so many different avenues to take, like entrepreneurship or trade schools. I think it’s more readily accessible to them. Whereas us, it was just like one or the other. But now it’s just like we’re. We’re pushing them to think bigger because there’s so much more that they can do now.

Seretha Etheridge [00:53:06] And school isn’t for everybody.

India Moore-Harper [00:53:07] Yeah.

Seretha Etheridge [00:53:08] So.

India Moore-Harper [00:53:09] But back then it was just like.

Seretha Etheridge [00:53:10] You got for you, like, you still going.

Nick Mays [00:53:14] You guys didn’t have trade programs At Shaw.

Seretha Etheridge [00:53:17] We did. We did.

Nick Mays [00:53:19] Do you remember what.

Seretha Etheridge [00:53:20] I know it was cosmetology. Auto tech.

India Moore-Harper [00:53:25] Yep. Nursing.

Seretha Etheridge [00:53:26] Nursing. Fire tech.

India Moore-Harper [00:53:29] I don’t even know if they do fire anymore. And was it the cooking? Did they have the cooking one, too, or was that later down the line?

Seretha Etheridge [00:53:37] I don’t think that was the. I think that was just like.

India Moore-Harper [00:53:40] Oh, just a class.

Seretha Etheridge [00:53:41] Yeah.

Nick Mays [00:53:43] Okay, we are gonna pivot. I want to talk about community, connection and service. Donte’s Gift Express. How did we become deeply involved and just a part of it? So.

Seretha Etheridge [00:53:59] So.

India Moore-Harper [00:54:00] And I’ll go first because it kind of. It kind of worked like that because I came on first and then she came on. But Donte and I were working on Turkey Takeover together, which was a different event that we had for Thanksgiving. And then from that, the gift express was kind of boring. [00:54:17] So I was there from the very beginning, and it pretty much was, hey, and this what I want to do. Come on, we about to do it. And I’m just like, okay, like, let’s do it. And then Here we are 12 years later, and we have an amazing team, five people, and we get it done year after year.

Nick Mays [00:54:38] Let’s hear. How do you remember it?

Seretha Etheridge [00:54:43] Basically, India’s mentioned of Dante wanting to do Dante’s Gift Express, and then me receiving a phone call saying, hey, my sister, what you gotta do on such and such day? And me saying, I’m not sure what’s going on. Okay, meet me here. And then next thing I know, I’m a part of Dante Express. [00:55:05] But basically, it was like, no introduction. It was just like, hey, yeah, come on.

India Moore-Harper [00:55:10] We were voluntold.

Seretha Etheridge [00:55:11] Yeah.

Nick Mays [00:55:13] Where did you meet? Where? Where did you meet?

Seretha Etheridge [00:55:17] I think the. If the meetings first started at the.

India Moore-Harper [00:55:20] East Cleveland Neighborhood center, right?

Seretha Etheridge [00:55:24] Or was it at the Word Church?

India Moore-Harper [00:55:25] Little community? No, that was after. I think we started at the East Cool Neighborhood center, which is not in that building anymore. It’s in a different building. I think it was on the corner of Mayfield and Monticello. Or Lee, I think Lee. Yeah. We were very small at the beginning. It was very small.

Nick Mays [00:55:45] Who’s a part of it in the beginning? Yeah.

India Moore-Harper [00:55:50] I don’t even remember. It was me, Dante, one of our friends, Juan, because he was kind of like the spirit sponsor at the time. He had his own business, and we had the backing of, like, the. The executive director of East Cleveland Neighborhood center. And then I don’t think his family. Our family, pretty much whoever would volunteer at that time. I don’t think we had, like, a solid team of people until it started to Be this thing where it was like, okay, we doing this every year. This is about to become annual. We need to get, like, a solid.

Nick Mays [00:56:29] Group of people thinking back. Why did you guys believe or decide to follow Donte when he calls you is his idea. He calls you and you say yes, Kind of reflecting and looking back, why did you say yes?

Seretha Etheridge [00:56:50] Honestly, I thought it was a good idea for us to, you know, to just give back to the community. And plus, like, that’s my brother. Like, I’m always ride for whatever.

India Moore-Harper [00:57:04] But also, like. Like, knowing Donte’s history and, like, what we know about him from school, like, if he gonna do something, he gonna do it. He gonna put 100 into it, and it’s gonna be right. And if it’s not right, we’re gonna figure out how to make it right. So we knew we wasn’t following him, like, over a cliff or anything. And, like, if we decided to do it and it didn’t work out, then, okay, this is something that we tried. But, like, I knew that if we did it and it was successful, that it was going to be amazing. And it is. And it was.

Nick Mays [00:57:35] How many years have each of you been involved in the Donte Gift Express program? First, someone explain what it is.

India Moore-Harper [00:57:52] Okay, so Donte’s Gift Express, the tagline, is unwrapping the joy of family. So basically, the need that he saw was that families just were not enjoying each other, basically. Like, there wasn’t time for a family to sit down and just enjoy each other’s company and a safe space and have something to do. So he said, well, what if we provide gifts? But the gifts are surrounded around family engagement. So they’re board games, they’re cookbooks so you can cook together. They’re puzzles. They’re things like that to kind of make families want to spend time together. So that’s where it kind of stemmed from, and it grew from small to big and then started adding other layers. And now we have a family fun day, and now we do this, and we’ve partnered with. With coats and hats and gift cards and all this other kind of stuff. But the need, the gap really was like, fostering that sense of family and bringing that back.

Nick Mays [00:58:47] What do you have now in terms of those layers that you didn’t have in the. In the beginning? What layers have you added over the years?

Seretha Etheridge [00:58:54] And I have the Betty Ruth gift, which is separate from Donte’s Gift Express. We have people send in nominations, and we choose a family to sponsor, basically, whether it’s, like, helping with lights or gas, food outings.

India Moore-Harper [00:59:18] Whatever.

Seretha Etheridge [00:59:19] Just whatever.

India Moore-Harper [00:59:20] We try to gift everybody in the family with something every year. It gets harder and harder because we’re sifting through these stories, and people are, like, pouring their hearts out, like, oh, this, this, and this happened. And we have to choose, you know, up to three to provide a gift for. And then the family funding, which we added at year 10.

Seretha Etheridge [00:59:39] Yeah.

India Moore-Harper [00:59:39] Down at Tower City.

Nick Mays [00:59:45] Why is it important? Oh, first of all, how many years have you been a part of it?

India Moore-Harper [00:59:50] We’re in year 12. I’ve been there all 12 years.

Seretha Etheridge [00:59:55] I’m gonna say. I think I started a year after y’.

India Moore-Harper [00:59:59] All. Yeah. Probably like 10 or 11.

Seretha Etheridge [01:00:00] Yeah.

India Moore-Harper [01:00:01] It wasn’t too far behind, though.

Nick Mays [01:00:04] Why is it important for you individually to give back?

Seretha Etheridge [01:00:12] It’s important for me to give back.

Nick Mays [01:00:20] What does it. What does it do for. What does it mean to you that you’re giving. Giving back? And not, like a tagline, but like, a real. Like, kind of go into your soul, your humanity, and go, like, why is it.

Seretha Etheridge [01:00:39] I don’t know how to, like, put it into words. Like, it just. It makes me feel good to be able to help someone who is not necessarily. Well, I’m gonna say, like, who’s in need. Like, regardless if it’s.

India Moore-Harper [01:00:55] I don’t know.

Seretha Etheridge [01:00:56] Like, with everything going on in the world today, like, you never know what a person is going through mentally, physically, emotionally. Like, so for us to be able to lift someone’s spirits just by handing them a gift, like, to see those smiles when people come to the door, they like, oh, my God, I didn’t even know this was happening. Or, like, these are the gifts that my kids are going to be able to open for Christmas. So we’re not going to open them now. Like, that means a lot to me. Like, it just motivates me. Like, oh, yeah, like, we got to keep going. Like, we can’t give up. Like. Like, people are expecting this. Like, so for us to keep pushing it, it means a lot.

Nick Mays [01:01:35] Wow, well said. Mrs. Moore.

India Moore-Harper [01:01:38] Yeah. So it’s twofold for me. One, because it feels good, and it kind of has been ingrained in me since the beginning, like, giving back, you know, helping the less fortunate or whatever the case may be. But then the also end of that is I’ve always been, like, a mentor to somebody, whether it’s my own kids or, like, kids that I have done, like, leadership development with. So I like to. To be the person that I’m telling them to be. So I’m bringing my kids with me every time I Mean, every time, anything. If I’m serving the homeless, if we’re passing out coats, if we’re doing whatever they are with me because I want them to see, like, good people. Like, good things happen to good people. So you want to be a good person, and this is a part of being a good person. And even if they don’t know your name, at the end of it, they’ll mention, like, yeah, like, oh, yeah, Donte’s gift express. They may not know I had anything do with it, but they know Dante’s gift expressed.

Nick Mays [01:02:33] What does it mean to you? What does it feel like giving back to your beloved city, to East Cleveland? Did you. Did you think you’d be doing this in high school? Junior high?

Seretha Etheridge [01:02:48] No.

India Moore-Harper [01:02:49] Absolutely not. I probably didn’t even think I was going to be in East Cleveland. But now I’m like, I’m ride or die. Like, nobody can say anything crazy to me about East Cleveland now. We can say something crazy. Like, but as soon as somebody else say something about a pothole, I’m like, hold on.

Seretha Etheridge [01:03:09] Wait a minute. Not too much.

India Moore-Harper [01:03:11] Hold on. Now. Same thing goes for, like, sh. Like, we. East Cleveland just has a bad rep all around, and I get it all the time. Like, oh, you from East Cleveland. I thought you was from Cleveland. Why? Why did you think that? Because I can carry myself a certain way or because I do have an education? Like, people just don’t understand how many powerhouses have come out of east Cleveland.

Seretha Etheridge [01:03:31] Yeah.

India Moore-Harper [01:03:32] And are still coming out of east Cleveland. It’s a lot of talent.

Nick Mays [01:03:36] Anything you want to share?

Seretha Etheridge [01:03:38] I think she got it.

Nick Mays [01:03:41] So Mr. Gibbs, during our interview, said he called his team and said, tower City. And they said what? Yeah. From your perspective, y’ all tell me about that call, that meeting.

India Moore-Harper [01:03:57] Was it a call or was it a text message?

Seretha Etheridge [01:03:59] Oh, it probably was a text.

India Moore-Harper [01:04:01] And then once we got the text, we was immediately on the side. Like, he said, tower City. Like. Like, he think we about to take over Tower City.

Seretha Etheridge [01:04:10] Or did he just want us to walk through Tower?

India Moore-Harper [01:04:13] How does that work on a whole event? Like, out. He was dreaming big, and I was right there with him. But at the same time, I was just like, this might be too big.

Seretha Etheridge [01:04:22] Like, like, our eyes are like, this whole time. Like, yeah, yeah, yeah.

India Moore-Harper [01:04:27] Like, yeah, we can do it. Like, yeah, come on, let’s do it.

Nick Mays [01:04:31] So. So tell me about the event.

India Moore-Harper [01:04:36] So year 10, it was crazy. The amount of people, the amount of moving parts and the way that we came together as a team. Team. And really him, like, delegating who do’s what, who does what and when kind of helped out. But it was, like, it was surreal. It was magical. Like, the. [01:04:55] The snow was coming from the city. Like, they had, like, a snow effect. And at that moment when the snow came down, it was like. Everything was just like.

Seretha Etheridge [01:05:02] It was like a stop. Like. Like imagine yourself being in the snow globe. Like, you can’t go anywhere. You just have to just sit there and just watch. But you see, like, the magic happening.

India Moore-Harper [01:05:11] Yeah.

Seretha Etheridge [01:05:12] So it’s like, we know that people are enjoying it, but we’re sitting there and we’re watching it, and it’s just like, huh? Like, is this happening? Like, pinch me, girl. Pinch me.

India Moore-Harper [01:05:23] I think it’s a picture. I don’t know if it’s me and you or if it’s me, you and Donte, but it’s a picture of us, like, standing, watching families stand. And they’re, like, looking up, and we’re all looking up. And I think at that moment, it kind of just was like, we really, like, we really just had an event at Tower City.

Nick Mays [01:05:40] Like, why was it successful? And I don’t mean logistically, the moving part to the people who funded it. Right. But why. When you. When you think back to the event and being at the event, why was it successful? What made it successful?

Seretha Etheridge [01:05:56] I think our team, like, first, I think Dante, like, putting emotions into work and, like, really believing, like, hey, this good. This. This is going to happen. And plus bringing us on and saying, like, hey, like, y’ all are my team. I, like, we’re gonna. We’re gonna get this. This ball rolling. And us actually, like, you know, all of us having our own. Our hands in the pot, like, and actually, you know, they. How they say, too many hands in a pot. Our hands in a pot. But we were actually, like, cooking. Like, it wasn’t just like, oh, girl, like, what you putting in there? Like, we knew to put seasons up. Look dab of this, like, regular that. Like, so all of us having parts in there. I feel like we was able to push through and make it a success.

India Moore-Harper [01:06:44] Yeah, I’m sorry. Not just our team, but our extended team, too. Like, each of us knew, like, oh, we need to bring in so and so because they real good at this. Or even people who are. Who have been, like, ride or die with us since the beginning. Like, oh, we’re gonna bring them in and they gonna be over to volunteers, and we’re gonna bring them in and they gonna do this. So, like, I think, like, the partnerships and the relationships and most of our volunteers who did that day are East Cleveland Shaw High alumni. Not even exaggerating. Like, they bring their kids. Yeah, it’s. Is that tight? It’s that tight.

Seretha Etheridge [01:07:22] And they know, like, around this time, they’re sending out messages that, like, hey, when is the volunteer meeting? Y’ all still want me to be over the front table? Or like, they know. They. They know their roles without even being, you know, a part of the team.

India Moore-Harper [01:07:39] Without being told you it’s running itself at this point.

Nick Mays [01:07:41] Wow, that’s. That’s interesting. So. Okay. And thank you for the. Because I. I didn’t think I wanted that, but the. Now I think about it. Thank you. Because I did want to know about the logistics in terms of why it was success, but now I want you to take me to the event and talk about the engagement of the family, the kids, the people. Why was it successful? When you think back of, you know, the people, the families, the engagement.

Seretha Etheridge [01:08:11] Just the people being able to come out and be able to celebrate or just, like, do something in the city.

Nick Mays [01:08:22] Was it music? Was it dj? What was the thing?

Seretha Etheridge [01:08:26] There’s music. There’s different, like, activities going on. There’s sock skating, like, kind of like ice skating, but you wear socks. There’s a reindeer bull ride. Like, the bull decorated like a reindeer, and the kids are like, bull riding. There’s hot chocolate. There’s free hot chocolate. Yeah, free hot chocolate. There’s a craft table where they’re doing, like, different Christmas activities.

India Moore-Harper [01:08:55] We had the dj, but we also had, like, live music, which for the last couple of years, has also been a Shaha graduate. He sings. Him and his sister. They sing.

Seretha Etheridge [01:09:05] Yeah.

India Moore-Harper [01:09:06] We also had the band. Like, we had straw man come and they come. Yep. And shut the. Shut it down. And people come. Some people come specifically, for sure, because that’s the rep. The reputation that it has. But, yeah, it’s like. It’s like a whole bunch of stuff going on. On at the same time. [01:09:22] It’s like beautiful chaos happening, literally. But I think the. The excitement of something happening in the city, that’s big. And then also grateful. Like, they’re so grateful and appreciative. Like, when they see the staff walking around in those Dante’s Gift Express shirts, they are just like, oh, thank you. Like, where is this? [01:09:41] Pictures with Santa Claus? And then everybody leaves with a gift. Like, every family.

Seretha Etheridge [01:09:45] Every family leaves with a gift.

India Moore-Harper [01:09:47] So, yeah.

Seretha Etheridge [01:09:49] Yeah. I feel like that’s what it Is like, when they. They see us and they’re just like, is it like, can you point me in a direction? How much is the pictures were saying that we, like, freaking.

India Moore-Harper [01:09:57] They like, what?

Seretha Etheridge [01:09:58] Okay, let me get my babies. And, like, you know, everybody’s running to make sure they get the pictures with Santa. And some people, like, that’s their memory. Their. That’s their Christmas memory. Like, they’re not gonna. The kid is not gonna have another chance to have a picture with Santa if they didn’t come to this event.

Nick Mays [01:10:16] What impact is Donte’s gift expressed? And you said 12 years. It. 12 or 13 years.

India Moore-Harper [01:10:24] We’re in our 12th year. Okay.

Seretha Etheridge [01:10:26] Yeah.

Nick Mays [01:10:28] What’s the impact to the. The community?

India Moore-Harper [01:10:32] So I think outside of the numbers, because we. We have the numbers. Like, we know how many families we’ve served and everything like that. But I think outside of the numbers, one of the biggest things for me is just, like, showing East Cleveland in a different light, which is, like, positivity. Also having, like, the. [01:10:48] The. The news cut coverage and people being able to go back and see, like, oh, yeah, I remember when they did this or when they came on our street. And that’s another cool thing I think about Donte’s Gift Express is we’re not on the same street every year, so, like, you never know when we gonna come on your street. [01:11:03] And I think that adds to the excitement because we get folks like, well, why y’ all ain’t come over on so and so and so. It’s not like. It’s like, we’re having fun. This is a safe space. And we do this in a way that’s organized, but also, we’re playing. Planting the seed of family is important. [01:11:20] Togetherness is important. Giving back is important. So I. I’m hoping that this continues beyond us. Even if it’s not from us, it’s through us. So we’re, like, bringing up the next generation of people who are going to do either Donte’s Gift Express or something similar to Dante’s Gift Express just to keep it alive.

Seretha Etheridge [01:11:42] I think for me to go off of, like, the numbers, like, to see where we started, like, a small number, and then to see where this large number we’re at now. It’s like, oh, yeah, like, people are starting to hear and they. People are starting to know us. Like, they know. Like, oh, yeah, like she said, like, oh, is that time. [01:12:07] Like, they. They about to start coming on the streets. I hope they. Like, I hope it’s our street. I hope it’s our street. But they don’t know what street we’re going to choose until they see the line of cars pulling up and people just jumping out with gifts in their hands. So I think, like, the impact is, is, is there are.

Nick Mays [01:12:26] Do you guys connect your service and your work and community development, give it back with previous generations of East Clevelanders who, who gave back?

India Moore-Harper [01:12:39] Yes, I think we partner or we try to partner. Sometimes it’s a little difficult, but we try to pull in as many people as we can without becoming too, like, overwhelmed with it because too many moving parts can be too much. So I think every year we try to do something specific to, like, whatever our goal is. [01:12:59] So, like, if we know this year we want to focus on hats and gloves, then we’ll look in kind of our sphere or right outside of our spirit of things. Who can, yeah, who can we bring in and partner with to kind of jump on board with this? And then maybe next year it’ll be somebody different. [01:13:12] So we are looking into trying to highlight our partnerships and be intentional with, like, who we work with.

Nick Mays [01:13:18] Are you carrying forward the legacy of giving back in East Cleveland?

India Moore-Harper [01:13:24] Are we caring?

Seretha Etheridge [01:13:24] Are we caring.

Nick Mays [01:13:25] Are you caring forward legacy that had existed before you?

India Moore-Harper [01:13:32] That’s a good question. I want to say we started it like, I, I, I, I’m trying to remember of a time where.

Nick Mays [01:13:43] And, and not Donte’s Gift Express, but this is your kind of idea concept. Were they a generation before you giving back or doing nonprofits?

India Moore-Harper [01:13:51] That’s what I’m trying to re I, I now my memory is not the best, but I can’t like my, and I’m speak for my family only we. It wasn’t a lot of, like, volunteering going on. It wasn’t a lot of giving back going on because we had our own struggles to deal with, you know, trying to live life. So really. And I, and now it’s through me because I’m like, hey, y’, all, come down and do this with me. And hey. So I don’t know that I and that’s. And now that I’m thinking about it, it’s kind of sad to say. I don’t know that I recall a lot of that. And it may have been assisted, as far as I’m concerned, by Dante. Like, I don’t know, like, what, what he saw. But yeah, I don’t I kind of, I kind of feel like a movement is being made.

Seretha Etheridge [01:14:48] For me. I would say, like, with my parents, it wasn’t, like, necessarily like, directly in the community, like the streets, but, like, my Parents are big on, like, helping out at church or, you know, stuff like that. But again, through me, they have no choice, like, to help do the streets, because it’s like, hey, I need you on Saturday, Ma. Come on down, help us wrap gifts. Or my dad is like, we need your truck. Like, we gotta, you know, we need extra hands. Or my son, I’m just like, oh, you definitely come in. Like, you have no choice. But, yeah, other than that, besides, like, helping out in the church, I don’t think, like, there was much, like, community street wise.

India Moore-Harper [01:15:35] Like, like, like boots on the ground versus, like this overarching thing. Yeah, I think we more.

Seretha Etheridge [01:15:42] I think it was from us now it’s like, okay, everybody’s community.

India Moore-Harper [01:15:48] Yeah, it’s specific, it’s directed. We have, like, a target audience.

Nick Mays [01:15:53] Do you want to see future East Clevelanders carry on the legacy of giving back and community development?

India Moore-Harper [01:16:01] I would love to.

Seretha Etheridge [01:16:01] Yeah.

India Moore-Harper [01:16:02] I would love to. You see a lot of people making comments about, about, oh, it used to be like this and it used to be like that. And it’s just like, well, where you at?

Seretha Etheridge [01:16:10] How are you helping it? Where you at? Get back to that.

India Moore-Harper [01:16:12] What are you doing?

Nick Mays [01:16:15] I want to take a little bit of time and. And talk about this, what I call this phenomenon. Like, it’s. I’ve never seen anything like it ever, ever, ever. So I’m gonna hand it off to you guys. The Shaw reunion. What is it? What does it mean to you?

India Moore-Harper [01:16:39] Shaw reunion is a beast. It’s a beast. It’s a holiday. It’s its own holiday. Yeah, it’s a holiday. You know, when Shaw reunion is coming, it’s.

Seretha Etheridge [01:16:48] It’s the same weekend.

India Moore-Harper [01:16:49] Same weekend every year. Folks are flying in from out of town, like friends that we graduated with, that now live elsewhere. Elsewhere. They’re coming back. They’re getting hotel rooms, Airbnbs. We kicking it all weekend. You got your tent. I’m talking about what, one class that’s kitchen up, like 3 o’ clock in the morning? [01:17:06] Yeah, like 3 o’ clock in the morning.

Seretha Etheridge [01:17:08] They had an event that night. They were all dressed up. They had, like, a formal event. They were posting pictures of them, like, with their dresses and, like, slacks and ties outside, putting a tent up to make sure that they had their sprinkler.

India Moore-Harper [01:17:22] Spot right in front of the boathouse. Yes, the spot is right in front of the boathouse. Because the band normally, and I’m mad you came this year. The band was not there this year, but normally the band is there every year. And they march in, they do a couple songs, and they march back out. [01:17:35] And that’s kind of like the highlight of everything.

Seretha Etheridge [01:17:37] But yeah, it’s literally all classes mixed together.

India Moore-Harper [01:17:44] And like, I. I didn’t graduate from 78, but I can get a flat plate. Yeah, you know, like, I could get a plate.

Seretha Etheridge [01:17:50] Oh, yeah. Like, if you walking, if you walking by and you just. Hey. They like, oh, yeah, we got hot dogs, hamburgers. Come on over here, get you a pop. Don’t. Don’t get your water. Don’t be like, such and such and such. Okay, you from class of this. Okay, we gonna stop over there. [01:18:03] And each class is like, they’re either cooking something, they’re doing fundraisers for, you know, their class, their class trips. That’s coming up. Or it’s just whatever, like, whatever happened. You know how you go to a family member house and it’s like a kids party to turn into adult party afterwards? Like, that’s what it is. [01:18:23] It’s a kids party, adult party. Like, it’s just everything mixed together.

Nick Mays [01:18:26] You guys attend every year?

India Moore-Harper [01:18:28] Yeah.

Nick Mays [01:18:29] What do you, what do your. What does your class do for the event? Your specific class? Class of 2006.

Seretha Etheridge [01:18:36] So our class, we put up a tent. Depend on what’s going on. We fundraise, we cook. Just fellowship with her.

India Moore-Harper [01:18:45] Yeah, we really just be kicking it this. This year. We were. It was targeted on fundraising a little bit because we’re getting ready for.

Seretha Etheridge [01:18:54] Was it 20.

India Moore-Harper [01:18:56] 20 year reunion. Which is crazy to say, but yeah, but it’s intergenerational. Like you said, like, I’m gonna be at my. My grandmother’s tent because that’s what she graduated from.

Seretha Etheridge [01:19:05] From, Right.

India Moore-Harper [01:19:07] Cuz they just graduated. So I’m going be in a tent.

Seretha Etheridge [01:19:10] So what y’ all got different that we don’t got? Oh, y’ all got what? Okay, let me get one of those.

India Moore-Harper [01:19:15] Everybody’s just like here and it’s peaceful and it’s safe, which is contradictory to what everybody believes. Yeah, like, everybody believe that we just this rowdy community and it’s going to be a shootout every time. Like, we pride ourselves on saying, like, we from east coast Cleveland.

Seretha Etheridge [01:19:32] Yeah.

India Moore-Harper [01:19:32] We went to Shaw and there’s no violence at our all Shaw reunion.

Seretha Etheridge [01:19:37] Like, even if you have violence, like, I swear I. That’s just like the one day where it’s like, it’s like off limits or something.

India Moore-Harper [01:19:45] Yeah, it’s like peachy. That’s exactly what it’s like a peachy.

Seretha Etheridge [01:19:49] Whatever it was you had yesterday, today we homeboy like, you better dap me up.

India Moore-Harper [01:19:54] Leave it there.

Seretha Etheridge [01:19:55] Tomorrow it’s a different story. But today, in your view.

Nick Mays [01:20:02] Why has it become so important or a holiday to the East Cleveland, what does it mean this weekend that y’, all, in your view, and this is a question I asked everyone, but in your view, why is this such an important event?

Seretha Etheridge [01:20:22] I think it’s. It’s important to so, like. So everybody can just catch up and just, like, for the older generation, like, people are, like, passing away. So it’s like we get together and I can see everybody in one place instead of saying, like, oh, I have to go to this person house or such and such was here so I can see them. [01:20:43] Like, everybody is here. We all get to see each other at one time. Like, I don’t have to make specific trips or I don’t have to go here. Like, we’re here, so we’re gonna. I’m gonna see you. We’re gonna hang out for. You know what I’m saying?

Nick Mays [01:20:56] Is it like a city family reunion for a city. For a whole city or.

India Moore-Harper [01:21:02] Pretty much, Pretty much.

Seretha Etheridge [01:21:04] It’s.

India Moore-Harper [01:21:04] It’s staying connected. But I also think it’s, like, being able to show, like, the older generation, or even my generation, what the younger generation is doing. So, like, being in the bed, I’m always there. I’m like, oh, I can go to see the band. Like, I wonder what they’ve been working on, what new music they got. [01:21:18] So I think it’s. It’s that part too. Just, like, continuing to pass it down, to say, like, this is what we’re doing. This is how it’s done and keep it going.

Seretha Etheridge [01:21:26] And like you said, like, the older generation teaching the. The newer generation. Because, like, our first year, we didn’t have a tent. Like, we was just out there, like, right. Oh, what we supposed to do? And then we seen, like, the class below was like, oh, yeah, you all need a tent. So, like, the next year, we, like, we need a tent. [01:21:42] Like, oh, we have a grill last year. Oh, we need a grill. Like, so it’s like, you see the older generation and what they have and what they. What they bring in. You’re like, oh, yeah, we need that so our. Our class could be, you know, like, so we can fit in. Like, we don’t want to just be sitting out there with chairs and the sun beaming down on us, right? [01:22:03] Or we gotta, like, can we sit up under here? Or like, you. So it’s like. Like, it’s like a lesson, like, and.

India Moore-Harper [01:22:10] Giving back to, like, The. The. Some of the classes will put together like scholarships and they’ll pass out scholarships to the younger kids who are graduating or going off to college or anything. So every class does something different.

Seretha Etheridge [01:22:23] Stuff the bus this year.

India Moore-Harper [01:22:24] Yeah, we did a stuff.

Seretha Etheridge [01:22:25] Everybody brought stuff to stuff the bus for school district. So like, that was a big. That was a big deal.

India Moore-Harper [01:22:33] And it’s not just that. Right. We have like a big Facebook group too where it’s like an all star reunion Facebook group. So everything is being dropped in there too.

Seretha Etheridge [01:22:42] Events happening. Yeah. So like class of 78 is throwing a sneaker ball, like all is welcome or classic 22 whatever is doing this. And everybody. It’s like so many flyers being thrown across the. This fellow Facebook page. Everybody is doing something they like, make sure you pull up. It’s just not like, oh, well, only the class of 78 is allowed. [01:23:06] Like, no, if you want to go like, you’re. You can go like put it up.

India Moore-Harper [01:23:10] Yeah. And then also if something is needed, we drop it in there too. Like, hey, like the band when they went to China. Hey, the band is going to China. We need these hygiene items. Can you please donate? Okay. Where I spend my money, like, what’s the cash app?

Seretha Etheridge [01:23:22] Or even this Facebook group group. If like someone has passed away and they were alumni of shop. Like they make sure they posted in there. Or the teachers are like, what’s going on with the kids that are still in school? Like, oh, they’re having such and such. We need a dj. So like if you are alumni and you a dj, like you can come in there. [01:23:44] Like, oh yeah, I got them for homecoming or pictures or whatever the case.

India Moore-Harper [01:23:48] May be there like donating time and stuff. I think the All Shaw reunion is like the culminating event to everything that is happening outside of that. So like everything that we doing in the, in the background, we coming together and I’m like, oh, you miss so and so, right? I’m India. You spoke to me on Facebook.

Seretha Etheridge [01:24:04] Oh, hi.

India Moore-Harper [01:24:05] Hug, food, drink, whatever. So I think it’s just. I think it’s just like our culminating event.

Nick Mays [01:24:12] You know, you. Both of you guys have unique names. How did. How did your. Your names come about?

Seretha Etheridge [01:24:21] My dad actually named me. I’m not exactly sure like where it came from. My cousin whose name is Teresa, always said I was named after her, but I don’t. I don’t honestly think that’s what it was.

India Moore-Harper [01:24:34] Right. It could have been.

Seretha Etheridge [01:24:36] She always be like, you name doesn’t.

India Moore-Harper [01:24:38] Mean I’m like, girl.

Seretha Etheridge [01:24:38] No, I’m not So I’m not exactly, exactly sure where he even like got that from.

Nick Mays [01:24:45] They’re both pretty names.

India Moore-Harper [01:24:48] Actually. And my mama never, she never let me forget this. My name was supposed to be Britney. That’s supposed to be my name. But my mom’s best friend, her and my mom were pregnant at the same time and she was also having a little girl. She had her girl first and she named her daughter Britney. [01:25:04] So then my name became India. I don’t know where she got it from, but that’s where it was. And I hate, I used to hate my name. I hated it. But I, I did, I did. I was not partial to it, but I love my name now. I love my name. I love my name. [01:25:17] I’ve come across a lot of Indians, different spellings and all that. We’re pretty cool people.

Nick Mays [01:25:21] So I have one more topic and then a couple wrap up questions. Life in, in East Cleveland. So you guys talked a lot about your own individual lives, but how would you describe East Cleveland? Growing up with the East Cleveland now; and as a part of that, like, you know, for example, some people talk about like the things you can do or like leisure. They talk about all businesses that exist in black businesses. Or remember these grocery stores? I remember, remember this compared to now.

Seretha Etheridge [01:26:03] So I guess I’ll go because, I mean, I’m from East Cleveland, but I’m no longer in East Cleveland. Growing up in East Cleveland, like, we were able to like, just be free. Like, like she didn’t stay right next door to me, but I was able to walk to her house, which was like around the corner up the street. You know, like, we were able to like, just hang out and just be kids, like, go outside. Our parents didn’t have to, you know, stand out there and watch us. Also, like, the businesses, like there were thriving businesses on like every corner. Like grocery stores, like laundromat. I remember the little section, Laundromat was owned by a black couple. And my dad will always go in there. And he was. Yeah, like they was here when I first moved. And I was like, when you first moved over here. And like I said, my dad moved to East Cleveland in the 60s, so it was like, dang for them, like to see that they were still going when we were younger, but they’re no longer there now. And how just everything, like it’s changing is.

India Moore-Harper [01:27:19] I don’t know.

Seretha Etheridge [01:27:20] It’s kind of sad to me though, how it, it’s not how it used to be.

India Moore-Harper [01:27:25] Yeah, yeah. I think it felt safe. Whether it was safe or not. I don’t know, because we weren’t pertinent to that. And I think a lot of it had to do with social media, but it felt safe. It felt like a community. And I, I, I specifically remember, like, the penny candy store, and I remember our ice cream delivery truck man. Like, he was the Kenny. That was his name, Red Truck. He knew all of the kids names and everything. And I just think it was a sense of community in a way that everybody belonged to everybody. It wasn’t like, oh, you can’t say anything to my kid, or you can’t say anything to me. It was, oh, I’m gonna come and take your trash out on this day. Y’ all come in, mow my lawn. Or when India is around that corner, that’s your baby. So if she do something wrong, then you better get after it was that. And I just think we got so far away from that because everything is so individualized now. And I would like us to see it more, like, come in. Yeah, we need to, like, take pride. I think people are proud to be from East Cleveland, but I don’t think we take pride in East Cleveland. So I just, I think we need to get back to, like, taking care of it more. And I don’t know where that got lost at. Something as simple as. And I. And I use this all the time is like, your grass, like, keeping your grass cut. You live on it. You can tell. You live on the street with, like, homeowners. Hey, I noticed your grass a little, you know, because we nosy. I noticed your grass getting. You need your grass cut or, like, what’s going on now? It’s just, like, overgrown. Like, and. And I don’t care because I’m minding my business. Right? Versus back in the day, it was kind of like, well, no, I’m gonna come over there and cut it for you. Or your lawnmower broke. Like, let’s get it.

Seretha Etheridge [01:29:10] You know, like, my dad, when he mowed the line, he just went straight.

India Moore-Harper [01:29:13] Across it, mowed everybody.

Seretha Etheridge [01:29:14] It was like three houses. I was like, well, where do you go? We only got one line. And then here he come back here from the second line. Then it’s like, going back and forth. So it was like you took care of your neighbor, whereas now it’s just like, I’m focusing on my house.

India Moore-Harper [01:29:27] I’m mind my business. Everybody is in their mind they business era.

Nick Mays [01:29:32] Can you unpack that? They’re proud to be in East Cleveland, but not pride or. I’m sorry. I think I, I didn’t Say it, like, the way you said it. But what do you. What do you mean by that?

India Moore-Harper [01:29:44] Like, I’m. I’m proud to claim it, but I’m still not going to pick that trash up over there. Like, that’s what I mean when I say, like, I’m. They’re proud, but they don’t have the pride to do it. Like, you’re. You’re not organizing cleanups. You’re. You’re not keeping, like, holding people accountable. Like, no, don’t dump that over here. You know, like, when you see it, you’re not saying anything. And I think a lot. A lot of it is because it’s. It’s not safe anymore. Like, it. Or it doesn’t say anything. Yeah. Because you never know how somebody gonna react or pop off. And so everybody kind of just, like, clammed up. You don’t know what to say. You don’t know what not to say or what to do. And it takes that one person to say, like, well, no, we’re not gonna litter on this street. Like, we gonna pick it up? Or, I’m gonna walk my garbage can up and down the street, and I’m gonna pick the trash up. And people just watch. They don’t really. They rarely join.

Nick Mays [01:30:35] So, Ms. Harper, you talked about. Or you referenced the. The dynamic between up the hill and down the hill. The hill. What is that?

India Moore-Harper [01:30:45] So East Cleveland has down the hill, which is, like, down Superior Hill, down Forest Hill or whatever, and then you have up the hill, which is up Superior Hill or up Forest Hill, and it’s still East Cleveland. But you can definitely tell the difference. By what? By the way that the. The yards are manicured, by the way that the street looks like the street is paved. Garbage trucks and salt trucks. And you can. It’s. It’s just. It’s a. It’s a divide. Even when we did Donte’s Gift Express, which was, like, blew us back when we were up there. Yeah. They weren’t really receptive. Oh, no, we don’t need it. Like, give it to somebody who, you know, really wants it, or they just wouldn’t come to the door. I think we went on one street, and it was so many people that just didn’t open the door. Whether they were there or not, I’m not sure. Even. Even some people are like, oh, I’m not going to come to the door because, like, they’re older or, like, you know, they just don’t trust it or whatever the case may be, and that’s fine. So we’ll Say like, hey, we’ll leave it on your porch and you can get it at whatever time. They’re like, don’t leave it on my porch. Like, don’t do this. And we’re just like, okay, sorry.

India Moore-Harper [01:31:56] Like, I don’t even think we’ve been back up to. No, we haven’t been back up to Hill. Cynthia. Yeah, couase it’s just.

Nick Mays [01:32:03] Did you, were you aware of this dynamic when you were coming up like up the hill versus down the hill and.

India Moore-Harper [01:32:10] Nope. Cuz in my mind before I realized the separation in my mind up the hill was Cleveland Heights.

Seretha Etheridge [01:32:17] Right.

India Moore-Harper [01:32:18] I didn’t even know that was, you.

Seretha Etheridge [01:32:19] Know what I’m saying?

India Moore-Harper [01:32:20] East Cleveland. I thought that was Cleveland Heights, but we actually share a zip code. Like 44112 is Cleveland. It could be Cleveland Cleveland.

Seretha Etheridge [01:32:28] Literally, like if you cross over one, like the sidewalk is like it definitely like, yeah.

Nick Mays [01:32:35] What. What are some of the biggest misconceptions about our perceptions about East Cleveland? East Cleveland or East Clevelanders.

India Moore-Harper [01:32:55] That we ghetto. We uneducated because Shaw didn’t do a good job.

Seretha Etheridge [01:33:02] For a long time. Even like when my brothers were going to Shaw, we were, we had, they had the rep. Like, shaw, kids have aids.

India Moore-Harper [01:33:11] Oh yeah.

Seretha Etheridge [01:33:12] That was a big, that was a big one.

India Moore-Harper [01:33:13] I don’t even know where that came from.

Seretha Etheridge [01:33:15] And I think I cried going inside. So I was like, I don’t want to have aids.

India Moore-Harper [01:33:19] Like you was gonna catch.

Seretha Etheridge [01:33:20] Yes.

India Moore-Harper [01:33:20] Like.

Seretha Etheridge [01:33:20] And I was like, what? Like. But as I got older, I was like, well, how did they even come across? I don’t know.

India Moore-Harper [01:33:25] That was big. That was huge.

Seretha Etheridge [01:33:27] Yeah, that was huge. That was.

India Moore-Harper [01:33:28] I don’t know where that came from. But I think, I think the biggest one is that we’re dangerous, we’re ghetto and we’re uneducated.

Seretha Etheridge [01:33:36] Yeah.

Nick Mays [01:33:37] Does that frustrate you or upset?

Seretha Etheridge [01:33:40] Yes. Oh yeah.

India Moore-Harper [01:33:41] You see in like comments on social media or even I’ll be at a table and they’re, they’re. Somebody makes a comment about East Cleveland and I’m just like, like trying to bite my tongue because I know I, I don’t want to go in. Like, I don’t want to go in. But as soon as I say like, oh, I’m from East Cleveland, they’re just like, they’re like, you always get like that head. [01:34:03] Not like, are you?

Seretha Etheridge [01:34:04] Or they question like, are you? Like, I know where I’m from.

India Moore-Harper [01:34:07] Didn’t graduate from brush. No, I didn’t.

Nick Mays [01:34:10] How do you personally respond when people speak negative about city or do you not engage? Do you find ways to.

Seretha Etheridge [01:34:22] I think I pick my battles.

India Moore-Harper [01:34:24] I was gonna say the same thing.

Seretha Etheridge [01:34:25] Like, sometimes it’s best to, like, depending on, like, how the way that the conversation going. Sometimes you don’t want to get into it with that person because you’re just like, okay. Like, you say what you want to say, but then sometimes it’s just, like, some people aren’t up on it, so you kind of, like, educate them. [01:34:44] Like, hey, like, just because you heard that about it doesn’t mean that’s what it is. And they’re like, oh, okay. Well, I’ve never been. I was like, yeah, so, like, find out. Like, do your own research before you take it upon yourself to just go with the flow of somebody else. And they’re like, okay, you’re right.

India Moore-Harper [01:35:03] I also don’t think people do a good job of, like, highlighting the good in East Cleveland. I think by default, only the negative gets light shine on it. Like the raggedy streets or the dumping or the violence. But y’ all not recording, like, this whole resource fair that just happened or that happens every month. [01:35:25] Like, I just think. I think because it has a negative rep, that it’s easy to fall back into negative versus positive. Like, because when we’re doing good or when something good happens, we don’t get the same type of praise and backlash as we get. Oh, I knew it was East Cleveland. Must be East Cleveland. Had to be East Cleveland. Like so.

Nick Mays [01:35:43] There’s revitalization efforts, development efforts coming in, and it looks like there’s going to be more of that coming in. You have the Circle East project is coming up. Euclid. What do you guys think about future development or existing development, feature development? Do you support it? And if. And if not, or even if you do support it, if you don’t support it, how. How do you think. How do you want to see revitalization development efforts in East Cleveland? I know talking to some people, they’re like, yeah, we, you know, we support it, but, you know, we. East Cleveland need to be at the table. We need to have a voice. And so they complicate. They complicate it, right? So it’s not just a. I don’t support her. I. I support her. I don’t support it. You know. You know, sometimes it comes with caveats and stuff like that. So what do you guys think about external development that’s in your city now and it’s going to continue to come?

Seretha Etheridge [01:36:48] Yeah, I’m in the gray area because it’s like, like, you said, like, there’s people who have been here through it, all the ups, downs, all of it. And then you come in and you just like, hey, oh, we’re going to do this. Like, I feel like they should have a voice and they should be able to say, like, oh, this would be a great asset to our community, or this. That won’t work, or somebody tried to do that before and it didn’t go far. So I feel like everybody should be able to. To engage on what’s going on in the city instead of them just coming in and just being like, oh, we’re going to slap this here, or we’re going to tear down this, or, you know what I’m saying, just do what they want to do with it. So I feel like everybody should be. Should have input on what’s going on, especially the people who have been, like, homeowners for forever.

India Moore-Harper [01:37:40] Yeah, I’m excited, but I’m also nervous. I do feel like East Cleveland needs to be at the table, but I think we need to be strategic at who is sitting at the table, because I feel like a lot of what has happened in the past is we want to keep our sense of identity. Right? We. East Cleveland is going to be East Cleveland. I don’t want anybody to take that away from us. But in the effort to protect that, I think we have, like, declined or missed out on a lot of opportunities because we want to keep our identity. And I think now is shifting to say, like, we don’t always be East Cleveland. Nobody can take that away from us. But we need these things to continue to thrive and to get better. Yeah, we need businesses, we need houses, we need professionals to come in. So I’m excited, but I’m nervous, and I’m hoping that we can logistically, like, figure it out and work cohesively with everybody.

Nick Mays [01:38:39] So, finally, legacy reflection. Wrap up questions. First of all, what does East Cleveland mean to each of you personally?

Seretha Etheridge [01:38:56] East Cleveland is me.

India Moore-Harper [01:39:01] It’s home.

Seretha Etheridge [01:39:02] Yeah.

India Moore-Harper [01:39:03] And I. I always said I wanted to live in Solon when I was in school because I saw the big houses, but, like, now I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.

Nick Mays [01:39:13] Why not?

India Moore-Harper [01:39:14] I don’t. I feel safe here. I feel safe here. Like, I know I don’t know everybody, but, like, I know what I’m getting into here, and it might just be, like, a comfort zone thing, but I also feel like even if I was comfortable enough, they could put the biggest house in front of me in Solon [01:39:34] I probably still wouldn’t move because I want to be in East Cleveland.

Seretha Etheridge [01:39:38] And even though I’m no longer in East Cleveland, like, I mean, I’m not like, oh, you know how people move away from somewhere and they’re just like, oh, I never dropped on those streets anymore. Like, no. Every chance I get, I’m riding down East Clevlenad. I’m rolling down the back streets. Like, everybody always be like, why do you go down the darkest streets? [01:39:58] I’m like, I don’t know. I know. I know where that hole is. I know, right? I know where the stop sign is. I’m like, I. I don’t know. It’s just like, it’s home. You know how. You know. You know how to walk through your house and you like, I’m not over that.

India Moore-Harper [01:40:12] Yeah.

Seretha Etheridge [01:40:13] I’m not gonna stub my toe on that chair or anything. Like, that’s how I feel.

India Moore-Harper [01:40:18] Yeah, that was good. Yeah, that’s a good one.

Nick Mays [01:40:24] What lesson or lessons they growing up here teach you?

India Moore-Harper [01:40:29] Push through.

Seretha Etheridge [01:40:33] I was about to say to be strong. Yeah.

India Moore-Harper [01:40:35] Push through. And despite all of the. The barriers, whether they were self made or made by other people, like, keep going, push them down. People always say, and I always say, if you can get through East Cleveland, living in East Cleveland, going through East Cleveland city schools, maybe you could survive anywhere.

Seretha Etheridge [01:40:53] You can survive anywhere.

Nick Mays [01:40:56] What message would you like to leave for future generations of East Cleveland residents and char graduates? This is your opportunity to leave them a message.

India Moore-Harper [01:41:07] Yeah, I’m.

Seretha Etheridge [01:41:08] Oh, you.

India Moore-Harper [01:41:09] No, go ahead.

Seretha Etheridge [01:41:10] I’m gonna stick with this one quote that a teacher told me. It goes good, better, best. Never stop to rest until your good is better and your better is best. Like, that’s. That’s how I feel.

India Moore-Harper [01:41:29] Nice. I would say be proud and take care of one another. Take care of one another and take care of the community. Yeah. And reach back and help somebody. That’s what I would say.

Nick Mays [01:41:50] Okay, so final question. Legacy. You guys have a long time to go, but what do you want your legacy to be when it’s all said and done, based on what you’ve done up to this point, your contribution as parents, as residents, as professionals, You know, wives, girlfriends, et cetera, et cetera? What do you want your legacy to be? Up to now.

Seretha Etheridge [01:42:37] I just want my name to keep going. Like, I don’t want it to stop. Like, she did this. So I’m doing this because I know this is what she would do. Like, I want my son to just be like my mother was, you know, want to get out in the field and, you know, saying, get active so I’m going to continue.

India Moore-Harper [01:43:05] Yep. Individually. Yes, I can. I can agree. I wanted to continue then, like, on a bigger scale. I just want the work to, like, speak. But, yeah, I want the impact of the work and the seeds that we’ve planted to, like, move beyond us. So they may not know my name, but they know, like, hey, 10 years ago they had this program around, and they used to go door to door and pass out gifts. Like, we need to do something like that. And I’m sitting in the corner of the room like, yeah, yeah, I remember because I was, like, in it. So, like, that’s. I want. I want the legacy to be that. I want it to be like, advocacy, community, togetherness, giving back, volunteering, mentorship, leading by doing, showing by doing. Oh, yeah.

Nick Mays [01:43:59] I like one more. And finally, what’s your message to your friend, your brother Donte?

India Moore-Harper [01:44:10] What’s my message to.

Nick Mays [01:44:11] What do you want to say to him?

Seretha Etheridge [01:44:14] My message to him is thank you. Thank you for always pushing me out of my comfort zone. Thank you for always bringing me on to whatever project it is that you’re doing.

India Moore-Harper [01:44:31] I think without. Without Donte, like, dragging us along the way he did, or. Or me, I’m gonna just be. For me, I probably wouldn’t have gotten started in this path. Like, he started me in my first youth work. Like, he’s always, like, reached back and, like, pulled me up. So he planted the seed for sure. But I’m, like, continuing and ordering. So, like, he’s a menace, but in a good way. And I appreciate him and he know I appreciate him. So, like, yeah. Yeah.

Nick Mays [01:45:01] Well, Ms. Etherridge, Mrs. Moore-Harper, you guys are very impressive. Thank you for this conversation that I learned so much from. From our sit down. Thank you for contributing to this project. I seek to do the work to highlight and show positive forces and humanity of East Cleveland, East Clevelanders. And you’re contributing to that. Your stories will live on for forever in the archives of East Cleveland, East Cleveland Public Library, Cleveland State Universities. So thank you. Thank you for your work and keep pushing and keep going. I appreciate you.

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