Janice McCoy is now a great-grandmother, but she has clear memories of growing up in Walnut Hills and raising her family here as well. In her interview, we learned of how raising children has changed in our neighborhood over 3 generations.
Janice grew up in Walnut Hills in a close-knit family. Here she describes taking her younger siblings & nieces & nephews to Eden Park and Union Terminal for play time. (1940’s)
“When the cicadas started buzzing around, there was a change in plans!”
As a young mother, Janice relied not only on her own parenting skills to keep her sons safe and on the right track, but also on people in the community. In the first file, we hear of how her sons learned to save their money. In the second, we learn of a time when police and Black youth enjoyed friendships. (1970’s-1980’s)
“Can I please open a bank account?”
“They called [the officers] Batman and Robin.”
Janice has lived in many places in Cincinnati. In this file, she describes how her family first moved to Walnut Hills and the subsequent moves they were forced to make in quick succession as I71 was built.
“… and then we had to move again …”