Melvin Mason Print Production Editor (or Twigg as he is sometimes called) started with The Cleveland Observer as a content provider and entertainment critic. This Magna cum Laude graduate is also the founder and director of Twigg Productions, a creative arts production house based in Cleveland, Ohio. Melvin’s desire is to inform and encourage people to pursue their purpose and become all they were created to be. That’s also the motivation for his first book, “Becoming A Kept Man: My Journey And Yours,” (©2019, Twigg Productions Publishing).
#twiggworks, www.linkedin.com/in/melvin-mason.
Lexy Jenson Copy Editor
Marva White Copy Editor
Bruce Checefsky is a regular contributor to The Cleveland Observer. He has a Master of Fine Arts in Photography and a Bachelor of Science. Having published dozens of articles and essays in museum catalogs, art magazines, and local newspapers, Bruce received three Ohio Arts Council Individual Artist Excellence Awards and a Creative Workforce Fellowship from the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture (CPAC). His photography and films are in the collections of The Cleveland Museum of Art, Akron Art Museum, The Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, Brooklyn Museum of Art, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and Allen Memorial Art Museum.
Sheila A. Ferguson (S. Alease Ferguson) has a track record of writing across various genres. Her published literary works span the realm of refereed scholarly writing and technical writing to playwriting, memoirs and creative non-fiction. To date, her co-authored works have been widely anthologized in the feminist press. In 2011 Sheila and Dr. Toni C. King co-edited Black Womanist Leadership: Tracing the Motherline (©2011, SUNY Press). Most recently, she has become a content provider for The Cleveland Observer. In her spare time, she is an avid reader and lover of comedy.
Gregory T. Moore is a freelance writer for The Cleveland Observer and author of the recently published book, “Beyond the Voting Rights Act: The Untold Story of the Struggle To Reform America’s Voter Registration Laws” (©2022, DeGruyer Publishing). Greg is a native of Cleveland Ohio and a leading voting rights advocate. He has advanced voting rights, civic engagement and the expansion of participatory Democracy among African Americans as well as under-served communities at the local, state, and national level. Greg says growing up with 8 brothers and sisters, and 1 bathroom, taught him the valuable lessons of patience and sharing.
Ray’Chal D. Wilson, a Certified Financial Education Instructor®, is the author of the Black Wealth Freedom series and CEO of Raise the Bar Investments, a minority-friendly, financial education, social enterprise. She is also an advisory board member of the Phe’Be Foundation, a Cleveland-based nonprofit fighting financial illiteracy across age ranges. Originally from Toledo-Ohio, Ray’Chel moved to Black Wall Street in Tulsa-OK in order to become a first-generation educator & entrepreneur, and has been honored as one of the top teachers in that state. Ray’Chel enjoys taking road trips in her hybrid, sharing meals with friends, and thanking God for better days.
Larry Frazier grew up and was educated in Cleveland. He later attended the Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and from there was ordained as a pastor for the Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod) in 1994. Larry has served in that capacity for 25 years, in both Chicago and now Cleveland, having been Vice President & Circuit Counselor of the Northern Illinois District, and now pastoring a congregation here in the area. Larry is an electronics technician, and likes to tinker in his spare time.
Nicole D. Miller is a five-time self-published author, tenured blogger, and serial entrepreneur in Cleveland. She has been featured on various podcasts, guest blogs, and television platforms for her writing. She offers assistance with book publishing via ND Miller Publishing, where she provides aspiring authors with affordable resources to manifest quality content. In her spare time Nicole enjoys shopping, a good red dry glass of wine and anything consisting of 90s R&B and Hip-Hop.
Mark Silverberg retired 4 years ago from a career in the sustainable construction industry to pursue documentary photography and storytelling, as well as work for justice. One of the ways he accomplishes this is through his volunteer work for the past 12 years with Neighborhood Connections. Mark especially loves to tell stories of healing and transformation, and how spirit moves in the world. Mark likes hiking in nature with his rescue Labrador retriever, learning about depth psychology, and singing and playing guitar!
Sharon Lewis
Ray Hom is a frequent contributor to TCO, with articles pertaining to Asian American events and issues that are important to our readers. He is co-founder of the AsiaTown Landmark project and currently serves on the AsiaTown Advisory Committee, People’s Street Project and The Cleveland Observer Board of Directors. Ray grew up in Cleveland but has also lived in Singapore for over 16 years, giving him more perspective as an Asian American living in Asia versus living in the U.S. He currently has residence in Cleveland’s AsiaTown. Ray is passionate about Diversity/Equity/Inclusion initiatives, voting rights and equality for all.
Margaret Adams
Devon Jones
Ezra Bezaliel A skilled worker in the social media and content management field, possessing skills in managing traditional and innovative digital marketing platforms, effective content creation and audience engagement techniques, details oriented based creator, and a performance-driven person with meticulous analytical and technical skill sets. I’m constantly envisioning what the future would be like and developing strategies for multiple steps ahead.
Anthony Byrd Intern CWRU A skilled worker in the social media and content management field, possessing skills in managing traditional and innovative digital marketing platforms, effective content creation and audience engagement techniques, details oriented based creator, and a performance-driven pe
Shaniyah Hubbard Intern Central State University
