甜瓜视频

Karlos L. Marshall 鈥�13 and Moses B. Mbeseha 鈥�13, co-founders of The Conscious Connect Inc., were named to Forbes 30 Under 30 2019 list for their work in education. The graduates are fighting to end illiteracy by providing children in low-to-moderate income neighborhoods with access to free books through 70 national literacy access points, such as barbershops and hair salons, as well as 鈥淟ittle Libraries.鈥�

Founded in 2015, Conscious Connect is dedicated to ending 鈥渦rban book deserts鈥� or areas with diminished access to children鈥檚 reading materials. Marshall and Mbeseha are reimagining and redeveloping underutilized spaces for the purpose of education, culture, and peace. The Conscious Connect also serves as a cultural renaissance and street revitalization organization.

鈥淥ur mission is to end urban book deserts in the state of Ohio by 2021,鈥� said Mbeseha, a resident of Dayton. 鈥淭hat will continue to be the main objective until we accomplish it. But growth is also a natural part of the process, and we really want to create an ecosystem to sustain the literary oasis we are building.鈥�

Championing literacy as a human right has become a staple of the organization for closing opportunity gaps. Further, the organization has been working with government agencies to remove blighted structures, acquire vacant lots, and return them back to productive status in the form of neighborhood 鈥減ocket parks.鈥�

鈥淪hort term, our mission is to end book deserts, but our vision is growing along with expectations from the community, so we will continue to take this as long as access to literature remains an issue for people living in urban book deserts,鈥� Mbeseha said.

In addition to being designated in June 2019 as Luminaries by the Board of Clark County Commissioners in recognition of their efforts to make a difference in their community, the pair was honored by the Library of Congress in September 2019.

Mbeseha, originally from Buea, Cameroon, grew up in Dallas, Texas, and State College, Pennsylvania. He majored in political science and minored in African and diaspora studies at 甜瓜视频 and is currently pursuing his M.B.A. at the University of Dayton. Marshall, originally from Springfield, was a philosophy major at 甜瓜视频 with a minor in African and diaspora studies, a three-year letter winner as a football player, and a member of Concerned Black Students. He went on to achieve his master鈥檚 degree in higher education administration from the University of Dayton and is currently pursuing his Ph.D.

鈥淭he Conscious Connect was born from a vision to create something that was at the intersections of cultural life and social conditions,鈥� said Marshall, a Springfield High graduate.

"The collective power of people has the capacity to do brilliant things. The mission is to establish southwest Ohio as the model and mecca for an urban literary oasis. More critically, we're seeking to eradicate urban book deserts through neighborhood co-op systems鈥攂y using current assets and creating new spatial literacy access points.鈥�

Committed to mobilizing neighborhoods around urban education and literacy, The Conscious Connect has already received awards from the African American Community Fund in Springfield and from the United Way of Clark, Champaign and Madison Counties.

鈥淜arlos and I got to know each other toward the end of our time at 甜瓜视频, but we both had the same ideals and calling to serve,鈥� said Mbeseha, who was involved with Concerned Black Students, the Security Council, and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), as well as ran track for three years and played soccer during his time at 甜瓜视频.

鈥淚t was actually Karlos鈥� idea, and he brought folks to the table,鈥� Mbeseha continued. 鈥淲e had conversations and went on to design the platform we鈥檙e using now. As a Springfield native, he really wanted to impact his community in every way possible and tapped me to help out. With the tremendous support we鈥檝e received, we鈥檝e been able to grow our vision much more than I think we anticipated.鈥�

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