Mythbusting the Rural-Urban Divide: WOSU Brings Diverse Ohio Communities Together to Examine Similarities

COLUMBUS, OHIO, MARCH 26, 2021 – WOSU Public Media is hosting a free virtual event that brings Ohio’s urban and rural communities together in dialogue about the similarities that bind us all into one diverse state.

Mythbusting the Rural-Urban Divide in Ohio
March 31, 2021
Noon to 1:15pm
The virtual event is free to attend but registration is required

Moderated by 89.7 NPR News reporter Adora Namigadde, the conversation features Dr. Jackie Wilkins, associate dean and director of the Ohio State University Extension, DaVonti D. Haynes, graduate research associate in Strategic Initiatives and Urban Engagement in the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and Dr. Shawnté Elbert, associate vice president for health and well-being at the Ohio State University Office of Student Life.

Ohio boasts large metropolitan cities and urban innovation while agriculture is still the top industry in the state. Many Ohioans experience this rural and urban duality. As OSU extension notes, Ohioans are likely to “live in one county, work in another, and enjoy recreation and tourism in other counties.” Often this interdependence between the rural and urban is explored more in how these spaces are different rather than how they are the same and connected.

If Ohioans are truly interdependent then why does the mythical divide between urban and rural issues exist? And more importantly, how do we debunk the myth?

The event, “Mythbusting the Rural-Urban Divide in Ohio,” brings together rural and urban communities in a webinar to think of the similarities they face. At the heart of this conversation are determinants of health and wellness; with a focus on education, health, and employment.

“Mythbusting the Rural-Urban Divide in Ohio” is a part of the nationwide PBS American Portrait initiative. PBS American Portrait is an ongoing, evolving initiative that asks people all over the country to submit their individual stories by responding to one of a number of thought-provoking prompts. This is a major opportunity to make history by creating a communal space where people can share, explore and listen.

About WOSU Public Media
The mission of WOSU Public Media is to engage, inform and inspire our diverse community. An NPR and PBS affiliate, WOSU is a noncommercial multimedia organization serving over two million citizens in Central Ohio through broadcast, digital, programming, events and education experiences. A licensee of The Ohio State University, member-supported WOSU Public Media moves its headquarters and studios to the new 15+HIGH District on campus in 2021. Learn more at wosu.org.

Contact:
Amy Tillinghast
Senior Director of Marketing and Communications
614-688-2166 | amy.tillinghast@wosu.org