While many know the well-documented stories of Black leaders such as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Angela Davis and more, there are everyday Clevelanders who are contributing to the rich history and tradition of Black people. This month, I will focus on telling a few stories about Black leaders, organizations and places in our city that center and celebrate the wellness of the Black community.
Pamela Hubbard is a well-known community leader and advocate. Soon to be 70 years old, she channels the lessons passed down to her as a child to help uplift the Black community. She sat down with Signal Cleveland to discuss her passion for service, her non-profit organization, Golden Ciphers, and her belief in the importance of the family unit in today’s society.
Good evening. Can you talk to us about your connection to the city of Cleveland?
Cleveland is my hometown. I grew up in the Glenville neighborhood, off of 105th Street in apartments where my father was the janitor/maintenance man. I graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in 1973. Every Sunday my mother would take me and my siblings to church. It was my job to go around door-to-door on Sunday mornings to wake up the other kids in the apartment complex to let them know it was time to go to Sunday school.
You are known in Cleveland for your commitment to serving the community. What are some of the earliest memories you have of doing this work?
At one time, I had a salon in my basement, so I used to do hair down there. I would do my friends’ hair and they would bring their kids with them. There were a lot of salons where you were not allowed to bring kids to appointments, but I allowed them to bring theirs to mine.
I’ve worked in insurance, government and manufacturing, which are all things I consider a type of community service. My mom was the community mother who was always looking out for the other kids in our neighborhood. My grandmother did work with unruly boys down in Alabama, trying to assist them in getting on the right track. Nobody paid her to do that, she just did it because she saw that those boys needed a mother-type figure. I feel like a lot of who I am today was passed down in our family’s DNA.
You are the founder of Golden Ciphers. What motivated you to create the organization?
I like to say Golden Ciphers is my legacy and the legacy of my mother and grandmother. I used to work as a parenting facilitator. My job was to conduct mandatory home visits for parents needing to regain custody of their children who were placed in foster care. I would see things during some of the visits that weren’t great. I never reprimanded the parents. I would take the time to kindly explain to them the things that they were doing well and the areas where I felt like they could improve. They appreciated the approach I took, so when I would come back around, they would greet me and talk with me.
I was also doing some work with an organization called Cleveland UMADOP that did work with drug and alcohol prevention. I learned a lot from them, but eventually I wanted to do what I wanted to do. I started Golden Ciphers in 2020, right before the start of the pandemic. It was myself and three other girls from UMADOP. We would meet in my living room and over time more people would come. The rest is history.
What type of programming/services does Golden Ciphers offer?
Our mission is to reconnect family structures and rebuild communities, which allows us to grow mentally, culturally and spiritually while developing healthier communities and lifestyles. We have a mantra that says “empowered choices lead to powerful moves.”
The family unit is so important, especially in our current times. For our girls, we have a program called Black Butterflies, which meets on Tuesdays from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. My son, Anthony Hubbard, leads our boys’ program, which is called Young Men Emerge. They meet on Thursdays from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. We also host a family night on the last Wednesday of each month, from 6 to 8 p.m. That’s where parents can come in and understand what is being taught so they can integrate those teachings into their home if they choose to do so.
We also have grant funding to do some traveling. We go to the Muhammad Ali Museum every other year down in Kentucky. We teach them about entrepreneurship, we do employment training, music, crafts, outdoor activities. All sorts of different things.
What has been the community response to the Golden Ciphers? Can you share a story of impact?
The response has been 99% positive. We get referrals from the detention center for youth that are on probation. Our intake process is very interactive, which often gets the child and the parent communicating more. Sometimes they come in and they don’t want to be there, but over time you start to see them open up more once they see what it is that we are doing.
As far as impact, we once had a young man who kept getting into conflict with his parents. I asked the parents if they wanted to do a restorative justice circle, which is just the family sitting in a circle and talking things though. They agreed to do it. When the time came for the session, 14 people in their family came. The conflict had spread throughout the family, and those that came wanted to be a part of the solution. We went around the circle and let everyone express themselves, which led to them ending up in a better place than when they started.
We are in the middle of Black History Month. With the history that yourself and Golden Ciphers are making in Cleveland, what message do you have for the Black community moving forward?
I’ve been thinking about this a lot actually. I would say for people to look into the Sankofa bird. It’s a bird whose feet are facing forward but whose head is backwards. It represents the saying “go back and fetch.” I would encourage people to go back and fetch our minds before we had somebody telling us what to think and how to feel.
At some point in everyone’s life, I’m sure they told somebody else an idea they had and someone said to them that they were crazy or that it could never be done. Where would we be as a community if people stopped believing? We just need to be kinder to ourselves and, most importantly, kinder to others.
How can people sign up to be a part of the organization, volunteer or get more information?
They can email me at phubbard5704@icloud.com or call me at 216-513-7870. They can also visit our Facebook page or Instagram page. They can also come visit us at our office, located at 4450 Cedar Rd.