NIAGARA FALLS — Brighter than even the afternoon sun on a warm February afternoon was the smile on Donna Owens’ face as she spoke about her weekend. She glowed with pride that she was able to witness yet another one of her dear friend’s ordination into the ministry of the church. Her conversation on the subject of her friends’ spirituality opened the door to how some people see our own Niagara Falls.

City branding

Owens is a Detroiter, and she spoke of the commonality between the once-great manufacturing prowess of that city and its automobile industry and Niagara Falls’ once-mighty electrochemical sectors, and how the demise of both harmed both cities.

“But Detroit also had Motown Music,” the current city administrator said. “And even though Motown didn’t have the same number of jobs that the automobile manufacturers had, a lot of people did come to town to work for them, and it was a brand for Detroit.”

When asked what Niagara Falls’ brand could be, she glowingly spoke of the waterfalls, which is music to many people’s ears.

“When I am at these out-of-town conferences with other mayors and I tell them that I am from Niagara Falls, they change (their demeanor) and start to talk about the falls very emotionally,” she said.

Owens went on to describe how those mayors see it as an idyllic place and they become almost childlike in recounting their visits here. 

“The falls is a very spiritual place,” she said. “It is an awesome testament to (God’s) power.”

Owens said that when her out-of-town friends come to the city, she usually starts their tour along the rapids, across the street from the Red Coach Inn, and as she walks with them toward the brink, she exchanges conversation with them about things concerning the area. “But when we get to the brink and they see the falling water,” she says, “they are no longer listening to me. They are totally focused on the falls in awe. The water falls is our brand.”

“It is our economic engine,” Owens went on to say.

Connecting the engine

There is no question that such a unique feature in our city ought to be generating more prosperity to one of the poorest cities in the state. When asked what was “the disconnect,” Owens readily replied that what was missing was community engagement and education.

“We have what we need (to be successful),” she said, but she recognized that the problem was in how we connect.

“It is critical to have an educated population and workforce to move the city forward,” Owens said. “Not just a book-education, but also values-education. We need to teach people honesty, responsibility and reliability, and we need mentoring and leading by example, so that we can offer a chance for our children to compete and become successful. Not just here, but anyplace.”

Positivity is needed

Owens believes that in order to get the community engaged and moving the city forward, we must begin to speak more positively of ourselves.

Clara Dunn, the coordinator of Niagara Falls’ Empire Zone and Minority Business Initiatives coordinator agrees with the administrator.

“I just believe that people think too negatively of Niagara Falls,” she said, “if we start thinking positively, then more positive things will happen.”

The three sista’s are not islands in their thoughts on the subject. Ruby Pulliam, the city’s Equal Employment Opportunity officer agrees with her fellow workers. She sees her job as more than just putting people in positions. She says that, “It is enabling them to succeed beyond that position. In order to do that, we do need value-based education.”

Mentoring and modeling

Though not having children of her own, Owens spoke of her reading in the city’s classrooms, and with the same pride that she had in her friends becoming ministers, she spoke of the girls-to-women whom she had mentored in the past. “They still call me up and ask advice,” she said. “And they are at a place in their lives that they can also give advice.”

Owens believes that her presence in her administrator job, the second African American to hold that position (Gazette columnist Bill Bradberry being the first), and being the first woman, in a sense, she serves as a mentor and model for all people.

“When people see me doing my job, they can think to themselves that if she can do that job, I can too,” she said.

As an African American, Owens says that, “My position and race only demonstrates who we are, and not who some people think that we are. It shows the contributions that we have made.”

And while it reasons that young black women would more readily relate to her than any other group, Owens maintains that, “As it is with anyone else, we all are just the human race.”

Her smile remained sunny.