Boxelder Community Room is a place in Cincinnati that gives people a location for their meetings, workshops, panels, screenings, swaps, brainstorming sessions, shows, critiques, community meals and celebrations, and it’s a place that is firm in its commitment to activating liberation struggles locally.

This approach is meant to be accessible and adaptable. Cincinnati is full of people with ideas and plans to do things and share with each other. Boxelder Community Room is located in a storefront at 4573 Hamilton Ave. in Northside, down the block from the Comet. We have three red pews, about twenty chairs, four tables, harm reduction supplies, crayons and paper, wifi, tea, hardwood floors and lots of natural and artificial lighting. Thanks to the Southwest Ohio branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSLSWO), we have a projector, and they use the space as The Liberation Center of Southwest Ohio to offer political education and screenings, and to shelter their mutual aid supplies and hold their in-person meetings. Together, we have the Liberation Library, which is available and sourced from the public as well, free of charge.

There is only a cost to use the Community Room if the use in question is charging an entrance or participation fee. We strongly encourage using masks for public gatherings in the space and connect with everyone who uses it to ensure that Boxelder common use agreements are fulfilled. The Community Room is located on the ground floor, and the bathroom is large enough for a standard sized wheelchair to rotate and move around (although we are currently looking for a solution to installing handrails).

Below the ground floor, there are several artists who all keep studios/a practice space in the basement. We run this space thanks to the artists’ and PSLSWO’s contributions for their rent, as well as our own pockets, and any donations we receive from the public. We provide high-speed internet access and heat/AC to everyone who uses our space.

If you’ve ever wanted to do something to involve the people in your life or reach a wider audience, we want to offer an easy place for that to happen. As artists and as organizers, we (Max and Pedal), know that the opportunities we are offered to connect and learn from one and other are severely hampered, limited, and unraveled when we rely on institutions that prolong capitalism. We have the tools and the means to change our world, we just have to meet up and do it.

We’ve had just under 100 community events at Boxelder since opening in November 2023, the vast majority of those organized by people in the larger Cincinnati community. We’re happy we’ve had such success in meeting our goal, and want to continue building out our plans and expanding Boxelder’s ability to offer resources to people interested in using our space. Help us continue getting on our feet by spreading the word, signing up for our newsletter, and/or donating. We’d love to hear any request to use the space and can be reached at boxeldercommunityroom at g mail dot com.

Our monthly expenses are around $900, with fluctuations for our heating bill. Here are some of the things we would like to buy. If you have physical items you’d like to donate, especially ones on that list, we’re open to that as well.