Don’t Just Talk About It, Be About It

Don’t Just Talk About It, Be About It is a multimedia retrospective based on the life of James “Omar” Childress in collaboration with Cincinnati-based artist Mike James. A Cincinnati native, Omar is deeply tied to decades of local history and the African American experience. Omar’s father, James Palmer Childress, became the first Black detective in the Cincinnati Police Department in the 1950s, cultivating his son’s strong foundation and deep tie to the city. Omar became a successful entrepreneur at a young age, operating many small businesses including the Washington Limousine Service, Diplomat Night Club, and several remodeling and deck construction companies. He spent lavishly on many things including real estate—most notably the massive K-D Lamp building known today as Rhinegeist Brewery.

However, Omar’s life was not without controversy. A prolific drug distributor in his younger days, Childress had connections across the South and in California. He was eventually arrested and served several prison terms for his involvement. Despite this blot on his record, Childress cultivated an expansive network of professional connections, including James Brown, Fred Shuttlesworth, and Nelson Mandela. Throughout his life, he had a fascination with photography, documenting all of his exploits, friends, companions, and even his prison sentences. He accumulated thousands upon thousands of photographs and video clips, and has dozens of large-format collages chronicling his life.

Artists: James “Omar” Childress and Mike James