By Sarah Tietje-Mietz<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
When Victoria Coit moved back to the Syracuse area from Washington, D.C.,\u00a0she knew she wanted to dosomething that \u00a0mattered.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I was on a quest,\u201d said Coit. \u201cI felt like I was supposed to be doing something here…it\u00a0was just sort of like a soul yearning.\u201d<\/p>\n
One night, from the inspiration that only dreaming can provide, Coit awoke with a clear vision of her purpose.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just.. constantly asking God, \u2018So what am I supposed to do?\u2019\u201d Coit said. \u201cAnd… it was clear\u00a0that everything that I did, and everything that I saw and experienced in Syracuse… what if I\u00a0created a magazine, and put it all in there.\u201d<\/p>\n
This was when Cuse Culture<\/em>was conceived.\u00a0The first iteration of this idea was called SOTE<\/em>, pronounced so-tay, which stood for Salt Of The\u00a0Earth. It was a magazine focused on women of color in Syracuse and the great work they were\u00a0doing for themselves, for each other, and for the community. Seeing a lack of publications\u00a0addressing these topics, Coit decided it was time to create one.<\/p>\n \u201cI saw the narrative was twisted when came to women of color,\u201d said Coit. \u201cAs a woman of\u00a0color, I wanted just to say we\u2019re here, and we\u2019re brilliant. And you know, we deserve the same\u00a0positive light.\u201d<\/p>\n SOTE began publishing online in 2012, but went dormant when Coit became pregnant and her\u00a0focus turned from media to motherhood. Becoming a parent was a big lifestyle change for Coit,\u00a0who had been known for kidnapping her friends for day-long adventures discovering new social\u00a0hotspots. Coit reimagined and restructured her life so she could give her child as much of herself\u00a0as possible.<\/p>\n This did not mean she was giving up on her quest. Instead, Coit refocused what she wanted her purpose\u00a0to be. When a friend approached her about doing another magazine, she agreed,but she wanted to\u00a0broaden the scope from what SOTEhad addressed. Naming it Cuse Culture<\/em>, the magazine\u00a0would be for people of all colors working and growing Syracuse, and highlighting the positive\u00a0stories they had to tell.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause it\u2019s not constantly someone\u2019s getting murdered or shot, you know, which you see in the\u00a0mainstream news,\u201d said Coit. \u201cIn order for us to…come together, or be respectful of each other,\u00a0this narrative had to change.\u201d<\/p>\n Change is a word Coit is very familiar with. Describing herself as someone “notorious for\u00a0starting and stopping things” and at learning new skills and moving on, Coit\u2019s background is\u00a0varied and her skillset diverse. While in D.C., she worked in project management for a\u00a0contracting company while simultaneously training to be a chef.<\/p>\n \u201cI was a really good cook… and then realized that I didn\u2019t really want to do that as much. But I\u00a0did have fun,\u201d Coit said of her time in D.C.,\u201cand I learned a lot about contracting and was\u00a0fascinated with it…There were so may cranes in the sky, and there was always something being\u00a0built on top of something on top of something. And so that fascinated me.\u201d<\/p>\n It was this building up of neighborhoods, and of watching how communities could grow and\u00a0evolve that affected Coit. Instead of leaving Cuse Culturebehind to start a new venture, Coit\u00a0changed how she approached it, and so Cuse Culturehas grown and evolved along with her.<\/p>\n Now a multi-faceted company that does marketing, events, and outreach, Cuse Culture\u00a0<\/em>has\u00a0moved beyond telling the stories of those making a difference, to creating events and resources\u00a0that make a difference for the community it serves.\u00a0Cuse Culture\u00a0<\/em>organizes professional networking events for the Syracuse area, each time taking\u00a0over a different neighborhood spot, like a recent occasion at Barclay Damon Rooftop and featuring DJ Soulstar.\u00a0Their networking event for\u00a0September, hosted at Eleven Waters, focused on bringing together area educators.<\/p>\n Coit knows how to throw a party that has both style and depth. On Saturday, July 20,she\u00a0organized the Cuse Culture Festival, a 12-hour event filled with international music, local\u00a0food, activists and fun, activating the downtown Syracuse area.<\/p>\n “A street festival with music, food, arts, and games that engages residents in our corridors is\u00a0exactly the type of festival we\u2019d like to see grow and draw neighbors to Downtown,\u201d said\u00a0Ruthnie Angrand, the director of communications and marketing for the city of Syracuse.<\/p>\n \u201cCuse Culture<\/em>has shown a tremendous commitment to connecting with the people by highlighting the diversity of our city,”\u00a0Held right in front of City Hall, Coit\u2019s goal for this event was far bigger than just a great party.\u201cIt\u2019s a celebration of culture. Its a celebration of people\u2019s dreams…it\u2019s for people to see\u00a0themselves differently,\u201d Coit said. \u201cIn this city, to see themselves in the midst of infinite\u00a0possibilities…We all have that one thing inside of use that pushes us to want more of ourselves. And this is a celebration of it.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Sarah Tietje-Mietz When Victoria Coit moved back to the Syracuse area from Washington, D.C.,\u00a0she knew she wanted to dosomething that \u00a0mattered. \u201cI think I was on a quest,\u201d said Coit. \u201cI felt like I was supposed to be doing something here…it\u00a0was just sort of like a soul yearning.\u201d One night, from the inspiration…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2580,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[101],"tags":[954,157,953],"class_list":["post-2579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","tag-cuse-culture","tag-inspire","tag-victoria-coit"],"gutentor_comment":0,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/fullsizeoutput_6f81.jpeg?fit=5504%2C8256&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2078,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2078","url_meta":{"origin":2579,"position":0},"title":"Susie Ippolito","author":"Staff","date":"September 28, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Building a Brand in Syracuse By Lacey Roy | Photography by Alice G. Patterson Wearing a classic sundress and trendy frames, Susie Ippolito is magnetic even from a distance. Laughter and gratitude are sprinkled through conversations. With a Long Island accent you can\u2019t help smile at and an understated-yet-fashionable style,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=99"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Susie-Ippolito-0017.jpg?fit=1200%2C763&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Susie-Ippolito-0017.jpg?fit=1200%2C763&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Susie-Ippolito-0017.jpg?fit=1200%2C763&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Susie-Ippolito-0017.jpg?fit=1200%2C763&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Susie-Ippolito-0017.jpg?fit=1200%2C763&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":681,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=681","url_meta":{"origin":2579,"position":1},"title":"Toss ‘n’ Fire Wood-Fired Pizza","author":"Staff","date":"April 29, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Firing Up a Culinary Dream By Bridget Ann Whitfield | Photography by Steven J. Pallone Toss \u2018n\u2019 Fire Wood-Fired Pizza has a mission to stand out from the crowd. With traditional staples imported from Naples \u2014 like the Pavesi oven and doppio zero flour \u2014 specific details and ingredients result\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=99"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/IMG_7317.jpg?fit=1200%2C787&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/IMG_7317.jpg?fit=1200%2C787&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/IMG_7317.jpg?fit=1200%2C787&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/IMG_7317.jpg?fit=1200%2C787&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/IMG_7317.jpg?fit=1200%2C787&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2047,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2047","url_meta":{"origin":2579,"position":2},"title":"Caitlyn Bom","author":"Staff","date":"September 3, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Getting to Know the Face behind the Camera When Syracuse Woman Magazine launched in 2011, the work of local photographer Caitlyn Bom, of Bomshell Beauty + Boudoir Experience and Caitlyn Bom Fine Art, graced its pages. 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