Rita Fuller-Yates
In a world often overwhelmed by fleeting trends and fractured histories, Rita reminds us of something deeper — the power of legacy. She teaches us that history isn’t just about dates and documents, but about people — about voices that have too long gone unheard, and stories that deserve to be remembered and uplifted.
Rita is a historian, yes — but she’s also a visionary, a builder, and a storyteller.
From her days as a young girl growing up on Long Street in Columbus’s Near East Side to becoming a published author, media personality, and the founder of both the Columbus and Savannah Black History Tours, she has shown what it means to live with purpose and serve with passion.
Through her books — Columbus Black History, Just a Little Girl from Long Street, and others — Rita has not only preserved the past, she has animated it. She has breathed life into names, faces, neighborhoods, and institutions that helped shape the African American experience in our cities — and in doing so, has given all of us a richer understanding of who we are.
What makes Rita’s work so meaningful isn’t just its historical value — it’s her humanity. She doesn’t just recount history; she invites us into it. Whether on a bus tour, in a classroom, or on live TV, she connects with people of all ages and walks of life. She brings celebration and joy to every gathering — even when the stories she tells are rooted in struggle — because she believes in honoring resilience just as much as remembering injustice.
Rita Fuller-Yates is a woman driven by purpose: to preserve, celebrate, and elevate the stories of Black America—especially the ones so often left out of the textbooks.
Born and raised on the Near East Side of Columbus, Ohio, Rita grew up in a neighborhood steeped in African American history, tradition, and pride. As a child, she listened closely to the elders in her community—absorbing their stories, their values, and their resilience. Those moments would quietly shape her path forward.
After earning a Bachelor’s degree in History from Ohio University and later a Master’s in Interior Design from the Savannah College of Art & Design, Rita first found success in corporate America—rising to Vice President of Call Center Operations at Bank One. But her heart was always drawn to community, culture, and storytelling.
She left the corporate world to become an entrepreneur, launching both Aubri’s House of Clean and Ydecorate, LLC, a design platform built to help others celebrate their homes and traditions. From there, her career bloomed into something even bigger: a life devoted to history with heart.
Today, Rita is an accomplished historian, author, TV personality, speaker, and cultural curator. She has authored several acclaimed books, including:
Columbus Black History – Images from Our Past
Just a Little Girl from Long Street
Life, Camera, Action! A Guide to Hosting and Entertaining
She is the creator of the Columbus Black History Tours and Savannah Black History Tours—dynamic, multimedia experiences that combine storytelling, music, and movement to bring Black history to life. Her work is rooted in joy as much as truth—pairing historical accuracy with celebration and pride.
Through the 20Twenty200 Project, Rita also launched one of the most robust digital archives of Black leadership in Columbus—highlighting unsung community builders across two centuries.
She’s served as an adjunct professor at the Columbus College of Art & Design, a lifestyle contributor for local and national media, and an active board member with the Columbus Landmarks Foundation and Columbus Historical Society.
What sets Rita apart is more than her credentials—it’s her conviction. She believes that history isn’t just about the past. It’s a living thing. It’s the bridge between who we were, who we are, and who we’re becoming.
“History belongs to all of us,” she often says, “but for too long, too many have been left out of the story.”
Rita Fuller-Yates is rewriting that reality—one tour, one book, one voice at a time.
Purchase your copy of books by Rita Fuller-Yates
Columbus Black History Tours!
Led by author and historian Rita Fuller-Yates, the tours explore over 40 historic sites across Downtown Columbus, the Near East Side, and the Bronzeville District—all areas that were central to the city’s Black excellence, creativity, entrepreneurship, and civil rights history.
These aren't your typical history lectures. Rita fuses storytelling, celebration, and education, offering a dynamic and accessible experience for people of all ages.
Each stop includes not just dates and facts, but personal narratives, community memories, and photos from her own research, archives, and oral histories.
“We laugh, we cheer, sometimes we cry. But we always leave uplifted,” Rita says of her approach to blending joy with truth.
Rita even incorporates interactive elements like pom-poms, celebratory music, and community call-outs to make the experience participatory and joyful—even when exploring tough history like segregation or displacement due to urban renewal.