To celebrate Black History Month, we are shining a spotlight on a few local folks who take immense pride in their background and heritage. One such person is Sharece Johnson, Owner of Code Rulers Escape Room in O’Fallon.

Code Rulers is the only escape room that is 100% African American owned in the Metro-East, which brings Johnson great pride. “When I opened Code Rulers almost five years ago the majority of escape rooms where in St. Louis,” Johnson explains. “To be able to introduce a new entertainment experience to our area, our county, is something that I will always be proud of! I am extremely grateful that our customers have continued to support us and enjoy their escape experiences here at Code Rulers.” 

Black History month has been a celebratory staple in Johnson’s life for as long as she can remember. “When I was nine, I memorized "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes for a church program,” she admits. “That poem introduced me to a world of imagery that helped me further appreciation for the arts, specifically poems. Having the opportunity to study such great poets during Black History month, poets that I could identify with and identify with the images they were describing changed the way I viewed creative writing. The older I got the more I wanted to know about all aspects of our history. Nikki Giovanni became another one of my personal favorite poets. As unrelated as it may sound, studying those greats have helped me when writing new escape rooms because I rely on those same types of literary elements to bring my themes to life.” 

Johnson’s message to fellow black business owners is one of unity and pride. “To my fellow Black Business Owners, we are each other's customers but resources as well -  so let's continue to rely on each other, especially during these unprecedented times,” Johnson says. To all of my escapers, I appreciate your support and I encourage everyone to support all of the other Black Owned and Small Businesses in our area.”

For more information on Code Rulers Escape Room, visit coderulers.com.