Carrying the Stokes Legacy Forward: Two-Day Conference Examines Key Community Issues

Policy discussions Nov. 3-4 look to chart a course for future change in Cleveland

Be part of a community discussion on improving job creation, education, health care, public safety and housing during a two-day policy conference inspired by the leadership legacies of Carl and Louis Stokes.

Carrying the Stokes Legacy Forward: Cleveland Then, Now and Next serves as a capstone to the yearlong commemoration marking the 50^th anniversary of Carl Stokes’ historic election as mayor of Cleveland.

The free conference will take place Nov. 3 at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C^®) and Nov. 4 at Case Western Reserve University. Times, locations and information on how to participate can be found below.

The event brings together educators and policy experts who reviewed initiatives launched by Mayor Stokes to address the challenges of his time. Despite progress over the years, many of those same social and economic issues still exist today.

The conference coincides with the release of a policy report that frames the overall discussion and reflects pressing issues moving forward. The report will be posted at www.stokes50cle.com following its release at a Nov. 3 forum by The City Club of Cleveland.

“We believe that revisiting the groundbreaking work of Mayor Stokes and his administration will inspire new leaders and ideas for Cleveland’s future,” said Lauren Onkey, chair and dean of Tri-C’s Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Center.

The conference opens with a program from 6-9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3, at Tri-C’s Jerry Sue Thornton Center, located at 2500 E. 22^nd St. in Cleveland. A panel of researchers will recap policy work done throughout the year and start the conversation to chart a course for future change.

The Friday night discussion will also be livestreamed at https://livestream.com/tri-c/stokes to involve more of the community.

The conference continues from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, at the George S. Dively Conference Center at Case Western Reserve University. The center is located at 11240 Bellflower Road in Cleveland.

Breakout sessions will be held on specific issue areas — economic parity, education, health care, housing and safety — throughout the day. The event concludes with a discussion on practical ways to get involved.

To register to attend either day of the conference, visit www.stokes50cle.com.

The conference completes the yearlong initiative honoring Mayor Stokes and his brother, Congressman Louis Stokes. Organizers designed the commemoration to build on their legacy of advocacy and action by inspiring a new generation of Northeast Ohio leaders.

Carl Stokes overturned racial barriers in 1967, becoming the first African American to be elected mayor of a major American city. He served two terms while advancing an agenda that still serves as a foundation for Cleveland.

His brother, Louis, turned to politics after making a profound impact on the civil rights movement as a lawyer. He won election as Ohio’s first African-American congressman in 1968 and served 30 years in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Stokes commemoration was led by Tri-C’s Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Center, the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland Foundation, Greater Cleveland Partnership, Commission on Economic Inclusion and The City Club of Cleveland.

In total, the project included more than 70 community partners and was supported by gifts from many individuals and organizations. More than 20 highly prominent community, government and business leaders chaired the initiative.

October 26, 2017

John Horton, 216-987-4281 john.horton@tri-c.edu