The City Club of Cleveland Podcast

In Cleveland and across the country, decades of deliberately racist policies and planning decisions have caused tremendous environmental harm to Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. Disproportionate exposure to air and water pollution, climate change (flooding, high heat days) and lead exposure translate to higher rates of asthma, infant mortality, lead poisoning and other life-threatening comorbidities. The COVID-19 pandemic has only underscored this reality, where BIPOC communities are three times as likely as their white neighbors to be infected by the coronavirus and nearly twice as likely to die from it, according to data from the CDC analyzed by The New York Times.\r\n\r\nRacial injustice, environmental injustice and the health of our democracy are inextricably linked. However, communities are not powerless to change their circumstances and confront environmental and racial injustices.\r\n\r\nSo how can nonprofit organizations, journalists, and the philanthropic sector come together to support environmental justice reporting projects?\r\n\r\nJoin us for a virtual forum as we discuss a new, innovative initiative that leverages the power of the local news ecosystem to spotlight environmental justice narratives, stories and solutions led by BIPOC leaders, organizations, and residents.

Philanthropy has a bit of a reputation problem, according to some recent City Club speakers. Authors Anand Ghirdardas (Winners Take All) and Edgar Villanueva (Decolonizing Wealth) both pointed out the top-down way in which philanthropic institutions around the country have operated in the past, dictating strategies to solve community problems and burdening grantees with onerous reporting requirements. But what would it look like if philanthropic institutions could flip that script?\r\n\r\nAfter two decades in community development, Timothy L. Tramble Sr. became the President and CEO of the Saint Luke's Foundation in June 2020, taking the helm of a private foundation that has been investing in the neighborhoods of Woodhill, Buckeye-Shaker, and Mount Pleasant, and throughout Cuyahoga County for over two decades. In the last year, the foundation has rolled out two initiatives that center on shifting power to those they intend on uplifting by involving the community in decision making--Lift Every Voice 216, and the Resident Advancement Committee.\r\n\r\nJoin us, in-person at the City Club to hear from Tim Tramble who will share the Foundation's commitment to Community Responsive Grantmaking and how they're working to bring the voices of residents directly into philanthropic decisions to address racial equity, health equity and community transformation.

The influx of federal funds amid the coronavirus pandemic has reminded us of the power of a robust response to crisis, but funding is just one way government, policymakers, philanthropists and other organizations can influence how communities evolve. Thoughtful policy implemented well in our regions and communities can be the determining factor in successful, equitable community development.\r\n\r\nOver the last nine months, we\'ve been joining with the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy to celebrate their 75th anniversary with a series of forums exploring the specific challenges facing legacy cities, the power of philanthropy to spur investment, and the importance of creating equity in waterfront access.\r\n\r\nJoin Lincoln Institute board member and President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Dr. Raphael Bostic and Lincoln Institute President Dr. George W. McCarthy in a conversation about the power of policy and collaboration to solve some of the biggest challenges we face.

Join us for the annual tradition of hearing from CMSD CEO Eric S. Gordon, leader of the region\'s largest public school district - a district whose improvement many believe is key to the future success of our city and region.

This summer, Michael Deemer was tapped to serve as the next President and CEO of Downtown Cleveland Alliance after founding President and CEO Joe Marinucci announced his retirement. This was a critical transition during a time when urban centers across the country were facing uphill battles during a challenging year. Top concerns were maintaining residential growth, boosting development, filling office space, and supporting small businesses.\r\n\r\nMr. Deemer joined the Downtown Cleveland Alliance in 2011 as Executive Vice President of Development, where he established the Business Development Center, a single point of contact and go-to resource for Downtown Cleveland's public and private partners. Prior to this, Mr. Deemer was the Economic Development Policy Advisor for the Ohio Governor's office, where he was instrumental in forming the Ohio Department of Development's strategic plan and shared responsibility for implementing its $1.8 billion biennial budget.\r\n\r\nJoin us, in-person, at the City Club on September 17th to hear how Downtown Cleveland has fared over the last year, and the priorities that will move Downtown Cleveland forward in this new era of leadership.

Conversations about race, equity, and inclusion are not new to K-12 classrooms. From studying MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech to the analysis of works by poet Maya Angelou, these discussions have been necessary components in lessons on history, literature, and art for decades.\r\n\r\nYet, in response to sudden outrage over Critical Race Theory, the Ohio state legislature has introduced two bills that ban "divisive concepts" - a broad definition that leaves much to interpretation and has put many routine classroom conversations in jeopardy.\r\n\r\nWhat will be at stake if these conversations are prohibited in schools? Why are honest conversations about race, equity, and inclusion important in K-12 education?\r\n\r\nJoin the City Club for a virtual conversation with local voices at the heart of the matter: John Adams, Department Chair for History, Cleveland School of Science and Medicine at John Hay High School; Melissa Cropper, President of the Ohio Federation of Teachers; Owen Ganor, Student at Rocky River High School; and Sarah Rintamaki, a parent of two children in the Westlake City Schools.

Karen Sherman has spent her life advocating for women in war-torn and transitional countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Congo, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Sudan, Kosovo, and the former Soviet Union. Throughout her 30-year career in global development, Sherman has met and interviewed thousands of women.\r\n\r\nHer book, \"Brick by Brick -- Building Hope and Opportunity for Women Survivors Everywhere\", tells the powerful story of seven of these women, who are building lives and raising families despite the brutal challenges of war, genocide, and inequality.\r\n\r\nKaren began writing \"Brick by Brick\" during the year she spent living in Rwanda with her three sons to oversee the construction of a first-of-its-kind women's opportunity center. Karen realized the struggles of the survivors she works with, were in fact the struggles of women everywhere: striving to balance work and family, fighting for real options and choices, and trying to make their voices heard. \"Brick by Brick\" is also a compelling personal story of Karen's own journey and growth as a mother, professional, and wife.\r\n\r\nJoin us in-person at the City Club as we talk with Karen Sherman, author and President of the Akilah Institute, Rwanda's only women's college.

On top of the agenda for the U.S. Department of Commerce is American competitiveness--to create the conditions for economic growth and opportunity across the nation. What this comes down to, though, is a complex mix of policy, advocacy, collaboration, international trade, research, and public engagement. And, of course, so much depends on action in Congress, as the infrastructure bill and the reconciliation package continue to work their way through Congress.\r\n\r\nAs the 40th U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo\'s leadership is key to President Biden\'s \"Build Back Better\" agenda. Not only is this effort focused on increasing the competitiveness of the U.S. workforce, but also on removing burdens and obstacles from businesses and labor--lowering the costs of child care and elder care and also improving broadband infrastructure, for instance.\r\n\r\nPrior to joining the administration, Secretary Raimondo was the 75th Governor of Rhode Island, and had a successful career in venture investing. Join us for a virtual conversation with the Secretary of Commerce about the Administration's efforts to Build Back Better after the COVID pandemic and create an American economy that invests in America's workers and strengthens our businesses.

When a family moves into an affordable home, it has the potential to transform lives. Having the opportunity to invest in a permanent address means improvements to children's health, increased job opportunities, and the power to revitalize struggling neighborhoods. Yet, homeownership is inaccessible for many families. Historic policies like redlining are at the root of the wealth gap found in communities of color-leading to common barriers today like expensive down payments and difficulty securing low-interest loans. This opened the door to predatory lenders and housing scams to prey on low-to-moderate income buyers. Now, with the recent surge in housing prices, homeownership is further out of reach.\r\n\r\nJoin us, in-person, at the City Club on Friday, August 27th to listen in on a panel conversation moderated by Michelle Jarboe of Crain's Cleveland, featuring panelists Kevin J. Nowak at CHN Housing Partners and D.J. Valentine at Huntington Bank as they discuss homeownership, and ways it can be used to build and achieve equity in our neighborhoods.

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, reliable scientific consensus and critical epidemiologic information about the virus was often inconsistent. Despite having programs and protocols in place for this sort of challenge, the pandemic caught hospitals and healthcare providers off guard.\r\n\r\nTo address urgent public health needs, the moment called for collaboration across traditional silos and required Northeast Ohio's world class health systems to find common ground.\r\n\r\nSo, what happens when traditional competitors make the decision to come together to ensure the well-being of all communities? And what are the lessons learned in this partnership to tackle COVID-19 that can be replicated for future public health emergencies?\r\n\r\nJoin us for a virtual forum moderated by Marlene Harris-Taylor with Ideastream Public Media; featuring Chief Executive Officer and President of the Cleveland Clinic, Tomislav