The City Club of Cleveland Podcast

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

In 2020, the City of Cleveland declared racism a public health crisis, bringing to the forefront honest conversations about systemic racism's influence on equity, access, and human rights. Yet, the debate around Critical Race Theory has been heating up nationwide. In Ohio, two bills are circulating through the statehouse attempting to limit discussion on race in the classroom, and local school boards are grappling with feedback from both sides of the aisles.\r\n\r\nBut what exactly is Critical Race Theory? And what is it NOT? And how has this framework of analysis become the new punching bag in the culture wars of the country?\r\n\r\nJoin us, in-person at the City Club as we welcome Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries, Associate Professor of History at The Ohio State University. Dr. Jeffries has worked on several public history projects. From 2010 to 2014, he was the lead historian and primary scriptwriter for the $27 million renovation of the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee, the site of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He hosts the podcast "Teaching Hard History: American Slavery," a production of the Southern Poverty Law Center\'s Teaching Tolerance Project. Dr. Jeffries has also contributed to several documentary film projects, including the Emmy nominated PBS documentary Black America Since MLK, as a featured on-camera scholar.

In 2016, the country's attention turned to Indigenous Water Protectors in North Dakota as they stood up against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Plans for the pipeline would have it cross multiple waterways and threaten the water for millions of people downriver, including the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. Thousands of Indigenous people from hundreds of tribal nations stood in solidarity, and made the journey to the Sacred Stone, Rosebud, or Oceti Sakowin camps. The hashtag #NoDAPL took over social media.\r\n\r\nFor many in this country, this event was their first glimpse into the fight over environmental justice by Native Americans. Yet, in reality, this fight has been ongoing for generations. The Great Lakes region is home to 21 percent of the world's surface freshwater, and dozens of tribal nations have been key leaders in the movement to protect all of our waterways.\r\n\r\nFor the 2021 State of the Great Lakes, we will hear from Dr. Kelsey Leonard, a water scientist, legal scholar, policy expert, writer, and enrolled citizen of the Shinnecock Nation. Dr. Leonard is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo, where her research focuses on Indigenous water justice and its climatic, territorial, and governance underpinnings.\r\n\r\nHer recent scholarship explores legal personhood for water-a concept that may seem innovative or even radical for non-Native people. Yet is a core teaching for many Indigenous people of this country, where water is seen as a living relation. So, who gets legal rights? And how do we transform the way in which we value water?\r\n\r\nJoin us on Thursday, August 19 for a virtual conversation with Dr. Leonard, moderated by Dave Spratt, Chief Executive Officer for the Institute for Journalism & Natural Resources.

In May 2021, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson announced he would not be seeking a fifth term as Mayor of Cleveland-opening up a race for new leadership not seen in 16 years.\r\n\r\nIn the lead-up to the 2021 Cleveland Mayoral election, The City Club of Cleveland-in partnership with Ideastream Public Media-will be hosting two debates. All seven candidates seeking office have been invited to participate in both debates.\r\n\r\nThis debate is the second of two, and will exclusively feature questions coming directly from voters like you asking about issues and topics that are most important to you and your communities.\r\n\r\nTopics will be divided among the two debates. This second debate will cover: Education, jobs, the economy, environmental issues, and transportation.

In 2022, Ohio will elect new statewide office holders. Leading up to the election, the City Club will be hosting conversations with candidates seeking statewide office.\r\n\r\nJames B. Renacci announced on June 9, 2021 that he was joining the race for Ohio governor.\r\n\r\nA Pennsylvania native, Renacci moved to Wadsworth in 1983 where he founded LTC Management Services, a company that owned, operated, and managed nursing facilities throughout the region. Throughout his 30-year business career, he owned and operated more than 60 entities, created more than 1,500 jobs and employed more than 3,000 people. Renacci served as Mayor of Wadsworth from 2004-2008.\r\n\r\nRenacci was elected to the United States House of Representatives in November 2010, serving the 16th district of Ohio from 2011-2018. He served on the Financial Services Committee, House Ways and Means Committee, and the House Budget Committee.\r\n\r\nJoin us for a conversation with gubernatorial candidate James B. Renacci.

In May 2021, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson announced he would not be seeking a fifth term as Mayor of Cleveland-opening up a race for new leadership not seen in 16 years.\r\n\r\nIn the lead-up to the 2021 Cleveland Mayoral election, The City Club of Cleveland--in partnership with Ideastream Public Media--will be hosting two debates. All seven candidates seeking office have been invited to participate in both debates.\r\n\r\nThis debate is the first of two, and will exclusively feature questions coming directly from voters like you asking about issues and topics that are most important to you and your communities.\r\n\r\nTopics will be divided among the two debates. This first debate will cover: Racial equity, public safety, housing, transparency in government, and health equity.

Public access to the waterfront and outdoor greenspaces is vital to the social fabric of a community and to individuals' health and well-being. Ohio lakes and rivers provide space for recreation, social gatherings, and simply a place to cool off.\r\n\r\nYet, 90 percent of Cuyahoga County's shoreline is inaccessible to everyone except for private businesses and residents privileged enough to live near the lake. Both social and physical barriers have prevented residents, especially in low-income communities, from interacting with our region's greatest asset-the water. How can lakefront cities leverage development and land use policy to make waterfront access more for equitable for all?\r\n\r\nOver the last several years, three Ohio cities - Euclid, Sandusky, and Cleveland -- have taken steps to increase waterfront access: Euclid recently completed the first part of the city's lakefront trail as part of its Waterfront Improvement Plan. Sandusky invested millions into the Jackson Street Pier and new bikeway. Cleveland transformed Edgewater Park, constructed the Whiskey Island Bridge, and plans to activate the riverfront at Irishtown Bend.\r\n\r\nJoin us in-person with Euclid Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer Gail, Sandusky City Manager Eric Wobser, and Cleveland City Planning Director Freddy Collier as we discuss the challenges and opportunities in waterfront access.\r\n\r\nThis forum is presented in partnership with the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. It is part of a series of discussions, held during the Lincoln Institute's 75th anniversary year, exploring the role of land policy in addressing society's most pressing social, economic, and environmental challenges. The Lincoln Institute is engaging in these discussions in Cleveland as part of the Legacy Cities Initiative, which supports a national network of community and government leaders working to create shared prosperity in cities transitioning from former industrial economies.