The City Club of Cleveland Podcast

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.

Earlier this year, U.S. Representative Marcia Fudge -- the Warrensville Heights Democrat who represented Ohio\'s 11th District since 2008 -- was confirmed as the 18th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The vacancy allows voters to choose a new representative in special elections slated for August 3 and November 2.\r\n\r\nDistrict 11 is one of two majority-minority Ohio districts protected under the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It encompasses much of Cleveland, its eastern suburbs, a western portion of Akron, and about 30 cities.\r\n\r\nThe City Club Debate Committee has established criteria for participation in the District 11 debates. Of the fourteen candidates who will appear on the ballot when early voting begins, eight Democrats and one Republican met those criteria. On June 22nd, the City Club hosted the District 11 Democratic Primary Debate.\r\n\r\nNow, join us for a 30-minute virtual forum with Laverne Gore, Republican candidate for District 11.

Public transit plays an essential role in ensuring all residents have the freedom to get where they need to go, like their jobs, medical appointments, grocery stores, and school. Public transit is also a solution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in highly congested urban areas. Yet, less than 2% of our state budget\'s transportation dollars are dedicated to public transit, which many experts believe simply is not enough. An absence of multi-modal options that rely on safe pedestrian routes and protected bike lanes also add to the challenges faced by public transit.\r\n\r\nLast month, Greater Cleveland RTA launched \"Next Gen RTA,\" which introduced changes to many routes, including an increased frequency of bus service, reduced wait times, and an increased number of \"one seat\" rides--reducing the need for bus transfers.\r\n\r\nJoin the City Club in Public Square as we talk with India L. Birdsong, General Manager and CEO of Greater Cleveland RTA on this next chapter of public transit in Cleveland.

This is a pivotal moment for Greater Cleveland. With an open election in the Cleveland mayor\'s office for the first time in 16 years, an open congressional seat in the 11th district, a 2022 county executive race already heating up, and contested city council races in 16 of 17 Cleveland wards. All of this is happening amidst the pressing issues of entrenched poverty and racial inequities, a push for policing reform and criminal justice reform, rising homicide rates, and deep needs for community and economic development. So, what kind of leadership does this moment call for? With all the challenges of the last year, and the aspirations of our community, what kind of leadership qualities are required for our collective success?\r\nProduction and distribution of City Club forums in partnership with ideastream is generously provided by PNC and the United Black Fund. \r\n

In March 2020, employees across the country packed up their offices, and \"Zoom calls\" and \"you\'re on mute\" entered our daily lexicon. Yet, millions of low-wage workers were deemed essential and reported to their jobs. Workers like farm laborers, meat packers, grocery clerks, retail associates, fast food workers, and janitors. They all risked exposure to COVID-19, and often faced hostile work environments due to enforcing public health mandates.\r\n\r\nAs Ohio begins to reopen, unfilled job postings in these sectors have made national news, especially in seasonal tourism, hospitality, and retail. Low wages, unreliable schedules, lack of childcare, supply-chain disruptions, and even an over-reliance on Pandemic Unemployment Compensation have all been cited as possible causes. Others point to data from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, which shows six months of stalled job growth, questioning claims of a job glut at all. Still, employers are trying to find new ways to attract workers, and questions have resurfaced about job quality and what constitutes a living wage.\r\n\r\nJoin the City Club in Public Square as we discuss the future of essential work in today\'s economy.