The City Club of Cleveland Podcast

On April 20, Governor Mike DeWine announced that the Ohio Department of Health extended its order to keep schools closed for the rest of the school year in an attempt to curb the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. This followed an initial three-week spring break that extended into April. These announcements exposed the harsh reality of the region\'s digital divide

The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted life across the globe, profoundly affecting supply chains, healthcare, and the economy. It\'s also exposed the harsh realities of racial, ethnic, economic, political, and health disparities the effects of which many countries have tried to minimize or ignore for decades.\r\nNow, as the pandemic slows before a probable second wave, global leaders and governments are weighing options and contemplating decisions that will define history and shape the world for years to come. What kind of world can we expect post-crisis? Will authoritarian regimes thrive or fail? What will become of the many conflicts in the Middle East? Perhaps, more importantly, what kind of world should we envision and work towards?\r\nDr. Marshall and Dr. Hazburn serve on the Editorial Committee of Middle East Report, a quarterly publication that, since 1971, has provided critical, alternative reporting and analysis on the Middle East and American foreign policy. The forthcoming issue of the Middle East Report offers new visions and prescriptions for a progressive American foreign policy. They are joined by Milena Sterio, J.D., and moderator Tony Ganzer.

President Dwight Eisenhower established the first Law Day in 1958 to mark the nation\'s commitment to the rule of law. The 2020 Law Day theme, Your Vote, Your Voice, Our Democracy: The 19th Amendment at 100, celebrates the ratification of the 19th amendment which gave women the right to vote. But, despite the 19th amendment, gaining the right to vote did not also grant equal access to voting. It was true decades ago when women of color where not able to vote in the Jim Crow South. And it\'s true today where rollbacks to early voting, voter purges, and strict voter photo ID laws often prevent minority communities and other politically vulnerable populations from voting. The coronavirus pandemic is amplifying these issues as the country ponders how and when to conduct an election during a public health crisis. Virginia Kase is CEO of the League of Women Voters, an organization founded by leaders of the women's suffrage movement and dedicated to engaging in advocacy, legislation, litigation and organizing efforts centered around issues of voting rights and democracy reform.

The coronavirus pandemic has exposed our societal fault lines and shined a bright light on both the strengths and the weaknesses of our economy and our institutions. While there is currently much discussion about reopening our economy, a true economic recovery has to look beyond the summer of 2020 and envision what we want our economy and community to look like in 2025 and beyond.\r\n\r\nThe pandemic has highlighted much of what we do well, and what we can build on. But Cleveland can only hope to thrive again if we use this crisis as a wake up call to stop looking past systemic issues that are hindering our growth and progress.\r\n\r\nCan we continue to tolerate the digital divide? Can we continue to tolerate the skills gap in our workforce? Can we continue to tolerate healthcare inequities? Or can we confront and solve these systemic problems and position Cleveland for a strong, sustainable, and inclusive economy?

Over the last several weeks, reporters and public officials have been comparing the global outbreak of coronavirus to fighting a war. The metaphor conveys a sense of urgency and emergency and, many believe, may help mobilize a national response to the public health crisis gripping the United States. But we\'re not actually in a war, a reality Loung Ung knows all too well. She was five years old when communist revolutionaries known as the Khmer Rouge took control of her home country of Cambodia. Orphaned and separated from her siblings, Ung was trained as a child soldier in a work camp for orphans where she was taught to hurt and hate. Her story, captured in the memoir \"First They Killed My Father\" and produced for Netflix by Angelina Jolie, is an unforgettable account of a family shaken and shattered, yet miraculously sustained by courage and love in the face of unspeakable brutality. And it\'s especially powerful today, reminding us of the power of resilience and the human spirit to endure during the darkest times.

The crisis brought on by the coronavirus pandemic is exposing the harsh reality of America\'s racial, health, and economic disparities. In cities across the United States, black Americans are dying from COVID-19 at disproportionately higher rates than their white counterparts. A combination of environmental, economic, structural, and political factors -- fueled by decades-old housing policies, educational inequities, poverty, and structural racism -- are often cited the main reasons behind the racial gap in COVID-19 deaths. Politicians, lawmakers, and activists alike are pleading with the federal government for race-inclusive data in testing. But is that enough? What other policy recommendations should be considered? And, will this pandemic and the outcry over the disproportionate death rate be a catalyst for real structural change -- or will it serve to only reinforce existing hierarchies? A sociologist and Rubenstein Fellow at The Brookings Institution, Dr. Ray researches the mechanisms that manufacture and maintain racial and social inequality. His work also speaks to ways that inequality may be attenuated through racial uplift activism and social policy.

The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted life across the globe, profoundly affecting supply chains, healthcare, and the economy. The pandemic has also disrupted democracy and governance at a time where liberal democracy was under threat from a worldwide rise in authoritarianism. Some authoritarian leaders have overreached beyond some form of lockdown in response to the outbreak, censoring media, canceling elections, and shutting down investigations. How do we balance the need for increased governmental authority and the preservation of vital civil liberties? What will the restrictions on people\'s movements mean for the future of protest? Can democracy survive the coronavirus? Yascha Mounk, Ph.D. is a political scientist known for his work on the rise of populism and the crisis of liberal democracy.

In Our Common Future, released in 1987, sustainable development is defined as development that \"meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.\" According to NASA, we can no longer avoid climate change. The best possible option is to prepare future generations for the implications of decades of unbridled emissions into the Earth\'s atmosphere. As such, responding to climate change involves two approaches: mitigation and adaptation. Mitigation involves \"reducing and stabilizing the levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere\" and adaptation, \"adapting to the climate change already in the pipeline.\" What does that mean for Cleveland\'s future, and, how do the city\'s youngest citizens make sure these plans of action are a reality? Join us for a virtual youth forum panel discussion on the plans and programs in place to help future generations combat and adapt to climate change.

On April 3, Advance Publications announced the layoffs of 22 Plain Dealer reporters, citing the ongoing financial challenges of producing a daily newspaper. Four days later, on April 7, 10 of the remaining 14 reporters were told they would be reassigned to only cover stories in the region\'s outlying counties: Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, and Portage. On April 10, they asked to be laid off. The move was met with outrage from the community which has seen the number of journalists decrease for years. But Cleveland is not unique -- it\'s a trend that is evident in many cities as newspapers struggle to find their place in an increasingly digital world.\r\nWhat do these changes mean for the future of the free press, in Cleveland and around the country? What efforts are being employed to fill the void created when a newspaper scales back or closes? What are we losing -- as a country and a democracy -- as the number of journalists continue to dwindle? Join us for a conversation with NPR Media Correspondent David Folkenflik on the intersection of journalism, free speech, an educated citizenry, and democracy.

Loretta J. Mester took office on June 1, 2014, as the 11th president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. Join us for a virtual forum as President Mester speaks with Dan Moulthrop and shares the national Federal Reserve Bank\'s response to the coronavirus outbreak, her economic outlook, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland\'s continued work in the community during the crisis.