As the world's eyes follow the Israel-Hamas war, the recent Iran attack, and the repercussions on American campuses and beyond, the need for rigorous reporting and respected journalism has never been more essential. The Forward is the nation\'s most widely read Jewish news outlet, a fiercely independent and non-ideological source for news, culture, and opinion across the political spectrum.\r\n\r\nJodi Rudoren became editor-in-chief of the Forward in 2019 after more than two decades at The New York Times, including a stint as Jerusalem bureau chief. Having personally covered two prior Israel-Hamas wars, in 2012 and 2014, Rudoren has been a leading commentator since Oct. 7, appearing on CNN and MSNBC and speaking at numerous college campuses, synagogues, and more.

When author Richard Rothstein joined the City Club in 2017 for his book The Color of Law, he argued with exacting precision how segregation in America-the incessant kind that continues to dog our major cities and has contributed to so much recent social strife-is the byproduct of explicit government policies at the local, state, and federal level.\r\n\r\nThe Color of Law brilliantly recounted how government at all levels created segregation. Now, Just Action describes how we can begin to undo it. Just Action serves as a blueprint for concerned citizens and community leaders with programs that they can undertake in their own communities to address historical inequities. It provides bona fide answers, based on decades of study and experience, in a nation awash with memes and internet theories.

Last month, billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott announced she was gifting $640 million to 361 small nonprofits out of 6,000 that responded to an open call for applications. It was another round of jaw-dropping and transformative gifts that Scott pledged to dole out \"until the safe is empty\" following her divorce from Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos.\r\n\r\nOn the receiving end are four Cleveland nonprofit organizations--providing a catalyst for high-impact equitable community change right here in our neighborhoods. Each of these organizations shares a mission that aligns with Scott\'s goal to \"advance the voices and opportunities of individuals and families of meager or modest means, and groups who have met with discrimination and other systemic obstacles.\"\r\n\r\nBirthing Beautiful Communities, the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland, and Towards Employment each received $2 million in gifts; and Fairfax Renaissance Development Corp. received $1 million of the latest round of Scott\'s donations.

Richey Piiparinen is a son of Cleveland and one of the city\'s leading researchers on urban poverty and community development. His work has appeared in the Huffington Post, NPR\'s Morning Edition, CBS Evening News, and more. His first book, Rust Belt Chic: A Cleveland Anthology assembled an authentic snapshot of a post-industrial Cleveland. Over the years, Piiparinen has built a reputation on his keen ability to recount why Rust Belt cities like Cleveland have struggled to thrive, all while revealing the promise of what is possible.\r\n\r\nThen in January 2021, Piiparinen would come face-to-face with a glioblastoma diagnosis, an aggressive form of brain cancer. What came next was Octopus Hunting, a collection of fourteen essays on the history and economics of Cleveland. But it is also part memoir of Piiparinen\'s wisdom in the face of life and death, while living in a city in its very own throes of revival. Piiparinen\'s personal experiences deepen the economic discussion, forcing us never to forget that when we are talking about the rise and fall of cities, we are really talking about the people who live in them.

2024 Law Day with Former US Attorney Barbara McQuade\r\nIn democracies, the people rule. For nearly 250 years, Americans have expressed their political views and wishes by speaking their minds and voting in elections. Yet, the information we consume, and a well-informed public is crucial to the health of our democracy. These days, it seems like voters are more polarized than ever before and cannot come to a consensus on much of anything.\r\n\r\nIn Attack from Within, legal scholar and analyst Barbara McQuade argues that American society is strategically being pushed apart by disinformation-the deliberate spreading of lies disguised as truth. Advances in technology including rapid developments in Artificial Intelligence threaten to make the problems even worse by amplifying false claims and manufacturing credibility. McQuade shows us how to identify the ways disinformation is seeping into all facets of our society, and how we can fight against it.

According to the Eight Point Plan for Housing Justice in Cuyahoga County, those with criminal records are ten times more likely to experience homelessness, and those who are homeless are more likely to be arrested--beginning a vicious cycle for those with a record. These individuals face collateral sanctions (both state laws and administrative rules) that can limit a person\'s ability to find employment, housing, and more. In fact, the same Eight Point Plan cited that 78% of affordable rentals in the County had long-term bans on those convicted of even minor offenses. With housing prices escalating, more than 20,000 people exiting incarceration in Cuyahoga County every year do not have access to a basic need that is vital for successful reintegration.\r\n\r\nYusuf Dahl has been on both sides of the struggle to strengthen America's most vulnerable neighborhoods. As a teenager, he operated a network of drug houses before being sentenced to prison for 10 1/2 years. After his imprisonment, during the depths of the financial crisis, he became an unlikely real estate investor and affordable housing advocate. From a single two-family house in one of Milwaukee's poorest zip codes, Yusuf built a portfolio of over two hundred residential and commercial units and founded an award-winning property management company.\r\n\r\nYusuf is a former president of Wisconsin's largest apartment owners trade association and is leading the national effort to repeal the Thurmond Amendment - legislation that imposes a lifetime denial of fair housing protections to persons with a drug distribution conviction. He holds an MPA from Princeton University and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.\r\n\r\nJoin us at the City Club as we hear from Yusuf Dahl on how to break down barriers and empower those seeking to rebuild their lives.

Jeremy Johnson is President and CEO of Assembly for the Arts, the umbrella organization that advocates for, and unites, Greater Cleveland's complex creative sector. A mix of diverse nonprofits, individual artists, and creative businesses comprise the region's arts and culture industry. In the coming months, the Assembly will endeavor to motivate Cuyahoga County voters to, once again, pass a tobacco levy in support of arts and culture nonprofits.\r\n\r\nJoin us at the City Club as Rhonda K. Brown, the City of Cleveland's Senior Strategist for Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy, will lead a discussion with Johnson about the opportunities and challenges for Greater Cleveland's future economic and cultural growth.

On Saturday, April 13th, the Cleveland Foundation's African American Philanthropy Committee's (AAPC) biennial summit will discuss philanthropy and the Black family; as well as how the ability to access resources essential to one's life and well-being means increased economic stability. This access includes employment, income, financial support, financial services - and of course - philanthropy. But what factors are involved in building intergenerational wealth and stability through community partnerships with financial institutions and businesses? And what role does philanthropy play on the path to prosperity?\r\n\r\nAhead of the weekend\'s Summit, join AAPC member Jeff Johnson as he leads a conversation with bank executives and entrepreneurs about striving for economic stability in Black families through banking, credit, and entrepreneurship.

Join the City Club\'s Youth Forum Council for the LAST youth led forum of the 2023-2024 school year. The forum will focus on how violence in our communities can have an impact on our mental health. During the discussion, strategies will be shared on how to process the feelings that arise when violence occurs in our communities.\r\n\r\nIn collaboration with the Cleveland International Film Festival, we will also be screening a short film entitled \"Quiet Minds, Silent Streets\". The film centers around a community that is plagued with gun violence in the Greater Toronto Area, looking for ways to cope after a beloved 17 year old boy is murdered. When they find an unlikely solution proposed in a TEDxTalk on mindfulness and meditation, they decide to bring it to the community in an effort to heal.

Gradually, Then Suddenly: The Bankruptcy of Detroit, directed by Sam Katz and James McGovern is the story of Detroit's monumental climb out of bankruptcy toward a new era. In this documentary, Detroiters of all backgrounds and viewpoints find common ground in their search for a possible future. The \'grand bargain\' remains to be seen as a model for cities in crisis.\r\n\r\nIn partnership with the Cleveland International Film Festival, the City Club will be joined by Sam Katz, one of the film\'s Co-Directors and Co-Producers to discuss this film.\r\n\r\nWhile serving as chair of the fiscal oversight authority monitoring Philadelphia\'s finances, Sam started to pay attention to the tribulations of Detroit. He thought an important story was unfolding that needed to be documented through film. For six years, Sam and his colleagues worked on that film which while still in production won the 2021 Library of Congress/Ken Burns Prize for Film.\r\n\r\nGradually, Then Suddenly: The Bankruptcy of Detroit will be released on July 18, 2024, the 11th anniversary of Detroit\'s Chapter 9 filing.