The City Club of Cleveland Podcast

Zack Reed currently serves as a statewide minority affairs coordinator under Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, and focuses on building bridges with minority voters and business groups across the state. Before this, Reed was a member of Cleveland City Council, representing Ward 2, which includes Mt. Pleasant, Union-Miles and Mill Creek Falls neighborhoods. He was first elected to the council in 1999 and ran as a nonpartisan candidate for mayor of Cleveland in 2017. Reed will share his thoughts on some of the most pressing issues facing our communities: police reform, safety, gun violence, and affordable housing.

After the death of George Floyd, coaches and athletes across American sports released statements on racism. The Cavaliers, one of only two NBA teams with both a Black head coach and general manager, have a long-standing appreciation for diversity. Join us at the City Club with Cavs General Manager Koby Altman, Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff and Cavs Vice President Diversity, Inclusion & Community Engagement Kevin Clayton for a conversation on social justice, and what the Cavaliers are trying to do to create positive change.

In late 2019, Cuyahoga County Council passed legislation creating the formation of the Citizen's Advisory Council on Equity. The 15-member Council is tasked, in part, with reviewing and providing recommendations to reduce the disparity between Black and white residents across the county when it comes to healthcare, criminal justice, safe and affordable housing, and educational opportunities

A first generation American of Mexican and Croatian descent and a native of Cleveland, Ohio, Ambassador Capricia Penavic Marshall has spent two decades laying the groundwork for successful diplomacy between heads of state around the world. Now, as the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, it\'s apparent that international cooperation and successful diplomacy are more critical than ever. How does protocol impact the ability for decision-makers to move into consensus, especially as we adapt to a virtual world?

The idea of defunding America\'s police departments started out as quiet murmur after the Ferguson police department investigation in 2014, and has recently been elevated to a shout. Christy Lopez, Professor at Georgetown Law Center, directly led the team that investigated the Ferguson Police Department and was a primary drafter of the Ferguson Report and negotiator of the Ferguson consent decree. Join us at the City Club in conversation with Professor Lopez to discuss the logistics of defunding the police.

Quartez Harris is the author of the debut full-length poetry collection We Made It To School Alive, published by Twelve Arts Press. The collection eloquently centers the humanity of students of color while revealing how they establish self-worth and optimism in spite of a backdrop of structural barriers. A young poet from Twelve Literary Arts will read from We Made It To School Alive, followed by a conversation with the author.

As the nation continues its discussion of racism and policing, trans people are seven times more likely to experience physical violence when interacting with the police, and nearly half of all Black transgender people have been incarcerated. As we end Pride Month, how does this recent Supreme Court ruling intersect with the racial justice movement sweeping our nation and world? What impact will it have on the lives of the Black trans community?

The World Health Assembly has designated 2020 the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife in celebration of the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale. Dr. May Wykle is one of the nation's most distinguished nursing leaders, as well as an internationally recognized expert in geriatric and mental health nursing. She is also the first African American woman in nursing at major research university in the U.S.to have an endowed chair named after her. Join us at the City Club as she discusses the Year of the Nurse.

Erika D. Smith is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times writing about the diversity of people and places across California. Jamil Smith is a Senior Writer at Rolling Stone, where he covers national affairs and culture. In addition to being writers, the two have one other commonality - both were born and raised in Cleveland.\r\n\r\nAfter the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police, both journalists wrote about the racism and the race-based inequities embedded in America\'s systems and structures: American Plague and Cities are being destroyed. California clearly isn't as enlightened about race as we think.\r\n\r\nCurrently, Americans are experiencing a \"cascade of crises\" -- rising unemployment due to the coronavirus pandemic; increased risk of death, either from COVID-19 or policy brutality, both of which disproportionately affect the Black community; an increased militarized police presence in cities and towns where protests are prevalent, and a looming housing crisis.\r\n\r\nWhere do we go from here?

Black Americans have spent centuries working to convince others of their humanity and right to live. And yet, these last few weeks have taken a particularly devastating toll on the Black community. Deaths from COVID-19, a disease that has disproportionately killed people of color because of chronic inequalities in our healthcare and economic systems, surpassed 100,000. Breonna Taylor and George Floyd became the latest names added to an extensive list of Black individuals who died in the hands of police. And many of the protests following these murders were met with a militarized police presence and further police brutality.\r\n\r\nThe limited access to coping resources during this period of excessive stress is endangering Black lives even further. Black people are over seven times more likely to live in areas with limited access to mental health care. There is a dire shortage of Black mental health providers, and Black Americans are 20 percent more likely to report serious psychological distress.\r\n\r\nBlack mental health matters. In a community where discussion of mental health is already largely taboo and stigmatized, it is dire that we address mental health needs and provide resources and practices for surviving through this triggering time.