The City Club of Cleveland Podcast

Sarah Lewis's book The Unseen Truth: When Race Changed Sight in America examines America from the end of the Civil War to the beginning of Jim Crow when the country\'s conception of race, and whiteness, was transforming. A finalist for the 2025 Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, Lewis uncovers a pivotal era when Americans came to ignore the truth about the false foundations of the nation's racial regime. Thanks to Professor Lewis's historical detective work, what we see and what's left unseen shapes everything we believe about ourselves and other people - and how we can start changing the narrative about who counts and who belongs in America.\r\n\r\nSarah Lewis is an award-winning art historian, founder of Vision & Justice, and the John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Humanities and Associate Professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard University. She is also the author of the bestseller The Rise: Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Search for Mastery, as well as the forthcoming book Vision & Justice.

Wilbur Ross, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce and a Wall Street veteran, discusses his notable career and insights into Trump's economic policies. He shares his experiences in negotiating tariffs with China and reflects on the legal complexities surrounding them. Ross also recounts his early financial lessons through revitalizing a steel mill and a pivotal negotiation with Trump during a crisis. His new book, 'Risks and Returns,' offers a candid look at his ascent in both business and the political arena.

Tired of swiping left? You\'re not alone. Today\'s society is arguably facing a digital dating overload. In addition, more adults than ever have reported feelings of loneliness and isolation from friends, family, and community. Social structures have changed, and with them, the way we approach and participate in love, joy, and connection.\r\n\r\nHeidi Friedman knows what it\'s like to soldier through years of dating and finding true connection in today\'s times. Her first book, Love Lessons explores what true love really looks like through her personal journey of 104 dates over 10 years. It\'s a witty and insightful guide for anyone looking for love, reevaluating a current relationship, or starting over on the quest for the right one. With humor and authenticity, Love Lessons reflects Heidi\'s research, survival of many awkward dates, and finally meeting her true partner--through a mutual friend, Ann Zoller!\r\n\r\nHeidi is also a partner at Thompson Hine where she has been practicing environmental law and providing ESG counsel to clients nationally for over 30 years. Heidi has also written regularly for Bloomberg, Law 360, and other publications related to her professional life and experience as a female lawyer\r\n\r\nJoin us at the City Club as Heidi Friedman sits down with Ann Zoller to talk about her new book Love Lessons, and what we all can learn about love, joy, and connection today.

On March 20th, President Trump issued an executive order effectively abolishing the Department of Education. The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and American Federation of Teachers (AFT) have already filed a lawsuit to block the dismantling, alleging the executive branch has exceeded its constitutional authority and violated law. As the nation watches the flurry of executive orders and legal action unfold on public education, what does this mean for the nation\'s K-12 and higher education students?\r\n\r\nDerek Black is a Professor of Law at the University of South Carolina School of Law, the Ernest F. Hollings Chair in Constitutional Law, and directs the Constitutional Law Center. He is one of the nation's foremost experts in education law and policy. He offers expert witness testimony in school funding, voucher, and federal policy litigation and his research is routinely cited in the federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.\r\n\r\nHe is also the author of a leading education law casebook, Education Law: Equality, Fairness, and Reform, and other books aimed at wider audiences. His 2020 book Schoolhouse Burning: Public Education and the Assault on American Democracy describes a full-scale assault on public education that threatens not just public education but American democracy itself. His forthcoming book, Dangerous Learning: The South's Long War on Black Literacy outlines the enduring legacy of the nineteenth-century struggle for Black literacy in the American South.

As Russia's war with Ukraine entered a fourth year on February 24, 2025, several things happened. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the White House to be told by President Trump that he "did not have the cards;" the US began to pull back aid for Ukrainian forces; and shortly after that Ukraine secured the support of European Union allies and launched a drone attack directly on Moscow. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin put his own conditions on any potential ceasefire deal.\r\n\r\nIn the pages of The Atlantic, Johns Hopkins professor Eliot Cohen weighed in, arguing that Russia is actually losing the war. \"Ukraine has plenty of cards,\" Cohen wrote, \"even if Trump and Vance can\'t see them.\"\r\n\r\nHowever and whenever it ends, the resolution of this conflict could have a tectonic impact on geopolitics and power dynamics in Europe and throughout the world. Ambassador Paula Dobriansky joins Professor Cohen in a conversation about the prospects for an enduring peace and the greater impact of the conflict on the region and the global order.

In a July 2024 CNBC report, Ohio ranked 7th in business opportunities but received an "F" grade when it comes to workforce. Employers are looking for workers to advance their businesses and constantly talk about the need for workforce development. Meanwhile, there are thousands of justice-impacted individuals who would welcome the opportunity to work in these jobs. Connecting these two groups would help create a massive increase in the workforce pool and lift the entire economy.\r\n\r\nResearch suggests that Ohio's expansive collateral sanctions limit access to more than one in four jobs statewide, costing individuals an estimated $3.4 billion in foregone wages and artificially constraining access to talent for businesses.\r\n\r\nHow can public policy play a role in helping bridge the gap between these two groups, reduce employment barriers, and assist in providing more individuals with second chances in employment...and in life?\r\n\r\nIn partnership with Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry (LMM), join the City Club as we present the 2025 Charles R. See Forum on Reentry. We will welcome a panel of experts who can share their perspectives on what community leaders can do to answer this question, and what we as a community can do to help.

Join us for Cleveland Mayor Justin M. Bibb\'s 4th Annual State of the City, marking the final address of the Mayor\'s first term. This year\'s event will feature Mayor Bibb in a live conversation with WKYC\'s Russ Mitchell, discussing the initiatives driving Cleveland\'s growth and transformation.\r\n\r\nCleveland\'s historic Public Auditorium - now home to the Cleveland Charge - will serve as the backdrop for this celebration of the city\'s progress and a look at the year ahead.

State Senator Jerry Cirino has emerged as one of the most powerful members of the Ohio legislature. The finance committee chair and Kirtland area Republican is serving his second term. Senator Cirino also serves as vice chair of Higher Education committee. Indeed, higher ed is perhaps where the Senator is most well known. His proposal to reform higher education has reemerged as Senate Bill 1, a wide-ranging initiative to roll back campus diversity efforts and place some limits on the classroom discussion of so-called \"controversial topics.\"\r\n\r\nAs chair of the Finance Committee, Sen. Cirino is responsible for leading the drafting the senate\'s version of the state\'s capital and operating budgets, as well as any other additional expenditures. Cirino also serves on the Energy, Housing, and Rules Committees. He represents Lake County and communities in the east and southeast sides of Cuyahoga County.

This student-led forum, the last in the 2024-2025 school year, offers an opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue about social media and political content.\r\n\r\nSocial media has accelerated to become the most preferred news source for teenagers and young adults. Across the board, research concludes that platforms including Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube drive youth consumption, often on the most contentious political issues. The resulting content has inspired many sides of debate, including proponents and opponents of moderation, free speech, and fact-checking.\r\n\r\nThis student-led forum offers a rare opportunity to understand how new generations receive their news content. How does, and should, Gen Z critically analyze their political news feed? Is fact-checking a moderate approach to tackle misinformation or does it stifle free expression? Compared to legacy media outlets, in what ways are modern news and content sources better equipped to address the youth?

In February, Congressman Ro Khanna penned a New York Times op-ed noting that to persuade Americans that transformative government is capable of improving their lives, we must reverse what many have experienced as decades of stagnation and decline. \"With the establishment of both parties defeated, we are, as you may have heard, at a fork in the road.\" Khanna wrote, \"Either the country will continue to succumb to a burn-it-all-down political nihilism and disillusionment, or Democrats can use this moment of crisis to reframe the terms of the debate.\"\r\n\r\nBut what are the terms of that debate? And what are the initiatives and solutions that will heal our divides during uncertain times?\r\n\r\nRo Khanna is a United States Congressman from California's 17th District in the heart of Silicon Valley. He has a vision to transform America into a modern manufacturing and technology superpower, and he partners it with a commitment to passing Medicare for All, a $17-dollar minimum wage, and free public college and vocational school. Congressman Khanna is Deputy Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and served as co-chair of Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign.