The City Club of Cleveland Podcast

\"Where are all the Native American restaurants?\" It\'s a question Sean Sherman addressed during a viral TEDx Talk. Despite a diverse national food scene, it is not common to see the cuisine of the people whose land we are currently on. Ultimately, however, the conversation on the prevalence of Native American restaurants becomes more profound-it\'s about reclaiming culture, connecting with land, promoting health equity, and supporting tribal sovereignty.\r\n\r\nA 2023 Time 100 Most Influential Person, 2023 Julia Child Award winner, and three-time James Beard Award-winning Oglala Lakota chef, Sean Sherman is internationally known for his cooking style based on pre-colonial Indigenous food systems, using only ingredients that are native to North America. His cookbooks Turtle Island: Foods and Traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North America and The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen have been praised by Robin Wall Kimmerer, Jos? Andr?s, LeVar Burton, and Jacques P?pin, to name a few.\r\n\r\nAlong with co-founding a restaurant in Minneapolis, Owamni, that focuses on Indigenous foods, Chef Sherman responded to the need for infrastructure to support Indigenous foodways across the United States, North America, and the globe. His nonprofit, N?TIFS, and its Indigenous Food Lab, a professional Indigenous Kitchen and Training Center, are working to build and support an Indigenous infrastructure, create a center for Indigenous Education, and promote the creation and maintenance of healthy food access throughout Indigenous communities.\r\n\r\nModerating the conversation is Michael Shaikh, who has worked for nearly two decades as a human rights investigator, spending extensive time in conflict zones in Asia and the Middle East. He is the author of The Last Sweet Bite: Stories and Recipes of Culinary Heritage Lost and Found, where he explores how the loss of culinary traditions can lead to the erasure of culture and identity.

According to a recent Harris Poll, 95% of Americans believe the U.S. is suffering an affordability crisis. The rising cost of groceries, gas, childcare, and housing means many families can no longer afford the essentials. The struggle crosses party lines, with about half of all Democrats, Republicans and Independents say they are having trouble affording everyday necessities.\r\n\r\nAdd to this an increasingly political tariff war, and rising inflation brought on by several factors, including the war in Iran, has effectively wiped out any wage gains for households in the past year.\r\n\r\nWhat impacts are we seeing unfold here in Northeast Ohio, and is there relief in sight to ease the pinch for so many local families?\r\n\r\nTo kick off our 14th season of \"Happy Dog Takes On Everything,\" join us as local leadership unpacks our nation\'s affordability crisis, with: Jennifer Kons, VP, Community Impact, United Way of Greater Cleveland; Tiffany Scruggs, Chief of Community Services, City of Cleveland; Jessica Semachko, Director of Government Relations, Greater Cleveland Food Bank; Moderator: Richard Cunningham, Producer, Engaged Journalism, Ideastream Public Media

For many caregivers and early childhood educators, raising and teaching children in an increasingly tech-dependent world can be daunting. Now, the advent of Artificial Intelligence, or AI, has further complicated an already vulnerable and challenging time of life for both caregivers and children alike. Moving faster than experts can analyze and research, not much is certain about AI\'s influence on social, emotional, and childhood behavioral development. Still, despite growing concern about overreliance on AI, some bright spots and opportunities exist in its use and incorporation into early childhood development.\r\n\r\nIn partnership with our friends at PNC, this locally focused forum is a follow-up to our recent forum in July with Dr. Dana Suskind, author of Human Raised: Nurturing Connection, Curiosity & Lifelong Learning in the Age of AI. Dr. Suskind sat down in conversation with Dr. Lisa Damour about the possibilities and perils of using AI and related technologies for child-rearing and early childhood education.\r\n\r\nNow, we will hear from Marcia Egbert with the Gund Foundation, Nancy Mendez of Starting Point, and Shawna Rohrman with Invest in Children on the work being done right here in Northeast Ohio to ensure healthy early childhood development of our youngest neighbors.

According to the American Booksellers Association, more than 600 independent bookstores opened in the U.S. last year, nearly double from the prior year. After years of the rise of big box bookstores and online retailers, our local bookshops offer what AI or Amazon cannot-spaces that connect people, that build community, and rekindle the joy of reading.\r\n\r\nWhile digital and audiobooks have grown in popularity over the past decade, more Americans still prefer print books. Many bookstores are also branching outside of simple retail and offering diverse experiences at their stores: Live entertainment, conversation, drinks, even role-playing games. Also rising in popularity are niche bookstores that cater to specific genres and fandoms, providing a space to gather around shared interests. And one cannot underestimate the influence of #BookTok, which has permeated book culture and become a best-seller machine.\r\n\r\nAll of this, however, is taking place during an era where rates of adult reading and literacy have continued to decline. While Americans are still reading, they\'re reading less literature. What is behind the resurgence of our local bookstores? And how has their special place in our communities helped encourage more adults to pick up a good book?\r\n\r\nJoin us at the City Club as Bill Kelly of Cuyahoga County Public Library leads a conversation with leadership of some of your favorite local bookstores-Loganberry Books, Visible Voice Books, ThirdSpace Reading Room, and Parallel Universe.

Created in 2009 as a response to the foreclosure crisis that struck Northeast Ohio, the Cuyahoga Land Bank transforms vacant, abandoned, and tax-delinquent properties into community assets that strengthen neighborhoods and expand economic opportunity. It has become a leading model for neighborhood revitalization, and since its founding, the Land Bank has demolished more than 10,000 abandoned and blighted properties. Beyond demolition, the Land Bank\'s strategic partnerships with public, private, and nonprofit organizations have helped usher in more than $3.6 billion in economic impact through neighborhood revitalization initiatives.\r\n\r\nRicardo Le?n was appointed President and CEO in 2024 after the unexpected passing of longtime CEO Gus Frangos. In this next era of the Land Bank, Le?n\'s deep experience as a steadfast champion in community and economic development brings a new opportunity to address challenges and opportunities in housing affordability, redevelopment, and more.\r\n\r\nJoin us at the City Club as Ricardo Le?n walks us through the Land Bank\'s past, present, and future, and sits down in conversation with Joyce Pan Huang, Chief Impact Officer of the Cleveland Foundation to discuss the challenges faced in housing, and the promise of neighborhood revitalization in Cuyahoga County.

Since the election of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Socialists of America have emerged as a defining force in Democratic Party politics. Mayor Mamdani\'s endorsement of three successful DSA candidates in the New York congressional primaries garnered national attention, and other DSA candidates have won a slew of primaries and electoral contests across the country, including a seat on Cleveland City Council.\r\n\r\nAs the New York Times reported the DSA has seen tremendous growth, from just under 7,000 members at the advent of the Bernie Sanders presidential bid in 2015 to more than 120,000 today. Defining itself in opposition to capitalism, the DSA calls for democracy \"powered by everyday people\" and advocates for Medicare for All, a 32-hour work week, a living wage, the abolition of ICE, and the right to self-determination for the Palestinian people, along with many other progressive and democratic reforms.\r\n\r\nAshik Siddique is the DSA\'s National Co-Chair, a role he was elected to in 2023. He has worked as a research policy analyst on military spending, the federal budget, and veterans affairs. In the City Club\'s tradition of bringing to the forum the leaders shaping the future of the nation and our national conversation on politics and public policy, we invite you to hear directly from Ashik Siddique about what the DSA actually is... and isn\'t.

In 2019, Sarah Aziza nearly lost her life after being hospitalized for an eating disorder. Along the process of recovery, Aziza begins to uncover her Palestinian roots. Daughter and granddaughter of Gazan refugees, The Hollow Half tells the story of three generations of Palestinian displacement and survival.\r\n\r\nWinner of the 2026 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award in Memoir, Aziza pens an innovative reckoning that weaves Arabic translation, hauntings, reporting, and geographies together in a stunning blend that asks-what does it mean to belong to a legacy of defiant survival?\r\n\r\nAnisfield-Wolf juror and historian Charles King writes, "Throughout The Hollow Half, Aziza weaves personal narrative with history and laces both with the revelatory beauty of the Arabic language. Words bear their own secrets, of lost lives and shadow ideas, of home, horrors, and healing."\r\n\r\nSarah Aziza is a Palestinian American writer, translator, and artist with roots in 'Ibdis and Deir al-Balah, Gaza. The recipient of a Fulbright fellowship and numerous grants from the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting, she has lived and worked in Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Jordan, South Africa, the West Bank, and the United States. Her award-winning journalism, poetry, essays, and experimental nonfiction have appeared in The New Yorker, The Baffler, Harper's Magazine, Mizna, Lux, The Washington Post, The Intercept, The Rumpus, NPR, The Margins, and The Nation, among other publications.

At the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, Jesse Owens, one of Cleveland\'s most iconic symbols of athletic excellence, brought home four gold medals. His dominance made him a household name far beyond Cleveland, and his success stood as a powerful rebuke to the racist ideals at the time. His story is also one of opportunity. In the face of fierce segregation and racism, dedicated teachers and coaches at East Tech High School recognized and supported his natural potential and determination.\r\n\r\nAthletic programs today, in combination with educational excellence, have proven to be beneficial for young people to develop discipline, confidence, teamwork, and other life skills that will serve them throughout their lives. Is the next Jesse Owen here today? And how can we ensure that our youth have access to the education, coaching, and resources required to prepare them for the level of competition required of them on a global stage?

Join Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne for the 2026 State of the County address at the Mimi Ohio Theatre in Playhouse Square. The Executive will deliver remarks, as well as sit down in conversation with Randell McShephard, VP of Public Affairs & Chief Talent Officer at RPM, to share key accomplishments, reflect on the progress made together, and outline his vision and priorities for the upcoming year.

Since October 7, Israeli society has undergone a profound transformation. The attacks, the ensuing wars, and the intense international scrutiny have reshaped how Israelis-Jews and Arabs alike-understand their identities, their relationships with one another, and their visions for the country\'s future.\r\n\r\nWhat does it mean to be Israeli today? How has the events of the last three years changed the relationship between Jewish and Arab citizens? And how have regional conflicts and global reactions to Israel influenced Israel's internal and external dynamics?\r\n\r\nFor Americans, these questions are more than matters of foreign policy. As debates over Israel have become increasingly central to American politics, campuses, and Jewish communal life, understanding the realities and complexities inside Israeli society has never been more important. Join us for a timely conversation exploring how Israel is changing-and why those changes matter far beyond its borders.