The City Club of Cleveland Podcast

Every year, roughly a thousand young people in the foster-care system in Ohio "age out" and are thrust into a reality where they are more likely to face homelessness, unemployment, and food scarcity. Child welfare agencies are working to fill the gaps, but opportunities remain.\r\n\r\nJoin the City Club as we hear from local leadership on how we can all strategically partner with agencies and institutions to improve outcomes for youth and families.

According to a recent report by Harvard University, the first two decades of the 21st century were laser focused on \"increasing voter turnout among the \'low propensity\' voters in their communities, especially people of color and young people.\" These were groups largely "invisible" to the mainstream election industry. So, at the time, grassroots organizations welcomed the approach. But was it the right move? Today, Ohio is experiencing a higher level of disengagement and cynicism than in comparable states. Add to this, Ohio\'s notoriety as a \"swing state\" has lost steam--and national Get Out The Vote (GOTV) efforts have set their eyes on neighboring states like Wisconsin and Michigan. What can be done to repair the trust and relationship-building at the foundation of community organizing? And how can we better enfranchise those in our own communities? Join the City Club as Signal Cleveland\'s Frank Lewis takes on the \"forgotten voter\" and Ohio\'s GOTV efforts.

The City Club presents the annual State of the Schools address featuring CEO Dr. Warren G. Morgan, where he will speak about his priorities and progress after his first year leading the schools.\r\n\r\nDr. Morgan became CEO of Cleveland Metropolitan School District, Ohio's third-largest school district, in July 2023. As CEO, he is responsible for implementing the strategic vision for the district, which serves more than 36,000 students. He also oversees more than 6,500 employees and collaborates with educators, students and families, and the community to create a school district that provides high-quality, equitable education to all students.

The most enduring feature of U.S. history is the presence of Native Americans, yet most histories focus on Europeans and their descendants. A 2018 study by Reclaiming Native Truth found that nearly half of Americans believed what they were taught in schools about Native Americans was inaccurate; and 72 percent thought it was necessary to make significant changes to curriculum on Native American history.\r\n\r\nNow, this long practice of ignoring Indigenous history is changing. Awarded the 2023 National Book Award in Nonfiction, Blackhawk\'s The Rediscovery of America expertly interweaves five centuries of Native and non-Native histories, and is part of the next generation of scholarship that we have all been waiting for.\r\n\r\nBlackhawk is an enrolled member of the Te-Moak tribe of the Western Shoshone and the Howard R. Lamar Professor of History and American Studies at Yale University. Prior to this, he spent 10 years at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. A graduate of McGill University, he holds graduate degrees in History from UCLA and the University of Washington and is the author of Violence over the Land: Indians and Empires in the Early American West (Harvard, 2006).

As we head into the November election, tax policy is undoubtedly a top issue for many voters. K-12 schools, higher education, local governments, libraries, and more all rely on taxation to raise adequate revenue to provide public services. Tax policy has also been used as a tool to attract jobs, spur economic growth, and promote entrepreneurship. But what are we actually seeing in Ohio and across the nation?\r\n\r\nIn 2017, the Trump Administration signed into law what many cite as the biggest tax overhaul since the Tax Reform Act of 1986. And just this year, Republican lawmakers introduced legislation in Ohio that would eliminate Ohio\'s income tax and repeal the Commercial Activities Tax by 2030. While such legislation is unlikely to pass in Ohio, it opens up the debate for what constitutes effective and equitable taxation.

In her inspiring memoir, the first Black woman to ever be appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States chronicles her extraordinary life story. With this unflinching account, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson traces her family's ascent from segregation to her confirmation on America's highest court within the span of one generation.\r\n\r\nNamed "Ketanji Onyika," meaning "Lovely One," based on a suggestion from her aunt, a Peace Corps worker stationed in West Africa, Justice Jackson learned from her educator parents to take pride in her heritage since birth. She describes her resolve as a young girl to honor this legacy and realize her dreams: from hearing stories of her grandparents and parents breaking barriers in the segregated South, to honing her voice in high school as an oratory champion and student body president, to graduating magna cum laude from Harvard, where she performed in musical theater and improv and participated in pivotal student organizations.\r\n\r\nHere, Justice Jackson pulls back the curtain, marrying the public record of her life with what is less known. She reveals what it takes to advance in the legal profession when most people in power don't look like you, and to reconcile a demanding career with the joys and sacrifices of marriage and motherhood.\r\n\r\nThe conversation is led by Michel Martin, Host of NPR\'s Morning Edition.

The Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) is Ohio\'s third-largest public school system, serving more than 36,000 students. It\'s home to state champion athletic and robotic programs; the nation\'s fourth Say Yes to Education district; and several innovative community partnerships in both the public and private sectors. At the same time, it is also staring down a $110 million budget shortfall by 2027--in part due to the loss of COVID-era funds and increasing expenses.\r\n\r\nThis November, Cleveland voters will decide on a proposed school levy that would raise $52 million for CMSD schools annually. The money raised by the new tax would be dedicated to operating costs, like paying teachers, buying new books, and more. In addition, CSMD is asking for a 35-year extension on an existing bond issue. For CMSD leadership, the stakes are high in an era where family budgets are tight and rising property values complicate the issue.

If there ever were a time for James Zogby to revisit the City Club, it would be now. The last time we heard from him was in 2011 when he spoke about his latest book Arab Voices: What They Are Saying to Us and Why it Matters, which outlined America\'s problematic relationship with the Arab world, and why that relationship has remained persistently difficult. Now, James Zogby joins us once again to reflect on where we are today.\r\n\r\nJames Zogby co-founded the Arab American Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based organization which serves as the political and policy research arm of the Arab American community, in 1985 and continues to serve as its president. He is Director of Zogby Research Services, a firm that has conducted groundbreaking surveys across the Middle East. For the past 3 decades, he has served in leadership roles in the Democratic National Committee. He currently serves as Chair of the DNC Ethnic Council, and from 2000 to 2017, he served on the DNC\'s Executive Committee.

County Executive Chris Ronayne delivers his second State of the County address at the newly renovated Atrium Ballroom at the Huntington Convention Center in downtown Cleveland. Executive Ronayne reflects on the County\'s achievements, address our challenges, and outline a vision for the future.

As the legal battles over redistricting in the state drag on, Ohioans will have an opportunity to vote this November on an amendment that aims to put an end to gerrymandering. What does that mean for Ohioans? The citizen-led constitutional amendment put forth by Citizens Not Politicians seeks to replace the current Ohio Redistricting Commission with an independent body selected directly by citizens. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has voiced opposition to the amendment, but acknowledged the need for a new political mapmaking system.\r\n\r\nJoin the City Club for a Happy Dog \"Happy Hour\" as we take on redistricting. Dr. Kareem Crayton with the Brennan Center and Retired Chief Justice Maureen O\'Connor will weigh in on the current state of redistricting in the state and outline the goals of the upcoming amendment on the November ballot. Moderated by Signal Cleveland\'s Government Reporter Nick Castele.