The City Club of Cleveland Podcast

On the eve of the 50th Anniversary of hip-hop. As the Bronx-born genre of music gained popularity, it amplified the voices of systemically marginalized groups. Today, hip-hop artists continue to leverage music and culture to bring investment and resources to their neighborhoods and advocate for the well-being of their communities.\r\n\r\nAnthony Henderson, AKA Krayzie Bone is a son of Cleveland and a member of the award-winning rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. In addition to being a talented rapper, he is a producer and entrepreneur. He started the Spread the Love Foundation in 2019, a nonprofit organization that advocates for urban arts and cultural equity by providing music industry education and workforce development for disadvantaged populations to improve Cleveland communities.\r\n\r\nTogether with the Saint Luke\'s Foundation, the City Club will bring the conversation directly to the community at the Morning Star Baptist Church for the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. Join us as Krayzie Bone sits down for a candid conversation with WOVU\'s DJ Kristyles on how music can promote healing and community strength.

Access to performance art plays a critical role in enriching communities. It can give a voice to the unheard and challenge the perspective of others. Art can be found and made anywhere, but for certain communities, it is not always accessible.\r\n\r\nBorderLight is a nonprofit organization founded in 2015 by Dale Heinen and Jeffrey Pence. Their mission is to make art accessible while also giving exposure to up-and-coming and BIPOC artists by highlighting self-produced work. This year marks the first fringe-only festival, which will showcase 130+ performances from 37 unique local and national acts from August 3-5.\r\n\r\nJoin us for a free LIVE broadcast on 89.7 Ideastream Public Media, in the heart of Cleveland\'s theatre district about equity in performance art and how it can help revitalize our communities.

In the last year, conversation has swelled dramatically around artificial intelligence and what it means for how we live and work. In his latest book, Future Care: Sensors, Artificial Intelligence, and the Reinvention of Medicine, Dr. Jag Singh looks into AI's effects on health care and what it means for doctors and patients. Utilizing his years of experience as a medical professional, Singh's book chronicles the evolution of AI in health care-from sensors to virtual care. As artificial intelligence becomes a larger part of our everyday lives, Singh helps readers better understand this emerging field and the long-term effects of medicine's digital revolution.\r\n\r\nJag Singh is a professor at Harvard Medical School. For almost two decades he's worked at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he currently serves as a cardiac electrophysiologist. Singh completed his internal medicine residency, cardiology, and cardiac electrophysiology fellowships at Mass General. He received his doctorate from Oxford University and a Master of science in clinical investigation from MIT and Harvard.\r\n\r\nJoin the City Club for a discussion with Dr. Jag Singh about his new book and the future of AI in health care.

On Aug. 8, Ohioans will head to the polls for a special election on Issue 1. If approved, Issue 1 would make changing the state's constitution more difficult. Specifically, the ballot proposal would amend the state constitution, raising the threshold for future constitutional amendments and requiring a 60% supermajority of Ohio voters to pass, instead of the current 50% plus one vote. Additionally, getting on the ballot would require signatures from voters in all 88 counties, as opposed to the 44 county threshold currently in place.\r\n\r\nIn putting Issue 1 on the August ballot, Republican lawmakers have said they hope to make it more difficult to amend the constitution in the future, specifically citing efforts underway to put a constitutional amendment legalizing abortion on the November general election ballot. Other supporters of Issue 1-including the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, the Ohio Restaurant Association and the Ohio Hotel and Lodging Association-have cited an anticipated ballot issue to raise the minimum wage next year as the primary reason for their support.\r\n\r\nLocal opponents of the issue include Cleveland City Council, Greater Cleveland Congregations, and Northeast Ohio Voter Advocates. In a statement urging Ohioans to vote no on Issue 1, Cleveland City Council said the proposed amendment "would destroy citizen-driven ballot initiatives as we know them, upending Ohioans right to make decisions thereby making it more difficult to amend the state constitution."\r\n\r\nJoin us for a forum moderated by Rick Jackson, and hear from both advocates and opponents of State Issue 1.

Last June, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that protected Americans\' access to abortion. And although it was the most startling development of the 2021-2022 Supreme Court term, it was by no means the court's only important ruling.\r\n\r\nIn his new book, The Supermajority: How the Supreme Court Divided America, Michael Waldman delves into the court's previous term-from overturning Roe v. Wade to limiting the EPA's authority to loosening gun restrictions-and the long-term effects it will have on policy and court cases throughout the United States. Kirkus Reviews called the book "a damning account of a Supreme Court gone wildly activist in shredding the Constitution."\r\n\r\nWaldman is the president and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, a nonpartisan law and policy institute. From 1995 to 1999 he served as President Bill Clinton's director of speechwriting. In 2021 he served on President Joe Biden's Supreme Court Commission. The Supermajority is his third book.\r\n\r\nJoin The City Club and Michael Waldman to discuss his new book and the future of the Supreme Court.

Cleveland has a wealth of public art, from the Guardians of Transportation on the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge to the Free Stamp by City Hall to the colorful murals that dot our city. In 2003, Cleveland made its support of public art official when the city enacted legislation requiring capital improvement projects within city limits with budgets over $350,000 to designate at least 1.5% of the total budget toward the creation of public art.\r\n\r\nArt has the power to change a viewer's way of thinking and help to shape a city's cultural identity. Furthermore, supporting local artists and their work leads to a more vibrant and diverse city. As Cleveland looks toward the future, join us in Public Square as we learn how public art can help transform the way we interact with the public realm.

In January 2023, Ronn Richard announced his plans to retire from his role as president and CEO of the Cleveland Foundation after 20 years at the helm of the world's first community foundation. As Mr. Richard prepares to retire at the end of July, he will join Tony Richardson, President of The George Gund Foundation, in a conversation reflecting on his tenure at the Cleveland Foundation and his hopes for the future of Greater Cleveland.\r\n\r\nMr. Richard came to Cleveland to lead the foundation in 2003, following a career that spanned the public, private and nonprofit sectors. During his time at the foundation, Mr. Richard doubled the organization's endowment and grew its annual grantmaking to record levels while overseeing transformative investments in public education, neighborhood development, arts and culture, advanced energy, leadership development, research and innovation, and more.\r\n\r\nIn this forum, Mr. Richard will share insights and lessons from his tenure at the Cleveland Foundation as well as his perspective on the role of community philanthropy in moving Greater Cleveland forward.

Last year, plans were announced for a complete reimaging of the Cuyahoga Riverfront. Led by the real estate firm Bedrock and the city of Cleveland, the decade-spanning plan will redevelop 35 acres. Highlights of the plan include connecting downtown to the river through Tower City Center, adding more mixed-use properties, and creating accessible outdoor spaces. Go north, and a comprehensive community-engagement project is examining the potential of Cleveland\'s lakefront.\r\n\r\nAs downtown continues to grow, ensuring residents and visitors feel connected to the area-whether they're watching the Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium or taking in a Broadway show on Playhouse Square-is essential. Join us in Public Square as we hear how reliable public transit, bike and pedestrian lanes, public green spaces, and basic amenities can come together to create an integrated neighborhood that is inclusive and welcoming to all.

According to Cleveland\'s Department of Public Health, homicides per 100,000 residents increased by 42% in 2020, and remained high in 2021; with firearms comprising 86% of homicides in the city. There have been renewed calls for gun violence to be declared a public health crisis, as well as adequate funding and follow through on promises to address the crisis. Still, community driven efforts have long focused on youth programming and conflict mediation as effective solutions to decrease gun violence.\r\n\r\nPastor Michael McBride, known as "Pastor Mike,\" is a native of San Francisco, and director of the Live Free USA campaign--a non-profit organization and social justice network dedicated to ending gun violence, mass incarceration, and mass criminalization through education, advocacy, and direct action. Together with a network of thousands of community-based organizations, faith leaders, and directly impacted leaders, Live Free USA aims to build a new system of public safety that truly brings peace to cities.\r\n\r\nJoin us at the City Club as we hear from Pastor Mike and the community-driven efforts to reduce gun violence, and the fight for freedom, justice, and healing.

Last November, voters overwhelmingly elected Chris Ronayne as the next Cuyahoga County Executive. Ronayne campaigned on several key issues, including strengthening our economy, increasing access to the region's waterfronts, creating more affordable housing options, and improving services for our residents.\r\n\r\nRonayne most recently served as President of University Circle Inc. for 16 years. Before that, he spent four years with the City of Cleveland, first as Planning Director, where he led the Cleveland Lakefront Plan and the Euclid Corridor initiative. Later, he served as Mayor Jane Campbell's Chief of Staff and Chief Development Officer, where he managed the city's budget and oversaw its 5,000 employees. Ronayne previously served on the Canalway Partners Board of Directors and the Port of Cleveland Board of Directors.\r\n\r\nJoin the City Club for Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne's first State of the County address since assuming office in January.