The City Club of Cleveland Podcast

The American Dream remains an aspirational concept related to the promise of a country that embraces optimism for the future and the ability to shape it, as well as recognition of every person's potential as a dignified and free human being. However, while achievable for some, for many others the American Dream remains an unattainable dream, a cruel illusion, an unfulfilled promise.\r\n\r\nSo what is the relevance of the American Dream today? what does it mean to the greater Cleveland community?\r\n\r\nJoin the City Club for a FREE forum in partnership with The Cleveland Orchestra\'s 2023 Mandel Opera & Humanities Festival to examine how the idea of the American Dream has played out in Cleveland, starting with the displacement of Indigenous people at the city\'s founding. While Cleveland's role in both the Underground Railroad and later the Great Migration held out hope for access to opportunity, that hope was often undermined by policies that shaped economic reality throughout the 20th century and up to the present day. And as we look toward the future of our city, we will dream together about the creation of opportunity across our diverse communities.

Innovation and entrepreneurship are vital parts of the local economy. In recent years, Cleveland has experienced both business and jobs growth, according to the Greater Cleveland Partnership's 2022 annual report. Small businesses and startups create jobs, attract new talent, and make Northeast Ohio an attractive option for future investors and business executives.\r\n\r\nEduardo Gonzales at Ferragon is a prime example of the entrepreneurial spirit in Cleveland. The steel processing company was founded in 1983 and treats and delivers rolled steel to automakers and other companies. Eduardo came to the United States in the 1960s when his family fled Fidel Castro's Cuba.\r\n\r\nGonzalez attended the University of Michigan where he studied economics. After graduating, he worked in the steel industry. He started Ferragon when he was 28 after using money he had saved to buy a steel toll processor. Today, Ferragon has facilities in Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, and Texas.\r\n\r\nEduardo Gonzalez will join the City Club to speak about entrepreneurship and the future of innovation in Northeast Ohio.

Led by Senator Jerry Cirino, statehouse Republicans are working to pass Senate Bill 83, known as the Ohio Higher Education Enhancement Act. It would lead to sweeping changes for the state's public universities and colleges if passed. While SB 83 mainly applies to public institutions, it could also affect private colleges and universities that receive state dollars. The bill was introduced last month and is currently in Senate committee.\r\n\r\nSupporters believe the bill will strengthen First Amendment rights and reshape Ohio's higher education system to meet the needs of the 21st century. In a news release, Senator Cirino said, "This bill will move us toward true academic freedom. We need students to be taught how to think not what to think.\r\n\r\nCritics of the bill include education groups and college faculty from across the state. The Ohio chapter of the American Association of University Professors accused the bill of attempting "to micromanage public-and to an extent, private-colleges and universities on a variety of issues, most of which are rooted in the culture wars."\r\n\r\nJoin us at the City Club as Glenn Forbes from Ideastream Public Media leads a conversation with both proponents and opponents of SB 83, and what it could mean for higher education in Ohio.

In Paterson\'s debut novel, The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho, the story of Charles Ignatius Sancho is one that begins on a slave ship in the Atlantic and ends at the very center of London life. Sancho would become the first Black man to vote in Britain and lead the fight to end slavery--reigniting the conversation on Black excellence, identity, and the challenges that remain today.\r\n\r\nPaterson is an award-winning actor, and wrote and starred in the play Sancho: An Act of Remembrance in 2018, which was staged in the UK as well as the US--including the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. A veteran of the stage, TV, and film, Paterson has appeared on The Mosquito Coast, an Apple TV+ original series; Doctor Who; Noughts + Crosses; and other BBC programs.\r\n\r\nJoin us at the City Club for the official relaunch of the City Club Book Club, and hear from Paterson Joseph in a captivating intersection of performance art, storytelling, and Black history.

William Barr first took the office of the United States Attorney General in 1991, serving President George H. W. Bush through the end of his term in the White House. Decades later, he would come out of private practice to become the 85th AG, replacing Jeff Sessions in the administration of Donald J. Trump. It was a surprising appointment to some, given his well-known support for Jeb Bush in the 2016 primaries. Yet Barr had publicly supported the 45th president, particularly with regard to the special counsel investigation of Russian involvement in the 2016 election. The accomplishments of Barr's second tenure are well known, including both his handling of the special counsel report and his resignation in December 2020 when he refused to support President Trump's efforts to overturn the election.\r\n\r\nBarr\'s two stints leading the U.S. Department of Justice have given him a unique point of view on the rule of law and the functioning of the executive branch. He lays much of this out in his 2022 book One Damn Thing After Another: Memoirs of an Attorney General. The book, a number one New York Times best seller which The Wall Street Journal called \"substantive and brilliant," takes its title from the words one of Barr\'s predecessors used to describe the job.\r\n\r\nAs we mark Law Day 2023, Bill Barr joins us to discuss his memoirs, his time in the AG\'s office, and the state of our democracy.

In March, the City Club welcomed author Andrea Elliott to discuss her book Invisible Child, as part of One Community Reads. In this book, we meet Dasani, a child in New York City, and her family who move from shelter to shelter, battling persistent poverty and hunger, and in search of stability and a way forward. It was a heavy, and harrowing reminder of the struggles children and their families face, and the work that needs to be done.\r\n\r\nIn Cuyahoga County, 5,000 residents experience homelessness each year. Youth comprise 8 percent and families 12 percent. Homelessness disproportionately affects Black people, LGBTQ people, and individuals with disabilities. And in March, Cuyahoga County announced a pledge to reduce homelessness by 25 percent by 2027. The county plans to do this by focusing on affordable housing and offering more services to assist those experiencing homelessness.\r\n\r\nJoin us at the Happy Dog in a conversation led by Chris Knestrick, Executive Director at the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, and continue the conversation on youth and family homelessness in Cleveland.

Each year approximately 3,500 individuals return to Cuyahoga County after serving time in prison or jail. These individuals face collateral sanctions (both state laws and administrative rules) that can limit their ability to find employment. Exacerbating the situation, employers are hesitant to hire somebody with a record due to false assumptions and misconceptions. However, the data shows that being employed post-release provides much-needed income and purpose, and in turn, reduces the chance a returning citizen will recidivate.\r\n\r\nStill, the conversation is beginning to shift in response to a deeper understanding of the racial inequities embedded in the criminal-legal system, and the growing need for employees. Yet, work remains to demonstrate the immense value that returning citizens provide to an organization's culture and productivity.\r\n\r\nJoin Andre Ward, Associate Vice President of the David Rothenberg Center for Public Policy at the Fortune Society, for a conversation on the importance of lessening institutional and legal barriers to employment for returning citizens, and how such changes can create stronger and more equitable communities. Mr. Ward is a social worker and longtime advocate for individuals who face barriers due to past involvement in the criminal-legal system, chemical dependency, and/or mental health issues.\r\n\r\nThe New York based Fortune Society was founded in 1967 to support the successful reentry from incarceration and promote alternatives to incarceration, thus strengthening the fabric of our communities.\r\n\r\nIn honor of the 2023 Charles R. See Forum on Reentry in partnership with Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry, the City Club will welcome Andre Ward for opening remarks, followed by a panel conversation with leaders in the field on collateral sanctions.

As Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for the U.S. Department of State, Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley is tasked with creating a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive department. As the first person in her role, Amb. Abercrombie-Winstanley oversees the department's five-year Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Strategic Plan. The plan makes workforce data more accessible, sets goals for recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce, enhances the reasonable accommodations process, and establishes measures that promote inclusivity for marginalized groups.\r\n\r\nAbercrombie-Winstanley has 30 years of experience as a diplomat, previously serving as Ambassador to the Republic of Malta, foreign policy advisor to the commander of U.S. cyber forces, and deputy coordinator for counterterrorism. She also held senior positions at the Defense Department and the National Security Council. Before that, she was a fellow on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for then ranking member, Senator Joseph Biden.\r\n\r\nAbercrombie-Winstanley is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a co-founder of the Leadership Council for Women in National Security. A Cleveland native, she is a graduate of The George Washington University and Johns Hopkins University. She will be in conversation with City Club\'s CEO, Dan Moulthrop.

The City Club of Cleveland is pleased to host the 2023 State of the City. This free public event is presented in partnership with Cleveland Metropolitan School District and will be held at East Tech High School in Cleveland's Central neighborhood.\r\n\r\nIn his second address, Mayor Justin M. Bibb will discuss foundational work and progress made during his first year in office and look to the year ahead with a focus on public safety, modernizing city government, economic development, and breaking down barriers to progress for the city and its people.

As a native of Lancaster, Ohio, with more than three decades of experience as a business journalist, Rebecca Fannin is well suited to tell the story of industry in the Midwest. In Silicon Heartland: Transforming the Midwest From Rust Belt to Tech Belt, she traces the region's tumultuous history, from its heyday as a stronghold of solid, factory jobs that created comfortable middle-class lives for its residents, to its struggles with globalization that saw those same factory jobs sent overseas, leaving residents out of work. Now though, the Midwest is having a resurgence as major companies, venture capitalists, and entrepreneurs are turning their eyes inland, away from the coasts. Cities and towns that were once overlooked are receiving renewed interests and investments as tech innovators look to grow their businesses in a region of the U.S. that is eager to welcome them. As she road trips across Middle America, Fannin documents the unique opportunities and the enterprising minds that are turning the Midwest into a high-tech hub. Silicon Heartland is an inspiring an optimistic book that highlights the visionary work being done in an often overlooked region.\r\n\r\nFannin will be joined by Baiju Shah, president and CEO of Greater Cleveland Partnership and Ray Leach, CEO of JumpStart Inc., and Matt Buder Shapiro of Vytalize Health for a conversation about the Midwest's new tech-centered focus on manufacturing, and what it means for Northeast Ohio.\r\n\r\nRebecca Fannin is the author of four books. She is also a contributor to CNBC, Harvard Business Review, and Forbes. In 2010, she launched Silicon Dragon Ventures, a media and events platform focused on startup investment.