Mary Rose Oakar was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives between 1977 and 1993, representing Ohio's 20th District, and being the first Arab-American member of the House of Representatives. She was Vice Chairperson of the House Democratic Caucus, 1985-1989, and served as president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. She served in the Ohio House of Representatives, serving Cleveland's 13th District, between 2001 and 2002. In 2012 she was elected to the Ohio State Board of Education to represent the 11th District.
Marcia L. Fudge was raised in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and served as Chief of Staff for Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones during her first term. Ms. Fudge was mayor of Warrensville Heights, Ohio, from 2000 until elected to Congress in 2008. She chaired the Congressional Black Caucus from 2013 until 2015.
Peggy Zone-Fisher is a native Clevelander. She is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Diversity Center NEO. Zone-Fisher's parents both served as Cleveland City Council members for Ward 15, the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood on Cleveland's west side.
George L. Forbes was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He has owned a law firm in Cleveland, Ohio, since 1971. He was a city councilman during 1963-1989 and served as the first black council president during his last eighteen years in office. Mr. Forbes was elected president of the Cleveland NAACP in 1992 and was appointed to the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation in 1995.
George L. Forbes was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He has owned a law firm in Cleveland, Ohio, since 1971. He was a city councilman during 1963-1989 and served as the first black council president during his last eighteen years in office. Mr. Forbes was elected president of the Cleveland NAACP in 1992 and was appointed to the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation in 1995.
Matthew Zone is a native Clevelander. He was elected to the Cleveland City Council in 2001, representing Ward 15, the same Detroit-Shoreway ward as his late parents, Councilman Michael J. Zone and councilwoman Mary Zone, on Cleveland, Ohio's west side. He is also president of the National League of Cities.
Dr. Grover C. Gilmore is the Dean and Professor of Applied Social Sciences at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University. He received his PhD. from John Hopkins University.
Michael White is from the Glenville neighborhood, of Cleveland, Ohio. While studying at The Ohio State University, he was studen union president. White was campaign manager for Louis Stokes' Congressional Campaign, and also served on the Cleveland City Council between 1978 and 1984. White was mayor of Cleveland from 1990 to 2002.
Norman Krumholz was born in Passaic, New Jersey. He served as the City of Cleveland's planning director under Mayors Carl Stokes, Ralph Perk, and Dennis Kucinich. He also led the Cleveland Center for Neighborhood Development from 1979 to 1984 and served on the Cleveland City Planning Commission between 2006 and 2014.
Albert G. Ratner is a native Clevelander. He is an avid philanthropist and the co-chairman of Forest City Realty Trust, a nationwide real estate development firm. For twenty years he was the CEO of his family owned business, Forest City Enterprises, Inc. Mr. Ratner discusses his upbringing, particularly growing up in various East Side suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio, during the 1930s and '40s and his experiences with racial integration and conflict that occurred following WWII. Mr. Ratner also talks about Lou Stokes and his legacy.
Angela Stokes is the daughter of Louis Stokes and a graduate of the University of Maryland and Howard University Law School. She was Assistant Attorney General for the State of Ohio, and a Cleveland Municipal Court Judge for twenty years.
Rev. Samuel Tidmore, IV, was an aide to Louis Stokes during his early years in Congress. Rev. Tidmore was born in Decatur, Illinois, in 1938, but moved to Cleveland, Ohio, as a child. He graduated from John Adams High School and attended the Ohio State University. He is a former NFL linebacker who played for the Cleveland Browns in 1962 and 1963. He later became a business consultant and an owner of fast food franchises. During the late 1970s, he served as chapter vice president of the Cleveland chapter of Operation PUSH (People United to Save Humanity), a project begun by Rev. Jesse Jackson.
Richard Peery is a retired reporter from the Cleveland Plain Dealer. He is also a former reporter for the Call and Post newspaper. Raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he has lived in Cleveland, Ohio, for 40 years, and served as president of the Writer's Guild union at the Plain Dealer, and has continued his activism in the community.
Walter Beach III was born in Pontiac, Michigan, in 1933. Before attending college, Beach served in the U.S. Air force, spending three years in Germany as a cryptographer. He graduated from Central Michigan University and played defensive back in both the Canadian and National Football Leagues, including with the the Cleveland Browns during the team's 1964 Championship season. He served as the director for Countil for Youth Opportunities during Carl Stokes' mayoral administration. He is a lawyer and author.
The Honorable Jane L. Campbell is a native Clevelander, who has the distinction of being Cleveland's first female mayor, serving from 2002 to 2006. In 1975, Campbell founded WomenSpace, a coalition of women's organizations that advocated for the creation of Ohio's first shelter for battered women and promoted women for community and government leadership. She served in Ohio's House of Representatives from 1986 to 1996. In 1996 she was elected Cuyahoga County commissioner. She is currently Director of the Washington office of the National Development Council and president of Women Impacting Public Policy.
The Honorable Frank Jackson was first elected Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, in 2005. He had served for 15 years on the City Council prior to his election as mayor. As Mayor, Jackson kept the city solvent during a deep recession shortly after he took office. He has welcomed police reform, and has led a plan to transform Cleveland's public
Louis "Chuck" Stokes is the only sone of Louis Stokes. He began his career as a sports writer for the Washington Post. For over 30 years he has been the editorial/public affairs moderator for news and public affairs show "Spotlight on the News" for WXYZ in Detroit, Michigan.