Browse Interviews

Charles V. Williams is a longtime advocate for the Black Deaf community at both the local, state, and national levels. In this second of two interviews, he discusses his advocacy in the Black Deaf community from the 1970s to the present, including volunteering at the Cleveland Society for the Blind, his efforts for greater inclusivity in the provisions of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, getting closed captioning added for the 1980 Democratic National Convention, creating an interpreter training…

Albert B. 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. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

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. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

Ben S. Stefanski II was born in Garfield Heights and graduated from Case Western Reserve University and The University of Michigan. He served as Utilities Director for Carl Stokes and worked to combat pollution Lake Erie as well as developing the regional sewer system. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

Betty Pinkney and her husband, Arnold, were long time advocates for the Stokes brothers. Arnold helped elect Louis to Congress and was a major strategist for the Democratic party. Arnold Pinkney, an insurance executive, also ran Jesse Jackson's national campaign for President in 1984. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

Robert Gries was born in Cleveland. For fifty years he was a minority owner of the Cleveland Browns and is a former venture capitalist. Gries is a tireless philanthropist supporting many civic organizations. He served as the finance chair for Carl Stokes’ 1967 mayoral campaign. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

Brent Larkin is the retired director of the Cleveland Plain Dealer editorial page. His career as a journalist covering Cleveland politics began in 1971. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

Carole F. Hoover is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Hoover Milstein. She is the former CEO of the Greater Cleveland Growth Association. Hoover was also on the executive leadership team of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

Louis “Chuck” Stokes is the only son 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 director and moderator for news and public affairs show “Spotlight on the News” for WXYZ in Detroit. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

John Lewis was born in Troy, Alabama. He has served in Congress representing the Fifth Congressional District in Georgia since 1986. Lewis organized lunch counter protests, was the Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and participated in the Freedom Rides. This brief 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

Marcia L. Fudge was raised in Shaker Heights. Fudge served as chief staff for Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones during her first term. Fudge was mayor of Warrensville Heights from 2000 until elected to Congress in 2008. She chaired the Congressional Black Caucus from 2013-2015. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

Mary Rose Oakar was born in Cleveland. She was the Congresswoman representing Cleveland’s 13th and 20th Congressional Districts. Oakar was the first Arab-American member of the House of Representatives and has served as president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

Cordell Stokes is the youngest child of Carl Stokes and was born while his father was the mayor of Cleveland. He is a graduate of Youngstown State University and is an executive with the Urban League of Greater Cleveland. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

Matthew Zone is a native Clevelander. He is the Cleveland City Councilman representing the same Detroit-Shoreway ward as his late parents Councilman Michael Zone and Councilwoman Mary Zone on Cleveland’s west side. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

David Stradling is the Associate Dean for Humanities, Zane L. Miller Professor of History at the University of Cincinnati where he teaches urban and environmental history. He is the co-author of the book Where the River Burned: Carl Stokes and the Struggle to Save Cleveland. vThis 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

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 Ph.D. from The John Hopkins University. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

Dee Perry spent 40 years as a Cleveland radio broadcaster. She hosted programs on Cleveland's public radio station, WCPN, where she was a leader in promoting the Arts. She has conducted more than 10,000 interviews and was the lead interviewer for the Stokes Oral History Project. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

Richard Peery was raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is a retired journalist and lived in Cleveland for 40 years while working at the Call and Post and the Cleveland Plain Dealer. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

George Forbes was born in Memphis, Tennessee. Forbes has owned a law firm in Cleveland since 1971. He was a city councilman from 1963-1989 and served as the first black council president during his last eighteen years in office. Forbes was also president of the Cleveland NAACP. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

Jewell Gilbert served in Congressman Louis Stokes’ administration as his Cleveland office manager. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

Joan Campbell, born in Youngstown in 1931, is an ordained pastor, who has committed her life to service and activism working with important leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr. She worked to organize voters for Carl Stokes’ mayoral campaign. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

Sister Alvarado and Jose Feliciano are both active in the Hispanic community. She was only a junior in High School when she worked in a storefront campaign office to help Carl Stokes run for Mayor. He made history by becoming Cleveland's first Hispanic chief prosecuting attorney. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

As a toddler, Leon Bibb’s family moved to Cleveland from Alabama. Bibb went away to college, served in the Army in Vietnam, and began a career in television news. In 1979, he returned to Cleveland to stay and worked as a TV news reporter and anchor until his 2017 retirement. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

Lori Stokes is the youngest child of Louis Stokes. She is a graduate of The Ohio State University and Howard University and is a morning television anchor in New York City. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

Frank Jackson was first elected Mayor of Cleveland in 2005, after serving 15 years in the City Council. 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 schools. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

Jane Campbell is a native Clevelander. She has the distinction of being Cleveland's first female mayor, serving from 2002 to 2006. She also served in Ohio's House of Representatives from 1985 to 1996. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

Michael White is from the Glenville area. While studying at The Ohio State University he was Student Union President. White was campaign manager for Louis Stokes’ Congressional Campaign, also serving on Cleveland City Council. White was mayor of Cleveland from 1990-2002. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

Milton Maltz founded the Maltz Communications Company, which owned radio and TV stations across the U. S. After selling the firm, Mr. Maltz developed the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage in Beachwood, Ohio and the Spy Museum in Washington, D. C. In this brief 2017 soundbite, Maltz warmly shares some of the special qualities that made Lou Stokes a valued friend. The audio was recorded as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of…

Norman Krumholtz 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 served on the Cleveland City Planning Commission. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

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 in the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood on Cleveland’s west side. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

Reverend Charles Lucas, Jr., was born in Wheeling, West Virginia. He is the pastor of St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church. During the 1970s he was president of the Cleveland Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

Reverend Emmitt Theophilus Caviness is a native of Marshall, Texas. He is the pastor of Greater Abyssinia Baptist Church and the president of the Cleveland chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Caviness served as a commissioner in the Stokes Administration. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

Otis Moss was born in Georgia in 1935. Before graduating from Morehouse College he became a Minister. He moved to Cleveland in 1975 to pastor Olivet Institutional Baptist. He worked with Martin Luther King Jr. and has spent his life working for civil rights and social justice. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

Samuel Tidmore was an aide to Louis Stokes during his early years in Congress. Tidmore 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. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

Robert Madison was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1923. A graduate of Case Western Reserve University and Harvard, he was the first black man to become a registered architect in Ohio. He opened his firm in Cleveland in 1954 and has worked on major projects locally and worldwide. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

Shelley Stokes-Hammond is the oldest daughter of Louis Stokes. She is a graduate of The Ohio State University and Goucher College. She is a historic preservationist, author and public relations manager at Howard University. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

Virgil Dominic was born in Oklahoma. He is a retired television News Director and General Manager. Dominic is an inductee in the Cleveland Broadcasters Hall of Fame; Cleveland Press Club; Ohio Broadcasters Hall of Fame; Associated Press Hall of Fame and UPI Hall of Fame. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

Steven Bullock was born in North Carolina. He was the CEO of the Greater Cleveland Chapter of the American Red Cross. After retirement Bullock founded the Bullock Group, a management consulting company for non-profit and public institutions. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

Walter Beach III was born in Pontiac, Michigan. He served as the director for Council for Youth Opportunities during the administration of mayor Carl Stokes. Beach played defensive back for the 1964 World Championship Cleveland Browns football team. He is a lawyer and author. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.

Alan Dean Buchanan has been the Judge in Cleveland Heights since 2001. He took over for Lynn Toler who was elected in 1994. Judge Buchanan was born in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. He lived with his mother and older brother and attended Northwestern High School in Darlington, Pennsylvania. After high school he went to Princeton University in New Jersey. He was one of about 13 blacks in a graduating class of about 700. While at Princeton he wrote his senior thesis on Carl Stokes campaign in…

Jesse Johnson, a retired sergeant first class, was a leader in a local union. He describes his early experiences and how the United States changed after he came back from the war in Korea. He also mentions the riots that occurred in the 1960s, which changed Clevelanders' perception of race relations. He describes various injustices in workplaces and housing. He also describes what it was like being an African American regional leader of a union, and the various battles he fought in order to…

Isaac Haggins was born in New Bern, North Carolina, in 1930. He grew up in Tennessee and Asbury Park, New Jersey. After graduating from West Virginia State College in 1949, Haggins moved to Cleveland to join his brother in the Glenville neighborhood in 1953. In 1956 he bought his first home near Rockefeller Park. After a stint selling shoes, he entered the real estate business, opening an office in Glenville and later in Union-Miles. In 1968 he was the first black real estate broker to open an…

Linwood Smith, a member of the Carl Stokes Mayoral Administration, recalls his time working for the city in the 1960s. He describes the riots in Hough and Glenville. He describes the Model Cities program and how people were incredulous that "free" money was coming to them through a $4,000 grant. They always thought there were strings attached. Smith then goes into the problems that Carl Stokes had to deal with, and he lists the police force as first and foremost. Smith discusses the chain of…

Dargan Burns talks about coming to Cleveland to find work in the emerging field of Public Relations. He discusses his educational background and the desegregation of Boston University. Other topics include segregation, World War II and Civil Rights. He talks about Carl and Louis Stokes and meeting a young Martin Luther King, Jr. Other topics of interest include confronting segregation at Cleveland YMCA and “targeting” institutions in need of civil rights reform such as the Cleveland Clinic,…

Julian Earls, former NASA Research Center Director talks about his time at NASA and Cleveland State University’s Nance College of Business Administration. He gives his personal recollections of Carl and Louis Stokes and the Hough Riots. Earls was the first African-American supervisor at NASA and talks about the racism there. He credits Louis Stokes as the reason NASA is still in Cleveland. There are other interesting stories about Civil Rights, Central State University, and Kappa Alpha Si.

Venerine Branham, an educator and school administrator in the Cleveland area, talks about growing up in Cleveland housing projects. Throughout the interview, she talks about childhood friends and neighbors Carl and Louis Stokes. Other notable topics included in the interview are desegregation, busing, and the Hough uprising of 1966. At the end of the interview, she reflects on her teaching career and the pleasures of working with children.

In this 2006 interview, Carmel Whiting talks about growing up in Washington D.C. and segregation of the schools and businesses. She married Cleveland native Elmer Whiting and talks about their Shaker Heights residence, segregation, and racism. There is a great deal of discussion about Carl and Louis Stokes throughout the interview including their personal relationship and the Stoke’s legacy. Whiting talks about the impact of the Hough Riots and other topics such as civic education, local history…

News anchor Leon Bibb talks about growing up in Glenville and working in television news in Cleveland. As a young reporter, he dealt with such historic moments as the Tet Offensive and Kent State shooting. He said he was in the first of a wave of African Americans to work at the Plain Dealer. Bibb talks about Carl and Louis Stokes and offers thoughts about Vietnam, voting, civil rights and journalism. The interview contains memorable quotes and moments reflected on by Bibb throughout his career…

This 2004 interview with Ed Pershey of the Western Reserve Historical Society deals with the Dr. Pershey's education, including firsthand recollections of events at Case Western Reserve University, and goes into detail about programming at WRHS, in particular an exhibit about Carl Stokes and Louis Stokes.