Louis Stokes was born on February 23, 1925 in Cleveland, Ohio. He and his younger brother Carl were the only children to his widowed mother, who worked as domestic cleaning houses. Stokes and his brother had a very poor upbringing, and didn’t have many opportunities as children. After high school Louis worked as a shoe shiner, a machine operator, a dishwasher, and a clothing salesman, and then soon after he was drafted into the Army. Growing up in Cleveland segregation and inequality had never really made an impression on Louis Stokes until he joined the Army. It was during his service in the military that he began to realize that people thought he was inferior because of the color of his skin, and also when he began to understand the impact an education could have on changing his life, and the life of many others.
Yellow advertising sheet for the Morgan Safety System, a traffic signal system. "A better protection for the pedestrian, school children and R.R. crossing".
The Rev. 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. Rev. Caviness served as a commissioner in the Carl Stokes mayoral administration.
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.
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.
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
Whether serving as a committee member or chairman, Louis Stokes would become a fixture at many hearings over the course of his career. One of the most notable hearings of his career was the Iran-Contra Affair. He would gain national recognition as a member of the House Select Committee to Investigate Covert Arms Transactions with Iran when he interrogated Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North in 1987. And as Chairman of the House Ethics Committee, Stokes oversaw the investigation of the high level corruption scandal known as ABSCAM, which led to convictions of a senator and six members of the House
Black and white photograph of a "scene from 'I gotta home', a comedy by Shirley Graham as produced by the Gilpin Players of the Karamu Theatre. World premiere".