A handwritten letter thanking Hannah Gould for her "beautiful ode" along with the cloth banner printed with her poem., Letter: 26 x 41 cm
Banner: 27 x 18 cm
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.
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 Council.
Benjamin 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 in Lake Erie, as well as developing the Cleveland regional sewer system.
Brent Larkin is the retired director of the Cleveland Plain Dealer editorial page. His career as a journalist covering Cleveland politics began in 1971.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.