Cleveland's New Beginning

           As Ohio was a free state from its establishment as part of the United States, many free African Americans and self-emancipated people found Ohio home and their communities. The post-war growing economy also attracted to Cleveland people who were underprivileged but determined to pursue freedom and self-development. As a result, the diverse population of Cleveland consisted of Puerto Ricans, Hispanic immigrants, African Americans, Asians, and recently refugees from the Middle East and Africa in addition to Native Americans who had lived near Lack Erie earlier than the establishment of the Western Reserve in 1795. Nevertheless, this diversity did not happen without conflicts. Although slavery was illegal in Ohio, some people opposed ending the system of slavery. Individuals would attack conductors of the Underground Railroad and return fugitive slaves to their owners to collect rewards, while Cleveland was home to many diverse groups because of its opportunities for all races and ethnicities. As the city continued to adapt and evolve over the years to improve the quality of life for various communities, Cleveland needed a strong leader to take equality and equity even further. For Cleveland, they found that leadership in Carl B. Stokes.

Before Stokes was Mayor

           Carl Burton Stokes was born on June 2, 1927, in Cleveland, Ohio. His mother, Louise Stone Stokes, struggled to provide for her family after her husband, Charles Stokes, died when Carl was three years old. This probably helped fuel the fire for the compassion and care that Stokes held for struggling families. The Stokes family lived in Cleveland’s first federally funded housing project, the Outhwaite Homes. Carl Stokes could see first-hand the possible struggles that families had to go through in his Cleveland area. In an online article written by Fox 8 news, it is mentioned that Carl Stokes grew up in a home without heat, with a mother, Louise, who was always working to support her children on her own after their father's untimely death.



           Not only would this make Stokes more compassionate and aware of the struggles of the lower classes, but it gave Stokes the first-hand experience needed to make informed decisions about actions to move forward with as the future mayor of Cleveland Ohio. In 1944, Carl dropped out of high school and joined the Army at age 18. After two years in the Army, Stokes was discharged and he completed his high school education in 1947. Stokes attended several colleges before attending the University of Minnesota, where he graduated with a Bachelors of Science degree in 1954. Although Stokes originally dropped out of high school, once he made the decision to go back, nothing could stop him. According to the famouspeople.com, "It was his mother who stressed about the value of education during his early childhood". It was very obvious that Carl Stokes mother and childhood had a huge impact on the way he viewed education, motivation, and concern about the politics of his city. Carl Stokes was a motivated man who accomplished all he set his mind to. In 1956, Carl B. Stokes graduated, with a law degree, from the Cleveland-Marshall Law School. He became an assistant prosecuting attorney for Cuyahoga County after he passed the bar examination in 1957. Stokes was a prosecuting attorney until 1962 when he joined his brother, Louis Stokes, in establishing their law firm Stokes, Stokes, Character, and Terry. Also in 1962, Stokes was elected as the first Black Democrat to the Ohio House of Representatives. He served three terms and became a strong supporter of Civil Rights.

While Stokes was Mayor 

           Stokes first ran for mayor in 1965 as an independent but lost to the Democratic incumbent Ralph Locher. However, two years later Stokes defeated Locher in the Democratic primary. Stokes, the great-grandson of an enslave man, ran against Seth Taft, a Republican who was the grandson of President William Taft. Stokes won with 50.5% of the vote, even though only 37% of Cleveland at that time was African American. (“Stokes, Carl B.”) In Indiana, also in 1967, Richard Hatcher became the first African American mayor of Gary, Indiana. Hatcher and Stokes became the first two African American mayors of cities with over 100,000 people. “As Martin Luther King Jr. put it, the election results were a ‘one-two-three punch against backlash and bigotry'” (Rothman).

          Stokes’ main objective as mayor was to serve the needs of residents in Cleveland regardless of race and ethnicity. During Stokes’ time as mayor of Cleveland, he achieved numerous things. One of his major accomplishments was opening up jobs in City Hall to women and African Americans. These new city positions allowed African Americans and women to have a stance in the political aspect of the city. Another accomplishment was introducing a number of urban revitalization programs to help improve inner-city Cleveland. An example of the revitalization programs initiated during Stokes’ administration was Cleveland: Now!. A local ordinance for Equal Opportunity passed and required businesses within Cleveland to have active programs to increase their minority employment. Also under the Stokes administration, there was increased spending for schools, welfare, and public safety, and a $100 million bond issue was approved to improve the city's sewage treatment facilities.

         One of Carl Stoke’s main initiatives he started while mayor was Cleveland: Now!, which began in May of 1968. This initiative was started shortly after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr, to help Cleveland's inner city and to help ease racial tensions. The plan was to raise $1.5 billion over 10 years with $1.25 million coming from local businesses and donations along with a 0.5% increase to city income tax. (“Cleveland Now”) In the first two years, $177 million was directed to fund community centers, health clinics, public housing, youth activities and their employment, and to give the city an economic renewal. For the first few months, the goals for public donations were met with ease. The program ran into trouble, however, when the public discovered that money meant for Cleveland: Now! had been used to buy firearms for the Glenville shootout. Donations declined after that. The program remained active until 1970 when Stokes announced its last major commitment would be funding four new community centers. Cleveland: Now! was formally dissolved in October of 1980, with the leftover $220,000 given to the Cleveland Foundation to help fund youth employment and low-income housing.

           After Stokes second term as mayor, he decided not to run for mayor in the 1971 election for mayor of Cleveland. The Glenville shootout occurred during his final term as mayor and serves as the one of the reasons Stokes did not run for reelection. The Glenville shootout was a gun shootout between the Black Nationalists of New Libya and the Cleveland police. The Black Nationalists of New Libya were led by Fred “Ahmed” Evans. Evans used funds from Cleveland: Now! to purchase guns for himself and others. Glenville riots ensued after the initial shootout. After the shootout, a divide was created between Stokes and the Cleveland police. After losing political edge due to the consequences of the Glenville shootout, Stokes still managed to get re-elected for his second term as mayor in 1969.

          Although Stokes was re-elected his problems did not end after the Glenville shootout. Those problems included the strained relationship between Stokes and the Cleveland police, allowing increased wages for city employees without sufficient funds, and a refused tax increase by voters to correct the increased wages. Stokes had lost the support of his community and with the problems that occurred during his second term, Stokes decided against running in the 1971 election for mayor of Cleveland.

After Stokes was Mayor 

           After Carl Stokes served his mayoral term had come to an end, he still continued on with his life by pursuing routes other than politics. In 1972, Stokes became New York City’s first black anchorman according to Cleveland.com. Carl Stokes broke boundaries by becoming the first black anchorman in New York City right after committing to his mayoral term where he was recognized as the first black mayor of a major city. This gave many people hope as they could see at least a glimpse of the shift in attitudes of people in these areas. I could only imagine the reactions that were brought about by black people living during that time. They could see Carl Stokes making unprecedented moves that could have inspired them to go for roles or dreams that they had previously assumed were unreachable. Not only did Stokes’s actions inspire the ordinary people of where he lived, but he also had caught the attention of the forty-second President of the United States, Bill Clinton. In 1994, President Clinton appointed Stokes as a United States Ambassador of an island called Seychelles. Even after a couple of decades had passed since his election, he still was an important enough figure to be noticed and recognized by the President of the United States.

           According to cleveland.com, Mr. Stokes unfortunately died because of a cancer of his esophagus in 1996. The memory of Carl Stokes lives on, even after his death. In 2002, the first courthouse to be built in Cleveland in over a hundred years had the honor of being named after Stokes. According to gsa.gov, “The architecture of the Stokes Courthouse is meant to project the prominence of justice in democracy, as well as the dignity, traditions, and civic pride associated with federal courthouses throughout the country.” They associated the name Stokes with justice. This is because that is what Stokes strived for throughout his lifetime through his careers and every-day life. According to case.edu, “He was awarded 12 honorary degrees, numerous civic awards, and represented the United States on numerous goodwill trips abroad by request of the White House.” Stokes had such a large effect on the community and the country around him without ever having to run for President. His influence persisted on even after his death. Stokes’s accomplishments set precedents that made it possible for more African Americans and women to look for jobs at City Hall in which they would be able to voice their opinions and concerns and influence the decisions about their city.

There was more voices to speak for these underrepresented groups of people. On ceogc.org, you can learn about the Carl B. Stokes Head Start Center. The main goal of this center is assisting in early childhood education, but they also help the families of the children who are in need of assistance. This center assists families in need of food, clothes, education, and career/employment opportunities. The Carl B. Stokes Head Start Center is still currently active today and helping shape and encourage the growth of families. In a letter sent in to blog.cleveland.com written by Sister Alicia Alvarado, Mrs. Alvarado talks about what it was like working on his campaign. She was proud to be a part of promoting his election and she explains that he impacted her immensely. She was only in her junior year of high school when she worked on the campaign, so she was still young and impressionable. Stokes taught her that working hard enough towards something that matters will always have some sort of payoff. She states that he taught her how to stand tall and work hard. This letter is just one of many sent into the website by its readers. Stokes did not just make waves for people in higher positions, but he highly influenced the everyday people around him as well through his constant dedication to promoting change and working hard. Stokes influenced so many people around him for the better, and the influence is still prevalent today, whether it is through building names, important centers, or even the people still living in and around Cleveland today.

Our Group's Take-away

           This website was created by a group of LCCC students to shine light on the amazing achievements of Carl B. Stokes. While researching for this project, our group landed on Stokes because he is an inspiration to everyone by his accomplishments. Carl Stokes overcame a cultural barrier when he became the first African American elected Mayor of a major city. Our group was extremely inspired by his story  as we all feel that we can overcome race, age, gender, and stereotypes as long as we stay persistent in following our dreams. We hope that you will be inspiredly Carl B. Stokes as well.
 

Bibliography

“Carl & Louis Stokes Making History.” Western Reserve Historical Society, 5 July 2018, www.wrhs.org/explore/exhibits/carl-louis-stokes-   making-      history/.

“Carl B. Stokes.” Battle of Lake Erie - Ohio History Central, www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Carl_B._Stokes.

“Carl B. Stokes U.S. Courthouse.” Home, U.S. General Services Administration, 5 Mar. 2018, www.gsa.gov/about-us/regions/welcome-to-the-great-lakes-region-5/buildings-and-facilities/ohio/carl-b-stokes-us-courthouse.

“CLEVELAND NOW.” Encyclopedia of Cleveland History | Case Western Reserve University, 11 May 2018, case.edu/ech/articles/c/cleveland-now.

Cooley, Patrick. “50 Years Ago: Cleveland's Carl Stokes Elected First Black Mayor of a Major U.S. City (Vintage Photos).” Cleveland.com, Cleveland.com, 9 Nov. 2017, https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2017/11/a_historic_look_at_former_clev.html

“Fugitives from Slavery.” Battle of Lake Erie - Ohio History Central, www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Fugitives_from_Slavery.

“GLENVILLE SHOOTOUT.” Encyclopedia of Cleveland History | Case Western Reserve University, 2 Aug. 2018, case.edu/ech/articles/g/glenville-shootout.

“IMMIGRATION AND MIGRATION.” Encyclopedia of Cleveland History | Case Western Reserve University, 14 June 2018, case.edu/ech/articles/i/immigration-and-migration.

“MAYORAL ADMINISTRATION OF CARL B. STOKES.” Encyclopedia of Cleveland History | Case Western Reserve University, 22 May 2018, case.edu/ech/articles/m/mayoral-administration-of-carl-b-stokes.

Psota-Vazquez, Jill. “Carl B. Stokes Head Start Center.” The Council for Economic Opportunities, Council for Economic Opportunities in Greater Cleveland, www.ceogc.org/carl-b-stokes-head-start-center/.

"Road to Hope – Outhwaite Homes." Cleveland Public Theatre, www.cptonline.org/performances/seasons/2016-2017/road-to-hope-outhwaite-homes/.

Staff, From Times, and Wire Reports. “Carl Stokes; Former Mayor of Cleveland.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 1996, articles.latimes.com/1996-04-04/news/mn-54906_1_carl-stokes.

“STOKES, CARL B.” Encyclopedia of Cleveland History | Case Western Reserve University, 12 May 2018, case.edu/ech/articles/s/stokes-carl-b.

"Stokes, Carl B. 1927—.". “Stokes, Carl B. 1927-.” The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Ed, Encyclopedia.com, 2018, www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/film-and-television-biographies/carl-b-stokes.

Rothman, Lily. “First Black Mayor of a Major U.S. City: This Week in History.” Time, Time, 13 Nov. 2017, time.com/5011629/1967-cleveland-mayor-civil-rights/.

“Stokes' Autobiography Recalls a Fascinating Man and His Times.” fox8.Com, fox8.Com, 30 Aug. 2016, fox8.com/2016/08/30/stokes-autobiography-recalls-a-fascinating-man-and-his-times/.

Turner, Karl. “Carl Stokes Remembered: Reader Memories.” Cleveland.com, Cleveland.com, 24 Jan. 2017, blog.cleveland.com/pdextra/2007/11/remembering_carl_stokes_annie.html.

Created by Nicole Worden, Gillian Atherton, Jeff Sheldon, Madelon Jensen, Mariah Brown, and Bailee Reitz (Fall 2018)

If you want to quote this page,

[MLA]

Reitz, Bailee, et al. “Carl B. Stokes.” Quilting African American Experiences In Northeast Ohio, http://scalar.usc.edu/works/quilting-african-american-experiences-in-northeast-ohio/carl-b-stokes. Accessed date month year.