The City Club of Cleveland Podcast

These days, becoming an entrepreneur seems riskier than ever. The market is fast-paced and increasingly advanced technology has changed the game. Today\'s entrepreneurial market is certainly not the same as those of past generations. What can we learn from those who know what it takes to build success, scale up, and improve our communities?\r\n\r\nKumar Arora is an entrepreneur, investor, and cons...

In her recent book, P.O.E.T. (Power Over Emotional Trauma), Honey Bell-Bey asks, \"What do you do with what did not kill you?\" Trauma happens, she notes, but healing happens also.\r\n\r\nWidely known as the dynamic National Award-winning Poet Laureate (Academy of American Poets), Honey Bell-Bey isn\'t just a poet. She is also an Ohio Certified Prevention Specialist, and for decades, has used her...

In 1855, an American named John Swanson Jacobs walked into the offices of the Empire newspaper in Sydney, Australia. The conversation that ensued between the editors and Jacobs, a fugitive slave, opened a path for both Jacobs and the Empire, a path for the newspaper to publish his story. Two weeks later, Jacobs brought them a manuscript titled The United States Governed by 600,000 Despots. This wa...

What if the conventional narrative of the 1960s civil rights era, by its very nature, limits the success, legal achievements, and persistence of Black Americans for generations? In Before the Movement: The Hidden History of Black Civil Rights, author Dylan C. Penningroth maintains that the fight for civil rights didn\'t begin with famous marches and courtroom cases of the 1960s. Instead, his resea...

It is a rare opportunity to hear about a mission to space firsthand from any NASA astronaut, and Euclid, Ohio, native Sunita \"Suni\" Williams certainly has an extraordinary experience to share. On June 5, 2024, she was launched on the new Boeing Starliner spacecraft for what was intended to be an eight-day mission on the International Space Station (ISS). It ended up being a nine-month stay after...

Art is powerful. It can foster social cohesion and influence the mood of a moment. Murals aren\'t just decorative elements in a neighborhood; they are a tool for revitalization, connection, and storytelling that amplifies voices and strengthens both place and people.\r\n\r\nIn partnership with the Saint Luke\'s Foundation, Assembly for the Arts\' Jeremy Johnson will be joined by Kevin \"mr.soul\"...

One of the underreported casualties of any war is culinary culture. It\'s not just family recipes that might get lost; when you recognize the importance of food to our essential humanity, you can quickly see how the loss of culinary traditions can lead to an erasure of cultural and identity. This is the terrain author and human rights investigator Michael Shaikh explores in his new book The Last S...

Martin Luther King Jr. famously stated, \"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.\" And there are numerous notable figures in our country\'s fight toward this justice, and then there is Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II.\r\n\r\nFor decades, Rev. Barber has served as a powerful voice in movements that combined faith, morality, and activism. As the Co-Chair of the Poor Peopl...

In November 2024, Bernie Moreno was elected as a U.S. Senator for Ohio. He is largely known for building one of the largest dealership groups in America, eventually employing over 1,000 Ohioans. Born in Bogota, Colombia, Moreno moved to the United States with his family at age five, becoming a U.S. citizen at 18. Following his business career, he turned his focus to public service.\r\n\r\nSenator...

In Cuyahoga County 1 in 10 children will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday; and victims of trafficking can be women or men, girls or boys. Right now, organizations in Northeast Ohio are doubling down to address sexual violence and human trafficking. What are the current advocacy efforts and challenges to access to care right here in Cleveland? And what tools are available to help prote...

The Great Lakes influence our surrounding regions\' culture, economy, and environment. Yet, record-breaking temperatures and unprecedented weather events across these regions, and those who rely on the lakes for their way of life, are asking questions about what's to come.\r\n\r\nChris Winslow has the answers.\r\n\r\nChris is the Director of the Ohio Sea Grant's College Program, where he coordinat...

There is no simple solution or singular approach to gender equality in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. But Anita Zaidi, President of the Gender Equality Division at the Gates Foundation knows that when women and girls can prioritize their own health and well-being, and be leaders in their societies, everyone benefits. In a piece for Harvard Public Health, Dr. Zaidi called for women\'s health to...

Since its 2014 founding, The Marshall Project has changed how the media covers criminal justice, shifting from traditional crimes and court coverage to covering the system itself, along with abuses and malfeasances inside the publicly funded structures. The Marshall Project garnered major recognition, including two Pulitzers and a Peabody, and in 2022, opened its first local newsroom here in Cleve...

The Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center For Economic Development (NEOHCED) has led the way for Cleveland\'s Latino community, and includes multiple anchors that build success and equitable asset building: The Northeast Ohio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has, for close to 40 years, represented the Latino and non-Latino business community in Northeast Ohio; They are home to Northeast Ohio's only Latino Sm...

Cleveland is repositioning its future as a dual waterfront city. Take a deep dive (pun intended!) as we reflect on the past, present, and future visions to transform our downtown into "Coastland".\r\n\r\nFor over a year, the local chapters of the American Institute of Architects, American Planning Association, American Society of Landscape Architects, and the Urban Land Institute (AIA, APA, ASLA a...

A Panel with Mayor Justin M. Bibb, Cleveland; Mayor Todd Gloria, San Diego; Mayor Donna Deegan, Jacksonville; and Mayor Quinton Lucas, Kansas City\r\n\r\nMayors will tell you they don\'t have the luxury of inaction. Despite chaos in Washington, Mayors have remained focused on providing a path forward and continuing to deliver for their communities -- on serving their constituents, solving problems...

Most known for \"Random Acts of Kindness Everywhere,\" or R.A.K.E. this summer Ricky Smith launched his latest feel-good venture: Something Good Social Kitchen--a casual walkup food stand in Playhouse Square Plaza, which includes collaborators like Chef Michael Symon and exclusively features Cleveland-based providers.\r\n\r\nR.A.K.E.'s mission is simple: to support the community in a positive way....

Right now, we are at a critical moment in our nation\'s political climate, where distrust and misunderstanding have driven the narrative of the public sector\'s role in solutions to our communities\' critical and complex challenges. This includes issues like housing, climate readiness, land use and water management, transportation, municipal finance, social equity, and more. Today\'s public servic...

The 2025 Borderlight Festival returns to downtown Cleveland, July 16-19! This year, we are proud to share the stage with the artists behind Buckeyes; Buses and Baseball, and the Baseball Heritage Museum and dig into a history and epic achievement often overshadowed in Cleveland sports lore.\r\n\r\nInside the iconic League Park, the original home of Cleveland baseball on Lexington Avenue in Clevela...

This July, the National Urban League Conference heads to Cleveland! This year's conference promises to be the largest and most influential gathering in the nation focused on civil rights and urban advocacy. Each year, the event attracts leaders from business, government, and social advocacy, all committed to addressing critical issues and advancing initiatives that impact communities served by the...

As lead investigator into both January 6 and Charlottesville, Tim Heaphy discovered that American democracy was headed toward a reckoning. In his book Harbingers, which he completed before the November 2024 election, Tim concluded that apathy poses greater threats to the rule of law than would-be autocrats, and that widespread civic engagement would be essential to safeguarding our values and rest...

Artificial Intelligence, or AI in healthcare, is experiencing a rise in new technologies and applications. Generative AI, more specifically, is a form of artificial intelligence that's trained to find patterns in data and then generate new content. AI can enhance patient care, optimize clinical workflows, and drive innovation-while maintaining transparency and ethical integrity. But no matter how...

Last summer, our city played host to DC Studios\' filming of the upcoming film \"Superman\". Early trailer footage gives Cleveland much love, putting many of our city\'s landmarks front and center. It was a sort of homecoming for Superman, who was created by two Glenville High School students in 1933, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Adding to the anticipation, the Siegel and Shuster Society, an all-...

The American Bar Association (ABA) was founded in 1878 on a commitment to set the legal and ethical foundation for the American nation. Today, it exists as a membership organization and stands committed to its mission of defending liberty and pursuing justice. In August 2024, William \"Bill\" Bay became president of the ABA for the 2024-2025 term after more than 20 years in various leadership role...

Ohio's regional public universities - including Cleveland State, and the Universities of Akron and Toledo - collectively serve more students than any single university in the state, including the state's flagship. Yet they're often overlooked in both local and national big-picture conversations about higher education, even though most Americans who do go to college attend an institution within 50...