| | Manuscript Collection | Save | | 1 | Title: | George Forbes Papers
| | | | Creator: | Forbes, Geoge | | | | Dates: | 1966-1990 | | | | Abstract: | George L. Forbes (b. 1931) was arguably the most powerful man in Cleveland, Ohio, politics during the 1970s and 1980s. His position as the President of Cleveland City Council from 1974-1989 was crucial in the relationships he formed with mayors Dennis Kucinich and George Voinovich which were sometimes contentious. He also used this prominent position to promote civil rights and minority-owned businesses. Forbes was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1931, coming to the Cleveland area in the 1950s to earn his degrees from Baldwin Wallace College in 1957 and the Cleveland Marshall College of Law in 1961. A lawyer by profession, Forbes was admitted to both the Ohio and Federal Bars in 1962. In 1963 he was elected to Cleveland City Council, where he served for 27 years. He assisted Carl B. Stokes in his mayoral runs, helped to establish the 21st District Congressional Caucus to improve race relations within the Democratic party, and formed the first African-American law firm in Cleveland. He was also involved in a number of civic organizations, including the Cleveland Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), where he served as President from 1992-2012, The Urban League, The Council of Economic Opportunity, the Businessmen's Interracial Committee on Community Affairs, the John Harlan Law Club, and the National Association of Defense Lawyers for Criminal Cases. Currently (as of May 2012), he is involved in the Freedom to Marry movement to end marriage discrimination against gay couples in Ohio and has resigned from the NAACP Presidency. George L. Forbes has also been embroiled in numerous controversies during his political life. He was acquitted of bribery, extortion, and theft in office in 1979, has plead guilty to ethics violations in dealing with the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation in 2007, and was sanctioned by the Ohio Supreme Court in 2008, which put his law license in jeopardy. During his career he has advocated for the poor and minority groups. He has worked against racial discrimination within a number of organizations, including the Regional Transit Authority and the Cleveland Police Force, created a mandate that a minimum percentage of construction work within the city be done by minority contractors/workers, and battled to improve inner city schools. The collection consists of awards, certificates, correspondence, financial records, legal documents, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, posters, research materials, speeches, and surveys. | | | | Call #: | MS 5136 | | | | Extent: | 2.81 linear feet (4 containers and 1 oversize folder) | | | | Subjects: | Forbes, George L., 1931- | Cleveland (Ohio). City Council. | National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Cleveland Branch. | African American politicians -- Ohio -- Cleveland. | African American lawyers -- Ohio -- Cleveland. | African Americans -- Ohio -- Cleveland. | Civil rights -- Ohio -- Cleveland. | Political campaigns -- Ohio -- Cleveland. | Cleveland (Ohio) -- Politics and government. | Cleveland (Ohio) -- Race relations.
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| Manuscript Collection | Save | | 2 | Title: | Stokes Oral History Collection
| | | | Creator: | Cuyahoga Community College, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland State University | | | | Dates: | 2017 | | | | Abstract: | Carl Stokes, and his brother Louis, were groundbreaking African-American politicians from Cleveland, Ohio. Carl Stokes became the first black mayor of a major U.S. city when elected in 1967. Louis Stokes was the first African-American congressman from Ohio when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1968, a position he held for 15 consecutive terms. During Carl Stokes' two mayoral terms, city hall jobs were opened to blacks and women, and a number of urban renewal projects initiated. Between 1983 and 1994 Carl Stokes served as municipal judge, and in 1994 was appointed by President Clinton as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of the Seychelles. Louis Stokes began his career as a civil rights attorney and helped challenge the Ohio redistricting in 1965 that fragmented African-American voting strength. In 1967, Louis Stokes argued before the U.S. Supreme Court in the Terry v. Ohio case, also known as the "stop-and-frisk" case. In the 1970s, Louis Stokes served as chair of the House Select Committee on Assassinations and in the 1980s was a noted member of the House Select Committee to Investigate Covert Arms Transactions with Iran. The interviews were conducted during 2017 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor and the election of Louis Stokes to Congress. The collection includes video recordings of 38 individuals, transcripts, interview release forms, and protocols. | | | | Call #: | MS 5416 | | | | Extent: | 0.81 linear feet (3 containers) | | | | Subjects: | African American mayors -- Ohio -- Cleveland. | African American politicians -- Ohio -- Cleveland. | African Americans -- Ohio -- Cleveland. | Political campaigns -- Ohio -- Cleveland. | City planning -- Ohio -- Cleveland. | Cleveland (Ohio) -- Officials and employees. | Cleveland (Ohio) -- Politics and government. | Cleveland (Ohio) -- Race relations. | Cleveland (Ohio) -- Social conditions. | Cleveland (Ohio) -- Social policy. | Cleveland (Ohio) -- Economic policy. | Community development, Urban -- Ohio -- Cleveland. | African Americans -- Civil rights | Jews -- Ohio -- Cleveland. | Stokes, Carl | Stokes, Louis | Stokes family
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| Manuscript Collection | Save | | 3 | Title: | Carl Stokes Papers
| | | | Creator: | Stokes, Carl | | | | Dates: | 1956-1972 | | | | Abstract: | Carl Stokes (1927-1996) was the Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, from 1967-1971. Stokes was the first African American mayor of a major American city and the first African American Democrat in the Ohio State Legislature, where he served three terms from 1962-1967. As mayor, Stokes launched a number of programs to alleviate the problems of urban decay. Chief among these was Cleveland: NOW!, a joint public and private program with plans to raise $177 million in its first two years to revitalize Cleveland. The program was discredited due to the Glenville Shootout in July, 1968. Under Stokes, Cleveland City Council passed the Equal Employment Opportunity Ordinance, and HUD resumed funding projects aiding in the construction of over 3,000 new low- and middle-income housing units. Stokes became a newscaster with NBC television in 1972, and returned to his law practice in Cleveland in 1980. In 1983, Stokes was elected a municipal court judge. The collection consists of correspondence, memoranda, reports, minutes, and newspaper clippings pertaining to the political career of Carl B. Stokes, including his terms in the Ohio State legislature, his mayoral campaigns, and particularly his tenure as mayor of Cleveland, Ohio. The collection details the organization of the mayor's office, and illustrates the problems that Blacks in the vanguard of social and political progress faced, as well as the challenges faced by any urban leader in the turbulent 1960s and early 1970s. Key events in Stokes' administration are illustrated, including the Glenville Shootout, the hiring and resignation of Safety Director Gen. Ben Davis, the activities of the Mayor's Council on Youth Opportunities, and Cleveland: NOW! The work of then City Council President James Stanton is represented, along with material relating to Stokes' brother Louis. Notable correspondents include Hubert Humphrey, Walter Mondale, Robert F. Kennedy, Spiro Agnew, Cyrus Eaton, Edward Kennedy, George Forbes, Jesse Jackson, and Howard Metzenbaum. | | | | Call #: | MS 4370 | | | | Extent: | 104.51 linear feet (107 containers and 1 oversize folder) | | | | Subjects: | Stokes, Carl. | Cleveland Metropolitan Housing Authority. | Cleveland Transit System. | Cleveland: NOW! | African American mayors -- Ohio -- Cleveland. | African American politicians -- Ohio -- Cleveland. | Administrative agencies -- Ohio -- Cleveland -- Records and correspondence. | Air -- Pollution -- Ohio -- Cleveland. | City planning -- Ohio -- Cleveland. | Community development, Urban -- Ohio -- Cleveland. | African Americans -- Ohio -- Cleveland. | Political campaigns -- Ohio -- Cleveland. | Housing -- Ohio -- Cleveland. | Urban renewal -- Ohio -- Cleveland. | Urban policy -- Ohio -- Cleveland. | Youth -- Employment -- Ohio -- Cleveland. | Glenville Shootout, Cleveland, Ohio, 1968. | Cleveland (Ohio) -- Politics and government. | Cleveland (Ohio) -- Appropriations and expenditures. | Cleveland (Ohio) -- Officials and employees. | Cleveland (Ohio) -- Economic conditions. | Cleveland (Ohio) -- Economic policy. | Cleveland (Ohio) -- Social conditions. | Cleveland (Ohio) -- Social policy. | Cleveland (Ohio) -- Race relations.
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