| | 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 1962-67. 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 formal individual portraits of Carl Stokes, individual and group portraits of the Stokes family and friends, city officials, local and national celebrities and political figures, and individual citizens. It also includes candid and formal group portraits and views of official functions of the mayor, functions of individual city departments and commissions, and local community groups. Included are portraits of Hubert H. Humphrey, Edmund Muskie, Rev. Billy Graham, Pope Paul VI, entertainers Bob Hope and Bill Cosby, and Congressmen Charles Vanik and Louis Stokes. Events depicted include Cleveland NOW! activities, urban renewal and housing rehabilitation, the Glenville shootout, and youth activities. | |
