We were inspired to create this video after listening to several speeches by Carl Stokes, the first African-American mayor of a mayor of a major U.S. city, contained in the digital archives of the City Club of Cleveland. Garth and I discovered that racism within the political workings of Cleveland, at the time, pinned Mayor Stokes against the police and most other public officials of the time. Garth and I jumped on my motorcycle, Garth in the sidecar and headed to Glenville to re-trace the events that started the Glenville Riots. We found where the first casualties, Fred Evans and seven others, occurred. We spoke to several Glenville residents who remembered the riots and we were able to "live" Cleveland history. The film we created was meant to be an introduction to the Glenville Riots for students. A moving piece of media, the film is the catalyst to inspire students to become historical detectives and research the history of the Riots. The film has been on YouTube for almost 1 year, and we have had nearly 1,000 viewings and several comments. Collaboration meets digital media all thanks to the wonderful resources introduced to us from the Sounds of History Grant Program.
-Mike