THE WAY FORWARD LEADER LUNCH BREAK ARCHIVE

The ZIP code in which a child lives is highly predictive of their long-term outcomes in life across all facets of life (financial, mental and physical health, education, etc.). CMHA was one of nine public housing authorities across the nation that participated in HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Mobility Demonstration giving families the opportunity to move to low-poverty neighborhoods (aka opportunity areas). Dorivette, Aleksandra, and Carla shared how the HCV program works, the trends and research that led to its creation, its goals and the target populations. They discussed how it removes many of the barriers many face in moving to opportunity areas.

Redlining, a form of discriminatory denial of service based on race (largely focused on Black populations), has had devastating impacts across our country. Dr. Michney, author of  Surrogate Suburbs: Black Upward Mobility and Neighborhood Change in Cleveland, 1900-1980 discussed the history of redlining, its cascading effects over the years, and the resulting inequities in our communities today.

Dr. Grabowski discussed immigration policies and laws, and constitutional rights of immigrants from the inception of the United States through today. He discussed how they are shaped by individual beliefs and biases across time and how that shaped our country as we know it now.

Dr. Williams discussed the work of key individuals, institutions, and organizations from the city’s founding in 1796 through 2021.

Vaccinations for Black populations in Cleveland are far behind those for white populations. According to an article by The Land highlighting GCC’s work to increase the percentage of Black individuals receiving the vaccine, roughly 45% of white residents had received a first shot by April 19. In that same time frame, less than half of that percentage (21%) of Black residents had received their first dose. Keisha shared how GCC is turning the tide on those numbers by breaking down misconceptions and barriers to access, while leveraging the Black community’s strong ties to, and trust in, their faith communities.

Harlan talked about the early days of the pandemic at CSU and how they viewed it as an opportunity to grow. He also discussed the new partnerships, co-ops and guaranteed internship programs CSU is committed to as a means to attract and retain young talent in Cleveland.