We are determined to stand together, rather than fall apart.
We all must re-commit ourselves to social justice on every level: national, state and local. In every city and suburb, in every neighborhood, on every block.
One way to do that is to help in the effort to mobilize voters in our region. We spoke with Sue Dean, creator of MobilizeTheVote 2020, about their unique way to reach disenfranchised voters in Cuyahoga. CoolCleveland columnist Mansfield Frazier senses that the door of opportunity is open for the time being, but we must stay engaged.
One very immediate way to engage with local black-owned businesses and entrepreneurs: patronize them; we’ve got a guide from CoolCleveland columnist Dru Thompson. Read the essay by CoolCleveland commentator Judge C. Ellen Connally about the connections between George Floyd and Emmett Till, the 14-year-old who was lynched in August of 1955.
How will you play a part in honoring George Floyd’s memory?
CoolCleveland spoke with Sue Dean, who is at the forefront of a new grassroots effort to connect with disenfranchised and disengaged voters in Cuyahoga County: MobilizeTheVote 2020. They can use your support. View VIDEO
The murder of George Floyd has evoked memories of other horrific killings of black people by whites with power, such as the 1955 lynching of Chicago teen Emmett Till in Mississippi. C. Ellen Connally was 10 years old, but still remembers seeing the image of his mutilated body in Jet Magazine. “In the early afternoon of May 25, I turned on my television. I anticipated the usual CNN updates on the COVID-19 virus,” she writes. “But what I saw, like the image of the body of Emmett Till, was an image that will remain in my mind forever.” Read More
$30 gets you a shirt, fun race kit, discounts and good karma for helping children and adults with disabilities. Join A Most Excellent Race: Virtual! www.AchievementCenters.org/race
Three noted area arts professionals are soliciting submissions for an August event called “The City Is Our Stage,” where performances will take place on porches, lawns and balconies as audiences drive around to see them. Read More
Learn how Cleveland’s Dancing Wheels ensemble blends the movements of wheelchair and “stand-up” dancers in a weeklong dance intensive June 15-19, taking place both online and in its studio. Read More
The new bipartisan ReStart Act would make fixes to the PPP loans given to keep small businesses afloat during the pandemic, loans which were ineffective for shuttered music venues. The National Independent Venue Association is asking music lovers to contact their senators and congresspeople to support it. Read More
Cleveland Public Theatre’s virtual Station Hope and Karamu’s Juneteenth celebration are among the stories our theater critic Roy Berko shares this week. Read More
The Western Reserve Historical Society is looking for donations from the public relating to everyday life, our community’s responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to activist efforts, such as the recent protests following George Floyd’s death. Maybe you have photos, videos or text to share? Read More
Black entrepreneurs have historically had less access to resources than white ones. But there is something you can do to help level the playing field: patronize them. CoolCleveland columnist Dru Thompson tells you how to get started. Read More
The lead-off song on The Beatles’ White Album, written by Paul McCartney as a parody of Chuck Berry’s Back in the U.S.A., and copping the harmony vocals of The Beach Boys, is covered by Vanity Crash in their upcoming Vanity Crash Pad this Sun 6/14 at 7PM on Zoom and FB Live. Get your login here: Read More
The CIA Cinematheque is hosting an exclusive screening of Picture a Scientist, which looks at the challenges women face in various fields of science, available for streaming through Fri 6/26.
A Question for the AgesNow is the time. I sincerely believe that we now have a real opportunity to create change. But opportunity is like a door, it opens and closes. It’s wide open right now, but as a society we have to go through it or mark my words, it will soon close again… Read More
