Carl Stokes was determined to make history. In 1967, he did. After narrowly losing two years earlier, the product of Outhwaite Homes public housing defeated Seth Taft, the grandson of a president, to become the first black mayor of a major American city. “His platform was to make Cleveland a better place for all residents,” says Susan Hall, curator and director of community relations at the Cleveland History Center. Stokes, who died in 1996, created that common ground by uplifting downtrodden neighborhoods, placing women, Hispanics and African-Americans in meaningful government positions and restructuring the police force. To honor the legacy of Carl and his brother, the late congressman Louis Stokes, the Cleveland History Center debuts Carl and Louis Stokes: Making History, a permanent exhibit opening Nov. 3 for the 50th anniversary of Carl’s mayoral election. “By having humble beginnings, it made him work that much harder to obtain the American dream,” says Hall, “not through gifts, not through handouts, but through hard work and how to help others achieve those same dreams.” 10825 East Blvd., Cleveland, 216-721-5722, wrhs.org
Cleveland History Center Remembers Carl Stokes With Permanent Exhibit
Cleveland's first black mayor is honored on the 50th anniversary of his election.
