Black History

Dream Town – Laura Meckler

Can a group of well-intentioned people fulfill the promise of racial integration in America?

In this searing and intimate examination of the ideals and realities of racial integration, award-winning Washington Post journalist Laura Meckler tells the story of a decades-long pursuit in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and uncovers the roadblocks that have threatened progress time and again―in housing, in education, and in the promise of shared community.

In the late 1950s, Shaker Heights began groundbreaking work that would make it a national model for housing integration. And beginning in the seventies, it was known as a crown jewel in the national move to racially integrate schools. The school district built a reputation for academic excellence and diversity, serving as a model for how white and Black Americans can thrive together. Meckler―herself a product of Shaker Heights―takes a deeper look into the place that shaped her, investigating its complicated history and its ongoing challenges in order to untangle myth from truth. She confronts an enduring, and troubling, question―if Shaker Heights has worked so hard at racial equity, why does a racial academic achievement gap persist?

In telling the stories of the Shakerites who have built and lived in this community, Meckler asks: What will it take to fulfill the promise of racial integration in America? What compromises are people of all races willing to make? What does success look like, and has Shaker achieved it? The result is a complex and masterfully reported portrait of a place that, while never perfect, has achieved more than most and a road map for communities that seek to do the same.

Includes black-and-white images.

*Part of the 2023-2024 By the Book series.

Pricing Details:

Non-Member-

Purchase the book from us and get half price of 1 admission to this event and access to the virtual book presentation via code provided at checkout.

Member-

Purchase the book at 10% off from our gift shop, and get free admission to this event and virtual access to the book presentation free.

Members save 10% on all museum store purchases!

Interested in becoming a member?

9.28.23 William Krejci Lost Ghost Stories of Cleveland

10.5.23 Carlo Wolff Invisible Soul: Uncovering Cleveland’s Underground Soul Scene

1.18.24 Laura Meckler DREAM TOWN: Shaker Heights and the Quest for Racial Equity

2.22.24 Stay tuned for details!

3.23.24 Family Friendly Finale – Stay tuned for details!

*Event prices and times may vary, check specific event page for more information.

Invisible Soul – Carlo Wolff

Cover of Invisible Soul, Carlo Wolff

 

Join author Carlo Wolff in discussing Invisible Soul: Uncovering Cleveland’s Underground Soul Scene with us at the Cleveland History Center on Thursday, October 5th!

In a neighborhood of clubs, theaters and dives, Black club owners, entertainers and audiences found security and joy in the throb of some of America’s most authentic music. The scene was sweaty, smoky, and sexy. From dusk to dawn, across three decades, the streets swayed to the sound of soul. And then it was gone. Invisible Soul tells stories of a boisterous, ballsy, bawdy time when entertainers and audiences brought heart and soul to this corner of the city.

*Part of the 2023-2024 By the Book series.

Pricing Details:

Non-Member-

Purchase the book from us and get half price of 1 admission to this event and access to the virtual book presentation via code provided at checkout.

Member-

Purchase the book at 10% off from our gift shop, and get free admission to this event and virtual access to the book presentation free.

Members save 10% on all museum store purchases!

Interested in becoming a member?

9.28.23 William Krejci Lost Ghost Stories of Cleveland

10.5.23 Carlo Wolff Invisible Soul: Uncovering Cleveland’s Underground Soul Scene

1.18.24 Laura Meckler DREAM TOWN: Shaker Heights and the Quest for Racial Equity

2.22.24 Stay tuned for details!

3.23.24 Family Friendly Finale – Stay tuned for details!

*Event prices and times may vary, check specific event page for more information.

Lunchtime Book Talk | The Art & Science of Genealogical Research

Lunchtime Book Talk | The Art & Science of Genealogical Research

Date: Monday, October 18, 2021

Time: 12:00pm

Join WRHS and the Cleveland Public Library for this lively discussion of the book There Is Something About Edgefield: Shining a Light on the Black Community Through History, Genealogy & Genetic DNA by Edna Bush and Natonne Elaine Kemp.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Branch Manager and former college English instructor, Dr. Tonya Briggs, will lead the book talk for 15 minutes. Dr. Regennia N. Williams, Distinguished Scholar of African American History and Culture at the Cleveland History Center of the Western Reserve Historical Society and author of Black America: Cleveland, Ohio, will speak about her family history and genealogy research experience for 15 minutes. The last 15 minutes of the book talk will be spent answering participants’ questions.

This event is brought to you by the Cleveland Public Library and the Western Reserve Historical Society.

Register Here

African American Soul Dancing Performance

African American Soul Dancing Performance

This Black Music Month event is designed to showcase the marriage between movement and music in Black history and culture, especially as it relates to dance in the 20th and 21st centuries. The presentation will include accomplished dancers from Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit, and Chicago. For approximately 30 minutes, these couples will demonstrate recommended dances for academic programs, based on information in Soul Dancing! The Essential African American Cultural Dance Book by Frank R. Ross.  After the dance demonstrations, author Frank R. Ross will facilitate a Q & A session about Soul Dancing!.  During the second hour, Mr. Ross will host a book signing.

About the Author

Frank R. Ross is a native son of Ohio. He graduated from Cleveland’s John Adams High School, where he excelled in track and field.  Ross accepted an athletic scholarship to attend Central State University and was a member of the “Big Four” mile relay team that was featured on the “Wide World of Sports ” in 1966.

A retired guidance counselor, Ross is the creator of the Grand March, the National African African-American Folk Dance.  He is also the best-selling author of The Grand March – The Spirit of African-Americans from Publish America and Soul Dancing! The Essential African-American Cultural Dance Book (National Dance Association, 2010).

He has traveled throughout the United States and Canada spreading the word about the importance of The Grand March as a powerful mechanism for unifying people of the African Diaspora. He is available for workshops, lectures and performances for schools and other organizations and for family reunions and other social events.

Under the auspices of The National Dance Association, Ross has redefined African-American dance as “cultural dance” rather than “vernacular dance” through his work as an award-winning African-American dance researcher.

 Frank R. Ross is the proud father of daughters Felicia, Wendy and Janelle; and he has two grandchildren, Dalen and Jillian.

Admission

This event is included with admission to the Cleveland History Center. To purchase your admission for this date, please click here.

Virtual Tours | Carl & Louis Stokes: Making History

Virtual Tours | Carl & Louis Stokes: Making History

Immerse yourself in the stories and lives of Northeast Ohio’s past and present heroes when you sign up for CHC’s live Zoom presentation and walkthrough of Carl & Louis Stokes: Making History, an exhibit that honors Mayor Carl B. Stokes and his brother, Congressman Louis Stokes.

In this free program, guests are invited to explore the exhibit in a guided virtual tour, where we will be discussing the political careers of Carl and Louis Stokes in light of broader issues of African-American and American urban history. While the exhibit celebrates the achievements of Carl and Louis Stokes, it also uses their experiences to reflect on and explore topics such as the Civil Rights Movement, social and economic disparity and the rise and importance of heroes and exemplars.

Tours will be held at 11:00am and 2:00pm. Admission is free, but registration is required in order to access the Zoom link. You may register and select your tour time below.

About Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at WRHS

Every year, the Cleveland History Center (CHC), headquarters of the Western Reserve Historical Society (WRHS), commemorates and celebrates the history, spirit, and life of one of America’s greatest heroes of social justice and equality – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This year, the CHC continues it’s commitment by creating a unique online Martin Luther King, Jr. Day experience. Enjoy this curated collection of free digital programs, activities, and content you can safely explore from home! Click here to learn more.

Black History on Tap: Living Legends

Come raise a glass with some of Cleveland’s Living Legends! Explore the stories of Ruby Terry, Reverend E.T. Caviness, George Forbes, and other African Americans who have inspired and shaped our community. Celebrate with live performances, a curator-led tour of new exhibit, Rev. E. Theophilus Caviness: Church, Community, Cleveland, and an exclusive look at WRHS collections.

 

General Admission Prices

$4 Beer

$5 Wine

$7 Signature Cocktail

$20 Open Bar Wrist Band

 

THIS EVENT IS SPONSORED BY