During the 1960’s, a torrent of controversial racial issues shook America to the core, causing contagious outbreaks of
heated discrimination, brutal violence, and uncontrollable riots. However, within this ongoing chaos countless racial barriers were being torn down, brick by brick. With only his hard-hat of ideas and hammer of rooted beliefs, African American Carl B. Stokes smashed through these walls to become the mayor of Cleveland in 1967 despite a population that was two-thirds white, a turning point in showing the world that strong leadership can come in any color.
heated discrimination, brutal violence, and uncontrollable riots. However, within this ongoing chaos countless racial barriers were being torn down, brick by brick. With only his hard-hat of ideas and hammer of rooted beliefs, African American Carl B. Stokes smashed through these walls to become the mayor of Cleveland in 1967 despite a population that was two-thirds white, a turning point in showing the world that strong leadership can come in any color.
"I was elected the first black mayor of a major American city with a predominantly white population. I did things other men could or would not do. It came to me not because I had a new politics but because the old politicians had forgotten the most basic lesson: people, acting together, are power. They don't just have power. They are power." – Carl Stokes, 1973
Banner photo from the Cleveland Public Library Microfilm Collection