Black Trailblazers, Leaders, Activists, and Intellectuals in Cleveland:
a pathfinder to Black local history
As most readers of this blog know, our Cleveland Memory Project showcases tens of thousands of historical images from the Michael Schwartz Library's Special Collections. One of the very first of these exhibits featured Black Clevelanders, and we celebrated Cleveland Memory's 20th anniversary a few years ago by reworking and renaming that original site. Far beyond the original collection of images, the site is a pathfinder to our extensive collections focusing on Black Clevelanders and Black Cleveland history, providing context to these pictures through articles, e-books, audio interviews, speeches, oral histories, and carefully curated links to essential off-site reading.
A 2020 analysis found Cleveland to be the most ethnically and racially diverse city in Ohio. While Cleveland Memory cannot attempt to serve as a comprehensive history of the Black experience in our city, we are happy to offer this rich sampling of materials that collectively enable us to describe a broader story of half the city's population. We invite you to explore, and to share your favorite sites for us to add to this constantly-growing resource.
CSU's 12th annual Giving Day event is on Thursday, February 27th, 2025
Please support the Michael Schwartz Library
Once a year, CSU alumni, friends, students, faculty and staff come together for a virtual celebration of Cleveland State's campus community, supporting the programs, colleges, groundbreaking research, and Division I athletics teams that make up CSU's urban footprint. To maximize the impact of your generous gift, we encourage you to direct all or part of your donation to the Michael Schwartz Library, CSU’s center of research, learning & creativity.
We are so much more than books! As the heart of Cleveland State’s campus, the Library provides access to learning and research resources, collaborative and quiet study spaces, computers, software, and loanable technology. Our expert librarians and staff are available to work with students and faculty on and off-campus, in person, via telephone, chat, text, or Zoom.
Our track record is impressive: we have a long history of using donations and partnerships to build collections, update technology, and enhance our facilities to ensure student success. Your gift helps ensure that CSU students and faculty have access to the research tools, facilities, unique local resources, and personalized support and guidance they need to succeed. We encourage you to review our current priorities and support what matters most to you.
While no one has ever graduated from the Michael Schwartz Library, no one at CSU has ever graduated without our resources! All gifts, of any size, make a difference in the lives of CSU students. And since over 70% of CSU graduates remain in the area, a gift to CSU is ultimately an investment in Cleveland. Please consider giving what you can, and help us spread the word!
GIVE TO THE MICHAEL SCHWARTZ LIBRARY NOW!