City of Cleveland recognizes former mayor Carl B. Stokes with a Carl B. Stokes Day, Stokes the first Black mayor of Cleveland and of a major American city... Current mayor Justin Bibb comments, saying Cleveland is the birthplace of Black political power in this country...By Clevelandurbannews.com, Ohio's Black digital news leader
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Carl B. Stokes, the first Black mayor of Cleveland and of a major American city By Kathy Wray Coleman, editor, associate publisher CLEVELAND, Ohio- The city of Cleveland officially recognized former mayor Carl B. Stokes on Mon., June 30, 2025 as the city's first Black mayor, naming it Carl B. Stokes Day, Stokes the first Black mayor of Cleveland and of a major American city. June 30 is now Carl B. Stokes Day, and his life and legacy will be celebrated annually in Cleveland. Current mayor Justin Bibb, who led Monday's event, pointed to the portrait of Stokes during a ceremony held in the Rotunda at City Hall that included family members of Stokes, community affiliates, and elected officials. Bibb is Cleveland' fourth Black mayor, behind Frank Jackson, his immediate predecessor, Michael R. White, and Stokes, the city's 51st mayor who won office in 1967 when Cleveland, a majority Black major American city, was largely White. All of Cleveland's Black mayors were Dem...