The Third Annual Project 400 Conference 2022

  

Changing the Game: Advancing the Struggle for Black Lives from the Streets, Fields, and Courts
Friday, March 25, 2022 | 10:00am – 2:20pm
Saturday, March 26, 2022 | 10:00am – 2:20pm
Registeration is closed for this event. 

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About This Event

This is the third annual Project 400 Conference, titled Changing the Game, Advancing Black Lives: From the Streets, Fields and Courts. Project 400 began in 2019 as a year-long observation of when the first Africans were brought to the British Colonies in North America in 1619. This two-day conference will further examine the contemporary challenges faced by African-Americans, highlighting the obstacles that have been overcome while identifying those that still remain.

Friday's sessions will focus on recent calls for a collective urban agenda and police reform. Saturday's sessions will focus on activism from within sports led by athletes.

Please join the the Diversity Institute and member organizations of the Project 400 Collaborative for our third annual conference which is part of our ongoing calendar of activities. Your support will enable the Collaborative to continue to work toward systemic change and address the structural barriers adversely impacting the African American community.

Dr. Ronnie Dunn, Executive Director, The Diversity Institute
Dr. Mittie Davis Jones, Associate Director, The Diversity Institute
 

Keynote Speakers

Wesley Lowery, New York Times bestselling author of They Can't Kill Us All: The Story of The Struggle for Black Lives (2016), & Pulitzer Prize winning journalist formerly at the Washington Post.  He was previously a national correspondent at the Washington Post, specializing in issues of race and law enforcement. His most recent project, Murder With Impunity, an unprecedented look at unsolved homicides in major American cities, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2019.

Dr. Amira Rose Davis is an Assistant Professor of History and African American Studies at Penn State University where she specializes in 20^th Century American History with an emphasis on race, gender, sports, and politics. Davis is the co-host of the Feminist sports podcast, Burn it All Down and the host of Season 3 of American Prodigies, both on the Bluewire podcast network. 

 

 

Presenters

Dr. Ronnie A. Dunn, is the Executive Director of the Diversity Institute and an Associate Professor of Urban Studies at Cleveland State University. Dr. Dunn's research interests include issues affecting minorities and the urban poor with expertise in race, crime, and the criminal justice system and the issue of racial profiling in particular.  His research and public policy analysis led to the use of traffic cameras in the city of Cleveland and municipalities throughout the state, Governor John Kasich's appointment of a statewide advisory board on Community-Police relations, and the introduction of bias-free policing legislation before the Cleveland City Council and as a statewide policing standard.  He is a Cleveland native, a CSU alumnus, an U.S. Air Force veteran and a frequent media commentator on various racial and social issues. He is the past the chair of the Cleveland NAACP's Criminal Justice Committee, and of the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority Board of Commissioners.

Dr. Roland V. Anglin's career spans more than twenty-five years of working in the public, educational, and philanthropic sectors. In all his professional positions, Anglin has focused on promoting economic and community development in and for low-income communities. Currently, he is Dean of the Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University. Immediately prior to this position, Anglin was the Senior Advisor to the Chancellor of Rutgers University-Newark and Director of the Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies, an applied research institute at the university. In his role as Senior Advisor, he worked as part of a team to implement various initiatives using the anchor role of the university to improve postsecondary outcomes in Newark.

Justin M. Bibb is the 58th Mayor of Cleveland working to improve public safety, invest in neighborhoods and modernize City Hall. On January 3, 2022, Mayor Bibb took the oath of office as the city's first millennial mayor.

Mayor Bibb was born and raised on Cleveland's southeast side in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood. Over the past 15 years, Mayor Bibb has worked in government, business, and the nonprofit sector as an executive and nonprofit leader. He started his career in public service working for President Obama when he was in the U.S. Senate and later at Cuyahoga County as a Special Assistant advising on education and economic development policies.
Mayor Bibb is a proud American University alumni with an undergraduate degree in Urban Studies. He completed the General Course Programme with an emphasis in Social Policy and Economics from the London School of Economics and is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University. He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Doctor of Law (JD).

 

Moderators

Dr. Mittie Jones is Associate Professor Emerita at Cleveland State University having formerly been Chair of the Department of Urban Studies, Director of the Urban Child Research Center, Assistant Dean for Student Services, Director of the Master of Urban Planning, Design and Development Program, Director of the Master of Urban Studies Program, and Associate Professor in the Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs. She holds a Ph.D. in political science and a Master of Urban Planning – both from Wayne State University; she received a B.A. from Michigan State University. Dr. Jones has been a practitioner, student, and researcher in the field of urban affairs for over 40 years.  She taught a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses that address topics of her research concerns, specifically, contemporary urban issues, public policy, housing policy, politics in the black community, and race relations.  She has also been a consultant and evaluator for various housing, educational and health programs.

Victoria R. Winbush, PhD., LISW, MPH, is faculty member of Cleveland State University's (CSU) School of Social Work and teaches graduate courses in trauma and recovery, clinical practice with families and groups, and diversity change management.  Her practice interests include exploring the help seeking patterns of parents of adolescents with mental illness, understanding the impact of historical trauma on vulnerable population groups, and preparing practitioners for engagement in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.  Dr. Winbush is a member of the Project 400 Planning Committee and Chairs of the School of Social Work's Diversity Committee.  She is a member of the Council of Older Persons (COOP) and of the Cuyahoga County Division of Senior and Adult Services (DSAS) Advisory Committee.

Harry Boomer attended Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria, Va. And has called Greater Cleveland home since 1990.  He is proud to live in the historic Hough neighborhood in Cleveland.  Boomer has over 40 years of news experience, for a total of over 50 years in broadcasting. Harry is currently an anchor/senior reporter at Cleveland 19 News and he is also the Executive Producer and Host of CW 43 Focus, a public affairs program covering community issues.  He has the distinction of being the longest, continuous on air-anchor/reporter for both WOIO CBS 19 and WUAB The CW 43, Cleveland.  Harry is an Emmy nominated journalist and has won major awards from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the Ohio Associated Press, Ohio Educational Telecommunications, Women in Communications, the Press Club of Cleveland and the National Association of Black Journalists.

Ronnie Duncan joined the FOX 29 News team in July 2021 as a sports anchor and reporter. Most recently, Ronnie was a news reporter and sports anchor at WOIO-WUAB in Cleveland, OH.  His broadcast career began in 1978 as a volunteer disc jockey and news announcer at the Baltimore Veterans Hospital.  Ronnie's sports casting journey crossed the U.S. and back, with stops in Durham, NC; New Haven, CT; Phoenix, AZ; Indianapolis, IN; and Columbus and Cleveland, OH.  As WOIO's Sports Director, he was nominated for three Emmy Awards, and hosted a morning radio talk show at WKNR-AM. He enjoys giving back to the communities in which he lives and works.  He volunteers and works with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the Veterans Administration and the NAACP.

 

Panelists

Stephanie Howse is a caregiver, mentor and public servant, presently serving as Ward 7 Councilwoman on Cleveland City Council. Prior to joining Cleveland City Council, Stephanie served as an Ohio State Representative, Educator, Consultant and Engineer. Her range of lived experiences keeps her grounded in the realities of everyday people and motivates her to use her public platform to share uncomfortable truths and engage in uncomfortable conversations to move our community forward for the benefit of all and not just a select few. Beyond her civic responsibilities, Stephanie enjoys cooking new recipes, watching Netflix, singing/rapping karaoke and is an ever-enduring Cleveland Browns fan.

Randell McShepard is currently employed as the Vice President of Public Affairs and Chief Talent Officer for RPM International Inc. An active community and corporate leader, Mr. McShepard is currently serving on several boards in Northeast Ohio including The Cleveland Foundation, Destination Cleveland and Citymark Capital LLC.  He is Co-Founder and Chairman of PolicyBridge, a public policy think tank serving the Northeast Ohio region, and is currently serving as a member of Cuyahoga County's Citizen's Advisory Council on Equity. He is also the Co-Founder of the Rid-All Green Partnership, an urban farm located in Cleveland's Lower Kinsman neighborhood.
Randell was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio and graduated from Baldwin-Wallace University (BA) and Cleveland State University (MS).

Gregory L. Brown is the executive director of PolicyBridge a nonprofit, non-partisan public policy research and advocacy "think and action tank" in Northeast Ohio. He is also the president of Brown & Associates Consulting Services.  Mr. Brown has 40 years of public, non-profit and private sector organizational and leadership experience. He is a graduate of the 2006 class of Leadership Cleveland and the 2008 recipient of the Cleveland State University Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Distinguished Alumni Award. Mr. Brown is an adjunct instructor at Cleveland State University's Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs and an adjunct associate professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine's Center for Community Health Integration. Mr. Brown holds Master of Science in Urban Studies and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science degrees from Cleveland State University.

Dr. Anne Galletta is professor and chair, Department of Educational Studies, Research and Technology, Levin College of Public Affairs and Education, Cleveland State University. As a social psychologist, her research interests include the nature of social and structural relations and dimensions of human experience within public space and institutions. Dr. Galletta draws on critical social theory and qualitative research approaches, with particular strengths in participatory action research, oral history, and case study methods.

Larry Heller, M.Ed, MSW is the Outreach Coordinator for Northern Ohio Recovery Association (NORA) whose mission is to identify and address unmet needs of persons experiencing the challenges of mental illness, substance abuse disorder, homelessness and/or criminal justice involvement.   Mr. Heller is an active member of many community organizations including the Mental Health Response Advisory Committee, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Ohio Chapter, and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee of the Cuyahoga County Addiction and Mental Health Services Board.  Mr. Heller's work as a "hands-on" advocate for the vulnerable and underserved is informed by his personal experiences with organizational barriers which interfered with him accessing services needed to support his own recovery. 

Michael Anderson received an Associate Degree from Stark State College.   He currently serves on the staff of Catholic Charities' Matt Talbott Center for Men.  Mr. Anderson is the uncle of Tanisha Anderson.   He made his life's mission advocating for change to prevent other individuals and families from suffering the type of tragedy which he and his family endured related to the circumstances of Tanisha's death.

Dr. Lalisa Anthony is from Canton, Ohio, and a graduate of Case Western Reserve University for both BA and MSSA. Her Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration is from Walden University, with a published dissertation: Reducing Sport-related Injuries: Perspectives from NFL High School Coach of the Year Recipients. Dr. Anthony is a Senior Instructor in Pan-African Studies at the University of Louisville teaching Politics, Protests, and Sports; Faces of Global Poverty; and Race, Gender and Human Behaviors. She is the Founder/CEO for Building Lives Through Sport Network, a global sports consulting company and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Wornie Reed, Ph.D. Wornie Reed is the recently retired Professor of Sociology and Africana Studies, and Director of the Race and Social Policy Research Center at Virginia Tech University. A prominent part of his academic experience before Virginia Tech has been developing and directing three large social science research centers at three different universities—Morgan State, U/Mass Boston, and Cleveland State. He received his B.S. degree from Alabama State University and the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Sociology from Boston University. Trained as a medical sociologist under a health services research training fellowship, Professor Reed has taught courses, conducted research, and published numerous articles and eight books on medical care, health and illness, urban communities, and criminal justice.  Reed served a three-year term (1990-92) as President of the National Congress of Black Faculty, and he is past president of the National Association of Black Sociologists (2000-2001).

Gary Charles was raised in Roosevelt, Long Island.   He attended Cheney University (an HBCU) and worked on Wall Street for over 20 years during which time he started a grassroots basketball program called the Long Island/NY Panthers. More than 20 NBA professionals play in his program including Lamar Odom, Danny Green, and Joakim Noah, Gary is the CEO/Founder of ABIS (Advancement of Blacks in Sports). Its membership includes coaches and people from basketball, baseball, football, track and field and gymnastics. There is no topic in sports that ABIS will not intercede on behalf helping minorities. "We have been divided and conquered for 400 plus years. It's time for us to come together and expect fairness for our people. We can continue what our ancestors sacrificed for by putting the bright spotlight on sports."

Bruce Haggins attended Cleveland State University on a basketball scholarship in 1967. He played for legendary coach John McLendon from 1967 to 1969 and for coach Ray Dieringer from 1969 to 1971.  He retired from the health care field after working 30 years for the Ohio Department of Health.

 

 

Wayne Pearsall is a lawyer in Cleveland and is a Law and Economics professor at North Coast College (formerly Virginia Marti College). He received his undergraduate degree at Eastern Kentucky University and his Law Degree from Wayne State University Law School.  He also works for Baseball Info Solutions as analytical scout at Lake County Captains games.  Wayne does research on Cleveland's Negro League baseball teams and created the clevelandbuckeyesbaseball.com webpage to honor those teams.  He will be appearing in a documentary film being produced, "I Forgot To Tell You About 1945: The Story of The Cleveland Buckeyes Forgotten Championship."

 

Performing Artists

The members of Hue People, Ceco Selinas, Anita Rose Banks and Steven E. Boyd, represent the vividness and beauty of a distinctive cultural tradition, represented through music... with a mission to enlighten, uplift, and entertain, using elements from the rich musical legacy of African-Americans.  Hue People's public debut was during Kwanzaa 2003 in Cleveland, Ohio, followed by spirited performances at colleges, conferences, festivals, and award ceremonies with many notable artists and personalities in Cleveland and around the country.

Ohio native Orlando Watson is an interdisciplinary artist widely known for his work as a spoken word poet and narrator. Orlando's lyrics have been featured in compositions by Dominick Farinacci, Braxton Cook and Grammy winning composers such as: Terence Blanchard, John Clayton and Linda Briceño. Watson has shared the stage with the likes of Lalah Hathaway, Tye Tribbett, Chantae Cann, and Def Poetry Jam artist Jessica Caremoore. He has released two solo music projects titled: Everything's Personal (2017) and Corner Stories (2021). Watson currently serves as the Associate Director for the Tri-C JazzFest in Cleveland, Ohio.

 

Sponsors

Presenting Sponsor 

Bronze Sponsors