Destination Cleveland invites visitors and locals alike to utilize an exciting addition to our online trip planner and mobile app, which serves as an indispensable aid in exploring Black Cleveland.
In collaboration with Chocolate City Cleveland, a component of ThirdSpace Action Lab, and the Cleveland Civil Rights Trail, Black Cleveland: A Living Legacy highlights the Black experience in Cleveland: its vast cultural influence, storied history and contributions to the fabric of this city.
A Collaborative Effort
Chocolate City Cleveland doesn’t just celebrate the big names: the politicians, business leaders and celebrities. Instead, they pay homage to the many history-makers in the community whose stories shed light on what these neighborhoods—the physical landmarks, events, people, culture and rituals—once were and, importantly, could become again.
Through multimedia, Chocolate City Cleveland channels the experience of thriving neighborhoods to local businesses, art and activism, inviting visitors to explore Cleveland through a rich, Black-centered lens. Whether you're tracing the legacy of civil rights pioneers, enjoying cuisine rooted in tradition or engaging with the city’s vibrant creative scene, this project helps visitors connect with multigenerational properties of the city’s Black east side.
The Cleveland Civil Rights Trail similarly highlights key places in the state where Black Clevelanders fought for justice, dignity and equality. Through historic landmarks, powerful stories and community legacy, the trail connects visitors to the people and movements that shaped civil rights progress across the state—inviting reflection, education and deeper understanding of our city’s role in Black history. History is alive across Cleveland, telling a story written by civil rights heroes.
Iconic, Historic and Unforgettable
Historical spots like the Langston Hughes House, Olivet Institutional Baptist Church, Cozad-Bates House and the African American Cultural Garden exist in Cleveland to educate and remind all who pass through about the city’s rich Black history and connections to the past, present and future.
Since the Great Migration of the 1920s, which saw thousands of African Americans from the South arrive in Cleveland, reshaping neighborhoods and contributing to industrial labor and Black cultural life, Cleveland has persisted with an ever-changing landscape and inclusive evolution.
Enduring the Great Depression, the establishment of the United Negro Protest Committee, the 1967 election of Mayor Carl B. Stokes as the first African American to lead a major U.S. city, and an extensive list of other groundbreaking moments in contemporary history, Cleveland’s mission to preserve the life and memory of significant historical events is everlasting.
On the Path: Previewing A Living Legacy
Designed by Robert P. Madison in 1960, the Medical Associates Building was commissioned by Black doctors excluded from practicing at University Hospitals and Mt. Sinai Medical Center. The building served as a community investment and healthcare hub. It has since undergone renovations as event space The Madison and includes a ThirdSpace Reading Room.
The Hough Uprising occurred in the summer of 1966. Said to have been the result of a dispute in a café at E. 79th Street and Hough Avenue, five days of vandalism, looting, arson and gun violence followed, stemming from years of racial tension and discrimination against Black residents. With four dead, 50 injured and 275 arrested, the event was a critical turning point in Cleveland’s civil rights history and left a lasting impact on the city.
Scatter’s Barbecue was a popular restaurant owned and operated by Herman “Scatter” Stephens, a larger-than-life figure in Cleveland’s vibrant barbecue scene. Located at 931 East 105th Street in Glenville, Scatter’s offered some of the best barbecue in the Midwest. Scatter Stephens befriended some of the most influential African Americans at the time, including boxer Sugar Ray Robinson and jazz pianist Count Basie. Fans and patrons of Scatter’s enjoyed the ribs and shoulders pit-cooked over hickory wood for a savory, smoky taste.
Cory United Methodist Church has been serving the community at its present location since 1947. Cory UMC was known as Cleveland’s largest Black-owned church in the 1950s and 1960s. During this period in the Civil Rights Movement, the church hosted prominent figures such as W. E. B. Du Bois, Thurgood Marshall, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, just to name a few. Located in the heart of the Glenville neighborhood, it offers opportunities for spiritual renewal and growth, as well as opportunities to participate in or serve on a wide variety of outreach programs and church committees.
Looking to learn more about the Black experience in Cleveland, participate in local events, or schedule your own tour of the city’s various Black landmarks? Find your way to Black Cleveland: A Living Legacy via our website trip planner or our mobile app.