James Oberstar: “Carl Stokes is more than a fellow Ohioan. He is more than an American citizen. He was a pioneer in his time, one of the…”

“Carl Stokes is more than a fellow Ohioan. He is more than an American citizen. He was a pioneer in his time, one of the very first handful of African-Americans to be elected mayor, and mayor of a large city. At the time I think there were only four. As I recall, Mayor Hatcher was elected the same day, received somewhat greater public attention than did Carl Stokes, but Mayor Stokes came in at a time when Cleveland was experiencing severe economic difficulties, racial strife, social unrest, and he brought calm and restored economic progress and focus in the community, brought a great leadership quality to his service as mayor. Following his leadership, more than 350 African-Americans are now mayors of American cities. He led the way. He showed them that it could be done. He was a journalist, a political commentator, a television anchorman and Emmy Award winner, a devoted family man.”