Activists and athletes gathered in Downtown Cleveland Tuesday for a racial justice forum and a celebration of 1960s Cleveland civil rights history.
In 1967, several Black star athletes gathered in Cleveland to unite for the Civil Rights Movement and to support boxer Muhammad Ali’s protest of the Vietnam War draft. It was dubbed the Cleveland Summit. Producers called Tuesday’s modern forum “Cleveland Summit II: Get the Guys Together Again.”
NBA stars Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Cleveland Browns legends Jim Brown and John Wooten were among the headliners in 1967. Wooten returned for Cleveland Summit II.
“We needed to get a rejuvenation in a new direction so that we don't lose the young people — coming together, being a part of what this country can have for them," Wooten said.
Brown’s daughter, Kim Brown, followed in his footsteps Tuesday and called for a youth movement in today’s fight against racism.
“It's time for them to accept the torch and move forward and make it happen,” Brown said. “Cleveland is definitely special. I was born and raised here, so I don't know. Maybe Cleveland will take up the reigns.”
Some of the sports figures in the discussions included Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, retired NFL players Troy Vincent and Kellen Winslow Sr., and retired NBA player Etan Thomas.
Local economist Andre Bustamante took part in a panel to discuss empowering Black business development.
“We need to band together and we can operate our own businesses and solve our own financial future by simply buying Black. Spend that money and stay together. That's the formula,” Bustamante said. “Cleveland's always been a hotbed for new ideas and solutions and raising money.”
Bustamante also said he remembered wanting to attend the 1967 summit, but his mother wouldn’t let him skip school as a 6-year-old.
Antoinette Brown is one of the executive producers of Cleveland Summit II. She’s the daughter of NFL legend Willie Brown.
“The athletes, they have a voice and it is so important that athletes have to come together and stand by each other, as long as they realize that they can stand together and make a difference," she said.
Organizers of Cleveland Summit II intend to draw on the day for a forthcoming TV special. The series of panel discussions were held in Ideastream Public Media’s Westfield Studio at the Idea Center at Playhouse Square.
