Mayor Justin M. Bibb attended the Global Black Economic Forum at Essence Festival in New Orleans, LA this weekend. The forum is a convening of black leaders around the world for conversations on an array of issues affecting marginalized groups including equity, governance, and health.
Other leaders in attendance included Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, and Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
Mayor Bibb was joined in a Mayor’s Roundtable by Mayor LaToya Contrell, New Orleans, Mayor Eric Adams, New York City, Mayor Karen Bass, Los Angeles, Mayor Sylvester Turner, Houston, Marc Morial, President of the National Urban League, and Reverend Al Sharpton, President of the National Action Network.
Reverend Al Sharpton emphasized the importance of gathering black leaders together in conversation.
“One of the reasons it is so important that we hear from these mayors is that never in a time in American history have we seen the mayors of every major city, just about, Black and from our community,” said Sharpton.
During the panel, Mayor Bibb discussed the challenges and opportunities facing Cleveland and marginalized communities in urban spaces across the nation. He spoke especially to the increasing problems with violence prevention and gun control in the city.
“We have to change the culture of how we think about guns in this country. And we need to make sure we do everything to vote in 2024 to make sure we put people in DC and in our legislatures to pass common sense gun reform. I get those calls on a weekly basis about people dying in my city. I pray that we find a way to change how we think about guns and gun violence in our country. We all have a role to play to make that change happen in this nation.” said Bibb.
Despite the obstacles the city is experiencing, Bibb laid out his hope and vision for the transformation of Cleveland through overdue investment and development.
“Through the American Rescue Plan dollars, our cities are putting real money into creating the next generation of black wealth all across the country. While Intel is going to Columbus two hours south of us, we want Cleveland to be the hub of those supply chain companies that are going to support Intel, Google and Amazon. I believe that Cleveland can help lead the next industrial revolution with healthcare and advanced manufacturing,” said Bibb.
Participation in this forum is part of Mayor Bibb’s ongoing efforts to gain Cleveland a place in the national, and international, conversation. Bibb seeks to bring attention and investment to the city from outside stakeholders in order to build opportunity for residents.
So far, his advocacy has brought a $1.8 million grant from the US Department of Transportation to Cleveland for the installation of smart traffic signals and helped pass the Ohio Senate Bill 288 (SB 288) which will allow the City to move forward with marijuana reform plans.
