An Evening of Reflection and Song: Cleveland Pastors Discuss Impact of Stokes Brothers on Civil Rights Movement

An Evening of Reflection and Song: Cleveland Pastors Discuss Impact of Stokes Brothers on Civil Rights Movement

CLEVELAND — March 2, 2017 - The Rev. E. Theophilus Caviness and the Rev. Otis Moss Jr. will discuss the impact of Carl and Louis Stokes on the civil rights movement during a March program titled An Evening of Reflection and Song.

The free event will take place from 6-8:15 p.m. Thursday, March 16, at Antioch Baptist Church, 8869 Cedar Ave. in Cleveland. Sponsors include Antioch Baptist Church, Olivet Institutional Baptist Church and Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C®).

The Grammy-nominated Winston-Salem State University Choir from North Carolina will perform following the conversation with Caviness and Moss, Cleveland pastors who have played pivotal roles in the civil rights struggle.

The program is part of Stokes: Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future, a yearlong commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes’ historic election as mayor of Cleveland in 1967. A year later, Louis Stokes became Ohio’s first African-American congressman.

Their groundbreaking election victories overturned racial barriers and inspired hope. Together, Mayor Stokes and Congressman Stokes served Northeast Ohio while playing key roles in the civil rights movement through advocacy and action.

For more information on the event or the commemoration, visit www.stokes50cle.com.

Media inquiries should be addressed to: john.horton@tri-c.edu, 216-987-4281