Accents: Northeast Ohio's Identity Crisis?

Premise

The ethnic character of Northeast Ohio is a cultural and economic asset that has been overlooked in planning for the region's future. An ideastream examination of the local impact of immigration will fuel a community discussion about ways to harness that historic diversity to the area's advantage.

Introduction

Before Northeast Ohio can once again grow and prosper, the region must come to an understanding of its own identity. Historically, one of the defining characteristics of this area has been its cultural diversity. While community leaders pay lip service to the ethnic riches of Greater Cleveland, there is also an underlying embarrassment over an image of babushkas and polka that runs counter to the look of a "turn-around city".

Accents is a month-long exploration of the reasons behind this split personality. For the past year, the Quiet Crisis series has examined the factors that stand in the way of prosperity for Northeast Ohio, but Accents makes the case that the region's ethnic character is a silent strength, whose potential goes beyond colorful festivals and interesting restaurants.

Content

Accents consists of radio and television reports that will examine the impact of immigrants on Northeast Ohio. The series culminates in a town hall meeting to discuss ways of harnessing the region's history of cultural diversity to its future advantage. Throughout, the ideastream website will link audience members to supplementary information and pose questions to create a community dialog.

--->Historic Roots
Accents begins with a series of radio reports on why immigrants first chose Northeast Ohio as a destination, how they dispersed when they got here, and what challenges they faced in establishing themselves. The final week will feature a report examining current immigration trends and how they compare with the issues of previous generations. Our partners at the Western Reserve Historical Society are offering historic images and documents for the ideastream website. We will also link audience members to WRHS's genealogical research services and their on-line Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. Our partners at the International Services Center are providing community contacts to recent immigrant groups.

--->Current Issues - Business
A series of radio reports on how immigrants are affecting the local job market. The classic image of foreigners filling the ranks of factory workers has changed in two significant ways. First of all, the non-skilled entry-level jobs have changed from heavy industry to the service sector, in areas such hospitality and healthcare. Also, a good deal of the new immigrant population is well-educated.

--->Current Issues - Education
A series of radio reports on the challenges of educating immigrant children. A new diversity among the newcomers results in classrooms with an assortment of native languages. In addition, where previous immigrant groups came largely from a Western cultural tradition, teachers now have to cope with a much more diverse set of students.

--->The Cleveland Cultural Gardens - Microcosm of Multi-Culturalism
Through a partnership with Cleveland State University, ideastream will present a series of student reports on the Cultural Gardens - a group of individual sites devoted different ethnic groups that line Martin Luther King Boulevard from University Circle to the East Shoreway. Historically, a "point of interest" in Cleveland guidebooks, the Gardens have a deeper significance that will be examined in these reports. Cultural issues of Greater Cleveland, ranging from ethnic pride and race, to crime and suburbanization, are all represented in these seemingly innocuous plots of land.

ideastream's Renita Jablonski and David C. Barnett are team-teaching the class in radio writing and production techniques. As the individual stories are developed, tape logs and scripts are being posted to a special CSU website which will be linked to the ideastream site.

--->Embracing Our Differences
Personal Stories - A series of radio reports take audience members into the lives of recent immigrants. Ethnic prejudice is largely based on ignorance. These sound-rich portraits work to reduce such ignorance by documenting the everyday details of home, work, and recreation, lending a rare insight to a hidden population.

In addition, a group of six recent immigrants will gather around a big wooden table at Sokolowski's University Inn for a live-to-tape television discussion of their experiences - good and bad - in negotiating a new country. Viewers are treated to an informal, frank discussion, free of the moderating presence of a host.

A Community Discussion - ideastream audience members join us in-person and electronically to exchange ideas about how to make our ethnic diversity work for us, instead of dividing us. We will host a live, two-hour town hall meeting, featuring the views of historians, social service experts, economic analysts, government officials, poets, musicians and, most importantly, ordinary citizens. Questions and information on our website will set the agenda for a discussion both in the live audience and over the phone and internet lines. Our partners at the National Conference for Community and Justice will help with the discussion. Our partners at the Beachland Ballroom will host the broadcast.

Conclusion

Greater Cleveland's cultural diversity presents us with two choices. On the one hand, by falling prey to stereotypes, we risk further emphasizing the dark side of our differences. The events of 9/11/01, coupled with recent economic upheavals, have reinvigorated a distrust of immigrants. On the other hand, by embracing such differences and making them work to our advantage, we create the possibility for a different sort of economic engine for a new community.

We see Accents as the start of a continuing community dialog. In order to "strengthen our community," we have to understand who we are. Other communities have prospered by developing their identity and making it an emblem to the rest of the country (and the world). Past civic planning exercises locally have tried to create a new identity for a region that's trying to shed a "rust belt" image. But, rather than build amusement parks along the Lakefront in imitation of others, we should work with the silent strength that we already have to help us identify who we are.


Premise The ethnic character of Northeast Ohio is a cultural and economic asset that has been overlooked in planning for the region's future. An ideastream examination of the local impact of immigration will fuel a community discussion about ways to harness that historic diversity to the area's advantage. Introduction Before Northeast Ohio can once again grow and prosper, the region must come to an understanding of its own identity. Historically, one of the defining characteristics of this area has been its cultural diversity. While community leaders pay lip service to the ethnic riches of Greater Cleveland, there is also an underlying embarrassment over an image of babushkas and polka that runs counter to the look of a "turn-around city". Accents is a month-long exploration of the reasons behind this split personality. For the past year, the Quiet Crisis series has examined the factors that stand in the way of prosperity for Northeast Ohio, but Accents makes the case that the region's ethnic character is a silent strength, whose potential goes beyond colorful festivals and interesting restaurants. Content Accents consists of radio and television reports that will examine the impact of immigrants on Northeast Ohio. The series culminates in a town hall meeting to discuss ways of harnessing the region's history of cultural diversity to its future advantage. Throughout, the ideastream website will link audience members to supplementary information and pose questions to create a community dialog. --->Historic Roots Accents begins with a series of radio reports on why immigrants first chose Northeast Ohio as a destination, how they dispersed when they got here, and what challenges they faced in establishing themselves. The final week will feature a report examining current immigration trends and how they compare with the issues of previous generations. Our partners at the Western Reserve Historical Society are offering historic images and documents for the ideastream website. We will also link audience members to WRHS's genealogical research services and their on-line Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. Our partners at the International Services Center are providing community contacts to recent immigrant groups. --->Current Issues - Business A series of radio reports on how immigrants are affecting the local job market. The classic image of foreigners filling the ranks of factory workers has changed in two significant ways. First of all, the non-skilled entry-level jobs have changed from heavy industry to the service sector, in areas such hospitality and healthcare. Also, a good deal of the new immigrant population is well-educated. --->Current Issues - Education A series of radio reports on the challenges of educating immigrant children. A new diversity among the newcomers results in classrooms with an assortment of native languages. In addition, where previous immigrant groups came largely from a Western cultural tradition, teachers now have to cope with a much more diverse set of students. --->The Cleveland Cultural Gardens - Microcosm of Multi-Culturalism Through a partnership with Cleveland State University, ideastream will present a series of student reports on the Cultural Gardens - a group of individual sites devoted different ethnic groups that line Martin Luther King Boulevard from University Circle to the East Shoreway. Historically, a "point of interest" in Cleveland guidebooks, the Gardens have a deeper significance that will be examined in these reports. Cultural issues of Greater Cleveland, ranging from ethnic pride and race, to crime and suburbanization, are all represented in these seemingly innocuous plots of land. ideastream's Renita Jablonski and David C. Barnett are team-teaching the class in radio writing and production techniques. As the individual stories are developed, tape logs and scripts are being posted to a special CSU website which will be linked to the ideastream site. --->Embracing Our Differences Personal Stories - A series of radio reports take audience members into the lives of recent immigrants. Ethnic prejudice is largely based on ignorance. These sound-rich portraits work to reduce such ignorance by documenting the everyday details of home, work, and recreation, lending a rare insight to a hidden population. In addition, a group of six recent immigrants will gather around a big wooden table at Sokolowski's University Inn for a live-to-tape television discussion of their experiences - good and bad - in negotiating a new country. Viewers are treated to an informal, frank discussion, free of the moderating presence of a host. A Community Discussion - ideastream audience members join us in-person and electronically to exchange ideas about how to make our ethnic diversity work for us, instead of dividing us. We will host a live, two-hour town hall meeting, featuring the views of historians, social service experts, economic analysts, government officials, poets, musicians and, most importantly, ordinary citizens. Questions and information on our website will set the agenda for a discussion both in the live audience and over the phone and internet lines. Our partners at the National Conference for Community and Justice will help with the discussion. Our partners at the Beachland Ballroom will host the broadcast. Conclusion Greater Cleveland's cultural diversity presents us with two choices. On the one hand, by falling prey to stereotypes, we risk further emphasizing the dark side of our differences. The events of 9/11/01, coupled with recent economic upheavals, have reinvigorated a distrust of immigrants. On the other hand, by embracing such differences and making them work to our advantage, we create the possibility for a different sort of economic engine for a new community. We see Accents as the start of a continuing community dialog. In order to "strengthen our community," we have to understand who we are. Other communities have prospered by developing their identity and making it an emblem to the rest of the country (and the world). Past civic planning exercises locally have tried to create a new identity for a region that's trying to shed a "rust belt" image. But, rather than build amusement parks along the Lakefront in imitation of others, we should work with the silent strength that we already have to help us identify who we are.
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