While many know the well-documented stories of Black leaders such as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Angela Davis and more, there are everyday Clevelanders who are contributing to the rich history and tradition of Black people. This month, I am focusing on telling a few stories about Black leaders, organizations and places in our city that center and celebrate the wellness of the Black community.
Charesha Barrett and Paula Coggins are co-chairs of the Lee-Harvard Memorial Project (LHMP), a nonprofit focused on preserving and celebrating the rich history and heritage of the Lee-Harvard neighborhood. Since 2023, LHMP has been collecting oral histories from residents who grew up in the area. The pair sat down with Signal Cleveland to discuss their connection to Lee-Harvard, progress on the memorial project and upcoming community events.
Good afternoon. What connection do the two of you have to the Lee-Harvard community?
Paula: My parents moved into the neighborhood in the 1960s. I lived in another city for 45 years, but came back when my mother became ill to be her caregiver.
Charesha: Paula and I grew up on the same street together. That’s where we met.
What motivated the pair of you to launch the Lee-Harvard Memorial Project?
Paula: When I came home to take care of my mother, I needed something else to do because I’ve always worked. One of my passions is sewing, so I started a nonprofit with some other ladies called Love for Lee-Harvard, which offers free sewing classes to the community.
When I came back to Lee-Harvard, I realized that things had changed a lot. The neighborhood had become synonymous with unemployment, undereducation and just all the things that would make someone not want to move to the area. When I would invite people to attend the sewing classes, some of them didn’t want to come because they didn’t think it was safe. That was disappointing, so I reached out to Charesha to figure out what we could do to address that.
Charesha: First, I wanted to start the LHMP to honor our elders. We would host a block party every year, and I saw people on our street getting older. In some cases, those block parties have been a way for us to see people for the last time.
This area started as Warrensville Township, which later became parts of Warrensville, Shaker and Cleveland. Most people who grew up in Lee-Harvard went to Shaker schools.
[Now] you have people in Shaker who live near Woodland who have never heard of Herold’s Salads, which has been in business for more than 100 years. As an educator, my goal is to expose people to new things and emphasize that although the township broke off into different areas, we are still one.
What are some of the most notable things you have learned while collecting oral histories from residents?
Charesha: I’ve been afforded the opportunity to collect stories from both Black and white families. A year ago, a woman in her 80s reached out to me and wanted to share her story about growing up in the area. She lives in Arizona now but wanted to be a part of it.
One thing we’ve learned is that Black people didn’t start moving into the neighborhood until the early 1950s. I spoke to a white man in his 80s who told me that an Italian family lived above him and a Black family lived right next door to him. At one point, it was a racially diverse neighborhood.
What would you say has contributed to some of the misconceptions about Lee-Harvard over the years?
Paula: There are barriers that were erected 50 years ago to stop the flow of traffic from Lee-Harvard into Shaker. Right now, there’s only two that exist. I think that those contributed to why so many people in Lee-Harvard have bad feelings about why they were erected and why people in Shaker have negative feelings about Lee-Harvard. Negative narratives have to be healed.
What are some of the initiatives that LHMP is doing to help bridge the gap between Shaker and Lee-Harvard?
Paula: We did a free bus tour in October of last year. We had 45 people attend, and we visited five locations in Shaker and five locations in Lee-Harvard. I think it opened the eyes of everyone on the bus. It made them aware that Lee-Harvard isn’t a war zone as they may have heard.
Charesha: Another reason we started the Lee-Harvard Memorial Project was because of the upcoming renovation of the Lee Road Corridor. If we are going to start being in common places, I don’t want people to be afraid to come to Lee-Harvard. I would love something like the Van Aken District here and for it to be safe.
One of the challenges we face is that some people are not ready for change. Change is good. If you want to leave something to your children or keep this community up to par, then you have to be open to change. It takes time. It’s not gonna be an easy task, but we have to do the work.
LHMP will be hosting a community meal next month. Can you tell our readers what they can expect?
Paula: On March 1, we are hosting the Pieces of the Same Puzzle: United by Lee Cross-Community Meal. When people sit down to eat and the conversations are rooted in a shared history of time and place, connections emerge. You never know what you have in common with a person until you sit down and speak with them. Within the tables, we are going to have games and other activities to get people involved with one another.
We have to be realistic in knowing that there are feelings on both sides that are not going to dissipate without them being brought forward. We are going to have a program that we are hoping will open up people’s minds. We’re really looking forward to it.
Charesha: We are also asking that dinner attendees bring a 10 x 10 [inch] piece of fabric and to share with us why that fabric is important to them or maybe even to the history of Shaker or Lee-Harvard. The plan is to sew all the fabric together into a community quilt that will travel and be shown in locations throughout Shaker and Lee-Harvard.
If someone would like to contribute to the oral history portion, what steps should they take?
Charesha: They can visit our website at www.keeplee-harvard.org
What do you hope to see in the future as it pertains to the Lee-Harvard neighborhood?
Paula: I would like to see more amenities – that’s what brings people to a community. People are coming to Cleveland, but are they coming to Lee-Harvard to live? It’s a great location. I would also like to see more families with children move into the area.
Charesha: I want to see quality stores, new houses and safe, walkable spaces. I am seeing more diversity now, with different races of people moving into the neighborhood, so that’s good to see.