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Almost two years after Cleveland City Council passed legislation to create a commission to improve the quality of life for Black women and girls, the first members were sworn in by Mayor Justin Bibb on Thursday.
The commission, which was championed by Bibb and council in June 2022, is to guide the administration on programs and legislation that would benefit Black women and families. The city created the commission after Cleveland was ranked one of the worst places for Black women to live by a 2020 City Lab Livable Index study.
Bibb declared addressing the quality of life for Black women one of his priorities in his first 100 days in office. The legislation called for 12 commissioners, including two elected officials or representatives. Bibb and council would each appoint six members, who are supposed to represent a variety of backgrounds and experiences.
The city released the names of the first commissioners:
Inaugural members of the Cleveland Commission on Black Women and Girls:
Chair
- Kathryn M. Hall, vice president of Diversity and Inclusion, JACK Entertainment
Members:
- Dr. Linda Bradley, vice chair, Women’s Health Institute, Cleveland Clinic
- Eugenia Cash-Kirkland, Social Support Services director, City of Cleveland
- Rev. Dr. Lisa Maxine Goods, senior pastor, Shiloh Baptist Church
- Taneisha Fair, associate, Racial Equity, The Center for Community Solutions
- Stephanie Howse-Jones, Cleveland City Council Ward 7
- Shameka Jones Taylor, chief operating officer, Saint Martin de Porres High School
- Anastasia Sakairoun, student, Cleveland State University College of Law
- Dameyonna Willis, founder and executive director, Queen IAM
- Lita-Marie Wills, commissioner of Health Equity and Social Justice, City of Cleveland
These 10 members were sworn in Thursday by Bibb, according to a press release from the city. Four spots remain open in the group. Two spots, for Cleveland Metropolitan School District and college students, have not been filled. The city hopes to fill those positions by summer, a spokesperson said.
“The only way to substantively and permanently improve the living conditions of Black women in our city is to center the voices and lived experiences of Black women,” Mayor Bibb said in a press statement.
“I look forward to listening closely, engaging deeply, and collaborating with this commission of outstanding leaders to implement programs and policies that begin to close the success gaps that have plagued Black women in Cleveland for centuries too long.”
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