When I grew up in Cleveland, the city pulsed with jobs. In the 1950s and 60s, Cleveland was a Mecca for manufacturing. That was one of the reasons my parents and our family ancestors before them moved from the American South to Cleveland. Both my father and mother moved to Cleveland in 1940 and immediately found work.
My dad always talked about expanding opportunities in Cleveland. Dad was not the only one who knew that. "in the 1950s and 60s, when you drove through Cleveland, it was easy to see the manufacturing," said Ed Pershey, vice president of special projects of the Cleveland History Center of the Western Reserve Historical Society.
Cleveland, which has seen a loss of many heavy manufacturing jobs over recent decades, would like to see a resurgence of that kind of workforce. Although there are smaller manufacturing operations, the days of large numbers of huge factories turning our products for the world's consumers have disappeared. Cleveland has had to reinvent itself and that change is still in the process.
Smaller factories, a much-expanded medical and health industry, and industries with newer technologies have made major footprints on the Greater Cleveland area. "There seems to be no end of growth to the medical industry right now," said Pershey. Still, winds of change from the days of my parents' migration to Cleveland have stilled many of the old manufacturing plants.
Their remnants are still visible like skeletons empty of muscle and flesh in many of the older communities of Cleveland.
When the Republicans come to the city to nominate a candidate for United States president, they will see a resurgence of downtown Cleveland which boasts about 13,000 residents living in the heart of the city -- a far cry from the numbers of a decade or 15 years ago.
Cleveland will showcase new sports facilities for the city's Cavs, Browns, and Indians teams. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, now in its 21st year, will be a big draw for visitors who want to find a rhythm and a rhyme of both the music and of the city. However, there is still widespread unemployment in many communities of Cleveland. News media cameras focus on the trendy hotspots of Cleveland, especially those within a short walk or cab ride of the newly-renovated Cleveland Convention Center.
But probably, they will also see some of the areas where there are large tracts of empty land or of foreclosed housing. All of that is part of a Cleveland which will extend a welcoming hand to conventioneers who will visit from across the country. At the same time, the city should call attention to pressing needs of Cleveland.
The city is not the same one to which my parents came seeking new opportunities. Although much has changed, there are some things which remain. They include a strong work ethic which has always been a vital part of the character of the city. "We need to keep looking at our own strengths," said Pershey. "We need to sell ourselves better and tap into the energy of young people and the digital economy."
That is taking place, but the pace needs to quicken.
The Republicans saw something in Cleveland when they chose this city for the party's national convention. Aside from Ohio being a key state strong in the Electoral College and vital to any successful presidential campaign, they saw a city which had pulled itself out of the deeply troubled economic times of several years back. The city is not free and clear yet, but appears poised to climb upward.
Cleveland is telling the politicians and all others who look to this city that it is ready for work. Its history of rolling up its sleeves and helping build the nation and other parts of the world is part of its DNA. Cleveland is poised for the work of the 21st century.
My parents knew that in 1940. That work ethic is still in the city's DNA.
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