By Guest Writer Ms. Gurnese Smedley was born to Ed and Hattie Delonely on Aug. 16, 1923, in Sheffield, Alabama. She is a God-fearing woman who accepted Christ at an early age. Gurnese is involved in New Bethel Baptist Church and was Sunday School Secretary for three years. She met and married James Johnson and […]
Posted inHealth
Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
By Devon Jones The prostate gland is a male reproductive organ located below the bladder. This walnut-sized gland nourishes and transports semen throughout the male reproductive system. According to the Urology Care Foundation, there are four stages of prostate cancer: early stages (I and II), where the tumor has not spread beyond the prostate; locally […]
Posted inWealth
Thank You Cleveland Foundation!
The Cleveland Foundation (TCF) has awarded The Cleveland Observer (TCO) a grant from its Cleveland Black Futures Fund. The Fund supports Cleveland-based nonprofit organizations that are both Black-led and Black-serving. TCO staff and Board members wish to thank the Cleveland Foundation and their partners for this great resource, in furtherance of building a non-profit media/publishing […]
Posted inHistory
Cleveland’s Own: Father of Labor Day
By Dorothy Salem John Patterson Green (April 2, 1845-September 1, 1940) is known as the “Father of Labor Day” due to legislation he proposed in 1890 as an Ohio state legislator to recognize Labor Day as a state holiday. The trailblazer was the second African American to serve in the Ohio House of Representatives and […]
Posted inLaw/Legislation
Choosing to Accept or Decline Medical Care
By Sheila Ferguson Approximately half (45% or 133 million) of all Americans suffer from at least one chronic disease, and the number is growing. Chronic diseases—including cancer, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, heart disease, respiratory diseases, arthritis, obesity, and oral diseases—can lead to hospitalization, long-term disability, reduced quality of life, and death. Chronic conditions are the nation’s […]
Posted inFaith
God’s Trustworthy Messengers
By Pastor Larry Frazier Important responsibilities must be delegated to those that are the most competent. Since humans have a history of falling short, God knew that the good angels could always be trusted to correctly and honestly do His bidding. God entrusted the announcement of His Son’s coming, the physical care of His Son, […]
Posted inWealth
Savvy Consumers and Avoiding Scams
By Tonya Sams With so many ways for consumers to spend their money, it is easy to become a victim of scams. Eric Zell, a supervising attorney in the Economic Justice group at The Legal Aid of Society of Cleveland, offers a few tips to keep your money safe. One way to avoid being swindled […]
Posted inNational
Meet the 2023 Solutions Journalism HBCU/Black Press Fellows
The Solutions Journalism Network launches its first-ever HBCU/Black Press Academy & LEDE Fellowship with 14 HBCU educators and members of the Black Press. Exciting outcomes are expected to grow from the seed of an idea. The Solutions Journalism Network is excited to announce the inaugural cohort for the Solutions Journalism HBCU/Black Press Academy & LEDE […]
Posted inHealth, Living
Past to Present: Social Media’s Affect on Teens
Listen to this articleBy Veronica Maciag It’s no secret that various, unexpected side effects have come with the evolution of social media for users—and the scale of social media users makes these particularly difficult to ignore. From the early 2010s to now, the number of social media users has risen from 970 million to over […]
Posted inLiving, Public Safety
Traffic Safety Check
Listen to this articleBy Margaret Adams Many people are concerned about safety on the streets of Cleveland, specifically in relation to traffic and the behavior of drivers. On Mayor Bibb’s website (article dated 2/2/23), it reported 45 traffic deaths in 2022 in the city of Cleveland. This number was down from 74 in 2021. It […]
Posted inMIDTOWN
Celebrate Community at MidTown’s Opening Day!
By MidTown Cleveland MidTown Cleveland, Inc., in partnership with the Cleveland Foundation, announces MidTown Opening Day, a neighborhood festival and block party to take place on Saturday, July 15 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The all-day free event, which centers around Euclid Avenue and E. 66th Street with hubs of activity around the neighborhood, […]
Posted inFaith
Symbols Help Further Understanding
By Pastor Larry Fraizer We are used to seeing symbols every day in our lives. We see symbols and images on money. As we drive, signs are all around us and help us to navigate safely. Even the driver’s license test requires us to recognize certain signs by their shape and or color only. If […]
Posted inWealth
Understanding Stock Symbols: Decoding $VOO and Beyond
Listen to this articleWhen you enter the world of investing, you’ll encounter a variety of symbols that represent different stocks and funds. One such symbol is $VOO. Let’s break it down and explore the broader concepts of stock symbols. Ticker Symbol Basics: A ticker symbol is a concise code used to identify and refer to […]
Posted inFaith
Use Your Unique Gifts
By Pastor Larry Frazier God’s spiritual gifts to you are just as unique as your fingerprints. The Apostle Paul explains in 1st Corinthians 12:7-11, “ Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a […]
Posted inEditorial
Should Taxpayers Pay for New Stadium for Haslams?
by Justice B. Hill Editorial I knew that billionaires had their hands in our pockets, but I didn’t know how deeply. Well, now I know. According to various reports, the Cleveland Browns have gotten more than $350 million in free money from various taxing options since 1998. Now, they seek more tax dollars to renovate the […]
Posted inLaw/Legislation
Cleveland’s Opportunities for Incarcerated Youth and Ex-Convicts
By Veronica Maciag Where would we be without our hobbies? Well, Cleveland has been trying to ask just that of the members of its community, more specifically, the population of Clevelanders that identify as ex-convicts or as incarcerated youth with the Cleveland Juvenile Detention Center. John Carroll University’s branch of Writers in Residence (WiR), an […]
Posted inHealth
Spring Brings Vitamin D!
By Lily Stuart As the weather gets warmer and spring makes its entrance, many find themselves spending more time outside and embracing the sun after a long and cold Ohio winter, as if suddenly awakened from hibernation. Also noticeable is a shift in student activity: avid library studiers turn into park bench residents, and procrastinators […]
Posted inFaith
Different Time, Same Problems
By Pastor Larry Frazier Thousands of years ago, King Solomon said “There is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). That certainly is true concerning trials and blessings—bad times and good times. I would like to tell you of the Old Testament’s Joseph in this narrative. Joseph’s problems are common to mankind and have been […]
Posted inEditorial, Faith
Different Time, Same Problems
By Pastor Larry Frazier Thousands of years ago, King Solomon said “There is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). That certainly is true concerning trials and blessings—bad times and good times. I would like to tell you of the Old Testament’s Joseph in this narrative. Joseph’s problems are common to mankind and have been […]
Posted inSLAVIC VILLAGE
Turning Trauma to Positive Change
By Mark Silverberg On March 19, Ashley Knierim, daughter of Jack Kuhn and Ginny Knierim-Queen, tragically died of a drug overdose in Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood. Ashley had grown up and lived her whole life in that community. Many people knew and loved her. On April 2, 2023, family and friends gathered with Ashley’s parents […]
Posted inWealth
Exploring Investment Options In a Shifting Economy
Listen to this articleBy Ray’Chel Wilson Investing in today’s economy can be a challenging task, especially if you’re unsure about where to begin. After establishing a budget and an emergency savings fund, it’s natural to think about investing your money. However, in this ever-changing world, it’s crucial to consider how to invest in this economy. […]
Posted inEditorial
Equalizing the Playing Field of Sexual Identity
Listen to this articleAn Editorial by Ron Calhoun Why do you have to be identified? It seems a certain amount of selfishness is at the core of the gender identity debate. Are you cisgender? What does that even mean? It simply means that you identify as your birth gender. Cisgender matters. Source: Tracing Terminology, Perspectives […]
Posted inTechnology
A Brief Introduction To The World of ChatGPT
By Lily Stuart Since its release a mere four months ago, ChatGPT, a new and abundantly powerful artificial intelligence (AI) tool, has altered the world as we know it. The program has sent labor markets into a spiral, sparked worry among educators, and is being utilized by dozens of companies. But what is ChatGPT and […]
Posted inFaith
Things Not Seen
Listen to this articleBy Larry Frazier Our lives are full of invisible things that affect us daily—some have more influence on us than others. The technology of today is almost indispensable while spiritual things sometimes receive lesser importance. Ever since the electron was introduced to the world by Joseph Thomson, a British physicist, the invisible […]
Posted inWealth
How About A “Senior Freeze” on Property Tax?
Listen to this articleBy Ron Calhoun Senior citizens, along with permanently and totally disabled middle-class Ohioans (Income of $30K+), are unfairly left out of any program that aids them in maintaining their homes. For some elderly people, it is a matter of potentially losing their homes. When Black flight followed redlining and white flight, these […]
