Calm & Cultured Collective
What East Cleveland Used to Be | The Community We Knew | Part 1 w/ Sheila Sharpley- East
What was it really like growing up in East Cleveland, Ohio before so much of the community changed? In Part 1 of this three-part conversation, I sit down with East Cleveland native Sheila Sharpley to remember the city that helped shape both of us, and to tell a story about East Cleveland that too often gets lost when the conversation focuses only on decline. Sheila remembers a community where almost everything you needed was right in your own neighborhood: grocery stores, movie theaters, skating, restaurants, photography studios, local businesses and streets filled with families who knew and looked out for one another. We also reflect on front porches, neighborhood traditions, homeownership, Shaw High School and the pride that once made East Cleveland feel less like simply a city and more like home. Together, we discuss the history and culture of East Cleveland, Black community and homeownership, neighborhood pride, the importance of preserving our stories, what has been lost, and why people like Sheila still believe East Cleveland's story is far from finished. Sheila describes looking beyond what the city is today and believing in what it can become again. This conversation is for anyone who remembers the East Cleveland of another generation, anyone who has watched their hometown change, and anyone who believes that reclaiming our history is part of reclaiming our communities. For me, this conversation is especially personal. East Cleveland, and particularly Shaw High School, helped teach me to dream bigger and exposed me to possibilities I had never imagined for myself. Part 1 of 3. Subscribe so you don't miss the rest of the series. Don’t forget to Like, Subscribe, Comment, and Follow. Connect with Calm & Cultured Collective Instagram: @calmandculturedcollective TikTok: @calmandcultured Newsletter: The Culture of Calm
