CLEVELAND — The Lee-Harvard memorial project is a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the rich history of the Lee-Harvard neighborhood through community events and storytelling.
“After learning about the Lee Harvard master plan two-years ago, we decided that we wanted to make sure that we celebrate the elders before it was too late,” said Co-Chair Charesha Barrett.
Since 2023, Barrett has been hosting events that give community members who have lived in the area since the 20th century a chance to share their stories.
“We were all like family whether we were directly connected or not,” said resident Tina Marie.
In the 1960s, middle-class African American families moved to Lee-Harvard to escape the overcrowded conditions of the inner city. These families lived through unequal housing and lending practices and worked to maintain a suburban atmosphere for the community.
“There was a respect for one another regardless of if you had disagreements,” Marie said.
Today the Lee-Harvard neighborhood has one of the highest home-ownership rates but one of the lowest poverty rates in the greater Cleveland area. And the transformative Lee-Harvard community master plan wants to improve that by adding new housing and recreational spaces.
“We want the people who have spent 60 plus years in the neighborhood to make sure that they also have some type of stake on what's going to happen in this neighborhood. Because it's about making sure that gentrification doesn't destroy this neighborhood, and an opportunity for it to become a new Lee-Harvard but also keep some of the rich history, architecture and memories of the neighborhood,” Barrett said.
The non-profit also wants to educate the future generation on stories they may never learn elsewhere.
“I want to make sure we are telling the whole story about this community. Yes, it ended up becoming a predominantly black neighborhood, but we also want to make sure that we highlight the Southern and Eastern Europeans and how this was a safe haven for them where they were able to become their authentic selves,” said Barrett.
“It's important for people to be able to see and hear stories about Browns player Bobby Mitchell, Arnold Pinckney and Halle Berry because all these people lived in Lee- Harvard.
And they are hoping the younger generation in the area will get inspired learning about those before them and their perseverance.
A lot of times when you're in a situation of helplessness, sometimes you can't see what is, what is reality. So, this gives them an opportunity to see that anything they want to do is attainable. Because this was an area where doctors, dentists and lawyers once resided,” said Barrett.
The Lee-Harvard Memorial Project will host their annual block party on Sept. 6. And will continue to host events to bring former and current residents together to celebrate the rich legacy of Lee-Harvard.
