News 5 Cleveland reported by Drew Scofield & Caroline Sweeney- Tucked away on Cleveland’s southeast side is an abandoned bridge that stands as a silent reminder of a fiery fissure between two neighborhoods at the height of the civil rights movement. It’s known as the Sidaway Bridge. It separates what is now the Kinsman (Garden Valley) neighborhood on the north side from the North Broadway-Slavic Village (Jackowo) neighborhood to the south of the bridge. Perhaps more than any landmark in the city, it stands as a physical reminder of the Black-white divide that exists in Cleveland to this day.
Thursday, Aug. 26th, 5:30-7pm
Elizabeth Baptist Church, 6114 Francis Ave, Cleveland
The Sculpture Center, in conjunction with Slavic Village Development, Burton, Bell, Carr Inc. and the Elizabeth Baptist Church, will lead a panel discussion dismantling the political, social, and economic barriers behind “resurrecting” the Sidaway Bridge. The wooden footbridge, which once served as a connection between the residents of Kinsman and Slavic Village, was burned during the Hough Riots in 1966, literally destroying the juncture between the two neighborhoods. This conversation will address how the Bridge, in a current state of neglect, can once again connect communities. This talk will be led by Chris Alvarado of Slavic Village Development, Bianca Butts of Burton, Bell, Carr Inc., Crossroads artist Shani Richards, and Pastor Gibson of Elizabeth Baptist Church.