Miles Heights Development Corporation: Why We Do What We Do
Village History
Miles Heights Village existed as a suburb of Cleveland between 1927 and 1932. At the time, the village was bounded by Cleveland to the west, Shaker Heights to the north, Warrensville Heights to the east, and Garfield Heights to the south. The center of Miles Heights was located at the intersection of Lee and Miles Roads in what is today the Lee-Miles neighborhood in the southeast corner of Cleveland.
During its brief history, Miles Heights was one of only a few outlying enclaves where African Americans lived, as most blacks in the metropolitan area were confined to Cleveland's Central neighborhood at that time. Miles Heights counted about 500 African Americans alongside about 1,000 whites, including immigrants from Italy and other European nations. Although the black population was largely residentially segregated within the village, race relations were remarkably amicable. The village even had an interracial police force from its inception.
A Bit More History
Carl B. Stokes is widely known as the first African American mayor of a major U.S. city. Yet, Stokes, elected to office in 1967, was neither the first black mayor in Ohio nor even in the Cleveland area. Nearly four decades earlier, a small community now inside the Cleveland city limits elected a Jamaican immigrant to its highest office.
In 1929, following the death of Miles Heights's mayor, 35-year-old Arthur R. Johnston was appointed mayor of the suburb, making him the first black mayor in Ohio. He won election to a full two-year term that fall, no small feat at that time in a majority-white community. Johnston continued to work as a sewer foreman for Cuyahoga County during his tenure as village mayor, which stirred considerable controversy.
DON MCGEE
Managing Director - MHDC
Charter Member appointed as the first Director of Miles Heights Development Corporation.
LAUREN JOHNSON
Exec. Director -Friends of The Village
Founder of Friends of The Village and Board Member of Miles Heights Development Corporation.
ANGELA KEE
Board Chair - Friends of The Village
Charter Member and first Board Chair of Friends of The Village of Miles Heights Inc.
We need your consent to load the translations
We use a third-party service to translate the website content that may collect data about your activity. Please review the details in the privacy policy and accept the service to view the translations.