Abstract
Jewell Gilbert served in Congressman Louis Stokes’ administration as his Cleveland office manager. This 2017 interview was collected as part of a yearlong, community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes' election as mayor of Cleveland.
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Interviewee
Gilbert, Jewell (interviewee)
Interviewer
Hickey, Christine (interviewer)
Project
Stokes: Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future
Date
8-23-2017
Document Type
Oral History
Duration
20 minutes
Recommended Citation
"Jewell Gilbert interview, 23 August 2017" (2017). Cleveland Regional Oral History Collection. Interview 501019.
https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/crohc000/1203
Transcript
Christine Hickey [00:00:04] I’m going to just do an introduction. My name is Christine Hickey, and we’re interviewing Jewell Gilbert here at the Eastern campus of Cuyahoga Community College. Jewell, if you could do me a favor, just say and spell your name for me, please.
Jewell Gilbert [00:00:18] I’m Jewell Gilbert. J, E, W, E, L, L, G, I, L, B E, R, T.
Christine Hickey [00:00:25] Okay. And what was your role with Congressman Stokes?
Jewell Gilbert [00:00:30] I started out in 1968 as a staff assistant, and as I worked for him over for 30 years. I became his district office manager here in Cleveland.
Christine Hickey [00:00:41] Okay, so Jewell, if you could describe the 21st District Caucus Picnic. What was that about?
Jewell Gilbert [00:00:48] It was actually the 21st District Caucus, Labor Day parade and picnic. And it was thought of to bring the community together, to get a feeling of, you know, who represented them and the people who affected their lives. In addition, we prepared food for the people who participated in the parade. We invited our elected officials, candidates, the media, everyone. And over the years, it really morphed into tremendous occasion. It was a political place to be on Labor Day.
Christine Hickey [00:01:28] Excellent. That’s what I’ve heard. If you were running for anything, you needed to be there. Describe the congressman’s Christmas tradition. What did he do for Christmas?
Jewell Gilbert [00:01:45] Okay, again, that was with the 21st District Caucus. We started out in the early 70s providing a small party for the children, cookies and drinks and small toys. And we started out in a Party center on 8800 Woodland Avenue. We went to Tri-C Metro Campus, their gym. We outgrew that. We ended up at the Cleveland Convention Center, where we were able to help over a thousand children with toys, food, clothing, in addition to passing out turkeys to the adults.
Christine Hickey [00:02:23] And why do you think this was important to Congressman Louis?
Jewell Gilbert [00:02:27] Because we represented the poorest district in the State of Ohio, and there were so many underprivileged children, families, and he wanted to give something back.
Christine Hickey [00:02:39] Okay, let’s combine those two, and let’s say Congressman Stokes instead of he.
Jewell Gilbert [00:02:45] Okay. [laughs]
Christine Hickey [00:02:48] Just so we have a reference of who we’re talking about. So why did Congressman Stokes start this tradition? And tell me about it.
Jewell Gilbert [00:03:00] Congressman Stokes started this tradition because he saw how his constituent needed help when it came to food, clothing, housing. So he started the Christmas party tradition to provide some toys, food, entertainment, clothing to the children and the turkeys for the adults.
Christine Hickey [00:03:32] Okay. Let’s do something real quick. Sorry. Did you remember the catchphrase he used to use? We talked about it. You do remember? Okay, so. You had mentioned that Congressman Stokes had a catchphrase. Can you tell me what that is. And explain it a little bit.
Jewell Gilbert [00:04:03] Okay. His catchphrase was Aim High. Don’t let anyone define your dreams. And he indicated that if we all worked hard enough and kept ourselves. Congressman Stokes indicated that if we worked hard enough and kept our focus on the job, there were no ends to our dreams.
Christine Hickey [00:04:24] Okay, let’s do it one more time. Okay, you did great. Let’s just say instead of he at the beginning, you caught yourself on the second one. I know you got yourself on the second line. So you mentioned that Congressman Stokes had a catchphrase. What was that? And explain. Explain that for us.
Jewell Gilbert [00:04:44] Okay. Congressman Stokes’s catchphrase was Aim High. And he would tell us all, don’t let anyone define your dreams. That if you work hard enough and stay focused on the job and the goal, there was no end to your success.
Christine Hickey [00:05:04] Okay. So throughout your time with Congressman Stokes, what impact did you see him have on the Cleveland community? So remember, say his name.
Jewell Gilbert [00:05:20] Throughout my tenure with Congressman Stokes, I witnessed the impact that he had on people by helping them with housing, education, Social Security problems, the veterans problems. He just wanted to do better for his constituents.
Christine Hickey [00:05:44] Did he ever tell you why? You know? Well, now you saw him, you started in the law office with him.
Jewell Gilbert [00:05:53] Correct.
Christine Hickey [00:05:54] So. I’m trying to figure out what you- What type of character was he? What was his character like?
Jewell Gilbert [00:06:08] When I started out with the law firm where Congressman Stokes was as a lawyer, I noticed his commitment, his dedication, his intellect, and he was a God fearing man, a family-oriented man. And I just thought, well, this is somebody that I would really feel good working with and for. Is that good enough?
Christine Hickey [00:06:34] Okay. And when he ran for Congress and became a congressman, why did you choose to follow him?
Jewell Gilbert [00:06:44] Well, he asked me, and it was an opportunity to change from a legal secretary into something else. Give me an opportunity to grow. And I didn’t say Congressman Stokes, did I?
Christine Hickey [00:06:59] So kind of set it up for me when Congressman Stokes asked me to join his office as a Congressman. Something like that. So when Congressman Stokes asked you to join his office, tell me about your reaction and what you thought of that.
Jewell Gilbert [00:07:16] When Congressman Stokes asked me to join his congressional office, frankly, I was very surprised. But then I thought of it as an opportunity to grow. I was a young woman with a young family, and I wanted to do better and bigger things in life.
Christine Hickey [00:07:39] Did you- You mentioned on the phone, when we spoke previously about he was always inspiring others in the office. You mentioned some interns. Interns and different things like that. How did you see him inspire the next generation?
Jewell Gilbert [00:07:55] By demonstrating, making- He- Congressman Stokes showed people by example. He demonstrated his dedication and commitment to the job. He always felt that he owed the people that elected him, what they elected him to do to represent them in the U.S. Congress.
Christine Hickey [00:08:25] Somebody told a story. I’m trying to remember who. I just listened to it. I believe it was Albert Ratner. And he was saying, you know, if he was talking about veterans, but if a constituent had a problem and they called him, it was often that he would have somebody call, like if they’re having a problem with a water leak at their building or something, he would, he would take the step and say, let’s call for them. Can you give me a story like that? Is there anything that you can remember that he, you know, not everybody necessarily would make. Make sure an individual’s problem was taken care of. Is there anything that you could, Is there a story that you could tell?
Jewell Gilbert [00:09:09] I don’t recall anything right off the bat.
Christine Hickey [00:09:12] Did he ever have you call or anyone call on a constituent’s behalf?
Jewell Gilbert [00:09:17] Oh, definitely.
Christine Hickey [00:09:17] Right. So if you give me something like that. [crosstalk] Yeah, because I’ve heard it from an outsider, but from your perspective, you know, tell me about how the congressman helped the citizens of his community.
Jewell Gilbert [00:09:31] Congressman Stokes would be out on public appearances and people would walk up to him and ask him for help in certain areas. He would write down the information and bring it to the office or take it to the office, and I would assign it to a staff person who specialized in that area, whether it be Veterans Affairs, Social Security, Housing, or Education. And trust me, he would follow through on those type requests. He always did. And oftentimes we were successful.
Christine Hickey [00:10:07] Why do you feel, did he ever tell you why he put that effort into his constituents?
Jewell Gilbert [00:10:15] He felt that Congressman Stokes felt that the constituents deserved his- All in all, you know, they elected him and he wanted to demonstrate that he cared about their concerns and that’s why he ran for the office. And I’d just like to add that when we all started working for him, he indicated that we had a two year contract and it was up to us as to whether the contract would be renewed after two years. And we were there for 30 years.
Christine Hickey [00:10:48] Okay. Was there any disturbance that we needed to worry about?
Unknown speaker [00:10:52] When he walked through the door, I just wanted to make sure I had Carmen on it so we could get it shut a little quieter, but did you hear that, the door slam when he came in? Yeah. So it was basically the, it was the previous question beginning.
Jewell Gilbert [00:11:04] Oh, okay. Because I didn’t hear- I didn’t see anything-
Unknown speaker [00:11:07] At the beginning of the previous question that might help.
Christine Hickey [00:11:09] I have to remember what that is, huh.
Jewell Gilbert [00:11:12] Hope I can remember the answer. [laughs]
Christine Hickey [00:11:16] Let’s go back again about Congressman Stokes. You know, when he was out and about and individuals would talk to him and they might have a particular problem, how he would? They would bring it to know you. So I don’t know what I would ask, but tell me about how Congressman Stokes felt the issues of his community members were important, and what did he do about it?
Jewell Gilbert [00:11:39] Congressman Stokes was very serious about the problems and interests of his constituents. When he was out publicly, people would walk up to him and ask for help in certain areas, whether it be areas Education, Housing, Veterans Affairs. He would take that information and take it to the office and assign it to one of the staff people who was knowledgeable in that area, whether it be Social Security, VA or Housing. And after he brought the information to us, he would follow up on how this constituent was assisted in that particular matter. Okay.
Christine Hickey [00:12:21] Okay. I like the other one better, but we’ll be fine.
Jewell Gilbert [00:12:24] Okay.
Christine Hickey [00:12:25] I guess. Yeah, right. Not too good one.
Jewell Gilbert [00:12:27] Okay.
Christine Hickey [00:12:32] Now, you briefly knew Carl, is that correct?
Jewell Gilbert [00:12:36] Well, I knew him from the time that we were in a law firm together, but I didn’t work with Mayor Carl Stokes as closely as I did with Congressman Stokes. Congressman Stokes was the statesman and the lawyer, the legal person. Mayor Stokes was the one with the charisma, and he was involved in politics more at that time.
Christine Hickey [00:12:59] Okay. Do you recall the night that Carl was elected?
Jewell Gilbert [00:13:04] Vaguely. I don’t really remember. I was probably a young mother going home taking care of babies at that time.
Christine Hickey [00:13:12] I thought we talked about it, but I wasn’t sure. How did Congressman Stokes inspire you?
Jewell Gilbert [00:13:22] By demonstrating his dedication and commitment to the constituents? Because he said, you know, he would tell me, Congressman Stokes would tell me all the time that those people who contact his office have been everywhere else seeking help and have not been able to get it. So whether they called us about a light bill, water bill, any, anything, he said you should address it. We were a federal agency, so we really were supposed to just handle federal matters. But we dealt with the city of Cleveland, the county of Cuyahoga, the state of Ohio, as well as the federal government. So, you know, with that kind of enthusiasm to help people, it just encouraged me. And as a result of working with him, I felt that I was doing some good. You know, I felt good every day when I went home by being able to help our constituents.
Christine Hickey [00:14:19] Very nice.
Jewell Gilbert [00:14:22] It’s true. I wouldn’t have hung up for 30 years if it wasn’t. It’s a long time.
Christine Hickey [00:14:35] Trying to think through all the time. I work in Congress. My.
Jewell Gilbert [00:14:37] I saw.
Christine Hickey [00:14:41] Let’s go back and do that one again. I’m just looking for different options. But throughout your time with the Congressman, what impact did you see him have on the Cleveland community? Congressman Stokes impact?
Jewell Gilbert [00:14:52] My feelings about his seriousness of his office by demonstrating to me he cared deeply about the people he represented because normally they- We were the last resort. They would go everywhere else and couldn’t get help, so they would come to us. And he insisted that we try and help them, whether it be local, a local, state, or federal matter. And when I looked at that, I just felt good about being able to work with him and to help bring about a better. A better situation for his constituents. I guess I put it like that.
Christine Hickey [00:15:42] Anything else that you would want to say about Congressman Stokes? Hold on one second. Somebody’s gonna walk right through the background.
Jewell Gilbert [00:15:53] Okay.
Christine Hickey [00:15:54] Anything else that you would want to say about Congressman Stokes? You know, any thoughts on?
Jewell Gilbert [00:15:58] Well, you know, I could. Congressman Stokes was a humble person, and even though he grew in seniority and importance in Congress, he was the same person. We would walk down Central Avenue together, people would greet him, he would greet them. He was not afraid to go anywhere in the district. And trust me, the district was- It was a poor district and crime ridden. But we were out there for the people, and I think they. I feel that they respected him for it. So you could always approach him no matter who you were. So I love that about him.
Christine Hickey [00:16:39] Do you still like that? Okay. Did you? What challenges? Were there any challenges that you guys came across when you moved to Congress? Did you? Hold on one second. Did you see? I don’t know if I would say struggle, but did you see any challenges that he? Hold on. Just looking for something right behind. I was going to ask you if you saw any challenges he had to face as a new Congressman, but we’re going to wait for him to get out of the background.
Unknown speaker [00:17:15] Sorry about that.
Christine Hickey [00:17:50] We’ll just go. Okay. So did you see any challenges that the Congressman had to face? You know, being new to Congress, but also being an African American?
Jewell Gilbert [00:18:01] I personally didn’t witness any challenges, but I’m sure there were. As I indicated before, Congressman Charlie Vanik was a very good friend of his and a mentor, so he sort of helped him get through the challenges that he faced, but other than that, I can’t recall anything.
Christine Hickey [00:18:26] Can you tell me about the brother’s relationship?
Unknown speaker [00:18:30] Have her add that last part one more time, because he walked through.
Christine Hickey [00:18:32] Oh, I think it’ll be okay.
Jewell Gilbert [00:18:34] Okay.
Unknown speaker [00:18:35] Because it was just that last sentence.
Jewell Gilbert [00:18:38] I don’t even know what it was.
Christine Hickey [00:18:39] Yeah, I don’t either. That’s why I’m lying.
Jewell Gilbert [00:18:41] Okay.
Christine Hickey [00:18:42] Can you tell me about the brothers relationships? The brothers’ relationship? I mean, politically, and or personally? What was it like, you know, that dynamic?
Jewell Gilbert [00:18:51] Witnessing that Congressman Stokes loved his brother Carl. Carl could not do any wrong in his eyesight. I mean, they were very close. As you probably know, Mayor Stokes was the political person with all of the charisma. Congressman Stokes was the lawyer, the statesman, and he was really serious about the practice of law. He really didn’t want to go into politics, but he was sort of, you know, shoved into it. But they were very close all during all that time. I was there when the mother was there, and they all were very close knitted family.
Christine Hickey [00:19:30] Did you see them work together in the political atmosphere, or is that not something that you were able to witness?
Jewell Gilbert [00:19:37] Sometimes during the 21st District Caucus? Early years, Congressman Stokes and Mayor Stokes worked together on political strategies. And again, you know, he looked to his little brother for the political advice.
Christine Hickey [00:19:57] Is there anything else you want to add about either one of them?
Jewell Gilbert [00:20:01] I can’t think of anything else.
Christine Hickey [00:20:03] Okay. Okay. I think we’re good.
Jewell Gilbert [00:20:05] Oh, I good. I hope so. Yeah.
Christine Hickey [00:20:08] Okay. That’s it.
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