On Sunday, April 24, at 1 p.m., Cleveland Public Theatre presents "Road to Hope" at the historic Cozad-Bates House, 11508 Mayfield Rd., in University Circle. The event will feature numerous music, dance, and theater performances and center around a message of hope inspired by the triumphs of the anti-slavery movement in Northeast Ohio.

At 3 p.m., a ceremony will commemorate the installation of the 19^th Bench by the Road, a project of the Toni Morrison Society. The benches serve as places for reflection at historic sites that are significant in African American history. Author Toni Morrison, a Nobel Laureate, was born in Lorain, Ohio.

Participants and Speakers include: Dr. Marilyn Mobley of the Toni Morrison Society, Cleveland city councilman Joe Cimperman, and Chris Ronayne, president, University Circle Inc.

University Circle Inc. (UCI) is the current owner of the historic Cozad-Bates House, the only remaining pre-Civil War structure in University Circle. Working in partnership with Restore Cleveland Hope and the Western Reserve Historical Society, UCI intends to restore and preserve the property, which will include an anti-slavery interpretive center.

Activities will be outside on the front lawn of the home. This event is free and open to the public.

More information is available here and here.