Liberated Mind: Clarity, Identity, and the Conditions That Shape Us

In a moment where more people than ever are feeling the weight of “the system,” or even losing faith in individual self-determination, how do we reclaim agency within this system?

In Liberated Mind: A Guide to Black Clarity, author Dr. Timothy D. Goler examines how inequality becomes embedded not only in institutions but also in perceptions and the internalization of stereotypes. "For generations," Goler notes, "Black people have been taught to cope, adapt, survive. We learned to shrink in rooms that weren't built for us. To silence ourselves before speaking. To call exhaustion 'strength' and suppression 'discipline.' We mistake the weight we carry for who we are. But what if that weight was never ours to begin with?"

Dr. Timothy D. Goler is a nationally recognized social psychologist and educator whose work examines how people come to understand themselves under pressure. His scholarship bridges medical sociology, social psychology, and culturally grounded approaches to community life, with a particular focus on how structural racism, intergenerational strain, and life course stressors shape the mental and emotional realities of Black people. Dr. Goler is also the founder and former CEO of the HBCU Preparatory Schools Network in Cleveland; and a co-founder of PolicyBridge, a public policy think tank connecting academic insight with applied practice.

Join us as Dr. Timothy D. Goler discusses how social systems shape Black consciousness, and how individuals and communities can reclaim agency and start living with clarity.

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Online ticket sales for this forum will conclude on Wednesday, August 5th at 11:30am. Still need a ticket? Let us know! Complete the ticket waitlist form here. We will reach out directly if we can accommodate your request, subject to availability.

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The livestream will be available beginning at 12:00pm. Have questions for the Q&A? Text them to 330.541.5794.

Production and distribution of City Club forums in partnership with Ideastream Public Media is generously provided by PNC and the United Black Fund.