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A protest planned ahead of Tuesday's Cleveland Rising summit has been canceled, protest organizers announced early Monday morning, after summit planners came to an agreement to better include the Cleveland Clergy Coalition and the American Center for Economic Equality/Black Contractor鈥檚 Group in this week鈥檚 event.

The protest was announced late last week when those with concerns that certain voices, particularly minorities and East Side residents would not be represented at the three-day event meant to start a city-wide conversation about Cleveland鈥檚 overarching economic and development needs. Organizers told ideastream last Friday they expected to rally between 100 and 200 protesters outside Public Auditorium on Tuesday. But the demonstration was canceled early Monday morning.

鈥淲e have assurances that we will be included and if it were not for the friendship and the relationship that I have with the county executive, we would not be here today. We would not have canceled,鈥� said Norman Edwards, local activist and head of the Black Contractor鈥檚 Group at a Monday afternoon press conference.

Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish met with Edwards and the Cleveland Clergy Coalition鈥檚 Rev. Aaron Phillips. Leaders from both sides continued the conversation by phone over the weekend, endeavoring to make sure all feel welcome at the summit and for the long term.

鈥淭hey put people to work, they get people involved, they reach out to the community. Tomorrow is one very important day, but it鈥檚 only one day,鈥� Budish said. 

鈥淚鈥檓 really glad that Norm Edwards raised his voice,鈥� said Dan Moulthrop, CEO of the City Club of Cleveland and a summit organizer, said  Monday morning on the Sound of Ideas. 鈥淲hat that says to me is that this really matters. This isn鈥檛 just some small effort鈥� people want to be included.鈥濃��

The Cleveland Rising Summit is a free event and is expected to be attended by nearly 1,000 corporate, community and civic leaders.

Phillips, executive director of Cleveland Clergy Coalition, said there were concerns many black community leaders were not engaged from the beginning of the planning process for the Cleveland Rising Summit. The east side of Cleveland, he feared, would not be included in any policy or economic prescriptions that arise from the panels and conversations.

The protest was meant to bring attention to the fact that as Cleveland鈥檚 Downtown and some West Side neighborhoods have prospered, East Side Cleveland neighborhoods continue to suffer from lack of investment and rampant violence, Phillips said.

Destination Cleveland, the marketing and management organization for Cuyahoga County, is one of the primary sponsors and promoters of the event, he said. Phillips charged that the organization has for many years ignored the African-American community.

鈥淲e have forgiven,鈥� being left out of the summit initially, said Phillips. 鈥淲e want to be inside making the food because we don鈥檛 want to be on the menu.鈥�

The Cleveland Rising committee has been meeting for months, making plans, and it has been intentionally inclusive in its focus and activities, said Chardonnay Graham, one of the event鈥檚 many co-chairs.

鈥淣o one has been overlooked intentionally at all. I deeply apologize for them feeling that way, but now is not the time to protest,鈥� she said last week.

The attendees will reflect the diversity of Cuyahoga County and that was also intentional, said Graham, who was a part of the initial group that began designing the summit in December of 2018.

鈥淭he summit is based on the appreciative inquiry method,鈥� Graham said. 鈥淲e are literally going to be talking about particular issues and the goal of the summit is to not necessarily come up with these big, wide solutions, but to at least identify these issues and to create an action plan,鈥� she said.