Cynthia Evans, born in 1959, moved to Earl Avenue with her parents and three siblings when she was 3 years old after living in an apartment in Glenville. She was raised by her stay-at-home mother and her Army veteran and post office worker father. Cynthia Evans was always interested in learning something new, and was an avid reader all her life.

As a kid, she prided herself on having the fastest bike in the neighborhood. Her family would watch her ride with friends, Evans always in the lead. She wanted to be a Glenville cheerleader so she spent most of her summers flipping around on the front lawn working on her cartwheels and toe touches. After, she’d quickly water the lawn to make sure not to leave brown patches.She looks back on her childhood years fondly knowing she was surrounded by so much love and community.  

Evans was a student at both Empire Computech and Miles Standish, which is now Michael R. White Elementary. This is where her love for reading blossomed. She became an avid reader and joined their accelerated student program called Major Work. She credits her accelerated education to some of the only black teachers in the school system with PhDs, Dr. Elizabeth Clark and Dr. Wanda Gene Greene. 

“They were phenomenal in shaping kids. I don’t remember much but I remember their names and that’s saying something,” she smiled.

While she was in elementary school, she traveled down south with her family and saw a “White Only” sign above a water fountain for the first time. She was thirsty so she headed toward the fountain, not realizing what the sign meant. Her father, William Simpson who was born and raised in Milledgeville, Georgia and moved to Cleveland in 1950 immediately stopped her. He’d grown up in Georgia, and moved to Cleveland in 1950 so his children wouldn’t be subjected to the same segregation he was. Their city of Glenville didn’t have “White Only” signs. Wanting to understand, Cynthia asked questions about why people had different water fountains depending on their skin color. Her father guided her to a few books including work by James Baldwin, who is still her favorite author. This is the moment  when she began to understand what was happening throughout the United States at the time. 

When she got married, her husband asked what suburb she wanted to move to, but her community pride and the culture of nearby museums kept her in the area. “I decided to stay here because it’s where I’m comfortable. It’s where I like to live and I love the neighborhood.” 

Evans still lives in Glenville now. She spends her time reading and enjoying her retirement, still surrounded by the love she had as a little girl.