Ohio Congresswoman Shontel Brown (D-11), a Warrensville Hts. Democrat

clevelandurbannews.com and www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com

By Kathy Wray Coleman, editor, associate publisher

Washington, DC – A Warrensville Hts Democrat whose 11th congressional district includes Cleveland and most of the eastern suburbs of Cuyahoga County, Ohio Congresswoman Shontel Brown on Monday responded to the Jan. 20 inauguration events in Washington, D.C. The events coincided with a national holiday remembering the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., an annual holiday observed each year on the third Monday in January.

President-elect Donald Trump, a Republican and real estate mogul who served a controversial first term but lost reelection in 2020 to President Joe Biden, took the oath of office for a second term Monday, after defeating Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris in the November general election where he won both the popular vote and the electoral college.

As the Dems seek to regroup from the tragic election lost, Republicans are elated and now control the White House and both chambers of Congress. Meanwhile, Trump is aggressively moving forward with his agenda, which is ripe with unconditional pardons of Capitol rioters, controversial cabinet picks, massive deportations of immigrants, and rambling executive orders designed to override some 80 of Biden's policies.

Brown said in a statement that the Democrats, under the leadership of outgoing President Joe Biden, were diplomatic and did not attempt to stop a peaceful transfer of power as Trump did relative to his 2020 election loss to Biden. It culminated in a Jan 6, 2021 Capitol riot and was followed by a criminal charge of election diversion against Trump, a federal case that has since been dismissed.

On Monday, Trump issued pardons to some 1,500 protesters, some of whom were prosecuted and imprisoned for just being at the scene of the 2021 riot, although several others, led by the militia groups the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, were charged and convicted of violent crimes against Capitol police.

One of three Black women in Congress from Ohio, Congresswoman Brown released the following statement to

clevelandurbannews.com and www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com on Monday:

"I know a lot of the people I represent are worried about what this new administration might do — and honestly, I am too. For a grandmother in Cleveland, Social Security isn't just a check — it's what ensures a secure retirement. For kids in Euclid, Head Start programs aren't a luxury — they're pathways to success. For parents in Bedford and Warrensville Heights, Medicaid and SNAP aren't waste — they're lifelines that help families make ends meet."

The congresswoman concluded her remarks by saying "On this day honouring the great Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., let us remember that voting and civil rights are not mistakes to undo—they are the backbone of a fair and just society."

Whether Trump will continue to seek to unravel the gains of Dr. King during the civil rights movement, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which have been consistently under attack by a U.S. Supreme Court stacked with three conservative Trump appointees, remains to be seen.

clevelandurbannews.com and www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com the most-read Black digital newspaper and Black blog in Ohio and in the Midwest. Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.