Clevelandurbannews.com, Ohio's Black digital news leader

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Jan. 23, 2026 - According to a Cleveland City Hall press release, the Cleveland City Council has cancelled its regular meeting on Mon., Jan 26, 2026, due to adverse weather conditions. It will meet at its regularly scheduled time on Mon. Feb. 2, 2026. City Hall is also closed.

Weather predictions show temperatures in the teens on Monday and much of next week.

Those individuals who held public comment slots at the Jan. 26 meeting will retain the speaking spots for the Feb. 2 meeting. 

Several recreation centers will serve as warming centers during the inclement weather event. They will be activated through Wed., Jan. 28.

Recreation centers serving as warming centers
Michael Zone Recreation Center (West side)
6301 Lorain Ave.
(216) 664-3373

EJ Kovacic Recreation Center (Near downtown)
6250 St. Clair Avenue
(216) 664-4140

Zelma George Recreation Center (Southeast)
3155 Martin L. King Blvd.
(216) 420-8800

Collinwood Recreation Center (Northeast)
16300 Lakeshore Blvd.
(216) 420-8323

Warming center days/hours of operation

• Friday, January 23rd from 11:30a – 10p
• Saturday, January 24th from 10a – 10p
• Sunday, January 25th from 10a – 10p
• Monday, January 26th from 11:30a – 10p
• Tuesday, January 27th from 11:30a – 10p
• Wednesday, January 28th from 11:30a – 10p

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most-read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio. Tel. 216-659-0473. Email-editor@clevelandurbannews.com.

Ohio 13th Congressional District Congresswoman Emilia Sykes (D-13), an Akron Democrat

U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes reaffirms her fight for reproductive freedom on the Roe v. Wade anniversary  date, and so do community activist women of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes (OH-13), an Akron Democrat and one of three Black women in Congress from Ohio, released a statement on the 53rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, highlighting ongoing threats to reproductive rights in Ohio and across the nation.

“Roe v. Wade protected generations of women's right to make personal medical decisions for years," said Congresswoman Sykes. "When it was overturned in 2022, fundamental rights were stripped away, and nearly four years later, women in Ohio and across the country are still under attack."

Cleveland activist and organizer Kathy Wray Coleman, who leads Women's March Cleveland, said the fight for reproductive rights for women in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio is exhausting, and that her group appreciates elected officials like Rep. Sykes who speak out on the federal level.

"Every voice of reason helps," said Coleman, "Congresswoman Sykes has shown repeatedly that she will fight for women's rights, and activist women of Northeast Ohio stand with her on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade."

Women's March Cleveland usually holds an annual anniversary march in January, but frigid temperatures derailed it this year, Coleman said. Instead, women in Cleveland will rally and march on Sun, March 8, 2026, for International Women's Day from 2pm-4pm at Market Square Park near downtown Cleveland.

ROE V. WADE

The Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision, which established a federal right to abortion, is Jan. 22, 1973, making Jan. 22 each year a significant date, though it is now marked by reflection on its overturning in 2022 by the Dobbs decision, which returned abortion law to the states. Today, Jan. 22, 2026, marks the 53rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, serving as a day for advocates to push for reproductive rights against the backdrop of GOP intimidation. In November 2023, Ohio voters, after campaigning by activists, approved a state ballot amendment (Issue 1) that enshrined the legal right to abortion access in the Ohio Constitution. Still, Republican state legislators in Ohio are pushing for policy legislation to counter that win.

"Even after Ohio voters enshrined reproductive freedom in our state constitution in 2023, legal uncertainty remains," said Sykes, who vowed to continue her fight for choice for women.

"I have spent my career expanding access to reproductive health care, advancing equity, and strengthening communities," the congresswoman said. "As vice chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus and chair of the Reproductive Justice Task Force, I fight to protect a woman’s right to choose."

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most-read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio. Tel. 216-659-0473. Email-editor@clevelandurban

Clevelandurbannews.com

CLEVELAND, OHIO-Led by Women's March Cleveland, greater Cleveland activist women and their supporters will take to the streets in mass on Sun., March 8, 2026 to march on International Women's Day as part of a national day of action. It is the tenth year following Cleveland's first International Women's Day march in 2017. Speakers will be announced in the coming month.

The event will begin at Market Square Park near downtown Cleveland at 2pm with a rally and speeches, followed by a 30-minute march before marchers return to Market Square.

Organizers say that while women's rights are paramount, the major premise of Cleveland's march, and marches countrywide, is standing against the divisive, illegal, and unconstitutional policies of President Donald Trump and his administration.  Also at issue, activists say, are attempts by Republican elected officials in Ohio to roll back a win on Issue 1, which Ohio voters approved at the ballot box in November 2023 in enshrining the right to access to abortion in the Ohio Constitution.

Event organizers for Cleveland's March  8, 2026 march are Women's March Cleveland head organizer Kathy Wray Coleman, Alysa Cooper Moskey, Sierra Mason, and Alfred Porter Jr. of Black on Black Crime Inc. and the Black Man's Army.

"We will march this year on International Women's Day in Cleveland to address the many issues impacting women in Northeast Ohio and around the country, from ICE murders to violence against women, and the attack on SNAP benefits, reproductive rights, and civil rights," said Women's March Cleveland head organizer Kathy Wray Coleman. "

"This is a movement, not a moment," Coleman said."And community activists will continue to fight in the trenches as grassroots activists until justice prevails."

Stay tuned for more upcoming information on the aforementioned event, including event speakers.

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com are the most-read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio. Tel. 216-659-0473. Email-editor@clevelandurban