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QUOTE FROM BELOW ARTICLE: " We endorse Donna M. Walker- Brown for Cleveland Ward 10 city council seat for the non-partisan September 10 primary because she has been in the trenches on women's issues impacting greater Clevelanders as well as other matters of public concern such as unfairness by the legal system and educational inequities affecting Black, poor and other Cleveland schools students," said Imperial Women President Kathy Wray Coleman. "We believe that Ms. Walker-Brown has the credentials, courage, integrity and community commitment to lead in Ward 10 and we call for a complete criminal investigation on whether her assignment to jury duty on the day of the primary election might be illegal and politically motivated."

CLEVELAND, Ohio-The Imperial Women activist group has endorsed Community Activist Donna M. Walker-Brown for the Sept. 10 non-partisan primary election  on Tuesday for the Cleveland Ward 10 city council seat, which includes parts of the Glenville and Collinwood neighborhoods on the city's largely Black east side. The general election is November 5 and the top two winners out of a cast of four candidates for the Ward 10 seat in the primary, and for other Ward races in Cleveland, and races in five other municipalities of Cuyahoga County, will move on to compete in that election. (To reach the Imperial Women call 216-659-0473 or send an email to editor@ClevelandUrbanNews.Com)

There is one snag though. Walker-Brown has been summoned to Cleveland Municipal Court jury duty beginning tomorrow, the day of the primary election.

"I believe that it was politically motivated to keep me from campaigning on the day of the primary election because they told me that I better not miss it and I believe that I might win the election tomorrow," said Walker-Brown. "I am also a voter and  will report to jury duty tomorrow as allegedly required."

A member of the grassroots group Black on Black Crime Inc., Walker-Brown is the only community activist in the primary race as eight city council wards like Ward 1, 5, 8, 11 and 12 , as well as the race for mayor, will not have a primary because there are only two contenders, the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections web site reveals. All 17 of the city council seats will be up for grabs in the general election in November and the Sept. 10 primary will determine the two top contenders for nine of those wards

Walker-Brown is a bail bonds-woman with L.P.N. training who became active in the community initially as an educational activist fighting for the rights of Cleveland schools children. Her son has since graduated from the Cleveland Municipal School District. Since then, she has fought with greater Cleveland community activists on various issues from the Imperial Avenue Murders to the closing of Huron Hospital in East Cleveland to murder and excessive force by Cleveland police.

Others in the race are Councilmen Jeff Johnson and Eugene R. Miller and Teresa Floyd.

Walker-Brown said that Ward 10 needs a woman's touch.

"It is time for a woman to lead Ward 10," said Walker-Brown, who added that her political platform is for better schools, a safer community, jobs,  more resources for senior citizens, and mechanisms to address the crisis around violence against women in Ward 10 and in greater Cleveland in general, from kidnapping to rape to murder.

Community activists said that Walker-Brown is the best candidate for the job in Ward 10.

"We endorse Donna M. Walker Brown for the Cleveland Ward 10 city council seat for the September 10 non-partisan primary because she has been in the trenches on women's issues impacting greater Clevelanders as well as other matters of public concern such as unfairness by the legal system and educational inequities affecting Black, poor and other Cleveland schools students," said Imperial Women President Kathy Wray Coleman. " We believe that Ms. Walker-Brown has the credentials, courage, integrity and community commitment to lead in Ward 10 and we call for a complete criminal investigation on whether her assignment to jury duty on the day of the primary election might be illegal and politically motivated."