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Ohio state Senator Sandra Williams is the party favorite to replace Stephanie Howse as state representative among 5 applicants, Howse now a Cleveland councilwoman...Williams is term-limited and ineligible to seek another term in the Ohio Senate

25 January 2022

Kathy

Pictured is Ohio State Senator Sandra Williams

clevelandurbannews.com and kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Among five other applicants, Ohio Sen. Sandra Williams (D-21), a Cleveland Democrat who is term limited and, per state law, cannot run for reelection this year, is the party favorite to replace Stephanie Howse as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives representing state House district 11, which is roughly 67 percent Black and encompasses the suburb of Garfield Heights and largely Black parts of Cleveland.

The Ohio House Democratic leadership, under the guidance of House Minority Leader Allison Russo, will choose Howse's replacement in coming weeks and the chosen person will serve out the remainder of Howse's two-year term, which ends this year. The person selected would have to win this year's primary and general elections to the seat to remain in the general assembly of Ohio.

Howse resigned her seat in December after winning the Cleveland Ward 7 city council race in November and it remains vacant for now.

"Sandra Williams is the favorite to replace Stephanie Howse as state representative," a source told clevelandurbannews.com and www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, Ohio's black digital news leader.

Also a former state rep whom Howse succeeded after she became a state senator, Williams ran for mayor last year via a seven-way primary where current Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb was the top vote-getter, Bibb, 34, going on to beat former city council president Kevin Kelley in a November nonpartisan runoff election.

Others who have applied to replace Howse are community advocate Darnell Brewer, former Garfield Heights councilwoman Shaka Davis, who lost a bid for mayor in November, grassroots organizer Chad Stephens, and Mike Seals, a union advocate and Cleveland Ward 7 precinct committee member.

Seals said that while Williams may be the party favorite to replace Howse in the Ohio House, he remains optimistic about possibly being chosen.

"She [Williams] may be the front-runner but I am hopeful that I will be chosen over the other applicants," said Seals, who added that the failure of party leaders to replace Howse in a timely manner after she resigned her state representative position to become a councilwoman is "taxation without representation."

Williams and the other four applicants for the state representative seat are all Black.

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.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 26 January 2022 14:35

Women's March Cleveland postpones January 22, 2022 anniversary march, following the lead of Women's March Washington...A press conference on the postponement was held at Angie's Soul Café with elected officials and leaders of women's groups

22 January 2022

Kathy

clevelandurbannews.com and www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio- Women's March Cleveland's fifth-year anniversary rally and march, which were scheduled to take place on Sat, Jan 22, 2022 beginning at noon at Market Square Park, have been postponed due to the Omicron Variant, head organizer Kathy Wray Coleman said at a press conference on Friday.

Cleveland TV channels 3, 5 and 19 and the Call and Post Newspaper were there to cover the press conference.

Coleman said at the press conference at Angie's Soul Food Cafe with other women's march advocates and community women leaders that the group, a sister march under Women's March Washington, is following the lead of the national march, the umbrella to the sister marches that has postponed its anniversary march in Washington D.C. Hundreds of tentative sister marches have also been postponed because of the Omicron Variant.

"Women March Cleveland's annual march is merely postponed due to the Omicron Variant and when we return to protest before the midterm elections on issues of public concern for the betterment of women we will bring thousands of women to the streets as we have done in the past," Coleman told clevelandurbannews.com and www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, Ohio's Black digital news leader

Coleman has organized women's marches in Cleveland since 2018, and she also leads the Imperial Women Coalition, a grassroots women's rights group that stresses support for Black women in Cleveland.

Other members of Women's March Cleveland coalition group speaking at Fridays' press conference at Angie's were:

Elaine Gohlstin, president, Black Women's PAC of greater Cleveland

Activist Cheryl Lessin of Refuse Fascism

Cuyahoga County Councilwoman Meredith Turner

Activist Delores Gray, Brickhouse Wellness Center for Women

Activist Alfred Porter Jr, president, Black on Black Crime Inc.

Activist Jessica Pantz, domestic violence survivor

Activist Laura Cowan, Laura Cowan Foundation, domestic violence survivor and CNN hero

Activist Dorothy Walwyn, Fathers Lives Matter

Elain Vance, National Council Council of Negro Women

County Councilwoman Meredith Turner, who was recently chosen by Cuyahoga County Democratic Party leaders to replace now 11th Congressional District Congresswoman Shontel Brown on county council after Brown vacated the seat to join Congress, pushed for the passage of Aisha's Law, a bill pending in the Ohio state legislature that expands domestic violence protections. The bill was introduced in the state legislature following the brutal murder by former county judge Lance Mason of his ex-wife Aisha Mason. And Elaine Gohlstin spoke on voting rights and chastised Congress for failing to pass two voting rights bills earlier this week, namely the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act.

"We want these voting rights bills passed in Congress," said Gohlstin, who added that the Civil Rights Act of 1965 is at risk.

A longtime community activist, Cheryl Lessin said that she had one of two abortions in 1972 and later remarried. She highlighted that Jan 22 is the 49th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark U.S. Supreme court decision that made abortion legal nationwide.

"Abortion rights are under attack," said Lessin.

Coming from a meeting, Cleveland Ward 7 Councilwoman Stephanie Howse, a former state representative and women's advocate who championed women's causes as a state legislator, including reproductive rights, stopped by the event to support the women.

The postponement of the annual women's march this year comes behind a mass march for reproductive rights held by Women's March Washington and in more than 650 city's nationwide on Oct 2, 2021, Cleveland bringing some 2,500 women to the streets to protest on that day. It was the largest crowd of protesters in Cleveland since the George Floyd rally in May of 2020, and certainly one of the biggest nationwide since the still raging COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S. with a vengeance in the winter of 2020.

The inaugural Women's March was a nationwide protest held on Jan 21, 2017, the day after the inauguration of then president Donald Trump. It was spearheaded by Women's March on Washington prompted in part by statements he made during and after his campaign for president against then Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. It was the largest single-day protest in U.S. history with nearly five million women and their supporters marching in sister marches in major and other cities nationwide. In Cleveland that year some 15,000 women and their supporters protested.

The goal of the annual marches is to advocate for legislation and policies regarding human rights and other issues, including women's rights, educational equity, reproductive rights, environmental justice, LGBTQ rights, racial inequality, poverty, freedom of religion, workers' rights, equal pay and police and criminal justice reform.

Now led by executive director Rachael O'Leary Carmona, Women's March National, a non profit organization for women's rights, is governed by a 16-member board of directors. Its national organizing director is Kate Shapiro, a grassroots organizer.

Clevelandurbannews.com

Last Updated on Thursday, 27 January 2022 01:28

News from Cleveland's Legal Aid Society on issues such as life and the law, housing for the poor, winter utility assistance, and more

20 January 2022

Kathy

By Managing Attorney for Community Engagement Anne K. Sweeney

The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland

1223 West Sixth Street
Cleveland, Ohio 44113
www.lasclev.org

CLEVELAND, Ohio-The overall mission of the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland is to secure justice and to seek to resolve fundamental problems for those who are low income and vulnerable by providing high quality legal services. As we paused this week to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we are reminded of the importance of collaborating and working together to extend justice. There are several timely topics and Legal Aid news in 2022.

First, due to the surge in COVID-19 cases, our brief advice clinics normally held at Cleveland Public Library will be virtual in January & February 2022. All sessions will be conducted via phone or video call. Interested clients can register by Saturday, January 22 and a consult will be scheduled for the week of January 24 - 29. Visit www.lasclev.org and click on "events" for the most recent info and details for all our clinics.

In the meantime, Legal Aid is open 24/7 online - taking intake applications at this link. Or, potential clients can call Legal Aid for help during most business hours at 888-817-3777.

And, community members with questions about a housing issue can call our Tenant Info Line (216-861-5955 or 440-210-4533) anytime. For employment questions, community members can call our Worker Info Line (216-861-5899 or 440-210-4532).

In other news –

New Education Series for Service Providers and Community Partners: Refugee Legal Issues
Interested in learning more about common civil legal issues faced by refugees resettling in Ohio? Starting January 18, join us online for an education series, presented in partnership with CWRU Students for Refugees and the Refugee Services Collaborative. This series is geared towards staff and volunteers at community agencies who work with immigrants – but it is open to anyone else interested! Visit our website for details & registration.

Our latest community newsletter is now online!
Our winter edition of The Alert explores topics such as co-ops, community land trusts, public records requests, and more! Contributors include impactful organizations such as Cleveland Owns and Cleveland Documenters, along with guest writers Zach Germaniuk, Esq. of Slavic Village Development and Eddy Eckart of the Ashtabula County Land Bank. We hope you enjoy this edition of The Alert!

WOVU 95.9 FM on January 20 at 10 a.m.
WOVU and Legal Aid present: Life & The Law - Conversations About Your Rights, a monthly radio program featuring timely legal topics. On January 20 at 10:00 a.m., Legal Aid staff will be live on 95.9 FM to share legal information about Social Security benefits. Listen live on 95.9 FM, or visit this link to stream the conversation online.

Lunch with Legal Aid on January 27 at 12:30 p.m.
Our Facebook Live series, now called "Lunch with Legal Aid", will be held from 12:30-1:00 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of each month. Join us for our first 2022 program on January 27 for Social Security 101.

Providers and Partners: Your Feedback Wanted!
Do you work with clients and community members who are navigating civil legal problems related to housing, debt, education, starting a nonprofit/business, or other issues? What more do you need to know about these civil justice topics? Please share your feedback by January 21 – complete the survey now. Your help will inform our work in 2022.

In addition to the above Legal Aid news, we also wanted to share with you some other important community news –

Tax Preparation Assistance: A variety of resources are available to help Northeast Ohio residents with tax preparation. Contact 2-1-1 or visit our website for links to tax preparation assistance programs in Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, and Lorain Counties.

Northeast Ohio Winter Utility Assistance: The cold winter months are here. Funds are available to help Ohioans afford utilities like heat. Contact 2-1-1 or visit our website for links to winter utility assistance programs for Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, and Lorain Counties.

Applicants Sought for Citizen Journalism Course: The Land is a local news startup that reports on Cleveland's neighborhoods and inner ring suburbs. The Land is now offering an exciting citizen journalism course! The Land is looking for 10 Cleveland residents with a desire to write about their own neighborhoods, civic issues, local politics, and more. No experience is necessary. This program is for Cleveland residents and includes a stipend. Apply here.

Thank you, again, for your partnership! We hope that the information and resources above are helpful to you and your communities. As always, please reach out with any questions.

Sincerely,

Anne K. Sweeney
Managing Attorney for Community Engagement

The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland
1223 West Sixth Street
Cleveland, Ohio 44113
www.lasclev.org

Last Updated on Thursday, 20 January 2022 23:38

MLK Holiday: Our exclusive interview with Ralph David Abernathy III, a former Georgia state senator and son of the late Ralph David Abernathy Sr.....His father founded SCLC along with Dr. King

17 January 2022

Kathy

Pictured are the late Ralph David Abernathy III ) (wearing blue suit), the late Ralph David Abernathy Sr, and the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

By Marc R. Churchill, staff reporter, and Kathy Wray Coleman, editor-in-chief. Coleman is a former public school biology teacher and a seasoned Black political, legal and investigative reporter who trained as a reporter at the Call and Post Newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio for 17 years.

THE BELOW ARTICLE INCLUDES ARCHIVES FROM OUR PREVIOUS ONE-ON-ONE INTERVIEW WITH RAPLH DAVID ABERNATHY III

CLEVELAND, Ohio-Today is Jan 17, 2022, a national holiday in observance of the late iconic Civil Rights leader the Rev. Dr. .Martin Luther King Jr. Had he not been assassinated, he would have been 93 on Jan 15.

The late Rev. Dr. Ralph David Abernathy III (pictured), whose famed father, the Rev. Ralph David Abernathy Sr., marched along side of the Dr. King during the Civil Rights Movement and led the Southern Christian Leadership Conference after King was assassinated, visited Cleveland, Ohio on Nov. 4, 2012 to stomp for Barack Obama's reelection to the presidency and he interviewed one-on-one with clevelandurbannews.com and www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, Ohio's most read Black digital newspaper and Black blog

“My father and Uncle Martin [King] were like twins, and they even dressed alike sometimes, and Uncle Martin died in his arms.” said Abernathy III, an evangelist and motivational speaker who grew up in Montgomery, AL. and served a decade in the Georgia State Legislature as an Atlanta senator.

Abernathy III was among a host of famous Blacks that toured Cleveland during the weeks leading up to the Nov 6., 2012 presidential election to rally voters for the Obama campaign in the still pivotal state of Ohio, Cleveland a Democratic stronghold and the largest city in the delegate rich 11th congressional district, also heavily Democratic.

He spoke at a rally at Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church after appearing as a guest on ‘The Art McKoy University Show, ’ which airs weekly from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm on W.E.R.E. AM radio.

Other prominent Blacks in Cleveland in support of Obama's 2012 reelection bid were John Legend, who is native of Springfield Ohio, Stevie Wonder, Yolanda Adams, Congressional Black Caucus members, California Attorney General Kamala Harris, who later became a U.S. senator and is now the vice president-elect , actress Vivica Fox, and Valerie Jarrett, one of three senior advisers to Obama when he was president

The first Black president of the United States of America and the country's most popular Black Democrat, Obama completed his second term in the White House in 2016 and was succeeded by outgoing president Donald Trump, a Republican real estate mogul elected president in 2016 who lost the 2020 presidential election to President Joe Biden, who served as vice president under Obama.

Abernathy Sr died in 1990.

His son, Abernathy III, died in 2016, just two days shy of his 57th birthday.

The younger Abernathy believed that too often Blacks forget what other Blacks fought for, and died for, including the right to vote.

“Some people have forgotten what we have fought for all these years.” said Abernathy III.

Jailed at a protest in Montgomery at nine-years- old, Abernathy III was a fighter like his father.

His older brother was named after his father too, but died three days after birth.

The fourth of five children, including his deceased brother, the articulate Abernathy lll told Cleveland Urban News.Com that the reason he called King "Uncle Martin" is because the Abernathy and King families were just that close, and that his father and King were, “Civil Rights twins."

He was also nine years old when King was assassinated in 1968 on a hotel balcony in Tennessee, and when his father later assumed the leadership role of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the Civil Rights organization that they founded together that was the thrust of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

He said that he often had trouble sleeping as a kid because their home in Montgomery had been bombed and he feared it would happen again.

"For years, I was afraid to go to sleep at night when I was a child because I feared that our house would get bombed," said Abernathy III.

The former Georgia state lawmaker said that while Black people have not been fully compensated for the unconstitutional and statutory wrongs that they have endured as a once enslaved people, times have changed somewhat for the Black community.

Barack Obama, he said, is a part of that systemic change in action and is a change agent for the betterment of Black people in particular, and the American people in general.

“In as much as things seem to change, they still remain the same. There is a transitional period of the Black community and a lack of true economic power," said Abernathy III

Last Updated on Saturday, 14 January 2023 23:52

Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb declares snow emergency parking ban, recommends that residents stay home if possible

17 January 2022

Kathy

CLEVELAND, Ohio- Cleveland Mayor Justin M. Bibb has been working closely with the departments of public works, public safety and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport to clear the roadways and keep residents aware of closures and delays following a heavy snowfall Sunday night and early Monday morning that brought six to 12 inches of snow to Northeast Ohio. While businesses and community organizations are holding special events to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, some are closed in observance of the holiday

There is a snow emergency parking ban for the city of Cleveland effective until 8 a.m. on Tues, Jan. 18, the mayor said in a press release on Monday.

All of the city's snow removal equipment is in use, Bibb said, including 48 trucks, 12 road raiders and 13 small plows. There are 94 seasonal and 29 full-time drivers across three shifts to make traveling as safe as possible.

"Our crews are working diligently to clear the main roads first with the plan to start clearing residential streets around noon," said Mayor Bibb.

Parking is prohibited on designated snow emergency streets, which are identified as necessary for transportation, movement of food and fuel supplies, medical care, fire, health and police protection, and other vital facilities of the city. As a result, stopping, standing and parking of vehicles will be restricted and prohibited on city streets with posted red and white signs.

Mayor Bibb recommends that residents stay home today, if possible, to allow city trucks to clear the streets.

In spite of the snow, the Cleveland Cavaliers will take on the Brooklyn Nets at 3 pm today at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland.

(www.clevelandurbannews.com) / (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.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 18 January 2022 03:17

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Example of Section Blog layout (FAQ section)

Ohio state Senator Sandra Williams is the party favorite to replace Stephanie Howse as state representative among 5 applicants, Howse now a Cleveland councilwoman...Williams is term-limited and ineligible to seek another term in the Ohio Senate

Women's March Cleveland postpones January 22, 2022 anniversary march, following the lead of Women's March Washington...A press conference on the postponement was held at Angie's Soul Café with elected officials and leaders of women's groups

News from Cleveland's Legal Aid Society on issues such as life and the law, housing for the poor, winter utility assistance, and more

MLK Holiday: Our exclusive interview with Ralph David Abernathy III, a former Georgia state senator and son of the late Ralph David Abernathy Sr.....His father founded SCLC along with Dr. King

Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb declares snow emergency parking ban, recommends that residents stay home if possible

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