The State of the Union address on Feb. 5 was President Trump’s showcase, but African Americans were in the spotlight.
The president and legislators often make political statements with whom they invite as their guests.
Among President Trump’s guests:
Alice Marie Johnson, a grandmother imprisoned 20 years on a first-time nonviolent drug charge who was granted clemency by the president last year;
Matthew Charles, the first prisoner released under the First Step Act, which helps non-violent offenders return to society;
Roy James, vice president of the Vicksburg Forest Products lumber facility in Mississippi, which had been expected to close but remained open, the president says, due to the 2017 tax cut bill.
Legislators’ guests included:
Lynette Hardaway, known as “Diamond” of the “Diamond & Silk” pro-Trump video blogging team, was the guest of Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa).
Lila Johnson, a USDA cleaning contractor who was interviewed in media about not receiving back pay from the shutdown, was the guest of Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland).
Cedric Dean, who spent 28 years in prison before release through the First Step Act, was the guest of Rep. Alma Adams (D-N.C.).
Edward Douglas, who received a life sentence in 2003 for a non-violent drug offense and was released last month under the First Step Act, was the guest of Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.)
Tito Brown, mayor of Youngstown, Ohio, and a federal BUILD grant recipient, was the guest of Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio).
The ultimate guest was the woman who delivered the Democrats’ response to the president’s speech: Stacey Abrams.
Abrams is the first Black woman to deliver the response. She pointed criticism at Trump for the recent government shutdown and caging immigrants. Among other issues, she called for a fight against racism and strengthening voter rights.