Social justice

The MHEC had previously approved Towson University’s plans, but Attorney General Anthony Brown on Aug. 17 determined that the commission didn’t have enough members present when it voted to overturn a decision by a state official who rejected the program.

The day Sarah E. Carter broke the color barrier in Anne Arundel County nearly a half-century ago, she said she recognized the significance of her achievement. On Monday, Anne Arundel County finally honored it as well.

Americans like to recall the hope Martin Luther King expressed in what became known as the "I Have a Dream" speech at the 1963 March on Washington, but King always recognized forces that would stand in the way, columnist E.R. Shipp says.

This weekend, Marylanders will observe the 60th anniversary of two events — the March on Washington and the integration of Gwynn Oak Park— that historians and activists say were pivotal moments in the Civil Rights movement.

An Anne Arundel County Police officer and his wife are facing domestic violence charges in Baltimore after authorities say they assaulted each other during a dispute over money.

LGBTQ community members in Maryland said they are stunned and disappointed by the Maryland Supreme Court’s 4-3 ruling, which exposed a loophole in Maryland laws originally meant to protect employees against discrimination.

A federal judge has denied an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order objecting to a case that alleged Erie Insurance used discriminatory practices against Black Baltimore-area brokers, and thus its residents. The ruling means the company will have to fight the claims in a state administrative proceeding.

Lessening violent crime in Baltimore will start with overcoming a prevalent sense of helplessness among city residents and those in government and law enforcement who are charged with serving them, says Keidaï Lee, a former Roca worker and recent Johns Hopkins University graduate..

Terri Lee Freeman, president of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture, says society is at a crossroads where the accurate telling of history is of the utmost importance.

Women’s sports must stand for equality and empowerment of their athletes, says Sam Fiedler, a player in the Athletes United women’s lacrosse league.

It feels as if we’ve all been living in Donald Trump’s head since the day he came down that golden escalator at Trump Tower to announce a run for the White House in 2015. If he sees it as a war, maybe it is one.

In Maryland, Black and Latino applicants were denied home loans at a rate 1.6 times higher than white applicants, according to data from the National Community Reinvestment Coalition from 2018 to 2020. In the city of Baltimore, Black applicants were rejected 2.1 times more than white applicants.

Nationally and in Baltimore, low-income areas have disproportionately less leafy tree canopy than wealthier ones.

Londyn Smith de Richelieu, the director of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs in Baltimore, has filed a complaint alleging that she was discriminated against by the office of one of the city’s top gender reassignment surgeons.

Baltimore City Public Schools must counter misconceptions about how school funding is spent and provide schools and the teachers with what they need, says Joseph Mahach, who teaches Algebra I at Patterson High School.

Morgan State University’s new Center for Urban Violence and Crime Reduction will engage all segments of Baltimore as it seeks answers for addressing the “carnage” from gun violence in the city, says Anna McPhatter, dean of Morgan’s School of Social Work and director of the center.

A proposed federal ban on menthol cigarettes has raised concerns among some law enforcement officials and civil rights advocates that it could lead to problematic police encounters, particularly with Black smokers, says Diane Goldstein, a retired police lieutenant who is executive director of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership.

The Biden-Harris Administration is pledging $20 billion to fund clean energy programs across the country, including in underserved communities. The vice president described the funding as “the largest investment in financing for community-based climate projects in our nation.”

Gun violence such as the recent mass shooting in South Baltimore has a lasting effect on how many Baltimore young people view their lives and their community, says Adam Schwartz, an author who has taught high school in Baltimore for 25 years.

There’s never been a consensus in Maryland on the need for reparations, what they might look like or who should qualify for them. Legislation to create a commission on the concept — just study the idea — has died twice in the Maryland General Assembly in the last two years. Maybe, just maybe, we’re about to see the start of a campaign to approach this at the local level.