Baltimore MD social justice news and opinion- The Baltimore Banner
The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.

Social justice

    The Annapolis Police Department is being honored by the Caucus of African American Leaders.
    After years of criticizing Annapolis Police, civil rights group to honor department
    In what they are calling a “historic” event, the Annapolis Police Department, as well as the ACLU of Maryland, is being recognized by the Caucus of African American Leaders.
    Straight ally Karen Dugan poses for a portrait outside of Leon’s Backroom Bar on July 3, 2024.
    Why the LGBTQIA+ community needs straight allies
    Now that Baltimore Pride is over, some in the LGBTQIA+ community know that the fight for gender minority rights and existence also relies heavily on having meaningful straight allies.
    CIB Baltimore skater, Teele, jumps over fellow skater, Taylor, mid-parade during the Baltimore Trans Pride Grand March on 6/29/2024 in Baltimore, MD.
    PHOTOS: A day to celebrate Trans Pride in Baltimore
    An estimated 2,500 people turned out for the third annual event to celebrate Baltimore's trans community. The event included a parade, a block party and a street renaming.
    Wreaths are laid at a ceremony memorializing the victims of the 2018 Capital Gazette shooting on Wednesday, June 28, 2023, in downtown Annapolis. A smaller ceremony Friday will mark six years since the deaths of Rob Hiaasen, Gerald Fischman, Wendi Winters, John McNamara and Rebecca Smith.
    Six years after the Capital Gazette murders, I’m still searching for meaning
    Lines carved by the wind on the sand are no different than what followed the violence that ended five lives on June 28, 2018 — energy moving from one form to another.
    President Joe Biden speaks to the House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference, Wednesday, March 1, 2023, in Baltimore.
    Biden pardons military members convicted for gay sex
    President Joe Biden pardoned former U.S. service members convicted of violating a now-repealed military ban on consensual gay sex, which will clear the way for them to regain lost benefits. The pardon goes even further to protect LGBTQIA+ service members than the controversial policy “don’t ask, don’t tell” that was repealed in 2010.
    Collage of photograph of elderly woman supporting herself with walker flanked by figures that have been cut out of the photograph. Red scribbles fill the background behind the photo and a red spray obscures the elderly woman's face.
    Following major lawsuit, state official in charge of nursing home inspections to retire
    The longtime head of the state office responsible for nursing home inspections will retire, officials announced about a month after a major lawsuit against the agency.
    A parade participant is photographed clutching on to a rainbow flag at Baltimore’s Pride Parade held on June 15, 2024.
    Police say they didn’t spray a chemical agent at Pride. Why don’t those who attended believe it?
    A Baltimore spokesperson said that Mace was released after two groups of people got into an altercation, but people who attended think something else happened.
    Former Governor Larry Hogan faces Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, who would be Maryland’s first Black U.S. senator.
    Those thinking of not voting in November are putting the country at risk
    Baltimore voters who might've passed up the opportunity to cast their ballots during the primaries must fully participate in November because of what's at stake nationally, journalist and professor E.R. Shipp says.
    Morelys Urbano
    Commentary: I needed to learn English, but my Spanish sustained me
    Morelys Urbano, a Morgan State University student and fellow who advocates for language justice, relates how her native language sustained her as she navigated the necessity of learning English.
    A group of fugitives escapes slavery in Maryland, depicted in an engraving for the 1872 book, "The Underground Railroad" by William Still.
    7 things to do: Juneteenth celebrates survival, not just emancipation
    I’m recounting the almost forgotten, violent history of the days after enslaved Marylanders were freed not because I want to spoil the Juneteenth Parade and Festival on June 22. But appreciating the meaning of this holiday is more than just a party. It is about honoring survival.
    Andrew Chung is a rising sophomore at Columbia University and a staff writer and editor for the Columbia Political Review and Columbia Undergraduate Law Review.
    Commentary: The human cost of disasters such as the Key Bridge collapse
    When disasters such as the Key Bridge collapse occur, media and government attention on issues related to the loss of life are often lacking, says a Columbia University student and writer.
    The Johns Hopkins University encampment protesting the war in Gaza is shown on May 8, 2024. Students and protestors danced, painted signs, shared stories and chanted throughout the day.
    Commentary: Protest encampment at Johns Hopkins was peaceful, constructive
    Despite mischaracterizations about the encampment at Johns Hopkins University protesting the war in Gaza, what actually took place was peaceful and constructive, Hopkins Professor Lester Spence says.
    Carlton R. Smith, an LGBTQ advocate, died May 29. He was 61.
    Carlton R. Smith: LGBTQ advocate, ‘mayor’ of Mount Vernon, passes away
    Carlton R. Smith, a fixture in the city who advocated for Black and brown members of the LGBTQ community and was currently fighting to decriminalize HIV in the state, died in his sleep May 29 in his Mount Vernon condominium. He was 61.
    Josh Seefried holds a rainbow umbrella as he walks in the Annapolis Pride Parade and Festival on June 1, 2024.
    Photos: Thousands turn out to celebrate Annapolis Pride
    A parade with dozens of groups — including a boisterous drumline, dancers, politicians searching for votes and many, many people waving rainbow flags — crawled up Main Street and West Street.
    Larry Hogan (middle), U.S. Senate candidate and former governor of Maryland, hugs supporters as he marches in the Annapolis Pride Parade and Festival on June 1, 2024.
    How Hogan, Alsobrooks are courting LGBTQ+ support in Maryland’s U.S. Senate race
    “Very close races can be won or lost based on LGBTQ voters,” says one expert.
    Along with attorneys general from 12 other states, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown wants to spur the U.S. Justice Department to investigate the killing of Garrett Foster, who died after being shot by Austin Police officer Daniel Perry during a protest in 2020.
    Maryland AG Brown joins call for federal probe into Texas soldier
    Maryland’s Attorney General has signed on to a push for a federal civil rights investigation into a Texas police officer pardoned by that state’s governor after being convicted of killing a social justice protester.
    Gov. Wes Moore, flanked by Maryland House and Senate leadership, announces new juvenile justice legislation in the Maryland State House lobby on Jan. 31, 2024.
    Commentary: 1990s-style tough-on-crime approach wrong for juvenile justice
    The “tough-on-crime” approaches to juvenile justice signed into law by Gov. Wes Moore have proved ineffective in the past because they fail to adequately consider the root causes of youth crime, the CEO of the Juvenile Law Center says.
    6/16/22—Signs reading “Baltimore County Maryland” and “Baltimore County Council” hang on the wall inside the historic Baltimore County Courthouse in Towson, the center of county government.
    Commentary: Baltimore County’s Black residents want council that represents them
    Black residents and women are underrepresented on the Baltimore County Council, and a petition to put council expansion on the November ballot aims to address that, the deputy executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland says.
    Meeting the the needs of migrant children in Maryland will make our communities stronger, a Pikesville physician says.
    Letters: Immigrants have always made America better
    Meeting the the needs of migrant children in Maryland and their families will make our communities stronger, a Pikesville physician says.
    Camryn Carter, a senior in Baltimore, got accepted with a full scholarship to University of Maryland, College Park, his first choice. He called the FAFSA delays “a blessing and a curse”: a blessing because his mother had more time to fill out the form and a curse because it was difficult for him to juggle the FAFSA process with his demanding AP courses and college essays.
    FAFSA chaos: Delays in financial aid decisions complicating college search
    Delays with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid means students can’t make decisions about which college they will attend.
    Load More Stories
    Oh no!

    Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes. If the problem persists, please contact customer service at 443-843-0043 or customercare@thebaltimorebanner.com.