Maryland

Per the State of Maryland (10:25.23): Today, Governor Wes Moore proclaimed 2024 as Maryland’s Year of Civil Rights during a launch event at the Banneker-Douglass Museum, Maryland’s official African American history and culture museum. Joined by First Lady Dawn Moore and the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture, the launch celebrated the upcoming events that will honor Maryland’s Year of Civil Rights and the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

“Studying history isn’t just about knowing what happened in the past. It’s about knowing our power in the present. That’s what Maryland’s Year of Civil Rights is about,” said Gov. Moore. “And so my message to Marylanders is simple:—get out into our communities and take advantage of the programs being offered during Maryland’s Year of Civil Rights. Let’s practice our history, let’s protect our history, and let’s participate in our history, by making history of our own.”

Per the Maryland Attorney General’s Office: Attorney General Anthony G. Brown and Public Defender Natasha M. Dartigue today announced the creation of the Maryland Equitable Justice Collaborative (MEJC), a new initiative dedicated to reducing the mass incarceration of African Americans and other marginalized groups in Maryland prisons and jails. The goal is to examine the scope and causes of this crisis, and to develop a comprehensive plan for reform and recommendations by January 2025.

“The disproportionate mass incarceration of Marylanders, felt most starkly in the African American community, is a devastating trauma in our State that demands our immediate and abiding attention and resolve,” said Attorney General Brown. “It is a sad reality that the vast majority of people who have been removed from communities across the country and put behind bars are Black. The formation of the Maryland Equitable Justice Collaborative will bring together experts from the criminal justice system, academia, government, and the community to identify the underlying causes of this crisis and develop a roadmap for reform. I’m honored to launch this historic collaboration with Public Defender Dartigue.”

Per the State of Maryland: Governor Wes Moore today delivered the keynote address at the Maryland Minority Business Counts “Engage and Elevate” event at Coppin State University. The governor was joined by Comptroller Brooke Lierman; Maryland Department of Commerce Secretary Kevin Anderson; and Maryland Department of General Services Secretary Atif Chaudhry. Also in attendance was Governor’s Office of Small, Minority, and Women Business Affairs Special Secretary Yolanda Maria Martinez; Greater Baltimore Urban League Chief Executive Officer Tiffany Majors; and Coppin State University President Dr. Anthony Jenkins, Ph.D.. Governor Moore spoke before hundreds of event attendees who gathered to promote state and municipal contracting opportunities and resources for minority owned businesses.

The Maryland Minority Business Counts initiative is a coalition of advocacy, business, civic, and community leaders dedicated to supporting and encouraging existing and future Black business owners across the state. Participants in today’s event had the opportunity to directly engage with state government agencies and attend panel discussions pertinent about doing business with the state.

Per the Maryland Attorney General’s Office: “Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown, along with 41 other state Attorneys General, filed a series of federal and state lawsuits against Meta, alleging that the company knowingly designed and deployed harmful features on Instagram and its other social media platforms with the intent of addicting children and teens, while falsely assuring the public that these features are safe and suitable for young users. The federal complaint (attached) seeks injunctive and monetary relief to rectify the harms caused by these platforms.

The Attorneys General assert that Meta’s business practices violate the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which requires providers of online content, such as Meta, to abide by specific guidelines relating to the collection and handling of minors’ personal information. These practices have harmed and continue to harm the physical and mental health of children and teens, and have fueled what the U.S. Surgeon General has deemed a “youth mental health crisis” that has ended lives, devastated families, and damaged the potential of a generation of young people.

Per the Maryland Attorney General’s Office: Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown joined a coalition of 15 Attorneys General filing an amicus brief supporting the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in a legal challenge to HUD’s prohibition on housing practices that may appear neutral but in reality are discriminatory under the Fair Housing Act. The HUD regulation, known as the Disparate Impact Rule, has been formally in effect since 2013.

“Dismantling discriminatory practices in homeowners insurance, such as offering inferior policies or imposing burdensome terms and conditions in some neighborhoods but not others, is essential for fair housing,” said Attorney General Brown. “Weakening the federal protections that ensure equal access to homeowners insurance will make it more difficult for states to combat systemic discrimination.”

Governor Wes Moore today released the following statement regarding the Baltimore City Firefighters injured and killed in the line of duty:

“Our entire state grieves for the victims of the fire in northwest Baltimore that took the life of one firefighter and seriously injured four others last night.

In a statement released via social media today, former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has announced that he has informed Harvard that he will be withdrawing his offer to participate in fellowships this fall, stating that he “cannot condone the dangerous anti-Semitism that has taken root on their campus.” The full letter can be seen below:

“Dear President Gay,