Commentary

Over the past several years the Baltimore Museum of Art has been at the forefront of activating groundbreaking initiatives that inspire people to think differently about art and its impact, and the exhibit “Guarding the Art,” opening Sunday, is a clear example of this. I sat in Director Chris Bedford’s office two years ago and explained I had an idea that I felt was in this groundbreaking category, and I was prepared to stay in his office until he agreed to pursue it. I felt confident that he would see the idea captures the essence of everything the BMA can and should be. And he did. Guarding the Art became official as of that conversation.

In response to Kalman Hettleman’s commentary, let us begin from a point of common ground: it is imperative that, for the successful implementation of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, and for it to truly have a transformative role in the education of Maryland’s students, all education workers engaged in the effort to improve our schools must be adequately compensated, including the dedicated staff employed at the Maryland State Department of Education.

A massive explosion at Friendly Garden Apartments in Silver Spring on March 3 “will be ruled accidental,” officials said, “after investigators concluded that a maintenance worker mistakenly cut through a gas line in a basement utility room while addressing a plumbing problem.” Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich “questioned what kind of training the apartment complex’s management required.” Fire Chief Scott Goldstein explained what could have sparked the blast: “Could be a pilot light. Could be a cigarette. Could be the simple flick of a light switch. Could be a motorized tool.”

Climate change has gotten so bad that any pause in the transition to a clean-energy economy will literally kill people. “Delay means death,” says United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres. He uttered those words after another blockbuster and depressing climate study came out last month.

High-quality tutoring during the school day may be available to more of Maryland’s students. In February, the Maryland State Department of Education responded to this unique moment in education — one that is defined by unprecedented funding, soaring staff vacancies and widening gaps in student achievement — with Maryland Leads, an innovative, non-competitive grant opportunity designed to incentivize and support its 24 school districts in focusing federal relief funds on evidence-based practices.

Remember when Republicans said that they were going to protect parental rights in regard to the education of our children? They made a big deal about parental rights in making decisions about mask-wearing, vaccinations, school curriculum (especially sex education), and so on. Well, forget about all of that. If your child happens to be transgender, Republicans are now saying that parents don’t know what is best for their children and, in fact, may be guilty of child abuse. For Republicans, the state knows better than parents when it comes to the sex and gender issues of our children.

After reading Josh Kurtz’ “Analysis: The Goldberg Goldman Fallout and the Rocky Shoals of Race for Md. Democrats,” I felt a combination of emotions. I actually started to cry. My husband looked at me and said, “PTSD?” We’ve been married 45 years, and he’s been a constant partner in all politics with me. He knew exactly what was bothering me. He knew that I was processing and examining the results of the campaign that I poured my heart into. He knew that I was thinking about the conversations I had in 2018 in parking lots and in auditoriums and at events across Maryland with powerful elected officials — men I had campaigned for and with for decades telling me, “Ben can’t win.”

In immigration cases, someone can be deprived of their liberty, put behind bars, and moved far away from their homes and family without any right to an attorney. Hundreds of Maryland residents are suffering in ICE detention across the country, forced to fight their immigration case alone, condemned to almost certain deportation — because they cannot afford a lawyer. This vast detention network is run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement — an agency with a track record of human rights abuses, which often contracts out to even more dangerous private prison companies.