Commentary

I am an American who has lived my whole life in my beloved state of Maryland. I want to stay here and continue raising my children here, but legislators are making that difficult by refusing to take simple steps to eliminate a human rights abuse that nearly destroyed me: child marriage. I did not want to get married at 17. I wanted to finish high school and attend UCLA. I wanted choices in life and the power to make them. Even after I faked a suicide attempt in hopes that my guardians would realize I thought death would be better than being married off, I was flown to Pakistan, a country and people foreign to me, to marry. Within weeks, I was married off to a stranger and left there.

“You’re not pretty enough for the handcuffs.” Niaja hysterically cried as she recounted the days she spent locked in a john’s basement while I had been looking for her on the streets. At the time, Niaja was categorized as a sex worker who “wanted” to be selling her body. The raw truth is that Niaja was exhausted from “the life” and had been looking for a way out. As she describes it, “this preppy white girl” (me) quickly built trust with her on the street, and she was ready for a different life. My offer was simple. I committed to treat her like a human being, get her connected to substance use treatment, and I assured her that she didn’t have to do it alone.

The new Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, released last week, is a horrifying indictment of our lack of urgency in responding to climate change. As the father of two daughters who will see these devastating impacts in their lifetimes, I worry about the future we will be sending our children into if we fail to take clear, purposeful action. However, I am also hopeful that we can still slow the effects of climate change and mitigate the most serious threats it poses. The IPCC report makes it clear that we are reaching the point of no return. But it’s not too late — yet.

Last year, at least 58 Marylanders lost their lives to intimate partner violence — the highest number of IPV homicides since 2007. Early in the pandemic there was significant media coverage regarding victims of domestic violence being confined at home with their abusers and more likely to face assault, but as the public health crisis continued, coverage of this aspect dwindled. Meanwhile, the uptick in domestic violence continued. As a statewide coalition, the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence has heard repeatedly from local service providers that the cases of domestic violence today are more severe and that programs are experiencing an unprecedented number of victims seeking help.

On the surface, Maryland’s poverty rate is lower than many other states — approximately 9% of Marylanders live below the Federal Poverty Line (FPL), according to the Census. While this lower rate might be seen as a measure we are moving in the right direction, a deeper dive into the data shows there is an alarming trend that has existed in our state for years: Maryland has one of the highest rates of deep poverty in the entire country.

Over the last several years, that famous poem has been quoted countless times: “The centre cannot hold,” William Butler Yeats wrote, before adding, “The best lack all conviction, while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity.” People cited it so often because it was true. But it was not so true this past week. The events in Ukraine have been a moral atrocity and a political tragedy, but for people around the world, also a cultural revelation.

Last year, at least 58 Marylanders lost their lives to intimate partner violence — the highest number of IPV homicides since 2007. Early in the pandemic there was significant media coverage regarding victims of domestic violence being confined at home with their abusers and more likely to face assault, but as the public health crisis continued, coverage of this aspect dwindled. Meanwhile, the uptick in domestic violence continued. As a statewide coalition, the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence has heard repeatedly from local service providers that the cases of domestic violence today are more severe and that programs are experiencing an unprecedented number of victims seeking help.

I was reading the article in the Feb. 11 issue of the Baltimore Business Journal, “Signs your employee might quit – and what to do about it” by Andy Medici, and have a few thoughts. I read the red flags described in the article as feelings of anxiety or depression. I am not a professional in this area; however, I have been around many people in my life who suffer from mental illnesses. I have gone to therapists many times over my life when I needed that extra layer of support. Those sessions were invaluable in helping me through stressful situations.