Commentary

When the pandemic first hit Maryland in 2020, it sent us all into a tailspin from which we have yet to recover. In the wake of rising cases and deaths, a statewide lockdown was declared, though due to the lack of information we had at the time due to its spread, after Gov. Larry Hogan’s state of emergency declaration, the extent of the lockdown was piecemeal and took too long to fully implement. As such, hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people were left scrambling to stay safe while also making sure their livelihoods were kept intact and they could keep a roof over their heads.

Johns Hopkins Medicine recently made the callous decision to cut nearly 6,000 seniors in Baltimore City and Calvert County from its Hopkins Medicare Advantage plan, leaving many elderly Marylanders scrambling to find new health care coverage on a short timeline. Among those left confused and worried by the impending loss of their Hopkins Medicare Advantage plans were my parents, longtime residents of East Baltimore. In early October, they received letters in the mail from Hopkins indicating their current plans would not be offered in 2022.

They all say they want the best for the kids — the politicians, the CEOs, the school district, the neighbors. Everyone has an opinion. Everyone. But how many people have actually walked into or spent any significant amount of time in a school building on any given day, much less in the throes of a pandemic?

As with so many of my fellow Americans, I’ve been paying close attention to the efforts of select members of Congress, including Maryland’s own Rep. Jamie Raskin (D), to fully discern the motives and influences of last Jan. 6, when, for the first time in our nation’s history, the smooth, peaceful transfer of power seemed for one violent day altogether unlikely. There are those who assert that we need to move on and “actually focus on things that matter” to everyday Americans and working families.

For years, as a full-time performer I experienced first-hand the challenge of lack of access to affordable, comprehensive health care; the fear of an illness or injury which could have a catastrophic impact on my livelihood and financial health. The Affordable Care Act was a game changer for so many, providing access to the peace of mind which comes with health coverage, and having the right coverage makes a world of difference for people. However, with the passage of the Affordable Care Act, the gaps in coverage, the challenges of ensuring affordability became more and more clear, and medical bills can quickly mount and create serious problems for patients and their families.

Climate change, the COVID pandemic, growing inequities and the demands for social justice make these challenging times for America and for Maryland. Now more than ever we need experienced leadership in our top state officials. We have been fortunate to have that leadership from Attorney General Brian Frosh. That is why I am supporting Judge Katie Curran O’Malley to be our next attorney general. She is the only candidate in this race that is ready to do the job from day one.

If any among us held out hope for reconciliation after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, that the nation would experience some collective “morning after” regret and unite against what amounted to an act of domestic terror, they surely lost faith well before today. Whatever the outcome to the ongoing House inquiry into the insurrection, the criminal investigations and prosecutions by federal authorities or the various lawsuits that have arisen from that day, it’s clear that the United States of Jan. 6, 2022, remains a nation divided. The tinder that fed the conflagration is as dry and flammable as ever.

On his second day of virtual kindergarten in September 2020, my son grabbed his Chromebook, took aim at the basement wall and prepared to throw it with all his might; I got there in the nick of time to stop it. The pandemic has been tough on Aiden, a bright and outgoing boy who has always thrived in a classroom. It hit when he was in preschool. Six months of virtual kindergarten were miserable before we found a space for him in a private school.

State and local officials are scrambling desperately to cope with the latest surge of COVID-19 viral infections that have swept like wildfire, overwhelming our health care systems. But they missed chances to address the crisis sooner, which might have helped slow the spread of the virus. On Tuesday, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan declared a 30-day state of emergency and mobilized 1,000 members of the Maryland National Guard to help state and local health officials.