Maryland modeled how to tackle racial health disparities. Let’s revive that success.
Baltimore needs jobs, not ‘guaranteed income’
Earlier this month, Mayor Brandon Scott committed Baltimore to a pilot program that would test the efficacy of a guaranteed income for Baltimore’s struggling families, described as “direct, recurring cash payments.” According to the Mayors for a Guaranteed Income website, the funds have no requirements attached to them, work or otherwise, and are “meant to supplement, rather than replace, the existing social safety net” and to “be a tool for racial and gender equity.”
Holbrook: The blitz aimed at Maryland’s new digital tax was full of falsehoods
Everyone in Maryland who tuned into TV or radio, read newspapers or been on the internet recently likely saw the barrage of advertisements against the digital revenue tax. Regardless of the blitz, the General Assembly overrode Gov. Larry Hogan’s veto to pass the first in the nation tax targeting digital media last week. The major theme of the ads was that the new tax would cripple business recovery in Maryland, especially small business. How during a pandemic could the state even consider imposing a new tax on digital advertising?
Our Say: Black History Month works to retell the American story so it includes all of us
Every February, this newspaper and others like it around the United States make an extra effort to delve into the history of Black Americans. It hasn’t always been this way. The tradition of taking time to recognize the contributions of Black Americans to our country began in 1926, the brainchild of historian and author Carter Woodson. He and others settled on February because of two significant birthdays that month, that of Abraham Lincoln and the date chosen by Frederick Douglass to celebrate his birth — born into slavery on the Eastern Shore — because he did not know the actual date.
We need to help women during the pandemic and beyond
The pandemic undoubtedly wreaked some form of havoc on just about everyone’s life. But statistics are piling up showing that it has hurt women more, particularly those who are African American and Latinx, eroding many of the gains in the workforce that had been made in recent years. Around 2.5 million women dropped out of the labor force or lost their jobs during the pandemic, compared to 1.8 million men, according to Labor Department data released earlier this month. The situation is so dire that Vice President Kamala Harris called it a “mass exodus” and “national emergency” in a recent op-ed in The Washington Post.
In defense of snow days
Do you remember the magic of a snow day? For many kids, few things are more exciting than waking up to see your school on the “closed” list. For parents, the excuse to stay home and spend time with family is often a welcome respite from the daily grind, even when the driveway needs to be shoveled. We need to find a way to preserve the magic that happens when everything closes because the outside is covered in a blanket of white. Due to the rise of distance learning and remote work, snow days may soon become a distant memory.
Bill would close ‘tax loophole,’ dedicate ‘recouped revenue’ to Maryland’s HBCUs
As a graduate of Hampton University and Howard University School of Law, I am acutely aware of the quality of education Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) provide and the role they play in the social mobility of many Black residents. In Maryland, we are blessed with four excellent HBCUs, Coppin State University, Bowie State University, Morgan State University and the University of Maryland Eastern-Shore. However, our state’s track record on funding these institutions is spotty, and its history of underfunding is judicially confirmed. Since 2006, advocates for Maryland’s four HBCUs have fought the state of Maryland alleging violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Standardized testing in Maryland schools can wait
Maryland students were slated to take new standardized tests last year — before COVID hit. The tests replace previous assessments, known as PARCC, that were criticized as taking up too much classroom time and as too difficult for students to pass. But, like many other things, the pandemic also disrupted plans for the rollout of the new Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program. With students thrown into the precarious world of virtual learning, the state school system correctly decided that it was no longer the best time to implement new testing. There were other basics to worry about, such as if children had internet to log onto classes. But now Maryland State School Superintendent Karen Salmon, the state school board and the federal education department think students are ready to take at least some of the tests.
Achieving Our Climate Goals With Composting
If Maryland is to achieve its climate goals, we need to source more renewable energy, reduce our energy usage and improve our waste management. One of the easiest and most effective strategies to reduce our waste stream is by removing organics from the system. In other words: support more composting. More and more residents are turning to recycling their fruits, vegetables and other food because these valuable resources should not be disposed of in landfills and in incinerators, but instead should be turned into soil building compost or diverted to food pantries for food insecure residents.