Commentary

Mark Bedell wants a conversation about youth violence in Annapolis. The superintendent of Anne Arundel County Public Schools, he started it off last week, talking about nine homicides in the city this year — some of them involving teenage boys — and recent fights at Annapolis High. “We can’t be the greatest educational institution and the greatest social services institution. You can’t be great at both of them,” Bedell said.

Recently, about 75 irate people packed a meeting at Bel Air Town Hall to give some public officials a piece of their minds. Many had seen the future of this town of roughly 11,000 souls, and they did not like it. What had caused such concern? Was it the return of COVID? No. A spike in the crime rate? Not that either. No, they dreaded the possibility, as voiced by a local small business owner, that Bel Air was destined into something almost unspeakable. Something far different from the Harford County seat they knew and loved.

At 9 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 8, a man chucked a brick through the front window of the Subway on the 300 block of N. Charles Street; stepped inside and helped himself to bags of chips. The next morning, the same individual returned to the scene of his crime, according to a surveillance video I viewed. Apparently determined to recreate his success of the day before, the man chucked another brick at the carefully decorated, glass front door catty-corner to the window he smashed earlier.

Black men and women are at a constant disadvantage. Despite our talent, strengths, and what we have to offer, we face barriers and misconceptions. TikTok allows people like me to be heard.  Often, Black parents will tell their children something along the lines of “you have to work twice as hard for half the recognition.” This is something I hear constantly as a Black female entrepreneur. And, unfortunately, there a reason for this common expression.

According to the latest U.S. National Climate Assessment, extreme weather events cost the United States nearly $150 billion each year, disproportionately hurting poor and disadvantaged communities. These events cast a long shadow on our economic landscape. Whether it’s a wildfire in Maui, hurricanes in Florida or flooding in New York City, the impacts of these disasters ripple across multiple sectors of the economy, leaving a trail of asset devaluation and increased insurance costs.

I have tried-and-true holiday traditions that make the season bright, or at least quirky: my collection of Black nutcrackers that look like celebrities (I just scored a Santa that resembles “S.W.A.T.” star Shemar Moore), the Christmas morning viewing of “Die Hard” as I try to remember where I stashed all the presents I’ve been hiding from my kid and, now, a new one — my annual interview with John Waters.