2021 End of Session Letter

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

As I was going into the Maryland General Assembly’s (“MGA”) 441st Legislative Session, it was clear that the stakes had rarely been higher to respond to the compounding crises facing our State. However, I was buoyed by the fact that I knew I had your support as I acted to address the COVID-19 crisis, policing reform and so many other issues here in Maryland.

2020 End of Session Letter

Dear Friends and Neighbors, 

I am continually honored by your support.  As you know, Senator Shirley Nathan Pulliam retired after more than two decades of service to the citizens of Maryland.  I submitted my name to be considered for appointment to serve out her term.  I was selected by the Governor and I was sworn in on the General Assembly’s opening day, January 8, 2020.  My selection would not have been possible without the outpouring of support from everyone.  Thank you.

Building Coalition on Important Issues

Last month, I joined fellow members of the Maryland Black Caucus in a meeting with Governor Larry Hogan to discuss several issues of significance to District 44 and communities throughout the state. Education, public safety, and transportation are just a few of the topics we broached, but they are all part of a continuing conversation of how the state can work with constituents and elected officials to improve quality of life for all Marylanders. 

A Busy Season of Advocacy

The last few weeks have been an exciting period for me, as I began my new work as a member of the state senate, and continue my advocacy for Baltimore City and Baltimore County residents on important issues facing our communities.

Honoring Dr. King

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. encouraged us to challenge society’s ills with a ‘divine dissatisfaction.’ He wrote “Let us be dissatisfied until slums are cast into the junk heaps of history, and every family is living in a decent sanitary home.”

Hundreds Assemble in Annapolis in Support of Fair Treatment for Maryland’s HBCUs

I was honored to stand with hundreds of students, graduates and supporters of Maryland’s historically black colleges and universities in Annapolis last month to call for a settlement to the state’s decades-long legal fight against correcting the discrimination of its past.

Fifth Annual Expungement Fair A Success

When I was first elected, I expressed a desire to help people to gain employment. One of the ways I have helped to make this a reality was to host expungement clinics. The benefits this clinic can create for people, from expanding employment opportunities and housing options, are very meaningful.

Justice Delayed in Maryland Higher Education

We are a little more than a month out from the beginning of the academic year at many of our two-year and four-year public institutions throughout Maryland. What should be an exciting time for students, parents, and alumni has turned into a parade of headlines showcasing a history of maltreatment and illegal discrimination against our state’s four historically black institutions.

Catonsville Elementary School was quite different in the early 1930s. For one, the elementary school was a high school, and, in the age of segregation, black students were forbidden to attend.