Latest news with #WesMoore
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Black leaders want Maryland Gov. Wes Moore held accountable, say racial wealth gap can't end without reparations
BALTIMORE — Though Gov. Wes Moore announced actions toward ending the racial wealth gap Thursday, members of the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus say that cannot truly happen without discussing reparations. 'I don't think there is a bold Black agenda that does not include reparations,' Chrissy Thornton, the president and CEO of Associated Black Charities, said at a virtual town hall meeting of the Legislative Black Caucus Tuesday. 'There is no settling of the racial wealth gap without it.' In recognition of Juneteenth, Moore, a Democrat and Maryland's first Black governor, announced that he would be issuing nearly 7,000 more pardons for cases of simple cannabis possession, and is directing $400 million to communities that have historically been disinvested in by discriminatory policies. But members of Maryland's Legislative Black Caucus remain frustrated with Moore, who in May vetoed legislation that would have established the Maryland Reparations Commission. 'We should not be confused that an actual reparations agenda is disruptive to the political status quo,' said Dayvon Love, the director of public policy at Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, said at Tuesday's Town Hall. Del. Jheanelle Wilkins, a Montgomery County Democrat and chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, said that the caucus made its 'first ever historic call' to take action on reparations policy during the 2025 legislative session. The bill would have launched a two-year study into whether the state should provide reparations to Marylanders impacted by the state's history of slavery and racial inequity. The legislation, which was a priority of Maryland's Legislative Black Caucus, received broad Democratic support in both chambers of the Maryland General Assembly, and would not have provided any immediate benefit — financial or otherwise — to impacted Marylanders. The Maryland General Assembly will have the opportunity to override Moore's veto when it next convenes. Thornton warned the caucus not to pull back on holding Moore accountable just because he is Black. 'I think we need to push as forcefully as possible against what's happened with this veto, to have it overturned as we would if it was anyone else in elected office,' she said. 'I think we're in a moment where we have to be courageous and speak to accountability — no matter who's in the seat.' Moore said Thursday that he 'doesn't need any lectures' on the history of racism in the state of Maryland, and that the state has done four studies and commissions on these types of issues 'over the past 25 years, alone' — one of which First Lady Dawn Flythe Moore worked on. 'I have a fundamental disagreement with the General Assembly on what's required inside this moment,' he said. 'I believe this is a moment for action. I believe that this is a moment for action. I believe that this is a moment where we want to put together policies that are actually helping to address the harm that was … historically done.' Wilkins said that, though slavery ended 160 years ago, Maryland has never explicitly examined the issue of reparations, the harms of Jim Crow laws, enslavement and redlining. 'Our community called on us to take action on the issue of reparations,' she said. 'Repair is about progress, and it's long overdue.' ---------------
CBS News
a day ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Maryland Gov. Moore to make announcements on community investments, cannabis convictions
Maryland Governor Wes Moore is expected to announce an initiative to expand investments in communities he says have been impacted by disinvestment and discriminatory policies, along with an expansion to his executive order which pardoned more than 175,000 marijuana convictions. The announcements will happen at a community roundtable in Cambridge Thursday afternoon. Moore announces program to create affordable housing Just last week, Moore announced the UPLIFT program, a new initiative which aims to boost property values and generate wealth for homeowners. The program, funded with $10 million from the fiscal year 2024 budget, provides financing to housing developers to build affordable housing. Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake, a non-profit homebuilder, will receive $1.25 million to create 26 new three-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bathroom homes. Overall, the goal of the UPLIFT program is to transform vacant lots and structures into quality affordable housing. Moore said the program targets "One of the major contributors to the racial wealth gap is inequitable appraisal values in communities that have been affected by redlining. That's why, in this Season of Action, we are taking concrete steps to boost property values and build pathways to greater wealth creation for homeowners," Moore said in a statement. In communities impacted by redlining, homes appraise for less than the cost to build due to patterns of disinvestment, according to the governor's office. More than 175,000 convictions pardoned On June 17, 2024, Moore pardoned more than 175,000 marijuana convictions in an executive order. The order impacted misdemeanor charges for individuals found guilty of possessing small amounts of marijuana. More than 150,000 of the convictions that were pardoned were misdemeanors for simple possession of cannabis, and another 18,000 misdemeanors were for use or possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia. About 25% of the convictions that were pardoned were from Baltimore City, the governor's office said.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Republican Delegate Chris Bouchat plans run for Maryland governor in 2026
BALTIMORE — Delegate Chris Bouchat, a Republican from Carroll County who has railed against both Democrats and members of his own party in Annapolis, is gearing up to run for governor next year. Bouchat told The Baltimore Sun on Wednesday he is launching an initial slate of television ads in the coming weeks but is not yet formally announcing his candidacy or filing with the Maryland State Board of Elections. Democratic Gov. Wes Moore has said he intends to seek a second term, and a few challengers have begun lining up to get their names on the ballot. 'I'm going to see how the strategy unfolds. I'm in no big hurry,' he said, referring to the primary still a year away. His campaign website already reads 'Bouchat for Governor' and states that 'We the people want a governor with white hair, who has faced and overcome the hardships of life, so they have empathy for us as they execute the duties of office on our behalf.' Bouchat, 57, has at times been open about those hardships. He has been convicted twice of assault and served jail time — once as a 16-year-old in 1984 and after another incident in 1997 involving his wife at the time. Two years before his successful run for the Carroll County Board of Commissioners in 2018, Bouchat's 26-year-old daughter died from a fentanyl overdose. He told The Sun that he believes his experiences make him 'extremely identifiable to a broad base of voters across all demographics,' including experiencing depression and alcoholism after the death of his daughter. After winning a seat in the House of Delegates in 2022, Bouchat has at-times challenged his colleagues on both sides of the aisle — including with a letter to his GOP colleagues within his first few months in that office that said many of them had become 'show horses' in their opposition strategy while in the minority, Maryland Matters reported. One of Bouchat's calling cards has been reforming the redistricting system in which elected leaders draw the districts in which they run. His campaign includes a quote from him reading, 'The greatest gift I can give the citizens of Maryland as governor is sovereignty over the General Assembly by districts being drawn by the people not politicians.' He said in an interview his platform would also focus on economic and tax policy — including changing Maryland's tax system to reflect a 3% flat tax on all income, capital gains and sales. Bouchat said last year that he did not plan to run again for his House seat because of enduring frustrations with Democrats controlling a supermajority of the Maryland General Assembly. _________
CBS News
2 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Maryland and Baltimore leaders to discuss future of 2026 CIAA tournament
Baltimore and Maryland leaders will discuss the success of the 2025 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) tournament and the future of the men's and women's basketball tournament Wednesday. The 2026 tournament will take place in Baltimore between February 23 and February 28, leaders said. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and CIAA Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams-Parker are expected to make an announcement about the tournament's future. 2025 CIAA Tournament The 2025 CIAA tournament was held in the city for a fifth year. The tournament served as a tribute to female athletes, with a women's empowerment town hall and other events that focused on leaders in women's sports. The oldest Black athletic conference in the U.S. moved its tournament from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Baltimore in 2021 and has a deal to remain in the city through 2026. Economic impact of CIAA Tournament The 2025 tournament brought an estimated 15,000 student-athletes and fans to the city in February. In 2024, the event generated $32.5 million in the city and created 1,315 job opportunities, according to city leaders. The tournament also brought in $3.1 million in state and local taxes. City tourism leaders and local businesses look forward to the economic boost each year. Last year, Visit Baltimore created the Bop Pass, a free digital book that offered discounts at more than 40 local businesses, museums and restaurants. The initiatives aimed to highlight Black-owned businesses in the city. "It gives us an opportunity to be on a larger platform and to showcase what we do as a local business, just not for the local people, but the people that are coming in and may not make it here," Travis Bell, founder of Black Acres Roastery, told WJZ last year.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. Wes Moore to speak at Detroit NAACP dinner later this month
Jun. 13—Gov. Wes Moore will be a featured speaker at the Detroit NAACP Dinner on Sunday, June 29. Though Moore said he is "not running" for president in 2028, his Detroit dinner speech marks another appearance in a state with an important Democratic primary. Subscribe to continue reading this article. Already subscribed? To log in, click here.
