Often misunderstood, Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla. Today, it has become a broader celebration of Mexican culture, history, and the deep contributions of Mexican-American communities to the U.S. But this holiday is often culturally exploited, reduced to stereotypes and stripped of its deeper meaning. Let’s commit to honoring its heritage the right way by uplifting the voices, history, and dignity of the communities it represents.

It’s especially important right now to name and honor those contributions. As our government continues to threaten, erase, and criminalize the communities that built this country, we remain committed to fighting back. We will always stand with our Latinx neighbors in the face of injustice.

Last week, we joined hundreds of allies and partner organizations from across the state for a May Day rally in D.C., standing strong for workers and working families. We showed up to push back against the injustice this administration continues to inflict on labor and immigrant communities. It was powerful, and we’re bringing that energy into everything we do this month. Make sure you check out our social media to see the action.

We’ve got important updates ahead from our issue campaigns, opportunities to take action, and key state and national news. Read on.

In solidarity,

The Progressive Maryland Team

Because we survived TrumpWorld's first 100 days doesn't mean we should let our defense slack off. This battle continues, but there are heartening signs that the courts are holding the Constitutional line and that other institutions (universities, law firms, maybe even the Dem opposition) are beginning to stand with the courts. Nevertheless, as we see from Megan E's meticulous roundup, Congressional GOP majorities are lining up to do TrumpWorld's dirty work. Some -- just a few -- are wavering and even showing shreds of decency in the face of overwhelming lawlessness. There are tools, as we see below, for reminding the GOP legislators they were elected to help, not hurt their constituents and bucking up the Dems who are showing some spine, too. Here in Maryland we might have to reach out to our friends and relatives in other states to help pressure the critical House and Senate members there, but you had been meaning to call them anyway, right?

It's News You Can Use

As Maryland wrestles with the complexity and, yes, the expense of the Blueprint for school improvement, one of the fragile elements of that plan has been community schools. They require extra resources because they are aimed at enriching the lives and learning of not only the students but their families and the community that hosts them. As national educational report and analyst Jeff Bryant shows, they also require patience as they enhance the learning, wellness and well-being of the entire community. Schools cannot fully succeed unless their community does.

Last Tuesday was Earth Day, a moment to reflect on the importance of protecting our planet and fighting climate change. Climate change is real, and it’s impacting communities across Maryland and the globe. That’s why Earth Month matters; it calls us to action, to organize, and to push for policies that address the crisis head-on. We’re proud of the victories we’ve achieved, like ending subsidies for trash incineration in Maryland after years of persistent advocacy. But our work is far from over. Our state’s transition to clean energy must be a just transition—one that centers communities that have been burdened for far too long. That’s the future we’re fighting for.

This past Saturday, we took to the streets with Progressive Harford County for a Speak Out to Save Medicaid Rally in front of Rep. Andy Harris’ office. We are urging him to vote NO to Medicaid cuts! If you haven’t yet, email Rep. Harris. It was great to see our community out there, chanting about saving Medicaid, taxing billionaires, and standing united. 

Tomorrow, April 29th, our Executive Director, Larry Stafford, Jr., will be speaking at a press conference to reintroduce the Medicare for All Act. Join us in Upper Senate Park, opposite Russell Senate Office Building Delaware Door, at 11:00am. The press conference will also be livestreamed on Senator Bernie Sanders’ social media.

As we prepare to step into May with more organizing, more planning, and more people power, we are looking forward to starting off the next month strong with May Day! More on that below.

In solidarity,

The Progressive Maryland Team

Nothing like being cooped up in the same visible, public space as "the usual gang of idiots" (stole that from MAD comix) to make you look good by comparison. State governments are not always examples of smarts or compassion, but Maryland and other states are sharpening up their push-back skills to combat the lunacy that emerges daily from TrumpWorld. Definitely improves their brand. Along with the states, universities (led by Harvard [!?]), law firms, nonprofits and other institutions are rummaging through the Constitution for (lots of) available evidence that many of Trump's "executive orders" sound good but don't have the kind of legal standing that will get them past a federal district judge, let alone appeals courts or SCOTUS. Add that to the discomfort of the business sector, whose long-range plans for a profitable holiday season are already threatened by the tariff catastrophe and no patch-up with Chinese authorities. In all, the political combat is starting to look somewhat closer to the usual level playing field.  Still falling a lot short, though. It's News You Can Use.

My name is Maxwell. I’m a federal worker here in Maryland, and here’s what’s happening within the government. The onslaught of Elon Musk and Trump’s combined efforts to denigrate and intimidate not just me and my colleagues, but all federal workers has created a sense of disgust and paranoia that has been impossible to shake. Every day, I watch colleagues and friends lose their jobs as essential agencies are gutted and positions are slashed. I still have my job—for now—but it feels like the ground beneath me could give way at any moment. 

Courts in Maryland, Richmond and the capital continue to struggle with the outlandish stances of Trump and his minions -- on immigration/deportation and ICE's increasingly gestapo-ish role;on funding cutoffs used for bullying behavior modification, on slashing the federal workforce and erecting tariff-barriers that will never in our lifetimes bring offshored factories back to US soil, on deliberate efforts to add ever more carbon to the planet's air. And more. And Pope Francis, an anchor of decency regardless of faith or its absence, made it to Easter but not beyond. Feeling left behind? Solidarity is required, more than ever, as we look at a worse-than-usual week of News You Can Use.

As the 2025 Maryland General Assembly session came to a close, Renters United Maryland is reflecting on the progress made—and the work still ahead—in the fight for housing justice.

This year brought some hard-earned victories for renters across the state, as well as sobering reminders of the continued challenges in securing safe, stable, and affordable housing for all Marylanders.

Here’s a look at the key legislative outcomes impacting tenants this session:

My name is Mary Randall, and I’ve lived in Baltimore City my entire life. I love my city. It’s a place of resilience, community, and beauty. But, if you live here, you also know how often we’re asked to carry burdens that others don’t. For years, trash incineration has been one of those burdens.

For years, those of us living near the incinerators were told that this was a necessary part of managing waste and creating energy. But that’s not the full story. Trash incineration creates more pollution than coal plants. It’s not clean, and it’s certainly not renewable. Yet it received subsidies meant for actual renewable energy sources like wind and solar. Worse, this pollution disproportionately impacted neighborhoods like mine, where working-class Black and brown families are more likely to live. It felt like we were being sacrificed for the sake of profits.