This past Saturday, we hosted our 2024 Power Summit in Annapolis, and what a success it was! With over 150 passionate individuals present, we came together with one common goal: to build power and drive impactful change during this legislative session.

We want to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who attended, and a special thank you to our elected officials who joined us and shared their insights and support at the summit. We were honored to have Majority Leader Delegate David Moon, Delegate Jamila Woods, Delegate Jazz Lewis, Delegate Gabriel Acevero, and Prince George's County Council Member Krystal Oriadha speak at the event. We're also grateful for the representatives from ally organizations who stood in solidarity with us.

We engaged in a powerful direct action, marching through downtown Annapolis to expose the Maryland Chamber of Commerce's use of dark money lobbying tactics to sway our elected officials. We demanded accountability and transparency, advocating for full funding of the housing, healthcare, climate action, and workplace rights we all deserve. Then, we marched in front of the Governor's mansion to call upon Governor Moore to address the state budget with more urgency.

To relive the powerful moments of the rally, you can view the livestream here.

Now, fueled by the momentum generated at the Power Summit, our task forces are gearing up for a series of important events to advocate for critical bills during the legislative session. Read on to learn more about how you can get involved and check out our blog corner to see news you can use!

Let's keep building power and driving change together.   

In Solidarity,

The Progressive Maryland Team

Here’s what’s in today’s memo:

• • Black History Month

  • PM task forces & issue campaigns: HCTF, EJTF & RCTF
  • State & National News

BLACK HISTORY MONTH: 

Each week, we’ll highlight black leaders, past and present, in different categories to honor the living force that is Black history. This week’s category: Sports

Darryl Hill was born October 21, 1943, in Washington, D.C.  In 1961, he received a congressional appointment to the United States Naval Academy where he was the first black man to play football at Navy and one of the first to play at any military academy. In 1963, he  attended the University of Maryland and was the only black player on the team until his senior year. He became the first African-American football player in any of the southern athletic conferences composed of formerly segregated white institutions. After college and graduate school, Hill was an early advocate of minority business enterprise. Over ten years his organizations helped 2,500 minority-owned businesses with technical assistance, marketing and financing. He launched the first publicly owned MESBIC (Minority Enterprise Small Business Investment Company). President Richard Nixon appointed Hill as co-chairman of the National Minority Purchasing Council. 

Frances Tiafoe Jr, born January 20, 1998 is an American professional tennis player. Tiafoe won his first of three ATP titles at the 2018 Delray Beach Open, becoming the youngest American man to win a tournament on the ATP Tour since Andy Roddick in 2002. His father immigrated to the United States in 1993, while his mother joined him in 1996 to escape the civil war in their country. In 1999, his father began working as a day laborer on a construction crew that built the Junior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC) in College Park, Maryland. When the facility was completed, he was hired as the on-site custodian and given a spare office to live in at the center. Tiafoe has embraced his position both as one of the few African players on the ATP Tour and as a potential role model to youngsters in general, saying, "That's one of my biggest motivations – to get more black people playing tennis…”

Angel Reese, born May 6, 2002, is a college basketball player for the LSU Tigers of the Southeastern Conference. Reese attended Saint Frances Academy in Baltimore, Maryland, where she was awarded McDonald's All-American honors in 2020 and was ranked the number two player in her class by ESPN. In 2023, she led LSU to its first national championship, where she was Most Outstanding Player. During that playoff run, Reese often made headlines where critics called her “classless” and “ghetto” in response to her confidence, competitiveness, and outspokenness. Reese pushed back on the scrutiny black women in sports so often seem to get, and stood her ground in the media saying “All year I was critiqued about who I was…. i’m too hood, I’m too ghetto — y’all told me that all year. When other people do it, y’all don’t say nothing. This was for the girls that look like me.” Reese is currently one of the top 10 earners in all of collegiate NIL deals. 

PM Task Forces & Issue Campaigns Updates

Healthcare Justice: Fight Corporate Greed, Elevate People’s Needs in the 2024 Legislative Session

Our Priority Bills are Moving! Let’s Keep Pushing!

Lowering the High Cost of Prescription Drugs:  Both the Senate Finance Committee and Health Government and Operations Committee (HGO) held hearings last week on Prescription Drug Affordability Board-Authority for Upper Payment Limits and Funding (Lowering Prescription Drug Costs For All Marylanders Act of 2024) The Committees heard from people who are dealing with the consequences of unaffordable drugs and testimony also came from faith, retiree, labor, and community leaders whose members want relief! One major theme emerged: Put People Over Profit!

➢ Take Action:  Call Our Senators to urge a Yes Vote on SB 388.

Have a Heart! This Wednesday, on Valentine’s Day, the HGO Committee holds a hearing on HB 328, the Hospitals-Financial Assistance Policies-Revisions legislation that moves us closer to eliminating medical debt for everyday Marylanders. The bill prohibits hospitals from using asset tests or service area tests to deny patients who are income-eligible for the free or low-cost care they need. 

➢  Take Action: Call the HGO Committee at 410 841-3770 to urge a Yes vote. 

February is a critical month to advance these bills and other critical progressive healthcare measures!

➢  Take Action: Come Out for the Health Justice Rally! 

Now’s the time to get involved: learn more about our priorities, opportunities, and activities by contacting Patty. 

Environmental Justice Task Force: EJTF Take on roles to Support PM Power Summit

Yesterday's super bowl between the San Francisco City 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs, lifeless for part of the contest, turned competitive. This deserved an Oscar, and so do the brave members of Progressive Maryland’s Environmental Justice Task Force, who took on roles to support PM’s 2024 Power Summit.

Eileen Finn, Shenae Thomas, and Kamal Nkele, each shared emotionally charged stories on what drew them to the fight to end environmental racism in South Baltimore, and what environmental justice meant to them. Shenae, in particular, gave a heart-swelling speech about her motivations for fighting on the frontlines with members of the EJTF against the Bresco-trash incinerator. She shared how the "heartbeats of her two children" serve as the driving force behind her efforts to build power in South Baltimore to end the generational legacy of environmental oppression on her community.

After much anticipation, round 2 of the Reclaim Renewable Energy Act, (HB166) has a hearing date for Thursday, March 7, at 1p before the Economic Matters Committee chaired by CT Wilson. To gain press attention around this event, and garner community support, the RREA  coalition will host a Press Conference/Rally on Thursday, March 7p, 11a-12p, at Lawyers Mall. If you would like more information about this, please reach out to SirJames.

News You Can Use:  News You Can Use: Gov. Moore’s two-day plans & proposals download and other items

Gov. Moore's many plans and proposals take two days to offload; how to have an impact on the Assembly session; naming fish tastier and more, including Maryland's state-level plans for putting guardrails around the use (or misuse) of artificial intelligence (or AI, maybe you've heard of it?)

Progressive Maryland BlogSpace:

We value creating space for our members to express their thoughts on any issues related to our campaigns. Have an idea for a blog post? You can submit writing, film, graphic design, etc. to be published on our website to the blog moderator Woody.

• NEW TODAY –  News You Can Use: What's happening in Maryland, other states and the federal government

  NEW TODAY – Anti-DEI laws as passed in Texas may be coming for all of us
• News You Can Use: Again, it’s all about the General Assembly
• Legislative moves continue to stand out; see our list of what's up and how to get heard
• Assembly settles into hearing grind as scope of work, fiscal constraints loom  
  

>>Read more on the homepage of progressivemaryland.org

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