Black August/Covid-19/ Community News
Black August/Covid-19/ Community News
Black August is a time to remember Black people's creative resistance to white supremacy - and to remember political prisoners who resisted inside of prisons and jails. The San Francisco Bay Review, an African American newspaper, reports it this way.
Excerpt:
The month of August bursts at the seams with histories of Black resistance – from the Haitian Revolution to the Nat Turner Rebellion, from the Fugitive Slave Law Convention and the foundation of the Underground Railroad to the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, from the March on Washington to the Watts Uprising, from the births of Marcus Garvey, Russell Maroon Shoatz and Fred Hampton to the deaths of W.E.B. du Bois and George Jackson’s own younger brother Jonathan, killed while attempting to free the Soledad Brothers from prison.
We celebrate Black August, commemorating the anniversary of George Jackson’s death while understanding his life as a revolutionary in a long and unbroken line of resistance and sacrifice of Black people throughout history.
Following Critical Resistance ally and San Quentin Six veteran Sundiata Tate’s description of Black August as a time to “embrace the principles of unity, self-sacrifice, political education, physical training and resistance,” Critical Resistance’s work this August moves in that spirit. We continue to join forces across California and in New Orleans to build a unified force to oppose the construction of new cages and the expansion of the numbers of people locked in cages.
Health
I emailed the Maryland Department of Health. I asked the health department about its approach to the spread of Covid-19. The health department has not responded to my question.
Here is the latest data on the spread of Covid-19 in Prince George’s County. The latest data reveals the county’s Covid-19 cases have increased from 3.27 to 4.27 (8/14/23). Last week, we reported that Maryland's case rate was 2.25, but that number increased to 2.94.
You can view the chart below for case rates on 8/07/2023.
It is possible that the EG.5 variant is spreading in Maryland. EG.5 is one of several Omicron sub-variants spreading in the U.S., and globally. Additionally, as of yesterday, the CDC said it’s tracking a new variant.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday that it was tracking a new, highly mutated lineage of the virus that causes COVID-19.
The lineage is named BA.2.86, and has been detected in the United States, Denmark and Israel, the CDC said in a post on messaging platform X.
"As we learn more about BA.2.86, CDC's advice on protecting yourself from COVID-19 remains the same," the agency said.
Covid Tips: Tips on how to protect yourself during this time.
Article: Young Athletes’ Cardiac Issues Highlight Widespread Severity of Heart Disease
Article: D.C. To Pilot Enforcement Of A Youth Curfew In Eight Neighborhoods
Article: Rising Temperatures Could Mean More Mental Illness
Article: Having Our Say Against Carbon Pollution
Legislation
Bill: CB-066-2023
Sponsors: Wala Blegay, Krystal Oriadha, Edward P. Burroughs
Status: Presented And Referred
Title: AN ACT CONCERNING LANDLORD-TENANT REGULATIONS - SECURITY MEASURES AND SECURITY EQUIPMENT for the purpose of amending provisions of the Prince George’s County Code to require security surveillance at high occupancy dwellings and security guards at age-restricted senior housing residences.
Bill: CB-072-2023
Sponsors: Mel Franklin, Sydney J. Harrison, Calvin S. Hawkins
Status: Presentation and referral
Title: AN ACT CONCERNING PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY CHIPS ACT OF 2023 for the purpose of establishing an incentive program for the manufacture, research and development of semiconductors in Prince George’s County, known as the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (“CHIPS”) Act for Prince George’s County’s workforce and economy.
Bill: CB-071-2023
Sponsors: Edward P. Burroughs
Status: Presentation and referral
Title: AN ACT CONCERNING COUNTY CONTRACT EVALUATIONS for the purpose of providing transparency in the County’s construction contracts that it awards each year with the County spending millions of dollars contracting for the procurement of construction services from private sector contractors; the prudent expenditure of public dollars has resulted in a County procurement process that has resulted in the selection of qualified and responsible contractors with most services being delivered in accordance with the terms of the contract; the contractor’s hiring metrics, treatment of employees, and prior performance on contracts is of significant importance to the County; the purpose of these sections is to implement a contractor evaluation program and establish database(s) on contractor performance; and the contractor evaluation program will assure that contractors are routinely evaluated in accordance with approved criteria and that this evaluative data is catalogued and readily accessible to the ..
Community News
Prince George’s County Police Department
Celebrating Chuck Brown Day! Saturday, August 19 at 11 a.m.
National Harbor’s Spirit Park: 115 Waterfront St, Oxon Hill, MD 20745
Reid Temple Church
Drive-Thru Grocery Distribution at Reid Temple will be held from 10 AM to noon Saturday, August 19. Remember to arrive early–groceries will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis while supplies last.
PG Changemakers & Life After Release
A Community Conversation About Food In Prince George’s County Jails
August 19, 1-3 p.m. at Greenbelt Library ( 11 Crescent Rd, Greenbelt, MD 20770)
The meeting is for anyone interested in mass incarceration and food health in jail.
Prince George's County Farm Bureau
This is a free event on September 24, 2023, from 1 to 5 p.m., at 16608 Brandywine Road, Brandywine, MD 20613. There will be food, a tractor show, a petting zoo, and much more!
The Banneker City LCC
Black August event at Sankofa Video, Books & Café (2714 Georgia Ave NW, DC 20001) August 17 at 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland Prince George's County Town Hall
Please RSVP to join the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland's Prince George's County members for a Town Hall discussion about the 2023 Legislative Session and bills passed that impact Black Marylanders on Wednesday, September 6 from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm at the Bowie State University Student Center. 6:00 p.m.: Refreshments/6:30 p.m: Program begins
Legislative Priority Areas Include:
Increasing Black Wealth
Improving Health Outcomes
Access to Housing
Education Equity
Advancing Justice Reform and equitable Cannabis Legislation
You can sign up here: t.ly/T4GdU
News
Sen. Chris Van Hollen endorses Angela Alsobrooks in open-seat Democratic primary for U.S. Senate
Excerpt: Maryland’s current junior senator, Chris Van Hollen, was in Silver Spring on Tuesday morning to endorse Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks in the Democratic primary to join him in the U.S. Senate.
The unusual move comes months before the candidate filing deadline in the race to succeed Sen. Ben Cardin (D), who announced in May that he would not seek reelection in 2024.
Van Hollen said it didn’t take him long to decide that Alsobrooks is the best choice to join him on Capitol Hill.
Bowie Regal Theater Closes as Part of National Trend
Excerpt: Prince Georgians have had the option of stopping by the Regal movie theater when they finished their shopping at Bowie Town Center to see the summer blockbuster of their choice for well over a decade. However, Regal 14 shuttered its doors for good in late April, leaving behind memories of past viewings— from the Harry Potter to the Avengers series.
The Bowie Regal was one of 39 Regal theaters to close nationally, including another in Rockville. According to reports, leases are being cut to save Cineworld, Regal’s parent company, roughly $22 million following their September 2022 bankruptcy filing. Regal theaters in Bel Air and Columbia also closed in late July.
Excerpt: In a first-of-its-kind series, The Washington Post investigates the Smithsonian’s “Racial Brain Collection,” assembling and making public the most extensive analysis and accounting of the collection to date.
The Post’s year-long investigation found that the Smithsonian possesses 255 brains, most of which were removed upon death from Black, Indigenous people and other people of color in the early 20th century, and were used to further now-debunked theories about anatomical differences between races. The Post found the brains were likely taken without consent from individuals or their families. The museum’s “Racial Brain Collection” is part of a larger collection that is one of the largest in the world, containing at least 30,700 human bones and body parts from more than 80 countries.
The Surratt House Museum Is Telling A More Inclusive History
Excerpt: In 1976 — after sitting vacant for nearly 20 years, and receiving much-needed repairs — the historic Surratt’s Tavern reopened as the Surratt House Museum. Year after year, hundreds of people visited the museum to hear a retelling of local history centered on John Wilkes Booth, Civil War reenactments, and the assassination of then-president Abraham Lincoln. (Even now, still, Google Maps describes the museum as a “home and tavern that harbored Booth”). Retelling the history of the Surratt Museum only in relation to Booth’s experience and the Confederacy, according to Veronica Gallardo, the new director at Surratt House Museum, deliberately concealed the Surratt family’s custom of enslaving of Black people and the history of the Clinton community.
“This historic site was preserved because of Mary Surratt and her relationship to Lincoln’s assassination,” said Gallardo, who was hired about two years ago. “But they didn’t focus on Indigenous history. They also didn’t [completely] tell the stories of enslaved Black people, and missed an opportunity to tell the stories of those who visited the tavern.”
The Key to Progress: Force Multipliers for Black Tech
Excerpt: We recently celebrated the Juneteenth holiday and took a moment to acknowledge our past, honor the many contributions of Black Americans, and find inspiration in perseverance. As we renew our commitment to progress, we should look to expand opportunities for Blacks in industries that have historically lacked diversity, such as tech. A study from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found that Black employees make up just 7.4 percent of the tech workforce. Recent partnerships in Prince George’s County are looking to change that statistic locally through increased support and capital.