Black Farmers/ The Biden Administration And Maryland Democrats Visit Prince George's County Community College/County Council Establishes a Few Committees
Black Farmers/ The Biden Administration And Maryland Democrats Visit Prince George's County Community College/County Council Establishes a Few Committees
Prince George's County Has A lot of Black Farmers
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The Indigenous people of Maryland have a long tradition of farming that dates back thousands of years. Black people were trafficked and forced to farm the land in the new colonies. After a while, European colonizers pushed some Indigenous people further west.
Even after emancipation from chattel slavery, skilled Black Americans continued to farm. Last year, The Intersection reported on how newly freed Black people built communities along what is known as Capitol Heights, Prince George’s County, MD. These intelligent people reshaped the land for farming. They built schools, and churches.
There are many Black farmers in Prince George’s County. Ourspace, an organization that supports Black farmers in the DMV, put together a Black farmer’s directory.
The Biden administration announced that Black farmers, mostly in Alabama and Mississippi, will receive money for years of discrimination. What do Black farmers in Prince George’s County think about this news?
If you’re a Black farmer in Prince George’s County, let us know what you think about this news.
How does this impact you?
What should residents know about being a Black farmer in Prince George’s County?
We would like to hear from you. Email: contxtnewsletter@gmail
Big News
Alsobrooks, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris
On Aug 15, Gov. Wes Moore, County Executive, and Senate candidate Angela Alsobrooks gathered with President Joe Biden, Madame Vice President, and 2024 President candidate Kamala Harris at Prince George’s County Community College.
Alsobrooks spoke glowingly about the administration. Alsobrooks and Moore endorsed Harris as a presidential candidate after high-profile Democrats and wealthy campaign donors pressured Joe Biden to cease campaigning for president. If Alsobrooks is elected, she will be the first Black woman elected to represent Maryland in the Senate. If Vice President Kamala Harris is elected, she will be the first Black-South Asian woman elected to the Oval Office.
The president and vice president were at the college to announce a new policy that could lower out-of-pocket costs for the 10 costliest prescription drugs.
The policy is aimed at senior citizens and persons with disabilities. From a White House fact sheet:
“The Biden-Harris Administration is delivering on its promise to lower out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors and save money for Americans. That’s because Medicare has the power to negotiate prescription drug prices for the first time in history thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed into law by President Biden with Vice President Harris casting the tie-breaking vote. Because Medicare is now able to negotiate lower prescription drug prices for seniors and people with disabilities, American taxpayers are expected to save $6 billion on prescription drug costs, and people enrolled in Medicare are expected to save $1.5 billion in out-of-pocket costs in 2026 alone.”
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Senate GOP sees deep blue Maryland seat within reach
Excerpt: Republican senators were shown new internal polling during a private Tuesday lunch that has former Gov. Larry Hogan besting Democrat Angela Alsobrooks in that state's race for a U.S. Senate seat, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Behind closed doors, Republicans are drooling over seats that once would have been considered far out of reach, while Democrats hash out concerns about President Biden's ability to beat former President Trump in November.
Driving the news: During their weekly lunch, Senate Republicans discussed the state of 2024 races — and were presented with new internal data showing Hogan up 47% to 41% over Alsobrooks, according to sources in the room.
Reality check: Independent polling has not been so promising for Republicans. One survey from last month had Alsobrooks up 8% over Hogan.
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Child care is scarce in Maryland and the nation — and the pandemic made matters worse
Excerpt: Halfway through her 12-week maternity leave last summer, Sarah Haddaway didn’t expect the trouble that would accompany her search for child care.
After unexpected rejections from one fully booked child care facility after another, the lifelong resident of Maryland’s western panhandle began calling every provider she could find.
Almost 11 months later, Haddaway’s son Brooks — who just turned 1 — is on at least seven providers’ waitlists. He’s been on those waitlists since the end of July 2023.
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Prince George's County Public Schools consolidating bus stops for the upcoming school year
Excerpt: The Prince George's County Public School system is making changes to its bus routes ahead of the upcoming 2024-2025 school year. WUSA9 attended an information session at Fairmount Heights High School in Landover, Maryland.
According to Keba Baldwin, the Director of Transportation and Central Garage at PGCPS is making five major changes when it comes to transportation: 1. Changing school start and end time, 2. Consolidating bus stops, 3. Improving walk zones, 4. Adding an opt-out option, which means the district is asking parents to let them know if they don’t need the bus, 5. Enhancing customer service, which Baldwin says includes improving the stopfinder app, and the notification system used for updating parents on school bus status.
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County schools standardize start, end times
Excerpt: Prince George’s County public school students will start their school days at 7:30 a.m., 8:30 a.m. or 9:30 a.m. in the upcoming academic year.
Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) is changing start and end times for 78% of elementary, middle and high schools in an effort to reduce the frequency of school bus delays and create a more consistent schedule for pick-ups and drop-offs.
Lynn McCawley, PGCPS’ senior public information specialist, said the changes are part of an effort “to improve school bus transportation.”
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AI to fight AI: Local governments consider artificial intelligence for cybersecurity
Excerpt: As state and local governments grapple with a shifting digital and computer landscape in the form of artificial intelligence, counties have an “obligation” to learn how to incorporate artificial intelligence into cybersecurity efforts, officials said.
“This is so important for our local governments, because local governments have to figure out how, not only do we best utilize artificial intelligence, but how do we also protect our constituents and protect information. How do you strike that balance?”asked Sen. Mary Beth Carozza (R-Eastern Shore).
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Police use of drones sparks discussion over public safety vs. privacy rights
Excerpt: The ACLU’s Jay Stanley acknowledges that he’s paid “to think about the ways this could go wrong” – but he said he’s thought of 10 issues that communities should be concerned about before they let their local police use drones to respond to calls.
Drone supporters said that they understand the concerns, but that police use of drones can help departments stretch their resources and improve their response times, while installing safeguards to protect peoples’ privacy rights.
That was the debate that played out at a session on drones at a Maryland Association of Counties session Wednesday morning at the association’s summer conference in Ocean City.
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Organizers Raise Jamil Al-Amin’s Name During Black August
Excerpt: Every August, members of the Black radical left spend the entire month raising awareness about the women and men of the Black Power Era who paid, and continue to pay, the ultimate sacrifice in the fight against racism, capitalism, fascism and imperialism.
This tradition, known as Black August, revives a call to action to free the Black political prisoners who are spending their twilight years in correctional facilities across the country.
Some of those prisoners, like Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, have been locked away in the belly of the beast for decades due to what some organizers of the Millennial and Gen Z generations recognize as his power to organize the masses against atrocities committed by the U.S. government.
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10 Years After Ferguson, Do Black Lives Still Matter?
Excerpt: When Zellie Imani first arrived on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, a decade ago — not long after a white cop killed Michael Brown, an unarmed teenager — the first thing he noticed was the tension beneath the calm.
Imani, a schoolteacher and community organizer, arrived on the scene from New Jersey to join the front-line ranks of the protesters, angry that yet another defenseless Black person had lost their life at the hands of police. In the rising heat of a late summer morning, he saw militarized police — batons and riot shields out, assault weapons and armored vehicles deployed — and angry demonstrators warily eyeing one another in an uneasy truce.
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Durant, Wilson, Lyles, Many DMV Athletes Secure Gold During Paris Olympics
Excerpt: The DMV shined bright during the Paris Olympics, with many local athletes making a major contribution to the United States’ success – garnering the most gold and total medals.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) gave congratulations to the 11 gold medals won by Marylanders shortly after the games concluded.
Basketball superstar Kevin Durant won his fourth gold medal, the most of any men’s player in Olympic history. He also secured his status as the all-time leading scorer for the U.S. Olympic team, ahead of Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie, with 518 points across his 28 games played.
County Council Establishes New Committees
Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee
Reference Number: BR 09122024
Meeting Time: Dept. of Permitting, Inspections, and Enforcement (DPIE) Boards and Commissions: Solid Waste Advisory Commission, Taxicab Board, Agricultural Resources Advisory Committee, Washington Suburban Transit Commission, Agricultural Land Preservation Advisory Board and The TIEE Committee meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursday at 10:00 a.m.
Director: J. Kenneth Battle, Jr. Legislative Attorney: Kathleen H. Canning
Council Member Eric C. Olson serves as Chair of the Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee and Council Member Sydney J, Harrison, serves as Vice Chair.
Agency/Issues Review Responsibilities: Dept. of the Environment (DoE) Dept. of Public Works & Transportation (DPW&T) WSSC WMATA & Purple Line Transportation Oversight including Taxicabs & Limousines OCS (Energy Manager only) Agricultural & Soil Conservation
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Health, Human Services and Public Safety Committee (HHSPS)
Reference: APPT-16-24
Meeting times: Boards and Commissions: Fire Commission, Board of Social Services, Commission for Individuals with Disabilities, Advisory Committee on Aging, Commission for Veterans, Commission for Women, Mental Health Advisory Committee, Commission for Children, Youth and Families, Youth Commission, Arts and Humanities Council, Adult Public Guardianship Review Board, Commission on Fathers, Men, and Boys, Administrative Charging Committee and Police Accountability Board, and The HHSPS Committee meets on the 1st and 3rd Thursday at 1:30 p.m.
Director: Sandra Eubanks
Legislative Attorney: Leroy Maddox, Jr.
Council Member Wanika Fisher serves as Chair of Health, Human Services and Public Safety Committee and Council Member Calvin S. Hawkins, II serves as Vice Chair.
Agency/Issue Review Responsibilities:
Family Services
Health
Social Services
Police
Sheriff
State’s Attorney
Circuit Court & Orphan’s Court
Corrections
Fire/EMS Department/Volunteer Fire
Homeland Security
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Health, Human Services and Public Safety Committee (HHSPS)
Reference: APPT-17-24
Time: Boards and Commissions: Solid Waste Advisory Commission, Taxicab Board, Agricultural Resources Advisory Committee, Washington Suburban Transit Commission, Agricultural Land Preservation Advisory Board, and The Committee meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursday at 10:00 a.m.
Director: J. Kenneth Battle, Jr.
Legislative Attorney: Kathleen H. Canning
Council Member Eric C. Olson serves as Chair of the Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee and Council Member Sydney J, Harrison, serves as Vice Chair.
Agency/Issues Review Responsibilities:
Dept. of the Environment (DoE)
Dept. of Public Works & Transportation (DPW&T)
WSSC
WMATA & Purple Line
Transportation Oversight including Taxicabs & Limousines
OCS (Energy Manager only)
Agricultural & Soil Conservation
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Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee (TIEE)
Reference: BR xxxx1662024
Meeting Time: Boards and Commissions: Solid Waste Advisory Commission, Taxicab Board, Agricultural Resources Advisory Committee, Washington Suburban Transit Commission, Agricultural Land Preservation Advisory Board, and The Committee meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursday at 10:00 a.m.
Director: J. Kenneth Battle, Jr.
Legislative Attorney: Kathleen H. Canning
Council Member Eric C. Olson serves as Chair of the Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee and Council Member Sydney J, Harrison, serves as Vice Chair.
Agency/Issues Review Responsibilities:
Dept. of the Environment (DoE)
Dept. of Public Works & Transportation (DPW&T)
WSSC
WMATA & Purple Line
Transportation Oversight, including Taxicabs & Limousines
OCS (Energy Manager only)
Agricultural & Soil Conservation
Dept. of Permitting, Inspections, and Enforcement (DPIE)
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