The Black Press/ Alsobrooks & Hogan's Campaign Finances/ Community News & Events
The Black Press/ Alsobrooks & Hogan's Campaign Finances/ Community News & Events
Getting info to Prince George's County Residents
Thank you for reading this newsletter. If you have any concerns or story tips, please email at contxtnewsletter@gmail.com
As I write this, Black journalists are still attending The National Association of Black Journalism (NABJ) held in Chicago. Black journalists and media scholars have critiqued NABJ for inviting a convicted criminal, and former President Donald Trump to its conference, where thousands of Black journalists, media, and Black publishers convene to share information, promote jobs, organize, and to speak with each other about the state of their media.
Many Black journalists warned the organization about what would happen if Trump were to attend. (Note: The organization also extended an invitation to Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris couldn’t attend. Allegedly, her team offered to do a virtual meeting, but the organization’s leadership declined).
At first seeing the NABJ advertisement for Trump’s attendance, I asked myself: Why are they doing this? Did they invite Kamala? “This is a bad idea,” I thought. The organization is giving him a space to say what he’s been saying since he campaigned against Obama. ( You read that right. Trump has been lying and using similar language since then). Other Black journalists and scholars agreed. Platforming Trump, they argued, would give him space to spew misinformation, and to say racist things. He did all the above. My bias was confirmed.
I love the NABJ. I was a part of it in college. Cheryl Smith, a pioneer in the Black Press, teacher, activist and Black media scholar, introduced me to the Black Press and NABJ. She was my college professor at Paul Quinn College, an HBCU in Dallas, Texas. At NABJ conferences, Ms. Smith introduced us to George Curry, a gifted writer and reporter. I was invited to participate in a student practicum in Atlanta, GA. I was a part of the photojournalism team, were I worked with Black photographers from The Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, and The Detroit Free Press. We where responsible for covering Atlanta and the conference. It is a great place for young Black journalists to gain experience and opportunity.
Additionally, at the conferences, Black journalists and teachers reminded us of our history. They told us that we stood on the shoulders of thousands of Black journalists who dared to hold the establishment accountable, used their pens and bodies to resist white supremacists, and combated misinformation/disinformation. They did all of this while also telling the stories of Black communities.
This is the tradition of NABJ, and the Black Press. So it was strange to see the organization decide to bring a known liar to the conference. Their explanation: (in short) We want to inform Black voters. The former President didn’t say anything we already didn’t know.
I like solutions. In fact, The Intersection is about providing solutions to community members. Instead of inviting Trump under the guise of informing the Black community, it could have done these things:
Invited local Black Publishers and journalists (like The Tribe) to talk about its approach to informing the Black communities in Chicago. * This could have provided rich insight to young and old reporters.
They could have invited Black political scientists, theologians, sociologists, and historians to talk about Black people’s approach to politics and our varied political analysis.
They could have activists from battleground states talk about how their disseminating information via social media platforms.
They could have had a panel of Black political strategists talk about the politics of disengaged Black voters.
They could have historians talk about Black people’s tactics for getting people to vote, and engaged in media and activism.
Finally, they could have also used this time to talk about the Black Press’s legacy and future in local news.
They could have used this time to talk about 80 percent of Black men who will not vote Republican.
Maryland Senate Race Campaign Finances
According to Open Secrets, an organization that tracks campaign finances, County Executive Angela Alsobrooks has raised $12,291,809. Larry Hogan has raised $7,003,571, which is 5,288,238 less than Alsobrooks.
Alsobrooks received $1,789,944 in individual donations and $7,508,533 in large individual donations. She has received about $686,705 from Political Action Committees (PACS). Hogan has received $496,163 in small individual donations, and $2,201,629 in large individual donations. He has received $437,024 from PACS.
Of her total campaign contributions, she has spent $8,732,207, leaving her with $3,559,602 in cash. Hogan has spent $4,340,175, leaving him with $2,663,396 in cash.
You can read more about both candidates’ campaign finances here.
Community Events
Testify at the PG County School Board Meetings for Solar Schools!
Time: 5 pm
Date: Tuesday and Thursday
Testify at the school board meetings and push solar for schools! August 21st is the budget policy committee meeting and is online. August 29th is the first in-person School Board meeting of the school year.
Link here.
_
BOE: PGCPS Negotiation Team (On Behalf of the Prince George's County Board of Education)
Time: 10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Date: August 7, Wednesday
Location: virtual meeting ( link)
Contact: Board of Education Office
301-952-6115 boardofeducation@pgcps.org
_
Graduation: Summer School
Time: 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Date: Aug. 8, Thursday
Location: Dr. Henry A. Wise, Jr. High School
12650 Brooke Lane
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772
_
Board of License Commissioners Regular Session
Time: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Date: August 7, 2024
Location: virtual
Info: If you would like to attend, the link to the virtual hearing will be available one week prior on the BOLC’s website at http://bolc.mypgc.us or you may email BLC@co.pg.md.us to request the link. Additional information may be obtained by contacting the Board's Office at 301-583-9980.
_
Administrative Charging Committee Meeting
Time: 6 p.m.
Date: August 8, 2024
Location: Virtual
Info: To view the meeting online, please click this URL to join: https://mypgc.zoom.us/j/4535856433 Meeting ID: 453 585 6433 Passcode: 548832
_
Community Information Session in English
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Date: August 15, 2024
Info: DPIE hosts quarterly virtual Third-Thursday Community Information Sessions to allow the public to interact directly with agency leadership and staff. Each session focuses on a particular topic and includes a brief presentation, comments by DPIE experts and a Q&A period.
Sessions take place from 11 a.m.–12 noon on the third Thursday of February, May, August and November. The next meeting in English is scheduled for August 15, 2024.
Participants may register in advance and submit questions to dpiepio@co.pg.md.us. We hope to see you at the next virtual meeting!
_
Environmental Justice Commission ( Prince George’s County Department of Environment)
Time: 6 p.m.
Date: Monthly
location: Inglewood Center II
1801 McCormick Drive
Potomac Conference Room - Suite 500
Largo, MD 20774
Note: The schedule is unknown.
_
Solid Waste Advisory
Time: 6 p.m.
Date: The third Tuesday of each month
Location (virtual): https://mypgc.zoom.us/j/81204113152
Meeting ID: 812 0411 3152
Passcode: 000000
_
Residential Street Sweeping Town Hall
Time: 7 pm - 8 pm
Date: Aug 7
Location (virtual): Join the Department of Public Works & Transportation at one of our Virtual Community Town Hall Meetings to discuss the County's new Street Sweeping Program and learn more about its details and benefits.
Register here
_
Politics & Prose
Time: 7 p.m.
Date: August 9
Location: 5015 Connecticut Ave NW Washington, DC 20008
Info: Marshall Ganz — People, Power, Change: Organizing for Democratic Renewal - with Dorian Warren — at Conn Ave
At a moment when our democratic abilities seem to have eroded, and political, economic, and technological forces have weakened the capacity for collective action, People, Power, Change is a once-in-a-generation book for anyone who wants to create real and lasting change.
Marshall Ganz is one of the world's leading authorities on democratic organizing, and this book is the culmination of his decades of teaching, research, and work. In People, Power, Change, Ganz distills for students, practitioners, and activists the principles he has gleaned over the last half-century of creating collective action.
Ganz explores the forces, craft, and learned skill of organizing and provides an actionable framework for how to actually do it. He focuses the book on the creation and substance of relationships, the fuel of values and narrative, the resources and power of strategy, the necessity of structure, and the accountability of action. Across these five organizing ideas, Ganz weaves in his personal experiences from a lifetime of organizing in iconic social movements and campaigns to illustrate how collective action actually works and to build the practices and skills that must be developed to do it with intention and with success.
_
Maryland State Archives
The State House Trust, the Commission on Artistic Property (of the Maryland State Archives), the Department of General Services, and the Maryland Public Art Commission (of the Maryland State Arts Council) are pleased to announce a Request for Qualifications from artists, or teams of artists (hereafter, “artists” shall mean individuals and/or teams of artists) with experience in figurative sculptural artwork to design and create a memorial to honor Black Patriots who served in the American Revolutionary War. Once identified, qualified artists will then be invited to submit proposals to be considered for commissioned work to create a monument that will be located on the grounds of the Maryland State House.
Stipend for artist: $5,000
Application Deadline: Friday, August 9, 2024 (Background info only, no artwork proposals)
To apply: click here How-to-Apply Webinar: Thursday, July 11, 2:00 - 3:00 pm; To register: Click here
To view the site plan drawings: click here
To view the How to Apply Webinar recording: click here
To view the Questions and Answers from the Webinar: click here
Information Sheet: Black Patriots in the Revolutionary War. Prepared by the Maryland State Archives: click here
The monument is to be placed on the exterior southeast lawn in front of the State House, the original 18th-century entrance to the building. The scale of this monument should be appropriately proportioned to respect the historic façade of the building, and not obscure the view onto, or from, the southeast portico. The monument will be located in proximity to the Old Treasury Building (the oldest public building in Annapolis, built 1735-36) as well as to the tree honoring Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., planted in 1984. The Maryland State House was built in the Georgian style. The proposed artwork should take into account the existing landscape and the scale of the building. There must be ADA access to view and experience the artwork. Artwork materials must be durable to withstand the elements and be low maintenance.
For more info - click here
Big News
Health Department Receives $7 Million for Youth and Families
Excerpt: The System of Care and Healthy Transitions programs are now accepting referrals! County residents ages birth-21 and their families can now easily access behavioral health, peer, education, and advocacy services through the System of Care program. County residents ages 16-25 can now effortlessly access behavioral health, peer, leadership, and employment services through the Healthy Transitions program.
_
Meet County Candidates Running For At-Large Seat
Excerpt: Prince George’s County will hold a special election to replace Mel Franklin, who resigned from the county council due to allegedly misuse of campaign funds. Franklin resigned just before a state prosecutor could charge him with embezzling funds. Franklin’s resignation means that his At-Large seat is up for grabs.
Key dates: Early voting in the special election takes place July 31-Aug. 5, and the day of the primary election is Aug. 6. After the upcoming primary, voters will have the opportunity to choose between one Democrat and one Republican on Nov. 5.
_
Sens. Cardin and Van Hollen, Congressman Ivey Secure Infrastructure Funds
Excerpt: At West Hyattsville Metro Station, Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen (both D-Md.) and Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) presented a check for $1.6 million for the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) Water. This funding includes $1.38 million for flooding control in the Port Towns region of the Anacostia River Watershed, $500,000 for pedestrian, safety, and environmental upgrades, and $959,000 to connect low-income homes to public sewage lines.
_
Excerpt: Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced today that his Consumer Protection Division has filed charges against DARCARS of Bowie, Inc. d/b/a DARCARS Honda, its parent company Mariam, Inc., and both companies’ owners John Rahmangholi Darvish and Jamshyd Darvish. DARCARS Honda operates a new and used vehicle dealership located at 2260 Crain Highway, in Bowie, Maryland.
According to the Statement of Charges, the Respondents violated Maryland’s Consumer Protection Act through unfair or deceptive trade practices at nearly every stage of their dealership’s sale of new vehicles to consumers, including in the following ways:
By deceptively charging consumers a fee equal to an extra 2% of the vehicle sales price that Respondents misleadingly call a “sales commission” and claim is “optional,” when the fee is not a commission to a salesperson and consumers were unaware of their option to not pay the fee.
_
Excerpt: Police in Prince George’s County, Maryland, say a man suspected in the fatal shooting of a 6-year-old boy during a neighborhood Fourth of July party has been arrested in Guyana — and authorities are still trying to track down at least one other suspect.
_
Governor Moore Announces Appointments to Prince George’s County Circuit Court
Excerpt: Governor Wes Moore today announced the appointment of five individuals to Prince George’s County Circuit Court.
“Today, I am proud to appoint five exceptional public servants to the Prince George's County Circuit Court, as they continue their service to our state in this new chapter,” said Gov. Moore. “Their depth of experience and commitment to the rule of law will make our state more just and more fair for years to come.”