Commentary: Baltimore County’s Black residents want council that represents them

A group of Baltimore County voters filed a federal lawsuit, Baltimore County NAACP et al. v. Baltimore County et al., challenging the racially discriminatory and unlawful redistricting plan approved by the Baltimore County Council.

Lorena Magdalena Diaz is a campaign strategist at the ACLU of Maryland. Lorena plays a key role in designing and executing sustained organizing campaigns to foster civic engagement, with a particular focus on issues like police reform and the rights of incarcerated individuals. In this capacity, Lorena works closely with directly impacted communities, local leaders, and allies to advance social justice across Central Maryland. Born in Baltimore to immigrant parents, Lorena spent part of her adolescence in El Salvador with her grandparents, an experience that deeply shaped her worldview and helped her become fully bilingual in both English and Spanish. She holds a BA in Government and Politics, with minors in Portuguese and Latin American Studies. Lorena’s professional journey is marked by her steadfast dedication to community empowerment and advocacy. She has worked with CASA and House of Ruth Maryland, where she played a crucial role in strengthening community engagement, particularly within immigrant populations. As a board member of the Baltimore Abortion Fund, she not only advocated for reproductive justice but also supported individuals in need of healthcare, contributing significantly to the organization’s transition from a volunteer-run model to a staffed operation. On a global scale, Lorena has made an impact through her work with the Ministerio de Salud UCSFI San Gerardo in El Salvador, where she developed outreach programs to address intimate partner violence and improve access to essential social and health services for women and children. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Lorena volunteered with local organizations in Baltimore City, offering critical interpretation services to help Latine/x community members access healthcare and essential services. She also assisted Spanish-speaking individuals in applying for unemployment and health benefits, ensuring vulnerable populations were not left behind during the public health crisis. Outside of her professional life, Lorena is a proud Baltimore City resident who enjoys spending time in nature and sharing outdoor adventures with her pitbull, Santiago.

The Baltimore County Council has brazenly moved to deepen inequity and reinforce white political dominance in a county where nearly half the population is Black or of color.