News & Commentary

The promise of liberty has never been accessible to all Marylanders. Black Americans, Indigenous communities, women, immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, and countless others have organized, challenged injustice, and demanded the freedoms and protections guaranteed under our laws. Their courage and persistence have helped to try and move our nation closer to its founding ideals.

Under the 2024 Maryland Freedom to Read Act, schools to have a process for reviewing such objections. A committee including parents, school personnel and students was trained on legal standards. Every member read the book, took notes, and weighed the parent’s concerns against its content and literary value. They discussed its age-appropriateness and community standards. Then they voted to keep it in high school libraries, noting the parent remained free to tell the school her child was not allowed to borrow the book. The superintendent agreed.

By its terms, the policy would restrict treasured classics that young people have come of age reading for generations: To Kill a Mockingbird; The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank; A Wrinkle in Time; The Outsiders; Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry; Little Women. All verboten.

As June comes to a close, we simply cannot ignore the energy shift over the last week. I entered this Pride Month with a renewed sense of hope and peace, and unfortunately, I’m ending it in fear and rage.

A collection from the ACLU of Maryland.

Highlighting the Work of Baltimore Safe Haven

There’s No Such Thing as a Dumb Question. (Although, some may be insensitive.)

This Year Hasn’t Been a Complete Disaster.

During the height of the protests against the John Hopkins University private police force, many brave students and community members resisted peacefully on campus against a new force that represented a real, unaccountable threat, especially to students and community members of color.