BMORENews Founder Doni Glover reports from Annapolis as the District 10 delegate race shifts and Northwest Baltimore County voters prepare for a pivotal election.

(ANNAPOLIS – March 10, 2026) – There’s nothing quite like popping up in Annapolis during Maryland’s legislative session.

The 90-day Maryland General Assembly session is relentless. The state’s 47 senators and 141 delegates debate roughly 2,500 bills affecting everything from energy costs and public safety to education funding and economic development.

It is serious work.

And on any given day, Annapolis becomes a meeting place for lawmakers, advocates, community leaders, and everyday Marylanders determined to ensure their voices are heard.

During my visit this week, my focus was clear: Northwest Baltimore County, a key part of BMORENews’ coverage area.

Earlier in the day, I had the opportunity to interview Legislative Black Caucus Chair Delegate N. Scott Phillips, followed by conversations with Senator Antonio Hayes and Senator Cory McCray.

Later that evening, attention turned to 10th Legislative District Night in Annapolis, where constituents gathered with their elected officials.

Representing the district today are Senator Ben Brooks and Delegates Adrienne A. Jones, Jennifer White-Holland, and N. Scott Phillips.

And yes — there was good food. Island Quizine catered the event, the same Island Quizine where BMORENews will host Black Wall Street Milford Mill this Thursday.

But while many attendees were enjoying dinner and networking, what I saw unfolding was something else.

Politics.

And if you’ve ever watched a gladiator movie, you know the moment before the big fight — when the fighters sharpen their skills before the arena gates open.

That’s where we are now.

Because with the June 23 primary election approaching, campaign season is officially underway.

A Shift in the District 10 Delegate Race

In Maryland legislative districts, voters typically elect one state senator and three delegates.

Historically, incumbents hold an advantage, but upsets are always possible. In today’s political environment — where campaigns rely on sophisticated voter data, analytics, and targeted outreach — it is easier than ever to identify exactly what a candidate did wrong or what an opponent simply did better.

And in District 10, the House of Delegates race is already generating conversation across the Liberty Road corridor, from Woodlawn and Randallstown to Lochearn, Owings Mills, Milford Mill, and Granite.

Part of the attention stems from a major change in the district’s political lineup.

Speaker Emerita Adrienne A. Jones, who has long represented District 10 in the House of Delegates and made history as the first woman and first African American to serve as Speaker of the Maryland House, is not seeking re-election.

In her place, Robin Harvey has joined the District 10 Unity Team slate, running alongside Senator Ben Brooks and Delegates Jennifer White-Holland and N. Scott Phillips.

Harvey brings extensive experience in public service and community leadership.

She previously served as the elected representative for Councilmanic District 1 on the Baltimore County Board of Education, where she served three years as Vice Chair and advocated for strong governance and equitable opportunities for students.

She has also served as Commissioner for District 1 on the Baltimore County Commission for Women and currently sits on the Board for the Certification of Residential Child Care Program Professionals.

Harvey helped lead one of the most important redevelopment conversations in Northwest Baltimore County. As Co-Chair of the NAACP Randallstown Security Square Mall Redevelopment Task Force, she brought together community leaders, business stakeholders, and elected officials around a shared vision for revitalizing the corridor. That collaboration helped secure a combined $20 million investment from county and state government toward redevelopment and economic opportunity.

Professionally, Harvey serves as Executive Director of the Office of Licensing and Monitoring at the Maryland Department of Human Services, overseeing statewide licensing and monitoring of residential child care and placement agencies.

She is also the founder of Compendium Hill, LLC, a consulting firm focused on strategic planning and leadership development.

Harvey earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the College of William & Mary and a Master of Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania and is a graduate of EMERGE Maryland.

She lives in Baltimore County with her family.

Politically, Harvey has also worked on several campaigns, including supporting Speaker Emerita Adrienne A. Jones and helping build the District 10 Unity Slate.

But politics always leaves room for disruption.

One candidate attempting to shake up the race is former Delegate Jay Jalisi, who previously served in the House of Delegates and is now seeking a return to Annapolis.

The Larger Question: Unity

Yet beyond the candidates and campaign strategies, there is a larger message I wish every melanated resident across Northwest Baltimore County could hear.

From Woodlawn to Randallstown.
From Lochearn to Owings Mills.
From Milford Mill to Granite.

The message is simple.

Unity.

The Liberty Road, Security Boulevard, and Reisterstown Road corridors represent one of the most significant concentrations of Black residents in Baltimore County.

But political power only grows when communities recognize their shared interests and act collectively.

The truth is simple.

Nobody is coming to save us.

If meaningful change is going to happen in our communities, it must begin with us.

Too often during election season, candidates who otherwise have little connection to our neighborhoods suddenly appear at churches and community gatherings.

They shake hands.
They take pictures.
They post those pictures online.

Sometimes they even pay intermediaries to guide them through the community — someone who can tell them whose hand to shake and whose baby to kiss.

And occasionally, someone willing to betray their own community for personal gain.

That is exactly why unity matters.

As Bishop Barry Chapman recently told me:

“Me and Julian don’t always agree, but all of that is put aside for now. We have an election to win.”

That’s the spirit I’m talking about.

What Happened to Us?

I have to ask a question.

What happened to us?

What happened to the spirit born out of the marches, the Bloody Sundays, and the lynchings — endured simply because of the color of our skin?

There was a time when we wore Afros and dashikis, carried Afro picks with the Black fist, listened to the Legendary Last Poets, and felt proud — unapologetically proud — of our Blackness.

Bell bottoms. Apple hats.

Marvin Gaye. Curtis Mayfield.

Music blasting while we raised our fists in the air shouting:

“Black Power! Black Power!”

And today, in many ways, we finally have that power.

More than ever before, Black voters in Maryland can sway almost any election.

That is a fact.

But power without unity is wasted power.

When we are divided — when we are not cohesive — that influence disappears.

So I ask again: What happened to us?

Was it the Gucci purses?
The mortgage payments?
The private school tuition?

Have we become so comfortable, so convinced we have “arrived,” that we now believe the fight for equity is over?

Do we think that because it’s 2026, the same mechanisms used to suppress our communities have simply disappeared?

Do we believe that because America softened its language after the days of Bull Connor, the underlying mindset vanished?

Look around.

From the rise of extremist movements to January 6, the warning signs are clear.

Like it or not, sticking together remains our best option.

Because no one understands the trauma — and the generational impact of that trauma — better than those who have lived through it.

A Historic Opportunity

And that brings us back to Baltimore County.

The last time Baltimore County chose a County Executive, we saw the same thing we are seeing now.

Politicians from outside our community suddenly appearing along Liberty Road, trying to convince us they understand our reality.

They visit our churches.

They attend our events.

They court our vote.

But there is just one problem.

We don’t know them.

We don’t know their political backers.

We don’t know their real priorities.

All they know about us is what someone else told them.

And that is not the same as truly knowing our community.

Which is why this election matters.

For the first time in Baltimore County history, someone who comes from our community and understands our experience has a real opportunity to break a glass ceiling that has hovered over Northwest Baltimore County for more than sixty years.

Councilman Julian Jones has the opportunity to become Baltimore County’s first Black County Executive.

And in my view, he is the most qualified candidate in the race.

He has served four terms as Baltimore County Council Chair, extending the legacy of his predecessor, the late Ken Oliver, another trailblazer who helped expand Black political representation in the county.

More importantly, Jones understands the Liberty Road corridor because he lived it.

And that matters.

Because elections are not just about policy.

They are about representation.

The Bottom Line

For residents across Northwest Baltimore County, the message is simple.

Unity in the community.
Political solidarity.

And remember the date.

June 23.