Politics

Maryland’s 29% Promise — Measured by Results, Not Rhetoric Before Minority Business Enterprise became a program, it was a fight. It was leaders like Parren J. Mitchell who secured federal minority set-asides not for applause, but for structural access to public contracts that had long been denied to Black-owned firms. MBE was not created for branding. It was created to correct exclusion. In that spirit, BMORENews launches the first annual Maryland State MBE Accountability Scorecard — a data-driven look at where Maryland stands relative to its own benchmark. This is not about personalities.This is about performance. The Benchmark: Maryland’s 29%…

Restoring Legacy & Dignity

(BALTIMORE – October 29, 2025) – Unbeknownst to many, a cultural revolution is quietly underway in America. It’s been simmering for generations — and now, it’s starting to boil. From Hawaii to California, from Georgia to Detroit, more and more melanated people are tracing their indigeneity, their true lineage. This isn’t just about ancestry websites. People are digging into family records, calling courthouses in other states, and connecting dots that were deliberately erased. What they’re finding is mind-blowing — history we were never taught. I saw this shift years ago when I posted a video on “Black Indians.” It got…

The Renaissance of West North Avenue: A New Baltimore Emerges

(BALTIMORE – October 27, 2025) – In the early 1970s, West North Avenue was alive with Black enterprise. I remember Ike Dixon Insurance, the beauty salons, the barbershops, the eateries — the heartbeat of our neighborhood. Fast-forward to more recent times, and only a few Black-owned businesses remain. My cousin Jamal ran Jamal’s Hauling in the 1800 block between Monroe and McKean. He loved his community deeply, and his business was one of the last to go after his passing. Everyone’s Place stands tall as a true staple. I remember when Nati started — from a street vendor to a…

TGR: Penn-North: The Fire Still Burning in Baltimore’s Heart

(BALTIMORE – October 20, 2025) – Smoke was clearing away as neighbors came out early, picking up trash and debris. The morning after Baltimore’s first riots in 47 years, people began gathering at the battered intersection. Cameramen and reporters swarmed what had become the epicenter of global attention, while politicians scrambled to find out if the 1600 block of West North Avenue was in their district. It’s a shame how politicians regard Penn-North. The people here know local politics better than many could imagine. They know who’s delivered and who hasn’t. They attend Penn-North Community Association meetings, Druid Heights CDC…

Delegate Phillips and MWMCA’s Frazier Sound Alarm: New Federal Rule Threatens Maryland’s Minority Business Ecosystem

The DOT’s October 3 rule ends 40 years of demographic protections. Black and women-owned firms must now prove discrimination individually—and time is running out. (BALTIMORE – October 15, 2025) – On October 3, 2025, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued an interim final rule that fundamentally restructured the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program, eliminating the demographic presumptions that have anchored federal contracting access for Black-owned, women-owned, and other disadvantaged firms for four decades. The consequences are immediate and severe. All existing DBE certifications are suspended. Firms must recertify by proving they have faced specific discrimination in their business history. The…

DOT Eliminates Race and Sex Presumptions in Disadvantaged Business Program

Effective immediately, firms must prove disadvantage individually—reshaping access to federal contracts (WASHINGTON, DC – October 15, 2025) – The U.S. Department of Transportation issued an interim final rule on October 3, 2025, fundamentally restructuring how the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program operates. The new rule eliminates race- and sex-based presumptions of disadvantage that have anchored the 40-year-old federal contracting initiative, requiring all firms to demonstrate economic hardship on a case-by-case basis. The shift has immediate consequences. All existing DBE and Airport Concessionaire Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE) certifications are effectively suspended pending reevaluation under the new standards. Federal agencies are prohibited…

Attorney Ben Crump Retained by Erika McGriff Following Release of Disturbing Video Showing Violent Arrest by Jacksonville Officer

(JACKSONVILLE, FL – October 12, 2025) – Nationally renowned civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Harry Daniels have been retained to represent Erika McGriff, the unarmed Jacksonville mother violently arrested in front of her daughter by a police officer outside of her daughter’s school, IDEA Charter School on October 7. In recently released video footage, the officer can be seen punching McGriff, throwing her to the ground, pinning her by her neck with his knee, and yanking her hair as she cries out in pain. In the video audio, McGriff says “help” or “I can’t breathe” more than twenty times. Attorney…

You’re Invited: An Evening in Support of Senator Ben Brooks, Oct. 23rd

An Evening in Support of Senator Ben Brooks Maryland State Senate, District 10Member, Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee 📅 Thursday, October 23, 2025🕕 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM📍 Hilton Garden Inn – Owings Mills4770 Owings Mills Blvd, Owings Mills, MD 21117 Join us for an evening in support of Senator Ben Brooks, a dedicated advocate for Maryland’s working families, quality education, and responsible energy policy. This special reception offers an opportunity to connect with Senator Brooks and discuss the issues shaping the future of our communities. If you’re unable to attend, please consider supporting the campaign by making a…

Project 2025 Watch: What It Means for Black America

“Each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfill it, or betray it.”– Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth (1961) What Is Project 2025? Project 2025 is a conservative playbook developed with the Heritage Foundation that seeks to radically reshape the federal government. It calls for expanding presidential power, consolidating authority in the executive branch, and rolling back civil and social protections. Its proposals affect nearly every federal agency — immigration, education, policing, environmental regulations, and racial equity programs. Critics argue that many of its measures could undermine democratic checks and balances and erase decades of progress.…

Julian Jones Launches Historic Bid for Baltimore County Executive

If elected, Jones would be the county’s first African American executive. His kickoff drew a standing-room-only crowd as the 2026 primary field takes shape. (BALTIMORE COUNTY – August 29, 2025) — Before a standing-room-only crowd of more than 350 — by many counts, nearly 400 — supporters, Baltimore County Councilman Julian Jones officially launched his campaign for County Executive, framing the race as a choice between “bold, practical leadership” and “political games.” In a statement, Jones said the energy in the room matched the stakes for the county’s future: “Last night was truly humbling. I stood before a standing-room-only crowd…

Congressman Kweisi Mfume Statement on DOGE’s Mishandling of Social Security Data

(WASHINGTON, D.C. – August 27, 2025) – Congressman Kweisi Mfume (MD-07) issued the following statement regarding reports that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) mishandled sensitive Social Security data: “Unfortunately, but unsurprisingly, Trump’s actions have put Americans’ right to privacy at risk again. The operatives at DOGE recklessly uploaded the entire Social Security database—including names, birthdates, and other sensitive personal data—to an unsecured cloud, bypassing legal safeguards and exposing the private information of over 300 million Americans to a private entity without their consent. As the Ranking Member of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Government Operations, I want answers,” said Congressman…