(BALTIMORE – July 23, 2025) – Last week, Walter P. Carter Institute for Leadership & Service announced the official launch of the Community Leadership and Empowerment Program (CLEP) , a free, nonpartisan initiative designed to grow civic understanding, build local leadership, and connect Baltimore residents to the tools of power. Baltimore has long been home to powerful civic movements and neighborhood-based leadership. From tenant unions to cultural institutions, the city has always produced people who organize, resist, and reimagine. What sets CLEP apart, aside from its nonpartisan, no-cost structure, is its founding team: Kristerfer Burnett, former Baltimore City Councilman and longtime…

BALTIMORE, MD – Maryland Commission on Civil Rights Executive Director Cleveland L. Horton II and Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announce the publication of Know Your Rights: A Guide to Understanding and Protecting Your Rights (available in both English and Spanish). This 37-page resource is designed to give Marylanders critical information about how Maryland law protects their civil rights in a number of different areas: Protections against discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, health services, and education; The rights of persons with disabilities, immigrants, persons with limited English proficiency, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community; and Freedom from hate crimes, and other acts of hate…

(BALTIMORE – July 23, 2025) – If we’re serious about building a New Baltimore—one that is just, sustainable, and genuinely inclusive—we must commit to a vision that marries economic development with grassroots political power. That means understanding a critical truth: business innovation and community activism are not opposites—they are allies. We often praise the developers, CEOs, and institutional leaders who are shaping the skyline and economy of our city. Names like Otis Rolley, Mark Anthony Thomas, Shelonda Stokes, and David Bramble are rightly applauded for their leadership and bold business moves. They are the dealmakers ushering in the future. But there’s…

 Politics ’26 – Where the Campaign Trail Meets the Community Wednesdays at 6PM | Only on BlackUSA.News Join host Doni Glover and guest co-host John Rydell, veteran political journalist, for Politics ’26 — your front-row seat to the people shaping our future. From city hall to the statehouse, we spotlight both seasoned elected officials and rising candidates who are changing the political landscape.  This week’s lineup features: Sharonda Huffman, candidate for Baltimore County Council Braxton Street, running for the House of Delegates in Maryland’s 40th District Special guest Doug Blacksher reporting in from Oakland with a crucial update on Mayor Barbara Lee and other West Coast developments. Don’t miss the conversations that matter. Politics ‘26 –…

(BALTIMORE – July 2025) — Delegate Joseline A. Peña-Melnyk is no stranger to fighting the tough battles in Annapolis. As Chair of the Maryland House Health and Government Operations Committee, she’s spent her career advocating for those too often left out of the conversation — the working poor, the undocumented, the sick, the voiceless. On April 1, 2025, Peña-Melnyk again showed that resolve as she fiercely defended an amendment to Senate Bill 587, the Maryland Reparations Commission legislation. Her leadership helped the bill pass its second reader on the House floor — a vital step toward historical accountability and repair.…

(OUAGADOUGOU, BURKINA FASO – July 21, 2025) – MEET Ibrahim Traoré, President of Burkina Faso.In Office Since: September 30, 2022Rank: Transitional Military Leader Profile: Captain Ibrahim Traoré is the transitional president of Burkina Faso, having come to power through a military coup on September 30, 2022. At the time, he was just 34 years old, making him the world’s youngest head of state. His rise followed the ousting of Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, amid growing public anger over the government’s failure to contain jihadist violence destabilizing the Sahel region. Since assuming leadership, Traoré has embraced a strong anti-imperialist stance,…

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Governor Wes Moore today announced $50 million in grant awards to support vacant property reduction efforts in Baltimore City through the Baltimore Vacants Reinvestment Initiative. The governor also announced a new Baltimore Vacants Reinvestment Initiative Support Fund, toward which philanthropic partners have contributed more than $1 million for technical assistance to support awardees. Today’s announcements marks an acceleration of the Moore-Miller Administration’s commitment to addressing the challenge of vacant properties in Baltimore City neighborhoods announced last year through the creation of Reinvest Baltimore. “For this to be Maryland’s decade, it has to be Baltimore’s time,” said Gov. Moore. “We know that if…

Dear Constituent, Today, I voted a STRONG NO on the budget bill brought before the U.S. House of Representatives—as I promised you I would. My vote: Protects an estimated 2.6 million Marylanders who rely on Medicare and Medicaid from the largest Medicaid cut in history (slashing about $1 trillion from Medicaid, according to Forbes); Prevents an estimated 1 in 4 nursing homes from closing (Source: House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee); Wards off the largest cut to nutritional assistance ever for 684,000 Marylanders, including over 270,000 children, and (figures attributed to the Maryland Department of Human Services); Protects nearly 840,000 at risk jobs in the next 5 years, and an additional 790,000 jobs in the next…

(ANNE ARUNDEL CO., MD – July 2, 2025) – On today’s Emmy-nominated Doni Glover Show episode, Anne Arundel County Councilman Pete Smith announced his candidacy for County Executive in 2026. In a wide-ranging, hour-long interview, Smith opened up about everything from co-parenting his two children to his military service in the Middle East to leading an annual Christmas toy drive as far as the Bea Gaddy Center in East Baltimore. Born and raised in Chicago, Smith’s life story evokes comparisons to The Other Wes Moore. While his brother and sister have both served time in jail, Smith chose a different path—enlisting in…

Special thanks to Diane Bell’s Opportunity Connections, G. Grant Griffin Media Group, Sanjay Thomas Allstate Insurance, Attorney J. Wyndal Gordon, Simple Wellness Day Spa, Edible Arrangements – Govans, Tylino’s Caribbean Restaurant, Next Phaze Cafe, Georgia Peach, Rabbit’s MD Crab Soup, and the MD-Washington Minority Companies Association (MWMCA). (BALTIMORE – July 2, 2025) – First, let me thank God for allowing me to see my 60th birthday. I don’t take it for granted—not one bit. Some counted me out along the way, but God had other plans. Even in my failures, shortcomings, and bad decisions, His faithfulness never wavered. Without Him,…