Platform

Economic Justice

  1. We stand for full employment for all those willing and able to work.
    We call for universal access to jobs with career potential for all who can work, so they can avoid the various problems associated with unemployment. We call for more funding of summer job and skill training programs to allow young people to have access to jobs.
  2. We stand for economic development that provides economic opportunity and commerce within the Black community. We call for economic policies that invest in communities long neglected by state and local officials — without dislocating the families that historically have lived in these communities. We call for an infusion of capital to support much needed local entrepreneurial initiatives that will provide jobs and revitalize community commerce.
  3. We stand for the implementation a “living wage” to lift working people out of poverty. We call for a wage that reflects the minimum income necessary for a worker to meet basic needs. These needs include shelter (housing) and other incidentals, such as clothing and nutrition. We call for a living wage that serves the interests of people and not simply a minimum wage that exploits people.
  4. We stand for community control of affordable and sustainable energy. We call for the re-regulation of the gas and electric industry in the State of Maryland. We call for the expanding of municipal utilities, energy cooperatives and more investment in renewable solar and wind power, which will lower the price of electricity for all the residents of Maryland.
  5. We stand for universal health care and community control of healthcare facilities. We call for a single-payer-universal-health-care plan for all residents of Maryland. We call for the expanded access to holistic healthcare practitioners to provide more medical care options for residents. We call the empowerment of communities to have healthcare access that specifically serves the health needs of the residents of the local communities.

Social Justice

  1. We stand for peace, social justice, equality and equal access for all residents of our state. We call for social justice and shared prosperity to all residents of Maryland regardless of their race, gender, religion, sexual orientation or economic status. We call for public policy that equitably provides access to education, employment, business development, mental health and counseling to promote safe communities and lessen incidents of violence.
  2. We stand for full restoration of the civil rights for ex-felons and end of discriminatory laws that make it difficult for ex-felons to become gainfully employed. We call for the release of all political prisoners held for their activism and defense of rights of poor people. We call for an end to the unjust sentencing laws that incarcerate large numbers of Black, poor and oppressed people. We call for an end of the increasingly for-profit prison industry that utilizes a school-to-prison pipeline that primarily impacts the Black community and other poor communities.
  3. We stand for community control of housing to ensure affordable and safe housing. We call for policy that ensures the affordability and safety of communities throughout the state of Maryland. We call for the revitalization of long neglected and vacant housing to stabilize communities, increase home ownership, make communities safer and end the displacement of families by gentrification. We call for funding that expands the availability of nonprofit and cooperative tenant ownership housing options.
  4. We stand for community control of police to end police brutality and corruption. We call for local oversight by residents of the various law enforcement agencies throughout the state of Maryland. We call for subpoena power by citizen reviews boards with the ability to indict law enforcement officers who have been found participating in corruption or the violation of an individual’s civil rights and to levy monetary rewards for any hardship endured while suffering from their wrongful activity.
  5. We stand for community control of education to ensure the successful participation in society of children from Black and other poor communities. We call for funding that makes early education available to all children regardless of economic status. We call for funding for the operation of community schools that address the specific cultural and economic needs of children throughout the state. We call for policies that allow greater participation by parents and residents of communities to influence the curriculum, standards of achievement and standards of behavior in their local public schools.
  6. We stand for an end to immigration laws that prohibit or make it difficult for African and other oppressed people from gaining legal access to education, healthcare and work opportunities. We call for public policies that make it possible for all residents of Maryland to be contributing citizens to the economic and cultural progress of the state. We call for laws that do not discriminate against a person willing to work or in need of assistance.
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