Thread by @DLCC

People of color are dying at a higher rate from COVID. #BlackLivesMatter is putting police violence center stage. Black owned businesses are struggling. @SpeakerAJones, the first woman & first Black Speaker of the Maryland House, knows this is the moment for a Black Agenda.
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@SpeakerAJones Jones served in the Maryland House for 20+ years before assuming the speakership. During that time, she also worked as a civil servant in Baltimore government, the county where she was born & raised. Her no-nonsense approach to legislating made her a leader among colleagues.
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@SpeakerAJones Since she became speaker in April of 2019, Jones has pushed for increased funding for HBCUs & the repeal of legislation that has shielded police officers from accountability. She’s been a champion for education funding, especially prioritizing school construction.
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@SpeakerAJones Last month, Jones put forward a package of 30 policy recommendations to address systemic racism. As she explained to @washingtonpost, “The 106 speakers before me, they would not put [this] as a priority. Historically, there has been a white agenda.”
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@SpeakerAJones @washingtonpost At the top of her Racial Justice Agenda is an effort to expand economic opportunities by increasing resources for Black entrepreneurs, prioritizing diversity in state contracts, & creating an equal path to homeownership for more Black Marylanders.
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@SpeakerAJones @washingtonpost Jones has long advocated for the diversity of state employees, a mission she’s now extending to companies doing business with Maryland. She’s calling for increasing minority business participation in public contracts & requiring diversity on the boards of contracted-companies
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@SpeakerAJones @washingtonpost Also high on the agenda is addressing the severe health disparities in Black & other minority communities. That means declaring racism a public health emergency, expanding access to healthy foods, & requiring racial bias training for health care workers.
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@SpeakerAJones @washingtonpost Jones knows it’s ambitious, but the time demands it. “As the 1st Black speaker in Maryland history, I cannot waste this moment. Justice & equity reaches further than police reform. We must create better access & more pathways to economic opportunities. We must get it right.”
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