Local
Center for Black Equity gets new board chair
Robinson assumes key role in Black Pride planning
Letoi Robinson is CBE’s new board chair. (Photo courtesy Robinson)
Letoi Robinson was voted in as the new board chair for the Center for Black Equity (CBE)-Baltimore. Robinson currently serves as the director of development for CBE-Baltimore and will succeed Marines Terreforte.
The official announcement was made on Feb. 22 after consideration by the board of directors and its executive director, Carlton Smith.
“I am thankful to the board of directors for their selection of Ms. Letoi Robinson as the new chairwoman of the Center for Black Equity –Baltimore,” said Smith in a statement. “We are moving forward as an ‘inclusive’ Black LGBTQ community organization.”
The statement continued, “With Letoi becoming the newest chairwoman of CBE-Baltimore, we are excited to continue our mission to seek to improve the well-being and quality of life for Black LGBT individuals and their allies by setting a standard of excellence in the Black LGBT community through health and wellness, spiritual and economic empowerment, social justice, and coalition building.”
CBE-Baltimore will establish planning committees for such signature projects as Sankofa, Baltimore Black Pride, The Baltimore LGBT Women’s Leadership & Development Conference. The organization is seeking qualified and dedicated candidates to serve on the CBE-Baltimore board as members.
For more information on CBE-Baltimore, call 443-218-2478 or email [email protected].
Virginia
VIDEO: LGBTQ groups march in Va. inaugural parade
Abigail Spanberger took office on Saturday
The inaugural ceremonies for Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger were held in Richmond, Va. on Saturday. Among the groups marching in the parade were Diversity Richmond and the Virginia Pride project of Diversity Richmond.
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Virginia
Va. Senate approves referendum to repeal marriage amendment
Outgoing state Sen. Adam Ebbin introduced SJ3
The Virginia Senate on Friday by a 26-13 vote margin approved a resolution that seeks to repeal a state constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.
Outgoing state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) introduced SJ3. The Senate Privileges and Elections Committee on Wednesday approved it by a 10-4 vote margin.
Same-sex couples have been able to legally marry in Virginia since 2014. Outgoing Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2024 signed a bill that codified marriage equality in state law.
A resolution that seeks to repeal the Marshall-Newman Amendment passed in the General Assembly in 2021. The resolution passed again in 2025.
Two successive legislatures must approve the resolution before it can go to the ballot. Democrats in the Virginia House of Delegates have said the resolution’s passage is among their 2026 legislative priorities.
“It’s time for Virginia’s Constitution to reflect the law of the land and the values of today,” said Ebbin after Friday’s vote. “This amendment, if approved by voters, would affirm the dignity of all committed couples and protects marriage equality for future generations.”
Maryland
Layoffs and confusion at Pride Center of Maryland after federal grants cut, reinstated
Trump administration move panicked addiction and mental health programs
By ALISSA ZHU | After learning it had abruptly lost $2 million in federal funding, the Pride Center of Maryland moved to lay off a dozen employees, or about a third of its workforce, the Baltimore nonprofit’s leader said Thursday.
The group is one of thousands nationwide that reportedly received letters late Tuesday from the Trump administration. Their mental health and addiction grants had been terminated, effective immediately, the letters said.
By Wednesday night, federal officials moved to reverse the funding cuts by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, estimated to total $2 billion, according to national media reports. But the Pride Center of Maryland’s CEO Cleo Manago said as of Thursday morning he had not heard anything from the federal government confirming those reports.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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