Maryland
Ashanti Martínez poised to represent District 22 in Md. House of Delegates
Howard University alum is Afro-Latino and openly gay
Ashanti Martínez is set to become the first man of Latino descent to represent District 22 and the first openly gay member of the Maryland House of Delegates to represent Prince George’s County.
Following his unanimous selection from the Prince George’s County Democratic Central Committee to fill a vacant House seat on Feb. 9, his nomination now goes Democratic Gov. Wes Moore, who has 15 days to make the appointment official.
Martínez, 26, is a Howard University alum. He would succeed now-state Sen. Alonzo Washington (D-Prince George’s County), who the committee nominated to finish Maryland Energy Administration Director Paul Pinsky’s term in the House after he joined Moore’s administration.
Martínez, 26, felt honored by the nomination.
“For me, titles and positions are important, but they’re not all it is — it’s about doing the work,” Martínez told the Washington Blade on Monday during a telephone interview. “And so being able to be in a position where I have a larger platform to continue the work that I’ve been doing … it’s an honor of a lifetime.”
Likewise, he believes his selection shows how Prince George’s County is “embracing diverse voices of leadership.”
Martínez, who ran for the House seat twice before and didn’t win, finds the opportunity to serve a “little bit of a delay, but not a denial,” he said.
“Also, I think I give a different lived experience than a lot of the other members,” he added. “I think there’s a lot of great aspects of our county that oftentimes don’t get highlighted because folks don’t live through those experiences. So, encompassing all of the things that I bring to the table, is going make people feel more seen and involved in government.”
Recognizing the period to introduce a bill has passed, Martínez said he will look for other ways to create legislative work on the House floor and co-sponsoring other lawmakers’ measures. Martínez added he will let the public know that his office is open to them.
“I will serve for as long as my community wants to have me,” he said. “I don’t necessarily have a goal about, ‘I want to be in this position, or in this place,’ I just want do the most that I can, for as many people as I can, for as long as I can.”
Maryland
What Anne Arundel County school board candidates think about book bans
State lawmakers passed Freedom to Read Act in April
BY ROYALE BONDS | Parents’ efforts to restrict content available to students in school libraries has become a contentious issue in Maryland. Conservative parent groups, such as Moms for Liberty, have been working to get books they believe are inappropriate removed from libraries in Carroll and Howard counties, sparking protests, new policies, and even a state law.
The Freedom to Read Act, passed in April, sets standards that books cannot be removed from public and school libraries due to an author’s background. Library staff that uphold the standard are protected under this act. The law, however, does not prohibit removing books deemed “sexually explicit,” the stated reason local Moms for Liberty chapters challenged school library books.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner website.
Maryland
Christian Siriano to serve as grand marshal of Annapolis Pride Parade
Fashion designer is an Annapolis native
BY JOHN-JOHN WILLIAMS IV | He’s conquered fashion week. His designs have slayed the red carpet during award season. And now Christian Siriano is coming home.
The Annapolis native will serve as grand marshal and keynote speaker June 1 for the annual Annapolis Pride Parade and Festival, which is a major coup as the event enters its fourth year.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Thursday signed a bill that seeks to combat efforts to ban books from state libraries.
House Bill 785, also known as the Freedom to Read Act, would establish a state policy “that local school systems operate their school library media programs consistent with certain standards; requiring each local school system to develop a policy and procedures to review objections to materials in a school library media program; prohibiting a county board of education from dismissing, demoting, suspending, disciplining, reassigning, transferring, or otherwise retaliating against certain school library media program personnel for performing their job duties consistent with certain standards.”
Moore on Thursday also signed House Bill 1386, which GLSEN notes will “develop guidelines for an anti-bias training program for school employees.”
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Christian Siriano to serve as grand marshal of Annapolis Pride Parade
