Advocates will hold a series of town hall meetings throughout the state as part of a push to increase funding for Maryland’s historically black colleges and universities and settle a 13-year lawsuit.
The town hall series, part of 100 days of action in the state capital, will include discussions of historic discrimination in Maryland colleges and the value and of Maryland’s HBCUs from students, alumni, legislators and others.
The first event will be held Tuesday in Annapolis from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Wiley H. Bates Legacy Center, 1101 Smithville St.
Moderators for the first town hall are John B. King, president of EdTrust and former U.S. Secretary of Education in the Obama administration, and Sharon Y. Blake of Maryland HBCU Advocates and former president of the Baltimore Teachers Union.
Last month, hundreds of people rallied in Annapolis for an end to a 2006 lawsuit filed by a coalition of advocates and alumni from the HBCUs – Morgan State, Coppin State, Bowie State and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. The coalition is willing to settle the case for a $577 million funding commitment, while Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) has offered a $200 million figure. Advocates are pressing legislators in the General Assembly to approve a higher settlement.
The full list of town hall events is at www.savemdhbcus.org/town-halls.
Danielle E. Gaines
Contributor
Danielle Gaines worked for Maryland Matters from September 2018 to January 2024. She covered government and politics for Maryland Matters for two years before moving into an editing position, ultimately serving as editor-in-chief for nearly three years. Previously, she spent six years at The Frederick News-Post ― as the paper’s principal government and politics reporter for half that time, covering courts and legal affairs before that. She also reported for the now-defunct The Gazette of Politics and Business in Maryland and previously worked as a county government and education reporter at The Merced Sun-Star in California’s Central Valley.
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