RALLY IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE JEWISH PEOPLE

Learn more, and register for the rally. Antisemitism and all forms of hatred need to be stood up to and rejected. Let your voice be heard. Baltimore Jewish Council | baltjc.org STAY CONNECTED  ‌  ‌

Baltimore Jewish Council | 5750 Park Heights Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21215

Disability Rights Maryland

invites You to its 

2021 Breaking Barriers Virtual Awards Gala

Thursday, November 18, 2021 at 6:30 p.m.

The Breaking Barriers Awards Gala is Disability Rights Maryland’s (DRM) signature celebration where individuals, law firms and organizations that have demonstrated exceptional leadership, vision and achievement in safeguarding the legal rights of people with disabilities in Maryland are recognized and honored. Bringing together attorneys, corporate and foundation leaders, government representatives, and disability advocates, DRM’s gala shines a powerful spotlight on noble individuals who further the rights of Marylanders with disabilities. Funds raised at the Gala will directly support DRM and expand our capacity to provide critical legal assistance so that Marylanders with disabilities, regardless of income, age or race, can live full independent lives in the community.

The following awards will be presented:

(1) 2020 Judith Heumann Champion of Justice Award

    Established in the named of Judith E. Heumann, one of the most influential disability rights activists   in United States history, the Champion of Justice award recognizes her lifelong activism and pursuit  of equality and inclusion for people with disabilities.

Recipient: Wade Henderson, Former President & CEO, The Leadership Conference. 

    This award recognizes Wade Henderson for his lifetime of advocacy and passion for the civil rights    and the disability rights movements.

(2) 2020 Gayle Hafner Grassroots Advocacy Award

    Recipient: Floyd Hartley, Chairman, Consumers for Accessible Ride Services (CARS). This award recognizes CARS for its central role in the struggle for equal access to transportation for Marylanders with disabilities. Floyd Hartley will be presented the award on behalf of the full CARS team (Debbie Benaderet, Will Fields, Imani Graham, Floyd Hartley, Marlene Hendler, Linda Merkle, Danielle Phelps, May Robinson, Valerie Smith and Kim Stevens).

2020 Lorraine Sheehan Lifetime Achievement Award

    Recipient: Andrew D. Levy, Partner, Brown, Goldstein & Levy. This award honors Andrew D. Levy for his lifelong service to people with disabilities and his embodiment of the spirit and attributes that    the award celebrates.

Download sponsorship packet

https://disabilityrightsmd.org/2021-breaking-barriers-virtual-awards-gala/

www.DisabilityRightsMD.org

www.DisabilityRightsMD.org  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌

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Source: Disability Rights Maryland, July 7, 2021.

 MARYLAND COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS' FAIR HOUSING WORKSHOP

Fair Housing: Know Your Rights Wednesday, July 28, 2021 10am to 11:30am Register at mccr.events/FairHousingJuly2021 Please join us for this informative workshop from the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights about the laws under the Fair Housing Act which provide protections that exist for all Marylanders. One of our most fundamental rights is to live peaceably where we choose - where everyone has equal access to neighborhoods of opportunity. Fair housing is the right of all people to buy, sell, or rent residential property, and to live where they wish without discriminatory criteria. Having chosen a place to live, we are guaranteed the right to reside there peacefully, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin, marital status, source of income, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. There will be emphasis on current issues such as disability and sexual harassment as it pertains to housing.

Victim of Discrimination? Training & Partnerships

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MCCR's July Public Trainings

Dimensions of Diversity Thursday, July 8, 2021 10am to 1pm Register at mccr.events/DoDJuly2021 This interactive training workshop provides both information and opportunity to examine and understand the concepts of culture, cultural information and its origin, and how it impacts the workplace. Workshop content includes: Key Diversity Definitions Cycle of Information/Misinformation Examining and understanding the issues of bias Multi-Cultural Communication Awareness​ Conflict Resolution in the Workplace Thursday, July 15, 2021 10am to 1pm Register at mccr.events/ConflictResJuly2021 This interactive training workshop examines the role of interpersonal conflict and its impact on the workplace. The workshop provides both insight and information on the causes and process of conflict and offers conflict management techniques. Workshop content includes: Causes of Conflict Cycle of Conflict Conflict styles Conflict Management Tools & Techniques​ Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity Wednesday, July 21, 2021 10am to 1pm Register at mccr.events/SOGIJuly2021 This engaging training workshop highlights current information regarding sexual orientation and gender identity anti-discrimination law in Maryland. The workshop also provides information on the basic concepts, definitions, and issues that may arise in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity. Workshop content includes: Definitions Applicable Law Kinsey Scale of Sexuality Orientation and Identity Issues Orientation and Identity in the Workplace​ Fair Housing: Know Your Rights Wednesday, July 28, 2021 10am to 11:30am Register at mccr.events/FairHousingJuly2021 Please join us for this informative workshop from the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights about the laws under the Fair Housing Act which provide protections that exist for all Marylanders. One of our most fundamental rights is to live peaceably where we choose - where everyone has equal access to neighborhoods of opportunity. Fair housing is the right of all people to buy, sell, or rent residential property, and to live where they wish without discriminatory criteria. Having chosen a place to live, we are guaranteed the right to reside there peacefully, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin, marital status, source of income, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. There will be emphasis on current issues such as disability and sexual harassment as it pertains to housing.

Victim of Discrimination? Training & Partnerships

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Source: MCCR release, July 1, 2021.

 Maryland Commission on Civil Rights Celebrates LGBTQ+ Pride Month

June 22, 2021

The Board of Commissioners and the Staff of the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights celebrates Pride Month, standing as allies and in support of the civil rights of the LGBTQ+ community this, and every, month.  Pride Month is an opportunity to celebrate, raise awareness, and participate in events that recognize the LGBTQ+ community.   As so eloquently offered by the National Park Service “civil rights are understood as freedoms of life, safety, thought and conscience, speech, expression, the press, assembly, and movement as well as the right to privacy and protection from discrimination.”  An equitable society must guarantee these aforementioned civil and human rights. The LGBTQ+ community has experienced victories and losses.  Within the past year, the United States Supreme Court has affirmed that the protections of Title VII extend to gender identity and sexual orientation.  The Court has recently held, in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, that municipal policies requiring non-discrimination from contractors providing public services, when exceptions are allowed, must accommodate religious beliefs.  We understand that fifty or more laws have been proposed that protect or advance the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.  We also understand that one hundred or more laws across thirty-three states have been proposed that limit the rights of transgender persons.  This month, we remembered those lost in the Pulse massacre five years ago.    As Marylanders, we have been leaders in standing with our LGBTQ+ communities.  Since 2001, discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation has been illegal.  In 2012, persons of the same sex have been able to marry the persons they love.  In 2018, Maryland banned conversion therapy on minors.  The legal defense for violence because of fear, panic, or temporary insanity from being “hit-on” by a person of the same sex will be abolished.  We must continue to do better! Progress has been achieved in Maryland.  Yet the arc of justice must continuously bend towards supporting all historically excluded communities, often while combating against intolerance.  In Maryland, LGBTQ+ communities “continue to face significant and disturbing barriers in almost every facet of their lives, including public health, employment, community safety and housing.”  Maryland must identify and address disparities.  The Maryland Commission on Civil Rights will host a virtual event on June 28th, 2021, from 12:00pm to 2:00pm titled “A Hidden Health Crisis: Health Disparities facing the LGBT Community”.  You can register for free at mccr.events/LGBTQHealth.  We hope you can join us and please share with others in your community.  As Marylanders, and as a Commission, we must continue to support the civil rights of the LGBTQ+ community.  On behalf of the Board of Commissioners and the Staff of the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights Gary C. Norman, J.D., L.L.M., Chairperson Alvin O. Gillard, Executive Director

Victim of Discrimination? Training & Partnerships

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US Senate Passes Bill to make Juneteenth a Federal Holiday

The US Senate passed a bill on June 15, 2021 that would make Juneteenth, or June 19th, a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the nation. Juneteenth would become the 12th federal holiday. Most expect it to easily pass the House, which then would send it to President Joe Biden for approval. If the bill is enacted, the federal holiday would be known as "Juneteenth National Independence Day."

As reported in the June, 2021 edition of Fair Housing News: "Juneteenth is a celebration of emancipation and Black liberation. Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the US, and one of several “Emancipation Days” observed by Black diasporic communities in the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada, and the US. The holiday is celebrated on June 19th because on that date in 1865 Union soldiers told enslaved persons in Texas that the US Civil War had ended and that they had been freed from bondage by the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. Freed Black and Afro-Indigenous people from Texas brought the celebration with them when they migrated to other states. Juneteenth is a communal celebration, nowadays commemorated with events like block parties, cookouts, parades, and rodeos. Like many memorial occasions in the Black diasporic tradition, Juneteenth is a celebratory, instead of solemn, commemoration.. Baltimore City celebrates Juneteenth with events like the Juneteenth Open Air Celebration at the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum, Juneteenth Popup at Hanover Cross Street, and the Reservoir Hill Association Present Juneteenth. The Maryland Legislature passed a bill in 2021 making Juneteenth a holiday, and some counties celebrate it this way also, such as Howard County as of  2021. For more events in Baltimore, go to https://www.eventbrite.hk/d/md--baltimore/black-history/." Sources: The Voter, League of Women Voters of Baltimore County, May/June, 2021. https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/howard/cng-ho-juneteenth-announcement-20210408-fj4fglngzbewhmgawm5e4usgna-story.html. https://www.chesapeakefamily.com/juneteenth-freedom-day-maryland-events-for-2021/.

The Senate passed the Juneteenth bill under a unanimous consent agreement that speeds the process for considering legislation. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass. with 60 co-sponsors. Markey tweeted on June 14, 2021: “We have a long road towards racial justice in the United States and we cannot get there without acknowledging our nation’s original sin of slavery. It is long past time to make Juneteenth a federal holiday.”

Many states recognize Juneteenth as a holiday or have an official observance of the day, and most states hold celebrations. Juneteenth is a paid holiday for state employees in Texas, New York, Virginia and Washington. 

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Source: Associated Press article, June 16, 2021. https://apnews.com/article/senate-approves-juneteenth-federal-holiday-58d4fbd343f17df0b03dd0d0a221e452.

 COVID-19 Hate Crimes Bill Signed into Law

May 24, 2021

Contact: David Card
202.408.9514 x122
press@ndrn.org

WASHINGTON, DC – On May 20th, President Biden signed into law the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. This vital piece of legislation includes what was initially known as the Khalid Jabara and Heather Heyer National Opposition to Hate, Assault, and Threats to Equality Act, a bill NDRN has long supported.

“People with disabilities are frequent targets of hate-motivated crimes,” said NDRN Executive Director Curt Decker. “Today, we stand as an ally with the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community who have experienced a rise in hate-based crimes since the start of the pandemic.”

The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act enables the attorney general to distribute grants to state and local law enforcement units to implement the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). This system helps to identify and classify hate crime activity, equipping law enforcement with vital information to fight back against hate crime. Additionally, the funding enables the local governments to create important hotlines where hate crime activity can be reported.

“The disability community is composed of people from every background, color, and creed. Consequently, the AAPI community is part of the disability community and vice versa,” continued Decker. “NDRN believes this important legislation will positively impact the lives of people with disabilities as well as members of all other minority communities.”

The National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) is the nonprofit membership organization for the federally mandated Protection and Advocacy (P&A) Systems and the Client Assistance Programs (CAP) for individuals with disabilities. Collectively, the Network is the largest provider of legally based advocacy services to people with disabilities in the United States.

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Source: National Disability Rights Network press release, May 24, 2021.