Baltimore Transit Equity Coalition Event 

The 2023 Commemoration of the Red Line will be on June 24th

Saturday, June 24, 2023. 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Location Disclosed after RSVP•*, Baltimore, MD 21230

The Baltimore Transit Equity Coalition (BTEC) will hold a Downtown Walk at the Harbor to celebrate and mark the 8th anniversary of the cancellation of the Red Line Light Rail Project. There will be complementary music, buffet, non-alcoholic drinks, and alcoholic drinks. You must be aged 21 or older to drink alcoholic drinks in Maryland.

RSVPs are accepted until June 20, 2023. 

For more information and/or questions, contact btec.moretransitequity@gmail.com.

Please note that the Harbor venue and its bathrooms are wheelchair accessible. 

"The Baltimore Transit Equity Coalition is a resolute, community-led organization advocating for equitable, reliable transit that improves quality of life and the environment. Our anti-racist work was born out of Governor Hogan’s decision to cancel the Red Line project in 2015. That decision – a quintessential example of structural racism in the region – spurred many of the original Red Line planning committee members to action. Shortly after the governor canceled the project, these members gathered with others in the community to form our coalition. BTEC’s first major initiative was to submit a Title VI administrative complaint to the US Department of Transportation on the grounds that the decision violated the federal government’s anti-discrimination laws established by the 1964 Civil Rights Act. When that complaint was summarily dismissed by the Trump administration in 2016 (without comment), we continued to seek other avenues to develop equitable transit in the region."

*****

Sources:

Baltimore Transit Equity Coalition, Newsletter, June 3, 2023.

https://moretransitequity.com/.

 Mortgage Lending Discrimination

 KeyBank & Capital One Lose Their Access To New York City’s Business

The NYC Banking Commission has voted to freeze deposits at the two megabanks over their refusal to tackle racial discrimination. KeyBank and Capital One will not receive further deposits from the City of New York after the unprecedented public vote by the Commission, which took the punitive action because the banks have refused to share information on their internal efforts to combat discrimination by failing to submit anti-discrimination plans. The New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, one of three members of the commission, also voted against allowing Wells Fargo, PNC, and International Finance Bank to hold public funds after they also failed to submit anti-discrimination plans.

In a public hearing, the Commission designated 26 banks to receive deposits from city agencies for the next two years. Despite the suspensions of Capital One and KeyBank, the two banks can service existing contracts for one year.

These actions come after the Commission in February strengthened its rules to make designated banks more accountable to the public by asking banks to provide detailed plans and specific steps to combat lending and employment discrimination. Banks are expected to provide approved banking products and services for city entities and must provide total collateralization for any money held.

“Good cities shouldn’t do business with bad banks, so it’s great to see the New York commissioners take action here,” the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) commented. “KeyBank and Capital One have atrocious track records of not just under-serving but actively harming the interests of low-wealth communities and people of color. New York City moves a lot of money around in the course of everyday business, so some bank is going to make money by providing that service. But that profit opportunity shouldn’t go to banks like these that abuse the privileges of a federal bank charter while flouting the responsibilities that come with it.”

KeyBank’s refusal to provide the required documents to the Commission comes months after an NCRC report exposed the Cleveland-based lender’s worst-in-class performance on lending to non-White, non-wealthy borrowers. The bank in May agreed to a third-party racial equity audit after fair-lending groups and 80 community organizations asked federal regulators for an investigation into alleged redlining in the its mortgage lending practices. It claims that the current problem is a misunderstanding.

NCRC said that "Capital One, meanwhile, has repeatedly harmed the public, violated consumers’ rights, and rejected legal obligations not to discriminate." A Capital One spokesperson told Ameican Banker it does not encourage discrimination against employees and clients, and that what it submitted to city officials was “consistent” with past materials.

In April 2022, after City officials agreed to not to open any new depository accounts with Wells Fargo Bank after a Bloomberg report found the bank approved less than 50% of refinance applications from Black homeowners in 2020 but 72% from white borrowers. A Wells Fargo spokesperson told American Banker in an email at the time that “We are ready to continue serving [the city’s] needs today and well into the future.” 

*****

Sources: 

"NYC Regulator Halts City Deposits at Key Bank, Capital One," Banking Dive, May 26, 2023.

NCRC  Just News/ May 25, 2023 Press Release.

 Free Forum on Workplace & Cannabis

Join us as we discuss the implications of the decriminalization of cannabis and the impact on employment. To register, click HERE   REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED TO ATTEND! For reasonable accommodation requests, please contact: mccr.admin@maryland.gov no later than one week prior to the event.

Victim of Discrimination? Training & Partnerships

HOME      ABOUT MCCR      SERVICES      PUBLICATIONS      EVENTS      PRESS      CONTACT US

 Free Forum on Antisemitism in Maryland

Join us for a discussion of antisemitism and other challenges facing the Jewish community. To register, click HERE.

Victim of Discrimination? Training & Partnerships

HOME      ABOUT MCCR      SERVICES      PUBLICATIONS      EVENTS      PRESS      CONTACT US

 Free Concert to Celebrate Juneteenth 2023!

June 12, 2023, Juneteenth Jubilee at Govans Presbyterian Church - Celebrate freedom, justice, and love together as we kick-off Juneteenth week (the national holiday is celebrated on June 19!) with a concert celebrating African American music and culture! This amazing celebration will feature the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra musicians, conductor Jonathan Rush, the Knox Presbyterian and Govans Choirs, community musicians, poet Keith Snipes and much more. Admission is free and open to all. Email Lea Gilmore at lea@govanspres.org for more information.

 Happy Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in Baltimore!

Happy Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! Happy Asian Pacific American (or Asian American and Pacific Islander) Heritage Month! This month is a time to celebrate the histories and futures of Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders across the country and in Baltimore. Here are a few fun facts about Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders living in Baltimore: About 15,000 people of Asian descent live in Baltimore City, and 9,600 of them are immigrants. Asian Americans have lived in Baltimore for many years! Baltimore’s first unofficial Chinatown was established in the 1880s and the first unofficial Koreatown began in the 1960s. This year, 2023, marks the 120th year of Korean immigration to Baltimore! Many Asian immigrants from various countries have found home in Baltimore: Vietnamese, Filipino, Afghani, Bangladeshi, Indian, Nepalese, Sri Lankan, Thai, Taiwanese, and more! The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MIMA) hopes you have a great Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! Some MIMA events that are happening: Asia North 2023: TRANSition/TRANSformation/TRANScendence - Parlor (108 W North Ave, Baltimore, MD 21201) and Motor House (120 W North Ave, Baltimore MD 21201). Friday, May 5 to Saturday, June 3rd. EmpoweReer Leadership Development Summer Program from Islamic Leadership Institute - This year Baltimore is accepting a total of 65 youth for a six-week career empowerment and leadership development program. Young adults aged 14-19 will have an opportunity to learn project management skills, leadership styles and traits, public speaking, build a professional Linkedin presence, visit global employers in Baltimore, and enjoy a couple of inspiring outdoor retreats. This is a great opportunity for those inspired to align personal development and career growth with real-life hands-on projects. Learn more and apply online at https://empowereer.org/  The Program runs July 17th through August 20th, 2023. Participants are eligible to receive stipends at the end of the program based on their performance. Transportation stipends are available as needed. Note that the Program is conducted in English. For questions, email info@empowereer.org. Are You Ready to Become a US Citizen? While permanent residents have most of the rights of U.S. citizens, there are additional important reasons to also consider becoming a citizen. Listed below are a few of the many benefits a person receives when he or she becomes a U.S. citizen: Ability to vote. Serve on a jury. Travel with a U.S. passport which allows you to get assistance from the U.S. government while overseas, if necessary. Get priority when petitioning to bring family members permanently to the U.S. Obtain citizenship for children under 18 years of age. Apply for federal jobs. Become an elected official. Become eligible for federal grants and scholarships. Obtain government benefits.  For information regarding citizenship services such as application assistance, interview or exam preparation, and more in the City of Baltimore, please see the following brochures in different languages:  English Are you ready to become a U.S. Citizen?  Chinese Are you ready to become a U.S. Citizen?  Arabic Are you ready to become a U.S. Citizen?  French Are you ready to become a U.S. Citizen?  Korean Are you ready to become a U.S. Citizen?  Nepalese Are you ready to become a U.S. Citizen?  Spanish Are you ready to become a U.S. Citizen? ***** Source: MIMA Monthly Newsletter - May 2023.  The mission of MIMA (Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs) is "to promote community wellbeing, economic development, and the integration of immigrant communities by identifying needs and opportunities that immigrants bring to our city, while developing public-private partnerships to strengthen the development of these communities."