Katharine R. Stierhoff, County Housing Activist and League of Women Voters Leader, 91

In the early 1960s, Stierhoff became an advocate of women’s issues and believed in the power of the vote. She joined the newly created Baltimore County League of Women Voters’ board in 1966. Her son was quoted as saying “Housing was very important to her. She wanted housing affordable for people of less means.”

Her sons said she was instrumental in establishing the first office for the Baltimore County League of Women Voters in Towson and managed that office for many years. She organized volunteers and disseminated information to the membership and broader community. She also worked on annual voters’ guides. Stierhoff also served on the board of what is now called the Community Assistance Network as the league’s representative.

“My mother was not a loud advocate, but she was persistent,” said her son, Lee Stierhoff.

With the League of Women Voters, she became active in promoting affordable housing. “While serving as the League’s Housing Chair in the late ’80s, she worked to establish a livability code for Baltimore County and lobbied representatives to successfully pass affordable housing bond bills in 1992 and 1994,” her son Paul said. Mrs. Stierhoff also helped form the Baltimore County Housing Coalition and served as its vice president. “She was also instrumental in establishing the Fuel Fund of Central Maryland and served as a board member from 1980 to 1995,” her son Paul said.

Mrs. Stierhoff remained interested in fair and affordable housing issues and served on a Baltimore County advisory council working to eliminate discriminatory housing policies. She cited Baltimore County’s reluctance to address housing issues that went back decades. She said county residents held attitudes against housing for the poor for many years.

The family will hold a private ceremony to inter her ashes at the Church of the Good Shepherd, where she had been a member. A memorial service will be held at a later time.

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Source: The Baltimore Sun, March 31, 2021.

Camille Wheeler, Social Services Administrator & Community Activist, 80 

While attending Goucher, she learned about the consequences of racism and discrimination in the era of civil rights involvement. She returned to Baltimore and joined the old Baltimore City Department of Public Welfare. She went on to be a caseworker, training specialist, and Hampden district manager. She worked under the city’s former social service director, Esther Lazarus. She also worked with former Sen. Barbara Mikulski, who was also been a social worker.

Wheeler became the director of the Baltimore County Department of Social Services in 1979 and remained in that position until being forced into retirement after clashing in 1998 with County Executive C. A. "Dutch" Ruppersberger. The newspaper’s editorial also said, “Ms. Wheeler’s competence and dedication is not in question. She is highly regarded by the Child Welfare League of America.”

”To know Camille was to respect and cherish her opinions, always rendered gently but based on deep understanding of whatever issues she was addressing,” said Ms. Schagrin, a fellow social worker. “She was self-effacing woman. Ms. Wheeler was not one for the limelight or attention despite her many accomplishments, and the impact she had on so many. She had strong views about the high quality of services. She made a requirement that her social workers had a master’s degree and a license. She felt our clients needed the best-trained and educated professionals.”

From 1998 to 2016, Wheeler taught social policy, management and community organization at her alma mater, the University of Maryland School of Social Work. 

She also served on many boards, including board memberships for the League of Women Voters, the Pro Bono Counseling Program, and the Greater Baltimore Community Housing Resource Board (the author of this blog).

We would like to thank Camille for her dedicated service to the community and to our organization.

A memorial service is being planned.

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Source: The Baltimore Sun, March 27, 2021.

 

New Study Finds 5 Ways Racist 1930s Housing Policies Still Hurt Schools

The new study, “The Lingering Legacy of Redlining on School Funding, Diversity, and Performance,” released by the Annenberg Institute at Brown University as a working paper, is by Christopher Cleveland and Dylan Lukes, both PhD candidates in education policy at Harvard University.

To make the connection, the researchers used mapping software to sync over 10,000 current-day school locations with New Deal-era lending maps from 144 cities in 38 states. The study examined schools in 144 residential areas. Each locale is represented by a dot on the map. The researchers compared how schools and districts from redlined areas stacked up against schools in neighborhoods that, 80 years ago, mapmakers had viewed more favorably. Here’s what they found:

1. Schools in redlined areas face stark funding disparities compared to schools in areas rated more favorably. On average, they spend nearly $2,500 less per pupil than schools in top-rated zones, and over $3,000 less than schools in neighborhoods rated second-tier.

2.  Schools in redlined areas were less likely to have diverse student bodies, tending instead to have higher percentages of Black, Hispanic and Asian students. While schools in neighborhoods the New Deal-era lending program rated as more “desirable” averaged more white students, they also tended to have a greater racial mixture in their classrooms.

3. Achievement gaps are parallel to the funding and diversity disparities. “We saw pretty stark differences” in test results, said Lukes. “The average is lower for [redlined] schools,” added Cleveland. The researchers analyzed year-to-year learning rates to estimate whether schools from redlined areas were making up ground. Rates were even across groups, they found, meaning that gaps appear set to stay in place.

4. Though funding gaps between schools in redlined versus non-redlined areas have remained persistent, money from the federal and state levels has helped make up some of that ground. Because of state funding formulas and federal programs like Title I, redlined schools tend to receive more federal and state money than schools in other zones.

5. The researchers recommend changes to more equitably deal with the consequences of the historical disparities. One possibly is to re-examine the relationship between school funding and property taxes. “There might be a chance to separate housing from (education) funding, in recognizing that certain schools are located in places where it’ll take a long time for them to get additional dollars” through local taxes," said one author.

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Source: Lehrer-Small, Asher. "New Study: 5 Ways Racist 1930s Housing Policies Still Haunt Schools." The 74. March 22, 2021.

 

March 29, 2021

MARYLAND COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS STATEMENT AGAINST ACTS OF HATE AND BIAS AGAINST THE ASIAN AMERICAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER COMMUNITY The Maryland Commission on Civil Rights stands in solidarity with the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community in condemning anti-Asian sentiment and any acts of racism throughout the region and the nation. In May of 2020, the Commission’s Executive Director, Alvin O. Gillard, issued a statement condemning the murder of George Floyd and the systemic racism that many people of color face in our communities. We feel troubled by these acts of racism standing in solidarity with these communities in seeking justice and equity. Moreover, these victims and their families shall remain in our thoughts and hearts. As the agency in State government with the statutory mission of enforcing anti-discrimination statutes preventing unlawful discrimination in the areas of employment, housing, public accommodations, and State contracts, we affirm our commitment in addressing unlawful discrimination throughout the State. This public agency remains focused and authentic in pursuing our statutory charge to represent the voices of all citizens. A critical part of MCCR’s mission includes promoting and improving the civil rights in the State. We recognize that racism has historically been cultivated by deliberate misinformation and a devaluing of the other that all who possess good will should condemn. As the Board of Commissioners, in partnership with the staff, we specifically recognize that COVID-19 as well as some in the past Administration have amplified the bias against and the barriers and disparities experienced by people of color and by immigrants. We reflect upon Edmund Burke’s quote that President John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., relied upon in their public speeches, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good men to do nothing.” The Maryland Commission on Civil Rights calls on all people of our state, and especially those who self-describe as people of “good-will”, to join us in combating unlawful discrimination in all its forms. There are opportunities for you to join with Human Relations Commissions in your counties, as well as advocacy and service organizations around the state that promote equity, inclusion, and opportunity. In conclusion, we encourage all Marylanders to step-up and become a part of community efforts to promote sustainable change through the dismantling of systems of oppression, neglect, and inferiority. Let us all stand as good neighbors by showing our support for the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in our community with some acts of kindness. We stand with you!

Victim of Discrimination? Training & Partnerships

 

Register for the conference  The Just Economy Conference is the national online event for community, policy, government and business leaders working toward a just economy that not only promises but delivers to all Americans opportunities to build wealth and live well. Come to this national online event for community, policy, government, business and foundation leaders who work for fairness in lending, housing and business, and to make all Americans equal parts of the formula for national success. Speakers are: Nikole Hannah-Junes, Pulitzer-winning investigative civil rights reporter, The New York Times. Jerome Powell, Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chair of the Senate's Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs Committee. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Member of the Senate's Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs Committee. Advocacy Week is a special event that is available only to NCRC members: Join NCRC today to participate in this unique advocacy experience and virtually meet with your Senators, Representatives or Congressional staff to discuss a wide array of policy issues that affect all Americans, but especially have an impact on lower-income and Black and Brown communities. Join us online for two jam-packed days of keynotes and networking May 3-4, plus: April 22: Advocacy Week Prep Meeting  April 26-30: Pre Conference Advocacy Week May 5-14: Post Conference Just Economy Sessions Every year, we hear those who attend the Just Economy conference say participating in Hill Day and meeting their policymakers is their favorite part of the conference. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our Hill Day is not only all virtual, but it is an entire Advocacy Week April 26-30. There is still time to register. Join us and make your voice heard.  You will also receive the member registration rate for the conference, and all the benefits of NCRC Membership including:  National and regional research reports on important topics like gentrification, bank closures and housing affordability Trainings and technical assistance to help your organization build capacity Access to the new Member Hub and Just Economy Forum  Join NCRC then to get updates on when meetings with your policymakers will take place.   Register now NCRC 740 15th St. NW Suite 400 Washington, DC 20306 ***** Source: National Community Reinvestment Coalition, March 29, 2021

March 31st Listening Session: Access to Health Care through Insurance for Women and their Dependents

Individuals who sign-up will be allotted time to share their thoughts and experiences.

Date: March 31, 2021

Time: 1pm-4pm

How: Please register to get Zoom link: https://tinyurl.com/2msjxz5k

To Speak: To speak after the invited panelists, email joy.hatchette@maryland.gov.

Commissioner Kathleen A. Birrane and the Maryland Insurance Administration, together with the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange and the Maryland Department of Health, will hold the Session to hear from both invited panelists and consumers regarding the role that insurance plays in enabling women to access health care for themselves and their dependents – and where gaps, challenges, confusion, and barriers exist.

Throughout 2021, Commissioner Birrane and the MIA will hold a series of Listening Sessions to help the MIA more fully understand the experiences of specific communities relating to certain kinds of insurance. These Listening Sessions will assist us to fulfill our statutory mission to serve Marylanders both in our enforcement of Maryland’s insurance laws and in our development of tools, guides, and programs for consumers.

Confirmed Participants:

• CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield
• Chesapeake Health Care
• Disability and Health Inclusion Program Advisory Committee
• House of Ruth Maryland
• Johns Hopkins Health Care LLC
• Kaiser Permanente
• The Latino Health Initiative
• Maryland Coalition of Families
• Maryland Department of Health
• Maryland Health Connection
• Maryland Maternal Health Initiatives Program
• MedChi, The Maryland State Medical Society
• Meritus Health
• Mountain Laurel Medical Center
• Planned Parenthood of Maryland Inc.
• Public Policy Partners
• University of Maryland Medical System
• Weinberg Center for Women’s Health at Mercy
• Women’s Law Center of Maryland

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Source: Maryland Insurance Administration, March 29, 2021 

Traveling Black: A Story of Race and Resistance 

by Mia Bay 

Belknap, 2021. 400 pages. $35.00 hardcover.

Book Review

This is a very interesting and illuminating history of mobility and resistance in the civil rights movement. “Most studies of segregation are centered largely on the South, and are more grounded in the history of particular communities than in the experiences of Black people in motion,” Bay writes. “Once one of the most resented forms of segregation, travel segregation is now one of the most forgotten.”

The books covers trains, cars, buses, and planes in successive chapters, showing that each technology was initially embraced by Black travelers for its potential to offer an escape from the degradation and dangers of the Jim Crow car, only to find that segregation and poor treatment awaited.

Legalized by Plessy v. Ferguson by the Supreme Court, Jim Crow established “separate but equal.” The author traces the arc from Plessy in 1896 to the Freedom Rides of 1961, when volunteers traveled on buses through the South to test the enforcement of a 1960 Supreme Court decision that decreed that interstate passengers should be served “without discrimination.”

The history involves generations of Black Americans trying to navigate a jumble of segregationist laws and customs that varied considerably from state to state and frequently depending upon a particular ticket collector or railway conductor's decisions. Black motorists couldn’t be sure if they would find a safe place to stop. In the North, the lack of segregation signs basically said rules were unspoken and unclear. As one article put it, “You could never know where insult and embarrassment are waiting for you.”