Dear Friends, In America, there is a principle that this nation was founded on and that is no taxation without representation. The so-called American colonists rebelled against the British Empire based on a very simple proposition, that if you are going to tax a people, they should be represented in the government that imposes the taxes. If you are an African-American living in Anne Arundel County, the right to representation has long been denied your community. To appreciate this, one must have an historical perspective. Anne Arundel County received its home charter in 1964, just 50 years ago. The current form of government with an elected County Executive and seven council members is relatively new. Prior to this, the government was run by whites through a commission form of government. The legacy of the good old boy network is readily apparent in the nepotism that is prevalent through out the county government. There are so many people who serve in the local government, whether it is in police, fire, etc., that it is not unusual to learn that many are related to one another. The way people got employed in government had more to do with who they were related to, then, what they knew. It is an unpleasant fact. Essentially African-Americans were the last hired in county government. Many of those who were appointed only got their positions because of the blatant racism . You name a high-ranking African-American and you will discover that their appointment came as a result of advocacy. Today, you have a pyramid, where at the top echelons of the government it is almost exclusively white and at the bottom African-Americans occupied the lowest paying jobs. The same is true with the County Board of Education. In fact, they are more black janitors in our school system than they are African-American teachers. Now, back to the premise of taxation without representation. Since Charter government, we have had nine county executives all white. All of them I knew, including the late County Executive Joseph W. Alton, Jr. We have had twelve elections( 4 year term) that have resulted in people serving on the Anne Arundel County Council, in the years that citizens have elected people to serve on the County Council, only three African-Americans have ever held been elected to the County Council. To appreciate this, the late former Alabama Governor George C. Wallace ran for president and won Anne Arundel County each time that he ran. In 1964, he was an avowed segregationist and won this county. In 1972, he won Anne Arundel County running on anti-busing platform. I cite these examples to demonstrate why when African-Americans were elected to the County Council, it literally represented the few exceptions of African-Americans having representation on the County Council that was taxing them. The first and only African-American woman to win an election on the County Council was the late Sarah Carter in 1978. Councilwoman Carter victory in part was due to an at-law system that allowed people to vote for candidates no matter where they lived in the county. Councilwoman Carter benefited from a crowded field of white candidates and was able to get a bloc of black votes coupled with a smattering of white progressive votes. Her victory was front-page news. She subsequently lost her seat, after the system was changed and voters had to select candidates from the district that they lived in. The next African-American would not get elected until 2006, more than two decades after the defeat of Councilwoman Carter. In, 2006, Councilman Daryl Jones was elected to the County Council, becoming the first African-American male elected to the County Council. A lawyer by profession, he introduced a resolution calling on the County government to examine its racial employment make-up and it was his resolution that revealed the systemic disparities that existed in county government employment. He later introduced a resolution aimed the School Board that pointed out the glaring disparities in the achievement gap as it related to Latino and African-American students. His leadership was briefly cut short by the County Council removing him illegally. He successfully won a court case that reinstated him to the County Council. His successor was the recently elected Councilman Pete Smith, who became the third African American to serve on the County Council. Why is it important that African-Americans be represented on the County Council? Because the same proposition that whites made in the founding of the country holds true for African-Americans. It is criminal to not only discriminate against people of color in employment, education, public safety and other services but to also tax them is to add injurious insult as well. To be an African-American taxpayer living in Anne Arundel County and to be required to subsidized your oppression and exploitation is why a rallying cry from the former Colonists was Dont Tread on Me. In that context , the cry, I Cant Breathe means the same thing. As we enter the New Year, it is my hope that they will be a paradigm shifting in the way people look at their county government and that people pay more attention to where their tax dollars are going. As a former member of the cabinet of County Executive Janet S. Owens, I not only have the advantage of knowing how government is suppose to work, but, I also know the difference between rhetoric and the record. Those who argue that African-Americans have always been represented on the County Council is either oblivious to the history of this county or worse, they think that everyone is asleep and I can assure you that is not the case. On January 15, 2015, the Caucus of African-American Leaders will be meeting with the new County Executive and the subject will be representation . Tomorrow, the posting will deal with the only African-American who was elected to the Maryland General Assembly from Anne Arundel County, the late Senator Aris T. Allen, Sr. and I will be sharing some insights on Senator Allen and why, he never became an ambassador. Information is power. Justice is indivisible. Truth is revealing and freedom must never be abandoned. A Luta Continua.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Dec 2014 17:46:59 +0000
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