LAW OFFICES OF A. DWIGHT PETTIT, P.A. 3606 LIBERTY HEIGHTS AVENUE.. BALTIMORE, MD 21215 410) 542-5400 FAX (410) 664-7520 TOLL FREE: I(888) 649-1631 www.adwightpettitlaw.com www.adwightpettit.com February 10, 2021 The White House Office of the Vice President 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, N.W. Washington, DC 20500 RE: JOHN LEWIS VOTING RIGHTS ACT OPEN LETTER TO VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS […]
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Posted inNational News, Uncategorized
Congressional Action on Confederate Flag Ban on Federal Cemeteries
A confederate flag is seen at a tombstone on the cemetery at Beauvoir House, Jefferson Davis’ historic home, in Biloxi, Miss., Thursday, Aug. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is about to put its members on record on whether Confederate flags can decorate rebel graves in historic federal cemeteries and if […]
Posted inCommentary
Morgan President Wrong; University Board Absolutely Right
Morgan State University President David Wilson was wrong in attempting to preempt or otherwise influence the final judgment of the Maryland Federal District Court by proposing several joint programs with Towson University. However, the Morgan State University Board of Regents was absolutely right in realizing that proposing those programs under current state policies, practices and […]
Posted inCommentary
Indifference of State Elected Officials to HBI Decision Shifts Attention to Next Election
The 2014 legislative session represents a missed opportunity for Maryland officials to address the constitutional violations cited by Federal District Court Judge Catherine C. Blake in an October 2013 ruling on the Historically Black Institutions Coalition case. The case was not among Gov. Martin O’Malley’s legislative priorities and discussion in the legislature was limited to […]
Posted inCommentary
State and Maryland University Officials Echo Scary Sounds of Centuries Past
Statements by state legislators and representatives of the University system of Maryland (USM) in defense of Maryland’s dual system of higher education sound much like the rhetoric of the 1860s. Then, Southern Dix¬iecrats and plantation owners warned of the social, political and economic upheaval freeing the slaves would bring to the Southern way of life. […]
Posted inCommentary
Maryland Disagrees with Court Ruling and Orders Study to Prove its Point
The recent Federal District Court ruling blames the State of Maryland for the difficulty Historically Black Institutions have in competing with Traditionally White Institutions. State officials contend, however, that any difficulties at the HBIs are of the HBIs’ own making and they are proposing to conduct another one of their predetermined studies to prove it. […]
Posted inCommentary
Court Vindicates Black Lawmakers
The recent ruling by Federal District Court Judge Catherine C. Blake declaring the Maryland practice of unnecessary academic program duplication between Historical Black Institutions (HBIs) and Traditionally White Institutions (TWIs) to be unconstitutional is a true vindication of Baltimore State Senator Joan Carter Conway and Eastern Shore Delegate Rudolf Cane in their efforts to protect […]
Posted inCommentary
Maryland: A State of Many Contradictions
Maryland is geographically located just below the historic Mason and Dixon Line, making it a southern state. The “Old Line State” as Maryland is sometimes called, actually had elements fighting on the side of the Confederacy during the Civil War to uphold slavery. Today State leaders deliberately shun the southern affiliation, choosing instead to market […]
Posted inCommentary
USM Report on Coppin State: More Unkept Promises?
The recently released University System of Maryland report on Coppin State University has generated mixed reaction among Coppin supporters and other observers of Historically Black Colleges across the country. The most generous of individuals reacting to the report give the University System of Maryland and the state of Maryland the benefit of the doubt as […]