By AFRO Staff
Democratic nominee for governor Wes Moore enjoyed a string of community events on Aug. 2 as he made his rounds to community organizations hosting National Night Out events across Baltimore City.
Though he made stops in Silver Spring, Md., and Carroll County, the Alpha man was especially proud to address the Divine Nine members gathered at the Delta Community Center in the Park Heights neighborhood of Baltimore.
“Oh, six!” belted Moore in response to the members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity that traditionally greeted him as he took the mic.
Though the event was hosted by the Baltimore Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority (BACDST), members of multiple Black Greek organizations were present – including members of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity and Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, which celebrates 100 years of service this November.
“Every one of you takes our community seriously. Every one of you is fighting for our communities, fighting for our families– fighting to make sure that our tomorrow will be better than our today,” said Moore. “All of our nonprofit organizations are working around here and are the backbone and the fabric of our society.”
Aside from Moore, Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby, a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, spoke to the crowd along with his wife, Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby.
“Tonight is special. We’re in the City of Baltimore and we’re coming together collectively to try to change the trajectory of our communities,” said Marilyn Mosby. “It’s special because this is happening all across the country. We have to understand and recognize it takes more than just the police. It takes the community- it takes all of us collaboratively and collectively together.”
Throughout the afternoon and early evening members of the Park Heights community and beyond were able to enjoy a plethora of activities. Free food, water, and 100 percent juices were offered along with information on mental health services, books from the Enoch Pratt Free Library, games, and face painting.
In efforts to foster better relations with Baltimore residents, members of the Baltimore Police Department enjoyed lighthearted fun and conversation with community members. The Baltimore City Fire Department was also on hand, in addition to voter registration organizations.
“We need you at the polls in November,” said host Cheryl “Cookie” Colbert.
“We need to make sure that everybody is registered to vote!” she added, imploring attendees to stop at the voter registration booths operated by her sorority and Black Girls Vote. “We have to make sure that we rock the vote!”
Moore won the Democratic Primary Election by garnering 214,925 votes, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections. Included in that number are 74,589 ballots mailed in for Moore by Maryland residents.
Tom Perez received 196,466 votes for governor on Primary Election Day, with 91,916 of those votes being mailed in. Comptroller Peter Franchot’s run for governor received 140,151 votes, with 65,695 of the votes coming in as mail-in ballots.
Moore is expected to take his race to the finish line as the victor in November. He has been very vocal about his plans for improving education, healthcare and crime statistics in Baltimore and the State of Maryland.
“We are everything that we need and at this moment, we are going to stand for Baltimore because Baltimore has always stood for the State of Maryland,” said Moore.
National Night Out began in 1984 as an initiative of the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). The organization aimed to host a community event held to raise awareness of and build the relationship between neighborhoods and the police force. National Night Out is usually held on the first Tuesday of August across the nation.
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