More than 400 communities in Maryland and Baltimore that were harmed by racist housing policies will now get prioritized funding via a new state program.
Through the program, $400 million will be available to help them access state programs that hope to undo historical damage caused by those policies. The announcement also included news that almost 7,000 convictions for cannabis related offenses will be pardoned.
Over 400 census tracts were named as part of the new Just Communities initiative announced by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore this week.
All of them have been identified as having suffered disinvestment, blight and policies like redlining or eminent domain, meaning they were often chosen have major projects like highways placed there.
Moore’s new plan will aim to let people stay in their homes while reinvesting in them, particularly in Baltimore City, which was among one of the tracts with the most communities affected.
“[This program is] one of the most aggressive actions in our state’s history [to] reverse decades of racist and discriminatory policies,” Moore said. “Maryland is also home to some of the most racist laws in American history.”
Moore is the nation’s only Black governor.
