What makes America the most inventive culture on the planet? When I go to international meetings, why do leaders from countries with the highest test scores tell me they wish their kids could be more like ours? It’s because we value free thinking, creativity and innovation. We raise our kids to discover their talents and pursue them toward futures full of possibilities.
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Growing more farms and more food
Monday, June 25, 2012One Friday afternoon at Whitelock Community Farm I found myself confronted by an 8-year-old who was pushing the carrots on anybody who would listen. Every few minutes, when somebody new walked up to the weekly farm stand, he exclaimed how sweet and delicious the carrots were and proceeded to enthusiastically chomp on a long, slender carrot with the greens still attached.
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Baltimore’s “super” approach to summer learning
Monday, June 18, 2012When the schoolhouse doors close on the last day of the school year, students are looking forward to a carefree summer. But they are at danger for summer learning loss and can lose critical knowledge and skills over the warm months. Low-income students are disproportionately affected and can lose months in reading skills, far more than their higher income peers
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New director of U.S. Programs announced
Monday, June 11, 2012After an extensive national search, last Thursday the Open Society Foundations announced the appointment of Kenneth Zimmerman as the new executive director of US Programs.
Zimmerman will take office on July 9th and, as his transition in New York begins, Diana Morris will be returning to OSI-Baltimore full time after a year of serving as the interim executive director.
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Sara’s crimmigration nightmare
Monday, May 21, 2012Sara entered this country with a green card when she was 10 years old. She never became a citizen. When Sara was 19, she was caught shoplifting. She pleaded guilty to theft and was sentenced to one year, all time suspended. She served no jail time. Twelve years later, Sara has a husband and two young children. She works two jobs. She pays taxes every year. She is happy.
One day, Sara is arrested at work. Another worker wrongfully accused Sara of assault after a disagreement. Sara’s crimmigration nightmare begins.
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Knowing the full face of our history
Monday, May 14, 2012If you’re like me, you were taught that slavery ended with Emancipation Proclamation. Then Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus and the Civil Rights Movement began.
It wasn’t until adulthood when I realized that I had only a vague understanding of a large part of our history, and that what I was taught regarding slavery in this country was only a part of the story.
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Students tackle Baltimore’s public transportation system
Monday, May 07, 2012The voices of young people can have the power to revive and transform Baltimore, starting with its very infrastructure. In Baltimore, transportation creates obstacles for its residents, and this is no less true for its young people. Late buses, skipped stops, and rude drivers are major barriers to students getting to school on time.
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Reducing pretrial detention in Maryland
Monday, April 30, 2012Editor’s note: In conjunction with OSI-Baltimore’s forum series, The Burden of Bail, Audacious Ideas is pleased to feature a month-long blog series about pre-trial detention and bail reform. This is the last post in the series.
It can be fairly said, the events of the past four months have advanced in a positive way, the right to counsel in Maryland. The plaintiffs, public defenders and advocacy groups in the Richmond litigation and before the legislature have shed light like never before on the unfairness and injustices in the pretrial detention of poor people in the State of Maryland.
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Fighting for the right to counsel in every courtroom
Monday, April 23, 2012Editor’s note: In conjunction with OSI-Baltimore’s forum series, The Burden of Bail, Audacious Ideas is pleased to feature a month-long blog series about pre-trial detention and bail reform. Over the next month, four experts will talk about what can be done to make our pre-trial justice system fair and efficient.
The Supreme Court has held that a person cannot be sentenced to even a single day in jail if they are convicted of a crime unless they are afforded representation at trial. Yet in far too many places in the country, and throughout all of Maryland, people are arrested and remanded into custody in a proceeding without the benefit of counsel.
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Keeping pretrial justice fair
Monday, April 16, 2012Editor’s note: In conjunction with OSI-Baltimore’s upcoming forum series, The Burden of Bail, Audacious Ideas is pleased to feature a month-long blog series about pre-trial detention and bail reform. Over the next month, four experts will talk about what can be done to make our pre-trial justice system fair and efficient.
I remember when my elementary school teacher explained the US system of justice to us during Civics class. “Justice is blind,” she said, “everyone gets treated the same, regardless of whether they are rich or poor.” Yet as you read this, more people are held in jail in America simply because they cannot afford to pay their bond set by the court than for any other reason!
