Hard work pays off

Editor’s note: Last week, the Maryland State Senate approved the “Maryland DREAM Act,” a bill that will allow all qualifying Maryland high school graduates to pay an in-state college tuition rate regardless of immigration status. The legislation is now moving on to the Maryland House of Delegates. This week, we’re featuring three students who are […]

Fighting for in-state tuition

Editor’s note: Last week, the Maryland State Senate approved the “Maryland DREAM Act,” a bill that will allow all qualifying Maryland high school graduates to pay an in-state college tuition rate regardless of immigration status. The legislation is now moving on to the Maryland House of Delegates. This week, we’re featuring three students who are […]

Testifying before the State Senate

Editor’s note: Last week, the Maryland State Senate approved the “Maryland DREAM Act,” a bill that will allow all qualifying Maryland high school graduates to pay an in-state college tuition rate regardless of immigration status. The legislation is now moving on to the Maryland House of Delegates. This week, we’re featuring three students who are […]

Building a resilient Baltimore

Since 2005, I have been an active member of the Baltimore Homeownership Preservation Coalition, which helps Baltimore residents address the potential loss of their home to foreclosure. We recognized the problem early, and mobilized to get the message out to people in mortgage trouble that they should seek help from a nonprofit housing counselor. The […]

Fostering greatness by honoring beginnings

We seldom miss the opportunity to celebrate an achievement, whether it is a good report card, an acceptance into a competitive school, or a school graduation. However, with less than 15 percent of Baltimore City School students graduating from college, too often these important milestones simply never happen. My audacious idea is that we celebrate […]

Addiction recovery is not just for the addict

Editor’s note: Audacious Ideas is featuring a special month-long series in conjunction with National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. We’ve asked several individuals to share their ideas about addiction issues and the failed war on drugs. *** When we sent our son to an in-patient addiction treatment program, we were spinning with doubt about the […]

What recovery means for a teenager

Editor’s note: This September, Audacious Ideas features a special month-long series in conjunction with National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. We’ve asked several individuals to share their ideas about addiction issues and the failed war on drugs. *** Being addicted when you are a teenager does not seem believable. You think people who tell […]

The war on drugs

Editor’s note: This September, Audacious Ideas features a special month-long series in conjunction with National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. We’ve asked several individuals to share their ideas about addiction issues and the failed war on drugs. Franklin Dyson is the second in our series. *** “The crisis that’s killing our city” is how […]

Moving from change to transformation

There are few times in life when a people can factually recall where they were and what they were doing when a significant event occurred. The election of Barack Obama to the office of President of the United States was such a seminal moment. His electrifying campaign resonated with voters seeking to cast a ballot […]

History is in our hands

We are living in an extraordinary time. The country has elected its first ever African-American President who is also our first community-organizer-in-chief. The country is experiencing an economic meltdown as serious as any since the Great Depression. States and cities are experiencing budget shortfalls, while families, workers and communities are hurting. We know that the […]