As part of larger initiatives to reduce the racial wealth gap and advance economic equity in Maryland, Governor Wes Moore announced new Just Community designations on Thursday that prioritize up to $400 million in state investment for historically underserved areas and increased cannabis pardons by almost 7,000 convictions.
We are aware that everyone is impacted by the racial wealth inequality. “It hurts our economy; it limits our potential as a state and it hinders the growth of jobs,” Governor Moore stated. You must ensure that the economy is inclusive if you want it to grow. We must take action; we cannot afford to merely discuss the current state of affairs and postpone further development. We will continue the healing process together by taking action that yields outcomes.
Over the course of the previous year, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development created recommendations to designate 419 of Maryland’s 1,463 census tracts as Just Communities, representing 17 counties and the City of Baltimore, using the frameworks of racial equity and social justice, program evaluation, and community engagement. Priority consideration for competitive state funding in FY 2026 will result from the five-year designation.
Today, Governor Moore formally announced the suggested designations, which will go into effect on July 1.
According to Jake Day, secretary of the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, the first-of-its-kind recognition of Maryland’s Just Communities is an important step in removing the obstacles that produce segregated and unequal neighborhoods throughout our state. In addition to making communities healthier and more resilient, promoting fairer development and tackling inequality results in long-term social and economic well-being for everybody.
By January 31, 2026, all pardoned cannabis possession charges will be expunged from the public record in accordance with the governor’s expungement reform act. Pardoned convictions on criminal background checks will also be noted by the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.
The new initiatives build on the administration’s earlier actions, which included investing a historic $1.3 billion in Maryland’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities, increasing the number of mortgages available to first-time homebuyers to help 1,500 Black Marylanders become homeowners, supporting Maryland’s Black-owned businesses with over $816 million in state procurement awards, and launching the ENOUGH initiative, the first-in-nation state-level effort to end concentrated poverty.
Cambridge Mayor Lajan Cephas stated that Governor Wes Moore is dedicated to leaving no one behind. We’ve discovered in recent years that this is actual action rather than just a trendy term. The ENOUGH Act by Governor Moore puts words into action, and I have no doubt that it will reduce the disparity in racial wealth in Cambridge and Dorchester County.
Moving Dorchester Forward ENOUGH Coordinator Veronica Taylor said, “This Juneteenth, we celebrate the heritage of freedom rooted in communities like Pine Street and Greenwood Avenue where strength, resilience, and pride have always lived.” We are writing a new chapter with the ENOUGH Initiative, one in which communities flourish, voices are heard, and healing starts. As we write the next chapter in Maryland’s history of freedom, I am grateful for Governor Moore’s cooperation.
