Baltimore Greens Endorse New Vision

On April 4th at the monthly meeting of The Baltimore Green Party, the active membership approved two proposals which advance a vision of a more just and sustainable Baltimore. The first, "The North Carolina Amendment" to the Green Party of the US platform, calls for an economy "based on large-scale public works, municipalization, and workplace and community democracy." The second proposal clarified the mission of the Baltimore Green Party in order to align the party to "economic, environmental and racial justice for Baltimore and beyond."

These two initiatives signal a commitment to offer voters a different choice than the one the Democrats of Baltimore's status quo have offered. 

New Economy Amendment

The new economy amendment challenges the "labor exploitation, environmental exploitation, and racial, gender, and wealth inequality" of a neo-liberal, development focused urban strategy. In its place the amendment orients us toward "Worker-owned production, embedded in and accountable to our communities"

This amendment is supported by the Young Green Caucus of the  Green Party of the United States. In Baltimore we are dedicated to involving young people in the process of democracy and we are proud to support the work of Young Greens around the country. As we move toward the General Election in November we will be building our own Young Greens Chapter. 

US Senate Candidate Dr. Margaret Flowers said  "The new economy envisioned by the Young Greens is starting to take root in Baltimore where the failed traditional economic model is evident. Wealth inequality is stark and disinvested neighborhoods have high rates of poverty and unemployment. Baltimore Green Party members have been working to bring democratized economic structures to Baltimore so that communities can build wealth and have greater control over and benefit from the local economy."

Baltimore Green Party Mission Statement

The membership of the Baltimore Green Party also approved a clarification of the mission statement. By consensus the party agreed to add the following language to describe the party:

The Baltimore Green Party is committed to economic, environmental and racial justice for Baltimore and beyond. Our goal is to challenge the one party rule in Baltimore city by giving voters a legitimate choice that represents the values and aspirations of the people and communities of the city.

We follow the 10 key values of the Green Party of the U.S. and use them to guide our work in Baltimore City. We are committed to Grassroots democracy as a goal and organizing principal, and believe that the power to change the city comes from the people.

 Co-chair Jeremy Collins described the two proposals "Just last Monday the Baltimore Green Party passed the amendment proposed by the Young Greens Caucus, in favor of a new community based economy. The young people have an important voice and it's even more important that people recognize that power." Collins continued "People from my demographic are leading movements, protesting at their schools, and making progressive change in their communities. It all comes back to our new mission and mission statement of justice for and by the people."