By Catholic Review Staff
Baltimore City Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake calls the Maryland DREAM Act “right” and “fair” in an advertisement launched July 23 by the measure’s advocacy group, Educating Maryland Kids.
Looking directly at the camera in the black-and-white video, Rawlings-Blake says, “Every baby is born with infinite possibilities.”
As photos of students, including some affected by the DREAM Act, scroll across the screen, she continues: “Sadly, some kids whose parents pay taxes in Maryland, and who graduated from Maryland high schools, are being denied in-state tuition.”
“To do nothing is to look a child in the eye and destroy their possibilities,” Rawlings-Blake says. “Do what’s right. Do what’s fair.”
The DREAM Act is among the referenda on Maryland’s November ballot. The controversial measure was passed in 2010 by the legislature and signed into law, but opponents worked to bring it to popular vote. The measure allows some undocumented students to pay tuition at in-state rates at Maryland’s public colleges and universities if they meet certain requirements.
To be eligible for the Maryland DREAM Act, students must graduate from a Maryland high school and pay Maryland taxes. They must also attend a community college for two years or obtain 60 credits before transferring to public college or university in the state.
The Maryland Catholic Conference supports the DREAM Act and is part of Educating Maryland Kids’ coalition of faith-based, education, civil rights and labor organizations. The MCC advocates on behalf of the state’s Catholic bishops on public policy issues.
According to Educating Maryland Kids, the ad will be used in several ways as the campaign prepares for the Nov. 6 election. The organization formally launched July 18.
Copyright (c) July 26, 2012 CatholicReview.org