Uniting our Community and Protecting our Rights

Baltimore County’s diversity is our greatest strength but diversity alone does not guarantee equity or justice. Real progress demands leadership, accountability, and action. It also calls for a shared commitment to one another as human beings.

We each bring our own histories, cultures and traditions to this community. Those differences are not barriers – they are bridges. By sharing them, we expand our understanding, deepen our compassion and strengthen our collective bond.

So beyond advocacy, we will lead by example. We will celebrate each other’s holidays, reflect our diverse cultures in our schools and government, and build a civic life that honors the full spectrum of who we are including hosting an annual county-wide Pride parade (Learn More about Nick’s LGBTQIA+ initiatives here) 

Because in the end, we are one people, one community, one County.

With Nick Stewart as County Executive, Baltimore County can become a beacon for equity, human rights and dignity.

Leadership at the Top

As County Executive, Nick Stewart will centralize Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives into a Department of Human Rights & Equity with three core mandates:

• Leadership Training: Require cultural competency and equity training for all county leadership, available to all employees.
• Advocacy & Oversight: Serve as a watchdog to ensure fair access, representation and outreach for communities of color and LGBTQIA+ residents.
• Truth & Equity Initiative: bringing together leaders in health care, education, business, and the arts to dismantle structural racism in the government and community at large.

Invest in the Black Community

• Housing & Revitalization: Partner with organizations like the Greater Randallstown Community Development Organization and the Turner Station Conservation Teams to expand affordable housing and drive mixed-use revitalization in communities from Randallstown and Essex, supported by streamlined permitting and regulatory reform.
• Enterprise & Excellence: Invest in incubators, accelerators and innovation clusters across Owings Mills, Pikesville, Randallstown and Woodlawn to spur entrepreneurship and job creation.

Support Hispanic & Immigrant Neighbors

Hispanic and Latino residents make up about 7.2% of Baltimore County’s population, and immigrants overall account for 12% — the fastest-growing segment of our community. Within the boundaries of the law, we will:

• Safeguard immigrant rights and enhance the capacity of the Immigrant Affairs staff and Immigrant Affairs Commission.
• Guarantee safety, opportunity and due process for every resident by coordinating with law enforcement, BCPS and community groups

Support our Jewish Neighbors

As County Executive, I pledge to be a partner to the vibrant Jewish community of Baltimore County by championing compassion and community. There’s a reason that Baltimore is one of the largest Jewish populations in the country.  It’s because of a legacy of leadership that’s created a strong, welcoming community—one that always squares its shoulders to the challenges of the time.  Together we will: 

• Assure Security through partnerships with organizations like Shomrim and Hatzalah as well as assisting with grant application support for security grants.
• Help seniors and neighbors with disabilities stay rooted in the communities they’ve built — by ensuring kosher food is available at County facilities, partnering with CHAI to fund home repairs and accessibility upgrades and supporting transportation and peer-companion programs through local synagogues.
• Implement anti-bias and holocaust education programs in partnership with BCPS while supporting our Jewish Community schools. 
• Celebrate our shared community by hosting a public menorah lighting and embracing additional opportunities to honor cultural and faith traditions

Support our Muslim Neighbors

The County is home to a compassionate and astounding community of Muslims from many backgrounds. I am proud to be a part of a community with Muslim neighbors because we share so many important values including liberty, community and faith. Yet these communities are often unheard by the County government, we must change that: 

• Ensure Security at Mosques and Islamic centers through accessible security grants programs and a dedicated security liaison in the Department of Human Rights and Equity who can work with County police or other agencies to ensure security and peace for events and observances. 
• Launch the One County, Many Voice project which will aim to create county resources and equitable advocacy in many language including those often spoken by Muslim communities but neglected by western inclusion efforts such as Urdu, Bengali and Arabic. 
• Celebrate our shared community by hosting an Iftar dinner during Ramadan and uplifting other moments of reflection and connection throughout the year

Protect against Hate in our community

Baltimore County is a wonderfully diverse county home to proud communities of all faiths. Yet we also live in a time of extreme tension with disinformation-fueled hate that degrades our communities, endangers our citizens and prevents us from achieving the goals we have for our County and our families. We must do more and we can. 

• Establish an Interfaith & Community Relations Commission as a branch of the Department of Human Rights and Equity with a mandate to review hate crime reports, advise on outreach to Jewish, Muslim and other religious communities and coordinate with communities for events, celebrations and community advocacy.
• Implement Hate Has No Place: an initiative to identify, report and prevent hate crimes. A similar program has found success in Howard County and we will follow their leadership with a measurable, equitable and transparent approach that targets hate across all demographics. 
• Coordinate a complete calendar of observances and holidays across faiths including Muslim and Asian communities so that agencies within the County government understand these holidays and can plan accordingly including advocacy that BCPS reflect these holidays in the school calendar. 

Defend Women’s Equality

The fight for women’s equality is inseparable from the fight for equity for all. In the post–Roe era, access to reproductive health care is a fundamental human rights issue. Baltimore County will:

• Protect Access: Stand with local providers and clinics while making clear that county resources will never be used to criminalize care.
• Expand Affordability: Promote access to affordable contraceptives and feminine hygiene products through partnerships with nonprofits and by making them available at county-operated gathering places like libraries.
• Strengthen Support Networks: Advance women’s health initiatives and referral networks through the County Health Department and nonprofit partners. 

A County that sees, respects and protects everyone

Equity demands action. With Nick’s leadership, Baltimore County will protect its most vulnerable, honor its diversity and fight for a community where everyone can thrive.

These are not symbolic gestures — they are actionable policies to make Baltimore County safer and more welcoming for every resident.

Baltimore County must embrace diversity, LGBTQ community

The article argues that Baltimore County must move beyond symbolic gestures and adopt real structural policies—like an LGBTQIA+ commission, inclusive legal language, and gender-neutral public facilities—to ensure dignity, safety, and representation for queer residents. It warns that as federal protections erode, local leadership has a moral and economic obligation to embrace diversity as a source of strength and resilience for the whole community.

Washington Blade