Welcome to the Governor’s Commission on
African Affairs

About the Commission

On May 14, 2009, Governor Martin O’Malley signed Executive Order 01.01.2009.07, establishing the Governors Commission on African Affairs within the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives.  The Governor appointed a 21 member Commission to reflect the growth and diversity of the African community.

Pursuant to the Executive Order, the Governor’s Commission on African Affairs is charged with engaging the African community in partnership with State government to promote their social, cultural, and business interests.  Specifically, the duties and responsibilities of the Commission are to:

  • Serve as an advisory body to the Governor and agencies within the Executive Department on matters relating to the African population of Maryland, including matters relating to economic, workforce, and business development;
  • Identify needs or problems affecting Africans, and develop appropriate responses and programs;
  • Conduct outreach to African groups and communities in the State, and communicate information to them concerning public and private programs that are beneficial to their interests;
  • Review and comment on any proposed federal, State, or local legislation, regulations, policies, or programs that affect the African population of Maryland;
  • Generally comment and make appropriate recommendations on matters affecting the health, safety and welfare of the African population of Maryland

The Commission has established an ambitious work plan to meet the charge of the Executive Order Over the course of the next year and beyond, the Commission will work closely with the Governor’s Office, state and local governments, service providers and business organizations, and other stakeholders within the diverse African communities to ensure greater access and inclusion for Africans and all Marylanders.

Census 2010

Census 2010There is an important civic and constitutionally mandated event that will shape our future over the course of the next decade and we need your help. The 2010 Census is coming and we must ensure that every Marylander in every neighborhood, community, village, town, city and county in Maryland is counted on Census Day, April 1, 2010.

To achieve this goal, Governor O'Malley has approved an active outreach plan to be implemented under the leadership of the Maryland Department of Planning, our official State partner to the U.S. Census Bureau, along with the Office of the Secretary of State and the Governor's Office of Community Initiatives.

By answering the census, services and programs like job training, education, health care and transit improvements, will be there for our families and our communities for years to come. The importance of the Census cannot be overstated. An undercount of as little as a 1.7% or 100,000 of our state's 5.8 million residents translates to a loss of $1 billion dollars in federal revenue over the decade and considerably more in state funds distribution.

To make sure everyone is counted, we are working closely with the U.S. Census Bureau, State agencies, local governments, and non-governmental organizations including community and ethnic groups in order to form the partnerships that can reach out to the people of Maryland.

The success of the Census, it's in our hands Maryland!

For more information on the Census 2010 click on the above logo.

Click here for the Census Outreach Mapping Tool

 

H1N1 (Swine) Flu and Seasonal Flu Information

The Maryland Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities urges EACH PERSON in Maryland to TAKE ACTION NOW to aviod getting the flu.

Please read and share the documents provided: