Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, who recently fought off allegations of being a “DEI Mayor,” declared that he would allocate funds from the American Rescue Plan Act to local art groups, giving priority to non-white-owned ones.
It would also be revealed that the funds originate from a $3.6 million “Diversity in Arts” grant, which was financed through Covid-19 relief.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott says he will direct funds from the American Rescue Plan Act to local art groups, hinting that priority will be given to those that are not white-owned.pic.twitter.com/v7N2I3RKsz
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) April 19, 2024
The mayor said in his announcement, “For too long, public dollars have simply just gone to the big names and the big players in town.”
“And dare I say, I know my staff is going to hate this, the big names and big players in town that just happen to be white-ran organizations in Baltimore,” he continued.
Scott proceeded to express gratitude to President Biden and the congressional delegation for their assistance in enabling the city to guarantee “all artists and communities have equitable access to resources and opportunities in Baltimore.”
He added, “Baltimore has always been a city defined by the arts, and our art community remains a cornerstone of our city’s identity, reflecting our history, diversity, and resilience.”
“Baltimore’s arts community has always been there to express what this city is about, often giving a voice to the voiceless,” Scott said.
Fox Baltimore reports that The National Great Blacks In Wax Museum and the Reginald F. Lewis Museum are among the capital grant recipients.
Grant funding from this program will be distributed to 24 project recipients, including Baltimore Center Stage and Creative Nomads, with allocations of $200,000 and $100,000 respectively.
Creative Nomads is acknowledged for its efforts in promoting “African drumming” and “mindfulness” to its partners.
Resist The Mainstream reported last month on Scott making headlines following his response to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.
A post on X referred to Scott by the nickname “DEI Mayor” beneath a clip of the mayor addressing the media following the bridge incident.
MSNBC host Joy Reid, who recently went viral after suggesting Trump’s hush-money trial is a “poetic” racial reckoning, chose to highlight Scott’s overwhelming election in a predominantly black city, quipping, “So by right-wing logic, a ‘diversity hire’ would have been a white man.”
Scott, in response to Reid, emphasized the historical context of Black men being vilified by racists throughout American history.
“We’ve been the bogeyman for them since the first day they brought us to this country,” Scott told Reid during an interview. He continued, asserting his interpretation of DEI as “duly elected incumbent,” and condemned those who hide behind coded language rather than openly expressing racism.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott:
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) March 28, 2024
“White people use the term DEI hire because they don't have the courage to say the N-word.”
A national tragedy where multiple people are dead and missing and Joy Reid and Mayor Scott want to make it about race? Despicable. pic.twitter.com/BwvEHZhYwo
“We know what they want to say,” Scott said, “but they don’t have the courage to say the N-word, and the fact that I don’t believe in their untruthful and wrong ideology.”
“I am very proud of my heritage and who I am and where I come from, scares them,” the mayor added, “because me being at my position means that their way of thinking, their way of life of being comfortable while everyone else suffers is going to be at risk, and they should be afraid because that’s my purpose in life.”
This is an excerpt from RTM.
