Thousands gather inside Baltimore Convention Center to celebrate Maryland’s first Black governor

Courtesy of the AFRO Staff munity organizer advocating for safer and cleaner streets.

On the evening of Jan. 18 Governor Wes Moore welcomed more than 10, 000 supporters from around the country to help him celebrate in his new role.

The governor spoke to the crowd, danced with his family and made his way to festivities happening on multiple levels of the Baltimore Convention Center, located on the same Pratt Street where slaves were once marched to Fells Point for transport.

Grammy-award winning artist Maxwell crooned the crowd on one floor while Baltimore’s own Dru Hill got the crowd moving in an upstairs ballroom. Members of the Divine Nine were seen repping their organizations, while HBCU grads proudly “swagged” and “surfed” into a truly historic night. Chris Tucker got the crowd laughing and Indian dancers graced the stage in full traditional dress, a nod to the newly sworn-in Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller’s heritage.

Governor Wes Moore’s inaugural celebration– the People’s Ball– was truly a spectacular affair, as Maryland’s First and Second Families made the night a perfect blend of culture and class.

Across the street, Nunez held a red-andblue campaign sign urging voters to back her as a write-in candidate for alder.

A Comcast sales representative who has lived in Dixwell for eight years, Nunez said she’s running for alder because she wants “to be a voice for the people.” That means fighting for a “safer community” by prioritizing “building a strong relationship with the police.”

“People see the police as the enemy,” she said. She said she wants to help change that mindset.

She also wants to see more lighting on dark Dixwell streets, and more services for neighborhood seniors.

Nunez said she’ll run for Ward 21 alder again during the November general election. And while she’s now a Democrat, she’s considering changing her party affiliation to Republican. Why? She said she’s worried about voter fraud and widespread vaccination of young people under the age of 12.

Nunez won at least one vote Monday, from Shelton Avenue resident Richard Dubay.

With an umbrella held above his head, Dubay said he turned out to vote on Monday because “one of the privileges in this country” is casting ballots during local, state, and national elections. He said he voted for Nunez because he liked her persistence as a write-in candidate.