The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Maryland
New research: 63 percent of Maryland’s Black and Hispanic children lived in financial hardship pre-pandemic
By Particular to the AFRO
The vast majority of Maryland’s Black and Hispanic kids — 61 % and 68 % respectively — lived in households that couldn’t afford the fundamentals in 2019. This statistic was in comparison with 31 % of White kids who couldn’t afford requirements throughout the identical 12 months, in accordance with a brand new report from United Method of Central Maryland and its analysis accomplice United For ALICE (Asset Restricted, Revenue Constrained, Employed).
ALICE in Focus: Kids reveals the disproportionate affect of economic hardship on the state’s Black and Hispanic kids, whereas additionally difficult the reliance on federal poverty pointers for eligibility for help packages. The report finds conventional measures of poverty have severely undercounted the variety of kids of all races ages 18 and youthful in Maryland who’re rising up in financially insecure households.
Whereas 12 % of all kids within the state have been deemed in poverty in 2019, the report exhibits that 35 % – greater than twice as many – lived in households outlined as ALICE (Asset Restricted, Revenue Constrained, Employed). ALICE households earn greater than the Federal Poverty Stage, however lower than what it prices to stay and work within the fashionable economic system. Mixed, 47 % of Maryland’s kids lived in households beneath the ALICE Threshold, with earnings that doesn’t meet the essential prices of housing, baby care, well being care, transportation and a smartphone plan.
“Undercounting the variety of kids who’re in danger can have lifelong penalties,” mentioned Franklyn Baker, president and CEO of United Method of Central Maryland. “Hundreds of kids are locked out of receiving essential help for steady housing, meals, and high quality schooling, all of which may inhibit wholesome baby growth. We wish to be sure that each baby is accounted for, and do what we are able to to make sure they stay in a steady setting – at dwelling and at college.”
As a result of ALICE households usually earn an excessive amount of to qualify for public help, the report finds that greater than 400,000 at-risk kids didn’t entry the Supplemental Diet Help Program or SNAP. Maryland lags behind its neighbors with simply 32 % of at-risk kids enrolled in SNAP, in contrast with 34 % in Delaware, 46 % in Pennsylvania and 48 % in Washington, DC.
Different findings from ALICE in Focus: Kids embrace:
● Having two working dad and mom didn’t assure monetary stability: 23 % of kids in Maryland lived in a house with two working adults whose earnings didn’t meet the price of fundamental wants in 2019.
● Amongst households beneath the ALICE Threshold, households of Black kids had the bottom homeownership charge at 29 % compared with 57 % of households of white kids.
● Almost 185,920 kids in households incomes beneath the ALICE Threshold had no high-speed web entry at dwelling.
“Having correct, full information is the inspiration for designing equitable options,” mentioned United For ALICE Nationwide Director Stephanie Hoopes, Ph.D. “COVID-19 hit ALICE households a lot tougher than others as a result of they battle to construct financial savings but usually don’t qualify for monetary help.”
In keeping with the brand new analysis, 44 % of Maryland households beneath the ALICE Threshold reported within the fall of 2021 that their kids “generally or usually” didn’t have sufficient to eat, in distinction with 24 % of higher-income households.
Extra information is offered by way of the ALICE in Focus: Kids interactive information dashboard – which gives filters for regional and native geographies, age, race, incapacity standing, dwelling preparations and family work standing. Go to UnitedForALICE.org/Focus-Kids.
ALICE in Focus: Kids is the primary installment within the ALICE in Focus Analysis Collection, which pulls from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Neighborhood Survey (ACS) Public Use Microdata Samples (PUMS). Every installment within the collection will spotlight a selected phase throughout the ALICE demographic. Upcoming subjects embrace folks with disabilities and veterans.
See extra on Afro.com
About United Method of Central Maryland
United Method of Central Maryland helps the working poor and people in poverty entry fundamental wants like housing, healthcare, jobs, and schooling. The nonprofit’s packages promote fairness, create alternative, and enhance the lives of our neighbors and the neighborhoods they name dwelling. For practically 100 years, United Method has tackled the hardest challenges in Baltimore Metropolis and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties. Be taught extra at uwcm.org.
About United For ALICE
United For ALICE is a driver of innovation, analysis and motion to enhance life throughout the nation for ALICE (Asset Restricted, Revenue Constrained, Employed) and for all. By the event of the ALICE measurements, a complete, unbiased image of economic hardship has emerged. Harnessing this information and analysis on the mismatch between low-paying jobs and the price of survival, ALICE companions convene, advocate and collaborate on options that promote monetary stability at native, state and nationwide ranges. This grassroots ALICE motion, led by United Method of Northern New Jersey, has unfold to 24 states and consists of United Methods, firms, nonprofits and foundations in Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawai‘i, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Washington, D.C., West Virginia and Wisconsin; we’re United For ALICE. For extra data, go to UnitedForALICE.org.
Assist us Proceed to inform OUR Story and be part of the AFRO household as a member – subscribers are actually members! Be part of right here!
Continue Reading
Maryland
Top 25 Maryland Boys High School Basketball State Rankings (12/25/2024)
There’s no change at the top of the latest Maryland high school boys basketball Top 25 rankings. Bullis School, DeMatha Catholic, Georgetown Prep, St. Frances Academy and Glenelg Country School maintain their positions in the Top 5.
Edmondson-Westside is the biggest mover this week, going from 24th to No. 21 after knocking off then-No. 21 Baltimore City College. Prince George’s Christian Academy debuts at No. 22, thanks to its win over then-No. 20 Clinton Grace Academy.
Previous rank: 1
The Bulldogs, who lost in the Signature Series final at the City of Palms Classic in Florida, will play at the Jordan Brand Holiday Classic starting Friday.
Previous rank: 2
The Stags will play at the Governor’s Challenge in Salisbury, Friday and Saturday.
Previous rank: 3
The Little Hoyas will play at the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic in San Diego starting Thursday.
Previous rank: 4
The Panthers, who defeated No. 7 Our Lady of Mount Carmel in overtime, will play at the Jordan Brand Holiday Classic in New York, Saturday and Sunday.
Previous rank: 5
The Dragons will play at the Governor’s Challenge Saturday and Sunday.
Previous rank: 6
The Cavaliers will play at the Governor’s Challenge Friday and Saturday.
Previous rank: 7
The Cougars, who lost to DeMatha Catholic and St. Frances Academy, will play at the Mid Penn Bank Classic in Pennsylvania Friday and Saturday.
Previous rank: 8
The Gaels will play at the Junior Orange Bowl Classic in Florida starting Friday.
Previous rank: 9
The Warriors will play at the Governor’s Challenge Saturday and Sunday.
Previous rank: 10
The Lions will play at the Governor’s Challenge Friday and Saturday.
Previous rank: 11
The Bengals have scored 90 or more points four times.
Previous rank: 12
The Patriots, who dropped close decisions to No. 5 Glenelg Country School and No. 6 Archbishop Spalding, will play at the Benedictine Capital City Classic in Virginia starting Friday.
Previous rank: 13
The Lions rebounded from loss to SIdwell Friends School (D.C.) with victories over Mount Zion Prep-Blue team and New Hope Academy.
Previous rank: 15
The Dons, who’ve won three straight, will play at the Blue Jay Christmas Classic in New Orleans starting Friday.
Previous rank: 16
The Eagles will play at the Benedictine Capital City Classic starting Friday.
Previous rank: 14
The Mustangs, who went winless at the City of Palms Classic in Florida, will play Archbishop Wood (Pa.) at the Governor’s Challenge Monday..
Previous rank: 17
The Eagles will play at the Severna Park Winter Jam Tournament Thursday and Friday.
Previous rank: 18
The Lions have lost two of their last three decisions.
Previous rank: 19
The Crusaders knocked off District of Columbia No. 3 St. John’s College.
Previous rank: 22
The Pumas will host the Lou Wilson Holiday Tournament, Friday and Saturday.
Previous rank: 24
The Red Storm, who defeated then-No. 21 Baltimore City College, will play at the Governor’s Challenge Thursday and Friday.
Previous rank: Not ranked
The Flyers, who defeated then-No. 20 Clinton Grace Christian, will play at the Beach Ball Classic in South Carolina starting Friday.
Previous rank: 21
The Black Knights, who dropped decisions to then-No. 24 Edmondson-Westside and West Catholic Prep (Pa.) will play at the Governor’s Challenge, Friday and Saturday.
Previous rank: 23
The Seahawks will play at the Governor’s Challenge, Friday and Saturday.
Previous rank: 25
The Hubs will play at the Skip Fowler Memorial Tournament in West Virginia, Friday and Saturday.
Maryland
The rich and controversial history of Maryland’s clown ministers
We are fools for Christ’s sake.
So believed the apostle Paul when he penned a letter to the Corinthian church. And so, too, believed Maryland’s pioneering clown ministry.
This niche style of Christian outreach is as outrageous as it is earnest, and traces some of its roots back to Columbia. It’s perhaps a legacy that James Rouse never imagined when he founded the Howard County town, with its distinctive urban plan, efficient use of land and commitment to diversity. Rouse included a series of interfaith centers intended to bring people of different beliefs under one roof. The model inspired one local pastor at Abiding Savior Lutheran Church to pursue his own experiment blending liturgy with laughter.
These days, Rev. Floyd Shaffer is remembered by some as the “clown father” of modern Christian clowning. Though liturgical clowning already had a history in Europe, Shaffer spent his time in Columbia in the 1970s dabbling in clown ministry and eventually became known as a leader of the movement in the United States. He died three years ago, his wife Marlene Shaffer confirmed.
Even though the whimsical ministry’s heyday was in the 1980s and ’90s, some Christians continue to answer the call to clown. And the practice has captivated new audiences on TikTok and YouTube.
Earlier this year, the Columbia Maryland Archives put together an online exhibit about the town’s nondenominational clown ministry, called Faith and Fantasy, which Shaffer founded in 1974. Archivist Erin Berry said staffers were inspired after stumbling across a popular YouTube channel’s episode on Christian clowning.
Shaffer’s idea for a clown ministry came to him in 1964 on a beach in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The pastor was in town for a Bible study and leafing through some books when he stumbled across the etymology of the word clown. He connected it with Jesus’ command to be a servant.
That same year, Lutheran church leaders were getting creative with clowns — and it wasn’t going over well.
The National Lutheran Council produced the short film “Parable,” which depicted Jesus as a white-faced clown and the world as a circus.
The film’s 1964 debut at the New York World’s Fair roiled event organizers, some of whom resigned in protest. One “disgruntled minister threatened to riddle the screen with shotgun holes if the film was shown,” the Library of Congress noted when it announced that it had selected “Parable” for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2012.
Six years later, Shaffer debuted as a clown minister for the opening day of Abiding Savior’s vacation Bible school, according to a news article preserved in Columbia’s archives.
“I don’t think that something that’s so controversial — I don’t know what other word to use — as clowning ministry could flourish in another place other than Columbia,” Berry said. “You could just try what you wanted to try.”
Other leaders within Columbia’s interfaith centers encouraged Shaffer to keep at it, said 86-year-old Marge Goethe. Her husband, Rev. Jerry Goethe, the pastor for Kittamaqundi Community Church, suggested to Shaffer that he teach a class on clown ministry. Together, the two men designed a seven-week course that covered theology, the history of clowning, skits and games to encourage playfulness.
Many local residents, including Marge Goethe, enrolled in the classes, embraced clown ministry and set out to visit children’s hospitals, retirement homes and domestic violence shelters. She learned how to silently deliver sermons with gestures and humor, but never mockery. Goethe used lipstick to draw a red circle — a symbol of the liturgical clown — on her cheek.
Goethe developed her clown persona and named him Harry, after a man she knew as a child who lived on the streets. He was a reminder that she could either be the kind of person who brushed him off or helped him out.
Howard County’s clown ministry eventually grew to include as many as 300 clowns, The Baltimore Sun reported in 1994. Members of the Faith and Fantasy ministry went on to teach clown ministry around the country and internationally.
Not every audience loved the routine.
During a worship service at a Virginia college’s youth convention, Goethe and other clown ministers offered to draw the mark of the clown on people’s cheeks.
“What is that, the mark of the devil?” one man asked.
Goethe couldn’t reply while she was in character.
“All I had to do was accept what he was feeling at the time and hope it changed at some point,” Goethe said.
Goethe still attends Kittamaqundi services and performs clown ministry. When people ask her about the decades she spent cheering up strangers, she worries she won’t find the right words to explain how rich clown ministry turned out to be.
“I did more good for people being silent,” Goethe said.
Shaffer eventually moved to Ohio and authored several books with titles such as “If I Were A Clown” and “Clown Ministry.” He produced instructional videos on clown ministry that lately have found a rapt audience on the internet.
Jen Bryant realized she had a personal connection with clown ministry while putting together an episode on the subject for her YouTube channel, Fundie Fridays, which features cultural commentary on aspects of fundamentalist Christianity in the United States. The Missouri resident’s grandfather, a Catholic, performed for a time as a clown minister under the name “George-o.”
Every community seems to have its subcultures, Bryant said, and she found that was also true for clowns. There are classical clowns like Joseph Grimaldi, a Regency-era entertainer who introduced the white face makeup. There are dark clowns like Juggalos, a nickname for fans of the hip-hop group Insane Clown Posse. And there are scary clowns like Pennywise, the shapeshifting antagonist in Stephen King’s 1986 horror novel “It.”
At first, Christian clowns sounded like a meme to Bryant. The full story, she said, turned out to be “way more interesting.”
Bryant and her husband James Bryant ordered copies of Shaffer’s books and collected a variety of research on clown ministry for their episode, which posted in April. The hourlong segment earned an “overwhelmingly positive” response from their audience, many of whom are in the midst of deconstructing their faith and understanding of Christianity, Bryant said.
“Everyone just thought this was just the most pleasant little novelty,” James Bryant said.
Maybe Christian clowns are even the original deconstructors.
“They’re people who went, ‘faith wasn’t working exactly how we wanted it to, so we broke it down and changed it,’” he said. “It worked. It has a legacy.”
Appearing in a video on Kittamaqundi’s YouTube page, Shaffer said clown ministry gives people a new way to live out and enjoy theology, “instead of being so glum and gloomy and solemn, as much of the church has become.”
Many Bible stories defy rational thought and that’s sort of the point, Floyd said in the video.
Scripture, Floyd noted, often suggests that God has a sense of humor.
Maryland
Calmer weather and milder temperatures in store for Maryland on Christmas
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
-
Technology5 days ago
Google’s counteroffer to the government trying to break it up is unbundling Android apps
-
News6 days ago
Novo Nordisk shares tumble as weight-loss drug trial data disappoints
-
Politics6 days ago
Illegal immigrant sexually abused child in the U.S. after being removed from the country five times
-
Entertainment6 days ago
'It's a little holiday gift': Inside the Weeknd's free Santa Monica show for his biggest fans
-
Lifestyle6 days ago
Think you can't dance? Get up and try these tips in our comic. We dare you!
-
Technology1 week ago
Fox News AI Newsletter: OpenAI responds to Elon Musk's lawsuit
-
Technology1 day ago
There’s a reason Metaphor: ReFantanzio’s battle music sounds as cool as it does
-
News2 days ago
France’s new premier selects Eric Lombard as finance minister