On Thursday, Governor Wes Moore announced new “Just Community” designations prioritizing up to $400 million in state investment for historically underserved areas and expanded cannabis pardons by nearly 7,000 convictions, as part of broader efforts to close the racial wealth gap and promote economic equity in Maryland.

Per the news release distributed on Thursday, June 19: “Governor Wes Moore today announced additional action to close the racial wealth gap and expand access to work, wages, and wealth for Black Marylanders. Before a congregation of 200 at Bethel AME Church in Cambridge, the governor made official new Just Community designations to prioritize up to $400 million in competitive state investments in communities that have been historically impacted by exclusionary policies. The governor also announced the addition of nearly 7,000 pardons for certain cannabis convictions, expanding upon the historic clemency order that the governor signed last year.

“We know the racial wealth gap affects all of us. It hurts our economy; it restrains job growth and it limits our potential as a state,” said Gov. Moore. “If you want a growing economy, you have to make sure it is an inclusive one. We cannot afford to simply ‘meet’ about the situation before us and delay progress—we need action. Together, we are going to continue the work of repair with action that delivers results.”

​Governor Moore signed Just Community legislation in 2024 to target state investment in communities that have experienced decades of discriminatory policies like redlining, urban renewal projects, high incarceration rates and disproportionate exposure to environmental and health hazards. The legislation promotes equal opportunity by working to more systemically uplift historically underserved communities.

Using racial equity and social justice framework, program evaluation, and community engagement, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development developed recommendations over the past year to designate 419 of Maryland’s 1,463 census tracts as Just Communities, representing 17 counties and the City of Baltimore. The five-year designation will create priority consideration for competitive state funding in FY 2026.

Governor Moore made the recommended designations official today, to take effect July 1.

“The first-of-its-kind designation of Maryland’s Just Communities is a critical step in lifting the barriers that create separate and unequal neighborhoods all across our state,” said Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day. “Fostering fairer development and addressing inequity not only creates healthier, more resilient communities, but generates lasting social and economic well-being for all.”

The governor also announced pardons for 6,938 additional convictions for simple cannabis possession, an expansion of the historic executive clemency order that pardoned more than 175,000 convictions—the largest pardon for misdemeanor cannabis possession charges for any state in the country. The additional pardons are the result of continued partnership with the Maryland Judiciary to review cases since the first order was signed last June.

As required by the governor’s Expungement Reform Act, all pardoned cannabis possession offenses will be removed from public view by January 31, 2026. The Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services will also indicate pardoned convictions on criminal background checks.

Throughout the month, the Moore-Miller Administration has announced numerous equity-driven initiatives based in action to deliver results, including the launch of the Community Investment Venture Fund to help entrepreneurs of color secure access to capital to grow their businesses; the first round of funding awards to address inequitable property appraisal values through the UPLIFT initiative; and $4 million in funding to strengthen high-skill workforce development through the Roads to​ Careers program.

The new initiatives build upon the administration’s previous action, including a historic $1.3 billion investment in Maryland’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities; helping 1,500 Black Marylanders pursue homeownership by increasing mortgages offered to first-time homebuyers; supporting Maryland’s Black-owned businesses through more than $816 million in state procurement awards; and launching a first-in-the-nation state-level effort to end concentrated poverty through the ENOUGH initiative.

“We convened just blocks away from Long Wharf, where kidnapped humans of African descent were sold into Early Republic bondage, and within a sacred space along the Eastern Shore’s Black Wall Street built by their inspiring descendants,” said Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture Vice Chair Jaelon Moaney. “Today, Gov. Moore and Sec. Day embodied how Maryland is setting a national standard for disrupting systemic inequities and ushering inclusive paths towards healing in and with communities from all zip codes. I’m proud to call Cambridge home, and the gravity of this Juneteenth National Independence Day is not lost on me.”

“Governor Wes Moore is committed to leaving no one behind,” said Cambridge Mayor Lajan Cephas. “Over the past few years we have learned that this is more than a buzz phrase—this is an action. Governor Moore’s ENOUGH Act puts words into action and I am confident it will close the racial wealth gap in Cambridge and Dorchester County.”

“On this Juneteenth, we honor the legacy of freedom rooted in neighborhoods like Pine Street and Greenwood Avenue—where strength, resilience, and pride have always lived,” said Moving Dorchester Forward ENOUGH Coordinator Veronica Taylor. “Through the ENOUGH Initiative, we are writing a new chapter—one where healing begins, voices rise, and communities thrive. Our freedom story is still being written, and I am thankful for Governor Moore’s partnership as we write the next chapter in Maryland.”