ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Senator Arthur Ellis, a Democrat representing Charles County, gave the Black History Month speech on the floor of the Senate on Thursday and ended it by "taking his leave" in an act of protest.
His speech highlighted several powerful Black women who fought behind the scenes for civil rights.
But then he pivoted, saying he had a sleepless night thinking about the speech.
'I will try my best to get some people angry today.'
"What are you doing today?" he recalled asking himself last night, "When so many people's rights are being trampled? We have modern protestors being murdered in the streets of America."
"And I will say," Ellis continued, "I will try my best to get some people angry today... I will not come back to this podium and to give quorum to this body until we bring the mid-cycle redistricting bill to this floor and we be part of the revolution to send Washington a message that what they are doing to our citizens is unacceptable."
We've reached out to the Senator for clarification on whether that means he plans to stay off the floor entirely until the mid-cycle redistricting bill, passed in the House, is brought to the Senate floor.
Senate President Bill Ferguson has made his stance against the redistricting effort clear.
Governor Wes Moore has also called on the Maryland Senate to take up the redistricting bill.
"Senator Arthur Ellis is underscoring what more and more Marylanders are feeling every day: this is an urgent moment, and we cannot afford to sit on the sidelines—especially as we see real consequences coming out of Washington that hit Maryland families and communities," said Ammar Moussa, a spokesperson for Moore. "Maryland is bearing the brunt of the real-world consequences of an unchecked administration—25,000 federal workers fired, skyrocketing costs, and people’s rights being ripped away. This is about protecting our democracy and ensuring there is a meaningful check on this administration. Standing with democracy means taking up this map, debating it, and taking a vote—and that is our ask of the Maryland Senate."
