By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Staff Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com
Former U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin’s office walls are now bare, signifying the end of an era. The longtime politician announced in 2023 that he would not seek reelection to serve another term, set to begin in 2025.
Cardin sat down with the AFRO to discuss highlights of his work in politics and his plans in retirement.
When Cardin speaks of his early life, he describes the Ashburton community where he grew up in Northwest Baltimore as “closely knit” and “very safe.”
“We walked wherever we wanted to go,” said Cardin, now 81.
Cardin announced his retirement on May 1, 2023, in a video-recorded statement with his wife, Myrna, alongside him.
During the interview, he recalled that he met his wife of 60 years at Liberty Elementary School and “started dating in middle school.” They married in 1964 and had two kids.
After graduating from Baltimore City College in 1961, Cardin went on to get his B.A. at the University of Pittsburgh in 1964, and his J.D. at the University of Maryland in 1967. Cardin comes from a family of public servants.
“My parents both were very active in the community,” he said. “My father, before he was married, served in the Maryland General Assembly. He became a circuit court judge.”
His father was Meyer Cardin and his mother, Dora.
While studying at the University of Maryland, he ran to become a state delegate and won. He served as a delegate from 1967 to 1986 and as the youngest House Speaker in the Maryland General Assembly from 1979 to 1986.
“I’ve been really blessed,” said Cardin. “[I’m] proud of what I was able to do in the state legislature, in the House of Representatives, and now in the United States Senate.”
During the interview, Cardin gave crucial advice to the next generation aspiring to serve in a political office.
“My advice to younger people who want to run for office–run. [If] you get elected…don’t worry about re-election. Just do what you can while you’re there,” said Cardin. “Don’t waste any time, because the term goes faster than you think.”
Cardin has championed and accomplished much throughout his years of service. He took a moment to reflect on some of his top career accomplishments.
“I’m proud of my work on the Senate Finance Committee to provide trails in Baltimore and to help provide alternatives to highways so that communities can be connected,” said Cardin. “I was responsible for expanding our Women’s Business Centers in Maryland from one to four. One is at Morgan State University, one is at Bowie State University–two of our HBCUs.”
“I took a tragedy that happened in Maryland in 2007 when a youngster Deamonte Driver lost his life through tooth decay, and turned that into a national policy to provide universal coverage for pediatric dental care for all of our children in this country,” he continued.
As a native of Baltimore, Cardin has shown much love and support for his city throughout his career.
“It’s really the economic heart of our state, and [we’ve] got to do everything we can to partner with Baltimore to show that we support the city,” said Cardin. “I’ve done that. I did that first in the general assembly with school equalization, and just more recently, I’ve done that in economic development tools such as [the] new market and store tax credits.”
Jill P. Carter, a former Maryland state senator and a new member of the Maryland State Board of Contract Appeals, reflected on how Cardin has worked to support Black Americans throughout his career.
“Throughout his career, he was actively engaged with Maryland’s Black community,” said Carter. “He frequently engaged with Black faith leaders, community leaders and organizations in Baltimore to align his policy priorities with the needs of our community, addressing critical issues such as gun violence, housing and economic disparities.”
“A defining aspect of Ben Cardin’s legacy is his long-standing efforts to support civil rights, economic opportunity and justice for the Black community,” said Carter.
In recent years, Cardin has championed a project that aims to repair the divide the “Highway to Nowhere” caused more than 50 years ago and the creation of the Baltimore Red Line, a transit line that would increase connectivity in East and West Baltimore.
The incomplete expansion of the “Highway to Nowhere” displaced and divided over 150,000 majority-Black families in the 1970s.
In 2023, Cardin and fellow members of the Maryland Congressional Delegation made way for $2 million in federal funds to Baltimore City for the redevelopment of the “Highway to Nowhere,” which extends from N. Warwick Avenue to Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
In 2021, Cardin helped get the Red Line “back on track, literally, in the infrastructure bill” after former Gov. Larry Hogan canceled it in 2015.
As Cardin sets off into this next chapter of his life, he is assured that he will remain active in the community.
“I’m going to be on a crusade for young people to have a better knowledge of history,” said Cardin. “To understand how they can become engaged in our community through civic engagement and understanding the importance of civility. You can compromise without compromising your principles or values. That’s all part of how our system has developed over the years, and why America is the strongest democracy in the world.”
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