I want to thank all of the students and community members who have participated in Divided Baltimore’s community forum. You have contributed to very lively discussions, and all of us are learning a great deal about the city in which we live and work.

Now, as we move past the half-way point in the course, I want to share with you the scheduled speakers for future community forums:

10/26 – “How does the media report manifestations of segregation?” will include Adam Marton of the Baltimore Sun and A. Adar Ayira from Associated Black Charities.

11/2 – For “Democracy, Public Policy, and Government: What is the Role of Government in solving the problem of segregation?” we have:

*Dr. Leena Wen, City of Baltimore’s public health commissioner;

*Victoria Schultz, UB Law and Sara Pratt, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Programs, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – Federal Housing Policy: From Barrier to Benefit in Baltimore

*Martha McKenna, partner in the Democratic political media-consulting firm McKenna Pihlaja and Antonio Hayes, House of Delegates – “Politics On The Streets of Baltimore”
11/9 – We have a special treat this evening on the role of culture and the arts and social entrepreneurship. Derick Ebert—Baltimore’s poet laureate and UB Divided Baltimore student–will read some his work in partnership with Kenneth Morrison of Dew More. Shelia Gaskins will talk about Artpartheid, and UB faculty member JC Weiss will address social entrepreneurship.

11/16 – “What is the role of churches and community leaders?” will feature Rev. Kevin Slayton from New Waverly United Methodist Church – “A History of Blind Faith”, A. Adar Ayira from Associated Black Charities – “Playing Your Position”, and Dayvon Love from Leaders of the Beautiful Struggle.

Starting then, we will begin to focus on community development and imagining the future of Baltimore with the following:

On 11/23 we have Wes Moore and JC Faulk.

On 11/30 we have the Opportunities Collaborative team with Scot T. Spencer, Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Bill Cole, Baltimore Development Corporation; along with a report on the Morgan State University research study with Maurice Taylor.

We conclude on 12/7 with “Imagining One Baltimore” with Michael Cryor, executive director of OneBaltimore.

Starting on 12/7 and continuing on 12/14 students enrolled in the course will present their own visions of the future.

And then we will try to determine how to improve the course for another semester…..

I hope to see you at as many community forums as possible, but remember that you can always catch the video stream at a later time.

Today’s digital edition of the New York Times has a feature article on Baltimore that includes reference to our course–see:

(This post has comments from our community members.)

A Fragile Baltimore Struggles to Heal Itself
Six months since the death of Freddie Gray after a police encounter, the city is on edge as it seeks new leadership and the trials of six police officers approach….

The link for the article is:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/21/us/a-fragile-baltimore-struggles-to-heal-itself.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=photo-spot-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

The link for the video is:

http://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000003973175/uniting-a-divided-baltimore.html

Note especially one of the videos embedded in the article. It highlights one of our sessions, and it includes a profile on our GA, Sonce Reese.

Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739

(This post has comments from our community members.)

The Oct. 19th edition of the University of Baltimore class, “Divided Baltimore: How Did We Get Here? Where Do We Go?,” to be held beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the Town Hall in UB’s H. Mebane Turner Learning Commons, 1415 Maryland Ave., will feature three guest lecturers focused on the topic of how segregation affects health care and wellness. The class is free and open to the public. Seating is limited, and only students formally enrolled in the course are guaranteed a seat.

Guest lecturers and their topics include:

*The Social Determinants of Health in Baltimore—Sam Brown, University of Baltimore

*The forgotten residents of Baltimore:  Older Adults”—Michael Marcus, Weinberg Foundation

*Food Deserts: An Equity Issue in Baltimore—Darien Ripple, University of Baltimore

Following about an hour of discussion from these lecturers, a question and answer session will be offered. After that, the course will break out into its normal undergraduate and graduate sections for further discussion.

BALTIMORE:
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE IN 2016?

MOVING FROM PROTESTS TO POLICY: MAKING ADVOCACY COUNT
Moving Forward to a Vision for 2016

And How to Use ABC’s “TEN ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS FOR POLICY DEVELOPMENT, REVIEW, AND EVALUATION” TOOL

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015
6:30 PM– 8:30 PM

(Doors open at 6:00 PM for registration check-in)

In the Turner Learning Commons (Town Hall)
on the campus of University of Baltimore
1415 Maryland Avenue, Baltimore 21201

In 2016, the stakes are high for moving forward policies that benefit our children, families, and communities in Baltimore and Maryland. With groundwork that has been laid in 2015 through organizing and strategizing, we have an opportunity to impact policies and change in 2016. But what are the issues that advocacy groups are working on that are important to you and to the economic and social health of our families and communities?

Come and hear about:

• Pressing issues for which establishment, grassroots, and community activists will be advocating in 2016;

• HOW TO USE ABC’S “10 ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS FOR POLICY DEVELOPMENT, REVIEW, AND EVALUATION” TOOL AND WHY WE MUST INCORPORATE A RACIAL EQUITY LENS IN POLICY; and

• How YOU can be a more effective advocate for change.

THIS EVENT IS FREE BUT YOU MUST REGISTER TO ATTEND!! TO REGISTER, GO TO:
https://abcmd.wufoo.com/forms/a-community-conversation-s1fphtaa0wffy2p/

If you are an advocacy group interested in being a part of this event, contact A. Adar Ayira at aayira@abc-md.org

Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739

The October 12th edition of UB’s “Divided Baltimore: How Did We Get Here? Where Do We Go?” class, beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the Town Hall in UB’s H. Mebane Turner Learning Commons, 1415 Maryland Ave., will feature three guest lecturers focused on the topic of how the justice system reflects and reinforces segregation. Seating is limited, and only students formally enrolled in the course are guaranteed a seat.

Guest lecturers and their topics include:

*Justice in Baltimore’s Civil Courts—Michele Cotton, UB
*Crime and Justice in Baltimore: My Five Decades—Jose Anderson, UB
*From Victim to “Shero” —Renita Seabrook, UB

*Following about an hour of discussion from these lecturers, a question and answer session will be offered. After that, the course will break out into its normal undergraduate and graduate sections for further discussion.

In this blog post, I’m taking the course moderator’s prerogative to reflect on what we are trying to accomplish in Divided Baltimore.

We are trying to make meaning out of the condition of our lives in Baltimore. As one of our students put it after hearing Betsy Nix’s lecture on how Baltimore became segregated, “With this course, I (already) can begin to understand my whole life!”

We are about making meaning by:

1) understanding the historical context—how did we get here?

2) understanding the forces that work on our present condition—how do we live today in Baltimore?

3) imagining a different way to live—where do we go from here?

And if someone asks why we are undertaking this topic, I would argue that we are promoting reflection, discernment, civic advocacy, and, thereby, democratic participation—-all of the purposes of the American university since Thomas Jefferson created the University of Virginia.

For the first few weeks we have looked at the historical, geographical, and personal context. We then began to try understanding the forces that work on our present condition. In a few weeks, we will begin to focus on imagining a different way to live for all of us. As I have argued in our early community forums, we are not necessarily about THE solution, although it would be great if that might emerge from the forum. But as we come to understand our circumstance, and can make some meaning of it, we will begin to imagine a different future. That is what we are trying to accomplish in this course.

Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739

The October 5th edition of UB’s “Divided Baltimore: How Did We Get Here? Where Do We Go?” class, beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the Town Hall in UB’s H. Mebane Turner Learning Commons, 1415 Maryland Ave., will feature four guest lecturers focused on the topic of how segregation affects educational opportunities. Seating is limited, and only students formally enrolled in the course are guaranteed a seat.

Guest lecturers and their topics include:

*Jessica Shiller, Assistant Professor of Education in the Department of Instructional Leadership and Professional Development at Towson University—”Urban Education: Still Separate But Unequal in 2015″

*Rudy Ruiz, BCPS—Public Education in Baltimore City: Keys to Success

*Michael Sarbanes, BCPS—Spatial Segregation, Community and Education

*Kristin Berdan and Iman Cuffie, UB—Youth Dreamers – “Lessons Learned from Dreaming”

*Following about an hour of discussion from these lecturers, a question and answer session will be offered. After that, the course will break out into its normal undergraduate and graduate sections for further discussion.

Join us for the Sept. 28th edition of the University of Baltimore’s “Divided Baltimore: How Did We Get Here? Where Do We Go?” to be held beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the Town Hall in UB’s H. Mebane Turner Learning Commons, 1415 Maryland Ave. Tonight’s discussion will feature three guest lecturers focused on the topic of transportation infrastructure and changing employment opportunities and how both reflect and reinforce segregation. The class is free and open to the public. Seating is limited, and only students formally enrolled in the course are guaranteed a seat.

Guest lecturers and topics include:

*Eric Norton, Central Maryland Transportation Alliance, discussing the role of transportation in providing access to opportunity and how current policies ameliorate or exacerbate inequality in the Baltimore region

*Tylis Cooper, University of Baltimore, presenting “Employment And Transportation: Developing Pathways To Employment For Baltimore City Residents”

*Diane Bell-McKoy, Associated Black Charities

*Following about an hour of discussion from these lecturers, a question and answer session will be offered. After that, the course will break out into its normal undergraduate and graduate sections for further discussion.

“The Musings of an English teacher in Baltimore City: I write about Baltimore, teaching, education issues, and literature, plus about pop culture and sports sometimes too.” -Mark M.

Each week, Mark’s “musings” shine on our ‘Divided Baltimore’ blog and this week we thought we would share them with you. You can check out Mark M’s blog postings here:

http://epiphanyinbmore.blogspot.com/2015/11/dividedbaltimore-week-12-community.html?m=1

http://epiphanyinbmore.blogspot.com/search/label/%23dividedbaltimore

http://epiphanyinbmore.blogspot.com/2015/10/dividedbaltimore-session-6-justice.html?spref=tw

http://epiphanyinbmore.blogspot.com/2015/09/dividedbaltimore-session-4-missed.html?spref=tw

http://epiphanyinbmore.blogspot.com/2015/08/attending-university-of-baltimores.html?m=1

http://epiphanyinbmore.blogspot.com/2015/09/2nd-meeting-of-ubs-divided-baltimore.html?m=1

http://epiphanyinbmore.blogspot.com/2015/09/recap-of-dividedbaltimore-week-3.html?m=1

The following report complements well much of what we learned about banking, credit, and home ownership in the community forum last evening–9/21. See how Baltimore compares to other cities, and how cities compare to their immediate suburban counties.

http://www.equality-of-opportunity.org/

The Best and Worst Places to Grow Up: How Your Area Compares

And feel free to comment.