MEDIA ADVISORY
February 1, 2016
CONTACT: Evan Serpick
410-234-1091
BALTIMORE – Open Society Institute-Baltimore (OSI), Associated Black Charities (ABC) and Baltimore City Paper are proud to announce a series of two mayoral forums in advance of the April 26 primaries.
The forums will take place at different locations throughout Baltimore City with the goals of reaching new voters, increasing voter turnout, and educating voters about the candidates’ priorities and positions. We hope to reach diverse populations of the city to attend the forums and we will also live web-stream the events so voters throughout the city will be able to take part. All of the candidates on the April 26 ballots will be invited to attend.
In the coming days, we will circulate a poll in collaboration with the Baltimore Elections 2016 Facebook group (which is open only to Baltimore City residents), asking voters to weigh in on the issues that they would most like candidates to address. We will use the results of that poll as the basis of the questions our moderators will ask each candidate.
The dates, locations, and moderators of the forums are listed below.
February 24
7:00 p.m.
Pleasant Hope Baptist Church
430 E Belvedere Ave.
Hosted by Dr. Heber M. Brown, III
Moderated by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Morgan State University professor E.R. Shipp and host of WEAA’s The Marc Steiner Show Marc Steiner.
RSVP on Facebook
March 16
7:00 p.m.
Union Baptist Church
1219 Druid Hill Ave.
Hosted by Rev. Alvin C. Hathaway, Sr.
Moderated by Johns Hopkins University political science professor and author of “Knocking the Hustle” Lester Spence and Baltimore City Paper editor-in-chief Karen Houppert.
RSVP on Facebook
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About OSI-Baltimore
As the only field office for the Open Society Foundations’ U.S. Programs, Open Society Institute-Baltimore focuses on the root causes of three intertwined problems in our city and state: drug addiction, an overreliance on incarceration and obstacles that keep youth from succeeding both inside and outside the classroom. We also support a growing corps of social entrepreneurs committed to underserved populations in Baltimore. Before we make a single grant, we analyze the root causes of a problem and examine research and innovative practices aimed at tackling the problem. Because we aim for lasting, sustainable solutions, we engage public and private partners from the start. It is only then, with a clear picture of the problem, that we begin to focus our approach and diligently craft a road map for change. Visit us on our website: http://www.osibaltimore.org/
