Archive

Last night, Karen Webber, director of OSI’s Education and Youth Development program, joined the Truth and Healing Conversation series, hosted by Councilman Zeke Cohen and Coppin State University Professor Dr. Melissa Buckley. The topic of the episode, also featuring author and Robin Hood Foundation CEO Wes Moore, was “Investing in Change: The Role of Philanthropy.” […]

On Thursday, Kendra Marsh, Chair of the Youth Committee of the Peoples’ Commission to Decriminalize Maryland testified at a meeting of the House of Delegates’ Workgroup to Address Police Reform and Accountability in Maryland, chaired by Delegate Vanessa Atterbeary. “I believe this is a moment in which we can tear down the power of police […]

Yesterday, the People’s Commission to Decriminalize Maryland held its first statewide public meeting, bringing together advocates and community members from around the state to discuss strategies to achieve the Commission’s mission, “to reduce the disparate impact of the justice system on youth and adults who have been historically targeted and marginalized by local and state […]

Yesterday, Maryland Daily Record named OSI’s Director of Community Fellowships Pamela King one of Maryland’s “Top 100 Women” in a virtual ceremony. The honorees were initially announced in March. The latest print edition of the Daily Record includes a brief interview with King, below. King founded the OSI Community Fellowships program more that 20 years […]

Today is the last day of Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance’s (BNIA) Data Week. OSI was proud to participate in two sessions, which were recorded and are available to watch, along with all of the other sessions on BNIA’s YouTube page. This morning, OSI Director Danielle Torain participated in a discussion on “Using Data to Support […]

This week, the People’s Commission to Decriminalized Maryland held a virtual press conference to introduce the commission and its mission: To advocate for specific changes to Maryland’s criminal codes to stop the criminal justice system from targeting marginalized communities. You can watch the full presentation below. As Tara Huffman, Director of OSI’s Criminal and Juvenile […]

For ten years, the Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance has hosted Baltimore Data Day, a perennially fascinating deep dive into the ways that data can be leveraged to create positive change in communities. The tradition continues this year, albeit in slightly different form, as Baltimore Data Week, a week of virtual sessions engaging a wide range […]

Today, Open Society Foundations announced a $220 million investment to support Black-led movements for racial justice in the United States. This includes $150 million in five-year grants to build power for Black-led national organizations, including Black Voters Matter, Circle for Justice Innovations, Repairers of the Breach, and the Equal Justice Initiative. An additional $70 million […]

MARYLAND – Maryland residents are demanding change in our system of justice. Six months ago – at the invitation of Open Society Institute-Baltimore, before COVID-19 began ravaging black and brown communities, before the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and so many others – a group of Maryland advocates and activists came together to demand […]

On Thursday, OSI-Baltimore Director Danielle Torain participated in Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle’s (LBS) virtual discussion on “Building Black Power: Creating Sustainable Change in the Black Community.” Dayvon Love, LBS Director of Public Policy, moderated the conversation, which also included business strategist Bakari Jones, Changa Oyango of AO Services, and Heber Brown, III, of Pleasant Hope […]