History is in our hands

We are living in an extraordinary time. The country has elected its first ever African-American President who is also our first community-organizer-in-chief. The country is experiencing an economic meltdown as serious as any since the Great Depression. States and cities are experiencing budget shortfalls, while families, workers and communities are hurting. We know that the […]

Seizing the momentum

As a reporter in Baltimore for nearly three decades, I know this city is rich in stories. This fall, thanks to a public radio reporting grant from OSI, I have been working on a documentary on an urgent local topic– the scourge of truancy. For generations, the city’s truancy and dropout rate has led the […]

Art-filled spaces dedicated to issues, art and community

Visual art has the potential to play a more vital role in the life of our community than has yet been fully realized. There are a few local models out there hinting at possibilities. Coming up in November is the Baltimore Bioneers ’08 Conference, weaving issue-related art into an event all about innovative thinking on […]

Invite the neighbors to turn the town around

It is no secret that Baltimore has more than its share of serious social and economic problems—ask anyone who lives here what’s wrong with this city and you’re sure to hear a litany of ills from violence in the streets, rampant drug addiction and HIV infection rates, unacceptably high numbers of children dropping out of […]

Getting the data on health

The first time I attended a community meeting with Mayor Sheila Dixon, I was intimidated by the set-up: Mayor in front, those of us in her cabinet sitting across on a stage behind her. Like sitting ducks. When the meeting started, my anxiety rose further.  An elderly woman came forward to ask a question.  The […]

Imagining a safe passage

I propose a simple, but powerful, way for Baltimoreans to support the city’s youth and schools.  It won’t cost a lot of money, or take a lot of time. It doesn’t require the overhaul of a bureaucracy.  But it would help kids get safely to the safest place for them in the city: their school. […]

Imagining might spur action

What would it take to create a widespread sense of urgency about solving Baltimore’s problems? I often feel that our region’s relative wealth allows some of us to be insulated from the pockets of poverty and instability that deeply affect too many of our fellow citizens. When critical public moments arise—such as the upcoming legislative […]