https://bettingonhope.org/home daily 1.0 2022-09-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dd8d41ee79632963a0cf69/f49668b9-fdc7-4f12-8ebc-f77f738e9305/PXL_20220204_191644831.MP.jpg Exhibit “I cannot be an optimist but I am a prisoner of hope.” ― Cornel West https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dd8d41ee79632963a0cf69/796f2e40-fc63-4f82-a2b3-7703c07a7ee7/1MbFKF1hsUURxo.jpeg Exhibit - Baltimore is a divided city… a phenomenon that Morgan State University Professor Lawrence Brown describes as a “Black Butterfly” and “White L," in which The white neighborhoods on [the city’s racial mapping] that form the shape of an ‘L’ accumulate structured advantages, while Black neighborhoods, shaped in the form of a butterfly, accumulate structured disadvantages. Baltimore’s hyper-segregation is the root cause of racial inequity, crime, health inequities/disparities, and civil unrest (Brown, 2016). This mapping of Baltimore is symptomatic of redlining – the institutionalized denial of services to residents of socio-economically and racially defined neighborhoods, either explicitly or through the selective raising of prices. Even with the passing of the Fair Housing Act in 1968, housing discrimination continues with serious effects. Prominent and well-funded cultural institutions are located on the “White L,” such as the Baltimore Museum of Art, Johns Hopkins University, and the Walters Art Museum. Baltimoreans residing in the “Black Butterfly” experience insufficient access to healthy food, medical insurance and other public health services­, and educational technology. They also suffer far greater Covid-19 infections and deaths. IMAGE: Untitled #003 by Nia Clark-Dallas https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dd8d41ee79632963a0cf69/c208b001-4bf8-491a-b98b-002cb4ac4ffc/BOH+panel+5.jpg Exhibit - To date, the coronavirus has stolen over 970,000 American lives. In cities like Baltimore the pandemic’s violence is magnified by palpable health inequities in low-income neighborhoods, where communities of color suffer from social and economic disparities created by systemic racism– a “disease” that has long infected the United States of America. On June 6, 2020 Morgan Students led a protest against the unjust and shameful police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and far too many other Black individuals. Despite the dangers of mass gatherings during the pandemic, the World Health Organization maintained that protests are important for addressing the structural inequalities that have led to public health disparities along racial lines. For many Baltimoreans, images of a white police officer mercilessly kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, and ensuing protests, brought to the fore painful memories of the brutal murder of Freddie Gray while in police custody in 2015. As well as sharp realities of the report issued by the US Department of Justice in the summer of 2016 stating that the “Justice Department finds a pattern of Civil Rights Violations by the Baltimore Police Department.” IMAGE: Dismantle by Junious Woodrick https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dd8d41ee79632963a0cf69/46741711-39bb-4706-80c7-6d9cdbfd7481/BOH+pic.jpg Exhibit - In June 2020, the Center for the Study of Religion and the City’s leadership was given the opportunity to distribute Relief & Restoration Grants made possible through the generosity of the Henry Luce Foundation to organizations in Baltimore and beyond. Here we share the transformational work of the individuals and collectives who shape these organizations and who have stepped up to offer help, from providing PPE to essential workers, to offering housing assistance, to planting gardens so that under-resourced Baltimoreans may become food independent. We wish to uplift their stories. Over 30 of us banded together to record and transcribe oral histories, to create works of art, to photograph and video the city we love– and to curate this exhibition. Our team celebrates the action of the organizations featured here and the power of hope in the face of righteous frustrations experienced by People of Color in one of America’s greatest cities. IMAGE: HOPE BETWEEN THE WALLS by Eve D'Antignac https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dd8d41ee79632963a0cf69/f0e8fe2e-b6c7-496c-8723-13ee6e901f89/PXL_20220204_193009176-Enhanced.jpg Exhibit - is “the condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble.” What comes to mind when you think about refuge– a home, a job, a quiet neighborhood? Relief and Restoration grants were given to organizations committed to providing shelter, employment, and reprieve from gun violence before and during the pandemic. Listen to our partners’ stories HERE. “The lack of access to public assistance, asylum seekers can't get SNAP or food stamps. They can't get Medicaid, they can't get housing assistance...” Ms. Tiffany Nelms, Executive Director of Asylee Women Enterprise Arriving in need of safe housing, food and language skills, asylum seekers can not work in the initial stages of their legal process and can not receive unemployment insurance or the federal stimulus that others impacted by COVID-19 have been able to access. Asylee Women Enterprise continued to provide housing, client advocacy, and other support throughout the pandemic to those who came to Baltimore without family, friends, or community ties. “...that's what BUILD does as organizers on the ground; they go out, literally, go door to door and find out what people's needs are.” Melvin Wilson, Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development, Co-director of Turnaround Tuesday Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development (BUILD) is an interfaith, multiracial community power organization rooted in Baltimore’s neighborhoods and congregations. Turnaround Tuesday is a jobs movement of BUILD committed to helping people­– largely ex-offenders– get livable wage jobs. Layoffs, furloughs and reduced employment opportunities caused by the pandemic drastically impacted the people that Turnaround Tuesday serves. The staff at Turnaround Tuesday amped up their energies to support these vulnerable communities with laptop devices for remote job training, video counseling, and PPE. “We started by calling ceasefire weekends, where we ask everyone to be peaceful and celebrate life.” Erikka Bridgeford, Founder of Baltimore Ceasefire 365 Baltimore Ceasefire 365 offers a community-based approach to gun violence reduction, with the goal of all Baltimoreans committing to zero murders. Ceasefire’s activists believe that the very spot where a human life is taken becomes Sacred Ground through community rituals facilitated by Ceasefire volunteers, replacing violence with love. The CSRC grant allowed Ceasefire to provide outreach materials, support families who lost loved ones to violence during ceasefire weekends, and to expand Baltimore's ability to address and heal root causes and impacts of violence. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dd8d41ee79632963a0cf69/39627336-07ac-4019-9a19-e59b47db0312/DSC06723.jpg Exhibit - Collaborators, accomplices, and co-conspirators… who promote equity are learning from Black-led organizations, from Black Lives Matter to CLLCTIVLY, featured here. We are hopeful to see Communities of Color working alongside allies and advocates for the reform and abolishment of unjust policies and systems. We are indebted to all of them for showing us ways forward. Listen to them HERE. “In the spirit of Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility) now is the time for all of us to come together to support those in need and to contribute to the vitality and health of our community.” Mr. Jamye Wooten, Founder of CLLCTIVLY CLLCTIVLY is a Black-led organization with a mission to end the duplication and fragmentation of programs by operating as a resource for the Baltimore community, seeking out black social change organizations to fund and with whom to partner. With CSRC funding, CLLCTIVLY distributed “no strings attached” micro-grants to Black businesses, organizations, and artists under under the rubric “solidarity not charity.” “...it's not just about doing the work but it's also about educating our community and bringing them into the work to help contribute.” Ms. Molly Amster, Director, The Baltimore chapter of Jews United for Justice The Baltimore chapter of Jews United for Justice (JUFJ) is a grassroots community that organizes Jews around local policy issues to amplify the voices and needs of those most directly impacted by injustice. In 2020 JUFJ mobilized with city partners to make sure Baltimore City government protects its most vulnerable residents, ensuring such housing protections as eviction moratorium and rental assistance. “In a Biden/Harris administration, we must urge the legislative changes that can bring our families the dignity they deserve, while demanding local policy solutions that respect our peoples’ contributions and improve the quality of life in the Baltimore region.” Lydia Walther-Rodriquez, Regional Director of CASA Baltimore and Central CASA de Maryland is the largest immigrant advocacy organization in the Mid-Atlantic region supporting Latino and immigrant people in the state of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Their organizing work takes the form of rallies and protests to transform legislation as well as direct community engagement in programs such as providing employment placement, workforce development and training, health education, citizenship and legal services, and financial literacy training to Latino and immigrant communities throughout the state. The CSRC grant contributed to CASA’s Solidarity Fund which enabled CASA to directly distribute cash benefits to members who were ignored by the federal government in the CARES Act stimulus package. https://bettingonhope.org/our-collective daily 0.75 2022-03-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dd8d41ee79632963a0cf69/bfac07d1-142f-434d-918a-9b0a8d074bd9/PXL_20220204_191345698.MP.jpg Our Collective - OUR COLLECTIVE We thank all those who helped to document and reflect on the work of community partners. Curatorial Team: Kiarra Jenifer, Nala Price, Faye Wing, Veronica Morales, Amy Landau, Eric L. Briscoe, Schroeder Cherry, Safiyah Cheatam, and Olubunmi Bakare CSRC Team: Harold Morales, Amrita Bhandari, Sher Afgan Tareen, Amanda Furiasse, Samia Rab Kirchner, Tommy Lyons, Sierra Lawson, Alexis Frambes, Mofiyinfoluwa Shotayo, Giselle Toruno, and Kelly Marroquin Quantitative Research Team: Tonya Sanders, Brittney E Baltimore, Uyiosa Aimufua, Yousra Yusuf, Trevor Núñez, and Cristina Rosetti Oral History Team: Kayla Wheeler, Ariel Mejia, Arion Laws, Iman Abdoulkarim, Abel Gómez, Fatima Bamba, and Karim Amin https://bettingonhope.org/our-partners daily 0.75 2022-03-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dd8d41ee79632963a0cf69/b322f49b-5c87-4171-9a3f-6d54f3fd281d/Untitled-1.jpg Our Partners - Asylee Women Enterprise Asylee Women Enterprise, also known as "AWE," journeys with asylum seekers and other forced migrants as they navigate the immigration legal process, begin to heal from past trauma and rebuild their lives in Baltimore. While each asylum seeker has a unique personal situation, the general profile includes having fled their country of origin, often on very short notice including overnight, due to their lives being at risk. This is usually because of persecution for political, religious or ethnic reasons. Many have been the victims of torture, rape or other forms of extreme violence. Most arrive alone, without family, friends or local community ties; many have been lost or separated from a spouse or child. They arrive in need of safe housing, language skills, counseling for PTSD and depression, support navigating other resources (medical, legal, mental health) and material needs (food, shelter). Individuals served range in age from 0 - 75 and are primarily from Africa, the Middle East and Central America. Since asylum seekers are not eligible to work in the initial stages of their legal process and are ineligible for means tested benefits, nearly 100% of our clients are living below the federal poverty line with no access to traditional safety nets, unemployment insurance or the federal stimulus that others impacted by COVID-19 have been able to access. The CSRC grant will be used to scale pantry operations, client advocacy and other supports to community members (primarily asylum seekers and immigrants with uncertain legal status) that are largely neglected in broader initiatives due to their language, immigration status, lack of familiarity with resources and limited transportation. CSRC INTERVIEW https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dd8d41ee79632963a0cf69/ce3d90c5-0ea5-4bcd-b493-9ec817aaa18a/probono.jpeg Our Partners - The Pro Bono Resource Center The Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland (PBRC) is Maryland’s statewide clearinghouse for legal professionals dedicated to offering free civil legal help to the most vulnerable and disenfranchised members of the community. This grant will help provide equal access to justice for tenants through PBRC’s Tenant Volunteer Lawyer of the Day (TVLD) program in Baltimore City Rent Court, including community outreach to educate tenants on their rights and defenses in a Failure to Pay Rent action, and information regarding programs that can help them to remain in their homes. This enhanced information for tenants is greatly needed in a COVID-19 environment. CSRC INTERVIEW https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dd8d41ee79632963a0cf69/0ec7d2bc-6c6e-48c6-a551-ed9115abe463/CLLCTIVLY-beta-3.jpeg Our Partners - CLLCTIVLY CLLCTIVLY is a place-based social change organization using an asset-based framework to focus on racial equity, narrative change, social connectedness and resource mobilization. CLLCTIVLY and our partners recognize that COVID-19 and the necessary public health measures to address it will affect our community in many ways – in the weeks ahead and the months to come. Along with the life-threatening implications, it will disrupt the normal operations of everyone in our community. Black-led organizations on the frontline are essential to the wellbeing of our community. As these organizations respond, they may become financially vulnerable themselves as they scramble to cover the cost of expanding their services or suspend programs and events that generate revenue. In the spirit of Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility) now is the time for all of us to come together to support those in need and to contribute to the vitality and health of our community. The CSRC grant will be used to support black led-organizations for relief and for capacity building through micro-grants to Black-led organizations in Baltimore. CSRC INTERVIEW https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dd8d41ee79632963a0cf69/dac6f6b3-e4dc-4447-b72d-e8c5057f8286/SCB-LOGO.png Our Partners - Somebody Cares Baltimore Somebody Cares Baltimore (SCB) is a religious organization that is deeply involved in community development through grass roots service. Matt and his wife Katy founded Somebody Cares Baltimore in the Spring of 2009. The focus is on connecting agencies, churches, and organizations together to collaborate and revitalize communities. We connect people to opportunities to serve their community, and connect organizations to work together, because what we do together far outweighs what we can do on our own. Throughout the year, SCB provides Bags of Hope with hygiene products, Boxes of Hope with blankets, a Day of Hope with school supplies. The CSRC grant will help provide 1,750 Meals of Hope, which are 40lb boxes filled with assorted fresh produce and other food for families in Baltimore. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dd8d41ee79632963a0cf69/e7d8a4a7-6ecf-44a7-9add-9922d353c4c8/117127598_1074749849588439_1387357891418021087_n.jpeg Our Partners - Plantation Park Heights Urban Farm Plantation Park Heights (PPH) Urban Farm grows food, flowers, and herbs of various varieties for the community and local pantry. PPH workforce now includes 250 elementary school children, 33 teachers, 39 parents and is on a mission to grow 200,000 pounds of food to address the community’s “food desert” designation. PPH organizers will be able to address community need during the pandemic by distributing cooked food and need the construction of a demonstration kitchen to engage residents in the process. The CSRC grant will be used to design and build a demonstration kitchen on site with the dual goal of providing community with prepared food and advance Food Supplement Nutrition Education within the community. The proposed Food Distribution and Outdoor Kitchen project will engage and impact communities associated with 5 schools in the neighborhoods (MLK Elementary, Edgecombe Circle Elementary, Pimlico Elementary/Middle, Creative City Public Charter , Arlington Elementary). All programming will be coordinated with support Park Heights Renaissance Community Education Outreach Team and the school Principals. Dr. Shauna Henley of University of Maryland Extension, Baltimore County, will join as consumer food safety specialist. CSRC INTERVIEW https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dd8d41ee79632963a0cf69/99f5d934-bd02-4481-9dad-ff4bde76740b/download.png Our Partners - The Asian Mosaic Fund The Asian Mosaic Fund (AMF) is a diverse group of multi-generational supporters committed to advancing the well-being of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in Greater Philadelphia. The AMF Giving Circle launched the AAPI Communities Relief & Recovery Fund in partnership with Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, Philadelphia Chapter (AAPIP Philadelphia). The fund aims to create a multi-faceted and easily accessible responsive fund for the AAPI community impacted by COVID-19. Our focus is to provide emergency assistance and support for Asian-led-and-serving organizations seeking to access public and private rapid response funding; and providing mini-grants to those same organizations who are supporting the people in community who are most at-risk. Most recently, we prepared a needs assessment survey and shared it with all of our community partners to better understand the challenges each organization and the broader communities they serve are facing. We received an overwhelming response, which will help us in making data-driven decisions. Specifically, assistance from CSRC will help AMF distribute small grants to organizations that are working tirelessly to provide food assistance through food pantries and food delivery for families in desperate need, support immigrant and refugee families experiencing job loss without access to federal support, and other similar endeavors. We will prioritize funding to AAPI organizations providing essential provisions and direct services to AAPI immigrants and refugees, many of whom fall within the low and moderate-income populations. Our needs assessment survey revealed that most low-income individuals that we regularly support have lost their main sources of funding completely, while others have furloughed employees, and many have inadequate access to medical care and protective health equipment needed to continue their services. This stress is aggravated by lack of mental health services and increased racism and discrimination amid the outbreak. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dd8d41ee79632963a0cf69/042d3a33-3e3f-4850-af1d-3bf261085735/download.jpeg Our Partners - The Sogorea Te’ Land Trust The Sogorea Te’ Land Trust is an urban Indigenous women-led land trust based in the San Francisco Bay Area that returns Indigenous land to Indigenous people. It was founded in 2012 with the goals of returning traditionally Chochenyo and Karkin lands in the San Francisco Bay Area to Indigenous stewardship and cultivating more active, reciprocal relationships with the land. Through the practices of rematriation, cultural revitalization, and land restoration, Sogorea Te’ calls on native and non-native peoples to heal and transform the legacies of colonization, genocide, and patriarchy and to do the work our ancestors and future generations are calling us to do. The CSRC grant will be used to expand food production and distribution for members of urban Indigenous communities who have been affected by COVID-19. CSRC INTERVIEW https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dd8d41ee79632963a0cf69/0d79aaca-4fe9-45c4-a515-f8f611ab22e3/2-amah.gif Our Partners - The Humunya Foundation The Humunya Foundation of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band is a 501 (c) (3) Private Foundation. The Humunya Foundation was created to fund raise, facilitate Tribal cultural activities and conduct outreach to the public. The Humunya Foundation supports the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band Wellness program that includes monthly membership meetings focused on our communities mental and physical health in dealing with the historical traumas of our ancestors and how that affects our people today. Along with cultural and language activities including our annual tribal gathering, the Foundation also provides social services and organization for efforts such as: fighting to protect our sacred sites, educating the general public about our culture, history and the injustices of our people through lack of land and the challenges of being a Non-Federally Recognized Tribe. Because the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band is not a federally recognized tribe, they receive no medical, educational, social services or elder care assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Many of the approximately 800 tribal members live paycheck to paycheck and do not have health insurance. Members of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band have organized the Amah Mutsun Families COVID-19 Relief Fund to assist Amah Mutsun tribal members who are being impacted by the pandemic. Funds will be used for personal protective equipment (PPE), food, elder care, medical supplies and transportation, school-related supplies/technology for distance learning, rent assistance for those most in need. CSRC INTERVIEW https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dd8d41ee79632963a0cf69/c0e2124e-7124-4184-b5e8-85e9d22ea613/image-asset.png Our Partners - The Black Church Food Security Network The Black Church Food Security Network (BCFSN) was founded in 2015 and specializes in recruiting, organizing, and mobilizing African American congregations around food system initiatives, environmental conservation, and agricultural projects. We utilize an asset-based community development model that helps churches leverage and maximize their existing resources for community food security. In 2017, we partnered with Northside Baptist Church in north Baltimore to establish a community garden which featured five raised beds. Now, we’re taking another step with them to transform 5-acres of their underutilized land into North Star Farm, an urban teaching farm that will support youth, neighbors, and others in the farm and faith communities. During enslavement of Africans in this country, the "north star" figured prominently in guiding runaway enslaved people toward freedom. Additionally, Frederick Douglass published an anti-slavery newspaper called "The North Star" from 1847 - 1851. We believe that North Star Farm can honor this history by pointing the way to freedom through food, autonomy, and communal self-determination. The farm will serve as a fresh food hub and food processing site. The food grown at the farm will be processed and transported to other BCFSN food hubs across Baltimore City for distribution at Soil to Sanctuary markets. The CSRC grant will support the establishment of North Star Farm. The North Star Farm organized by the BCFSN will serve as a community food anchor by increasing food security especially to the population most directly and disproportionately impacted. The farm will be in a unique position to offer experiential learning opportunities with youth in the district while simultaneously advancing community-resilience. CSRC INTERVIEW https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dd8d41ee79632963a0cf69/8e5f6a49-2561-4ae8-9c96-6771f7241ff8/image-asset.jpeg Our Partners - Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development (BUILD) is a broad-based, non-partisan, interfaith, multiracial community power organization rooted in Baltimore’s neighborhoods and congregations. Turnaround Tuesday is a jobs movement of the BUILD (Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development) Organization. Over the past five and a half years we have helped over 860 people get livable wage jobs, with a two year retention rate of 83%. Sixty-five percent of the people we serve are ex-offenders. The average hourly rate is $15. Several of our employed participants have now become homeowners. The Covid-19 Pandemic has drastically impacted the people that Turnaround Tuesday serves. Several people have been laid-off or furloughed from their jobs. This has caused a tremendous burden and financial hardship on families. The pandemic has also slowed the potential for employment opportunities for many of the people that we have prepared to go to work. The Turnaround Tuesday staff has remained employed and providing daily contact with our participants and preparing them for opportunities when the pandemic ends. The gaps that will be address with these funds include food and financial emergency support as well as additional Case Management services needed to help people understand and navigate these uncertain times. Many people are experiencing psychological issues and are having difficulties coping. Our Case Manager is a licensed Mental Health Therapist. Turnaround Tuesday had to cease our weekly job readiness sessions and revert to a weekly video session. The CSRC grant will be used to support BUILD’s Turnaround Tuesday Jobs Movement efforts to distribute food, soap, personal protective equipment (PPE) and laptop devices for remote job training during the pandemic. CSRC INTERVIEW https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dd8d41ee79632963a0cf69/656690fd-9377-42f5-817d-178216ce3440/casa.jpeg Our Partners - CASA Maryland CASA Maryland is a group of passionate, community-conscious people working to organize, advocate for, and expand opportunities for Latino and immigrant people in the state of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. We do this by providing employment placement; workforce development and training; health education; citizenship and legal services; and financial, language, and literacy training to Latino and immigrant communities throughout the state. Since our humble beginnings in 1985 assisting Central American refugees fleeing wars and civil strife at home, we have worked tirelessly to bring immigrant communities in Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania out of the shadows and into greater power, dignity, and legitimacy. Our mission is To create a more just society by building power and improving the quality of life in working class and immigrant communities. We envision a future where we stand in our own power, our families live free from discrimination and fear, and our diverse communities thrive as we work with our partners to achieve full human rights for all. The grant will contribute to CASA’s Solidarity Fund which will allow CASA to directly distribute cash benefits to members who were unjustly and summarily ignored by the federal government in the CARES Act stimulus package. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dd8d41ee79632963a0cf69/0a5c9d23-a17f-4b51-99fd-2b618f9837b4/jufj-logo.png Our Partners - The Baltimore chapter of Jews United for Justice The Baltimore chapter of Jews United for Justice, (JUFJ) is a grassroots community that seeks to repair the world by working locally for social, racial, and economic justice. A housing crisis in on the horizon. In this moment of uncertainty, it is critical to make sure our Baltimore City government protects its most vulnerable residents. During this crisis JUFJ, which organizes Jews around local policy issues, is mobilizing our community and using our power to amplify the voices and needs of those most directly impacted by injustice. JUFJ continues to organize for valuable housing protections. With our partners, we won an eviction moratorium to last until 90 days after the crisis. We are working to extend that. Our coalition is also advocated for late fees cancellations, rent rates to be frozen, and for additional money for rental assistance from the state and city government. Thanks in part to our advocacy, 300 of 700 people in the Baltimore shelter system are in hotels. We continue to work with our partners to get everyone using the shelter system into safe housing now. The CSRC grant will help support our efforts to bring about a more just housing system in Baltimore. Additionally, we will partner with the CSRC by providing an internship opportunity for 1-2 Morgan students to work collaboratively with our organization and with our partners: the Public Justice Center to learn about professional careers in organizing, advocacy, and legal support as interconnected activities. CSRC INTERVIEW https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dd8d41ee79632963a0cf69/be599eda-4894-430e-a2a4-b8fa471035d0/download%2B%281%29.jpeg Our Partners - The Public Justice Center The Public Justice Center was founded in Maryland in 1985. The PJC uses legal advocacy tools to pursue social justice, economic and race equity, and fundamental human rights for people who are struggling to provide for their basic needs. The PJC is a civil legal aid office that provides advice and representation to low-income clients, advocates before legislatures and government agencies, and collaborates with community and advocacy organizations. The PJC chooses projects and cases that will make a significant impact on systems, laws, and policies. The Human Right to Housing Project stands with tenants to protect and expand rights to safe, habitable, affordable, and non-discriminatory housing and to fair and equal treatment by Maryland’s landlord-tenant laws, courts and agencies. We provide legal advice, representation, and know-your- rights education to tenants in Baltimore’s eviction court, as well as to tenants whose landlords have entered foreclosure or retaliated against them. Representation then informs efforts to reform eviction court. The CSRC Relief and Restoration grant will help support our ongoing efforts to provide free legal aid and to work collaboratively with partners on the Renters Right to Counsel campaign and the Maryland COVID-19 eviction moratorium initiative. Additionally, we will partner with the CSRC by providing an internship opportunity for 1-2 Morgan students to work with our organization and learn about professional careers in organizing, advocacy, and legal support as interconnected activities. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dd8d41ee79632963a0cf69/136e2655-581e-4962-983e-a8220dba8425/download%2B%282%29.png Our Partners - Baltimore Ceasefire 365 Baltimore Ceasefire 365 offers a community based approach to gun violence reduction. Many crime rates have dropped in Baltimore during the pandemic, but gun violence continues. The goal of Baltimore Ceasefire 365 is for everyone in the city to commit to zero murders. We started by calling ceasefire weekends, where we ask everyone to be peaceful and celebrate life. In doing the outreach for ceasefire weekends, residents are: helping each other get the resources they need in their lives, having conversations with each other about how to handle conflict differently, and making commitments to one another to be non-violent in thoughts, words, and deeds, for AT LEAST the ceasefire weekend. When people are killed in Baltimore, we believe that their lives matter. We believe that the places where people are taken by violence should be Sacred Ground. We believe that just like somebody showed up to kill them, people should show up in that same space to send love and light to that person's spirit, to the community, and to their loved ones. During Sacred Space Rituals, people are invited to do whatever they believe will put love and light in the space. Baltimoreans show up to make sure that love has the last say in that space, how much the person matters has the last say in that space, and that murder does not have the last say. Baltimore Ceasefire 365 volunteers who have been trained to facilitate these Rituals are the people who schedule when they happen. Trained facilitators see who has been murdered, and check their calendars to see when they are available to bless the space. The CSRC grant will allow us to provide outreach materials, support families who lose loved ones to violence during ceasefire weekends, and to expand Baltimore's ability to address and heal the root causes and impacts of violence. CSRC INTERVIEW https://bettingonhope.org/our-artists daily 0.75 2022-09-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dd8d41ee79632963a0cf69/af9f3d30-4d89-4055-8c0e-3b65a85c4a41/path%2Bto%2Bheaven2.jpeg Our Artists Path to Paradise Path to Paradise by Bria Shelby The history of Redlining in Baltimore is a serious issue that continues to affect the infrastructure, housing, businesses, and education - disadvantaging people. Path to Paradise takes common motifs and imagery found in world religions (i.e. paradise, gates, clouds, grandiose columns) and turns them into obstacles for those unable to reap the rewards of organized religion. With paradise being situated on top of a seemingly insurmountable, metaphoric ivory tower, surrounded by an unclimbable gate, Path to Paradise raises the possibility that just even religion cannot save those who have, through no fault of their own, fallen from the grace of opportunity. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dd8d41ee79632963a0cf69/118362a1-95fe-45fc-9e48-8e25975bf5b3/The_Butterfly_in_the_Desert.jpeg Our Artists Butterfly in the Dessert Butterfly in the Dessert by Cameron Dudley In Butterfly in the Desert, I wanted to visually exaggerate the circumstances individuals outside of Baltimore’s “White L” face. By depicting my protagonist in a desert I touch on the lack of opportunity and resources that those who live in the “Black Butterfly” experience. Here, people must overcome a lack of funding for their communities, limited access to grocery stores, and limited opportunities for professional and educational growth. Taking inspiration from the poster for the 1991 thriller The Silence of the Lambs, I use the imagery of a butterfly covering the model’s mouth to indicate that she and those like her are silenced within their communities. The butterfly is also a way of showing that we are not silent by choice but forced by an external sources. All the while, the oasis of opportunity (a cityscape silhouette of Baltimore’s inner harbor) that we seek to access remains far away and disconnected from our reality in the desert. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dd8d41ee79632963a0cf69/4d1278da-e13c-475b-83f6-f9d60f41fc6e/1MbFKF1hsUURxo.jpeg Our Artists Untitled #003 Untitled #003 by Nia Clark-Dallas I created a series of posters that symbolize a few of the issues mentioned throughout the project. I used the colors of the Maryland state flag to subtly reference Baltimore. The first piece symbolizes the “fight” between People of Color (POC) and white communities. The second is an image of Redlining and the “White L” of gentrification in Baltimore. The third is an image of a few black butterflies with white bodies coming forth from a pair of Black hands. This symbolizes POC pouring back into their communities and being the source of a beautiful change despite challenges. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dd8d41ee79632963a0cf69/5ecc5556-6836-438d-abeb-f0121c9b93eb/guns.jpeg Our Artists Dismantle Dismantle by Junious Woodrick I chose to make gun violence the focus of my piece because there has been a lot of it in my community lately. My thought process behind this piece titled Dismantle was that the gun would get less dangerous in each picture. In the first picture it shows the gun being pointed or aimed at somebody. In the second image the clip is being removed from the gun, and in the third image the gun is completely dismantled. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dd8d41ee79632963a0cf69/5d68819b-25d1-4753-8d50-668b66fef1d2/fist%2Bforming2.jpeg Our Artists Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter by Darrin Bailey For this artwork, I decided to create a design where a fist is coming into view to show the empowerment of the Black community. I wanted to make the artwork simple but meaningful. I did not want the viewer to be bombarded with a series of questions about the artwork's meaning. The transition in the figures from the background into the foreground portrays the journey to equality. The first figures in the series represent struggle and oppression before reaching the final stage and focal point, a fist proudly held in the air. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dd8d41ee79632963a0cf69/e50342ee-9b55-465d-ab33-7897b9a531ce/BOH+2020+pic.jpg Our Artists All Odds All Odds by Jasmine Adams Philosopher John Locke argued that “all men are free and created equally” and as such are “not subject to a monarch.” Once you are made aware, you cannot recede into darkness. We have an opportunity to seize control over what we can, uplift Baltimore, and give access to what was once considered unattainable. During the 1930’s, Jesse Owens ravaged the competition at the Summer Olympics in Berlin. Though not rightfully acknowledged by Hitler, Owens was a true winner. Redlining has been a difficult hurdle to overcome in the race for a healthier Baltimore. Before our daily journey in this race, we equip ourselves with shoes. They walk along paths with us and tell a story. In my favorite movie, “The Wiz ,'' Dorothy, played by Diana Ross, and Glinda the Good Witch of the South, played by Lena Horne, speak to the significance behind the silver slippers in contrast to the ruby red ones. Dorothy had everything she needed within herself to make it home. Though the yellow brick road was hidden and the obstacles were greater, the journey ended in triumphant self discovery. Redlining is evident in the story of Baltimore, but is not its ending. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dd8d41ee79632963a0cf69/bee3fc77-1a0b-43b2-b30b-226824c4a497/BDA7909F-EC97-4AA5-AF23-05D886F1984C.png Our Artists Handle with care Handle with Care by Sydnee Johnson This digital collage features elements of both Maryland: the Black-eyed Susan (flower) and Baltimore’s cityscape silhouette and condemned apartment in the background. I added a black butterfly to the flower with silhouetted hands cupping it for "protection." Behind the flower is a map of the redlining that has taken place in Baltimore. On the upper right and bottom left corners are makeshift "tobacco bouquets" with space inside.