Betting on Hope: Black Baltimore and the Work of 2020

 
 
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Art and Reflections inspired by the work. This text needs to be written

Walking on a city block along the bus route one sees benches inscribed with the proud phrase “Baltimore, the greatest city in America.” Once one of the wealthiest harbors, Baltimore is a city marked by  contradictions. On the one hand, neighborhoods experience food apartheid, faltering education systems, and a menacing police presence. On the other hand, it is a city rich in community leadership seeking to better the lives of those individuals whom the city government left behind. The place that President Donald Trump described as a “disgusting, rat and rodent-infested mess,” is in fact a city of hope and of determination– one battling against legacies of white privilege. Through organized social action, Baltimore fought against the public health injustices and systemic racism this summer. 

We invite you to experience the sounds, words, and images
of organized social action empowered by faith.

“Betting on Hope: Black Baltimore and the Battle Against Public Health Injustices” is a virtual and physical exhibition documenting initiatives supported by Relief & Restoration Grants distributed by the Center for the Study of Religion and the City at Morgan State University and made financially possible through the generosity of the Henry Luce Foundation. Relief and restoration community-based projects will be introduced through first-hand accounts of Baltimore residents coping with grief and loss from an invisible life-threatening virus, while simultaneously experiencing systemic racism. 

The first text summarizes the Relief & Restoration Grants, such as those that have provided PPE to essential workers, offered housing assistance, and planted gardens so that under-resourced Baltimoreans may become food independent. The  invitation to hear the stories of Baltimoreans involved in this transformative work is accompanied by an audio of the Morgan State Choir, emphasizing the uplifting nature of the narratives to unfold.