Renowned scholar and author, Immanuel Wallerstein, spoke this past fall at Baltimore's 2640 cooperative events space, on the significance and relevancy of the current waves of global upheaval and resistance.
In recognition of Black History Month, Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle (LBS), hosted a public debate on the meaning of Black history and Black identity in a “post-racial” moment. The debate was held at the cooperative events venue - 2640, this past Saturday, February 10th.
Social movements are emotionally charged. All politics are. Whether one is campaigning door to door for a candidate or rioting in the streets, there are emotional undercurrents beneath every political action. The way those feelings inform what activists do, how they organize, how they sustain themselves, how they come into or leave movements, has not been explored enough in popular discussion of social movements.
Long-time Baltimore activist, Max Obuszewski, sent a letter to NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday in reponse to Scott Simon's piece on the passing of Christopher Hitchens called "Christopher Hitchens' Legacy of Deying Labels." NPR did not publish Obuszewski's letter.
“I think I have some sense of what neighborhoods in Baltimore are like and what they need.”
-M.J. “Jay” Brodie, President, Baltimore Development Corporation
“I think I have some sense of what neighborhoods in Baltimore are like and what they need.” That was, in part, M.J. Brodie’s response to my critique of his agency’s impact on Baltimore’s Black Community. He knows what our neighborhoods are like and he knows what we need. Really?
On the eve of the two month anniversary of Occupy Baltimore, participants and allies of the emerging movement gathered at the 2640 Space to reflect upon the previous two months of an intensive experiment in mass participatory democracy; it's successes, pitfalls, challenges and potential new directions.
On Saturday, November 12, Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, a local progressive think-tank, hosted its latest political forum called, "Local Hiring: How do we get Baltimore working?" Cory McCray, a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 24, was one of the panelists. Here is what he had to say about the event.
Right off the large main lobby of Healthcare for the Homeless in downtown Baltimore, there is a small, tile-floored room with folding tables and plastic stackable chairs. Offering some small respite from the loud TVs and chatter of dozens of people in the main lobby, the room reminds me of a school classroom—complete with colorful, handmade drawings and paintings covering almost every inch of the walls. However, as around 25 folks make their way into the small room on this Tuesday morning in August, the respite gives way to a bit of claustrophobia as we all try to squeeze in.
On a hot August morning, I sat down with James Crawford at a table in the apartment building where he lives on North Avenue. I had first called him less than 24 hours before, and he had told me to come see him the next morning at eleven. As we sat alone in a large room full of chairs, tables, and couches, in what I guessed was the lobby of the apartment building, I asked him about his work for Bmore Housing For All (BHFA), an activist organization of currently or formerly homeless people and their allies in which he is an active member.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE LETTER
To the Baltimore Development Corporation, We, the undersigned authors and endorsers of this letter, feel that it is time to have a little talk.
