Hello CTB Family,
It’s your friendly, neighborhood, self-appointed Bishop here.
I need to be honest with you today. I’m a little down today concerning our charming city. Last week the Washington Post was dissing our rats. Then, we had a rough weekend (19 shootings, 13 people wounded, 8 people dead, 1 of those 8 was a pregnant woman). Then, the icing on the cake for me was discovering this morning that the Wall Street Journal has labeled us the 9th most dangerous city in America.
It makes me sad. I don’t like it.
As I drove to work I decided to meditate on the things I love about Baltimore, the things I think make our city wonderful. And no, I’m not talking about the typical “We Gots Blue Collar Charm” or “The Inner Harbor Rocks!” or the “Yeah – People Film Movies Here” dribble. I talking about the great stuff jammed deep in our collective gut that defines Baltimore. Processing through this stuff made me happy, so I thought I would share.
Here are three things I love about Baltimore:
1) The Fire of Hope
When I moved to Baltimore 8 years ago I was shocked by the massive amount of “BELIEVE” banners. They were everywhere. People had them in their windows. They were hanging in shops. They were on the sides of buildings and the bumpers of cars. It was crazy. I’ve lived in a lot of different cities and I’ve seen slogan campaigns before, but nothing like “BELIEVE.”
Over the years, much to my amusement, I’ve watched our city collectively reject other slogans. “The City that Reads” and “The Greatest City in America” simply became fodder for local satire. Then there was “GET IN ON IT!” which felt like some weird, insider, sexual innuendo.
But “Believe” has stuck in my mind.
I think it stuck because it is true to who we are. We are a city of hope.
I’ve worked closely with people from every socio-economic level in Baltimore. Whether we’re making it happen in Federal Hill or struggling to survive on North Ave, we’ve got hope that tomorrow will be better than today. We believe. It’s part of who we are. Sometimes our hope is not accompanied by discipline or common sense…but we still believe. And I love that about us.
2) Grass Roots Peeps Fighting to Be More
The combination of hope and frustration with the status-quo has given birth to grass roots entrepreneurs fighting to make our city more and better.
- There are people like the Farm Alliance who are out struggling to feed our city by making abandon lots into urban farms.
- There is the BNote crew who is trying to solve our economic troubles by printing Baltimore money.
- There’s the Araminta Initiative looking to end sex trafficking in our streets.
- There’s fantastic people working on our education system, fighting for future B-More generations.
- There’s the amazing work of Mobtown Meat Snacks (shameless plug alert) bringing incredible, delicious, hand-made jerky to our great citizens.
- And my personal favorite, this week there are hundreds of volunteers taking to the street with City Uprising. They’re working in schools, they’re providing free HIV testing, and they’re cleaning up parks.
All of these groups have one thing in common – they dream of a better Baltimore.
Yes. We have rats, and crime, and drugs, and gang issues; but we also are home to amazing out-of-the-box thinkers who are seeking to make our city a better place to call home.
3) Unity
I know we are often described as a divided city. Our history of racial struggle is undeniable.
At the same time I see a unique unity in Baltimore.
When I first came to Baltimore I was working for a church downtown. Those first years, I made a habit of taking long walks through different neighborhoods. The strolls helped me understand our city. One day in Pig Town I came upon two sisters screaming at each other in the street. Hoping to be a peace maker, I stepped into the middle of their fight.
This was an enormous mistake.
I made peace. They were no longer fighting with each other; because they were to busy screaming at me. They were united in their anger at the outside who dared stick his nose in their family business. If it had not been for a few other relatives who came to my rescue, I don’t know I would have gotten out of there alive.
This is what Baltimore is like. We are okay with insiders talking crap about our city; but the minute somebody from the outside starts… OH HELL NO. It’s on bitch.
And I love that.
In conclusion….
I know we have a lot of problems. I know there are huge obstacles to overcome. I know things in Baltimore are hard; but we have a lot going for us as well. We’ve got hope, we’ve got good people doing meaningful work, and we are united.
So buck up Baltimore. Don’t let the tough headlines get you down. Believe that tomorrow will be better than today and fight for our city.
Sincerely,
The Bishop