Southwest Partnership
Education Committee Meeting
April 5 2018
Present
Jane Buccheri
Aquilina Faginas
Braden Crooks (Designing the We)
Rebecca Newgren
Quincy Goldsmith
Ivan Leshnisky
Sheila Drummond Camm
Lou Packett
Elizabeth Weber
Kiera Powell
Kitty Perkins
Sam Murphy
Richard Bailey
Joanna Bailey
Jane Mayrer
Dotie Page
Camille Patterson
Van Brooks
James Peters
Shae Brown
Racial Equity Sub-Committee Update
There is a need for community members to comfortably and candidly discuss issues and ideas around race and racial equity in Baltimore and Southwest Baltimore. The initial planning committee (Lou, Jane M, Sheila, Rev George Hopkins and Venroy July) began holding conversations about how to structure these conversations and decided to focus on racial inequity in education. They began discussing the Designing the We display on redlining and the current relationship between redlining and education.
They decided that they could have community members go through the exhibit and then have a conversation connecting the issues raised in the exhibit with education.
The event will be May 12th at 1pm at the UMB BioPark Building at 801 W Baltimore St. There will be a panel discussion with the proposed panelists: Dr Sonia Santelises, Chandra Song, John Constable, Adam Jackson, also discussed Sarah Heminger from Thread, Director of MD State Charter School Initiative, Chair of Baltimore City School Board. Rev Hopkins will serve as the facilitator. Goal is to have the initial conversation lead to ongoing small group conversations and the development of strategies to address the concerns. Lou will meet with Curtis to develop an outreach plan. Committee members suggested possible panel members and shared with the subcommittee, as well as having a Spanish speaking interpreter and marketing material in Spanish.
Event Title: Wanna Talk About Race? The Committee offered suggestions on the title—different grammar, an action point, language around community division. The Committee has until Sunday night at mid-night to offer suggestions.
Dotie suggested inviting the churches, Aquilina and Richard offered suggestions on formatting the marketing material
Designing the We (Braden Crooks)
Based out of New York, Designing the We works in community development and design and social impact and design. Designed the Undesigning the Redline, looks at redlining and how systematic racism gets designed into the physical structure of cities.
Redlining was the deliberate process of denying people of color—particularly black people—access to home mortgage insurance and other benefits that allowed for homeownership by creating redlining maps that said that black neighborhoods were too ‘risky’ to invest in. Green and blue areas were areas of high investment, but in order to get green ratings, spurring investments, there needed to be racial covenants barring people of color from moving into the area. These policies produced hyper-segrgation and the model of poorer cities with people of color and hyper-wealthy, hyper-white suburbs. Redlining allows racial discrimination to become implicit and structural to maintain disparities, rather than explicit and creates a racial wealth gap. The presentation describes massive crises that have harmed communities of color and asks attendees to discuss what they will do to repair the damage of the past and protect the future.
Designing the We is energetic and passionate about connecting young people with the process of grassroots community development. Will be piloting some work with Baltimore City Schools in the fall or summer and are interesting in working with community groups.
Recommended the documentary: 78 Acres in Chicago: Cabrini Green about an infamous public housing development in Chicago and the book Collective Courage.
The Designing the Redline Exhibit is open at the Baltimore City Schools Headquarters at North Ave until the end of April, when it moves to the MotorHouse. It will be at the UM BioPark May 12th.
Knot Forgotten
Knot Forgotten is a non-profit that is trying to figure out what they can do to work with children and adults to incorporate the Knot Forgotten message. The message is that everyone should have reasons why they are not forgotten and why they are important. They want to make sure that people use those positive reasons every day. They want to work with existing groups to work with young people to identify reasons why they are not forgotten and work with them to display those messages in a way that the young person will see and remember them and repeat them multiple times a day. Would also like to develop tools to measure progress and follow the participants for a period of time. Ultimate goal is to develop an app. Would like to bring subject matter experts in to design the app.
Currently working to identify groups to be involved in the pilot. Would like to identify kids that are already receiving services. Are also looking for funding partners.
Concerned about weaponized social media platforms. Application should be designed so that it cant be weaponized. Are working on a pilot for Baltimore, specifically SW Baltimore, Los Angeles and San Francisco. App has four cores:
- Text based library system (stop bullying.gov)
- Video library designed to be a single source for information
- Radio library
- “Yikes I need help”
The goal is to have the app completed by the fall.
Trying to organize in schools with mentoring in a group setting, and because the Knot Forgotten app could be brought into the community school initiative.
Announcements
River Valley Ranch will have a summer camp at Steuart Hill this summer the last week in June, 50-80 spots
Announcements
Health and Fitness Expo with a wellness focus put on by Fit For Life, April 14th at Vivien T Thomas Medical Arts Academy
