Issue 85
Letter from the publisher – Issue 85
Words from Publisher and CEO Lisa Snowden.
‘Like Stonewall all over again’: The turmoil after the city’s infringement on Baltimore Pride and Trans Pride planning
The city’s involvement in this year’s Pride Festival and Trans Pride celebration marked a disorganized and at times violent departure from the joy and community building of years past.
The revival of Baltimore’s quilt competition underscores fiber arts as tactile storytelling
In today’s dystopia, textile artists prompt us to consider craft as a way of challenging disposability culture — the increasingly normal act of throwing inconvenient things and people away.
The abrupt closure of Baby’s on Fire spotlights Baltimore’s growing worker-ownership movement
Whether Baby’s on Fire becomes the next conversion to a worker-owned business depends on the owners and support of their community — whether the path exists at all is no longer in question.
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News
‘Let Them Speak’ brings victims of police violence out of the news and into their lives before tragedy
As machines overwhelm us with artificially generated images inaccurately called “art,” we’re reminded that art actually serves a purpose much deeper than “content creation.” Art is one of the ways we speak with our dead.
Maryland’s Child Victims Act lawsuits revealed another source of sexual abuse: the police
While the Child Victims Act was passed, it brought forward thousands of lawsuits, many against the state’s juvenile justice system. A small subset of these cases has received less attention: lawsuits over abuse at the hands of the police.
For more than 10 years, Baltimore’s Youth Poet Laureate Competition has empowered young people to speak their truth
Since the first competition in 2015, the Baltimore Youth Poet Laureate program has been a platform to uplift youth voices from the city through poetry, connecting them to city officials and other community leaders as a voice of the city.
Arts & Culture
‘The Odyssey’ is the most Christopher Nolan film he has ever made
Whether or not you think that’s a good thing will likely depend on your personal feelings on Christopher Nolan.
Best Beats Issue #85
Best Beats highlights some of the best local music that has caught the attention of Baltimore Beat’s staff.
What’s Poppin’ Issue #085
Baltimore Art. Alive. Thriving. And waiting for you.
Photostory: This year’s Pride celebrations made clear the importance of protecting our traditions
“Although our community was met with unique opposition and harm this year, many of us still emphasized the freedom, strength, and empowerment we feel together,” Amari-Grey Johnson writes.
Night Lights
In this Night Lights, we spotlight events from the past couple months that have been put on by organizations that are protecting and standing up for the most vulnerable populations among us. Photos by Valerie Paulsgrove.
August 2026 Tarotscopes
Find out what’s in store for you this August with Iya Osundara’s Tarotscope forecast. Take what resonates and leave the rest.
Baltimore Events 7/29/26-8/12/26
Here’s our list of events around the city.
Black Crossword: July 22, 2026
Black Crossword is a free mini crossword puzzle that places emphasis on terms and clues from across the Black diaspora.
Community Resources
This Baltimore Beat section aims to help the community with resources and support they may not know are…