Letter from the editor-in-chief
Letter from the Editor – Issue 4
What kind of Black, Baltimore paper would we be if we didn’t acknowledge House music? On the cover and inside the pages of this issue, you’ll see images of Black people dancing, fellowshipping, and vibing out at Collective Minds, an annual house music festival that organizers say is open to anyone, be they DJs, dancers,…
In this issue
A Baltimore woman’s work to preserve space, place, and history
Baltimore native and community organizer Diamon Fisher, 26, creates spaces where Black people can reflect, reclaim joy, and deepen community bonds. She grew up in Gwynn Oak and also spent a lot of her childhood in Superman’s, the barber shop on North Avenue owned by her father. On August 1, Fisher…
Baltimore Can’t Fill Teacher Vacancies, Kids Suffer
It’s an annual tradition in Baltimore. Each summer, the district hemorrhages hundreds of teachers and scrambles to fill vacancies, just…
Scenes from this year’s Collective Minds festival
The Collective Minds Festival is a celebration of house music. In Baltimore, where dance music and Black club culture are so important, events like Collective Minds are a chance to celebrate. It’s always free and open to dancers of all ages. This year it was held on September 3 at Pearlstone Retreat Center. This year’s…
Baltimore Government and Community Events 9/21/22-10/5/22
Wednesday, Sept. 21 Local Community Advisory Board Outreach Meeting: This event is part of a series of meetings…
Baltimore Cops Scroll Social Media and Catfish for Suspects
Cop Tales Bail review hearings are one step in a criminal ‘justice’ system that feeds on the destruction of human…
Baltimore Arts and Culture Listings 9/22/22-10/5/22
Thursday, Sept. 22 Bromo Art Walk: Experience the Bromo Arts District during a…
You Haven’t Seen ‘Akira’?
We all have those movies we, for whatever arbitrary reason, have just never gotten around to actually watching. Sometimes we openly lie to people in casual conversation to avoid the inevitable Greek chorus of damning incredulity, pretending that we have seen said film, but “never all the way through” or “a long time ago.” But…
Water crisis
For politicians at Baltimore City Hall, the complaints were about messaging — whether or not people were informed quickly enough about the E. Coli contamination and the boil water order that went into effect September 5 as a result. It was, in the minds of many of those people, a public relations fiasco. In West…
Brady matters
In 1958, a Maryland man named John Brady was arrested and charged with murder in the killing of Williams Brooks. Brady maintained he didn’t kill Brooks, but he had helped another man, Charles Boblit, steal Brooks’ car for a planned bank heist. Boblit actually confessed to the murder. He told the authorities that killing Brooks…
Tarotscopes
Air Signs – Aquarius, Gemini, Libra Queen of Cups, Three of Swords, Five of Cups Your challenge this month, air signs, is to not completely live in your head. For some, there was a recent emotional upset that is consuming your thoughts. For others, perhaps old wounds have reopened. This is causing you to replay…
“Soul and Things”
I often found myself on a lonely highway, Soul picked me up and helped me balance a two way street. I had to learn that Soul for me was not a pink Cadillac or any other type of coon cage. Instead Soul was the sonic wave voyaging the black Atlantic that continuously blasted my consciousness…
