In this issue, Report for America Corps member Kori Skillman digs in deep to the plight of immigrants in Baltimore City caught in the crosshairs of the Trump administration’s cruel crackdown.
For this piece she spoke to two family members, L and E whose names we are not using for their safety. One was already forced to leave this country and the other remains here, living in fear that he will be swept away next.
“Under Donald Trump’s push for widespread deportations, what used to be a straightforward immigration appointment has taken on a different weight,” Skillman writes. “These check-ins now carry a looming threat of being arrested and put into immigration jail, replacing procedure with a steady undercurrent of fear and reshaping daily life in immigrant communities. Advocates say fear of being taken away from everything they know with essentially no notice is discouraging community members, regardless of status, from participating fully in their neighborhoods.”
I’m so proud that Baltimore Beat can elevate their stories, and I wish that we could do more.
Skillman’s other story in this issue is about Coach Coop, a Baltimore man who has dedicated his life to raising pigeons.
“Everyone in Baltimore used to raise pigeons,” he told Skillman.
“The hobby traces back to 19th century Europe, arriving in the U.S. in the 1870s as a pastime for white Americans. It gained widespread popularity following World War I, when carrier pigeons were highly regarded as heroes on the battlefields, according to a 1930 Baltimore Sun story. The practice soon took root among Black Baltimoreans, and the birds became a prominent fixture of the city’s skyline,” she writes.
Angela N. Carroll writes about Blue Light Junction, a space where Kenya Miles sustains the ancient practice of natural dying.
“Those who continue the work of natural dying are a testament to the retention of ancient knowledge that survived the rise and collapse of empires, the pursuit and expansion of colonial conquests, and forced and voluntary migrations. The immortal and sacred practice of natural dying exists in every corner of the world,” Carroll writes.
There’s so much more in this issue to discover, including journalist Logan Hullinger’s look at local sober spaces, Eze Jackson’s review of local music in our “Best Beats” column, October tarotscopes, and Dominic Griffin’s write-up on the film “One Battle After Another.”
I want to let you know about a live puzzling event we are organizing on October 22 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Stem & Vine (326 N. Charles St.) to show appreciation for our donors. The event will feature Black Crossword creator Juliana Pache.
You may have seen Pache’s crossword puzzles, which place emphasis on terms and clues from across the Black diaspora, on Baltimore Beat’s website or in the physical paper.
We first came across Pache and her work when Rolling Stone wrote about her last summer.
“For this project, I don’t have or want to think about how anyone else [outside of Blackness] responds or receives it,” she told the magazine. “That doesn’t mean it’s inaccessible. Everyone is welcome to play this puzzle, but this puzzle is made with Black people in mind.”
Would you like to attend and help keep news free and accessible for all of Baltimore? Go to our website and become a donor. We’ll send you a link to RSVP! Are you a donor who hasn’t received an invitation? Please email us: distribution@baltimorebeat.com.
Thank you so much for reading.