I began this year very afraid.
Because I run a nonprofit newsroom, I was worried about the way the incoming Trump administration would make my work harder and less sustainable. Because I am the parent to two young people in high school, I worried about the way the administration would attack public schools. As a Black woman, I worried about the specific attacks on my gender and race.
And while these things are still worries for me, so much good work came out of this paper this year and I’m so incredibly proud of it.
At the start of 2025, I began meeting with photographer Devin Allen and some of the staff at the Baltimore Museum of Art, including Director of Public Programs Tracey Beale and museum head Asma Naeem. In about three months, all of us organized “Heavy with History: Devin Allen and the Baltimore Uprising,” an exhibition of Allen’s photography taken during the Baltimore Uprising that I curated and for which I wrote the exhibition statement. Museum exhibitions can take years to organize. The reason we were able to put the exhibit together so quickly was that no one working on this project had an ego. Everyone was motivated only by their desire to accurately tell the people’s story of the Baltimore Uprising. I’m grateful to Allen for always being so selfless in sharing his talent with the city and the world, and to the BMA for sharing their space so readily.
“Heavy with History” came down at the end of November. Outside of my children, it’s one of the things I’ve had a hand in that I feel most proud of. I am a journalist and work mostly with words, but journalism is so much more expansive than just words. The exhibition was a way to bring the streets of Baltimore to a place where they are sometimes excluded. Thanks to Allen’s deep ties to the city, so many more visitors came to see the exhibit, and by extension the BMA, than would have otherwise.
My goal always is helping to share stories, educate as many people as possible, and aid in breaking down the barriers that keep so many people in this city apart from each other. The exhibit was an outgrowth of that.
In these pages, you’ll see our takes on this chaotic, tumultuous, stressful year. We highlight events in news, arts and culture, food and drinks, and more.
Bry Reed writes about our political future and what it will take to build a better world. You’ll also find an op-ed from Baltimore Renters United about the best ways for tenants to build power in a broken system.
This is also our last issue of the year. We are excited to rest, plan, and bring more community-building news in the new year.
Thanks as always for reading and have a happy holiday season.