Author Archives: Roberto Alejandro

Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown. (AP Photo) With less than a week before the June 24 primary elections, polls from two different news agencies show Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown with a commanding lead over his two principal opponents, Attorney General Doug Gansler and Delegate Heather Mizeur. As the final day approaches a significant percentage of voters […]

Clarence “Sorcez Dieniro” Thomas is a West Baltimore native who has made a name for himself in the entertainment industry as an artist, Grammy Award-winning producer, and Emmy Award-winning actor. This summer, he will put on his third Keep It Real/Stop the Violence Tour at local Baltimore City recreation centers through his nonprofit Save Our […]

Our nation’s public libraries have always served as resources to the communities in which they are located. In Baltimore City, where many do not have access to broadband Internet or the economic resources necessary to pursue all their goals, the Enoch Pratt Free Library helps fill the void by providing programs that facilitate everything from […]

On June 2, the Baltimore City Council passed a revision to the city’s youth curfew law that imposes stricter curfew times and establishes increased penalties for parents or businesses found to be in violation of the law. Many in the Baltimore City community continue to oppose this revision of the law, concerned that it will […]

It was 1975 when the Rev. John R. Bryant arrived at Bethel AME Church and transformed it into an exemplar of faith-based community activism and development in Baltimore City. He was already an established preacher and went about transforming its worship, infusing it with a neo-pentecostal sensibility that would contribute to Bethel’s exponential growth over […]

In 2014, there will be approximately 233,000 new diagnoses of prostate cancer,  according to the American Cancer Society. On June 15, Father’s Day, the Martin Luther King Prostate Cancer Awareness (MLKPCA) organization will hold their 10th annual prostate cancer awareness event to educate African-American men about the importance of regular screenings and early detection. Thirteen […]

In 2011, at age 24, Shawn Burnett founded Walks of Art. Walks of Art is a non-profit organization that exposes Baltimore youth to a broader world through art. It also provides a safe space for free and individualistic expression, a safe harbor from the pressures many young people feel to conform, especially in the often difficult […]

Sundiata Osagie and Andwele Ra opened the doors of Reflection Eternal, a barber shop just south of North Charles and 25th streets, in 2008. Always intended to be something more than a barber shop, Reflection Eternal has become a community and personal development resource for Baltimore’s Charles Village area. Osagie described the vision for the […]

Over 4,000 registered voters in Baltimore City have been removed from the voter rolls since the 2012 presidential election. The 2008 and 2012 presidential elections saw 67 and 66 percent voter turnout in Maryland, according to the United States Elections Project, an information source on elections research by Dr. Michael McDonald, a used to the fact—or […]

In a city where many children attend a public school with no art program, the Youth Resiliency Institute (YRI) is using art to teach Baltimore youth about their history, themselves, and effective community engagement. YRI is an arts institute under the umbrella of Fusion Partnerships Inc., a nonprofit organization that sponsors social justice initiatives, according […]