We started the day off in a wintry wonderland as we made our way up Pennsylvania Avenue, Baltimore's premier locale for jazz and entertainment for black communities from the 1920s to the 1960s. The infamous Royal Theatre, long since razed, is now memorialized on the corner of the lot that remains.


In the Baltimore neighborhood of Sandtown-Winchester we visited the Intersection of Change. At the Harris Marcus Center we met with founder Elder C.W. Harris who shared with us the extent of the community projects at the Intersection of Change. The Harris Marcus Center houses the Jubliee Arts center, a community program that provides art classes to residents of Sandtown-Winchester. Across the Street is Martha's Place, a Maryland state-certified program for women overcoming drug addiction and homelessness. Revitalization of the intersection is also found in the neighboring park and surrounding murals. 

Discussions with Gwen Brown of Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development (BUILD) and Deb Eisenberg, Professor at the University of Maryland described how the boomtown of Baltimore transformed into the blight that is so evident in Sandtown-Winchester, and how important the building of strong healthy relationships is in the restorative efforts currently in action.


Another effort that the Intersection of Change supports is Strength to Love II, an urban farm in the heart of Sandtown-Winchester managed by Clayton Williams (pictured below). Strength to Love II (S2L2) consists of multiple hoop houses on two separate lots owned by the city which are rented to S2L2 for $1 per year with free water. S2L2 grows leafy greens almost exclusively and is currently in partnership with a produce wholesale company that sells to food service and farmers markets. Their ultimate goal is to be able to produce and provide foods to the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood, an extreme urban food desert.
  


We also had the chance to meet with Lieutenant Colonel Melvin Russell of the Baltimore Police Department who discussed his career, the unrest in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray and his perspective on how the police can be a positive influence in the community. Lt. Col. Russell reinforced much of the discussion from earlier in the day and told stories of the effectiveness of his personal implementation of strong community relationships between the community and police forces. 

In the spirit of flexibility, we had to quickly change plans as we prepared for a service project session, the Harris Marcus Center suddenly lost power, trapping Elder C.W. Harris and Class 46 fellow, Sal in the elevator. After 30 minutes phone calls, face time, attempts at using emergency release valves, and extreme bonding time, the Baltimore Fire Department was finally able to open the jammed inner door and rescue them.


 Following the elevator fiasco, our bus departed for Gettysburg, Pennsylvania where we transitioned from #BlackLivesMatter to the Battle of Gettysburg with a traditional colonial dinner at The Dobbin House.

 Melissa, Jorge, and Ashley

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