City of Baltimore through the eyes of a Native.... @csantifulnsf - Tumblr Blog

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A photo that was taken in the early 2000's after service at Leadenhall Baptist Church in the lower sanctuary. Some of the LBC Kids. This project is truly bringing back memories from my time of growing up in that area and walking those streets seeing Leadenhall and how its truly changed since I've been there which has been 8+ years. There's happiness and there's pain in the memories that come. In photo: (Left to right) Tyonna Crystal Tyler Teddy Christina Candace

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It was so nice to be there again. The people were so warm and inviting and open. I think that’s still surprising to me. They’re so willing to share their stories and give advice. I mean, when I think about living, I think about fun and growth and experiences but, what I don’t think about is the...

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csantifulnsf

The Community College of Baltimore County has reached out to the 2,000 workers laid off by RG Steel. The expected flood of applicants hasn’t come.

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A Promise to Keep:

This video discusses the community of Sharp Leadenhall and its struggle against the encroachment and exploitation from outsider influences on this historically black community. The video discusses the displacement that took place as a result of the highway project and the impact that it had on the community.

A parallel could potentially be drawn to the current development plan that is in the works currently. The 250 dollar development plan could result in the displacement and relocation of a large group of the Sharp Leadenhall members. Even if it doesn’t result in the relocation of the actual people, it will definitely affect the neighborhood and potentially in a negative manner.

Yesterday I had the joy of being back in my second home, Sharp Leadenhall. With that I spent the day with a non profit organization "Clean and Green" which is lead by the illustrious Ms.Betty and Mr.Sam. This summer Clean and Green has 7 young african american men taking charge on making their community a better and cleaner place. Its the little things in life that I learn to see and appreciate. Walking and talking with these young men was a joyous event for me.

The day was spent cleaning Henrietta Street in the 100-108 block which is what I call the back side of Sharp Leadenhall. Mr.Sam and the team hit the streets hard trash beens , brooms, trash cans and the warm hearts! Sweeping the gutters and the side walks of all the trash and all that went along with cleaning the neighborhood. They cleaned for about 30mins and they took a break.

This wasn't a normal break they were use to, my grandmother ended up giving the team and ABTW ice cream for a treat, you saw the big kid come out in everyone! A big cluster was formed around the ice cream and cups that was waiting to be passed out by Olivia and within minutes those big guys were cooled off and eating their ice cream with joy. The "informal" moments are the ones i enjoyed most with the fellas.

As the ice cream went away and the cleaning continued the conversations grew and the laughter grew even louder, what the world ceases to know about Baltimore is that its more than The Wire. Take another look at what you assume you know........

Some of the Beautiful and Unique Hons I seen today!

Hon or Hun Fest?!?!?!

Today I went to the HonFest not knowing what to expect. It was definitely smaller then I imagined. But just walking through the first 2 minutes I see this woman with a huge bee hive on her head a reddish color. I get closer I see that its a Man who portrayed his self as a woman. As he strutted along with his added women parts and his very happy drunk personalty he stops and takes pictures with passers by. His stomach reveling shirt with Leopard print and floral pants and open toe shoe with the granny 70's style glasses. He poses as I take a picture of him. But that was only the beginning of this experience.

As i ventured down 37th street the strong awesome aroma of crabs being cooked took over my knee, I walked up to a grill twice the size of me that was covered cooking meat of all kinds. Along side the food I see so much hustle and bustle taking place, women, children, and so much more. Walking through the streets smelling food and the underarm sweat of passers by messed up my nose.

The culture is something that I myself am not use to I was surrounded by faces that weren't the same color as I was. This was a festival where i saw very few of myself but the experience continued to grow the further I went down. I seen woman from the young tender age to the wiser of ages dressed in what my grandmother considered house clothes.

I hear all this cheering and people standing and sitting with cameras in hand facing this stage, filled with upwards to 30 women dressed in my eyes ridiculous in so many colors all to be the next Ms.Hon. I walked to the stage front and center in front of hundreds of people to catch the bright colors and women who had no shame in what they had on. The judging began and the ladies danced coming off the stage and back on the stage from the opposite end. They each passed me smiling and speaking to family friends and random people that stood behind me.

The women continued to get judged and others still pranced around showing their creations they made to be considered Ms.Hon. As I continue to walk through I see and smell so many different foods and three types of music that blared up and down the street and people dance to the songs as they come and go.

My experience at HonFest was truly one I will never forget and one that I may even encounter next year, maybe I'll even run to be Ms.Hon. You never know. ;)

Combination on HIV

My last post was a collaboration of the lines that stuck out to me the most that was said today by some wonderful survivors that I met today at the Jacques Initiative and they made their point clear don't wait until its to late.

Many them were diagnosed in the 1980's and up. But they didn't go planning to get tested and if they did get tested it was happen stance. These men and women stood strong today to tell us nosy Anthropologist in the making their story.

I sat and just observed the faces and body languages and listened closely to all that was said and so much I wanted to write down but the last post holds a poem and a combination of what they said to me that stood out the most.

My favorite pf all was "I'm so glad I have HIV, because HIV saved me" when you think of how she was living her life to her this "bug" saved her life and enabled her to stay here to see all 20 of her grandchildren and that moment I began to appreciate my own pitiful life a little more.

HIV.....Life....Thoughts......

When the day came that this infection infected my body the world said the bug is here and my days were numbered. I was angry and afraid that my days were slowly winding down and that not only I should have to deal with this but everyone else should.

Give it to everyone is what was on my mind. It took me forever to get diagnosed but yet I went about my normal life as if my CD4 count was normal and that my body was not under attack by these green cells that soon would become my virus load.

I never though I would be HIV Positive, went to get my body checked on and the meds which soon became my enemy wanted to be part of my day to day life.

It was a few times I slipped, I thought I was dying. If I die, then I would die. My one i entrusted my love with infected me. My wife, my husband, my friend, people I trusted with that precious part of me hurt me.

I was angry and afraid. But you know what, I am so glad I have HIV because HIV saved me. Is what I said but seems harsh to some. But you don't know my story unless you are in my shoes.

The day to day life, Nobody knows I'm HIV Positive and I don't think they need to know. But i have no fear in telling someone to get treated because the world we live in people think they cant get it.

Dealing with this disease I came close to taking my own life, the emotional toll that comes with this is more then some can deal or handle.

Today #ABTW went to a HIV 101 class and had some wonderful information given to us. But the best part is talking and hearing from those who goes day by day dealing with this. So many words came up continuously, God, faith, family, support, saved, anger, afraid, and scared. But they all can attest to the fact that if it was for Jacques being there they don't know where they would be. This group reminded that they are still people even though they are HIV Positive they are making it their business to get any and everyone tested. And if you test positive they want to get you on HIV Care and get the virus undetected. There is no running from this but they stood tall and faced it and leaving there I was mentally and emotionally drained because I cant even imagine what it would be to even have to endure being told those words "You tested Positive for HIV........."

Morning Thoughts

So. On the way to the HIV 101 session. Expecting to learn something new and become more aware of this disease.

I am....

I am Baltimore

I am the hurt

I am the tears

I am the uniqueness

I am the history

I am the 12 cities

I am the city

I am the county

I am an Anthropologist

A building that frowned on by passers by, walls holds so much that the naked eye cant see walking by.

Walking and waiting, chatting and texting the history of this place isn't as obvious as the nose on your face.

It stands high yet awkwardly strange.

To me it shows the beauty that Baltimore rarely claims.

The place that held our dreams a float is soon coming to the ground with just a single vote.

You ask why I care, I say how dare? How dare you question the mind of an artist.

A singer a dancer and poet at heart. A place of the arts a place that once held the smiles of many of who we may call mommy daddy grandma and grandpa.

The place that high school students just see as a dumb big building I see a building that's worth more then the asking.

To stand in the this theater where the greats once walked and stood to proclaim the art God gave them with no shame.

Be strong stand loud save the History that Baltimore is all about.

Its more to us then the wire you see, I'm not lying to you just telling you about the golden days that are like movies to me.

Unspoken

I've been super quiet on how i felt about this program in itself as a whole. I have shut down and made it my business not to talk in an open group but only behind closed doors to a few.

I guess i can use Tumblr to speak how I really feel about my city and this enriching program. Coming in the door as a non Anthropology student never even have taken the class was a huge twist for me in my life. Being surrounded by all these "smarties" and hearing all the terms was a bit depressing for me on my end.

I felt i could not contribute to any conversation because I simply could not follow what was really being said. So i decided to do what worked for me. Visual, I took my camera and made it happen and so far I have learned so much from this program in a short week.

I'm still kind of shy to really speak my point, but this one thing. Baltimore is full of so many surprises and so much history its mind blowing to me. Today we did a walking tour with the infamous Eli downtown by Charles Center and towards Lexington Market. And in the back streets and high in the sky there was so much history that I would walk past in my day to day travel downtown.

I went to New Era Academy and in order to get to school I have to catch the 64 Curtis and Spruce on Redwood and Light street, and to go home off on that same street. Every day I would walk past this big concrete building not really giving it much though but I loved the way it looked and all the pictures that were in the boarded up windows. For me it was a positive light in Baltimore.

Little did I know this building was the Morris A. Mechanic Theater. A building that stood high with its unique shape and form. That building is one of many that stand even eye level with us "Natives" and shows me that there is so much to learn about this place I call home. Hearing that its in the process of possibly being torn down is saddening to me.

My dad always told me about this man, when ever they traveled down south to Boykins Virginia they had to cross this railroad track to get into Boykins Virginia, and at the tracks there was this man that sat there. And for all my dad knew he was just a man sitting n the train tracks. He waved to my dad and the family every time they came into town. Except one year they went down and this man wasn't there anymore.

I shared that small story to say my dad didn't take the small things in life for granted, and that what I've been doing all my life living here in Baltimore. Taking the history and Culture of Baltimore for granted. So if an when they do tear the Morris A. Mechanic theater down it will feel weird and strange to me because i'm so use to seeing that building and just admiring the style that building holds and all that, that comes with it.

Native or Nah?

So within the last week I have learned beyond what I thought I knew about Baltimore. Maybe I should keep you all updated on my adventures ;)

A Walk through the Land Unknown!

Parks, Churches, Buildings and so much that I have walked past driven past and seen all of my 21years in Baltimore City and County. To know about the Historic Facts of my own hometown was truly mind blowing. Today on our walking tour as we met at the Key Monument with Mr.Eli and others we began to travel the streets of Eutaw Place and to places that I thought I knew about that I had little to no idea about. The first original Western High School known to Baltimore as the all girls school started out with 36 girls and one teacher in a building that was funded to be built by Baltimore City Public Schools. At the time and place this school was in the making people did not think girls needed an education as much as the boys did. With issues rising within the community the school was moved to the now location Falls Road. The Royal Theater Marquee Plaza a place that was the life of Baltimore on Pennsylvania Ave. Jazz filled the air and the greats were every where. Some of my favorites, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, James Brown and many more stepped in and out of this establishment. Today when you go pass you may know this place I am talking about with big white letters that say "Royal" and time to time is used as a way for announcements. Just to point out a few places that held so much History that I thought I knew about. I must say I was truly happy and excited to see and hear what I learned today walking the streets of my home.

Setha Low, the reason that there is a such thing called the "Typologies of Anthropology" which consist of 12 different cities which can easily be found in the greater Baltimore. I myself went on an ad venture in my home streets to find the cities within my city. This adventure into another door of Anthropology opened my eyes to another Baltimore in which i felt like i haven't seen or paid that much attention to. my cities within this city was Global City, Ethnic City, Post Modern City, Divided City, Traditional City. Setha Low, thank you for opening my eyes to my greater Baltimore.