Baltimore: The Rise of Charm City

Have you ever wished that a band of roving podcasters would visit your community to collect stories of uplift, history, and hope, then broadcast those stories for you and your neighbors in a space right near your block? For months, the Rise of Charm City team did just that in Baltimore’s storied neighborhood of Waverly, one of the city’s hubs of 1960s and ‘70s activism and counterculture. Episode 19, “Rise + Shine Waverly,” was produced in partnership with the local business development initiative, Waverly Main Street, for Neighborhood Lights, an annual community artist-in-residence program produced by Light City, a festival of light, music, and innovation held in downtown Baltimore.

Episode 18, "Beach Your Bottom Dollar," tells the story of three of Maryland's historically Black beaches, Carr's and Sparrow's Beaches and Highland Beach. Hear all about the heyday of beachside concerts at Carr's Beach and the enduring civil rights legacies of Frederick Douglass, Mary Church Terrell, and their descendants and Highland Beach. Voices include Dr. Andrew Kahrl, author of The Land was Ours: How Black Beaches Became White Wealth in the Coastal South, Annapolis historian and tour guide Janice Hayes-Williams, and Highland Beach City Commissioner Raymond Langston.

In the middle of an August night, the City of Baltimore removed four Confederate monuments from parks and public squares. A few people bore witness, and almost everyone in town had an opinion. In this bonus mini-episode, we talk to a few of them, not just about the statues but also about the quiet removal of the city's African American landmarks and resources.

Episode 17 of the Rise of Charm City takes listeners to two of the city's most historically significant cemeteries: Mount Auburn, the oldest Black cemetery in the city, and Green Mount Cemetery, final resting place of many of Baltimore's 19th and early 20th century philanthropists. We also hear from Mr. Victor March Sr., President and CEO of March Funeral Homes, the largest independent funeral home on the East Coast, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year.

Episode 16 of the Rise of Charm City features the history of lacrosse in Baltimore city's various communities. Hear indigenous lacrosse history professor Dr. Allan Downey; Dr. Miles G. Harrison Jr, author of Ten Bears, the story of Morgan State's historic 1970s lacrosse team; and voices from The Boys' Latin School of Maryland, Charm City Youth Lacrosse, and more.

Episode 15 of the Rise of Charm City explores the history of Baltimore's LGBTQ+ communities. Hear historians, activists, and artists talk about their memories of clubs, bookstores, bars, and resource centers around the city and how they're dealing with the disappearance of those queer-friendly spaces.

Part 2 of The Rise of Charm City's exploration of Morgan State University's 150-year history continues in Episode 14: "A Modern Study of Morganic Chemistry." You'll hear the familiar voices of University President Dr. David Wilson and University Chairman Kweisi Mfume, as well as new memories and insights from students, alumni, and administrators. We cover the founding history of the university's radio station, WEAA 88.9 FM, as well as its plans for future sustainability as a premier urban public research university.

Celebrating its sesquicentennial celebration in 2017, Morgan State is the oldest and largest African American college in Maryland. This week we explore the founding of the institution, its long legacy of social activism, and the fond memories of alumni and administrators.

The Rise of Charm City's new, bonus episode, "Dressed and Highly Favored," provides listeners with a brief window into Black Baltimore's history of fashion merchandising and design. You'll hear from local designers Jody Davis and Carlous Palmer, as well about Pauline Brooks, one of the first Black women in the nation to open a dress shop in a major shopping mall. Produced with thanks to our generous listenership who contributed to our Summer 2016 Indiegogo fundraiser.

The 12th — and final — episode of our first season, "Glow in the Park," presents a history of Druid Hill Park, the third oldest public urban park in the country. Hear from Kalman "Buzzy" Hettleman and Mitzi Swan, local tennis players who made strides to desegregate the park's tennis courts; renowned artist Joyce Scott, who designed a monument to Pool No. 2, the long-closed "colored pool" at the park; and various Druid Hill community residents at the park's weekly Farmer's Market.

Episode 11, "The Rise of Charm City: LIVE!" is a broadcast of our very first live performance event, held on July 14 at the historic Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Museum. Sound engineering by Mark Gunnery for the Center for Emerging Media. Introduction by Marc Steiner. Panelists: Dr. Joanne Martin (The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum), Mr. Joseph Haskins (Harbor Bank of Maryland), and Mr. Anthony Williams (Shake and Bake Family Fun Center).

"Can't We All Just Get Islam?" explores the history of Muslim presence in Baltimore City and the relationship of the city's predominantly black Muslim population and South Asian Muslims in suburbs outside the city. Featured voices in this episode include Imam Earl El-Amin, Islamic Community School principal Zakia Amin, and poet/activist Tariq Touré.

Episode 9: "Banks for the Memories" tells the story of black banking -- both traditional and nontraditional -- in Baltimore City. With the presence of pawn shops, private lenders, and the city's last black-owned bank left standing, Baltimore City's black communities has been a hotbed of financial activity for over a century. Featured voices include antiques appraiser and historian Philip J Merrill, Harbor Bank Chairman, President, and CEO Joseph Haskins, and I Am O'KAH founder Aisha DaCosta.

This episode takes us to one of Baltimore City's last remaining predominantly white communities: Hampden. We visit Hampden's milling history, its 1950s thriving business district, and its current gentrification.

Episode 7: Mall's Fair in Love and War (or Mall's Well that Ends Well!) tells the story of Mondawmin Mall, the first enclosed mall in the country and one of the first presumably black, inner city malls in the U.S. We talk to developers, longtime residents of the community around the mall, some of the oldest remaining business owners at the mall, and students who remember last year's unrest there.