Baltimore Heritage

Prior to the processing of her archival collection at Morgan State University, Victorine Adams remained obscured behind the imposing notoriety of her husband, William “Little Willie” Adams. Yet she led a remarkable life and was the first African American woman elected to the Baltimore City Council in 1967. Adams also created two organizations, participated in philanthropic endeavors, mentored young women and maintained an impeccable reputation and social life. She was a self-assured woman aware of the distortion that surrounded her race, gender and class in Baltimore. Join Morgan State's University Archivist Dr. Ida E. Jones to see how Victorine Adams' “compassionate conviction” compelled her to organize, raise her voice and run for public office in service to the masses of underserved people in her hometown of Baltimore.

Anne Sarah Rubin discusses her digital project "Slave Streets, Free Streets: Visualizing the Landscape of Early Baltimore." This website allows users to virtually stroll the streets of Baltimore circa 1815, while exploring the lives of free blacks and enslaved workers. She will also discuss the on-line games her students made about the Pratt Street Riots of 1861, suggesting some of the ways that modern technology can reconstruct the past in newly engaging ways.

Shaping public space comes with a special responsibility. Architects, planners, and designers must examine the impacts—both positive and negative—of public improvements on all members of a community and be intentional about how their efforts can create better experiences for all, today and tomorrow. With a commitment to crafting equitable and collaboratively-designed projects, Mahan Rykiel Associates approached the redesign of Rash Field Park with intention and sensitivity. By first examining the context and histories around Baltimore’s Rash Field Park and the surrounding Inner Harbor, then deploying a many-layered engagement strategy that prioritized outreach to underserved and underrepresented communities, Mahan Rykiel Associates was able to set the stage for shaping Rash Field as a public space for all people—a park that could be enjoyed by visitors, but, first and foremost, a park that would be cherished, celebrated, and enjoyed by the neighbors and residents of Baltimore City.