as a citizen of this great city and
three as a woman who has grown up in
Baltimore but also has raised my
children in Baltimore
you know I’m fortunate to call Baltimore
my home for me Baltimore is my City the
place where I raised my children
attended Baltimore City Public Schools
began my political career I’ve watched
progress to revitalize neighborhoods in
ways it seems as if I witnessed a
resurrection of dreams deferred for
decades yet we still have a long way to
go we are Baltimore for the last three
consecutive years we’ve surpassed 300
homicides each victim with a name a
childhood a loved one a neighborhood
they identified with and somewhere along
the way they interacted with an
institution that helps shape who they
were I read a story about a homicide
victim number 289 written through the
eyes of his heartbroken art victim 289
was Antwone Lamont
bond a 26 year old in Park Heights this
one-line spoke to me in her narrative
the truth of the matter is Lamont did
the best with what he was given what
Baltimore gave him
what did Baltimore give Lamont and why
do we keep falling short for our youth
although I understand the tension and
the frustrations now is not the time to
point fingers and blame now is not the
time but it is the time to inspire
others and involve ourselves so I always
say to myself every day what can I do to
inspire others and involve others so I
asked you to say what can you do to
inspire others and involve others
I am inspired by the number of community
activists and volunteers who strive
daily to promote efforts going on in
this city let’s just take what just
happened last weekend ceasefire which
they do on a quarterly basis they
represent those determined to turn pain
into power tragedy into triumph and
chaos into change there are a portion of
the solution and should inspire us all
to realize that we too are the solution
I am noted also and always say we have
to connect the dots what do I mean by we
have to connect the dots I still believe
in this but what are we doing to really
connect the dots let’s look at the
infrastructure of this great city we
have great institutions we have agencies
at the federal state local level we have
faith-based institutions we have pan
holistic organizations we have students
parents guardians teachers employers
institutions of learning medical
institutions I can go on and on and on
all have a part to play in revitalizing
and reversing the hemorrhage that we are
facing here in this city we are a city
of neighborhoods and we have anchor
institutions like schools like
University of Baltimore and other
schools places of worship as I said
medical facilities and government
agencies each institution should be a
part and this is where I talk about
solution oriented results because we can
talk and I can talk and talk and talk
but I also believe that we have to have
an action plan and we have to connect
those dots between all the great
infrastructures of institutions and
people in this city but how do we
connect to resolve some of the problems
that we face as relates to youth
violence as relates to drug addiction
and so many ills that we face and just
right up the street from this great
College somebody laying on the street
right between 83 before coming on to
Mount Vernon or Mount Royal each
institution should be a part of a pair
Guardian oriented action plan that
addresses core issues that impact youth
violence prevention social economic
mobility and education residents want
and need to trust those in charge to
serve their best interests
this isn’t accomplished by lip service
alone but by solidifying real
relationships at the neighborhood level
people-to-people that’s how we make the
difference now I talked about a young
man who died number 289 and I’m gonna
tell you a quick story I went to
Northwestern High School which is about
to close in a met a young man after the
graduation and after the graduation I
and the reason why I stopped him is
because he had on a shirt and tie and I
said to the young man congratulations
are you excited about graduating from
high school what are your plans now mind
you this graduation was off the hook so
identified with him because he had a
shirt and tie line and he looked at me
and he was dumbfounded so what’s your
plans I said he says I have no plans I
said how do you graduate from high
school with no plans so I begin to ask
questions as I do I don’t care who it is
that I run into when I’m moving around
in this city and I said so what do you
like to do and he says I like
constructions I like to put up sheetrock
I like to paint I said so are you in a
training program he said no I said where
do you live he says I live in Park
Heights
my father’s raising me my mothers are a
drug addict I said this is your lucky
day I said I’m going to give you my card
you give me your resume he says I don’t
have a resume I said how do you graduate
from high school with a degree no resume
no plan of action
so I said call he went back to school
the next day his teacher helped him with
a resume he contacted me I couldn’t
guarantee anything but I said I will
contact contractors to see if I can get
you an internship
he said he thanked me he sent me his
resume you got an interview one of the
contractors said I will bring you on as
a intern if you
you go through a jump start which is a
pre-apprenticeship program he went
through the program he graduated he
invited me to the graduation he began to
apply for jobs he’s now working for one
of the contractors were building some of
the new schools making 21 thousand our
now mine you how do we connect it was
only because he had a shirt and tie on
because I had a headache when I left
that graduation he had no plan and so we
had the responsibility as individuals to
really connect and inspire and it that
and it’s not because of who I was but
because of how I knew that he could make
a difference in his life and so I shared
the two stories of one young man in Park
Heights who was number 289 who was
murdered and dead and then this young
man who’s now making a difference in his
life so we are a city of neighborhoods
and as I said we have anchors and
institutions each institution should
work with our parents and guardians and
each other to come up with an action
plan just like this young man did I
helped him to put together an action
plan to address the core issues that
impact youth violence social economic
mobility and education residents want
and need to trust those in charge this
is an accomplished again by lip service
but people who are inspired create their
own destiny so I ask you to say it with
me again in your mind or in the audience
inspire others involve ourselves we need
robust infrastructures in place that
allow residents to get involved be it
mentoring volunteering at a
community-based project neighborhood
cleanups etc opportunities that involve
residents create opportunities to build
communities as I attend various events
throughout this city I’m often
confronted by young men and women who
tell me how important it is to lobby for
criminal justice reform as I stare in
their eyes and I listen to horror
stories I see young men and women living
without hope hopelessness
anyone down a dark path for some it
leads a life of crime and violence for
others it leads to apathy I believe
there is no better time to address the
real need of criminal justice reform
than now we need to listen and involve
ourselves and the voices of those who
remain voiceless they are telling us
what they need the streets of Baltimore
crying out and I wonder who among us is
really listening if you’re listening
take a moment and think about where you
can get involved and the part you can
play in addressing this culture of
violence as we approach this holiday
season I hope we can come together as a
city and create a way to work together
to stop the hemorrhaging start the
healing and create hope for our city in
the future and so I have a thought I
have a concept we are Baltimore for
peace we need that I am going to
challenge that all the faith-based
institutions in this city come together
and begin to pray peace starts with
choosing faith instead of hopelessness
I’m asking community organizations to
plan at least one activity for those
focused in the Baltimore for peace be a
human chain a community conversation on
peace or walk to promote peace in your
neighborhood it’s your turn for
Baltimore higher learning institutions
are local colleges and universities in
Baltimore our students represent some of
the greatest minds in this city and in
this country I’m asking that you extend
the opportunity to a community
organization to host a result-oriented
forum or host a nearby high school for a
tour it’s just City too
we need to push for real vision for
Baltimore we can come up with things we
can come up with
Dizz but if we constantly reinforce the
piece that is needed amongst us I
believe and I truly think that we can
make the difference we need to restore a
sense of hope in most challenging
communities we need to have economic
empowerment not just economic
development and through all of this and
connecting the dots as I said earlier we
need to create mental health resources
that are going to help each other now in
closing I give you the challenge as you
leave here and as you listen that we
began to focus on result-oriented
efforts that’s going to help us to
create a real Baltimore and a Baltimore
that we can say is about peace is about
involvement and it is about really
making the kind of difference that can
change people’s lives just like the
little conversation I had with the young
man after the graduation because they
had on a shirt and tie when I went into
the bank two weeks ago and I was leaving
the gym and I was behind this young man
I was kind of listening to his
conversation and I begin to ask some
questions and he didn’t know who I was
that on a cap in my workout clothes and
he was trying to figure out why is this
lady asking me questions and he worked
for Federal Express and I said to him
did you know that they had a franchise
program that you could actually start
your own franchise with Federal Express
and when he left there he still didn’t
know who I was and then he realized
somebody leaving the bank bringing up my
name said who I was but see how you
connect the dots it’s just a matter of
having that kind of conversation that we
need to have with each other
so in closing I challenge you to be
inspired to touch someone to involve
yourself if you’re not currently
involved in something no matter what it
is to help to make a difference because
one by one Black by black person by
person I know we can be the great city
that we are thank you [Applause]