Race, Racism, and Baltimore's Future
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Race, Racism, and Baltimore’s Future: A Focus on Structural and Institutional Racism Summary Report #SDH2016 The Fifth Annual Symposium on the Social Determinants of Health Table of Contents Introduction............................................................................................................................................................................ 3 Organization of this Report......................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Residential Segregation – It’s purpose in this Report..................................................................................................................... 4 A Note about Framing.................................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Panel 1: Overcoming Structural Racism........................................................................................................................ 5 Current Status................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Lessons Learned.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 6 Challenges........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Components to Address................................................................................................................................................................................ 8 Examples of Successful Baltimore Organizations.............................................................................................................................. 8 Panel 2: Racism and Health............................................................................................................................................... 9 Historical Context for Racism and Health............................................................................................................................................. 9 Current Status in United States, Maryland, and Baltimore City................................................................................................... 10 Lessons Learned.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 13 Challenges........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 14 Components to Address................................................................................................................................................................................ 14 Examples of Successful Baltimore Organizations.............................................................................................................................. 14 Panel 3: Racism, Racial Segregation, and Education................................................................................................. 15 Historical Context for Racism and Education...................................................................................................................................... 16 Current Status in United States, Maryland, and Baltimore City................................................................................................... 18 Lessons Learned.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 20 Challenges........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 21 Components to Address................................................................................................................................................................................ 22 Examples of Successful Baltimore Organizations.............................................................................................................................. 22 Panel 4: Racism and Policing............................................................................................................................................. 23 Historical Context for Racism and Policing.......................................................................................................................................... 23 Baltimore City Events.................................................................................................................................................................................... 25 Current Status in United States, Maryland, and Baltimore City................................................................................................... 26 Lessons Learned.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 28 Challenges........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 29 Examples of Successful Baltimore Organizations.............................................................................................................................. 29 Developing a Strategy to Move Forward: Lessons from the Small Group Discussions................................... 31 Areas of Deep Concern.................................................................................................................................................................................. 31 Identifying Obstacles to Baltimore City Anti-Racism Work.......................................................................................................... 32 Identifying Baltimore City Assets and Strengths............................................................................................................................... 32 Short Term Goals, Intermediate Goals, and Action Steps............................................................................................................... 32 Strategic Framework for Action................................................................................................................................................................ 34 Appendix: Residential Segregation in Baltimore City.............................................................................................. 35 Historical Context for Residential Segregation................................................................................................................................... 35 Current Status in Baltimore City............................................................................................................................................................... 38 Baltimore City Organizations Addressing Housing and Transportation Discrimination................................................. 40 References............................................................................................................................................................................... 41 2 #SDH2016 Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute Summary Report Race, Racism, and Baltimore’s Future: A Focus on Structural and Institutional Racism Introduction After the death of Freddie Gray on April 12, 2015, and popular and lively discussions about racial injustices in the protests and demonstrations that shook the city our education, health, and justice systems, here in our soon after, Baltimore became a symbol of racial strife city we need tangible steps forward. As James E. Page, and inequity and gained the media attention of not Jr. noted, “We must begin to think beyond the boxes. just the United States but the entire world. This was The problem with this type of thinking is that it is too not news for the people of Baltimore or for many of narrow, too confining, it does not allow us to be the the organizations that work tirelessly toward positive kinds of people that we want to be. We have to push, change in this city. To many, the death of Freddie we have to make ourselves think beyond the confines of Gray did not come as a surprise. To them, inequitable these small boxes.” treatment of young, black men was nothing new; The goals of this symposium were to: and it certainly was nothing that they had not heard, witnessed, or personally experienced. With the whole 1. reiterate how salient structural racism is in the world watching, this tragedy brought determination; a lives of people in Baltimore City, determination that his death was not in vain, that the 2. acknowledge structural racism as a critical public spotlight would not go away, and that together, through health concern, and galvanized momentum, something