Baltimore Social Innovation Journal, Fall 2016 Fall 2016 | Page 19

calls Baltimore a border town because of
the divide he sees among black, brown,
and white people, especially in the closeknit yet segregated neighborhoods of East
Baltimore. The traditionally white working
class blocks of Highlandtown are now
seeing an influx of Latino residents, while
primarily black residents populate the area
above Patterson Park. And down by the
waterfront are the wealthier inhabitants of
shiny new apartments and condos.
“I recognized this place when I came
here,” he says. “It reminded me of El
Paso. We’re thrust in the middle of a lot of
possibility for racial tension, for discord. In
Neighborhood Voices, we want to find a
vocabulary to talk about race.”
Each workshop brings together residents
of all ages and backgrounds for an intensive

six-hour session, and art is always a
component. At one workshop, for example,
participants created cards embedded with
audio chips. When you open a card, you
hear the person’s voice, telling you a story
about his or her experience. The cards
were later part of a public exhibition at the
Creative Alliance, where the workshops are
held.
“We’re not going to solve structural
racism overnight,” says Ortiz. “But we’re
doing this, holding these conversations,
where we live. Otherwise, we wouldn’t
interact with each other. And I want to
expand these conversations into spaces
that don’t normally have them.”
B A LTI M OR E SOC I A L I N N O VAT I O N JO U R N A L