The Office of Civil Rights and Wage Enforcement (OCRWE) is a Baltimore City agency that is devoted to upholding federal and local civil rights and wage laws. The overarching mission of the OCRWE is to carry out activities to eliminate discrimination and protect individual civil rights. There are three commissions and one board housed within the OCRWE: The Community Relations Commission, the Mayor's Commission on Disabilities, the Wage Commission, and the Civilian Review Board.
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The OCRWE will host Civil Rights Week. The theme of the week is B.I.A.S: Bringing Inherent Assumptions to Surface. The week of events will bring individuals of various backgrounds together to address, educate, and inform individuals on issues surrounding Civil Rights locally and nationally. Our hope is to spark continuous conversations on equity, build partnerships, and create advocates for social justice within the city and greater Baltimore region.
*** Breakfast/Gala tickets are not free, please click on the link below or go to https://baltimorecityfdn.ejoinme.org/sponsorship-MOCR to purchase tickets. The Civil Rights Breakfast and the Civil Rights Gala tickets are sold jointly at $55 per person. The purchase of a ticket includes access to both events. Please fill out the form entirely and please put the names of your guests in the Comments & Other instructions section. | For 1 ticket, select $55. For multiple tickets, please put in the total cost of your tickets @ $55 each. For ex. for 2 tickets, please enter $110 with the names of your guests in the comments section. For a table of 10, please select $550 and enter the names of each guest.IF YOU WILL ONLY BE ATTENDING ONE OF THE TWO EVENTS, PLEASE EMAIL CIVILRIGHTS@BALTIMORECITY.GOV TO LET US KNOW.
The Civil Rights Breakfast is a long-standing tradition in Baltimore City, this year it will serve as the kick off to the week long activities. Tickets can be purchased using the link below. Join us for a conversation with Rev. Jesse Jackson, hosted by Mayor Bernard C, "Jack" Young and Public Information Officer John M. Wesley, This year this historic breakfast will serve as the kick off to a week full of activities and engaging workshops.
The Coalition Opposing Violence and Extremism (COVE), a coalition of Human Rights and Civil Rights agencies across the state, will facilitate two workshops following the conversation with Rev. Jackson:
Workshop 1: Bystander Intervention Training - This interactive workshop is designed to change social norms and encourage people to find ways to intervene when witnessing hate, harassment, and discrimination. This is particularly important given the uptick in violence against people in the LBTQIA+ community, and the political climate we find ourselves in. This training will be led by Kit Bonson, Co-Founder of the Montgomery County Civil Rights Coalition and national recognized in the field of Civil Rights.
Workshop 2: Coalition Building, Tearing Down the Walls That Divide Us - This interactive workshop will focus on coalition building between members of various historically disadvantaged demographics (disabled, LGBTQ, New Americans, Women, Minorities, etc.) and explore why these communities do not unite around common goals and shared beliefs, but rather compete for scarce resources. This workshop will be led by Rev. Louise Green and Ryan Turner.
*tickets include:
Breakfast = entry + breakfast
Dinner = entry + dinner
Given the current climate between law enforcement and certain communities, the idea of a Community Block Party, featuring law enforcement entities across Baltimore City as well as community organizations interacting outside of a policing setting was born (from thought-leadership between OCRWE and formerly IAD). In order to restore trust in law enforcement, not just with BPD, but all law enforcement entities, “positive interactions” and “designated intentional moments” need to frequently occur. Our collaborative hope is for this event to be the “kick-off” of a new era of Police/Community relations.
We expect that this day reflect hope, better communication, trust-building and ideal fun. Let this day be the start of transparency, communication and positive interaction. The past can’t be changed or altered, but the present can change the future. So, let’s start to rebuild this city – one relationship at a time!
Below are logistics of the Community Block Party:
• The event is part of Civil Rights Week, and is in Patterson Park on Saturday, September 28th, 2019. This will be an outdoor event.
• The event itself will go from 11AM to 5PM, however, set up begins at 9AM and cleanup will end at 6PM.
• We are anticipating about 150 to 200 people at this event, mostly families, young adults, and children. However, there may be up to 300 to 500 people in the park because the 3rd Annual Patterson Park Brew Fest will be celebrated too [in the park]. Therefore, this is a great opportunity to engage multigenerational, multiethnic as well as a diverse group of people. Let’s do it great!
• There are vendor opportunities for non-profit organizations.
We expect to have a variety of food, drink, and dessert vendors who will be operating out of food trucks, and other forms of mobile food service. There will be food vendors who will provide healthy options, halal food, vegetarian food, and more. Games and activities will also be present for entertainment, along with performers from different backgrounds whose dancing, singing, and poetry will represent their communities. Additionally, Baltimore City agencies, state department agencies, and local non-profit organizations will have representatives tabling at the event, to raise awareness on the array of services they provide. We expect that individuals from every facet of the community will attend our event, seeking to gain knowledge as to what is offered here in Baltimore City, while having fun.
Civil Rights and the Church, Sunday, September 29, 2019, 11 AM – 1 PM
Union Baptist Church
1219 Druid Hill Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21217
Rev. Dr. Alvin C. Hathaway, Sr.
Senior Pastor
The church has an extremely rich history in the Civil Rights Movement, starting in 1892 with its withdrawal from the Maryland Baptist Union Association because of its discrimination. In 1897, Rev. Dr. Harvey Johnson, Union Baptist Church’s 5th Pastor, was the minister who organized the Colored Baptist Convention. Johnson, a friend of W.E.B. DuBois, established the Niagara Movement, which was a prototype for the NAACP. He also filed a lawsuit to gain equal pay for black teachers and to make it possible for black lawyers to practice in the state of Maryland. The planning meetings preceding the Niagara Movement were at Union Baptist Church. Dr. Johnson also filed a lawsuit and won the first case in the U.S. striking down the identification of Negroes as cargo in interstate commerce. During this time thirteen churches were established from Union’s congregation, five of which are still in existence today. We seek to connect with the faith community and celebrate its achievements in Civil Rights over the years.
This workshop will consist of a presentation that will cover the history of bias in healthcare, the systematic impact of this bias for people of color, and the past, present, and future research on the topic. It will then lead into a panel discussion with industry experts focusing on how bias, stereotyping, and prejudices impact the services being given to marginalized individuals by healthcare professionals/providers. This discussion will also highlight and bring awareness to concerns regarding the disproportionate infant mortality rates found in the African American community. The workshop with conclude with a Q&A from the audience.
Panelists are:
Dr. Tanjala Purnell: Assistant Professor of Surgery, Epidemiology, and Health Behavior and Society
Director of Education and Training, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity
Dr. Raegan McDonald-Mosely: Chief Medical Officer at Planned Parenthood
Dr. Olufunke Pickering, MD Senior Medical Advisor for the Bureau for Maternal and Child Health
Terri Fleming- Nurse Practitioner at Community Health Center
Attiya Taylor- Founder of Womanly Magazine
Presentation by Dr. Nadine Finigan-Carr; Community Relations Commission Commissioner; Assistant Director of the Ruth Young Center for Families and Children at the University of Maryland: School of Social Work where she leads the Prevention of Adolescent Risks Initiative (PARI).
policing & Engaging Vulnerable Communities
Location: University of Baltimore school of law
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Sponsored by the University of Baltimore Black Law Student’s Association (BLSA) The strategic plan for the Office of Civil Rights, specifically the Community Relations Commission and Civilian Review Board, calls for the office to help facilitate reconciliation between local law enforcement agencies and the community. In the aftermath of the civilian unrest that erupted after the death of Freddie Gray, as well as the heightened mistrust in the wake of the Department of Justice’s report on the Baltimore City Police Department, the fractured relationship between the community and persons charged with protecting and serving them, has reached a point of collapse. This town-hall discussion seeks to take a small but important step in rebuilding trust, establishing civility, and charting a path to move forward.
The communities where police officers work encompass a multitude of individuals with different ages, genders, incomes, races, ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations, abilities, health statuses, and occupations. As such, policing is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. While law enforcement officers have an obligation to serve and protect all citizens equally, how they implement their mission depends on a variety of contextual factors that can change dramatically and dynamically not only from day to day, but also from call to call. The most effective officers, therefore, are those who are trained to read all varieties of people, situations, and circumstances and to adapt accordingly. Adaptive approaches are especially important for policing vulnerable populations, including people who are elderly, homeless, disabled, undocumented, addicted, and physically or mentally ill.
This town hall will bring together members of law enforcement and representatives of each of the vulnerable communities; juveniles, elderly, disabled, homeless, immigrant, and LGBTQIA, to discuss a path to reconciliation between these groups and law enforcement, as well as strategies and techniques for continued engagement. Specifically, this panel will discuss the unique challenges faced by each vulnerable demographic as it pertains to law enforcement, as well as the challenges faced by law enforcement in policing these demographics, and develop solutions aimed at more equitable and adaptive approaches to engaging these communities.
The panel will feature:
• Michael Harrison, Baltimore City Police Commissioner or a Representative
• David Prater, Disability Rights Maryland
• Lisa Myers, Chief of Police for Howard County or Representative
• Michelle Herring, Police/Resident Mediation Coordinator for Baltimore Community Mediation Center
• Eric Seymour, Program Manager, Esperanza Center
• Jabari Lyles, LGBTQ Affairs Liaison, City of Baltimore
• Bridal Pearson, Chair of the Baltimore Civilian Review Board 2016-2019
• Moderated by Dr. Renita L. Seabrook, Associate Professor University
Agenda: 6:00pm – 6:45pm: Networking, food, and beverages in the lobby. 6:45pm – 7:00pm: Transition from lobby to moot court room. 7:00pm – 7:15pm: Opening statement from police commissioner and introduction of moderator. 7:15pm – 7:30pm: Introduction of panelists and moderator lays ground rules for discussion. 7:30pm – 8:45pm: Discussion 8:45pm – 9:00pm: Q&A 9:00pm: Conclude
This event will be a networking mixer for young professionals with an hour of " Speed Conversations".
"Speed Conversations", similar to 'Speed Dating', provides a structured opportunity for individuals to meet other professionals without the added worry of what to say to spark the conversation. We get the conversation started for you with selected topics surrounding Civil Rights!
How will the evening flow?
5:00-6:00 pm- Mix & Mingle. This is your opportunity to get a drink and maybe order some food. We will have hors d'oeuvre's available at no cost to guests.
6:00-7:00 pm- Speed Conversations. This is your opportunity to meet people for the first time, learn about what they do for a living, and get their insight/views on important topics impacting our community and nation today
7:00-8:00 pm- Mix & Mingle. This is your opportunity to re-connect with some of those wonderful people you had conversations with earlier. You can continue the conversation or start a new one!
How does it work?
This 'speed dating' like segment called “ speed conversations”. During this time, 4 individuals will be at a table with a topic in the middle of the table. They will then have 10 minutes to introduce themselves and speak on the topic. When the 10 minutes are up, everyone is to cease conversation immediately and move on to another table with different individuals to discuss a new topic.This will allow individuals to know who they are speaking with and not have to worry about conversation starters since the conversation is already put in front of them. Once the hour is up, we want you to re-connect with those individuals and either continue a conversation you were interested in or begin discussing a new mutual interest. * if you have business cards don't forget to bring them!
Schools, Prisons, and Concentrated Poverty
Location: Johns Hopkins University The glass pavilion
9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Malone Hall
3400 N Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21218
Youth arrests in Baltimore have significantly declined in the last six years. However, too many African American youths confront harsh and punitive practices in their schools and communities that lead to confinement, thus preventing upward mobility and thriving communities.
African American youths make up 90% of the juvenile arrests in Baltimore, although they represent only 64 % of youths living in the city.
13% of African Americans in Baltimore have a B.A. or higher, compared to 51% of Whites.
60% of Baltimore City High School students are chronically absent, although regular attendance is one of the main predictors of academic achievement.
From 2011 and 2016, neighborhoods that were less than 50% African American received four times the investments made to communities that were more than 85% African American.
In response to these inequalities in homes, schools, and communities, the Baltimore Office of Civil Rights and Wage Enforcement, Johns Hopkins School of Education, and Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute are partnering to produce a framework and platform, with the intent of generating strategies to bring about structural change and support to students and their families who are combating intergenerational educational inequities and community disinvestment.
The symposium aims to:
Identify the root causes and current state of racial segregation, inter-generational poverty, and the school-to-prison pipeline in Baltimore City
Explore evidence-based strategies and practices that provide youth with services and social supports needed to thrive
Acknowledge and learn from the strengths, talents, knowledge, success stories, and celebrations of families and communities.
Break down silos by bringing together policymakers, business leaders, experts, school personnel, the mayor’s cabinet, and community members to produce policies and practices so all students and families can thrive in Baltimore.
Keynote Speaker features Damien Sojoyner, associate professor at University of California and author of First Strike: Educational Enclosures in Black Los Angeles. He analyzes black masculinity, education policy, and schools as a form of “enclosure” for students of color in order to problematize the “school to prison pipeline.”
for updates you can visit:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/schools-prisons-and-concentrated-poverty-symposium-tickets-70495412677
The focus of this event is to call attention to Baltimore’s history environmental racism and classism, with a focus on lead poisoning and how it has contributed to perpetual poverty and violence, along with solutions for how we frame and combat this issue from a discrimination perspective going forward. Additionally, this panel will cover the disproportionate number of asbestos related deaths and illness in Baltimore City and how it has impacted generations of Baltimore residents, along with the proximity of trash incinerators to low-income majority minority neighborhoods. Because of the work you’ve done in this area, we would greatly appreciate if you would participate in our panel, as we will use this town hall as a launching pad for the Office’s environmental discrimination initiative in 2020.
Historically, the three hardest public spaces to desegregate during the Civil Rights era were public pools, amusements parks and roller-skating rinks. The battle to desegregate rollerskating rinks played an important, and unrecognized, role in the Civil Rights Movement. We are hosting a fun-filled activity for families and members of the community to enjoy and to commemorate the significance of roller skating rinks and Civil Rights.
While in Greensboro Jackson had joined the Congress of Racial Equality and participated in marches and sit-ins. After graduation, he began divinity studies at the Chicago Theological Seminary and worked to organize student support for Martin Luther King Jr. In March of 1965 Jackson travelled to Alabama for the historic Selma to Montgomery march with King. A year later he left the seminary to work full-time for the SCLC.
Jackson was placed in charge of Operation Breadbasket, an SCLC initiative to monitor companies’ treatment of African-Americans and to organize boycotts calling for fair hiring practices. By 1968 Jackson was part of King’s inner circle and was with him when he was assassinated. Jackson claimed he had been the last person to speak with the dying leader, though others present challenged his account.
Ralph Abernathy was chosen to succeed King as the SCLC’s leader, a position Jackson had wanted. Jackson returned to leading Operation Breadbasket but continued to chafe with Abernathy until 1971, when he resigned to start his own organization.
Over the course of a journalistic career that has seen him interview multiple U.S. presidents to the top athletes and entertainers in Hollywood, Roland S. Martin is a journalist who has always maintained a clear sense of his calling in this world.
Martin is the host and managing editor of #RolandMartinUnfiltered, the first daily online show in history focused on news and analysis of politics, entertainment, sports, and culture from an explicitly African American perspective.
Since 2008, Martin has been a senior analyst for the Tom Joyner Morning Show, where his daily segment is heard on more than 100 stations and 8 million people daily.
He is the author of three books: Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith; Speak, Brother! A Black Man’s View of America; and The First: President Barack Obama’s Road to the White House as originally reported by Roland S. Martin.He has been named four times by Ebony Magazine as one of the 150 Most Influential African Americans in the United States.He is a four-time NAACP Image Award winner, including named Best Host for the last two years.
Prior to joining WJZ, Nicole anchored the morning newscasts at the ABC affiliate in Savannah, Georgia and the NBC affiliate, WJFW in Rhinelander, Wisconsin.While working in Savannah, her investigative story exposing abuse and staffing inadequacies at one of the country’s largest nursing home chain locations led to significant changes. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and the National Association of Black Journalists.
When she’s not waking up at 2 a.m., Nicole enjoys cooking, traveling, earning splat points at Orange Theory, volunteering, shopping and snuggling with her maltipoo, Jackson.
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Please be advised that any contributions to this year’s Civil Rights Week will not be considered in any way as a pretext for favorable treatment, special accommodation, or consideration by any agency or employee of Baltimore City government to you or your organization.