More Than Ballgames

 

Do you know about Baltimore Beat? You should.

OUR VALUES

We reflect the energy and excitement of the city, its legacy as a cultural hub of Black American life, and the joy of being a Baltimorean.

Folks from Columbia/HoCo venture to Baltimore for sports events and concerts and come back home none the wiser about so much of what Baltimore is truly made of. And then, regrettably, some write letters to the editor about how Baltimore should be fixed or how it doesn’t meet their suburban standards. 

Baltimore Beat is Baltimore news in a way that you haven’t seen before.

Baltimore Beat is a Black-led, Black-controlled nonprofit newspaper and media outlet. Our mission is to honor the tradition of the Black press and the spirit of alt-weekly journalism with reporting that focuses on community, questions power structures, and prioritizes thoughtful engagement with our readers.

We aim to serve all of Baltimore City, including those with limited internet access and those who are a part of underrepresented communities.

Our organization aspires toward a more equitable, accountable, and rigorous future for journalism that fully represents the stories of all our neighbors.

Baltimore Beat is where you will see the Baltimore stories that won’t get covered anywhere else: stories, thoughts, and images from the Black Butterfly and not just the White L that dominates most television and print media. It is where you will learn things you didn’t know. And it will give you perspective about Baltimore that no one else will.

It is a free paper. Subscribe and it will come to your inbox. At the same time, it is distributed in print from specially made Beat Boxes within Baltimore. 

Reimagining Newspaper Boxes with Baltimore Beat, Open Works Baltimore

There’s a special space on top for community wellness items. It’s an example of Community Care, but with a new twist. You can find it where you pick up your newspaper. 

Photos from Baltimore Beat website

Today is Editor and co-founder Lisa McCray’s birthday. I went to the Baltimore Beat website and made a small donation in honor of her work. Since it is a free publication, they rely on donations. The seed money - - a $1 million gift from Baltimore-based Lillian Holofcener Charitable Foundation - - got them started. Continued financial support, both big and small, will keep them going. 

In a story that couldn’t be farther than 2023 Baltimore, Mrs. Welland of Old New York makes this statement about European visitors.

“That is why it seems to me so foolish to entertain them when they come to New York. They accept our hospitality, and then they go home and repeat the same stupid stories." - - Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence 

How often do we go to Baltimore, accept its hospitality, and then come home and repeat the same stupid stories? We don’t venture beyond the surface, superficial treatment of what is a deeply layered and complicated place. 

But we could, if we tried. Baltimore Beat is a good place to start.