Keeping the griot tradition alive in Baltimore
‘The art of Blackstorytelling must not, cannot, die,’ says Janice Curtis Greene.
One reason why The Real News Network calls Baltimore home is because we know that the struggles that the people in this majority-minority city face (unequitable access to resources like education, clean air, and transportation, for example) are the struggles people face all over the globe. By reporting from the Baltimore trenches, we hope to keep our friends and neighbors abreast of what’s going on in our city, but also hope these stories will resonate with people united in the struggle everywhere.
As a nonprofit newsroom, we depend on your support. If you’d like to see more reporting on and from Baltimore, please consider making a tax-deductible donation or becoming a monthly sustainer.
‘There is an attack on Black literacy’: Why education and activism go together
Justin Hansford of Howard University’s Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center explains why the contemporary Black liberation movement needs to emphasize political education.
After beloved Baltimore coffee shop abruptly closed, workers reopen as co-op
Common Ground Bakery Cafe in the Hampden neighborhood suddenly closed this summer, but workers have now revived it as a co-op.
Baltimore’s unsolved trash chute deaths: Police interview unveils disturbing sleepwalking theory
A previously unreleased police interview with the last person to see Emily Hauze alive reveals crucial information about the investigation.
The critical evidence police kept secret in Baltimore’s deadly trash chute case
A bloody scalpel and lidocaine were among the evidence found by Land of the Unsolved’s investigation.
After the NFL, Aaron Maybin turned to his other talents
“If the things that I did on a football field are the greatest representation of who I am as a human being, then I didn’t spend enough time developing myself as a human being.”
The mystery of Baltimore’s deadly trash chute
Police say two fatal falls down a trash chute in the same building were unrelated, tragic accidents—did they miss evidence of foul play?
Baltimore’s crime numbers game
For decades, “common wisdom” regarding violence reduction has failed a city that regularly surpasses 300 murders a year and spends the most per capita on policing.
These workers are making Baltimore a union town again
From museums to grocery stores, a union push is making itself felt in Baltimore. Worker-organizers from a range of industries gather at The Real News studios for a special panel.
Baltimore comptroller sidesteps City Council to scrutinize controversial tax break for developers
After City Council failed to pass a bill requiring a study of controversial tax breaks, the Baltimore Board of Finance has approved a resolution that will require public reporting on critical data related to lucrative tax incentives for developers.
Maryland state says it doesn’t have to account for spending on tax break costing Baltimore $20 million annually
A Public Information Act request filed by Baltimore finance officials has revealed the state does not track costs associated with the Brownfields tax credit, a program that supposedly incentivizes land reclamation but may be being abused by corporate developers.
How Maryland inmates organized for university-level education in prison
From 1979-80, Marshall “Eddie” Conway helped organize a prisoners’ educational outreach program called “To Say Their Own Word,” where prisoners and radicals met inside the Maryland Penitentiary to discuss fascism, capitalism, and the prison system.
Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel workers say managers pocket half their tips
The Marriott Waterfront recently recorded record profits and has been exempted from $56 million in taxes since 2001, yet pays some workers just half of what hospitality workers at other area hotels make.
Leaked memo reveals Baltimore officials’ alarm over costs of obscure tax break for corporate developers
An environmental tax credit has netted Baltimore developers tens of millions in tax savings; a leaked memo shows the city knew the program was a problem.
Apply now: Baltimore Pipeline of Working and Emerging Reporters (P.O.W.E.R.) Fellowship
Just Media and The Real News Network are joining forces to create more opportunities for emerging journalists in Baltimore, especially young Baltimoreans of color, to report on the local criminal justice system, informed by the experience of this system’s impact on their own communities.
“Who will replace us when we are gone?”: A letter from Baltimore County teachers
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, educators have done what was asked of us and more, but we still can’t get the raises we need. Now a cost-of-living crisis is bringing an already-untenable situation to a breaking point.
Eddie Conway (1946-2023)
Remembering the life and struggle of a beloved comrade and former political prisoner.
State senator calls for probe of Baltimore’s sprawling tax break system
For decades, Baltimore promoted tax incentives to promote growth and reverse depopulation, but new evidence indicates the system worsened inequality by funneling public funds into private pockets.
The grassroots fight for housing justice in Baltimore
Tired of waiting for the city to address housing justice, Baltimore’s constellation of grassroots activists and institutions are charging forward to keep residents in their homes and increase availability of affordable housing.
Tax Broke: The inside story of how Baltimore’s inclusionary housing bill got hollowed out, and how activists hope to fix it.
As part of our investigative series “Tax Broke,” reporters Taya Graham, Stephen Janis, and Jayne Miller discuss how Baltimore’s first attempt at an exclusionary housing law was watered down behind the scenes.
Family of beloved Baltimore soccer coach killed by private security guard demands justice
Soccer coach and father Kevin Torres was out celebrating his team’s victory with friends and family. A sudden altercation with a security guard left him dead. His family is demanding justice.
Making the painful history of Maryland lynchings more visible
The Maryland Lynching Memorial Project aims to recognize sites where racial terror lynchings took place in this state—to make them visible with sign markers, and to honor the victims through ceremonial practices.
New details in mysterious death of Baltimore Detective Sean Suiter revealed in Maryland State Police probe
A previously unreleased report from the Maryland State Police ruled Suiter’s death a suicide, yet questions and suspicions remain from the community.
The latest theories on how Rey Rivera died don’t point to the rooftop
As Netflix releases a new season of ‘Unsolved Mysteries,’ Jayne Miller, Taya Graham, and Stephen Janis break down the latest evidence in the mysterious death of Rey Rivera.
Walters Art Museum sends public Labor Day email criticizing staff for not unionizing quickly, yet refuses to recognize union
Organizers say the Walters could recognize the union at any time, but instead is delaying a union vote over a legal question that could exclude security personnel who are mostly people of color.
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