On The Record

At the Peale, Baltimore’s Community Museum , two exhibits, worth a look: One explores the synergy between the work of Steven , Alexandra and Zac Posen, a father and his daughter and son. The other features local cartoonist Barbara Dale , not at all afraid to speak her mind, as she makes people laugh.  Jeffrey Kent, chief curator, gives us a preview of the two exhibits, which he hopes will inspire...

Here is a Stoop Story from Jeffrey Kent about following his dream even when his family advised him otherwise … and how art saved his life. Now, a quick turn to another local artist who has had the courage to follow his dreams. Landis Expandis , former lead singer of the rock-and-soul quintet The Almighty Senators; Also a DJ, a surreal and abstract painter. Landis Expandis’s  music, energy and art...

What’s next at selective colleges in Maryland, now that the U.S. Supreme Court has said they can’t consider race when they choose students? We ask Professor Julie J. Park of the University of Maryland and Scott Jaschik of Inside Higher Ed: What’s the value of diversity? And how can schools achieve it?   Links: What the Supreme Court Rejection of Affirmative Action Means     What Could Colleges Do...

Parts of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future are starting to show up in families’ lives: like thousands of new slots in pre-K. Tutoring to help pupils read at grade level. We speak with Maryland Matters reporter William J. Ford and to Brit Kirwan, chancellor emeritus of the University System of Maryland, who led the charge for the Blueprint. Links: Blueprint board could approve ‘majority’ of schoo...

Growing up, children learn about the Underground Railroad. The secret route of hideouts and hidden pathways enslaved people used to claim their freedom. But it turns out that a part of the Underground Railroad network was actually… a real railroad. The B&O Railroad Museum has a permanent exhibit showing how 27 enslaved people used the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad to escape, or try to escape....

Got plans for the Fourth? We get a preview of the Dundalk Independence Day parade, which features giant balloons, bagpipes and more! Plus, we speak with an archeologist about a recent discovery: the unearthed remains of one of Maryland’s first colonists, a teen-ager.  Links: Dundalk Parade info , St. Mary's archeological finds , Historic St. Mary's City.   Do you have a question or comment about a...

Here's a Stoop Story from Catherine Deitch about traveling the globe in the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corp during World War Two. Find more information about the Stoop Storytelling Series -- including live events coming up, and the Stoop podcast at Stoopstorytelling.com . Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Mau...

If you remember back to learning about the Revolutionary War in school, you probably remember hearing about famous battles at Concord or New York. But you probably did not learn about the several thousand Black soldiers who fought for independence. One of them was Thomas Carney, born in 1754 on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. A new book, The Story of Mr. Thomas Carney , tells the story of his life for y...

Summer is here! What’s happening for young people in Baltimore? Turns out, a lot! We get a preview of ‘Story Tapestries’ -- music, art and performances that will delight kids in libraries across the state for July. Plus, great destinations open their doors for ‘Field Trip Fridays’.  Links: Story Tapestries , Baltimore's Promise , Summer meals in Baltimore City . Do you have a question or comment a...

What impact do immigrants have on Baltimore County’s economy? What countries do the new residents hail from? We talk with Rich André who offers highlights from a new report, Gateways for Growth . Plus, Giuliana Valencia-Banks, Immigration Affairs Outreach Coordinator for the Baltimore County Office of Community Engagement, and Annette Karanja, head of Haki Zetu, about how the New Americans Task Fo...

Starting this weekend, adults 21 and older will be able to buy recreational cannabis from dispensaries across the state. We ask Baltimore Business Journal reporter Matt Hooke what economic impact legal cannabis is expected to generate. Plus, Wendy Bronfein of Curio Wellness and Nicole Harrison of Mary & Main describe how businesses are preparing for new customers.    Links: SunMed Growers expa...

Dan Brewster had everything a mid-20th-century Democratic politician in Maryland could want: strong voter base, beautiful family, wealth. It unraveled spectacularly, due to his alcoholism and failing to see how voters were changing and not changing. We talk to Brewster’s biographer, journalist John Frece,  who's written, "Self-Destruction: The rise, fall and redemption of U.S. Senator Daniel B. Br...

Tola’s Room engages all the senses. The home museum is chock full of photos, food offerings, music and artifacts -- all inspired by the spirit of Puerto Rico -- and in memory of the family patriarch. We hear from its creator, artist and educator Christina Delgado . Links: Tola's Room , Un Verano en Baltimore!  happening Saturday 6/24 from 5 to 8pm, Bmore Art interview with Christina Delgado . Do y...

Here's a Stoop Story from Justin Fair about embracing his fearlessness … and finding himself along the way.  Find more information about the Stoop Storytelling Series -- including live events coming up, and the Stoop podcast at Stoopstorytelling.com . Pride is this week! There are lots of events including the fabulous parade that kicks off Saturday at 1:00 PM. The route begins at North Charles and...

In the 1970s, the Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore was the center of a vibrant LGTBQ+ community. The Washington Monument in the heart of Mount Vernon saw rallies for gay rights in the 1970s and ‘80s, and in 1975 the first gay Pride rally was held near the foot of the monument. Mount Vernon is also where one of the first support groups for people with AIDS formed in April 1983. The group met...

The new novel American Ending by Mary Kay Zuravleff received praise from a range of critics. Oprah selected it for her Best Books for Spring reading list. Kirkus Reviews gushed that the voice of the young narrator, Yelena, is so vivid , “it feels like Zuravleff is channeling a real person.” But there must be something beyond the irresistible writing that makes us care so much about Yelena and her...

Seventy five years ago - on June 20th 1948 - Ed Sullivan, the slightly awkward but lovable TV variety show host, first made his way into American homes. Toast of the Town , later renamed The Ed Sullivan Show , would be seen by millions every Sunday night for more than two decades, from 1948 to 1971. Sullivan did more than entertain. ‘Sunday Best’ a new documentary produced by his granddaughter, Ma...

Juneteenth commemorates the abolition of slavery in the U.S., and more specifically it celebrates the news of the 1863 emancipation finally making it to enslaved people Texas, at the far west of the confederate states, more than two years later.  Maryland has observed Juneteenth since 2014, but it didn’t become a federal holiday until two years ago. This afternoon at 5 p.m. Carroll Baldwin Memoria...

Here’s a Stoop story from Jabari Lyles about dancing to your own rhythm. Lyles, former Director of LGBTQ Affairs for the Baltimore Mayor’s Office, talks about founding his high school’s Gay-Straight Alliance. There is a live Stoop shows coming next Friday. On June 23rd, at the Smith Theatre at Howard Community College, the Stoop will share stories on the theme, “These are the People in Our Neighbo...

Journalist John Blake grew up in West Baltimore, the son of a Black sailor and a white mother, who vanished after his birth. In his memoir, “ More Than I Imagined ,” Blake details his search for his mother and his identity. As John got older, he searched for answers about his family. Why had his mother left? Was she alive? And where did he fit in the world, as a self-described, “closeted biracial...

As shorts and tank-tops come out for summer, tiny blood-thirsty ticks see an all-you-can-eat buffet. Tick-borne illnesses have been climbing in the United States, a steady surge in several diseases carried by ticks like Lyme Disease and Babesiosis. Plus, most of us know about Patterson Park. But Baltimore is also home to hundreds of scattered, smaller pockets of green, too. And conservationist say...

Applying to college is an arduous process. Top picks, admission tests, financial aid, extracurriculars … the list goes on. A non-profit mentors immigrant youth unfamiliar with the process. We hear from the founder, Erin Sullivan , and from Judith Menjivar and Javier Orellana Ostorga , two college students who are reaching for their dreams.  Links: Chesapeake Language Project . Do you have a questi...

The poise and self-possession NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly exudes as a cohost on All Things Considered is not always how she feels inside. In Kelly's new book, she shares a very personal tale; a chronicle of her struggle to find time for family and friends as her globetrotting career grasps for every minute. Her new book is ‘ It Goes So Fast: The Year of No Do-Overs .’ As her oldest son prepares for co...

If Maryland has a superpower, it might be the insights and energy of entrepreneurs across the state, identifying something customers want, and would be willing to pay for, if there were only a company making and selling it. You do not have to look far to find start-ups trying to make their businesses work. We speak with local entrepreneurs involved in two ventures at Towson University and Communit...

What does the departure of Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison mean for the city’s fight against crime -- and its efforts to interrupt violence?  We ask City Councilman Mark Conway , Baltimore Banner reporter Emily Sullivan , and West Baltimore citizen-safety advocate Ray Kelly their thoughts. Links: Citizens Policing Project , Baltimore Banner reporting by Emily Sullivan . Do you have...