A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to conduct a casual interview with Terrel Askew, an organizer with United Workers and Baltimore Housing Roundtable, two groups that has been spearheading the 20/20 plan for equitable development and affordable housing in Baltimore City that was approved by Mayor Catherine Pugh and City Council earlier this month, committing millions of dollars into a community-controlled development fund.
I had the pleasure of speaking briefly with Terrel at the Homes For All assembly in July, just a few weeks before City Council extended material support to the campaign, so it was nice to revisit the history of the 20/2o initiative, reflect on what this win means for the parts of Baltimore that have been overlooked for investment, and where they’re looking to focus their efforts next.
“I was deeply impressed with how we organized and came together across lines to get this accomplished. To me, [attaining government funding for the 20/20 campaign] showed the power of people-led democracy to actually change things that have been long-standing systemic issues in the city.” — Terrel Askew
Beyond what we discussed in this clip, I’m looking forward to a future partnership between United Workers, Baltimore Housing Roundtable, other land/housing groups in Baltimore, and myself to collect interviews from activists and tenants in East and West Baltimore to help tell a story of resistance in these areas that have long been neglected.
Listen to the interview here:
What a great interview! This really gives you the detailed context to be able to identify the places where data and data visualization might help push forward the agenda of this coalition. Obviously, an enormous amount of groundwork has already been done at the advocacy, organizing, and negotiation level, but this interview also reveals how much research (i.e. knowing who’s meeting with whom on the side, whose political clout is useful and when, etc.) is also key. Have you read much about community benefits agreements? I’m wondering if a little research on your end on this mechanism of community planning might be useful to you. Finally, I’d love to hear more about Terrell himself and how he came to this kind of organizing. A question that always lingers for me is: How do people become engaged and sustained in activism? What switches them on? I’m sure you’ll get these answers as your collaboration continues!