Final Week

This week outreach and promotion really needs to spread the word of our event around the area near the 2640 space. We need to make sure not only the community members of Baybrook are aware but also the individuals living near the event, so we can increase our attendance. I would like to create some large signs to hang around both the Baybrook and 2640 areas. They can be placed on telephone poles or other places as long as we are not breaking the law. 

In addition, once we get the printed flyers we can place them on cars or pass them out to mass amounts of people. Our committee is still awaiting responses from the media outlets (television broadcasters, radio broadcasters, and print sources). Hopefully we will hear back from them before the end of the week!! 

I like to to admit that before this class i had no idea what a Indiegogo or the different types of outreach were; however, i have learned so much from Dr. King and my fellow classmates. I should have been more active in the beginning of the Garden Gala by spreading the word of the event earlier and planning more effective strategies. Yet, i believe our event will be a success. Throughout the semester, i was best at accomplishing the things that were assigned to me. I would help out with other things, but if i was told to finish something i would be it with no questions asked. 

The Clock is Ticking...

So our outreach and promotions committee has perfected our media pitch that we are sending out to print, radio, and television outlets as well as local Baltimorean politicians. The pitch is as simple as it gets with enough information that describes our cause and the necessary dates and times for the event. We plan on sending these pitches out to our media contacts with the addition of some images from the Filbert Street Garden workdays. Also, we will be attaching the press release to the e-mails because it is necessary for further detail and significance. The media contact list that we have generated includes the majority of Baltimore's best local radio and television channels or stations. We hope to hear back from the television networks especially because it would be a plus to have our event broad casted live and grasp the public's attention. I also feel as though showing attention to the Baybrook Area will help make the community members feel a lot better. 

We will increase the amount of canvassing we accomplish within the next few weeks to make sure the community members and even the individuals living near the 2640 space are clearly aware of our garden gala. Once we have the finished flyers we can pass those around and blast them all over Baltimore in order to catch their attention. 

The Point of No Return

Starting this week (mostly likely Wednesday) i would like to begin canvassing around the Baybrook communities. I want to begin hitting the community centers and local organizations in this area to notify the members about the Garden Gala and also begin selling tickets to those who cannot access the missiontix. I understand Dr. King and a couple other students began communicating with some businesses in this area and were successful and i would like to continue this pattern. Once i have established myself in the Baybrook communities i want to move toward the city or near the 2640 space. My primary focus in this area is to communicate with the local businesses with hopes of obtaining food donations or other items for our auction. 

On a lighter note, the Filbert Street Garden Workday was a success and we ended up having a great turnout. I felt that everyone there was productive and we all enjoyed our time learning and putting our hands in the soil. We planted apple trees, built bird posts, cut weeds, and contributed to sustaining the garden overall. 

Throwing Some Pitches

So this week outreach and promotions is focused on creating attention grabbing pitches that will be sent out to local Baltimore city newspapers, magazines, and news reporters. These pitches need to be both informative and catchy. We must show these media outlets why it would be beneficial for the greater Baltimore area to both cover and advertise our Garden Gala. It is important to inform them that we are college students working with non-profits to raise profits to support a community garden (Filbert Street Garden) in the Baltimore City area with limited access to fresh produce; as well as, providing funds to help sustain the educational program at the Filbert Street Garden. In addition, it would be wise to incorporate pictures of these garden workshops and some of the vegetables produced by the garden into the pitch releases. 

While working on the pitches, we will also set up Ads under event sections on craigslist, UMBC popular blogs, and local paper calendars. These ads will help notify individuals about our upcoming event!!

The following link identifies the key components of media pitches and compares them to media press releases. 

http://technori.com/2013/03/3327-want-press-coverage-for-your-startup-master-your-media-pitch/

E-Mails Are Out

After sending out the ASK forms today, i feel as though this is only the start. I'm excited to see the finalized Save The Date cards for the Garden Gala and looking forward to jumping out into the community and passing those around. I plan on expanding on the current ASK list by adding more restaurants around the Baltimore area and canvassing the Baybrook area in person. The Facebook page is completed with the event being posted and the next step is to complete the press release ASAP. Also, our Wordpress webpage is in need of pictures and other multimedia so we can have that up in running. 

In addition, next week is our promotional week at UMBC and a great way for us to make some money, sell t-shirts, and inform our staff and students about the May 18 Garden Gala. 

The Importance Of Time

So there's just about 7 weeks left before our fundraiser is underway and things are about to get hectic. I'm excited about starting our canvassing of both the Baybrook community as well as the greater Baltimore because we now have our ASK letters completed and are finalizing our "save the date" cards (WHICH LOOK AMAZING!!!). Now we (especially me and the outreach committee) need to begin contacting these local businesses and informing them of our cause and asking them how they can contribute. I plan on doing the majority of my canvassing during the week due to other obligations I have on the weekends; however, I know Curtis is more likely available on the weekends. Yet I believe everything will turn out wonderful because our class is full of knowledgeable students who have taken pride in our fundraiser and will not allow it to fail.

My second cultural documentation project will cover Brooklyn Park but i have yet to start research on that due to my revision of my first Guano project.

Crossing Boundaries with Marc Steiner

After listening to the Marc Steiner presentation online, I regret not being able to attend the event in person. Steiner is such an inspirational and motivational speaker that he makes you want to just jump out of your seat and start breaking ground. I was really intrigued by the way Steiner incorporated the history of America and all the myths that have cultivated our society into his theme of crossing racial, gender, and other boundaries. Growing up in America, you are predisposed to stereotypes and discrimination that do affect the way we as "the people" view the world. We learn the white race is superior or women are supposed to be subservient to men; however, all of these are social constructions created by the "common American man". Once we the people realize that these false statements should not dictate our lives, we can challenge them. In addition, Steiner states it isn't a leader who creates a movement but a group of individuals willing to challenge such inequalities and elect a leader to represented what they have started. He references MLK Jr. and the women's movement, which were two critical movements sparked by average individuals fighting for social change. Once a group of individuals unite to fight for a cause, change can take place. 

I love the fact that Steiner is challenging the prison system because in one of my previous american studies courses (gender & inequality) i had learned just how corrupt the prison system had been and still is. The prison system is an institution that reinforces the inequalities that we are still fighting to break. Groups of Anti-prison activists have formed to deal with the unfair treatment of own Americans. This is the 21st Century where we all should be equal and have an equal opportunity at living the American dream; however, much of America has not changed. 

I feel that our work within the Baybrook community will help elicit or contribute to a movement that will bring together the marginalized and challenge America's system. The students after our class will follow our imprint and use their abilities or talents to further develop the movement until change is made.   

Promoting and Reaching Out

After a week or more of compiling ideas and information from my committee members, I feel as though we have all the necessary components for creating a successful fundraiser. My group members are definitely knowledgeable, reliable, and experienced when it comes to outreach and promotion. We have made plans to set up blogs, a Facebook page, newspaper ads, and all sorts of media related informational sources. On the other hand, we plan on reaching out to the community members, local business owners of both Baybrook and businesses near 2640, and even the mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake by using word of mouth paired with flyers and Save The Date concepts. After hearing the plans from the other committees (History and Event Planning), I'm blessed to have such a hard-working and knowledgeable group of people in the same classroom. Everyone is on top of their game and contributes creative ideas that will promote an amazing fundraiser. 

I really need to focus on establishing a convenient schedule that enables me to be present in the Baybrook community because actually interacting with the people will make the fundraiser even more real. Yet, I'm excited to reach out to mayor Rawlings-Blake for both making an appearance at the fundraiser and possibly making a contribution to our cause. It seems as though the mayoral election has been pushed back to 2016, which gives her more time to attend Baltimore City events and win the hearts of it's citizens. 

Guano Industry Documentation Conclusions and Committees

After hours of exhausting google, proquest, and UMBC library searches for a history of the Guano Industry in the Baybrook area, I was able to find a specific location in Curtis Bay (5501 Pennington Ave) where several Industries had produced and sold guano or other fertilizer nutrients (sulfur). The Standard Guano Co. built a industry on this location in 1914 generated large sums of revenue from the sale of fertilizers. However, Standard Guano sold the land to Standard Wholesale Phosphate and Acid Works in 1925, which would be followed by several more ownership exchanges. Yet Standard Wholesale Phosphate and Acids Works was considered to be the top sulphuric acid producing plant in the world in 1950 and created a new system for producing 500 tons of quality sulphuric acid a day. Then Standard sold the company to Mathieson Chemical in 1949, Mathieson Chemical to Essex Chemical, Esses to Dow Chemical in 1988, Dow to Peridot Chemicals in 1989, and finally Peridot to General Chemical in 1997, where then plant closed in January of 2003. Furthermore, in 2007 an ethanol company titled Atlantic Ethanol proposed a plan to build a $100 million to $150 million ethanol plant on this property. The ethanol plant is said to benefit the local Baltimore economy by creating jobs and is actually claimed to reduce air pollution. The Atlantic Ethanol plant would be the largest plant on the East Coast. 

I did find many documents displaying these industries stock prices and dividends, but not much regarding the impact they contributed to the local economy, community, environment, or workers. Yet I did enjoy finding out the history of exporting guano from the Navassa Island (between Peru and Haiti) to Baltimore's ports. Baltimore during the 19th Century was the largest importer of guano in the world. The majority of the miners on the Navassa island were permanent residents of Baltimore.

I've heard the 2640 space is a great location for our community fundraiser and I am excited to see the end result in May. I chose join the outreach and promotion committee for the fundraiser because i believe a successful fundraiser stems from a strong promotional base. In order to generate the revenue you need to be considered successful you need to make sure that community members and other attendees are notified in advanced. The date must be saved in their calendars and they must be reminded of it through flyers, radio announcements, social media pages, and word of mouth. 

Time to hit the Texts!!

I'm sorry for missing out on the Baybrook trip over the past weekend; unfortunately, I had to work after requesting the day off. However, I plan on taking a journey to this mysterious place this Friday and get a feel for the community. I did view some pictures of the area to make it seem like i experienced a virtual Baybrook. 

 
With regards to my documentation project i chose to research the history and effect of Guano Industry within the Baybrook area (mostly Curtis Bay). I have been supplied with one company by Prof. King and that is the Standard Guano Co. in Curtis Bay, MD. When looking up this company on online databases I was led to what looks like an list of all or many of the fertilizer companies within America (The American Fertilizer Handbook). I did find many within the Baltimore area and of course a company name in Curtis Bay (The United States Guano Co.). Although I have these names i have yet to determine if they are still open or the history behind them. It seems. In addition it seems as though these companies produce guano as a fertilizer for plant growth. Its main three essential nutrients are nitrogen, phosphate and potassium.

On another note, I really enjoyed reading the Oral Histories especially those pertaining to Baybrook history. Milton Breager described the Curtis Bay Athletic Club as being a sports-based organization that competitively challenged other clubs inside Maryland and encouraged youth leagues for children. Yet now since some of the first sponsors of club club have moved on, the club has converted into more of a social organization or a space used for community parties or festivities. The CBAC even accepts memberships from individuals who live outside Curtis Bay to help earn a revenue for the club. The club like the majority of Baybrook has lost its sentimental value and the older generation has nothing meaningful from their history with this place to embrace anymore.

Also Linda Shopes gave us a great presentation on the ethics of conducting an oral history interview. I learned several factors from her reading that would help a student willing to participate in these interviews. First, having a intended theme or topic in mind throughout the interview is beneficial to prevent more of a chronological type of timeline; however, chronology can be relevant if the information can lead you to a touchy subject or one that relates toward your topic. For example, in the reading Shopes's interviewees were failing to place their stories in a social context that was specific to her study. Secondly, the interviewers need historical background information of the place and an analytical framework to pursue their themes. Lastly, oral historians must appreciate the value of each member of the community in which they are studying. Unlike professional historians who tend to fail to give the street interviews the sensitive interpretation they demand and upon do not appreciate the interviews due to their

Nothing Better than a Collaboration

I am really looking forward to our meetings with the IRC students to develop an ideal logo for our Baybrook projects and also what imprint will be placed on the t-shirt's. During our meeting last tuesday i was surprised to see such a variety of specialities among the IRC students. We will be working with students whom are knowledgeable in film, photography, graphic design, and many other art forms. In addition, these students will have a strong connection to the Benjamin Franklin High School art students located in the Baybrook area, which will allow them and eventually us to acquire some ideas as to what the youth would like to be accomplished. I am a huge fan or murals and especially the ones that have a deeper meaning and rich history behind them. For example, since Baybrook is such a highly polluted place, we can create an image representing some sort of wildlife or green that overpowers this industrial plague and depicts life for the future. I'm just going of on a tangent but I do love art. Even at the fundraiser we could have the Benjamin Franklin art students showcasing their work that could potentially represent present day Baybrook or its rich past. 

http://blog.globalstreetart.com/post/31453108183/this-is-called-pollution-by-brazils-gifted

A solid and confident set of students and leaders with a mindset for success can revitalize the BayBrook community!!!

Similarly to the "Baltimore 68'" project, the history of the Baybrook area should be incorporated into high school curriculum in Baltimore. Including the pre and post World War II movements with the establishment of shipbuilding then later ship-breaking; also with the socio-economic issues added. I found the "Constructing Public History in Classroom: The 1968 Riots as a Case Study" article by Elizabeth Nix very intriguing and easily comparable to what our efforts are within the Baybrook community. Documentation will be hard to come by with a lack of secondary sources; however, with access to historical archives and oral histories we will be able to accomplish our goals. Even though many scholars believe environmental justice is a controversial topic to be placed within an educational system, the article by Elizabeth Nix made me a believer. The way to find what really happened at certain times is to retrieve stories from those who were there to witness the events. Like in the article the students talked to clergy men, young mothers, business owners, rent collectors, and public interest lawyers in order to develop a clear understanding of the events during the 1968 Baltimore Riots. Our AMST 422 class must use similar techniques in choosing whom to gather information from and how to track those whom only leave behind trace information. 

My Research Topic

http://www.economist.com/node/18929190

Since i've been in the restaurant business for a while and have acquired a solid amount of knowledge about nutrition and wellness, I envision myself researching Baybrook's food desert. This term was unclear to me before taking this class and I am shocked to hear that this area lacks the presence of a grocery store with fresh produce. I live a substantially healthy lifestyle and believe that fitness and proper nutrition are the key aspects to disease prevention and living a longer or better quality life. I understand that the Filbert Street Garden produces fresh goods; however, this area is still in need of a larger and stable source of nutrition. In addition, the places that do sell food would most likely be using processed foods or those that are genetically modified for longer shelf life, which can lead to more diseases that are not caused by the surrounding pollution in the air. In conclusion, i would like to document how Baybrook came to become a food desert and the disappearance of food establishments that provided the community members with proper nutrition. 

Rather than focusing on the construction of the new Energy Answers incinerator, the state and city should center its attention towards the area's food desert issue. With the creation and collaboration of food desert activists these problems could be contested and eventually solved for future generations. Using certain methods such as bottom-up organization or the inside-outside game from the "What Winning Looks Like" article should aid in the the strike against the city's failure to develop grocery stores for fresh produce. In the end the stores would create jobs and an overall better quality of life for the community. 

Mission Fulfillment

As we approach our primary goal of creating a successful community fundraiser for all parties involved, we will collectively use our learned strategies to generate a profit for aiding in the development of the Baybrook community and the Filbert Street Garden. However, the generated profit alone will not measure our success because as social entrepreneurs our success cannot be measured growth. Rather our progress will be assessed in the long run by means of "social, financial, and managerial outcomes" (Dees, "The Meaning of Social Entrepreneurship"). 

After reading the article "The Church at the End of the Road: First Baptist Church Of Fairfield Ponders Giving Up The Ghost, But Not The Spirit" by Chris Landers, I realized how important preserving this place is for its past community residents. If nothing is done there will not be any reason as to why past residents would want to visit their hometown. The warm sense of "home" will be forever lost and it wouldn't be long before industry casts a dark shadow over its future. 

As a student i would like to learn how to preserve the history of the area and help develop the necessary skills for innovating Baybrook's future. I will contribute my knowledge of restaurant management or services, nutrition, and physical labor to help our mission succeed. 

Our AMST 422 Mission Statement

"Preserving Places, Making Spaces in Baltimore" encourages students to identify the social problems that affect the community members of the Baybrook (Brooklyn & Curtis Bay neighborhoods) area in southern Baltimore, in order to promote environmental justice and use entrepreneurial techniques to form a social event with the intentions of cherishing past memories and praising future innovations. Throughout this experience our fellow UMBC students will develop an understanding of the diverse culture and the written or spoken histories that cultivated the neighborhoods of the Baybrook community while striving to find a Filbert Street Garden manager.

The Filbert Street Garden is not just a garden but an educational system!
http://filbertstreetgarden.blogspot.com/