Voices from the Community

During the past 2 years, the Pen Lucy Neighborhood Association and Culture Works partnered with MSU School of Community Health and Policy (SHCP) to improve the health of their community. This partnership involved students enrolled in a Community Needs and Solutions class offered through an accredited HBCU public health program. The partnership between academia and these grassroots organizations grew out of a commitment by the instructor to engage students in community service learning for a minimum of 3 years. For the Pen Lucy this partnership led to the development of a detailed community profile document, a youth forum to identify needs and assets, and the development and implementation of an after school program for middle school students. Culture Works is a community-driven grassroots social change organization rooted in the conviction that art and culture transforms communities. Culture Works was organized to reunite predominately-black neighborhoods torn apart by a governmental highway construction project that displaced 19,000 people before coming to a dead end after 1.5 miles, creating what is known today as the “Highway to Nowhere.”After expressing an interest to create a resilient community, a partnership was formed to assist Culture Works with mobilizing art makers in West Baltimore. Through this partnership focus groups were conducted with art makers to understand barriers to art making and how they perceived their role in creating a resilient community. Community leaders also developed recommendations to help academic leaders and students, public health planners, administrators, policymakers, and planners work more efficiently with grassroots organizations.