Welcome to Mother Baltimore
Hi! Hello! Welcome to Mother Baltimore, the Belleville News-Democrat’s new newsletter for the latest headlines involving Black people in southwestern Illinois.
I’m DeAsia Paige, a reporter for the BND in partnership with Report for America who covers East St. Louis and surrounding Black communities. Since my hiring in June, I’ve worked with our newsroom to increase coverage and build trust between the BND and residents in East St. Louis, Centreville, Cahokia and Alorton, given the history of the BND’s incomplete coverage of these communities.
So far, we’ve honored that commitment by making certain stories involving Black areas more accessible (through lifting the paywall on some BND articles), hosting listening sessions with community stakeholders and giving our readers balanced, holistic coverage of those cities and the people who live in them. Establishing a newsletter that centers on the news that matters the most to these communities is the latest effort of our overall commitment.
Mother Baltimore is a bi-weekly newsletter that’ll be sent to your inboxes Friday afternoon. It is named in honor of Mother Priscilla Baltimore, a former slave and abolitionist who in the 1820s fled St. Louis with 11 Black families and is known to have founded what is now Brooklyn, Illinois, the oldest Black town in the country. To continue the work of Mother Baltimore, this newsletter will bring you news that centers on race and identity in the metro-east and beyond. Although content in the newsletter will, of course, primarily feature BND articles, we’ll also include national news that we think you should know about.
There’s still more work to be done. The newsletter certainly isn’t the end of our commitment to expanding coverage and building trust in the community. We’re looking forward to building on the improvements we’ve already made as we continue to strengthen our relationship with our Black readers. And, hopefully, this newsletter brings us one step closer toward that goal. I’m beyond excited to curate this newsletter for y’all. Remember the scene in “ Poetic Justice” when the cast smelled food along their drive to Oakland, California, and crashed the cookout? I’m that excited.
Alright. Enough of my ramble. Here’s the latest news:
Why I support the IL Pretrial Fairness Act
In this guest column, Marie Franklin, organizer for the United Congregations of Metro East, uses her personal experience as a former law enforcement officer to advocate for the Pretrial Fairness Act, which was passed by Illinois lawmakers this month. The measure was included in the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus’ criminal justice reform omnibus bill. If the bill becomes law, pending Gov. Pritzker’s approval, Illinois will be the first state to eliminate cash bail.
More reading on HB3653:
IL police oppose ‘rushed’ reform bill, but Black leaders say it’s time to take action
Here’s what southwestern Illinois lawmakers said about the criminal justice reform bill
East St. Louis community partners with Illinois for town hall on COVID vaccine safety
To strengthen the Black community’s confidence in taking the COVID-19 vaccine, Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, held a virtual conversation with the metro-east leaders and residents to help dispel any myths regarding the vaccine. The distrust of the vaccine, and, by extension, the healthcare system, is deeply rooted in the Black community because of the history of medical racism in this country. It’s a trend that rings true for Black residents in the metro-east as the area moves into the next phase of vaccine rollout.
More reading on Dr. Ezike’s outreach in the metro-east:
IL health director talks building trust in Black areas ahead of COVID-19 vaccine event
Questions and answers about COVID-19 vaccines with IL health director, Dr. Ngozi Ezike
Shiloh village trustee says post circulating on social media was a ‘malicious attack’
On Thursday morning, a screenshot of a racist image began circulating among Black residents in the metro-east on Facebook. I won’t upload the image, which references slavery, in this newsletter because my goal isn’t to re-traumatize anyone. The post was made under a profile with Shiloh Village Trustee Kurt Burrelsman’s name. However, he says his profile was hacked and hopes that “anybody who knows me would know I would never post anything like that.”
Donald Trump Is Out. Are We Ready to Talk About How He Got In?
Critically-acclaimed author Ta-Nehisi Coates eloquently writes about the legacy of former president Donald Trump for The Atlantic in wake of the insurrection at the Capitol Building. I won’t bore you with my highlights of the piece because it truly speaks for itself. I’ll just leave this quote:
“In this world, an army has been marshaled and barbed wire installed, and the FBI is on guard against an inside job. Whatever this is—whatever we decide to call this—it is not peaceful, and it is not, in many ways, a transition. It is something darker. Are we now, at last, prepared to ask why?”
The end!
This completes the first edition of Mother Baltimore. I hope y’all enjoyed reading just as much as I enjoyed writing it. Talk to y’all in two weeks! If you want to talk about a story idea or anything else in the meantime, email me at dsutgrey@bnd.com
I’ll end with this quote from acting giant Cicely Tyson, who passed away at the age of 96 Thursday evening. Rest in peace to an icon:
“I try always to be true to myself. I learned from my mom: ‘Don’t lie ever, no matter how bad it is. Don’t lie to me ever, OK? You will be happier that you told the truth.’ That has stayed with me, and it will stay with me for as long as I’m lucky enough to be here.”
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This story was originally published January 29, 2021 at 9:53 AM with the headline "Welcome to Mother Baltimore."
