Mayor urges Loyola students to actively engage in Baltimore

     Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake delivered a speech Tuesday to a packed McGuire Hall, highlighting the social strides that have been made in Baltimore following the Civil Rights movement. The speech, co-sponsored by ALANA and the BSA, marked the start of Loyola's Black History Month events.

     Drawing inspiration from the experiences of her parents, Mayor Rawlings-Blake described the advancements and milestones in race relations in Baltimore over the years, some of which she witnessed with her father, Howard P. Rawlings, who served in the Maryland House of Delegates. The mayor reflected on some of these events, such as the swearing in of the first black circuit court judge in Baltimore and the dedication of the Thurgood Marshall Law Library after Marshall had been denied admittance to the University of Maryland Law School on account of his race. Mayor Rawlings-Blake drew inspiration from these times with her father and was first elected to office at age 25.

     Sophomore Dennis Cahill said, "What struck me the most was when she talked about her dad taking her to places that denied him services because he wanted to keep her grounded. That applies to Loyola because a lot of people live in the Loyola bubble. It's a beautiful campus, but there are people struggling on York Road and they only see it on a Friday night. We should take this as a reminder that we're not just from our hometowns, but we are a part of Baltimore."

     In addition to the speech, which some attendees found surprisingly short, Mayor Rawlings-Blake also gave advice based on her experiences and discussed public policy during a question and answer session. One of the initiatives she discussed was her administration's effort to bring more residents into Baltimore City. She has worked to bring Jewish families to neighborhoods in northwest Baltimore and provide a new home for immigrants seeking political asylum. The mayor also hopes that Loyola and other universities in the area will work along side her and lay groundwork to encourage alumni to remain in the city post-graduation.

     Sophomore and BSA Chief of Staff Alisha Talley said, "I'd like to see Loyola students venture out from their normal venues and go to a restaurant in Hampden instead of the Cheesecake Factory and see all that Baltimore has to offer. If college students say ‘my experience in Baltimore was great,' then other people will want to stay and live here as well."

     Karen Smedley, associate professor of communication, has been a Baltimore resident for nearly 30 years and was glad that Loyola was able to host the mayor for the event. She said, "Baltimore is such a strong higher education community. There is a wealth of universities, both public and private. This is a good strategy to increase the number of residents in Baltimore. We have a lot of students from out of state, and you would be getting well educated people to enhance the workforce."

     Several social justice issues, including homelessness and education, surfaced during the question and answer session as well. Despite Rawlings-Blake's measures to improve public education in Baltimore, audience members pointed out the residual learning gap between minority students and their peers. In response, the mayor described the efforts she made as a law student to reach out to school children through volunteer tutoring. She professed her love of service to her community and challenged the audience to do the same by saying, "Everyone who can do something should do it."

     The BSA has already taken action to do their part to help the city, according to Talley. She said, "BSA is trying to reach out to Baltimore through service. We did a service event last month. We also try to discuss and bring light to issues in Baltimore that affect African-Americans, citizens and college students as a whole."

     Rodney Parker, director of ALANA services, said that he and his staff hoped Mayor Rawlings-Blake's legacy would inspire the student body. "I like the way she framed it. It was an American story that showed how far we as a country have come," he said.

     Sophomore Charles Cuthrell, president of the BSA, noted that the mayor kept closely to their theme, "a dream no longer deferred." He said, "As for her being an African-American politician, and a woman at that, we should look up to her. We should be inspired not to let adversity keep us from pursuing our dreams."