May 2021, Letter from the President

Can you believe it’s already May?! It seems like in the blink of an eye 2021 has taken a giant leap forward. This feeling of time passing so quickly has given me an opportunity for reflection. I came into this role, in January, with some resolutions for how I wanted to lead. I’m sure many of you had expectations for me as well.

One of my resolutions was to focus on the steps the BHA could take to become more equitable for our neighbors of color, especially our Black neighbors. We started looking at this last year, after the Executive Committee’s statement condemning police brutality. We began a list of potential action items the BHA could take, including moving our accounts to a Black-owned banking institution, but these are still works in progress. I am aware of the history of many of Baltimore’s neighborhood associations which were formed to promote and protect systemic racism. I do not believe Butchers Hill falls into that category, though I recognize we operate in a system which frequently benefits white neighborhoods. I also recognize that the BHA in particular has had many white people at its head, myself included, which I feel has probably swayed perceptions of who we represent.

However, I feel that when we acknowledge all this we as a neighborhood association have many opportunities to use our privilege for the greater good. And that’s our goal, isn’t it? To promote the general welfare of Butchers Hill. We have a long way to go for our Association to be fully equitable and anti-racist; we have much to learn and even more to enact. But we have wonderfully thoughtful and caring council representatives who are creating some amazing initiatives, fellow neighborhood associations working towards the same goals as us, and the willpower of all of you to help.

This progress will need to be a marathon, not a sprint. Not only do many of us have to battle lifetimes of internalized and taught racism, but we are still learning about what we have yet to learn. Additionally, it must be recognized that the BHA is a volunteer organization, and much of this effort is being done simultaneously with our committees working on all the events you love and our committee members living their lives outside the BHA.

I wanted to touch on all of this to let you know that it is still at the forefront of our minds, even though there has been some silence. If you would like to help the BHA work towards these goals, please join a committee and help us ask ourselves the right questions. Then we can work together to find solutions and keep Butchers Hill the city’s friendliest neighborhood.

Be well,

Bri McNamara

(they/them)