The CHARM Report: Our Voices, Our Stories from CHARM: Voices of Baltimore Youth Baltimore Unity Hall | 1505 Eutaw Place | Baltimore, MD 21217
https://charmlitmag.org
Cover Art: Assata Makonnen Book Design: Yifan Luo © CHARM & authors, 2024
OUR VOICES, OUR STORIES
as reported by young Baltimore journalists
Foreword
The CHARM Report was an idea created for Baltimore youth to be able to share their own stories during the troubling time of COVID-19. The team published their first article on January 8, 2021 — a piece where Shantika Bhat and Kristina Smith interviewed D. Watkins on how novice writers could start their writing careers. With this article came about multiple new branches of opportunity for the team to tackle. From that point on, they kept going. Interviews, sharing the opinions of Baltimore youth, starting a podcast, and writing about things they enjoyed and thought others their age would as well. This book is a collection of 11 pieces from the past four years. It starts with the first article with D. Watkins, then the anthology discusses the fears brought up by COVID with students, and grappling with relationships with parents and peers are not even half of the amazing topics in this book. With every new article comes a new perspective and story for you to embrace. With every turn of a page comes a new piece to an unsolved puzzle. With every section comes new realities to learn and love. When reading this book, you will realize that the youth of Baltimore have a lot to say and that their voices matter.
With Love, Amir Muhammad on behalf of
The CHARM Report team
10
ADVICE FROM D. WATKINS ON HOW TO START YOUR WRITING CAREER by Shantika Bhat and Kristiana Smith
14
BALTIMORE STUDENTS RESPOND TO U.S. CAPITOL RIOT, IMPACT ON MENTAL HEALTH by Shantika Bhat, Khira Moore, and Kristiana Smith
20 INTRODUCING THE CHARM REPORT PODCAST by Tianna Hunt
24
CHARM ALUMNI: WHERE ARE THEY NOW by Assata Makonnen, Amir Muhammad, and Anika Stikeleather
28
BALTIMORE YOUTH AND THE COVID VACCINE by Shantika Bhat, Khira Moore, and Kristiana Smith
33 YOUTH THOUGHTS ON COVID IN SCHOOLS by Amir Muhammad
36 THE FOOD WE EAT: BALTIMORE STUDENTS SPEAK ON SCHOOL LUNCHES by Tianna Hunt
CONFESSIONS OF BALTIMORE
by
Tayanita Watson
46 PARENTS AND KIDS EXPLAIN WHAT IT MEANS TO BE LGBTQ OR HAVE A LGBTQ CHILD IN BALTIMORE by Kameran Rogers
DOES SOCIAL MEDIA REALLY AFFECT YOUR RELATIONSHIP? by
Saniya Wilson-Powell
WHY BALTIMORE PUBLIC SCHOOLS CAN’T AFFORD A STATE TITLE by
Anika Stikeleather
Liberty Dam Trail, Patapsco Valley State Park
Our Voices
ADVICE FROM D. WATKINS ON HOW TO START YOUR WRITING CAREER
by Shantika Bhat and Kristiana Smith //
January 8, 2021
D. Watkins is an amazing writer who has published The Beast Side: Living (and Dying) While Black in America, The Cook Up: A Crack Rock Memoir, and We Speak For Ourselves. He was selected for One Book Baltimore, a campaign that encourages Baltimore City seventh and eighth grade students to connect with literature by
reading the same book during the month of October. Although he has become successful this journey wasn’t always easy for him, coming from Baltimore with only a head full of ideas. His goal is to help fellow Baltimore writers become successful with his guiding words down below
1. “Get a Medium account and start putting things out a now.”
You’re never too young to start writing (CHARM is proof of that!) and share your work with others. By the time you go into higher education you have covered a lot of learning material such as your writing style and flow.
2. “Study what’s happening in the publishing industry so you know what you are going into.”
You will already have the knowledge of how the field works. An example is if there are new regulations in publishing work, knowing this beforehand will give you a leg up.
3. “Read everyday.”
You can learn about different styles and get ideas about how you would like to publish your work, just like our CHARM: For Your Inspiration publication! Reading others’ work helps your creative juices start to flow.
4. “Share your work with a community of people who will give you real feedback and constructive criticism to push you further.”
Practice makes improvements! Think about the first drafts you wrote in English vs. the final draft, obviously the more you practice and receive constructive criticism the more your writing improves.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS BY KRISTIANA SMITH
5. “Try finding an agent that could help to manage you and find someone to represent you in the publishing industry.”
This is so that you can start publishing your work in various ways.
6. “Network with various people in the media.”
They could help you in the future. Mentors are always needed everywhere you go to help push you to your writing dreams. Not sure where to start? Try following journalists and writers you like on social media.
7. “Make yourself projects. Assign yourself tasks to write a whole book, comedic book, or a book of poetry, so that you can show people your work and experience.”
Having the ability to make yourself do big projects may seem to be hard but, this gives great practice for what you want to do in the future. The skills you gain from these tasks will help show others that you are the real deal because you are able to challenge yourself.
8. “Write something that is the best representation of you so that if you get the opportunity you already have something to publish.”
The ability to show that you have practiced and produce quality content can help show others your true skills. In addition, you can take your projects and already have something ready for publication.
ADVICE FROM CHARM EDITOR AND POET, RASHAD
1. “Write as much as you can.” Practice makes perfect...write often.
2. “If you write about your emotions and just how you feel about certain topics, you’ll slowly start to get into your groove.” Turn to your emotions for inspiration.
3. “Your words aren’t going to be as crisp as they were earlier.” When inspiration strikes, don’t wait to write it down.
BALTIMORE STUDENTS RESPOND TO U.S. CAPITOL RIOT, IMPACT ON MENTAL HEALTH
INITIAL REACTIONS
The insurrection at Capitol Hill left CHARM’s students in shock. The blatant disrespect shown by those who participated in the storm was appalling, to say the least. While there are some of us who were startled, others were saddened, disgusted, and even numb. The majority,
however, were simply not surprised. The racial disparities regarding Black and Brown communities and their interactions with law enforcement are evident during this time. A 2019 study by the National Academy of Sciences found that 1 in every 1,000 black men are at risk of
ILLUSTRATION BY YIFAN LUO
by Shantika Bhat, Khira Moore, and Kristiana Smith // March 26, 2021
being killed during an interaction with police. An article from students at Stanford University further highlights present-day examples of systemic racism and the roles they play in our society.
“The fact that a bunch of white people (who were criticizing protests earlier in the year) were able to break into one of the most important buildings in our country and be treated with any respect is so messed up, but protests that were mostly peaceful and dedicated to a movement that desires equality for black people were flooded with the police and in many cases resulted in violence on innocent individuals,” wrote 12th-grader Sarah Rad.
Because of the role that racial discrimination has played in police brutality, many believe that these insurrectionists would have been killed if they were people of color. This double standard is the reason why primarily white Trump supporters stormed the capitol and were able to return home afterwards.
at a rally near the White House to march to the Capitol where Congress was certifying the election votes. When the rally was over, Trump was nowhere to be found while thousands of his supporters flooded Capitol Hill. If America is built on justice, how did those protecting the Capitol let them get so far? Who were they protecting?
“Everyone was saying when did America get like this.. It’s always been like this, said White. “The racism has always been blatant but now that it is an attack on a government building directly it’s now like OMG.”
“A woman lost her eye to rubber bullets during BLM protests and here you see a white lady getting maced and then having her hand held and led graciously out the Capitol like a baby.”
“A woman lost her eye to rubber bullets during BLM protests and here you see a white lady getting maced and then having her hand held and led graciously out the Capitol like a baby,” said high school senior, Ja’Nora White.
Former President Donald Trump incited this riot after he told his supporters
We also interviewed Johnathan Veale, Communications team leader at CHARM, who said about the riot, “Something like this was going to happen either way.” I can’t help but agree with his statement. We needed something like this to happen if our country could ever get past the notion of white privilege not being real. This is our reality and when radicals set out to deface a government landmark, we can’t treat it like a typical Wednesday.
BLM VS. CAPITOL RIOT
Many students are disturbed by the comparison supporters of the insurrection have made between the January events and unrest related to the Black Lives Matter movement.
High school senior Kayla Terrelong responded, “The comparisons were excuses, Black Lives Matter had peaceful protest and were terrorized by police, while these people raided a government building filled with officials and were taking photos with cops.”
The politically charged disturbance at the Capitol is only one of many violent upheavals American media has covered in the past several years. Back in 2015, Baltimore City saw a massive uproar in reaction to the killing of Freddie Gray.
The Freddie Gray riots were thrown into the spotlight of national cover-
age much like the January riot at Capitol Hill, however, there are stark differences between the pictures painted by headlines covering each event.
“They did not have the same energy,” said Veale.
While the unrest in Baltimore had been exclusively termed as violent “riots,” some sources ventured to label the heated gathering at Capitol Hill as an “insurrection,” “mob,” or even a “demonstration.” While these terms are loosely synonymous, the latter titles for the Capitol riots present have less severe connotations.
IMAGE CREDIT: CNN
WHAT CAN BE DONE DIFFERENTLY?
Baltimore teens, like many others who witnessed the events on January 6th, are less than pleased with the Trump administration’s response to the attack on Capitol Hill.
When asked on the survey about their initial reactions to the insurrection, one student answered in the form of two questions. “Why couldn’t these people take the loss and move on? How were they allowed to go this far?”
Former President Trump’s failure to promptly alert the National Guard shocked many along with seemingly passive response from the Capitol building’s security.
“Lock down the Capitol and never let anyone in again,” was Veale’s response when asked how something like the attack should be prevented from happening in the future.”
“We knew something like this would happen,” said White. She recalls several instances where posts were made on Twitter foreshadowing January 6th. “This was a threat to national security and there were so many signs hinting to what was going to happen but there were no precautionary measures taken.”
The major consensus is that more precautions should be taken in the present to avoid something similar happening in the future.
IMPACT ON MENTAL HEALTH
Due to the overwhelming stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, racism, and presidential election, mental health crises in youth are on the rise. As most of us at CHARM are middle schools and high schoolers, we understand how much isolation and the uncertainty during times
like this can seriously affect our mental well-being.
“I became numb to a lot of things. And I became angry as well. It’s unfortunate because it’s like my mental health has been on the back burner sometimes”, said White.
“I feel unmotivated,” said Veale.
During a time where we are all at home we tend to go to social media to try to connect with one another. As teens, social media is our way of trying to connect with society. However, often that could be the source of unwanted emotions if exposed too much.
“It’s hard for me to take care of myself because I am an activist and I have to engage in all the news that is tragic,” said White.
Baltimore teens are especially vulnerable to mental health crises due to the large number of health disparities within our community. Not only has Baltimore had issues with police brutality but also the Black community has a larger mortality rate from COVID-19 compared to other races. According to the Office of Minority Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Black Americans have reported more symptoms of hopelessness and sadness compared to white Americans.
As the Pandemic and racist attacks have exacerbated the mental health crisis, the importance of self-care has taken the place to combat. We encourage you to find time to do things that make you feel happy and relaxed.
“Mental Health Care is a right, not a privilege,” said Kate Dodson vice president of global health at the United Nation Foundation.
Veale has been playing PlayStation and has been trying to reach out to people when needed. He said that it was very
helpful for him to connect with people because it gave him a sense of normalcy and emotional connection.
“I turned off my notifications on social media because that’s where I would get updates,” said White. “Taking a step back from social media …helps you to do stuff you want to.”
MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES FOR TEENS
As many tough events come and go it’s always good to practice self-care and taking care of your mental well-being. We at the CHARM Report would like to encourage our readers to look into these mental health resources if you or anyone you know needs them.
VISIT LOCAL RESOURCES:
Baltimore Crisis Resource INC
https://bcresponse.org/
Baltimore City Health Department
https://health.baltimorecity.gov/ trauma-mental-health-resources
Black Mental Health Alliance
https://blackmentalhealth.com/
SELF-CARE RESOURCES:
APA Self-Care Resource Center
https://www.apa.org/topics/self-care
Active Minds
https://www.activeminds.org/about-mental-health/self-care/
“Mental health is not a destination, but a process. It’s about how you drive, not where you’re going.” - unknown
INTRODUCING THE CHARM REPORT PODCAST
by
The Charm Report podcast is a safe space for all students to receive advice and tips on navigating their high school and college careers. It will cover school and career-related topics, as well as, personal experiences and special topics requested by our listeners. If you would like to send in one of those requests, please use this link. The first two episodes, published in
June of 2022, are sit-down videos with college students. The first episode was a conversation with was with Camara Kelly, a student at Delaware State University (DSU), and the second episode was with Kendra Bryant, a former Charm Editor, and current Towson University student. Both guests shared their experience applying to college and how different the college experience
ILLUSTRATION BY EM GOHEEN
Tianna Hunt // March 18, 2023
has been in comparison to their high school lives. They shared the ups and downs of the transition and tips on navigating that change and making the process go smoother. Both episodes are very insightful and will undoubtedly help the students who listen to them.
The podcast will have more episodes that go even deeper into these topics and more. If you are interested in listening, follow us on Spotify: The Charm Report.
Tianna Hunt: Welcome to the CHARM report podcast where we talk about all things school, career, literature and more. This podcast is an extension of the CHARM report news initiative, a Baltimore-based newsletter. I’m your host, Tiana Hunt, and this episode will be an interview with a college freshman on the transition from high school to college. Let’s begin.
TH: Okay [Quamora?], would you like to introduce yourself?
Camara Kelly: Yes. Hello, my name is Camara Kelly, I am a rising sophomore at Delaware State University. I am the Miss Honors for the academic year 2022-2023 and a presidential scholar.
TH: That’s amazing. Congrats.
Okay, so our co-host, Saniya, will not be able to join us today cause she’s currently in class and so, I’m gonna start with the questions that she personally wanted to hear answered. How hard was the college application process?
CK: Oh, the college application process isn’t necessarily hard, but it is laborious and tedious and it’s going to be somewhat of a snapshot of what colleges like so the
application process is gonna be asking for very specific things and you must answer those things specifically and thoroughly as best as you can. A good thing about the college application process is that they are usually all asking the same kinds of questions so you will be able to copy and paste one essay from one portal to another if there are different portals or use the CommonApp or the Common Black College App which I used which is another portal, basically like the CommonApp, but you can apply to over 60 HBCUs for 20 dollars with the same application. You just wanna make sure that you are answering the questions thoroughly and completely and filling out everything that you can to get as much money as you can.
TH: Thank you. Another tip I would have for students who are about to apply to college–I said this earlier in Monday’s meeting that we lost the footage of–is that watching people read their essays on YouTube or just googling college application essays is really helpful, especially when you are going through writer’s block. I know it helped me so there’s my gift to you.
So the next question is how would you describe the experience of making new friends?
CK: My experience was really good. So DSU is a very social school and the first week of school is gonna be your most active week of school, or one of them besides Homecoming. If you go to HBCUs, Homecoming is always the best but when you first get onto a college campus, there’s usually a bunch of social events and school organizations coming out to introduce themselves to the freshman and everyone has their game face on so you really want to take advantage of those first couple of days and get to know as many people as
you can, feel the energy of the room, try to situate yourself with people who you think would benefit you, either in the classroom, career-wise cause you are networking with your peers, you wanna be mindful that you are beginning your career the moment you step onto the college campus, so you need to make sure you are not just making friends for fun, they aren’t just party friends, they are also friends you can call when you need help in a class, when you need to study or if you know they have a lot of connections, you might want to buddybuddy with them then be like “oh okay, well this person is really close with the president of the university, let me get to know them.” I’m really interested in politics which is about making connections and I know mass communication and journalism is the same way so if you are interested in things where you really need to get to know people and go outside of your room to get the best out of your career and college experience, you need to make sure you are doing that.
I think the experience was really good and you just have to put yourself outside of your comfort zone and try new things. You cannot be the most introverted person at college, at least not at first. I’m an introvert but the thing is, there’s a difference between being an introvert and being outgoing and having social anxiety. If you have social anxiety, of course take care of your mental health. I’m not harping on anyone because of that but you will have to try new things and put yourself in uncomfortable situations. You will be uncomfortable at first but that’s natural. Everyone is doing the same things and is going through the same emotions. They don’t have any friends here, you don’t have any friends here so get to know each other and bond over your shared awkwardness of being in a new place for the first time.
CHARM ALUMNI: WHERE ARE THEY NOW
As the youth-led Baltimore city magazine CHARM: Voices of Baltimore Youth celebrates its tenth anniversary, it takes a moment to reflect upon its past members and the impact that CHARM has had on them to this day.
CHARM, started by then middle school teacher Whitney Birenbaum and
her students Shantika Bhat, Jonathan Veale, and Tehle Ross, began with the purpose of bringing a voice to the youth of Baltimore City. It has since expanded into an organization that has partnered with publications and literary organizations like DewMore Poetry, Johns Hopkins University Press, The Afro and
IMAGES COURTESY OF CHARM, JONATHAN VEALE, AND SANIYA WILSON-POWELL. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SHUBHAN BHAT
by Assata Makonnen, Amir Muhammad, and Anika Stikeleather // February 20, 2024
Black Classic Press, which are integral to the literary culture of Baltimore City. Throughout the years, it has continued to serve as a platform for the city’s youth to express how they love, defend, and seek
JONATHAN VEALE
change for their community.
CHARM alumni have taken their time with the organization and used it as the foundation to forge their own paths.
Age: 20
High school: Baltimore School for the Arts
College: University of Maryland
Major: Cinematic Arts
Jonathan Veale majors in Cinematic Arts at University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He enjoys filmmaking, photography, and script writing. Due to his work with CHARM, he has become accustomed to talking to many different people and working with others. “To work
on other peoples films and help them with those visions,” Veale said about his goals after college.
Advice for future CHARM editors:
“I always have more than one piece of advice. But I think one of the most important ones to remember is it takes you very far to be a polite and caring person. I’ve been able to get to many places that I have in life because I was willing to sit down with someone, be able to talk with someone and be there for people that needed it.”
Age: 21
High school: Baltimore Polytechnic Institute
College: Johns Hopkins University
Major: Public Health; Minor in Communications and Marketing
Shantika Bhat is a fourth year at Johns Hopkins University. She is currently studying abroad in Europe as a Public Health major with a minor in communications and marketing. It’s a field that she’s felt drawn to ever since helping to found CHARM. With her degree, she hopes to enter the medical
field and help as many people as she can. Although not in the literary space she still thinks about CHARM and its power to uplift youth voices.
“CHARM is meant for the Baltimore youth,” Shantika said. “It’s for our voices to be heard. Keep the creativity going and don’t stop.”
Advice for future CHARM editors: “Always make room for yourself and the issues you care about. That’s the thing. Sometimes it can be scary, but you can never take up too much space, especially when it’s for a good cause.”
(Left to right) Shantika and Shubhan Bhat
SANIYA WILSON-POWELL
Age: 20
High school: Baltimore City College College: McDaniel College
Major: Writing and Publishing (minor in American Sign Language)
Jonathan Veale majors in Cinematic Saniya Wilson-Powell has a deep relationship with CHARM. It was where she got the experience of editing and publishing as early as high school and decided on her future goals. The recent graduate of Baltimore City College attends McDaniel College where she majors
in Writing and Publishing and minors in American Sign Language. With her degree, Powell hopes to pursue a career as an author, publisher, editor and entrepreneur.
“I want to start my own business to help women in general because there are not a lot of women writers to help them publish their books, have women editors, and women in publishing,” Powell said. “Just to give each other a boost up.”
Advice for future CHARM editors: CHARM helped me realize my true potential.
BALTIMORE YOUTH AND THE COVID VACCINE
by Shantika Bhat, Khira Moore, and Kristiana Smith // April 9, 2021
BALTIMORE TEENS SHARE THEIR OPINION ON VACCINES AND ADDRESS MISCONCEPTIONS.
Earlier this month, teens who are 16 years of age or older became eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccines in Maryland. As of April 26th, 1.9 million Marylanders have been fully vaccinated. There are many teens who are relieved to have an opportunity to get the vaccine, however,
there are some who still have reservations about the vaccine’s reliability. In this feature, we will be sharing a CHARM editor’s experience with the vaccine and insights on the stances of two other Baltimore teens.
IMAGE CREDIT: “PANDEMIC CONCEPT, CLOSE UP OF SCIENTIST INJECTING VACCINE INTO THE EARTH” BY FOCUSONMORE.COM IS LICENSED UNDER CC BY 2.0 VIA CREATIVE COMMONS
MOORE, SMITH
KHIRA MOORE’S COVID EXPERIENCE + HER VIEWS ON GETTING THE VACCINE
One of our editors, Khira Moore, contracted the virus in March. Around this time, the vaccine rollout began and Moore, a 17-year-old, wasn’t eligible. Her symptoms started out as a fever on Sunday afternoon and she was told that she had COVID the following Monday.
That started two weeks of quarantine where she remained holed up in her bedroom. Moore described her feeling about the virus as “a constant pit of isolation and loneliness.” Her family placed food and water outside of her door during these two weeks and her friends expressed support as she dealt with her unfortunate situation.
It was revealed later that week that her father had contracted the virus and he became quarantined alongside her. They spent the majority of their isolation cracking jokes and watching tv as they watched from their windows as the world went on without them.
Prior to getting sick her focus wasn’t on the vaccine. Before she spent her entire spring break in her bedroom, she largely didn’t think COVID affected the younger generation. By the end of those two weeks in quarantine, she had changed her tune.
“This virus is no joke. We all need to be masked up and vaccinated. I would not wish what I had to experience on anybody!” Moore said.
Moore got her first vaccine dose two weeks afterward. She is now enjoying the fresh air, and has high hopes for the future as vaccines are allowed for those 16 and over.
INTERVIEWS WITH BALTIMORE TEENS
The news that those under 18 were eligible for vaccines caused a lot of mixed
feelings for certain teens. Some were eager, some hesitant, and others just confused about whether or not they should get the vaccine.
For one teen mixed messaging led to a dilemma.
“I actually had a roller coaster ride debating on whether or not I wanted to get the vaccine,” said Mei Ling Gao, a senior at Baltimore Polytechnic institute. “At first I was influenced by many people to not get the vaccine because they weren’t well educated enough, however, my boss and friend encouraged me to go get the vaccine because I was a food service worker.”
Gao started to educate herself by talking to her more educated peers and watching videos regarding the vaccines. Then she became eager to get the vaccine.
However, not everyone was eager to get the vaccine. A Baltimore city teen, who chose to be anonymous for privacy concerns, said that they were hesitant to get the vaccine despite being eligible because they doubted the legitimacy of the vaccine due to the speed at which it was produced. They felt that the limited amount of information of the possible effectiveness against the mutations and possible risks are scary. And because the virus is most harmful for older people it made them question whether it’s worth getting the vaccine.
Gao’s reaction to the vaccine process was that it was very smooth and easy if you follow the steps.
“The vaccine itself didn’t hurt at all which was really nice because usually I’m scared of needles and shots,” said Gao. “If you are scared of needles there is nothing to worry about because it didn’t hurt at all. My advice is to just look away. After I got the shot, I felt happy because I felt that I would have protection and gave me relief.”
Both teens urged those hesitant about getting vaccinated to think about the benefits for the community.
“This will help not only yourself but keep others safe. Contributing to herd immunity which is so important,” said Gao.
Herd immunity is when enough people are vaccinated and/or immune to a disease that it can’t spread to people that are vulnerable to the disease.
“In order for the vaccine to work to its maximum effectiveness, we all have to put in an effort to at least give it a try. The faster everyone is vaccinated, the faster the masks can go,” said the anonymous Baltimore teen.
Many people are scared to try new things, and that can be said about getting vaccinated. Gao’s biggest fear initially was related to side effects, but after doing her research, she realized the side effects are helpful in showing that your immune system is responding and getting ready to attack Covid.
The BioNTech Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two shots for you to be fully protected. These vaccines are not interchangeable so whatever you got for your first shot, you must get for your second. If you receive BioNTech Pfizer you should get your shot 3 weeks after your first shot. If you get a Moderna Vaccine you should get your second shot 4 weeks after your first. However, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires only 1 shot. (For more detailed information on the timing on the vaccines please check out the CDC.)
“Everyone is scared about the side effects of this vaccine but, there are side effects for a lot of things,” said Gao.
“Everything has its pros and cons.”
“Everyone is scared about the side effects of this vaccine but, there are side effects for a lot of things,” said Gao. “Everything has its pros and cons.”
Looking ahead, both teens are hoping to return to normal in the future with no masks and no fears.
MAIN THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT EACH VACCINE
In the United States, three vaccines have been approved to be distributed: vaccines from BioNTech Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson**, and Moderna.
BioNTech Pfizer can be given to people 16 years and older. Moderna and Johnson & Johnson can be given to people 18 years and older. While there is a difference in the rate of effectiveness, that doesn’t mean one vaccine is better than the other. The CDC encourages people to get whatever is available to you because all COVID-19 vaccines are “safe, are effective, and reduce your risk of severe illness. The CDC does not recommend one vaccine over another.”
** On April 13th, 2021, the CDC and FDA recommended a pause in the use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine. There were about 7 million doses of this vaccine injected into people so far and a small number of reports have been made over blood clots. All of these reports happened in women from ages 18 to 48, however, this shouldn’t be a worry to everyone. This
is a very small number of people and out of precaution they are pausing it. Please don’t let this scare you and educate yourself more on this matter on the CDC website.
BY ALEJANDRO PORTO
BREAKING DOWN THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE VACCINE
When our bodies encounter a pathogen, our immune systems are exposed to that pathogen’s antigen. An antigen is essentially any foreign substance that provokes a response from the immune system. One way that our immune systems tackle the invasion of a pathogen is through the production of antibodies, unique Y-shaped molecules that are able to neutralize infections.
Once our bodies produce antibodies specific to a pathogen’s antigen, the immune system’s B lymphocyte cells form memory cells that can produce the new antibodies if we are re-exposed to the pathogen in the future. The generation of these memory cells promotes a faster and more effective immune response upon exposure to a bacterium or virus.
Many modern vaccines contain biological instructions to produce the target antigen in our bodies. When the antigen is produced, the immune system is thrown into action, generating the necessary antibodies
and memory cells. This ensures that our bodies are already prepared to produce antibodies if or when we come in contact with a certain pathogen.
As mentioned above, the best-known vaccines targeting SARS-CoV-2 come from pharmaceutical companies Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson. Both Pfizer and Moderna have developed mRNA vaccines that introduce the immune system to the genetic information that carries instructions to produce the virus’s antigen. Johnson and Johnson, however, has developed a viral vector vaccine that transports instructions for the antigen through an inactive form of the virus. To learn more about the available COVID-19 vaccines and how they work, please visit the CDC’s website.
ADDRESSING MISCONCEPTIONS
There are many who have reservations about one or more vaccines and are wondering which one is the most effective, however, this is not an easy conclusion to make. While it may seem easy to rely on the efficacy rate of each vaccine, it is important to recognize that a vaccine’s effectiveness depends on the individual. Pfizer’s efficacy rate of 95% does not mean that 95% of the people receiving this vaccine will not develop COVID-19, but instead that an individual who receives the vaccine has a 95% chance of not falling ill when coming in contact with the virus.
Many have also come to believe that they will not need the vaccine if they have already been infected with COVID-19. Even if you have previously had COVID-19, it is still advised that you get vaccinated; the vaccine will be a much more reliable source of immunity.
84.3 million Americans are currently fully vaccinated. While this is a big step toward overcoming COVID-19, precautions should still be taken. Even if you are
IMAGE CREDIT: “ANTIGEN-ANTIBODY-COMPLEX”
vaccinated, you can still spread the virus, so it is necessary to continue wearing masks in public and following social distancing guidelines.
For more information on the science behind vaccines and the vaccines being used to prevent COVID-19, please visit the World Health Organization and The Vaccine Alliance.
ROLL OUT PLANS FOR VACCINATION IN MARYLAND AND BALTIMORE
As of April 6, teens 16 and older are eligible to get the vaccine at any mass vaccination center in Maryland. On April 12, all Marylanders 16 and older will be eligible for vaccination through all providers. Baltimore City announced that by April 27th, all teens 16 and older can get the vaccines at sites.
The steps for getting vaccinated are:
1. Determine your eligibility.
2. Pre-register for an appointment.
Here are a few options:
• covax.baltimorecity.gov
• https://onestop.md.gov/ preregistration
• https://www. vaccinationregistration.com/umms/bccfh
3. Wait until you get connected and schedule an appointment.
4. Go to your appointment date. Once vaccinated depending on which shot you received you will have already scheduled another appointment for 2nd dose.
For more Baltimore City information please visit the Baltimore City Health Department’s website. For more Maryland information of vaccination please visit Mayland.gov.
YOUTH THOUGHTS ON COVID IN SCHOOLS
by Amir Muhammad // February 1, 2022
ILLUSTRATION BY AMIR
MUHAMMAD
School is becoming more of a safety hazard than before. I believe that we students have the right to share our opinions on the matter. That is why I asked
people personally and on Instagram, “As a student/parent what do you think could be changed about school?”
2021 was like the next season of 2020. There were new COVID variants which are still ongoing. The threats of school shootings. More questionable decisions made by adults. Kids are still in schools that don’t hold up to health standards the school districts claim to maintain. It still doesn’t seem like anyone learned anything about safety. The spread of the virus is increasing, same with the death toll caused by the virus.
School is becoming more of a safety hazard than before. I believe that we students have the right to share our opinions on the matter. That is why I asked people personally and on Instagram, “As a student/parent what do you think could be changed about school?” Here are the responses I received:
INSTAGRAM USERS:
• One user said, “Flexibility in teachers/work and the overall strict or intimidating atmosphere in the classroom.”
• The second user said, “Nap time in the middle of the day.”
• The third and final user stated, “The school’s existence.”
PERSONAL MESSAGES:
• This response comes from someone named Asianai Fowlkes, a college student, “I don’t like the testing agenda because testing performance doesn’t determine how good a student is.”
• This response comes from a parent of a student Wendy Muher, “Testing grades currently carry a lot of weight and this should be reviewed/revised with input from many impacted representatives (teachers, students, school administration, and central office).
• This response comes from Iris Zheng, a high schooler, “In the current situation with peaking Covid cases, I think the school should offer online options for students who are quarantined because of Covid.”
• This response comes from Jordan Manely, a middle schooler, “ Honestly, I think the school system really needs to think over every decision that is made for the sake of not only teachers but students. They also need to bring awareness to real-world issues that we are facing and give us information we will regularly use as adults.”
• This response comes from Se’lah Jackson, who is almost in college, “I believe that schooling should be more individualized for each student. Every student works differently, so in order to accommodate each student and their needs, school work should be specific to each student, how they work, and how they retain information they are given.”
• This response comes from Collin Muher, a middle schooler, “Maybe like instead of us just being told like ‘this is the rule for something and you must use it’ or something they could explain the reason behind it. Also, do better at social distancing because we have kids spreading Covid to us during resource [class].”
• This response comes from Toby Fisichelli Roberts, a middle schooler, “ I think learning should not be boring and dull, it should be fun. In my home school I learned as much in school and more, but it was fun. Except, I don’t like working at home. Also a lot of Covid and so much about our school.”
• This response comes from Shantika Bhat, a college student, “ I guess the school system needs to start being
more empathetic towards students. I know now due to the pandemic there is a rise in that but I don’t think it’s enough. There needs to be more care and support for students who are first generation and low income. It’s very difficult to be in that position and not many people consider that in the great parts of America. I think Baltimore is doing a pretty decent job however. Still improvements can be made.”
• This response is from Aaron Stanely, a middle school teacher, “ For starters, class sizes are too large, optimal class size is 1 teacher to 15 students. The curriculum should be geared more to providing tangible life skills like how to do taxes and how to find what you’re good at. There should also be just as many social workers in school as there are teachers to reduce social worker caseloads.”
• As a student myself I have to agree with what everyone said. I hope that in me writing this article that parents and other figures can see what students like the ones I spoke to need and want. As a student I want a better way to voice my opinions and offer the questions that other students are fearful to ask.
THE FOOD WE EAT: BALTIMORE STUDENTS SPEAK ON SCHOOL LUNCHES
by Tianna Hunt // October 19, 2021
THE STATE OF SCHOOL LUNCHES
The pandemic has caused many changes in our daily lives. But one thing seems to have remained the same - the state of school lunches. In a survey shared with Baltimore high school students, data showed that the majority were rather unimpressed but not surprised by the food they returned to.
In 2010 (pre-covid), the Healthy Hunger-Free Schools Act changed school meals to fit a more nutritious diet. This was
to ensure that students were eating a good amount of fruits and vegetables instead of unhealthy meals daily. This manifested in the form of fruit served with lunch per day or vegetables shared on the side. Though the policy was implemented with good intentions, students in Baltimore have stated that school lunches have never tasted the same.
The survey of sixteen questions sent out on September 22, 2021, received
HUNT | THE FOOD WE EAT: BALTIMORE STUDENTS SPEAK ON SCHOOL LUNCHES
IMAGE CREDIT: JAMAR SNIPE, BALTIMORE HIGH SCHOOL LUNCH
fourteen responses, with the majority of students bearing similar opinions. 85.7% of respondents were high school seniors, and the remaining 14.3% were sophomores. Each student represented traditional public and charter schools across the city.
When asked to describe the state of school food, the majority of respondents used the words: “Dry,” “nasty,” and “bland.” A common concern was that cafeterias were serving mainly cold lunches for the first few weeks, and when hot lunches were served, they tasted unseasoned and rushed.
Tayanita Watson from Baltimore City College revealed that lately, she has observed that students have been relying more on vending machines instead of the provided food because the snacks they received were more fulfilling than the meals served. She stated: “Sometimes I try to bring my own lunch, and when I forget I just stay hungry for the day because the food is unpleasant. A lot of people order food to the school after lunch as well.”
INTERVIEWS WITH STUDENTS
What can be done to improve the quality of food provided?
“Better options honestly. It would help if they had more help in the kitchen so then we can have more homemade meals.” - Kennedi H, Baltimore Polytechnic Institute
“They should give us real food instead of dog food.” - Tanaisha J, City Neighbors High School
“This might simply be a lack of funding, which is a whole other problem, but Poly has run out of the main meal some days and students have had to eat the peanut butter and jelly alternative, which generally isn’t a fun experience. Having
more...food could help. Also, making the food in the moment instead of ahead of time. Sometimes hot food is cold which makes it harder to eat.” - Elisabeth P, Baltimore Polytechnic Institute
“More plant-based foods, less dairy, and meats.” - Sean S, City Neighbors High School
Has the quality of food changed since before and after quarantine?
While half of the respondents (50%) stated that the food quality had not changed, others had this to say:
“All we get is sandwiches and very rarely hot food.” - Keith C, Baltimore Polytechnic Institute
“Yeah, it got worse.” - Fabian C, Baltimore Polytechnic Institute
“It’s gotten worse after quarantine. Before I would at least be able to enjoy it, but now I see myself eating less or compromising with the PBJ sandwiches.” - Gael I, Baltimore Polytechnic Institute
“It seems to have decreased in variety of options.” - Malakai M, Baltimore Polytechnic Institute
Are you provided with enough time to fully finish your lunch on a daily basis? 43% said yes. 57% said no.
How often is food wasted at your school?
This question was asked on a scale from one to five. One being “frequently” and five being “rarely.” Of the responses received, 51.7% of respondents chose 1, admitting that food is frequently wasted at their school. Many went on to explain that this may be a result of the food being relatively unpleasant. 21.4% of respondents chose 2. And 7.1% of respondents equally choose options 3, 4, and 5.
Describe a bad experience you have had with the school’s food or cafeteria staff.
“I have NEVER had a bad experience with my school’s cafeteria staff, they’re all extremely kind and do the best that they can.” - Malakai M, Poly
“I had to literally spit [the food] out. It was so nasty.” - Makensey V, Baltimore Polytechnic Institute
“The food is falling apart.” - Jamar Snipe, City Neighbors High School
“None so far. I don’t usually eat the food most times because there is mostly nothing I like.” - Sean S, City Neighbors High School
“Had to throw up the milk I was given because it was either frozen with a weird texture or just smelled bad, has happened more than once.” - Gael I, Baltimore Polytechnic Institute
Any additional comments?
“The only time people want to eat school lunch is when they have pizza. I would like to see more enjoyable food. The food I would eat in elementary school is very different from what we eat now. Then we got hot food but now they mainly serve cold food. I’m not a fan of the pre-packaged stuff. I think there’s an emphasis on us not having unhealthy lunches, but I think they
should serve sweeter things. These don’t have to be unhealthy. Like jam and toasted bread...stuff like that.” - Tayanita W, Baltimore City College
“The food is all the same and sometimes it’s not finished. I don’t like it. Also, the healthy option is literally just raw vegetables, I’m pretty sure there are other options that are healthy that don’t involve raw vegetables, with no other dipping sauces. Another thing is, we have no starches, no complete meal(s), and why is that!!!” - Kennedi H, Baltimore Polytechnic Institute
“Listen at Poly we have 29 minutes to get and eat food, that involves getting to the cafeteria and waiting in that long line. By the time you sit down you barely get to finish your food if you start eating right away. I understand the school lunch is free but goddamn.” - Fabian C, Baltimore Polytechnic Institute
“Improvement needed badly.” - Sean S, City Neighbors High School
Based on the responses received it is safe to say that change is needed. Almost all respondents have found an issue with the food being served at schools. The next step is brainstorming and implementing solutions. These may include: increasing the budget provided, presenting food in an appealing manner, serving more hot food, ensuring fruits, vegetables, and milks are fresh, and making more flavorful meals. These simple steps could make a great difference.
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THE CONFESSIONS OF BALTIMORE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
by Tayanita Watson // February 1, 2022
On November 1st, the @survivors. at.bpi Instagram page posted its first account of sexual harassment, submitted by an anonymous student at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute.
The previous post from the Instagram page outlines its goal, which is “to give survivors a place to feel safe, validated, and to break the stigma of silence around sexual assault and harassment.”
This is not the first in the trend of Instagram confession pages created for Baltimore students to submit anonymous stories. The stories these confession accounts
post range from racism, to homophobia, to sexual assault.
One of the earlier school confession pages to appear was the @black.at.bcc page, publishing its first post in late June of 2020. The post was an orange fist, a symbol for the Black Lives Matter movement, and the caption read:
“Although the heads of City are primarily black, and [City] has a primarily black student population, there [are] many racist and discriminatory experiences that have been swept under the rug. This page is for the black student voices of BCC to [be] heard.”
IMAGE CREDIT: JAY BAKER COURTESY OF MARYLAND STATE GOVERNMENT
The page currently has 117 posts and sits at over 1,000 Instagram followers. It initially surged in popularity after a confession on the page exposed a White student for allegedly calling the viral murder of George Floyd “justified.”
The moderator of the @black.at.bcc page started the page “...as a place for students of color, specifically Black students of color, to vent about their experiences at City. Especially, [...] racist experiences.”
CONFESSION PAGES AT BALTIMORE CITY COLLEGE
Since 2020, student criticism of Baltimore City College’s handling of racist and discriminatory student experiences has become commonplace. For many of these students, the problems within their school have gone unaddressed for too long.
said not much has really changed. However, students of other schools have seen different outcomes after the popularity of these confession accounts.
CONFESSION PAGES AT BALTIMORE SCHOOL OF ARTS
A recent example of a school confession account gaining traction is the @survivorsofbsa Instagram page. The page made its first post in March 2021, and the moderators behind it regularly addressed their complaints about the poor handling of sexual misconduct at Baltimore School for the Arts to the school administration.
On March 23, the account posted a screenshot of an email sent out by one of the moderators, addressed to the staff of BSA.
“Adults never want to listen to kids until they’re dead,” said Makensey.
“They never do.”
“Everyone knows that something is wrong, but they don’t wanna be the person to call it out.” said Joshua Wilson, a senior at City. “[The confession pages] lit a spark and a desire for internal improvement within the schools.”
The existence of the account led City’s school administrators to hold a meeting with a few students, discussing how the school could do better when addressing racial discrimination. Joshua was one of those students.
According to Joshua, the school administration “promised they’d be more progressive when it came to student safety [...] and we didn’t hear from [them] again after that.” Since that meeting was held, he
The email said, “I’ve been at BSA for nearly three years and you all have failed your students...this pattern of sweeping incidents under the rug is going to end whether you like it or not.”
Mekhi Lee, a senior at BSA, agrees with the grievances put forth in the email, stating that “...the reason that the BSA page was started was because they weren’t listening in the first place. [...] They weren’t really solving any of our problems.”
Other students and parents took notice of the page, as well as the administration of BSA, and the account was propelled into local news coverage. A swift response was prompted from both Baltimore City Public Schools and the administration of BSA, and they moved to implement changes based on the input of the students.
“I guess the news coverage can be good for solving situations like this because with everybody watching, everyone will want a solution,” Mekhi said.
ADDRESSING THE ISSUES WITH CONFESSION PAGES
Schools rushing to formulate responses after confession pages like @/ survivorsofbsa post mishandled accounts of harmful or discriminatory student experiences is common.
After Baltimore Polytechnic Institute held an assembly on sexual assault in response to the social media popularity of the @/survivors.at.bpi Instagram page, many Poly students questioned the lateness of this response.
“It seemed like they were only addressing this problem because they had blown up on social media.” said Makensey Vanderberg, a senior at Poly.
Another student, Patricia Bindjeme, said, “I just want Poly to stop waiting for a push when things happen.”
When BSA student Mekhi was asked about what he wanted his school to do differently, he said, “I want the administration to do their job, to be honest. Like, I feel like that’s all you can really want. I want people to be held accountable.”
Baltimore students all over the city echo this sentiment, wanting their schools to respond quickly and efficiently to student concerns, and the confession accounts display this desire.
“Adults never want to listen to kids until they’re dead,” said Makensey. “They never do.”
Ask for help. Don’t be afraid to reach out to friends and trusted adults in your life for support. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline any time — calls are confidential.
1-800-273-8255 or visit their site suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
PARENTS AND KIDS EXPLAIN WHAT IT MEANS TO BE LGBTQ OR HAVE A LGBTQ CHILD IN BALTIMORE
by Kameran Rogers // August 19, 2022
Coming out of the closet is scary for LGBTQ+ kids because at the end of the day they have to depend on their parents to support them and if we don’t get that support it will put our living conditions in jeopardy.
LGBTQ youth in the U.S. have a 120% higher risk of experiencing homelessness than youth who identified as heterosexual and cisgender according to a national
survey of unaccompanied youth in a 2018 report by Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. Black youth have an 83% higher chance of experiencing homelessness in the same report. This data and an understanding of how identities can intersect to create even more disproportionate outcomes show the fear of coming out of the closet comes from a very real place.
IMAGE CREDIT: BLM PRIDE FLAG
Being gay in a predominantly Black city like Baltimore is significant because as a black person you face the toxic masculinity of black men. Black men who deem anything feminine as gay or simply not masculine. Religious family members also cause hardship when they shun you because of your sexual orientation. Many youth have been a victim of these things, so with a topic like this it’s important to be knowledgeable in the ways in which people think on the topic.
I asked parents and grandparents (who are all poc) the same questions about their children being queer.
What was your reaction to your (grand) child coming out? What is one way that you have attempted to support your child? And have you come to realize the homophobia in the Black community?
Note that all interviewed are from the same family.
1. Parents & Grandparents
Kandace, 32:
“I wouldn’t say my views of them haven’t changed, it just startled me,” said Kandace about her reaction to her child coming out.
“Me not denying their sexuality in any way,” said Kandace about her attempt to support her child as a queer youth.
When it comes to homophobia in the black community, Kandace said, “I’ve never thought of that or realized it at all.”
Tammy, 52:
“I had an open mind about my grandchild’s sexuality because a lot of other family members were telling me they thought they were gay,” said Tammy, 52 about her grandchild coming out.
“I have boy talk with them if you count that as supportive,” said Tammy.
“Some of our family members don’t support it but it doesn’t change how they love you,” said Tammy about homophobia in the Black community.
Davon, 35:
“I knew the first day I met them,” said Davon about his child coming out. “I told everybody.”
“Let them be themselves,” said Davon on how he was supportive to his child expressing their sexuality. He also recognizes the homophobia in the black community.
I also asked questions to youth in Baltimore. Myself as well as one girl, Glori answered a series of questions pertaining to being queer in Baltimore. Were you scared to come out? How did your parents react? And do you think there is homophobia in the Black community and why?
2. Youth
Glori, 14
“No, not really,” said Glori about being scared coming out. “Because I have a comfortable relationship with my mother.”
“My mother was in disbelief,” said Glori about her parents’ reaction. And she thinks there is homophobia in the Black community “because of [people’s] religious reasons.”.
Kameran, 14
“Yes I was nervous,” I said about being scared to come out. “Because we had never had a conversation on the topic.”
“I think she was in shock,” I said about my mom’s reaction. “She said okay then I walked away.”
When discussing what I thought about homophobia in the Black community I felt of course, I think black men especially are homophobic.
After taking a look at how both parents and youth view the LGBTQ community in Baltimore. I will leave it up to you to make up your own interpretation on your views on the community.
It should be known that not all Black people in Baltimore have the same ideas on these topics. The views you see here are not a reflection on the entirety of the community and are not a definitive answer.
At the end of the day everyone is obligated to their own opinion and views.There isn’t one answer or way of being LGBTQ and Black. Everyone is different and has their own experience.
DOES SOCIAL MEDIA REALLY AFFECT YOUR RELATIONSHIP?
by Saniya Wilson-Powell // May 4, 2022
Relationships are everywhere. We see them in the mall, at starbucks, and walking downtown. Social media is a really big thing when talking about relationships now, but we never look at the repercussions or the consequences of people publicly displaying their relationships.
Today we’re not just gonna touch on big couples like Alex and Kouver, Charlie and Lil Huddy, and Jay-z and Beyonce. We’re getting insight from couples we see on the street everyday. Learn how social media impacts their relationships both good and bad.
Though there are benefits to social media like communicating with friends, meeting new people, finding new hobbies, learning different points of view, or even looking at funny doge memes. There’s a very dark and negative side to social media especially in teen relationships.
A 2019 Canadian study of seventhgrade students, found that for every hour spent on social media, depressive symptoms like feeling lonely, sad, and hopeless all significantly increased. This means social media, especially in teens,
IMAGE CREDIT: FLICKR USER BORIS SV
impacts our self-esteem. When teens post or view other people’s relationships, it can make us feel self-doubt and jealousy for what others have in their relationships. We as teens think that everyone else’s relationship is or could be better than ours, when in reality these people on social media can be struggling as much as we are. They could be faking it or pretending to be perfect couples for.
Let’s take a look at two different couples. One teenage couple and an adult couple, both individuals are on social media.
These conversations have been edited for length and clarity.
NADIRA (SHE/THEY) & ASHER (THEY/THEM)
Two years together. Teenage couple.
Saniya Wilson-Powell: How does social affect your outlook on gay relationships?
Asher: In gay relationships, I thought it would be never showing affection in public or hiding being a couple because you would get dirty looks or would make people uncomfortable. And social media never portrayed gay couples showing affection, they only showed straight couples. So I didn’t think that was normal.
SWP: Do you post about your relationship often?
Asher: I would say I post my girlfriend often, she posts me too. But not as often because she’s not on social media that much.
SWP: Does social media have a positive or negative affect on your relationship?
Asher: Well, most of the time it’s negative
to be honest because people glamourize toxic relationships or the perfect kind of relationship. Which makes me feel like we have to be one or the other.
SWP: Do you think it’s different for gay couples now to post on social media than it was in 2014?
Asher: Yeah, in good ways and bad ways. Because now you can be more out with your sexuality, but then there are different perceptions and hidden messages when being in a gay relationship. Plus you still get comments and videos that are hurtful, but it’s not like in 2014 or 2015 where people said, “Gross, I don’t like gay couples.”
SWP: Does social media treat you and your girlfriend wrong or make you second guess yourself?
Asher: Yes, social media makes us feel like we have to do things in our relationship a certain way. But we had to learn that every relationship is different, just like ours.
SWP: How are you and your girlfriend doing right now?
Asher: We’re doing good. We feel like for the last 6 months we’ve been doing good. We think that learning about ourselves and each other makes our relationship stronger.
NICOLE (SHE/HER) & CHARLES (HE/HIM)
13 years together. Adult couple.
SWP: Do you post about your relationship often?
Nicole: I don’t post often about our relationship because I feel that our relationship is between us (Husband & Wife). Everything isn’t for social media either.
SWP: How does social affect your outlook on relationships as adults?
Nicole: No because a relationship is what you make it.
SWP: Does social media have a positive or negative affect on your relationship?
Nicole: Social media doesn’t have any effect on our relationship because we established our relationship before social media. Also what you see on social media isn’t always true because people do things just for social media.
SWP: How are you and your husbands doing right now?
Nicole: We are doing well. We are coming up on 5 years married and 13 years together.
SWP: Does social media treat you and your husband wrong or make you second guess yourself?
Nicole: No, we are secure in our relationship.
SWP: Why don’t you post your relationship?
Nicole: Social media is just that. To be social, not to post about your relationship!!
SWP: Do you think if you did post your relationship more often people would be in your face about it?
Nicole: No. But if I go out to an event and my husband isn’t with me, people do ask about him.
WHY BALTIMORE PUBLIC SCHOOLS CAN’T AFFORD A STATE TITLE
by Anika Stikeleather // November 2024
Championship banners line our high school gyms in many sports. Whether state or city titles there is no question about the sports legacy in Baltimore City. However grand the championship history of the city, it’s by no means an equitable one, as no Baltimore City Public School has ever competed for a state title in volleyball.
Coach Kendall Peace-Able of Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (Poly) has been a critical contributor to Baltimore’s modern championship history. As the Girls’ Varsity Basketball coach since 2002, her trophy case includes 2 MPSSAA Class 3A State Championships, 12 MPSSAA Regional Championships, 7 Baltimore City Cham-
pionships, and 4 Coach of the Year Honors. She has produced more than 100 collegiate athletes while maintaining a 100% graduation rate amongst her players. Her winning transcend a single sports season. Under her tenure Poly’s Varsity Volleyball program has dominated the city for more than a decade.
STARLINGS 16U PURPLE AT A REGIONAL VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT IN APRIL 2024.
This season, Coach Peace-Ables’ Engineers secured their 13th straight city title and a number of players have continued at the collegiate level including Division 1 programs such as the University of Delaware, University of New Orleans, and Alabama A&M University. However Coach PeaceAble does not want to conflate her success with the absence of a problem.
“The access parts of it have always been a thing,” Coach Peace-Able said.
Baltimore, like many cities across the country, is pricing kids out of youth sports.
A single season of play at Baltimore Elite Volleyball Club for a high school-age player ranges from $3,750 to $2,950 depending on the level of the team. A season at Master Volleyball Academy means similar prices: $3,975 for Select teams, $3,175 for National teams (18s is $2,975), $2,675 for travel teams, and $2,175 for regional teams.
Club volleyball is adamant according to Peace-Able: “If you don’t have the wherewithal, you can’t participate.”
Peace-Able, who coached at Baltimore Elite for a single season, had high praise for both the quality programming and Club director but recognized it did not serve the Baltimore community, and left Club to better focus on the girls in her program. Club volleyball for players from Baltimore City is “a huge hindrance to kids who want to play at the college level because of their ability to access formal instruction on a regular basis,” Coach Peace-Able explained. Playing club volleyball is a heavy investment in cash, time, and transportation; an investment many families can’t afford. This has shaped the high school volleyball landscape.
While Coach Peace-Able continues to chip away at the issue by offering open gyms for her players to get touches in the off-season while adhering to Maryland State coaching guidelines, that restrict
coaches from offering instruction in the off season, this is not a long-term solution. She recalls Baltimore Starlings Volleyball, a city club team that offered girls quality coaching for cheaper club fees. Peace-Able does not know why the program left but does know the impact has been felt.
Peace-Able, who has witnessed a notable shift in volleyball’s East Coast popularity over the last 20 years, can not say the same within city limits, rather the opposite, pointing to starlings as an example.
“You would never think that Poly and Edmondson would be in a five-game battle every year,” Coach Peace-Able said. “So to see those types of things change because the Starlings program is no longer, is huge to me.”
Starlings Volleyball is a national nonprofit offering volleyball programming in 70 cities and Native American Reservations across the US with more than 40,000 participants. Their goal is to “provide at-risk, disadvantaged youth with equal access to quality volleyball programs, regardless of financial hardship, ethnicity or skill level through exposure to training and participation in the sport of volleyball,” according to their website.
The Baltimore Starlings in the past gave girls a chance they would not have had otherwise. Tyshae Hunter, a Fredrick Douglass senior in 2017 participated in the program for five years. Her quote is still prominently featured on Starlings’ website: “I am a senior and would like to play in college. I have met many college coaches and played in many tournaments, but this couldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for the Baltimore Starlings program.”
WHAT ACCESS MEANS
In 2023 Starlings Volleyball returned to Baltimore City, and in speaking with players it is evident this iteration just like
the previous is creating opportunities that otherwise would not have been there. To be clear, Starling Volleyball, USA is a national umbrella for many volleyball organizations and does not make decisions about when and where teams start. Rather, coaches who identify with Starling’s mission start teams under their network and in connection with their resources. This most recent iteration of the club was founded by Peace-Able’s former player, Ashley Rogers
Courtney Waters, a sophomore at Baltimore City College, experienced Club volleyball for the first time last year through Starlings. It was clear one school season was enough to spark a passion; “I didn’t expect to love playing volleyball this much.” According to Courtney, many of her teammates were experiencing competitive volleyball for the first time. The same can not be said for other city clubs; “I know the girls at Elite, they’ve been playing for years.”
“They’re looking for certain people because certain people certainly will pay that certain price,” Western High School varsity volleyball player Koren Hood said.
Hood played for junior varsity last year, and this year, the 6 ‘1 sophomore has played every game for the Doves, Western High School’s varsity team. In speaking with Hood, it is clear her competitive fire existed before volleyball but by her own admission, the Starlings gave her the skills and mental strength to reach where she is today and the foundations to go further.
“I have two children and I was not spending $5,000, $6,000 on volleyball. You know, club volleyball, unfortunately in the city, it is clearly for a specific clientele.”
Courtney’s dad added how this early age of entry creates yet another hurdle for girls in the city. City club parents have expressed to him an “unsaid thing” and “they kind of want girls to go to certain schools.” These schools are anywhere that’s not a Baltimore City Public School. This sense that city girls do not belong in Baltimore club volleyball is not just internalized by parents but by the players.
“I definitely wouldn’t be on varsity today if it wasn’t for club,” said Hood.
Starlings taught her “how to be more happy” and the growth mindset she hopes to take into a collegiate volleyball career: “It’s okay to lose because it really just teaches you things that you need to do better.”
Hood’s clubmates echo the
same positive impact out-of-school volleyball was able to have on them.
“It’s like a safe haven for me,” Mikella Pickering, another sophomore at Western this year, said. She claimed her coach sees her more after participating in Starlings. Four of her Western teammates played club volleyball for the first time thanks to Starlings. Both Hood and Pickering commented on Poly’s dominance being accredited to their players having more access to club teams. 43% of Poly’s students
are economically disadvantaged compared to Western’s 68%, according to an annual survey of American high schools by US News. Additionally, Poly’s student body is significantly more white when compared to Western; 18.8% to 2.5%.
All of Poly’s recent collegiate players had club volleyball experience prior to being recruited. Elizabeth Sterling, Poly’s starting libero, hopes to follow in their footsteps and hopes Starlings can get her there.
“Most colleges only look out for people that are in club” Sterling said.
A HOUSE BUT NOT A HOME
Next College Student Athlete better known as the recruiting platform NCSA states it bluntly on their website. “College coaches primarily recruit club volleyball players” and this is because they are likely to have more experience and a higher level of training by competing in the sport year-round, additionally club players have experienced some of the highest levels of competition by competing with teams across state lines. Even more practically college coaches are able to attend major tournaments and see a number of players at once rather than single high school games. This means “you’re missing a whole lot of kids who can potentially be so much better,” according to Sterling.
In the Sterling household volleyball and family go hand and hand. Elizabeth was introduced to the sport by her older sister, Jhanea, and while the two play on opposite sides of the net for school, both played for Starlings last year. For Elizabeth, what used to be begrudging volleyball practices at the request of her sister, has now become “The one thing that drives me towards the end of the day.”
Elizabeth is grateful for Starlings because through the club she not only bonded with her team but honed her fundamen-
tal volleyball skills, improved her mentality, and experienced new competition.
The Starlings gave underclassmen with desires of collegiate play an opportunity for club play but also afforded players with years of experience the opportunity to play the game they love. Jhanae Sterling has five years of combined volleyball experience through middle school and high school. As a senior reflecting on her time playing “it made me feel more free” and “helped me grow into a more understanding person.” To hear her tell it, this year’s Western Doves are a mini family: “Those are my sisters.”
When asked why play for the Starlings her mother, Simone, answered clearly, “just more affordable.” Adding, “I have two children and I was not spending $5,000, $6,000 on volleyball. You know, club volleyball, unfortunately in the city, it is clearly for a specific clientele.”
Baltimore volleyball is trapped in the vicious cycle of the modern youth sports industrial complex and the clear loser of this system is city residents. Starlings Volleyball has not broken this cycle but rather introduced a small crack, but a crack alone can not solve this problem and consistent progress needs to be maintained before a state Volleyball champion can be crowned in Baltimore City.
This club season’s progress will not be maintained by Starlings Volleyball. In a message posted to the club’s donation form in the bio of its Instagram, “Due to challenges in securing affordable and consistent gym space, as well as Starling’s commitment to maintaining a maximum price of $850 per athlete” Starlings will have no teams for the 24-25 season. The message ended in certainty, “this is not the end of Starlings Baltimore.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The design, layout and production of the book was put together by Assata Makonnen, Lamine Niang, Amir Muhammad, and Anika Stikelather with support from Yifan Luo and Donte Kirby. Special thanks to CHARM Journalism mentors Megan Sayles and Tashi McQueen, and to Whitney Birenbaum for making this publication possible.
The cover for this publication was designed by Assata Makonnen, featuring a photo taken by Camille Coffey.
The photographs featured in the section headers were taken by Amir Muhammad.
Thank you to all the CHARM Report alumni and contributors that helped mold the publication into what it is today:
Nakiya Barts
Jack Basl
Meira Berlow
Shubhan Bhat
Shantika Bhat
Amaya Burke
Marquise Culp Jr
Margaret Dalbey
Renee Davis
Tianna Hunt
Demari Johnson
Khamyia Lucas
Assata Makonnen
Alexandra Miller
Faith Miller
Khira Moore
Amir Muhammad
Zoe Muher
Jenna Nesky
Lamine Niang
Mason Nowicki
Sarah Pobee
Kameran Rogers
Ta’nyia Sigler
Kristiana Smith
Anika Stikelather
Leila Sweenie
Khalime Truell
Tayanita Watson
Marley Walters
Maya Walker
Saniya Wilson-Powell
Iris Zheng
About CHARM
CHARM: Voices of Baltimore Youth is a literary-arts organization founded on the belief that kids’ voices matter. We are on a mission to support young people as they develop as writers, and provide a platform to amplify their voices through publication.
CHARM magazine was founded by a group of teachers and their students in 2014, and has since published 31 publications that feature the poetry, fiction, essays, and artwork of over 1,000 students from more than 50 public schools in Baltimore City.
In addition to our Student Editorial Board Journalism and Publications teams, we offer a host of other programming designed to support young writers and amplify student voices.
Want to get involved? Want to support our work? Check us out at www.charmlitmag.org for more information, and follow us on social media @charmlitmag.
