Sharp Leadenhall

After our trip to Lexington Market, we made our way down to Sharp Leadenhall to meet community members in the St. Stephen's and James Church on Hanover Street. There was not a significant amount of research done on the part of my classmates, nor was there enough back story to engage everyone fully into what this community has been through. There was also not very much organization to our interviews, and a lack of communication to the people in which we were speaking to.

We were supposed to break up into groups and interview people simultaneously. Instead, when the interviewees came into the room, they just sat down and started talking to the entire group. This was the first thing I learned from this experience: whatever happens in research is the way it's supposed to happen. Mrs. Claudette wanted ALL of us to hear her story. Then it was time for Mrs. June Hopkins to speak, followed by Betty Bland Thomas, and finally the Pastor of the church. While only one of us in the class was given practice in recording an interview, I think it was important for everyone in the class to hear each person's story and view on the neighborhood instead of a segmented perspective.

We learned all about the church and the historical designation they want to bring to the neighborhood to protect it from further development on behalf of city entertainment planning. They also heavily discussed how the Raven's games affect them every week, especially regarding parking, loitering, and polluting of the neighborhood.

When the topic of leaving out the church as a historical monument came up, Mrs. Claudette became very upset. She was very passionate about restoring its historical value and not allowing the city to "buy God". The idea of bulldozing a building from 1848 seemed completely horrendous, and was something that needed preservation as a monument of Baltimore history.
The pastor seemed to have a different opinion, considering he knew how much money it would cost for upkeep of an historical site, and it was money the church didn't have. These differences in opinion and tensions helped me understand why it takes so much effort and time to create community engagement and accomplish things when so many perspectives, opinions, and mindsets are at the table.

All in all, it was a good experience. I hope my fellow classmates took away from it as much as I did.