One Book Baltimore
One Book Baltimore provides opportunities for Baltimore City 7th and 8th graders, their families, and community members to connect through literature by reading the same book.
One Book Baltimore is a collaboration among several local organizations to provide opportunities for Baltimore City 7th and 8th graders, their families, and community members to connect through literature by reading the same book. Discussions and programming will be held across the city this fall to spark conversations focused on peace and how to promote change in our community.
2020 Selection: We Speak For Ourselves by D. Watkins
From the row houses of Baltimore to the stoops of Brooklyn, New York Times bestselling author D. Watkins lays bare the voices of the most vulnerable and allows their raw, intimate stories to uncover the systematic injustice threaded within our society. Honest and eye-opening, We Speak for Ourselves makes us listen, feel, and create a course toward change that starts right where we are.
Watkins introduces you to Down Bottom, the storied community of East Baltimore that holds a mirror to America's poor black neighborhoods β "hoods" that could just as easily be in Chicago, Detroit, Oakland, or Atlanta. We Speak for Ourselves offers an in-depth analysis of inner-city hurdles and honors the stories therein. Watkins shares the lessons he has learned while navigating through two very distinct worlds β the hood and the elite sanctums of prominent black thinkers and public figures β serving hope to fellow Americans who are too often ignored and calling on others to examine what it means to be a model activist in today's world. We Speak for Ourselves is a must-read for all who are committed to social change.
Check out this visual illustration of Chapter 15, "Don't Make It Out, Make It Better" from We Speak for Ourselves.
How to Participate
First, get the book. You can borrow a copy of We Speak for Ourselves from the Pratt Library through Sidewalk Service or Books by Mail.
Once you have a copy of the book, download the One Book Baltimore Discussion Guide (PDF).
Once you have read the book, make your voice heard and create writing or artwork inspired by We Speak For Ourselves. CHARM Voices of Baltimore Youth is collecting poetry, prose, and visual art to be included in a virtual museum.
Select submissions will be included in a literary publication, and the chosen artists will get a copy of the publication for free. Submissions are accepted through January 29 by emailing submissions@charmlitmag.org.
Upcoming One Book Baltimore programs
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What is Baltimore like according to you? How do you see it? What do you want others to know about your life …November 26 -
Make a 3-4 minute recording of yourself with your phone reciting a portion of One Book Baltimore's We Speak for Ourselves…November 26 -
During the month of November, the Edmondson Avenue branch is giving away free Grab & Go kits in partnership with…November 26, 10 AM -
Create string art in the safety and comfort of your own home with a free kit while thinking about peace and themes of this…November 26, 10 AM -
As we continue to focus on the themes discussed in One Book Baltimore we invite 7th and 8th graders to cultivate their voice…December 1, 4 PM
A Community Collaboration
One Book Baltimore is a collaboration between the T. Rowe Price Foundation, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore City Public Schools, Maryland Humanities, Baltimore Ceasefire 365, Maryland Book Bank, the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, Johns Hopkins University Brain Science Institute, and WBAL-TV11.
