Baltimore suffers from a culture of violence that can only be addressed at the root, and author, educator and filmmaker Robert Douglas seeks to start a conversation about effective solutions with a new book and public forum on the issue.
Author, filmmaker, and community activist Robert Douglas is looking to address the root causes of violence and other social issues in Baltimore with a new book and public forum.(photo courtesy of Robert Douglas)
On April 24, Douglas will release his third book, The New Souls of Black Folk, which looks at a number of issues, including single-parent homes, the limits of prison education, and the search for identity in urban environments. For Douglas, the problems existing in urban communities like Baltimore are rooted in a fatalism that afflicts many individuals, and requires addressing conditions which produce a “darkness of soul,” the mindset where one’s horizons are informed by low expectations that become their own sort of glass ceiling.
In taking this approach, Douglas wants the reader to think about blackness not in terms of a particular race, but in terms of a limited set of possible conditions or outcomes. “When you think of the color spectrum there’s so many colors, so when you’re limited to one color, when you’re limited to these few circumstances that are around you, you start to shape your mind around those circumstances which begin to govern your actions,” said Douglas.
The book looks at problems from both a statistical standpoint and an anecdotal one, using stories to illustrate the issues discussed. For example, in looking at the issue of single-parent homes, Douglas says he interviewed single parents as well as persons no longer involved in their children’s lives in order to get as holistic a picture possible.
The book, however, is not intended to sell solutions. “This book was written for the purpose of having discussion around these topics. It’s not a self-help book where I have all of the answers written down in the book. I want to begin having real discussions around these issues.”
In pursuit of that aim, Douglas has organized a forum for April 13, titled, “Attacking the Violence,” which will take place in the Wheeler Auditorium of the Enoch Pratt Central Library.
Violence is not an academic issue for Douglas, who grew up in Baltimore and who lost his brother and best friend to violence. “I want people from the community to come out and voice their opinions,” said Douglas, “because a lot of times what happens is there’s a lot of people who are in positions, who are in power, who are community leaders, they come out to these meetings and they share their perspectives but we don’t get the community’s real perspective. So that’s what I’m seeking to get.”
Douglas says he is looking for ideas and suggestions to incorporate into a non-profit he has created, The Garden of Baltimore, which will begin operating in May. It will initially focus on helping parents that do not have a high school diploma earn their degree and gain job-readiness skills. “We want to branch out to bringing about real solutions to the violence, but we need to hear from the community first in order to know which direction we need to go in in order to bring about actual, real solutions,” said Douglas.
“Attacking the Violence” will begin at 5:30 p.m. on April 13, and feature Joseph Manko, principal of Liberty Elementary School; Shannon Sneed, senior communications specialist with the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development; and Samuel Johnson of the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management. The Enoch Pratt Central Library is located at 400 Cathedral St. in Baltimore.
ralejandro@afro.com
