Baltimore Sister Cities

baltimoresistercities.org

May 27 | Our Home Too

Photo collage of Asian Americans; Photos of the speakers; event title; partner logos

A Forum in Support of Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities

Date: Thursday, May 27, 2021
Time: 7-8:30pm
Format: Zoom webinar
Admission: Free (advance registration required).
More info & to register: aapi2021.eventbrite.com

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM), a time when we recognize the history and achievements of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. Unfortunately, this year’s celebrations are marred by increasing rates of targeted violence against AAPI individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. These actions are rooted in our nation’s history of periodic exclusion, discrimination, racism, and xenophobia which have long been juxtaposed with the vitality, promise, and mutual benefit endowed by our diversity of backgrounds and experiences.

Please join Baltimore Sister Cities and our partners in solidarity, community and celebration as we honor the invaluable contributions of AAPI communities in Baltimore and Maryland. During this panel discussion, we will explore what AAPI heritage means to all of us. How have AAPI communities contributed to Baltimore and American history? What are AAPI communities currently doing to contribute to culture, the arts, activism, and public service in our region? What new directions are they calling for?

Speakers include:

  • Mayor Brandon M. Scott — Mayor of Baltimore city
  • Linda Yuriko Kato, RSCJ, Ph.D. — Senior Consultant for Society of the Sacred Heart – U.S. Canada Province
  • Christina Wong Poy — Administrative Director, Maryland Governor’s Commissions on Asian Pacific American Affairs and South Asian American Affairs
  • Mark Chang — Delegate for District 32 Anne Arundel County, Maryland State House of Delegates
  • Dana Petersen Moore — Baltimore City Chief Equity Officer and Director of Baltimore’s Office of Equity and Civil Rights
  • Nerissa Paglinauan — Program Manager, Asian Arts & Culture Center at Towson University

Moderator: Teresa Leslie from Baltimore Sister Cities.

More info & to register: aapi2021.eventbrite.com

Event partners

Logos of the event partners

Baltimore Sister Cities (BSC)
This webinar is organized by Baltimore Sister Cities in honor of its Asian sister city committees (Changwon, South Korea; Kawasaki, Japan; Xiamen, China).

Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MIMA)

Asian Arts & Culture Center at Towson University (AA&CC)

Food Resilience in Maryland

Empty plate with fork and knife. Event title, date, and logos of the participating organizations.

Did you miss our recent webinar about Food Resilience in Maryland? Watch the recording here: youtu.be/_-WyWs2O6Dk

Featuring these speakers:

  • Holly Freishtat – Food Policy Director, Baltimore Office of Sustainability
  • Meg Kimmel – Executive Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer, Maryland Food Bank
  • Eric Jackson – Founder and Servant-Director, Black Yield Institute

About this event

Food insecurity is rampant in Baltimore, with nearly a quarter of the city’s residents struggling to acquire healthy, affordable food. While local urban farmers, religious leaders, and advocates are fighting for food justice in the city, accessibility and availability to food remains a concern to many residents. The COVID-19 pandemic has only served to exacerbate the problem by increasing the number of people in need.

In this webinar the problem of food insecurity is discussed. What is food insecurity/resilience? Whom does food insecurity primarily impact in Baltimore? What is Baltimore currently doing to move from food insecurity to food resilience? How has COVID-19 impacted food insecurity/resilience? How do we build resilient food systems in Baltimore?

And we encourage you to support the great work these organizations are doing to bring healthy food to our community:
Donate to Maryland Food Bank
Donate to Black Yield Institute

May 6 | Food Resilience in Maryland

Empty plate with fork and knife. Event title, date, and logos of the participating organizations.

Why are people hungry?

Food insecurity is rampant in Baltimore, with nearly a quarter of the city’s residents struggling to acquire healthy, affordable food. While local urban farmers, religious leaders, and advocates are fighting for food justice in the city, accessibility and availability to food remains a concern to many residents. The COVID-19 pandemic has only served to exacerbate the problem by increasing the number of people in need.

In this webinar the problem of food insecurity will be discussed. What is food insecurity/resilience? Whom does food insecurity primarily impact in Baltimore? What is Baltimore currently doing to move from food insecurity to food resilience? How has COVID-19 impacted food insecurity/resilience? How do we build resilient food systems in Baltimore?

Speakers

  • Holly Freishtat – Food Policy Director, Baltimore Office of Sustainability
  • Meg Kimmel – Executive Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer, Maryland Food Bank
  • Eric Jackson – Founder and Servant-Director, Black Yield Institute

More information

Video recording of the event: youtu.be/_-WyWs2O6Dk

Event page: foodresilience.eventbrite.com

And we encourage you to support the great work these organizations are doing to bring healthy food to our community:
Donate to Maryland Food Bank
Donate to Black Yield Institute

May 6 & 22 | Baltimore Sister Cities at Enoch Pratt Free Library

Photo collage with child in Korean Hanbok outfit, Dutch tile with windmill image, and a red Chinese paper fan

Baltimore’s public library hosts Imagination Celebration (formerly known as the Fairy Tale festival) throughout the month of May. This signature event celebrates creativity and honors diverse voices and experiences within children’s literature and our communities.

Baltimore Sister Cities offers fun activities for kids from some of the countries around the world where we have sister cities! Admission is free.

May 6 at 11am: Pratt Virtual Storytime Live! — Changwon, South Korea

Join us for a special storytime with the Changwon City Committee of Baltimore Sister Cities! Together, we’ll read a story and learn about traditional Korean dances and clothing.

Time: 11am
Location: This event takes place online. Dial-in information: Event page on the library website

May 22: Dutch Tile Painting — Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Join the Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister Cities Committee and learn how to decorate typical Dutch blue-and-white Delftware tiles. Delftware is a famous painting style from the Netherlands that became well-known around the world in the 17th century. Channel your creativity in this workshop and give these characteristic tiles a unique, personal touch.

Time: 2 timeslots: 1pm and 2pm
Location: Outdoors at Washington Village (Pigtown) branch of the library, at 856 Washington Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21230.

This program is limited to 10 participants per timeslot and pre-registration is required. To register, call the Washington Village Branch at (410) 396-1099 or email wsh@prattlibrary.org

Event page on the library website (1pm slot)
Event page on the library website (2pm slot)

May 22: Chinese Fan: Take & Make Kit — Xiamen, China

Celebrate Chinese culture with the Baltimore-Xiamen Sister City Committee. Pick up a kit to make your own traditional Chinese folded fan. This take & make kit will be available at the Washington Village Branch on May 22 from 1pm to 4pm on a first come, first served basis, while supplies last.

Time: Available for pickup between 1pm-4pm
Location: Washington Village (Pigtown) branch of the library, at 856 Washington Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21230.

Event page on the library website

Organized by Baltimore-Changwon Sister City Committee (BCSCC), Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee (BRSCC), and Baltimore-Xiamen Sister City Committee (BXSCC), in conjunction with Enoch Free Pratt Library.

Our Message to the Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities

Map of world showing the locations of Baltimore's sister cities. Text says: In solidarity with AAPI communities

— April 2021 —

Baltimore Sister Cities (BSC) stands united and in solidarity with members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities in Baltimore and in all parts of the United States. Especially as home to three Sister City relationships in Asia (Changwon, Korea; Kawasaki, Japan; and Xiamen, China), BSC deplores the events of the past year targeting members of AAPI communities. We are outraged at this senseless violence and abhor the pain and hurt inflicted on our AAPI colleagues and friends.

BSC makes this statement with awareness that anti-Asian violence is woven into the very history of our country. The Chinese massacre of 1871, the attacks on Filipino American farmworkers in the 1930’s, the angry incarceration in prison camps of Japanese Americans during WWII, and the violent arson by the Ku Klux Clan of Vietnamese American fishing boats in the 1970’s, were all emboldened by dehumanizing stereotypes and prejudice perpetuated towards Asians who immigrated into the American landscape. This normalizing of racism has continued in language like “Kung Flu” and “China Plague” in recent months.

BSC is committed to fighting prejudice and to creating dialogues on all forms of discrimination. It leads with a purpose of promoting cultural interchanges that can foster new and more culturally aware engagement. It is not what we say in the short term, but what we remain dedicated to that has lasting effects. BSC has vowed to send a strong message by providing an opportunity for an open dialogue of discussion with a distinguished group of panelists that will shed light on violence against AAPI communities. Within the next few weeks we will be announcing a live event and webinar discussion to educate and create awareness of AAPI issues and their long-term effects.

May 19 | Egyptian Ambassador Tawfik

Photo of Ambassador Tawfik; event title, date and time; logos of event partners

A Novelist’s Journey Across 20th Century Egypt: An Afternoon with Ambassador Tawfik

Location: Online
Admission: Free
Time: 1pm ET
Event page: calendar.prattlibrary.org/event/writers_live_ambassador_mohamad_tawfik

Join us for an afternoon with Ambassador Mohamad Tawfik as he discusses his work as a diplomat, novelist, and everything in between. 

Ambassador Mohamed Tawfik is a career diplomat and novelist who translates his own works into English.  Ambassador Tawfik was Egypt’s first Ambassador to the U.S after the revolution and took part in numerous negotiations on disarmament, labor, human rights and trade.  Educated at Cairo University and the Université de Paris, Tawfik has written several collections of short stories and three novels in Arabic. In 1997, an English selection of his shorts was published under the title The Day the Moon Fell. His novels form a trilogy, the last two books of which  – Murder in the Tower of Happiness (2007, AUC Press) and Candygirl (2012, AUC Press) – are also available in English. He generally publishes his works of fiction under the name M. M. Tawfik. A member of the Egyptian Writers Union, Pen International, the Geneva Writers Group and ACT Writers of Australia, he has conducted creative writing workshops in person and online. He is literary editor of arabworldbooks.com.

The event is moderated by Karen Leggett Abouraya, Co-Chair, Baltimore Luxor Alexandria Sister City Committee.

Organized by Baltimore-Luxor-Alexandria Sister City Committee (BLASCC) in conjunction with Enoch Free Pratt Library.

Apr 25 | Can our devices show empathy?

Cover of el Kaliouby's book; photo of el Kaliouby; title of event and brief info about it; logos of the hosting organizations

Virtual conversation with Egyptian American Rana el Kaliouby, CEO of the computer company Affectiva and author of her memoir, Girl Decoded: A Scientist’s Quest to Reclaim our Humanity by Bringing Emotional Intelligence to Technology. Rana is a lively speaker who surmounted numerous challenges from her childhood in Egypt to a career transforming technology and our devices in America. 

Date & time: Sunday, April 25 4-5pm EDT
RSVP at tinyurl.com/GirlDecodedEgypt 
More information: baltimoreegypt.org

Hosted by Baltimore-Luxor-Alexandria Sister City Committee (BLASCC) and Montgomery County Middle Eastern American Advisory Group.

Asia North: A Celebration of Art, Culture & Community

Flower graphic with text label:Asia North: A Celebration of Art, Culture & Community

April 10 – May 15 | Exhibition and Virtual Festival

Celebrate art, culture, and the Korean history and heritage of Baltimore’s Charles North community. Regional AAPI artists and organizations present an exhibit and virtual festival including artist talks, performances, cooking demonstrations, and art workshops.

Program includes:

  • Asian North 2021 artist exhibition: On view online and in socially distanced locations throughout the Station North Arts District
  • April 10: Asia North 2021 Virtual Kick-Off Event
  • April 10: Charm City Night Market presents online cooking demonstration with Brown Rice
  • April 17: Virtual Workshop: Exploring Identity through Culture
  • April 21: Virtual Concert: Dong Xi – The Way
  • April 30: Virtual Workshop: Zinemaking 101
  • May 7: Virtual Workshop: Making Stories with Where We’re From

See full program and details on Asian Arts & Culture Center events page.

Presented by Towson University Asian Arts & Culture Center and Central Baltimore Partnership. Promoted by Baltimore Sister Cities’ Asian committees (Changwon, South Korea; Kawasaki, Japan; Xiamen, China). The Changwon and Kawasaki sister city committees are contributing cultural performances to the program.

Towson University Asian Arts and Culture Center logo - 50th year anniversary

Architecture & Urban Design Webinars

Baltimore and Rotterdam waterfronts

This lecture series features speakers from the U.S.A. about Baltimore’s cityscape and urban design, and speakers from the Netherlands about innovative construction materials and circular design systems such as reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling in the built environment. Lectures are 1 hr followed by 20 min discussion with Q&A. Open to the public. Admission is free. Advance registration required.

SCHEDULE

(subject to change)

FEBRUARY 8 | Reinventing the Industrial Legacy City: Baltimore

Klaus Philipsen, FAIA, ArchPlan (Baltimore)

This event is past. Video recording: youtu.be/nTBox73wil8

MARCH 8 | A vessel for change: Floating Office Rotterdam

Albert Richters, Powerhouse Company (the Netherlands)

This event is past. Video recording: youtu.be/GDgFNEn_W7s

MARCH 17 | Applying circular economy principles to the built environment

Nico Schouten & Andrew McCue, Metabolic (the Netherlands)

This event is past. Video recording: youtu.be/pm_IRDtKs1I

APRIL 7 | Write it down instead of writing it off: Materials passports for the built environment

Marijn Emanuel, Madaster (the Netherlands)

Originally scheduled for March 15, this event has been MOVED to April 7.

This event is past. Video recording: youtu.be/PzDrvGZpJfQ

APRIL 15 | An Ecology of Equity

April De Simone, Co-Founder, Designing the WE (producers of the Undesign the Redline interactive exhibit, workshop series and curriculum) (USA)

This event is past. Video recording: youtu.be/esT5QCtMYdg

WEBINAR SERIES SPONSORS

Thank you to our bronze-level sponsor: Brennan + Company

RELATED WEBINAR SERIES

2023 webinar series

2022 webinar series


Lecture series organized by Cristina Murphy, Assistant Professor at Morgan State University School of Architecture + Planning (MSU SA+P) with assistance from Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee (BRSCC).

Morgan State University School of Architecture logo; Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee logo

2020 Year in Review: Baltimore Sister Cities

Annual Report & Plan

Baltimore Sister Cities Annual Accomplishments Report for 2020 (PDF, 2mb)

Baltimore Sister Cities Annual Plan for 2021 (PDF, 1mb)

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • …
  • 13
  • Next Page »

Contact Baltimore Sister Cities


Follow us on LinkedIn

Donate

Baltimore Sister Cities, Inc. is a qualified 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization and donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. No goods or services were provided for this gift. Please consult your tax advisor regarding specific questions about your deductions.

 

Web site copyright © 2023 Baltimore Sister Cities, Inc.

logo-baltimoreBaltimore sister city committees operate under the auspices of the City of Baltimore’s Office of the Mayor.

 

Brandon M. Scott, Mayor

 

Previous mayor’s Dec 2015 press release about Baltimore Sister Cities.

 

Baltimore Sister Cities, Inc. is a 501c3 organization incorporated in the State of Maryland.
Member of  Sister Cities International, Maryland Nonprofits, World Trade Center Institute, Visit Baltimore, & affiliate of Maryland International Education Consortium.
Recipient of 2016 Innovation Award from Sister Cities International.