Good News, Bad News

The Good News:

Bill Ferguson, fellow Teach For America alum, tireless advocate, and all around great human being , won the 46th District Maryland State Senate Democratic Primary! He beat out a guy who held the job for 27 years (or something like that) by utilizing his network and social media to get the young and thriving city involved. I'm really excited about what this means for the future of Baltimore City, specifically the school system and the kids. Baltimore's Time is Now!

Learn about Bill's goals, energy and commitment to the people of Baltimore City here.


Watch his reaction to the win here.




The Bad News:

There was a shooting in Johns Hopkins Hospital yesterday. A patient's son shot his mother's doctor, killed his mother and then killed himself.

Ironically, last year's season finale of Grey's Anatomy that was already set to air last night (next week is the season premier) depicted essentially the same scenario: Distraught and frustrated patient unhappy with his loved one's care shoots the doctor. Here is a quick post: 'Grey's gets warning after Johns Hopkins shooting' from CNN's The Marquee Blog.

Honestly, this frustrates me. Baltimore has a bad rep. Gangs, drugs, the streets, the corners. This extremely unfortunate and shocking incident actually has nothing to do with why Baltimore has been labeled "rough," yet will inevitably add to the stereotype that Baltimore is an unsafe place to live and work. I don't feel unsafe at all. As my dad frequently reminds me, I can't get too comfortable and always need to be aware, but overall, I am not fearful for my health, safety or life. I'm not afraid to walk home from school, enjoy the parks around campus, or to ride the city bus system. I love Baltimore and I'm frustrated that the events of yesterday might be linked to the crime and violence that plagues some of our neighborhoods instead of seen as a situation that could have happened at any hospital in any city.

Baltimore does have issues that need to be addressed. There is crime and there are gangs. But thankfully we also have hope, we BELIEVE that Baltimore's Time is Now. The problems are not too big to fix as long as we are working at them from every angle: the school system, the health of our small businesses, the development of the neighborhoods as well as the waterfront, the health care system, the homeless population...

Part of the reason I joined Teach For America is because the vision statement includes the reality that not all teachers will stay in teaching. We, in fact, don't want all teachers to stay in the classroom, we want people to become inspired by the problems facing our most precious youth and then go fix them. We want Bill Ferguson to fight for our school system in the Maryland State Senate and we want good doctors that will care for our kids and families that have been underserved for generations. I hope that the doctors, nurses and all of the hospital faculty, the current medical school students and especially the prospective medical students that were interviewing yesterday know that Baltimore is not unsafe. The people of Baltimore need quality health care and deserve quality doctors that are comfortable living and working in Baltimore City.

My heart goes out to the doctor that was injured yesterday. I hope that he and his family are able to recover and heal with the support and love of the Johns Hopkins and Baltimore City communities.