Al Sharpton Backs Black Entertainment District in Baltimore
May 18th, 2010 by Bilal Ali
The Rev. Al Sharpton stopped in Baltimore to support a proposal to
create a black cultural arts and entertainment district in the city.
Sharpton
was the guest of radio talk show host and former state Sen. Larry Young
at the downtown rally.Several hundred people turned out at the
War Memorial Building to voice their support for the proposed district.“If
Baltimore can find a way to develop the harbor, if they can find a way
to develop casinos, they can find a way to develop symbols of self
respect, and self worth and self regard for the children of Baltimore
city,” Sharpton said. “You made deals for the stadium, you made deals
for developers. Now let’s make a deal for the children of Baltimore.”The
Baltimore Arts, Culture and Entertainment Consortium has its eye on
real estate just south of M&T Bank Stadium.The group said
with the help of state and local tax breaks, and private funding,
transforming the area into a family-friendly district is achievable. It
could include a recreation center, a senior center, book stores, a
concert hall, a comedy club, boutique shops, night clubs and other
businesses.Young said he has been trying to make something like
this happen for the past 25 years.”We can create an art culture
and entertainment business district right here in Baltimore that can be
just as competitive as the underground in Atlanta, just as competitive
as the renaissance in Harlem and that was the idea. It’s much more than
night life. I’m talking about six, seven, eight blocks in our concept,”
Young said.City Council President Jack Young showed up.
Councilman Carl Stokes came too. He said he wanted to learn more about
the project. The consortium came together just this week.”An
attempt for the African-American community to come together and become
self-empowered and bring something positive back to the downtown,” event
organizer Eric Stewart said.Members of the consortium said they
are looking forward to meeting with the mayor to discuss their proposal.