One Year, One City

“Looking Back, Moving Forward” was the culminating event of Loyola’s Year of the City celebration. The event took place this past Tuesday and reflected upon events that made the YOTC celebration what is was. The audience was invoked to reflect upon Loyola’s relationship with Baltimore. Fellow students, project leaders, and administrators spoke of events that occurred over the past two semesters that strengthened this relationship between this intricate city and our cultured college.

The idea for Year of the City came from Father Linnane. After the destruction that New Orleans suffered after Hurricane Katrina swept through, many eye-opening qualities were exposed. How cities operate, the number of people left behind, and the amount of the impoverished, ignored and forgotten people were all topics in the public eye. Fr. Linnane believed that urbanization is an essential part of Jesuit education. For this reason, there was a quest for Loyola College and its students to establish a deeper connection with the city of Baltimore. Fr. Linnane believed that Loyola "looked up and over the city". He wanted the college and its community to realize the beauty that Baltimore truly has to offer. Thus, the Year of the City was born.

Throughout this closing ceremony there were different speakers who spoke of personal experiences with members of the Baltimore city and members of the community. The speaker that I found most interesting was Jessica Kimak. Ms. Kimak was involved in Habitat for Humanity. Kimak, along with fellow Loyola students ventured to North Fulton Avenue to help restore a home for a local Baltimore woman named Katherine. The area of Baltimore was in a neighborhood which one would usually, “lock their door” when driving through. By helping restore the house for Katherine, members of Habitat for Humanity were rebuilding a piece of Baltimore. Kimak concluded her speech with, “Habitat for Humanity was an education outside of the classroom”.

The Year of the City promoted this education outside of the classroom. However, inside the classroom, we learned about literature that can relate not only to the YOTC but also to the association between Loyola and Baltimore. Jane Jacobs’, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, is a piece of literature that is centered on metropolises and boundaries. Where our college campus is located, which sits on the outskirts of Baltimore, creates a boundary between the city and our college. Just physical location breaks this relationship apart. A lack of understanding for this city and not appreciating the culture that Baltimore has to offer obviously makes the connection between Loyola and Baltimore even further. Yet, in spite of location and preconceptions, the Year of the City has made a significant impact on the Loyola community.

As the end of sophomore year is creeping closer and closer, I was reflecting back on Loyola and Baltimore while writing this blog. Before this class and more importantly this year, I did not know anything about Baltimore. I knew it had an awesome aquarium and a nice harbor area, but I did not know about the people or the neighborhoods of this city. By taking a city bus, visiting museums, and lectures, I have learned that a city is more than its world renowned focal points. A city, such as Baltimore, is about the people who are forgotten, the places that were once boarded up but now restored, and breaking down boundaries. Since I am traveling abroad for my junior year, I know I will definitely miss Loyola and our tightly-knit community. Even more importantly, I have learned to love Baltimore and I know I will miss this city just as much next year.