Last Updated on December 26, 2023
Multiracial Awareness Discussion Group
Lois Schmidt, Leader
Joan Green, Co-Leader
We offer opportunities for learning and discussion about race for those concerned with racial justice and harmony.
Meeting Frequency & Location
Have you felt like the race problems in our would are too big but you are still concerned and want to make a difference? Have you wondered about questions like, “How can I talk comfortably with someone who is different from me? Why is it important to talk about race? What brought us to this place and time with regard to racial issues? What would a racially just and equitable society look and feel like? Will we ever get there?”
We invite you to join in the discussion. The group will start by looking at some of the historical events and doctrines, perpetuated by community institutions and the government that have affected race and racial perceptions.
| SCHEDULE | TIME | LOCATION |
| 2nd or 3rd Friday of the Month | 10:00 am – noon | To be announced |
Multiracial Awareness Discussion Group Goals and Objective
Our Goal: A shared focus on the importance of continuing our discussion of structural racism and our common interest in developing racial justice.
To accomplish this goal, we will:
- Continue our comparative analysis of American history and today’s responses to racial prejudice;
- Gain an understanding of how traditional views (for example, of “melting pot” theories and “colorblindness” policies) have ignored and denied racism in the United States;
- Expand our discussion of social issues and institutions that maintain racism;
- Alter prejudicial patterns of thought and behavior; and
- Seek ways to build racial equity and inclusion to help create a new and more hopeful legacy for now and for future generations.
Program on Life under Segregation in Baltimore March 13
The Multiracial Awareness Discussion Group welcomes all to a program:
Voices of Baltimore: Life Under Segregation
Showing of this documentary, with historical context and personal accounts presented by resident Dr. Eugenia Collier, author, educator and critic.
Friday, March 13, 2026
10 AM – Noon
Caton Woods Auditorium
Voices of Baltimore: Life Under Segregation [Thinkport] is a documentary featuring oral histories of African Americans navigation Jim Crow era Maryland. Dr. Eugenia Collier, a Baltimore-born author, educator, and critic (best know for Marigolds), is a notable figure whose life and work reflect the themes of African American history and resilience in Baltimore.
Voices of Baltimore (documentary)
Focus: The film preserves memories of seven African Americans who lived through legalized segregation, covering education, leisure and daily life.
Content: It includes personal accounts of experiences in Baltimore and surrounding areas, exploring how residents dealt with segregation on the Mason-Dixon line.
Purpose: The project serves as an educational resource to promote dialogue about the Jim Crow era, featuring topics such as insulation/isolation and expectations.
Eugenia Collier
Background: Born in 1928, Dr. Collier is a retired college professor who taught at institutions like Coppin State College in Baltimore.
Connection to History: She experienced the era documented in Voices of Baltimore firsthand, often discussing the importance of documenting African American experiences and literature.
Literary Work: Known for her 1969 short story Marigolds, which explores childhood, poverty and coming-of-age in a Maryland community during the Great Depression.
While the Voices of Baltimore documentary focuses on collective memory of the Jim Crow era, Dr. Collier represents the intellectual, literary and personal history of that generation of black Baltimoreans.