Our first Chesapeake Conversation was held on Jan. 17th in celebration of both the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday which coincided with the Jewish holiday of Tu B'shvat this year. This event generated a huge amount of interest with 378 people registering to attend. Ultimately 266 people joined us to virtually screen the short documentary/film trailer called “Disruption: Baltimore’s Highway to Nowhere”, followed by a panel discussion.

Together we learned that the “Highway to Nowhere” was constructed as Baltimore's I-170; a failed U.S. interstate highway, which caused severe damage to many of Baltimore's most vibrant Black communities. When the project was abandoned before completion, it left a wake of near-irreparable damage in this once thriving American community.

After the film, we held an deep and resounding panel discussion into the long term effects of the project and heard about possible ways that healing could happen. Hear what our panelists below had to say.