“We are all affected.”

Following the unrest and peaceful protests, a mandatory curfew, and general uncertainty in the city of Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray—and later, the announcement of the charges brought against the police officers involved—the Loyola community gathered on the Quad on the evening of Friday, May 1, for “Thinking About Baltimore: We Are All Affected.”

“This historic week for our city has given us much to consider as a university community that is located and deeply invested in Baltimore,” Loyola President Rev. Brian Linnane, S.J., said in a letter to the community earlier in the week. “As the news has unfolded, and we have witnessed reports of both demonstrations and violence in Baltimore, as well as protests occurring in cities around the country, we come face to face with issues that are often easier to overlook or set aside.”

“Thinking About Baltimore: We Are All Affected” provided a platform to acknowledge these issues that are often set aside. The gathering offered students, faculty, staff, and community members an opportunity to share, discuss, and reflect on the week’s events that affected each member of the Loyola community as well as the greater Baltimore area.

Speakers included students who shared stories of racial and social injustice and of their experiences in the peaceful protests in Baltimore and in helping clean up after the destruction of Monday night’s riots; faculty members; and administrators from ALANA Services, the Center for Community, Service, and Justice, and Campus Ministry, among other departments on campus.

The photographs below are of the Loyola community, coming together to stand in solidarity with our city, to pray for peace and social justice, and to commit to being leaders in making for a better tomorrow in our community—and beyond.

The on-campus gathering was part of numerous activities in which students participated around the community, including a peaceful rally on York Road and joining with the York Road Initiative in cleaning up areas of the northern corridor that had been impacted by the unrest.

The office of student engagement and Campus Ministry invited members of the Loyola community to write why they love Baltimore on a whiteboard, pose for a photo, and share on social media using the #OneBaltimore hashtag.