Build Bridges, Not Walls
At the same time that Robinson was learning about the issues of public health and occupational health, she found another cause within the Johns Hopkins community: relations between the Hopkins campus and the areas around it, especially the neighborhood known as Middle East, Baltimore.
In this paper for a course, Robinson explored the history between the Johns Hopkins campus and the surrounding communities of East Baltimore, finding that in the past Johns Hopkins had been at its most cooperative during the 1970s and 1980s, but that the community spirit had since faded, leaving community members wondering if Johns Hopkins would continue to expand into their neighborhoods.
As always, Robinson's emphasis was on the community and change; in her conclusion she encouraged Johns Hopkins community members to keep this history in mind, saying: "Especially in this year of celebration of the 100th anniversary of Johns Hopkins Medicine it is only right that those of us who are members of the JHMI community learn this
history, build on the positive aspects of it and strive to overcome
the negative."
Never one to let a problem stand unaddressed, Robinson became involved with a group called "Bridges Not Walls", made up of Johns Hopkins community members who wanted to forge better connections between Johns Hopkins and the surrounding communities. In this document, Bridges Not Walls drafted their mission and goals, with an emphasis on "community renewal, inclusion and empowerment." Their specific strategies included ensuring that community members were able to work with Johns Hopkins for grant writing and that the community's voice was represented in Johns Hopkins' decision making.
Bridges Not Walls hosted events in support of greater diversity on the Johns Hopkins campus, especially around issues of race, class, and gender. These events were sometimes an opportunity to host a scholar who specialized in a given issue, but at other times the events were an opportunity for Hopkins community members to gather and advocate for a more inclusive and diverse campus.
As the group continued on for several years, it became involved with more issues around the Hopkins campus, including advocating for Hopkins contractors to hire their workers from the East Baltimore community. During this time, Bridges Not Walls was led by Marisela Gomez as president; Gomez later wrote Race, Class, Power, and Organizing in East Baltimore using East Baltimore as a case study in urban development issues.
Further Reading:
Betty Garman Robinson Papers, Series 3: Save Middle East Action Committee (SMEAC) and Related Organizing Files (1991-2009)