Preserve the Baltimore Uprising

The "Preserve the Baltimore Uprising" digital archive is a community-driven initiative established to collect and share media created by individuals and organizations involved in or observing the protests following Freddie Gray's death in 2015. Partnering with the Maryland Center for History and Culture, the archive has gathered over 3,000 documents, including images and oral histories, as of 2018. These materials often provide alternative narratives to mainstream media reports, emphasizing themes of hope and reform rather than focusing solely on violence. Co-founded by Dr. Denise Meringolo, an Associate Professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and Joe Tropea, Curator of Films & Photographs at the Maryland Historical Society, the project also involves faculty and staff from several institutions, including the University of Baltimore, Coppin State University, Morgan State University, Maryland Institute College of Art, Johns Hopkins University, and the Maryland State Archives. The initiative emerged from Meringolo's recognition that community-generated documentation should play a central role in shaping historical accounts of these events. Recognized as a key resource for teaching about the protests and Baltimore's history, materials from the archive were featured in the Maryland Historical Society's 2016-2017 exhibit, "What & Why: Collecting at the Maryland Historical Society." The project aligns with broader efforts within the Black Lives Matter movement to document community experiences, alongside initiatives like A People's Archive of Police Violence in Cleveland, Documenting Ferguson, and the Sandra Bland Digital Archive. These projects collectively focus on themes of anti-discrimination, equality, and expanding access to historical records through grassroots ...