Voices of Deep Blue: Adeline, Mondawmin

I’ve lived in the Greater Mondawmin area for the past 32 years. We have so many assets here; people just need to see it. My first project with Blue Water Baltimore was a stenciling project for stormwater remediation. We got the kids together, got 18 stormwater drains stenciled. Then we went back and cleared the trash from the street. We were collecting trash, weighing it in the bags. I used my bathroom scale. That was all I had.

When we were stenciling, kids would come by and say “why are you doing this?” Blue Water Baltimore has been instrumental in providing that education component of the projects they’ve taken on in my community. Take the trees for example — I’ve worked with Blue Water Baltimore to identify areas in the neighborhoods for planting, and the trees have started to come. But it’s not just about increasing the volume of trees. It’s about education — how trees save you energy because they keep us cooler, teaching kids about the different types and species of trees.

Now I just look at the trees sometimes and it’s so calming. I love looking at those trees and see them go all the way down Windsor Avenue from Warwick to Pulaski. You can just sit there reading your book and the birds fly by — flit, flit, flit. People are seeing something different, both those who live here but also from other communities. It gives them an opportunity to see a real truth about where we live that I think they’re usually missing.

Adeline Hutchinson is vice president of the Greater Mondawmin Coordinating Council and president of the Robert W. Coleman Community Organization.

Photo Credit: Michel Anderson. 

Deep Blue is an innovative partnership between Blue Water Baltimore, the Neighborhood Design Center, Baltimore City Department of Public Works, the Department of Planning, and five neighborhoods throughout Baltimore City.