BALTIMORE 100 YEARS
1960-1969
2000-2009
Baltimore 100 Years chronicles the people, events, industries and policies that shaped the city from 1920-2020. Our intention is to present the film in two episodes of approximately 90 minutes each. It begins with the end of the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1920 and ends with the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020. This documentary offers more than nostalgia. It will unveil stories that were forgotten, unknown or previously ignored. Stories that define and still impact us today. It will be rooted in deep research and presented in a thought-provoking and entertaining way. It is both an analysis and celebration of the past, with the goal of inspiring a better future.
1920-1929
1940-1949
1980-1989
1970-1979
1930-1939
1950-1959
1990-1999
2010-2020
BALTIMORE'S UNTOLD HISTORY
Baltimore 100 Years will illuminate the history of Baltimore’s Black population. A history that was not, and is not taught in most schools. It will celebrate Baltimoreans who led the civil rights movement both locally and nationally. And it will reveal how eugenicist urban policies from the past have contributed to today’s unprecedented racial wealth gap in Baltimore and throughout the country.
INTERVIEWS
Baltimore 100 Years will use characterful interviews as the primary storytelling tool. Interviews will draw from a local community of independent and experienced journalists, authors, historians, community leaders, notable personalities, and everyday citizens. The series will be woven out of their insights, stories and deep understanding of the city’s history, character, and unique flair.
The cast includes Kurt Schmoke, Baltimore’s first elected black Mayor; Jayne Miller, former WBAL investigative journalist; Sheila Dixon, Baltimore's first female mayor, William H. Murphy, Jr., attorney and civil rights activist, Rebecca Hoffberger; founder of the American Visionary Art Museum; Philip J. Merrill African American author and historian; and Michael Olesker, Baltimore journalist and author. Interviews with many other notable Baltimoreans are planned.
Philip J. Merrill and his team at Nanny Jack & Company, LLC., play an important role in the series. He is a Baltimore native, renowned archivist, historian and author who was recently named by Governor Wes Moore to serve on the Maryland Commission for African American History and Culture. Philip has intimate knowledge and access to critical local archives, including those from the Baltimore Museum of Industry, the Maryland Center for History & Culture, Baltimore City Archives, the Baltimore Sun Newspaper, the AFRO American Newspaper, several local universities, as well as an extensive archive owned by his company.
ARCHIVAL MEDIA
WHAT'S OLD IS NEW
Damaged and poor-quality archival media will be given new life through the use of artificial intelligence software. This cutting-edge technology will enhance and improve visual fidelity, allowing viewers to immerse themselves in the past in ways that until recently was not possible.
