About

Welcome to B’More Forward

This site is a part of the Baltimore ESHIP Initiative’s Truth Telling Project. The Truth Telling Project serves as a documentation of the history, present, and future for Black entrepreneurs in Baltimore. The current video log shares the perspectives of some of the dynamic and committed individuals who have leaned into this work of how we will work collectively to “cultivate the creativity, innovation, and leadership of Black Baltimore as a model for thriving equitable entrepreneurial ecosystems of the future”.

Social connectivity is the relative closeness or distance within an ecosystem. Baltimore is unique in that there are two seemingly opposing forces at play. At first glance, Baltimore is severely segregated, racially, culturally, and economically – literally on a block-by-block level. At the same time, Baltimore is also known as “Smalltimore” due to its small-town feel – it seems everyone knows everyone. Both of these realities are true. This was demonstrated by the significant diversity of the folks who were pulled together in these early conversations, and the remarkable level of connectedness these folk have with each other.

Under the facilitation of Cohado,inc, stewarded by Paulo Gregory, we began this documentation with an activity (pictured left) in which assembled stewards of equity and entrepreneurship in Baltimore, and identified their connections around the circle. We then interviewed interested members on their perceptions of the state of Black entrepreneurship in Baltimore and compiled a brief recounting of those in the FACE FORWARD piece that leads this gallery of Truth Telling. Each of the participants then chose one individual with whom they had the most significant relationship within the circle, and another with whom they had a connection, to share the nature of those linkages. These “Close Up” interviews can be found on the latter part of each of the pages of each participant.

We will continue to document the ESHIP Baltimore initiative throughout its establishment and expansion, and share these stories on this site.

About the generator of this Truth Telling Project

Cohado is an innovative and flexible platform to support collaboration, sustainability, and inclusive team- and community-development. Cohado,inc. additionally facilitates the development of diverse startup communities nationally and locally in Baltimore. In collaboration with the Kauffman Foundation’s ESHIP Communities, Forward Cities, and the Startup Champions Network, Cohado,inc is stewarding ESHIP Baltimore, and other initiatives to support the stabilization, ideation, seeding and growth of Black business in Baltimore and Ascendant cultures everywhere.

Cohado Media, a division of Cohado,inc, generated the concept and produced this media journey to support the Baltimore ESHIP initiative. Paulo Gregory is the founder of Cohado, and with his team, produced all of the content and website for this initiative.