In June 2020, the Center for the Study of Religion and the City at Morgan State University was given the opportunity to distribute funds to grassroots organizations amidst the height of the pandemic. Propelled by a sense of justice and driven by the hope that their community’s quality of life can be improved, these trail-blazing organizers did the good work, from providing PPE to essential workers, to offering housing assistance, to planting gardens so that under-resourced Baltimoreans may live healthfully.

A collective of curators, academics, artists, students and activists banded together to uplift their stories. The result is the exhibition Betting on Hope, featuring interviews with the sponsored community organizers, artworks by Morgan State students, as well as photographs and videos of our city of Baltimore. We invite you to experience the words, sounds, and actions of the collective work of 2020, which guides us along the arc of justice and inspires a sense of hope that the work we do together will shape a future Baltimore that we all deserve.

Betting on Hope and the Relief & Restoration Grants were made possible through the generosity of the Henry Luce Foundation.