Baltimore Is the Greatest City In America

June has been an eventful month. With all of the protests happening around the world and the monumental Supreme Court ruling, we thought it would be nice for us to share some cool factors that make Baltimore the Greatest City in America. Most people come to Baltimore for the inner harbor and to see Fort McHenry. Here are 6 fun facts that you might not have known about Baltimore and the historical strides Baltimore has made to become a progressive city. 

1. Baltimore is the fifth LGBT-Friendly city in America. This is based on an analysis done by NerdWallet in 2015. The analysis focused on several factors that included the percentage of cities' populations that identify as LGBT+, the number of hate crimes, and cities' rankings in the Human Rights Campaign's Health Care equity and Municipal Equality Index. This analysis found that 3.9 percent of the Baltimore metropolitan area identify as LGBTQ+, and that same region has reported zero hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people in 2013.
2. Baltimore Pride is one of the oldest Pride celebrations in the United States. Baltimore Pride celebrated its 44th annual event in 2019 which involved a parade in Charles Village and the Baltimore Pride Block Party in Station North. The proceeds from Baltimore Pride are used to help over 800 SGM (sexual & gender minority) individuals each month throughout the year.
3. In 1978, Billy Jones Hennin, of Washington DC, with Louis Hughes, a black gay male activist from Baltimore, formed the D.C.-Baltimore Coalition of Black Gays (now known as the DC Coalition), is the country’s first long-standing black LGBTQ political organization. This is also one of the oldest advocacy groups in the city.
4. The Baltimore Afro-American, The Afro, is the flagship newspaper of the Afro-American chain and the longest-running African American family-owned newspaper in the United States. Established in 1892 by John H. Murphy Sr., it releases a weekly published newspaper in the city alongside online publications.
5. The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum in Baltimore Maryland is the country’s first wax museum of African American history. It was established in 1983 and features many prominent Blacks and African-American figures throughout U.S history.
6. Chesapeake Marine Railway and Dry Dock Company was the first black-owned shipyard in the United States. Located in Baltimore, the shipyard was formed and operated by a group of black community leaders, including Isaac Myers. The former shipyard is now home to the Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park and Museum, located at 1417 Thames St. at the Inner Harbor.

Happy Pride!