Baltimore participants in the Cross Community Reconciliation project.

The Global Peace Foundation (GPF) has long championed the belief that peacebuilding starts with recognizing our shared humanity. In Baltimore, Maryland, a city grappling with a complex legacy of racial division, this principle is not merely an ideal but an urgent necessity. Through the Baltimore Cross-Community Reconciliation Project (BCCRP), GPF has been bringing residents together to confront difficult truths, build meaningful relationships, and chart a course toward greater understanding and unity.

The Roots of Reconciliation

The seeds for this project were planted in 2021, when GPF convened its Committee on Racism and Justice. The committee recommended piloting a peacebuilding initiative that would foster trust among diverse communities in the United States. After careful consideration, Baltimore City was selected as the launch site for this groundbreaking effort. With its rich history, vibrant communities, and enduring challenges related to racial inequity, Baltimore provided both the complexity and the opportunity needed to test an innovative approach to reconciliation.

From Dialogue to Action

The first step came with the Baltimore Cross-Community Engagement Project (BCCEP) in late 2022. This pilot initiative, conducted in partnership with the local non-profit Project Pneuma, created a safe space for Black and white community members to share experiences, engage in dialogue, and develop relationships built on mutual respect. Twelve graduates of the BCCEP emerged not only with deeper understanding but also with a shared commitment to advancing peace within their circles of influence.

Building on this foundation, GPF launched the second phase, the Baltimore Cross-Community Reconciliation Project (BCCRP), in 2024, in partnership with the United Way of Central Maryland. Like its predecessor, the BCCRP aimed to reduce racial bias, increase empathy, and foster long-term relationships through structured dialogue, interactive learning, and shared experiences.

Over the course of ten bi-weekly sessions held from April to October 2024, participants explored Baltimore’s racial history in areas such as housing, education, and community policing. Through panel discussions, storytelling, and facilitated activities, they examined how identity, conflict, and reconciliation intersect in daily life.

For many, these conversations were deeply personal. Participants shared not only their experiences but also their fears, frustrations, and hopes for a better Baltimore. As one participant reflected, “Fear and guilt are what is keeping us from talking to each other. We’re territorial in Baltimore, so we need to expose ourselves to each other.”

Safe and Brave Spaces for Difficult Conversations

A key theme that emerged from the BCCRP was the importance of creating what participants called “safe and brave spaces.” These are environments where individuals feel supported enough to be vulnerable, but also challenged to confront their biases and engage in honest dialogue.

The facilitated sessions intentionally fostered these spaces through interactive exercises such as the “Where I’m From” poem, identity-based discussions, and group reflections on GPF’s four universal principles, including the belief that all people possess intrinsic value and dignity.

Participants noted that these activities allowed them to lower their defenses and engage authentically. “We need someone to ask us hard questions about ourselves and about race,” one participant shared. Another emphasized, “We need to build a collaborative safe zone in Baltimore. We need to be able to talk about these things without worrying that we’ll be scolded.”

This commitment to open, facilitated dialogue proved critical as participants delved into challenging topics such as redlining, educational inequities, and the complex relationship between the community and law enforcement.

Community members, stakeholders, and local law enforcement come together during a dialogue on cross-community reconciliation in Baltimore.

Reconciliation through Relationship

While difficult conversations were essential, the project was not purely academic. At its heart, the BCCRP was about building real human connections across racial lines; connections that can serve as the foundation for long-term reconciliation. Throughout the sessions, participants shared meals, stories, and personal reflections. They listened to each other’s lived experiences and, in doing so, began to challenge their assumptions. Many described the experience as transformative.

“A barrier to reconciliation is identity groups,” noted one participant. “When I reach out to help others, it’s based on who I’m familiar with, so we need to expand who we’re familiar with if we want to break down these barriers.”

The culminating activity, a multicultural community service project in October 2024, was a tangible expression of the relationships forged. Held at Eastern United Methodist Church in Baltimore’s diverse Hamilton neighborhood, the event not only celebrated cultural diversity but also showcased what is possible when individuals from different backgrounds work together toward a common goal.

Building a Sustainable Movement

Graduation for the eight participants who completed the BCCRP in October 2024 marked not an end, but a beginning. Alumni of both the BCCEP and BCCRP, along with other community members, have been invited to join the Baltimore Community Peacebuilding Committee (BCPC). This ongoing group provides a platform for fellowship, learning, and continued engagement, ensuring that the spirit of the project endures.

Additionally, the project’s impact has extended beyond its immediate participants. Recognizing the vital role of law enforcement in community reconciliation, GPF collaborated with the Baltimore City Police Department to adapt the project’s core principles into a two-and-a-half-hour “Our Shared Humanity” training for police recruits. Since its launch in late 2024, over 150 recruits have participated in these sessions, gaining tools to foster empathy, build relationships, and serve their communities more effectively.

Lessons for the Future

The BCCRP demonstrated that reconciliation is neither quick nor easy, but it is possible when people are willing to come together, listen deeply, and engage authentically. The project evaluation, led by Dr. Shelly Clay-Robison of the University of Baltimore and Project Director Robin McDonough, highlighted several key recommendations for future peacebuilding efforts:

• Connecting across cultures and generations: Intergenerational and intercultural dialogues create opportunities to challenge assumptions and foster mentorship across divides.
• Storytelling as a tool for change: Sharing personal stories builds empathy and allows individuals to move beyond stereotypes and misconceptions.
• Prioritizing empathy and accountability: Effective reconciliation requires both compassionate listening and the courage to confront uncomfortable truths.
• Facilitated face-to-face dialogue: Trained facilitators are essential to ensuring that conversations remain constructive, especially when emotions run high.
• Leveraging community leaders: Trusted local leaders play a pivotal role in breaking down barriers and fostering inclusion.
• Developing and reaching common goals: Shared projects, like the community service initiative, translate dialogue into action and deepen bonds among participants.

A Model for Other Communities

While rooted in Baltimore, the lessons of the BCCRP extend far beyond city limits. As communities across the United States, and the world, grapple with issues of racial division, polarization, and social unrest, the BCCRP offers a replicable model for fostering understanding and unity. The project’s success is not measured by the number of sessions held or participants graduated alone, but by the relationships built, the attitudes shifted, and the ripple effects already being seen in neighborhoods, institutions, and families. Participants may have come to the project seeking answers, but many discovered that the greatest transformation begins with themselves, and with their willingness to engage across lines of difference.

GPF’s vision of “One Family under God” is a call to action and through initiatives like the BCCRP, that vision is being realized, one relationship at a time. The work of reconciliation is ongoing. It requires courage, humility, and perseverance. But as the experiences of the BCCRP show, when individuals commit to seeing one another’s humanity, when they come together with open hearts and minds, real change is possible.