PARK HEIGHTS: A CO
1
2
3
4
5
1. A banner for Pass It On, a local organization offering community tech training and IT solutions, at the Langston Hughes Center on April 18th, 2025.
2. Stacks of produce line the walls at the Langston Hughes Center, preparing for a community giveaway that ensures neighbors have access to fresh, healthy food.
3. Beverages await distribution at the Langston Hughes Center food pantry.
4. Fresh bread and baked goods await distribution at the Langston Hughes Center food pantry.
5. The carnival prize table features snacks and small gifts, rewarding children and families for their participation in educational games and activities during the STE( A) M Carnival.
6. Banner of the Langston Hughes Community Business and Resource Center. It continues its legacy of support for Northwest Baltimore residents through food, education, and tech programs.
7. From left, Dr. Everett X. Garnett, Chief of Staff at the Langston Hughes Community Center, and journalist Morelys Urbano at the Pop-Up STE( A) M Carnival.
6
7
PARK HEIGHTS: A CO
Through grassroots organizing, oral history projects, or even word-tomouth, Park Heights residents are challenging stereotypes and building platforms to shape the narratives on many aspects of life in their community.
One story that has emerged from this effort is that of Rodney Snead Jr., a local cultural icon who is known simply by his moniker – Bunky Jr. He is the creator of a dance called the“ Park Heights Strut,” that has thrust him into the national spotlight and helped burnish Park Heights’ reputation.
Bunky Jr.’ s pride in his neighborhood stems from generations of storytelling, by people like his grandmother, who neighbors, and family members nicknamed“ CNN” because she was widely known as the word-of-mouth source of news in Park Heights.
In a place lacking formal news structures, Bucky Jr’ s grandmother became a credible news broadcaster.
And she is not alone.
Tamica Mingo, who runs Lorraine’ s Caring Hands Adult Daycare in Park Heights, combats misinformation and the area’ s dearth of local news in another way. She leads weekly current event discussions to help seniors understand news affecting them, such as stories about Social Security and Medicare.
Her team helps seniors decipher what’ s real and what’ s not, especially with misinformation from Facebook, AI, and late-night infomercials.“ Turn off the phone, turn off the TV, and let’ s talk,” Mingo said she tells people.“ That’ s the only way we can help them.”
Nonetheless, finding news in Park Heights is still a mixed bag for the elder generation. Wilford Monroe, 70, gets his news from TV, his phone,
26