“You can lift the whole block by addressing the empty house.”

Gina McKnight-Smith, a pharmacist and entrepreneur, discussing a grassroots redevelopment effort in Baltimore. Along with fellow Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority members, she is focusing on West Baltimore neighborhoods where many of them grew up or still have family ties, aiming to reverse decades of disinvestment marked by high vacancy rates and population decline. Through their group, they are buying and restoring abandoned homes to stabilize blocks, attract residents and rebuild community wealth from within. (The Baltimore Sun)