Terra Incognita (n.)

an unknown, unexplored region; territory that has not been mapped or documented

By Mark Cameron, Zoë Charlton, Rick Delaney, and Irene Poulsen

During the days of exploration, undiscovered territories were often identified on maps as terra incognita. These unknown territories were considered dangerous and exotic, full of mystery, strange beasts, and wild people. Until western explorers named and "civilized" the terra incognita, these areas were regarded as regions to be avoided.

In Baltimore, many neighborhoods have devolved into terra incognita, burdened and rife with vacant land and abandoned structures, and rampant with drug and gang-related problems. Like the early explorers who "brought civilization" to terra incognita, individuals today see these places only as a resource to be exploited, gentrified, or resold for profit. In reality these places contain residents and histories full of hope, promise, and the desire to make their neighborhoods safe and vital.

Bricks, boards, and blocks have been used to seal up houses, symbolizing the ambiguous and the neglected status of a community. These neighborhoods are primarily highlighted when a crime, accident, or murder occurs. Their true identity has been obscured, and residents have sometimes been made to feel that difficult neighborhood conditions are their fault. It is important to change the misperception of these terra incognita neighborhoods by illuminating the circumstances that are behind these conditions.

Stories and histories related by residents create a more authentic record of their neighborhoods. These stories illuminate the challenges that incognita neighborhoods face. Sharing these stories supports residents in their struggle for recognition, justice, and control in gaining a status of health that all Baltimoreans expect and deserve.

Storytelling Is Political
We propose two intertwined ways to foster recognition of terra incognita neighborhoods:

www.blackmedusa.org/interra.Baltimore
An interactive website that will allow geographically separated communities to be linked electronically. The website would be a virtual civic space shaped by the neighborhoods using three types of storytelling:

• Stories of everyday life-celebrating a kindergarten graduation, remembering a neighbor who was killed, or describing a community event. These stories are eloquent and profane, told through text, audio, pictures, and video journals.

• Stories of circumstance-telling how gentrification is affecting a neighborhood; questioning why the City fails to clean up a vacant lot; learning how to break a drug addiction. These are stories that give a human face to issues that affect neighborhoods.

• Stories of action-building on local knowledge, these stories share advice, guidance, and ideas for effecting neighborhood change through a virtual community of online forums, discussion groups, and blogs. Links would be provided to information, data, resources, and community people.

mobile story collectors
Recognizing that a digital divide is still prevalent in Baltimore, we propose a series of mobile units (like a bookmobile) equipped with computers and classroom space. They would travel from neighborhood to neighborhood occupying vacant lots that, for several days, would become a new community gathering space to collect stories, teach people how to use the Internet and access information, and host meetings and events. The mobile units give form and place to www.blackmedusa.org/interra.Baltimore.