By Any Means Necessary : Film Screening and Discussion

Squeegeeing in Baltimore goes back to the 80’s if not longer. It’s been an issue for as long as I’ve been alive, yet no solution has been found to manage the needs of squeegee people. Their existence has only been viewed as a nuisance and recently escalated to a shooting downtown resulting in a death. I’ve written and created content about my passion to help resolve our city’s socioeconomic issues and the systemic oppression that’s at the core of squeegeeing. I also work daily to see all sides of the problem and listen to the voices so I can have a well rounded understanding. Listening is incredibly important with this particular issue, because there are so many emotionally charged perspectives getting involved whether they are impacted by squeegeeing or not. So I am grateful to see a short film screening about the squeegee people showing them as PEOPLE, and not just an object in everyone’s way to avoid, ignore, or project their anger towards.

Here is synopsis of the event:

Spurred on by an organization’s interest in the stories behind those we see every day at our city’s intersections, By Any Means Necessary contextualizes this sector against the history of “hustle” or gig economies in the Black community. It provides interviews with those who participate, allowing for first-person accounts of the “why” behind squeegeeing and presenting the concept that the reasons and the participants are not monolithic. The screening of By Any Means Necessary will be followed by a panel discussion – moderated by Terri Lee Freeman, executive director, The Reginald F. Lewis Museum – with Shauntee Daniels, executive director, the Baltimore National Heritage Area; Jason Bass, Director of Culture and Impact, Hotel Revival; and Baltimore City Deputy Mayor Faith Leach.

Register online here and check out the film screening but stay for the discussion.