Black women own less property and have less ability to pass on wealth than almost any other group. Black Women Build – Baltimore understands that key factors for creating wealth are the ability to own and maintain a home and the ability to pass down wealth intergenerationally. In addition, by training women in trades-related work, our program not only provides a tangible set of skills to be used on other jobs and in the home, but allows women to make two to three times more in wages than traditionally female-centered jobs. Most important, we create homeownership opportunities by rehabilitating distressed properties and creating community in neighborhoods.

A moment that helped inspire my idea was the knowledge that I could never really work in a 9 to 5 office job and effect the change I wanted to make. Seeing blocks of Baltimore houses that were boarded up and abandoned cemented my desire to rebuild neighborhoods while helping Black women build wealth. I knew my particular skill set would allow me to make a difference in other Black women’s lives and so I went for it. I moved to Baltimore and haven’t looked back.

The biggest challenge is finding participants who are interested in training as well as homeownership. We can rebuild houses, one after the other, but we need participants who want to learn trades-related skills, or else we are just building houses for them. We have a lot of moving parts to this program and we are still fleshing out what works and what needs help. By taking a step back to focus on who our participants are, we hope to find those in line with our mission and build a stronger program by doing so.

Black feminist thought and action has always inspired and informed my work: Angela Davis, bell hooks, Toni Morrison, Kimberlé Crenshaw, and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor. Each has inspired how I think about community, system change, and action. While none are builders in a construction sense, they each exemplify what it takes to build a framework in which to challenge and dismantle the systems that hinder our ability to thrive. This dedication to Black lives, specifically Black women’s lives, has informed my work.

Our first participant was the first homeowner in her family—on both her mother’s and her father’s side. The ability to buy a house and maintain her asset will change the trajectory of what is possible for her own family, in addition to showing her siblings new possibilities in their own lives. While she learned many skills during the build, she became an excellent painter. When her job slowed down due to COVID, she was able to pick up work as an independent interior painter. She credits the program for teaching her how to paint.