With the easing of COVID-19 restrictions and the prospect that the pandemic might finally be coming under control, public gatherings are expected to increase in the year 2023.  We anticipate an increase in community meetings and social events, though certain precautions, such as social distancing and mask-wearing, will continue to be observed in a number of places.  Here, we will mention several events that will be held at Arch Social Club, specifically those that are of particular community interest.

Connecting with the Arch Social Club

Unlikely as it may seem, we became familiar with the Historic Arch Social Club only in the last several years.  I remember notices in Elder Walter Carr’s community newsletter The Nightlifer about parties and other social and cultural events at Arch, but my own in-depth personal involvement with them began much later, in 2017 as my organization, the Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus, held five Pan-Afrikan Town Hall Meetings there.  Now considered the oldest private Black social club in the country, Arch Social Club has held social events since its founding in 1905 nearer to Downtown Baltimore, and has served as a pillar of the West Baltimore community known as Penn-North (distinguished by the intersections of Pennsylvania and North Avenues) ever since moving to their current location in the 1970’s.

Pennsylvania Avenue’s rich cultural history, specifically for the Afrikan-American community in Baltimore, has included such landmarks as the Royal Theater and the Sphinx Lounge as well as Arch Social Club.  The Shake and Bake Family Fun Center was also a much-visited community and social gathering place on Pennsylvania Avenue for many years.  The Avenue Market, which originally opened in 1871 and has undergone a number of renovations and relocations, still stands in the 1700 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, supplemented by a number of small. mom-and-pop shops but no full-scale top-tier grocery stores.  Several organizations and committed activists have expended great effort to help lift up the Penn-North neighborhood.  Alvin “Kirby” Brunson, founder of the Center for Cultural Education, a nonprofit organization formed to educate people about Baltimore’s African-American history and culture, had dedicated his life to renovating areas along Pennsylvania Avenue.  Sadly, he died on March 30, 2008 in an accident in one of the very properties he was renovating.

After the April 2015 death of Freddie Gray in  the custody of the Baltimore City Police, the rebellion that ensued found its epicenter at the intersection of North and Pennsylvania Avenues.  While several stores were damaged in the uprising and a CVS drug store at the intersection burned to the ground, two establishments noted for their community involvement were essentially untouched by chaos.  One was Everyone’s Place bookstore; another was the Arch Social Club, despite its location at the exact corner of the daily confrontations between protesters and police.

The members of Arch Social Club, Elders in the Penn-North and greater Baltimore community, have reached out increasingly over the years in response to the crisis that has afflicted the community.  Several members participated with East Baltimore activist Munir Bahar in the 300 Black Men Marches to send a message that Elders in particular and Black Men in general were ready to confront the scourge of violence that had so many living in fear.  Since the 2015 uprising, efforts have further increased to reach out to the community, from the holding of several community meetings and Pan-Afrikan Town Halls to a regular presence by the Black Wolves Youth Scouts, who hold meetings there on Saturday mornings to provide much-needed direction and guidance to young people under the leadership of Bro. Mosiah Fit.

The following article, provided by Adrian Harpool and Associates, comes directly from the Arch Social Club Web site, https://www.archsocialclub.com/about:

Arch Social Club
A Cornerstone of Culture, Civics, Community, and Commerce

For nearly a century the Arch Social Club has stood proudly as a cornerstone for Baltimore’s African American civic, political and cultural life. Established in 1905 as a meeting hall for BLACK men in a then-segregated city, the club brought together tradesmen, laborers, clergy, professionals and entrepreneurs to craft strategies for addressing the issues of the day and to fellowship with one another.

Located at the center of Baltimore’s famed Pennsylvania Avenue, a primary stop in Black America’s storied “chitterling circuit”, the Arch Social Club and others on “The Avenue” opened doors to patrons from all walks of life and offered their stages to the likes of Billie Holiday, Cab Calloway and Pearl Bailey, Lena Horne and James Brown. The club also served as a meeting place for the civil rights movement, hosting NAACP leaders Clarence & Juanita Mitchell, Thurgood Marshall, Charles Hamilton Houston and others.

In recent years, the Arch Social Club served as safe-house and comfort station during the demonstrations that followed the death of Baltimore’s Freddie Gray.

As Baltimore’s Pennsylvania Avenue, a designated American “Main Street” stands poised for revitalization, the Arch Social Club is once again set to play a pivotal role as plans are formed to establish an African American Arts & Entertainment District at its front door.

Through the proposed construction of a new theater marquee, the Arch Social Club will serve to “shine a light” on efforts to redevelop this formerly vibrant commercial corridor and welcome a new generation of activists, artists, entrepreneurs and patrons to “The Avenue”.

As we launch a campaign to raise awareness and the funds required erect a “state of the art” marquee at the entrance of the Arch Social Club, lighting the way for the progress to come, remember “It Starts at the Arch”…

As we become more involved with Arch Social Club’s mission, we will be sharing events that will be held at this historic neighborhood landmark.