Doni Glover, unofficial ‘Mayor of Sandtown’

By Beverly Richards,
Special to the AFRO

If you live in Baltimore, there is no way you do not know Doni Glover. He’s a communicator, educator, author, activist and one of the city’s most respected figures. A longtime resident of Sandtown, Glover moves through with the demeanor of a statesman. He is respected by young men and elders in his community, but he gives the same.  

Glover loves the city, but especially Sandtown, from the Avenue Market and Pennsylvania Avenue to streets like Winchester. But it’s the people he loves most. Baltimoreans, according to him “are the salt of the earth. Baltimore is full of beautiful people. They have heart. When you think back to Freddie Gray, the day after the unrest, these beautiful people came out and cleaned up. Or that mother who was chastising her son on national and international news,” he said, referring to Gray’s violent death at the hands of city police.

In Glover’s Sandtown, when a snowstorm or blizzard comes, neighbors pitch in and help each other. “In Randallstown, they will stay hunkered in for days and never come outside. Not in Sandtown, before the first snow sticks, somebody will get you out of the snow. You won’t be stuck. I don’t care how deep the snow is. Somebody is coming through, or somebody who works for the city is going to drive that truck through your block.”

He believes there is an unconditional love in Baltimore City that permeates racial barriers, Black, white or otherwise. “When you think of people like Bea Gaddy or the white guy who was in a wheelchair, who helped build Sandtown Habitat and Sandtown New Song Academy, that’s love.”

Glover also believes authenticity and a fighting spirit is part of the DNA of every Baltimorean because, “We’re not going to allow anyone to oppress us. And we are real. We’re so real that I think it bleeds over into the white people who are from Baltimore, those who tend to love the Black community.

“When you think of, U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski, Little Willie Adams’ wife, Victorine Adams mentored her. She showed her how to politic and Mikulski went on to become a US senator,” he continued.

“My first roots, my first days, my first memories are of East Baltimore, Patterson Park and Lanvale.” But he has a deep affinity for Sandtown. “It is historic West Baltimore. It is full of our history. Billie Holiday on Pennsylvania Avenue. There’s the Royal Theater (before my time) and the Sphinx Club. I remember my dad and I went to see Cornbread Earl and Me up there at the Met.” His father grew up in Shield’s Place. My mother grew up in what is now considered Upton.

“The Arabs are very much associated with Sandtown. I learned piano in Sandtown and became a journalist here.” And now that Glover is becoming an elder, he feels it is his job to pass on his love, understanding and appreciation of his community. “It’s my job to pass it on to the next generation. Understanding Sandtown. Helping us to stay connected.” And he takes great pride in it.

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