In the Black Butterfly Dream Lab at Third Space, Dr. Lawrence Brown will facilitate a range of interactive and hands-on learning experiences. Participants will learn about the history of Baltimore’s urban policies through play-based activities including the educational board game Urban Cipher and a LEGO activity. Other activities involve moving through a history exhibit, examining Baltimore neighborhoods using large maps, using game cash to allocate dollars in the city’s budget, and viewing archival evidence regarding the spread of spatially-racially discriminatory maps by the federal government. The sessions will conclude with a generative focus on how city residents can build thriving neighborhoods for future generations.
Lawrence T. Brown is a public health scholar, game designer, and author. In June 2018, he was honored by the Open Society Institute in Baltimore with the Bold Thinker award for sparking critical discourse regarding Baltimore’s racial segregation. His first book The Black Butterfly: The Harmful Politics of Race and Space in America was published by Johns Hopkins University Press in January 2021. Dr. Brown is currently a research scientist in the Center for Urban Health Equity at Morgan State University. His portfolio of work includes conducting research in the National Archives and creating GIS mapping/data platforms, K-12 history exhibits, and educational board games. His next book is tentatively entitled Redlining USA: The Rise of the New Deal Mapping State.
