BHCLA NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2025

Welcome to the BHCLA Newsletter! 
By Xavier Walker, Assistant Director 
It is with great enthusiasm that I share this first edition of the BHCLA Newsletter! Founded in 2017 by Dr. Lawrence Jackson, The Billie Holiday Center for the Liberation Arts (BHCLA) is an initiative with two broad channels of engagement and impact - the archives and the arts. 

We serve Baltimore by promoting the collection and preservation of
African American oral histories & artifacts, creating opportunities to connect artists and audiences, and training the next generation of Baltimore archivists and curators.

We kicked off this full year of programming on September 6th with the 7th Annual Billie Holiday Jazz in the Square concert, featuring performances by our long-time collaborators at the Peabody Institute. We are looking forward to the first Black Culture Builders of Baltimore and Helena Hicks Speaker Series coworking night tomorrow October 8th!

Please stay tuned for these monthly newsletters that will share all of our upcoming events, special personnel highlights, historical facts, and behind-the-scenes updates on all of the exciting work that we have in store!

Flyer then includes the information for the Helena Hicks Speaker Series on October 8th and an image of the 2025-2026 Calendar of Events.

Talk To Us! xwalker@jhu.edu
https://sites.krieger.jhu.edu/billie-holiday/ 
Instagram: @billieholidaycenter Gilman Hall Suite 90
3400 N Charles St., Baltimore, MD, 21218
First edition of the BHCLA Newsletter. Published on October 7, 2025.