Attorney April N. Richardson has ridden along in a client's sewer truck. She has stood in a gutted, dilapidated building alongside a general contractor, walking the space her client is renovating into a childcare center. None of that is technically her job. All of it, she says, is exactly her job.
"I am not that lawyer. I am a dirty lawyer. I'm gonna jump in your business with you," says Richardson, who runs DIRTY GIRL LEGAL, a Baltimore law firm built for entrepreneurs.
For Black Business Month, the Baltimore Times sat down with Richardson to talk about one of the four pillars every business owner needs in their corner: the right attorney. Not just any lawyer. The right one.
Not Your Typical Lawyer
Richardson's path to the law runs through business ownership, not around it. Before she was Esquire, she was a girl from Baltimore City's west side, raised by a mother who had her at 16. Richardson calls herself "News Channel 2" — a nickname her grandmother gave her for always asking questions and reporting back what she learned.
Bocking, now making its world premiere at Baltimore Center Stage, is bold, explicit, funny and determined to make audiences uncomfortable. Written by Preston Crowder and directed by Stevie Walker-Webb, the approximately 90-minute comedy explores sexuality, religion, family, childhood trauma and desire through a distinctly Black and queer lens.
The story centers on two very different families who are forced together after their children repeat inappropriate phrases at school that they apparently overheard at home. What begins as an awkward meeting between parents opens the door to revelations about marriage, sexuality, shame and unresolved trauma.
From its opening moments, Bocking makes clear that little is off limits. The production contains extensive profanity, graphic sexual references, fetish practices, religious satire and deliberately outrageous humor. During a conversation surrounding the premiere, producer Lena Waithe asked Crowder how many people he hoped would walk out. His response was essentially: a lot. That desire to provoke is embedded in the play’s DNA.
The cast approaches the material fearlessly.
Rebecca L. Hargrove is one of the production’s great comic pleasures. Her physical comedy is precise, her timing impeccable and her presence consistently commanding. Learning that Hargrove is also a two-time Grammy Award-winning opera singer makes her range even more impressive. Costume designer Orla Long complements that performance with authentic First Lady ensembles, particularly a procession of elaborate church hats that nearly become characters themselves. Each time one disappeared, the audience seemed eager to see what would come next.
Kalen Allen, widely known for his work on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, is funny, assured and nuanced. His character raises an interesting question about the assumptions people make when someone appears queer, even if that person’s experiences do not necessarily fit the identity others have assigned to them.
Sis Thee Doll brings both tenderness and sharp comedic timing, while Blake Morris, as Javon Wing, gives one of the production’s strongest dramatic performances. Morris brings gravity and tension to complicated revelations without overplaying them.
Christopher Sears is fearless as Pierre Day. As the sole white character in a predominantly Black ensemble, Pierre bears the brunt of many of the racial jokes, and Sears takes them in stride while fitting naturally into the cast. His role as a cisgender queer husband in an interracial marriage adds another layer to the play’s exploration of sexuality and relationships. During the exorcism scene, Sears goes all in, fully committing to the physical comedy.
Adrienne C. Moore is the standout. Best known to many audiences as Black Cindy on Orange Is the New Black, Moore is magnetic, hilarious and essential to the production’s
East Baton Rouge Parish Prison Reform Coalition's North Star is clear: end deaths in custody. I’ve spent seven years in and out of courtrooms, bearing witness to progress toward that North Star – progress that sometimes is so small that it’s nearly invisible. But I withstand because we are moving the arc of justice towards freedom.Rev. Alexis Anderson with Marcela Hernandez, immigration activist and Executive Director of Familias Unidas En Acción.
During difficult times, there are three ingredients that sustain me as we work to achieve this vision:
My faith
My village
My guides
My Faith
I am a woman of faith. My faith allows me to believe in the potential of every human being; and it teaches me that the least of them are the apple of Jesus’s eye. The work of the Coalition is to bring accountability and transparency for those who are considered throwaways.
Before the Coalition’s founding, deaths in East Baton Rouge Parish custody were not discussed at any meaningful public level. It was only when my friend's son died after a bogus traffic stop that this journey into how my faith could bring practical tools to ending deaths in custody began.
As an ordained minister, I love telling people that Biblical principles can help us see the work through, whether you are a person of faith or not. On many occasions, the Coalition has been told what we could not accomplish, but three Biblical principles always work in our favor. First, tenacity: Galatians 6:9 tells us not to grow tired of doing good because at a proper time we will reap a harvest. Second, building capacity: Luke 5:17 tells us that if they don't allow you to enter through the front door, climb to the roof and get the job done. Finally, stay focused on the work, not the attention: Proverbs 29:18 says without vision, the people perish.
These principles sustain us, shore up our resolve, and allow us to withstand the headwinds of opposition.
My Village
My village is key to my will to withstand. The people and places that form my village never fail. When my oxygen becomes low, I find a room with community, and I breathe deeply.
Small, local and emerging construction businesses in Baltimore will have an opportunity this fall to strengthen their operations, build industry relationships and prepare for future contracting opportunities through the Turner School of Construction Management.
Turner Construction Company, in partnership with Morgan State University, will offer the free eight-week program from September 9 through October 28, 2026, at Morgan State University’s CBEIS Building, located at 5201 Perring Parkway in Baltimore. Classes will be held on Wednesdays from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
The program is specifically designed to support Small, Local and Emerging Business Enterprises working in the construction and building supply industries. Participants will receive practical instruction on the business and operational skills needed to compete for projects, manage growth and develop strategic relationships within the construction industry.
For many small contractors, success requires more than technical expertise in the field. Companies must also understand insurance requirements, bonding, financial management, scheduling, safety standards, business development and the administrative processes that come with increasingly complex construction projects. The Turner School of Construction Management is structured to address those areas and help participating companies better position themselves for future opportunities.
The 2026 curriculum will include instruction in safety, bonding, finance, insurance, preconstruction, lean construction, business development and marketing. Participants will also explore project management, scheduling and operational excellence, along with strategies for becoming a successful subcontractor.
The program's focus on subcontractor readiness is particularly important for smaller firms seeking opportunities on major construction projects. Understanding how larger contractors evaluate potential subcontractors, manage project schedules and establish expectations can help emerging companies compete more effectively while also strengthening their internal business practices.
Turner’s construction management training program also provides participants an opportunity to develop relationships with other business owners and industry professionals. Those connections can be valuable as businesses look for potential partnerships, subcontracting opportuni
For many Baltimore residents, earning a driver’s license is about more than transportation. It can determine whether someone can reach a job, pursue a better-paying career or access opportunities beyond their immediate neighborhood.
I Got Drive is working to close that gap through a Baltimore-based driving school and foundation focused on transportation access, workforce mobility and long-term vehicle ownership.
Founded by Baltimore native Eean Logan, I Got Drive provides what the company describes as a “License to Car to Career” pipeline. The model combines driver education and licensing assistance with scholarships, career connections and a planned financial technology platform designed to help participants eventually purchase their own vehicles.
Logan is a public health entrepreneur, Certified Driving Instructor and the company’s founder and CEO. He created I Got Drive to address what he calls the “Mobility Gap,” a cycle in which limited transportation options restrict access to employment and financial advancement.
“Yes, we teach aspiring drivers of all ages the safest, most enjoyable ways to drive. Yes, we provide the services to get our drivers licensed, but most importantly, we provide economic mobility opportunit
As Black Business Month is recognized each August, Free Money Meister demonstrates how Black women entrepreneurs are using technology to address persistent financial and educational inequities.
Founded by Kiara Scott, Free Money Meister is a Black woman-owned, AI-powered scholarship platform designed to help students find, prioritize and apply for college funding with less confusion and greater success. The platform replaces the overwhelming experience of searching outdated scholarship databases with a more organized and personalized approach.
Free Money Meister identifies high-quality, often-overlooked scholarship opportunities and guides students toward the funding options that offer the greatest potential based on their individual profiles. The platform is designed to help students manage deadlines, organize application materials and approach scholarships as part of a clear financial strategy.
Scott created the company after successfully developing her own system for funding her education.
“I started Free Money Meister because I funded five years of higher education, earned two degrees, and graduated with $0 in student loan debt by mastering scholarships, grants, fellowships, and paydown programs—and I realized it wasn’t luck,” Scott s
New operating model preserves EBDI’s mission and community commitments while bringing additional capacity to complete East Baltimore’s next phase of redevelopment.
Baltimore, Md — East Baltimore Development, Inc. (EBDI) and Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC) today jointly announced a strategic alignment designed to build on more than two decades of investment and revitalization in East Baltimore and position the redevelopment for its next phase.
Under the new operating model, EBDI will remain a separate nonprofit organization and legal entity, while BDC will provide day-to-day operational management and administrative support beginning September 1. EBDI’s assets and revenues will remain dedicated to EBDI and its mission, and its existing development, neighborhood and community commitments will continue.
The transition to a new operating model comes as the East Baltimore TIF district continues to strengthen financially. Since the district was established, the taxable assessed value has grown from approximately $12.7 million to nearly $380 million, with approximately $200 million in additional assessed value associated with tax-exempt properties developed within the district. The district generated approximately $6.7 million in tax increment revenues in FY2026, with senior bond debt service fully covered. Accrued debt service on the subordinate bonds continues to decline and, following the September 2026 payment, approximately $1.17 million is expected to remain accrued. Based on current revenue performance, the district is projected to generate sufficient revenues in FY2027 to cover annual debt service without additional accrual on the subordinate bonds.
The alignment with BDC reflects the evolution of one of Baltimore’s most ambitious redevelopment initiatives. EBDI was established more than two decades ago to undertake redevelopment across 88 acres of East Baltimore at a scale the private market was not prepared to pursue on its own. With roughly 80% of the master plan now complete, the redevelopment is entering a new phase focused on completing the remaining work, sustaining community commitments and building on the investment already made.
“This moment is both a celebration of how far East Baltimore has come and an opportunity to prepare for what comes next,” said Cheryl Washington, President and CEO of East Baltimore Development, Inc. “EBDI was created with a bold vision, and the progress we celebrate today reflects the extraordinary commitment of residents, community leaders, our partners, and EBDI’s board and staff, past and present. Together, we have completed almost 80% of the master plan wh
