Dear UMBC Community,

This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of joining students and colleagues for the Gathering on the Green, a cookout with our closest neighbors in Arbutus that began in 2019 and has quickly become a treasured tradition.

An idea first hatched by a community member of the UMBC Neighbor Relations Group, the event is a partnership between the Office of Government Relations and Community Affairs and the Office of Student Affairs, featuring fantastic food, music, games, and activities, all in the name of “making neighbors out of strangers.” This year it was bigger and better than ever, with a great turnout from Academic Affairs, Athletics, UMBC Police, and other parts of the university, along with many undergraduate and graduate students and local residents, vendors, and elected officials.

Let me tell you, with everything in the world that says people do not understand each other, cannot talk to one another across differences, and would rather assume things about others than actually get to know them, it was a beautiful thing to see the opposite happening—with so much joy, so much peace, and so much genuine understanding.

As I was leaving the event, I paused to look back at everyone gathered there, and I thought: This is community.