History of Hispanics and Latinos in Baltimore

There is a significant Hispanic/Latino presence in many Southeast Baltimore neighborhoods, particularly Highlandtown, Upper Fell's Point, and Greektown.

Overall Baltimore has a small but growing Hispanic population, primarily in the Southeast portion of the area from Fells Point to Dundalk.

[4] In the same year, 10,193 Latin American-born immigrants lived in Baltimore, comprising 34.4% of all foreign-born residents of the city.

[13] An abortive attempt was made in 1856–59 to hold services according to the liturgy of the Sephardim, of which Solomon Nunes Carvalho was the chief promoter.

In order to woo Latinos to the city, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake had prohibited police and social agencies from asking people about their immigration status.

Rawlings-Blake has ordered the creation of a number of outreach programs for Latinos, including city-sponsored classes given in the Spanish language.

Most of Baltimore's Hispanic population is in the Southeast section of the city, in areas around Patterson Park and north of Eastern Avenue, especially Highlandtown.

Another noticeable pattern is that Central American Hispanics such as Salvadorans, Hondurans, and Guatemalans, majority of whom are recent immigrants, are more concentrated in inner Southeast neighborhoods west of Linwood Avenue towards Downtown Baltimore, including Upper Fell's Point and Butchers Hill, and SW neighborhoods like Lakewood and Brooklyn.

Caribbean Hispanics such as Puerto Ricans and Dominicans, some of whom come from other states like New York and New Jersey, are mostly concentrated in outer Southeast neighborhoods east of Haven Street towards southeastern Baltimore County, including Greektown and Joseph Lee.

LatinoFest is a yearly celebration of the cultures of Central and South America held in Patterson Park.

The organization holds an annual procession which honors the Lord of Miracles, a painting of Jesus Christ from Lima, Peru.

[27] Due to a lack of support for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Latinos in Baltimore, an organization called IRIS (Individuality, Respect, Integrity, and Sexuality) was created in 2016 to cater to the LGBT Latino community of Baltimore.

In addition to the problem of location, LGBT Latinos face intersectional barriers to access and equality, including immigration status, language fluency, and cultural acceptance.

The immigrant rights organization CASA de Maryland is helping renovate the dilapidated Belnord Theater and will use the space to host a legal clinic, educational and after-school programs, and laboratories for teaching construction and medical skills.

Map of racial distribution in Baltimore, 2010 U.S. Census. Each dot is 25 people: White , Black , Asian Hispanic , or Other (yellow)
Solomon Nunes Carvalho, a Sephardi painter, photographer, author and inventor who was the chief promoter of the Beth Israel Sephardi synagogue in Baltimore.
La China Poblana Mexican Restaurant, Greektown, December 2014.
El Merengue, a Dominican restaurant in Greektown, June 2018.
Latino Corner Mini Market, Greektown, December 2014.
Cecilia Altonaga , a Florida United States district court judge. She is the first Cuban-American woman to be appointed as a federal judge in the United States.
Nina R. Harper , a politician who serves in the Maryland General Assembly representing Maryland's 45th legislative located in northeast Baltimore City.