Bricklaying is a predominantly male profession; that was even more true 40 years ago, when Baltimorean Barbara Moore got her start. “It was kind of rough at first ’cause, you know, a lot of the older guys didn’t think I should be there and I was taking a job from a man,” Moore said in an NPR StoryCorps interview with her daughter, Olivia Fite. “But I believed that I could do that job.”
Fite’s touching interview with her mom is worth a listen, not only because Moore had a hand in building many Baltimore landmarks (including both Camden Yards and M&T Bank Stadium), but also because of the clear affection between mother and daughter. The NPR story doesn’t mention this, but Moore has also been instrumental in various Upper Fells Point community projects, including the creation of a neighborhood garden. Fite, Moore’s daughter, has also done her part to contribute to the community, albeit through a less bicep-requiring profession– she runs a modern-day apothecary out of the Fells Point house she and her mother helped renovate.
Let’s hear it for strong Baltimore women!
