Hi, olá, hola 👋
I'm a neighborhood reporter and illustrator for The Baltimore Banner. I cover East Baltimore communities.
I'm a graduate of the University of Maryland, where I studied journalism and Spanish with a focus on Latin American culture and investigative reporting. Before joining The Banner in June of 2022, I interned at The Hill and The Baltimore Sun.
I'm grew up in Brazil, and moved to the U.S. in 2016. I'm a Brazilian Portuguese native speaker.
Say hello:
@claralfreitas on Twitter. Or email me at clara.longo@thebaltimorebanner.com.
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SELECTED REPORTING
Days before Christmas, I was sitting in a nearly empty newsroom looking for a story. I scrolled somewhat erratically through social media until I came across a post by Meghan Lewis.
How the 19 of them got there started with the family learning of Peggy’s cancer diagnosis. Distance and time had kept them from being ingrained in each other’s lives as they once were, but when Peggy needed her family, it was like no time had passed.
What city emails reveal about Lake Montebello sinkhole
City officials said Wednesday they now expect a completion next spring.
A joyous jokester: Family remembers 15-year-old who was shot near Gilmor Elementary
Rashid Maxwell Jr., known as “Ugg” to his loved ones, was a playful teen with a knack for fixing things, family members said.
This program helped Native American students graduate. Its future is now uncertain.
This school year will be the first in decades where there will be no funding dedicated to Native American students.
The bridge that was too short was also too straight
The State Highway Administration began repairing the bridge over the rail line in Halethorpe in 2018. It was slated to be completed in the summer of 2021, and it has now been delayed to winter of 2024.
‘This is our issue’: Baltimore teens ask to be heard in discussions about gun violence
Teens are being shot in record numbers, even as nonfatal shootings and homicides are down. Here’s what they have to say about it.
The bench became particularly special after upward mobility, a city-backed revitalization effort, and gentrification in the ’70s began transforming the neighborhood, which had grown into the heart of Baltimore’s Native American community, mostly populated by Lumbee.
Residents have won some changes but say more needs to be done.