A look at how Gloria Nelson continues to advocate for Turner Station

By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Staff Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com

Dedicated to the well-being of Turner Station’s historic Black community, Gloria Nelson continues to champion efforts to revitalize and preserve the neighborhood. 

“Turner Station is here and it’s alive,” she said. “We want to be a part of the history telling in Baltimore County, Md. We want to continue to hold on to that. Because we are aging, it is important that we tell our story.”

Turner Station, the once self-sufficient and thriving Black neighborhood, has since become much smaller and less resourced. According to Nelson, the neighborhood once had 10,000 residents but now has around 3,000. As the once-largest African-American community in Baltimore County, Md., its legacy remains intact, but so do the challenges that Nelson has dedicated her life to overcoming.

Nelson is full-time community leader of the Turner Station Conservation Teams (TSCT), which she has been affiliated with since its founding in 2001. Nelson is a retired Maryland state government worker of 43 years. 

She has served in the community in several capacities, including as the Community College of Baltimore County trustee emeritus, a Precinct 12 Community Police Alliance board member and a Dunbar Brooks Education Foundation board member.

She was also a Maryland Food Bank Coordinator, helping to create and oversee monthly food distributions for the community. She served on the Turner Station Recreation Council for 30 years in various roles, including as president.

Nelson has participated in several workgroup projects in Baltimore County on behalf of Turner Station to help improve the community’s sustainability, affordable housing, and other aspects. 

“We had suffered for decades with environmental justice issues,” said Nelson. “Now we have partners working with us to resolve some of those issues.”

These issues include asbestos contamination, water pollution and poor air quality due to local industrial operations. With Nelson heading the organization, TSCT has partnered with various state and local agencies and elected officials to make progress in their neighborhood. 

“We’re working with the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) at the federal level to clean up their creeks,” said Nelson. “We’re working with Trade Point Atlantic, across the waters from us, who now owns the property. They have multiple tenants…we want training for our residents. We want them to be ready for these jobs.”

TSCT has also partnered with the Maryland Department of Transportation to assist with the aftermath of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse and EPA’s Local Foods, Local Places to help remedy their food desert issue.

Nelson envisions a future where Turner Station is thriving and sustainable, able to endure for generations more.

“We are trying to stabilize the community, increase home ownership and reach all generations because those are the ones coming up behind us,” she said. “We want our community to be healthy.”