Marissa Berk-Smith, Assistant to the Dean in the College of Fine Arts and Communication, was invited to speak at Roland Park Country School to over 300 young women about what it means to be an ACTIVIST in honor of MLK day and black history month. Moderated by the former Baltimore City mayor, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, the panel consisted of a variety of “regular” working women in Baltimore (if there is such a thing). Take a look at these amazing women doing the tough work!

Marissa Berk-Smith: Speaker

Marissa Berk-Smith, received her B.A. from Boston College where she studied Sociology and Communications. Her primary focus was finding a way to integrate the sociology of racial identity through photography and qualitative research. Being biracial, she often explored the question “what are you?” Having to reduce her racial and ethnic identity into one box on her college application forms sparked her interest in racial issues and how they affected educational opportunities. In 2008, Marissa received her M.A. in Community Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Her graduate thesis research focused on mapping the intersections of racial identity in Baltimore City from the youth perspective. Currently Marissa works at Towson University as Assistant to the Dean for the College of Fine Arts & Communication, as well as a facilitator for dialogues on issues of social justice.

Lukah Callanan: Speaker

Lukah Callanan is a white, chubby, radical, queer, cisgender lady who grew up in Catonsville and now lives in northeast Baltimore. She works at Fusion Partnerships, a nonprofit fiscal sponsor supporting over 95 social justice programs, where she keeps the accounting and financials on the up and up so others don’t have to worry about it. She is also the treasurer for Ryan Dorsey, a Baltimore City councilperson, and a founding member of Mutual Aid Disaster Relief, a nonprofit based in Tampa, Florida. In her spare time, she enjoys cuddling her two  dogs, doing crossword puzzles, and telling bad jokes.

Eunbi C. Kim: Speaker

Eunbi C. Kim is a Korean American, non-binary musician and activist currently working at Fusion Partnerships, a fiscal sponsor serving the social justice community of Baltimore. As a racial and educational equity advocate, they have helped organize 150+ free public educational workshops with the North Avenue Knowledge Exchange and created OZONE, a platform for POC artists in Baltimore. As a musician, they explore the dissonance between home, journey, and pain of diaspora through their music. They are inspired by traditional Korean music, Rhythm and Blues music of the Black diaspora, as well as Korean tunes their dad loudly sun on family road trips.

Brandi Chantalle: Speaker

Brandi Chantalle is a writer who began experimenting with words at an early age. She found the power of her voice while performing with Babel, Temple University’s poetry collective. As an  educator, she seeks to help students hone their respective voices while understanding the importance of education. Though working to finish her Master’s degree at Johns Hopkins University, Brandi is also in the process of completing her first book, Love Notes for our Daughters, scheduled to release this July. She chronicles her Black experience as a wife, woman, and mother knowing her story is as powerful as the next person’s and being unabashed in her commitment to sharing it. Fueled by the loss of her mother at age 9, Brandi is passionate about learning how to nurture herself and empowering other women to do the same.

Stephanie Rawlings-Blake: Moderator

Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is a veteran in politics. During her more than 20 years in public office, she became the youngest person ever elected to the Baltimore City Council and rose in office to eventually become Baltimore’s 49th Mayor. While in office, Stephanie focused on growing Baltimore by increasing public safety and fiscal accountability. As a result, she left Baltimore with the highest bond rating in over 40 years and laid the ground work for meaningful police reforms. Her most significant achievement was leading the legislative effort to bring more than $1 billion to the city to build new schools. Recognized by her peers, Stephanie became the first African American woman to serve as President of the US Conference of Mayors. Currently, Stephanie serves as a consultant and public speaker.