A digest of Baltimore news from local sources.
From the Baltimore Sun: Baltimore school board criticized for secret search for new CEO
"City and state officials criticized the Baltimore school board Wednesday for conducting a secret search for a new schools chief that left the public and key legislators unaware that the process was underway.
"The board's announcement Tuesday night that schools CEO Gregory Thornton would step down and be replaced by Sonja Santelises caught officials and the community by surprise.
"'I was really shocked. I felt they shouldn't have did it in secrecy,' City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young said Wednesday. 'They should have let the leaders of the city know because, No. 1, we get the blame for the schools.'
"Young said he learned of the selection from his spokesman, who heard about it from a news reporter.
"Thornton's departure ends a divisive tenure of less than two years. Santelises, a former chief academic officer for Baltimore schools who left the system three years ago, is scheduled to take over July 1.
"She has generally received praise since the announcement was made.
"School board Chairman Marnell Cooper said he notified more than a dozen legislators about two hours before the announcement Tuesday.
"The board decided to keep the process quiet, he said, because members did not want to undermine Thornton's ability to get work done.
"He said the board met privately with Thornton in December to tell him that it would begin a search for a new leader in January.
"In public, Cooper continued to imply that Thornton would remain in the job.
"'Dr. Thornton received a positive evaluation after his first year with the district, and we expect that he will fulfill the remainder of his contract,' Cooper said in February.
"Cooper said Thornton understood the need for a change and was professional in their private discussions."
From the AFRO American: Pugh lays out agenda for Baltimore
"Catherine Pugh is planning for Baltimore’s future. Even as Sheila Dixon, Pugh’s primary opponent in the Mayoral race publicly weighs her options for contesting the results of the April 26th Democratic election, Pugh is reaching out and moving forward. 'My campaign was about unity and bringing people together' Pugh said in an interview with the AFRO.
"Since being named the winner of the election on April 26, Pugh has been busy meeting with Baltimore’s business and educational leadership. She is working on strategies to transform Baltimore into the place where people will choose to send their children to school. 'We have to make sure Baltimore City Public Schools can provide an experience where our children are well educated. When parents begin to have children that are school-aged, they are not choosing Baltimore. We have to figure out how to change that,' she said.
"Pugh spent her first post-election weeks meeting with Baltimore’s business and higher education leaders to discuss ways to make career opportunities available to the city’s college graduates and influence students to make Baltimore a permanent home after college. 'I came here as a Morgan State University student. Baltimore is the place where I grew up and became an adult, a business owner, a banker, a CEO, a public servant and state legislator. 'I’ve spoken to Michael Cryor and we are working with The One Baltimore Committee on job opportunities. I would like to see students have options in Baltimore during their junior year so more of them can consider staying in the city,' Pugh said.
"Pugh recognizes Baltimore’s college graduates aren’t the only who need viable employment opportunities. She acknowledges great inequities in accessing opportunity threatening the basic stability of many neighborhoods in Baltimore. 'I’ve also been talking about our vision to reduce overall unemployment in our city. We have 77,000 who are unemployed in Baltimore,' Pugh said. In addition to an unemployment rate in excess of 12%, Pugh also mentioned the systemic challenges and inequities created by the combination of high unemployment with Baltimore’s high incarceration and substance abuse rates."
"Pugh recognizes that she will need a broad coalition of support to create the kind of long-term systemic changes needed to reach deep into Baltimore’s struggling neighborhoods. 'I consider myself as one who does have the right approach to unite this city around issue of importance.' Pugh acknowledges and welcomes ideas that have come from some of her opponents. 'I plan to have a very big tent, welcoming and open to new ideas and new vision. Great ideas came from some of our younger candidates, during this election. People who are positive and understand that the glass is half-full rather than half-empty' she said."
From City Paper: Balti Gurls elevate female-identifying artists of color through art shows, performances, and parties
"It's an unseasonably brisk night in February when we pull up to EMP Collective. The energetic emcee Killjoy raps to a swaying crowd while a projection of curated images such as TLC's "Word Up!" cover and other black '90s icons shines bright off to the side. On another wall hangs a dreaming sun tapestry and three large, golden balloons spelling out "EC2" against a coral wall. Two women collect the entrance fee at the door, offering free BaltiGurls stickers. Another couple of women vend T-shirts and vegan cupcakes; elsewhere there's punch for $5 a pop. This is Edge Control Vol. 2, a party curated and hosted by the BaltiGurls, a Baltimore-based collective of women of color who aim to provide an inclusive space for other artists who identify as women of color.
"Eleven women—printmakers, performance artists, fiber artists, musicians, DJs, designers, and more—make up the collective: Jenné Afiya, Alejandra Nuñez, Ashley Chambers, Chanel Cruz, Christianna Clark, Jessica Hyman, Joy Postell, Khadija Nia Adell, N'Deye Diakhate, Stephanie Alexandra Wallace, and Suldano Abdiruhman (disclosure: she is a friend of mine).
"Jenné Afiya, a stout, copper-toned woman with short platinum coils, says they do not want to be affiliated with any institution. 'Not all of the BaltiGurls went to art school,' Afiya says at Red Emma's a few weeks before Edge Control Vol. 2. 'I want to respect that.' Rather than being tied to some major organization the BaltiGurls are more interested in creating their own space.
"The group began in the spring of 2014 as a potluck discussion group, initiated by Afiya, of 15 female-identifying artists who'd come together through mutual friends. 'We felt like we needed a safe space to discuss our art, identity in general, and how those things intersect,' Afiya says. 'And we didn't feel like there was a space for that.'
"They're continuing the tradition of collectives among women artists—such as the Guerrilla Girls, the activist group who famously unveiled a print in 1988 titled 'The Advantages of Being a Woman Artist.' The 13 "advantages" included "Seeing your ideas live on in the work of others" and "Not having to undergo the embarrassment of being called a genius." But while the Guerrilla Girls railed against a sexist art establishment, the Balti Gurls are exploring intersectionality."