Female Trouble

Storytelling has been a constant in Wanda Draper’s life. The executive director of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture got her start in journalism and has since held various positions in communications. After graduating from the University of Maryland, Wanda worked at the Evening Sun, and has also held positions at the National Aquarium and most recently at WBAL-TV as director of programming and public affairs. Wanda has been at the Lewis Museum since September, following the retirement of A. "Skipp" Sanders, and she talked about what led to her career change and what helped her survive in male-dominated newsrooms. She also discussed how she’s addressing some of the museum’s challenges, how Freddie Gray shifted the paradigm in Baltimore and commanding respect.

Joy Postell's sensitivity is her superpower. The singer, rapper and songwriter is an up-and-comer in the Baltimore music scene, who most recently released a single called "Consciousness" and an accompanying video, in which she plays the roles of icons including Angela Davis, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone and Celie Johnson from "The Color Purple." Joy talked about her upcoming debut EP, "Diaspora," and balancing perfectionism with knowing when to let go of a creative project. She also discussed her musical theater background, regaining confidence after facing a middle school setback, being raised by a musician mother and coming back to Baltimore.

Unify, reclaim, empower. Those are the goals of the Baltimore Transgender Alliance, which, in its own words, “works to uplift the voices of transgender and gender non-conforming people in Baltimore City.” Ava Pipitone serves as executive director of the alliance, and she talked about the meaning of those outlined goals and working to overwhelm mainstream narratives of trans people by telling their own stories. Founded in 2015 by Bryanna Jenkins, the Baltimore Transgender Alliance is a coalition of organizations that has garnered attention for events like 2015’s Baltimore Trans Uprising protest. Ava, who’s also a worker-owner at Red Emma’s Bookstore and Coffeehouse, is a Maryland native, and she talked about her childhood and the ways her extensive travels have shaped her. She also discussed the so-called “trans tipping point,” the Women’s March on Washington and the importance to her of observability. (Photo courtesy of Tehya Faulk)

Diane Bell-McKoy is the president and CEO of Associated Black Charities, which is not, as the name would lead you to believe, an association of black charities. Rather, it’s a public foundation that focuses on addressing racial disparities in Baltimore and across Maryland with an emphasis on economic equity and the workforce. Before Diane came to Associated Black Charities in 2007, she was a senior fellow at the Annie E. Casey Foundation and led the nonprofit that managed Baltimore’s Empowerment Zone. Diane talked about our culture’s misplaced emphasis on heroes and sheroes, and some of the challenges that come with working for a charity with “black” in the name. A Washington native, Diane discussed the importance of building relationships in Baltimore, what it means to be a civic leader and pushing back against the limitations people try to place on her.

Liz Cornish’s relationship to biking started out of convenience, but now it’s at the center of her work. Liz is the executive director of Bikemore, an advocacy organization that works to improve bicycle infrastructure, policies and awareness in Baltimore. Before coming to Baltimore, Liz was somewhat of a professional adventurer and most recently, the first Women Bike Manager at the League of American Bicyclists. Liz talked about what that means, as well as the ways biking has informed her feminism. Liz touched on her somewhat unexpected path to bike advocacy, and how her upbringing informed her current work around neighborhoods. She also discussed addressing Baltimore’s disparities in access to biking, why biking is so polarizing and learning to take up space.

By combining haunting vocals, bass-heavy beats and elements of synth pop, Josephine Olivia and Drew Scott create the experimental dreamscape that is Blacksage. Josephine, an Annapolis native, sings and writes in Blacksage, which released their second full-length album, “Shivers,” last year. Josephine has been open about the arc of Blacksage -- she and Drew were a couple and now they’re not -- and she discussed some of the frustrating assumptions people make about her relationships and the band. Josephine is intimately familiar with the challenges women in music face, and she talked about some of the ways she uses Blacksage’s live performances to empower women and assert herself to public space. She also discussed her concerns for the Baltimore DIY scene, looking back on her earlier music and self-discovery.

Zainab Chaudry loves to subvert expectations. She oversees all Maryland operations and acts as spokeswoman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights organization, but there’s a lot more to her identity than that. Zainab was the first Muslim member of the Maryland State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and last year she attended President Obama’s first U.S. mosque visit. Zainab also contributes writing to the Huffington Post, Time and other media outlets. A trained pharmacist, Zainab discussed her change in career, feminism, her expectations of President Trump’s administration and staying motivated in her work.

In a recent Baltimore Sun story, Erin Cox and Michael Dresser reported that 41 percent of Maryland residents said the escalating opioid epidemic has directly affected them or someone they know over the past five years. That number comes from a Gonzales poll, and among Baltimore city residents, the percentage affected was even higher, at 68 percent. One of the nonprofits attempting to halt this epidemic, along with addressing other mental health and addiction issues, is Behavioral Health System Baltimore, and at the head is Kathy Westcoat. Kathy, the organization’s president, got her start in Baltimore as a dietitian, and she talked about what prompted her to interrogate and address the larger factors that contribute to public health. Behavioral Health System Baltimore acts as the city’s behavioral health authority, and Kathy joined the organization in 2015, after serving as president of HealthCare Access Maryland. Kathy talked about how her upbringing has informed her work, preparing for the possible repeal o

"The stigmatization of a woman taking power and revealing herself on her own terms, I think, can frighten people and make them feel uncomfortable," said Kay Sera, a Baltimore-based burlesque performer. Taking her name from Doris Day's "Que Sera, Sera," Kay, who specializes in neo-burlesque, is empowered by such revelations. Kay discussed the history of burlesque and its Baltimore ties, as well as the power dynamics at play in burlesque performing. Burlesque is not stripping, but it’s not any better than stripping, Kay said, and she talked about the politics of making that distinction. Kay works with the Burlesque Hall of Fame as its head of communications and holds a day job, and she talked about the not-always-positive effect her performing has had on her 9-to-5 life. She also touched on inclusivity in the burlesque scene, evolving attitudes toward burlesque performing and of course, sequins.

Kim Schatzel is used to being the first woman to fill a role. She was happily surprised to learn that wouldn’t be the case when she became president of Towson University, the second-largest public university in Maryland. Schatzel, who has served as president since January and was inaugurated in September, got her start at a Ford Pinto assembly plant before heading a company that manufactured car parts. Schatzel described her transition to academia, where she rose from marketing professor to dean at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, and then served as provost and interim president at Eastern Michigan University. She also discussed mentorship, addressing student concerns around diversity and social justice, the challenges of her job and her vision for Towson University.

By the band’s own estimation, Wume is an exercise in conjuring vibes. With April Camlin on drums and Albert Schatz on synths, the Baltimore duo creates groovy electronic pop with an emphasis on polyrhythmic structures. Wume spent their early years in Chicago before coming to Baltimore, April’s hometown. Always a creative child, April spent a lot of time in the background, and described the process of finding her scene and getting involved with music. It’s the visceral yet controlled nature of drumming that appeals to April, though she often found it challenging to get people to take her seriously as a female drummer. She talked about that experience, the diversifying Baltimore music scene and discovering her creative community in the CopyCat Building. April is also a fine artist who works in textiles, and she discussed the roles her art and music play in influencing each other.(Baltimore City Paper photo by J.M. Giordano)

Baltimoreans who have sipped libations at Dooby's, City Cafe or Pen ---- Quill might recognize Chelsea Gregoire -- or at least one of her creations. The bartender has taken a unique path to a career built on craft cocktails, peppered with theology, music and academia. Taking an egalitarian approach to bartending, Chelsea talked about the prevalent disconnect between corporate or chain bartenders and those who focus on craft cocktails, and how she hopes to bridge the divide. Chelsea also discussed starting her business, Drinkable Genius; the state of the Baltimore bar scene; and how learning to take care of herself helped her in providing hospitality to bar-goers across Baltimore. Next time you see her, ask for an Old Fashioned.

Ericka Alston-Buck does not sit around waiting for permission. In the wake of the unrest that followed the arrest and death of Freddie Gray last year, she saw a need in West Baltimore’s Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood -- and she filled it using a vacant laundromat. Ericka is now famous in that neighborhood for founding the Kids Safe Zone, a center where children and teenagers go to read, eat, study and play after school and during the summer. Ericka, who also serves as director of Youth Services, Violence Prevention ---- Community Outreach at the Penn-North Community Resource Center, talked about growing up in Baltimore, the unexpected founding of the Kids Safe Zone, balancing commitments to her work and her family, and exposing the children of West Baltimore to a world outside of what they know.

Neptune the Poet’s introduction to the spoken word was on a karaoke machine rapping as a kid. Now, the poet and creator is a fixture of the local spoken-word scene, often performing at various open mics throughout the city. Neptune uses her voice for positivity, threading together issues like racial inequality and violence with self-love and warmth in her poetry. Neptune, a Washington native, talked about the personal growth she’s experienced in the past year and getting to a point of self-love. She also discussed the Baltimore arts community, overcoming fears, "Black Boy Blues" and the purposes writing and performing serve in her life.

Cortney Jordan wasn’t good at swimming. Until she was. The 12-time medalist has been to three Paralympic games, where she’s racked up one gold, 8 silvers and 3 bronzes for Team USA. Cortney has cerebral palsy, and she talked about growing up swimming against able-bodied athletes, which at times both discouraged and motivated her. Cortney didn’t know people with disabilities growing up, and she talked about the impact it had on her when she was finally introduced to the Paralympics. She also discussed some of the misconceptions that surround the Paralympics, and what she wished people knew about Paralympians. Cortney is also a fourth-grade teacher, and she talked about the times she's wanted to give up swimming, and inspiring her students.

Martha McKenna, a Democratic political media consultant, has spent much of her career working to get Democratic women into office. At their consulting firm, McKenna Pihlaja, Martha and partner Jennifer Pihlaja make TV ads for candidates, among other advocacy and communications work. Born and raised in Baltimore, Martha, a longtime adviser to former Baltimore mayor Sheila Dixon, also had stints on Mary Pat Clarke’s 1995 mayoral campaign and at Emily’s List. Martha also chairs Emerge Maryland, which identifies and trains women to run for office in the state. Martha talked about getting her start in politics, her campaign success and failures and how to fill the pipeline with female candidates.

Celebration, an indie psychedelic soul band from Baltimore, has been a fixture of the local music scene for more than a decade. Singer Katrina Ford fronts the three-piece, with multi-instrumentalist and husband Sean Antanaitis and drummer David Bergander. Never in one place for more than a few months, Katrina talked about her nomadic childhood and ultimately setting roots in Baltimore, where she has witnessed and experienced the music scene’s evolution from the days of flyers and word-of-mouth shows to the current online landscape. Katrina has been involved in many bands over the years, including JAKS, Love Life, Birdland and Mt. Royal -- she has also sung on TV on the Radio and Future Islands records -- and she relayed stories of her early punk days and the event that led to a shift in perspective and a change in direction for her musical projects. Formed in 2004, Celebration has released four full-length albums, most recently 2014’s "Albumin," and they’ll be putting out a new record in the spring.

Ever since she was young, Sonja Santelises has been a straight shooter who is all about the work. Raised by a family that put education first, Sonja became the CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools on July 1 -- the fifth superintendent to lead the system in a decade. Educated at Brown, Columbia and Harvard universities, Sonja previously worked as the school system’s chief academic officer, and also had stints at The Education Trust, Teach for America, The Algebra Project and the Boston public school system. As Sun education reporter Erica Green writes, Sonja takes over the school system in a tumultuous time, with losses in standardized test scores and enrollment and a strapped budget. In addition, tension surrounded Sonja’s hiring, as the school board conducted the search to replace former CEO Gregory Thornton in secret. Sonja discussed the trust-building that comes amid that fallout, and building respect with parents and students who often come from different backgrounds than her. She also talked about gettin

It might be a cliche to call someone a Renaissance woman, but it’s difficult to describe Lexie Mountain any other way. The artist, writer, musician and comedian has been a mainstay in Baltimore’s arts and DIY communities for years, creating work that often grapples with gender and communication. Lexie might be best known for The Lexie Mountain Boys, an all-female experimental vocal group that put out two records on Carpark Records. Lexie talked about using art to stave off depression, and told the story behind some of her projects, including an attempt at staging the world’s longest game of telephone at The Walters Art Museum in May. Lexie also is a writer -- full disclosure, she contributes to City Paper and has written for The Baltimore Sun in the past -- and she's currently in a rock band called Scroll Downers. Lexie also discussed Twitter, tarot and finding her scene.(Photo courtesy of PSquared)

What is an open society? Diana Morris works to answer that question in her role as director of Open Society Institute-Baltimore, a philanthropic organization dedicated to promoting opportunity and justice by resolving issues faced in urban areas. Open Society Institute-Baltimore is the only U.S. field office of the Open Society Foundations, founded by billionaire philanthropist George Soros. Here in Baltimore, Diana and the office focus on issues like lowering suspension rates for kids in school, providing accessible drug treatment and reducing the number of Marylanders in the criminal justice system. Social justice and human rights work have always been important to Diana, who grew up in a small town with an itch to get out and see the world. Diana spoke about some of her travels, and the early issues that got her involved in this kind of work. She also discussed the learning curve she experienced when she got to Baltimore, the challenge of convincing people of the importance of urban issues, and the future