Congratulations to 2014 Community Fellow Zina Makar, who has been named the Public Interest Lawyer of the Year by the Bar Association of Baltimore City! As part of her Fellowship, Makar worked with the Office of the Public Defender to represent poor defendants by employing the power of habeas corpus—a legal procedure that keeps governments from holding people indefinitely without showing cause.
She is now co-director of the University of Baltimore’s Pretrial Justice Clinic, which is a member, along with the Open Society Policy Institute, of the Coalition for a Safe and Just Maryland. She was also on the Justice Planning Group for OSI’s Solutions Summit.
Two 2016 Community Fellows, Jermaine Bell and Gianna Rodriguez (with Baltimore Youth Arts) will be vendors at this weekend’s Brown Paper Zine and Small Press Fair at the Eubie Blake Cultural Center. The event is designed to bring together artists and zine makers, both established and those just starting out, in a place where artists of color can showcase their work in a welcoming environment.
As part of his Fellowship, Bell works with Barclay’s Exit The Apple to create a system that supports black artists and allows their ideas to grow and thrive. As part of that effort, Bell is organizing Vend@ The Exchange: Pre Mother’s Day Version, a pop-up marketplace on May 7th that will feature community commerce, music and art.
Also don’t miss the new IMPACT photo series featuring 2015 Community Fellow Menes Yahudah and his project, Muze It Outreach.
