Connecting Communities Through Mutual Cultural Understanding
NOVEMBER 2021 VIRTUAL SYMPOSIUM
CULTURE IS PEOPLE: TELLING OUR STORIES INTO THE FUTURE
FOR:
Educators of All Grade Levels, College Students and Faculty
Community Leaders in Libraries and Government
Community Members
All Persons interested in Maryland’s International Presence in Communities
WHEN: November 1, 8, 15
SYMPOSIUM 1 (November 1)
The Importance of Storytelling
We will examine and deconstruct the title of the symposium and examine the role of storytelling in various contexts and in different mediums – from the aural to the visual/performing arts. We will examine the storytelling process and provide a space for guest artists to share stories addressing different topics such as peace building through arts, cuisine connecting people, cultural stereotypes, political experiences, and the importance of counter-narratives, and address the question: who owns the story?
WELCOME: BETTY McGINNIS -- President and Founder of World Artists Experiences(WAE). As founder and leader of WAE, Betty leads the non-profit organization which bridges people and cultures across the world to build trust, respect and thus steps toward peace. She believes that the arts are the “human spirit”, an international language and open opportunities for dialogue to enable mutual understanding. Betty partners with embassies, ministries of culture and education, international institutions and organizations to enable the goals of the organization A former teacher, creator of international conferences, curriculum writer, Czech Partnership network leader, university faculty, refugee resettlement organizer, development organizer, social justice advocate, Betty developed experiences for all ages to walk in other’s shoes and see through other’s eyes.
INTRODUCTION: KEVIN CRAFT -- Acting Deputy Director of the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives (GOCI), while maintaining his role as the Administrative Director for the Maryland Governor’s Commission on African Affairs and the Governor’s Commission Middle Eastern American Affairs. He has been with GOCI since May 2016. A resident of Maryland for more than 20 years, Craft came to the state on the last assignment of his nine-year career in the United States Air Force – five years spent deployed overseas, including five months in Qatar during the Gulf War for which he was decorated.Mr. Craft worked for 16 years in the real estate industry as a mortgage professional and a licensed real estate appraiser. He also worked for seven years as an automotive sales professional before assuming his current position.The son of a Korean and Vietnam War veteran, Craft has lived in many parts of the U.S. and the world. He attended high school in southern New Jersey and attended High Point University in North Carolina.An avid golfer, Craft currently resides in Takoma Park.
PANEL MEMBERS:
MODERATOR: GREG FALLER Associate Dean of the College of Fine Arts & Communication. Greg Faller, professor of Electronic Media & Film at Towson University since 1986, was Chair of the EMF Department 2009-2012. He now serves as Associate Dean of the College of Fine Arts & Communication since 2012. He received his Masters in Film Production from Syracuse University and his Doctorate in Film Studies from Northwestern University. He was an essayist, advisor, assistant and associate editor of The International Dictionary of Films & Filmmakers (1984-2001) and The Journal of Film & Video (1985-87). He has been published in Literature/Film Quarterly, Popular Music and Society, American National Biography, Film Quarterly, Media Criticism, The Fifties: Transforming the Screen, and Movies, Moves, and Music. He co-chaired the inaugural Maryland Sister States International Film Series (2006), which is now an annual state-wide event and writes the program notes for the series. Dr. Faller also worked professionally as a film editor. He is currently editing a documentary on René Gimpel, an important 20th century art dealer and French resistance fighter.
KIRAN SINGH SIRAH is President of the International Storytelling Center (ISC), an educational and cultural institution dedicated to enriching lives around the world through storytelling. ISC organizes the world’s premiere storytelling event, the National Storytelling Festival, and supports applied storytelling initiatives across a variety of industries. Prior to his ISC appointment, Sirah developed a number of award-winning peace-building programs in cultural centers across the UK. As an artist, folklorist, teacher, and social justice advocate, he uses the power of human creativity to establish dialogue. An advisory member to UNESCO and a Rotary Peace Fellow, he has developed programs, publications, talks and conference papers on interdisciplinary approaches to relationship building around the globe. In 2017, Sirah was awarded the “Champion of Peace” recognition at the Rotary International ceremony at the United Nations in Geneva. Sirah firmly believes storytelling not only enriches lives, but also holds the key to building a better world.
MARI-ANN KELAM & TUNNE-VALDO KELAM -- Estonian politicians (The Singing Revolution). The Singing Revolution film shares how, between 1987 and 1991, hundreds of thousands of Estonians gathered publicly to sing forbidden patriotic songs and share protest speeches, risking their lives to proclaim their desire for independence.
Mari-Ann Kelam was raised in the United States by Estonian parents who had survived World War II only to find their homeland occupied by the Soviet Union at the end of the war. She grew up with an acute appreciation for the Estonian language, culture, and people and served as Vice President of the Estonian American National Council during the last years of the Soviet Empire. In this role she lobbied Congress and U.S. Presidents on behalf of the Baltic nations and Estonian prisoners of conscience held in the USSR. Her first trip to Estonia was in 1990 as a US delegate to the Congress of Estonia, the alternative parliamentary body elected by the citizens of Estonia living under Soviet oppression. Shortly thereafter, Kelam moved to Estonia and worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and served for several years in the Estonian Parliament. She is still active in Estonian and European politics today. She is married to Tunne-Valdo Kelam, a hero of the Estonian independence movement and current Member of European Parliament, and she has two adult children and five grandchildren. Kelam was active with the film, The Singing Revolution.
SHODEKEH TALIFERO is a multi-disciplinary artist practicing beatboxing, breath art, and vocal percussion. In his close relationship with the world of dance -- including the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, the Paul Taylor American Modern Dance Ensemble, and the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company -- he acquired a wealth of experiences of applying his vocal and rhythmic skills in the movement context of ballet, capoeira, fire movement, belly dancing, and a wide range of modern dance techniques. Since then, Shodekeh has moved from Beatboxing’s roots to explore innovative and convergent collaborations with a wide range of traditional & classical artists. He serves as the vocal percussionist for the globally renowned Alash, one of the world’s leading Tuvan Throat Singing ensembles; has become a recent collaborator with the Silkroad Ensemble based at Harvard University and founded by legendary cellist Yo Yo Ma; and is premiering an original composition with Sō Percussion at Carnegie Hall. Shodekeh is also immersed in the realm of Hip Hop-inspired research & science communication, which included creating the math + music notation course Beatbox Algebra (designed to counter internalized math anxiety among students) and serving as a panelist and musician for The Neuroscience of Art, a week-long conference presented by the Salzburg Global Seminar in Salzburg, Austria. He currently serves as Towson University’s very first Innovator-in-Residence anchored by the College of Fine Arts & Communication, allowing him to lecture, collaborate, experiment, and perform across the university.
Link to recorded program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwwwJIYk8Kg
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SYMPOSIUM 2 (November 8)
Connections to the Land
We will explore how location directly impacts stories and storytelling. Regions and communities generate different stories expressing a multitude of experiences. Guest artists will share their stories addressing the centrality of location and how “land” influences stories of identity, kinship, economics, resistance, cooperation, and peace.
WELCOME: BETTY McGINNIS is the President and Founder of World Artists Experiences(WAE). As founder and leader of WAE, Betty leads the non-profit organization which bridges people and cultures across the world to build trust, respect and thus steps toward peace. She believes that the arts are the “human spirit”, an international language and open opportunities for dialogue to enable mutual understanding. Betty partners with embassies, ministries of culture and education, international institutions and organizations to enable the goals of the organization A former teacher, creator of international conferences, curriculum writer, Czech Partnership network leader, university faculty, refugee resettlement organizer, development organizer, social justice advocate, Betty developed experiences for all ages to walk in other’s shoes and see through other’s eyes.
PANEL MEMBERS:
MODERATOR: LUIS BORUNDA is the first Hispanic in Maryland history to serve as Deputy Secretary of State. Under the leadership of Secretary of State, John C. Wobensmith, Deputy Secretary of State Borunda’s responsibilities include the operations of the Office of the Maryland Secretary of State. He also assists in the development of Maryland’s subnational relationships, which includes our Latin American relationships. Deputy Secretary of State Borunda is also responsible for shaping the Office of the Secretary of States’ initiatives on Customer Service and Social Media. Mr. Borunda is an entrepreneur. He founded and operated a graphics company for 25 years. He is a co-founder of many business organizations and an educational non-profit which provided over $250,000 in scholarships to under-served Latino youth. The non-profit was an early leader in teaching entrepreneurial skills and dialogue between Latino and Black youth. He is a leader in the Hispanic community and advocates entrepreneurship and education.
DARRELL DENNIS is a multi-faceted Native American (First Nations) actor, writer, and comedian. As an actor, Dennis has gone from classic theater productions in Shaw's Arms and the Man, Strindberg's Miss Julie, and Pinter's Deceived, to film and television roles in Leaving Normal, Degrassi and Shania: A life in Eight Albums. When Dennis won the lead role of Frank Fencepost on the CBC television series The Rez his comedy career exploded. He received a scholarship to train at the world famous "Second City" and became the first Native American (First Nations) comedian to be hired as a performer in any of the Second City companies. He then co-founded the all-Native comedy troupe "Tonto's Nephews" and the L.A. based all Native American comedy troupe "The Mayflower Welcoming Committee." In addition to acting and comedy, Dennis is a successful writer. His first play, Trickster of Third Avenue East, was produced by Native Earth Performing Arts, which twice named him their "Writer-in-Residence".
Dennis’ one man show, Tales of an Urban Indian, was nominated for two Dora Awards (Best Original Play and Best Performance by an actor) and his feature film adaptation of Tales was one of 13 international screenplays to be accepted in the prestigious Sundance Screenwriters Lab.
He co-wrote and hosted the ground-breaking CBC radio program Revision Quest which ran for four seasons and won numerous awards including the prestigious New York Festival Award. Currently, Dennis is a series regular on the Teen Nick/YTV show Open Heart. His book, Peace Pipe Dreams:The Truth About Lies About Indians, is available in bookstores and online.
LYNETTE FORD is a fourth-generation storyteller and a teaching artist with the Ohio Arts Council and the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education, a Thurber House mentor to young writers, a Certified Laughter Yoga Teacher, and a great-grandma. For more than 30 years, Lyn has provided stories for libraries and schools, keynote and closing presentations, workshops at universities, education and literacy conferences, and featured programs at some of the most prestigious storytelling conferences and festivals in the United States, Australia, and Ireland.
She has told stories for an environmental gathering in Berlin, Germany and for the "Ain't I a Woman" retreat for survivors of domestic violence in Maryland. In November 2020, she told stories online for "Freedom Stories" sponsored by the International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough, TN. Lyn is the author of many books including two story collections from her family’s heritage of tales: Affrilachian Tales: Folktales from the African American Appalachian Tradition, and Beyond the Briar Patch: Affrilachian Folktales, Food and Folklore. Both books won the Anne Izard Storytellers’ Choice Award. She was the first storyteller to be nominated for an Ohio Governor’s Award for the Arts; although she didn’t win, her nomination brought traditional storytelling to state officials’ attention, and Lyn has now performed for the “We’ve Known Rivers” storytelling programs at the Ohio Statehouse. Her awards include two National Storytelling Network’s Oracle Awards. Lyn is also a member of the writers’ panel of the National Writing Project, and the National Association of Black Storytellers Circle of Elders.
CARLOS RUNCIE TANAKA is a Sculptor-Ceramic Artist. A one-time philosophy major at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Peru, Carlos Runcie Tanaka chose instead to dedicate himself to the art of pottery making, undertaking studies in Brazil, Italy and Japan. His art reflects his early interests in biological science, archaeology and geology. In the mid-eighties his interest in installation art expanded his vision as a ceramic artist. Later on, his habit of collecting diverse objects, ranging from pre-Hispanic clay vessels and sculptural figures to living cacti, and arranging and displaying them in his own living space, has influenced the spatial solution of later projects. Recent installations have opened up to a wide range of cultural allusions, through the use of origami, glass and new media such as video. A renewed quest for answers to issues of identity and history has galvanized his artistic process. Since 1978 he has run a pottery studio in Lima, where, aside from his artwork, Tanaka creates functional pieces made from stoneware clays and local materials that are fired in gas kilns reaching temperatures of 1,300oC (2,375oF). Since 1990 he has been visiting professor at prestigious Universities in Japan and the United States of America. Member of the International Academy of Ceramics (IAC - AIC). He lives and works in Lima. He has held numerous solo exhibitions in Latin America, the United States, Japan and Italy, and has participated in group and other collective exhibitions in Peru and abroad, representing his country in contemporary art exhibitions in Caracas, Venezuela; Lima, Peru; Venice;São Paulo; Valencia y Sagunto, España; Chile; Cuba (2015). In the US, his work is in the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, TX, the Art Museum of the Americas, the World Bank Art Collection, the Inter-American Development Bank Art Collection in Washington, D.C.; The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA, and The Northern Arizona University Art Museum, Flagstaff, AZ. He also has work in the Fundación Eugenio Mendoza, Caracas, Venezuela; the Museo Paraguayo de Arte Contemporáneo, Asunción, Paraguay; the Museo Municipal de Arte Moderno, Cuenca, Ecuador and the Royal Museums of History and Art, Brussels, Belgium. In Peru, his work is in the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (MAC), Arequip, the Museo de Arte de Lima (MALI), the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (MAC Lima) and the Museo de Arte de la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima.
CHEICK HAMALA DIABATE is a griot (storyteller) and djele (musician and poet) from Kita, Mali. Born into a family with an 800 year old griot/djele tradition, he is internationally celebrated as one of the most famous n’goni (a stringed lute and ancestor of the banjo) players. He is also a sought-after lecturer, storyteller, and choreographer and has performed at the Kennedy Center, the United States Senate, and the Smithsonian Institution. A steward of the centuries-old griot tradition, Cheick Hamala Diabate shares the oral history, music, and song of his culture as it was passed on to him from birth by parent to child. His music always reflects the historical integrity of an important art form with a rich tradition stretching back to the formation of the Great Malian Empire. He has performed with well-known artists such as Yayi Kouyate, Ami Koita, Kandia Kouyate, Madi Tounkara, Salif Keita, Bela Fleck, and Corey Harris. In 2007, his collaboration with banjo player Bob Carlin, From Mali to America, led to a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional World Music Album. Yet while many American musicians have traveled to West Africa or picked up the n’goni—thanks in part to Cheick Hamala Diabate’s introductions and instruction—few African musicians have explored the possibilities of the banjo. “The music we griots play is not just about making nice sounds for dancing, it’s about giving a lesson to people about their lives. You tell them about what their grandfathers did, and what they should do now,” explains Cheick Hamala Diabate. “People trust the griot more than anyone else.”
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SYMPOSIUM 3 (November 15)
Cultural Heritage
We will explore how cultural heritage connects into the future. What are the through lines connecting previous lived experiences to potential new experiences? How can we offer stories built on the past and the present to imagine an idealized future? How do artists create visions for the future of a culture and allow us to imagine new stories? Guest artists will share stories addressing topics ranging from the pandemic, health and well-being, and new artistic practices, to political turmoil, social justice, climate change, gender and racial equity.
WELCOME: BETTY MCGINNIS, President and Founder of World Artists Experiences(WAE). As founder and leader of WAE, Betty leads the non-profit organization which bridges people and cultures across the world to build trust, respect and thus steps toward peace. She believes that the arts are the “human spirit”, an international language and open opportunities for dialogue to enable mutual understanding. Betty partners with embassies, ministries of culture and education, international institutions and organizations to enable the goals of the organization A former teacher, creator of international conferences, curriculum writer, Czech Partnership network leader, university faculty, refugee resettlement organizer, development organizer, social justice advocate, Betty developed experiences for all ages to walk in other’s shoes and see through other’s eyes.
PANEL MEMBERS
MODERATOR: BEATRICE FULLER is a leadership coach for senior leaders at independent schools in the United States with Coaching@Altitude, and a practicing artist exploring a range of mediums including paint, glass and ceramics. In her more than 35-year career in independent schools, Fuller has served as a high school principal, director of college counseling, English teacher, art teacher, and athletic coach at a wide range of schools including Georgetown Day School, Severn School and Holton-Arms School in the Maryland/Washington DC area and boarding schools in Massachusetts and California. In every school, she has focused on community building, leadership development, and inclusion work. A graduate of Williams College, Fuller double majored in studio art and English, and was a three-sport captain in field hockey, ice hockey and lacrosse. Fuller also earned an MS in Education from Johns Hopkins University with a certificate in Independent School Leadership. Growing up in the DC area, Fuller loved having friends from around the world and from a variety of backgrounds, and loves to travel in person or via literature and art.
HELEN ZUGHAIB was born in Beirut, Lebanon and lived mostly in the Middle East and Europe before studying art and earning her BFA from the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Syracuse University. Zugabaib currently lives and works in Washington, DC. She paints primarily in gouache and ink on board and canvas. More recently, she has worked with wood, shoes, and cloth in mixed media installations. Her work has been widely exhibited in galleries and museums in the United States, Europe and Lebanon, and her paintings are included in many private and public collections, including the White House, World Bank, Library of Congress, US Consulate General, Vancouver, Canada, American Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, the Arab American National Museum in Detroit, Michigan, and the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Her paintings are also included in the DC Art Bank Collection, and she has received the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Fellowship award from 2015-20. Her work has been included in Art in Embassy State Department exhibitions abroad, including Brunei, Nicaragua, Mauritius, Iraq, Belgium, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. Zugabaib has served as Cultural Envoy to Palestine, Switzerland and Saudi Arabia. The John F. Kennedy Center/REACH, in Washington, DC, has selected Zugabaib for the 2021 Inaugural Social Practice Residency. Her paintings have been gifted to heads of state by President Obama and former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. Zugabaib states: “As an Arab American, I hope through my work, to encourage dialogue and bring understanding and acceptance between the people of the Arab world and the West, especially since 9/11, the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the more recent revolutions and crises in the Arab world, resulting from the “Arab Spring” that began in late 2010, leading to the current war in Syria and the massive displacement of people seeking refuge in Europe, the Middle East and America. My work is ultimately about creating empathy. Creating a shared space for introspection and dialogue. I ask the viewer to see through someone else’s eyes, to walk in another’s shoes. To accept the ‘other.’ To reject divisiveness. To promote acceptance and understanding and to reject violence and subjugation of anyone anywhere. To give voice to the voiceless, to heal, to reflect in our shared humanity.”
CAROLINA MAYORGA is a Colombian-born and naturalized American interdisciplinary artist who has exhibited her work nationally and internationally for the last 20 years. Her work is part of national and international collections and has been reviewed in publications in South America, Europe and the US. Mayorga’s artwork addresses issues of social and political content. Comments on migration, war, identity, translate into video, performance, site-specific installations, and Two-dimensional media in the form of photography and drawing. The artist lives and works in Washington, DC.
SARAH HOOVER is Associate Dean for Innovation, Interdisciplinary Partnerships and Community Initiatives at the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University. As Associate Dean, Hoover has re-invigorated the institute’s historic engagement with organizations throughout Baltimore to bring music to new audiences and help students hone citizen artistry and career skills. She has shepherded the development of Peabody’s Breakthrough Curriculum and oversees the work of Peabody LAUNCHPad and the Office of Community Partnerships, advancing an integrated vision for career skill development, entrepreneurship and citizen artistry. Named one of Musical America’s 30 Music Professionals of 2019 for her work linking music and medicine at Johns Hopkins, Hoover leads a variety of interconnected efforts across the university and hospital system to conduct research, develop therapies, bring music into clinical settings, and provide multi-disciplinary clinical care for musicians. She has shepherded the development of concert series and bedside music programs at Johns Hopkins Hospital as well as programs in creative aging and sensory-friendly performances through Peabody Prescribe’s arts for wellness division, and has served as co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Music and Medicine. Her book, Music as Care: Artistry in the Hospital Environment, was published in the spring of 2021. Prior to her appointment at Peabody, Hoover had a career as a performer, teacher of singing, and music journalist. Her writing has been published by the Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, Grove Dictionary of American Music, and Chamber Music magazine. From 2012 to 2015, she founded and directed the Oyster Bay Music Festival in Oyster Bay, NY, a grassroots experiment in community music that deconstructed the concert stage and broke down the boundaries between audience and performers. Hoover is a graduate of Yale University and earned a Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance from Peabody. She received additional training in voice science and holds certificates in Arts in Medicine and Performing Arts Medicine.
2020 Summit Series Recap
Virtual Summit I
This Summit has taken place. Please go to this link for the YouTube Video:
WHO ARE MARYLANDERS?
Origins, History, Contributions
Purpose: Explore the rich diversity, demographics, origins, history and contributions of Marylanders beginning in the 1600s through the present.
Goals: Celebrate the rich diversity and cultural commonalities in communities throughout Maryland today and in history. Stimulate people in Maryland to share their stories with one another, and connect communities.
OPENING REMARKS: Steven J. McAdams, Executive Director, Governor's Office of Community Initiatives.
PANEL MEMBERS:
MODERATOR: David Armenti -- Educational Director, Maryland Center for History and Culture (Formerly Maryland Historical Society), David Armenti is a Baltimore City native, who received his B.A. in American History and American Studies from the University of Maryland, College Park. There he studied the social history of the United States, focusing on its complex racial and ethnic dynamics. Mr. Armenti also completed the Masters of Arts in Teaching at Loyola University, becoming a state-certified social studies educator. He then worked as a research archivist for the Maryland State Archives’ Legacy of Slavery Project, documenting historical examples of resistance among enslaved African-Americans in Maryland. As the Director of Education at the Maryland Center for History and Culture (formerly the Maryland Historical Society), Mr. Armenti specializes in bringing the state’s unique history to life, using primary source collections to guide inquiry-based learning for students and teachers. He has worked within MCHC Education Department for more than seven years, developing an expertise in local resources that informs investigations of African American history, early American history, labor and political organizing, and the Civil Rights Movement.
Henry Miller: Dr. Miller is a Historical Archaeologist who grew up in Arkansas and attended the University of Arkansas where he received a B. A. degree in Anthropology. He subsequently received an M.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology from Michigan State University with a specialization in historic sites archaeology. Dr. Miller‘s dissertation focused on the human diet in the colonial Chesapeake, as revealed by animal bones. His first contact with St. Mary’s City came in 1972 when he was hired as an archaeological excavator. Subsequently, he was employed full time by HSMC in 1977, first as Laboratory Director (1977-1987) and since 1987, as the Director of Research. Currently, he holds the position of Maryland Heritage Scholar and in 2011-2012 was Visiting Scholar at the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Oxford University. In 1997, he served as President of the international Society for Historical Archaeology, and chaired the SHA Ethics and Standards Committee and its Curation Standards Committee which developed the first professional standards for the care of historic archaeological collections. Research interests are wide ranging and include foodways and colonial architecture, ceramics, tobacco pipes and oyster shells, changing landscapes over time, and the intellectual influences that shaped Maryland’s settlers. Much of Dr. Miller’s career has been devoted to exploring 17th-century sites and effectively converting those discoveries into public exhibits, both in galleries and as full reconstructions. In January 2020, Dr. Miller was awarded the J.C. Harrington Medal in Historical Archaeology in recognition of a lifetime of contributions to the field.
Maya Davis -- Maya Davis is the Legislative Liaison and Research Archivist at the Maryland State Archive where she consults on statewide projects that document, interpret, and preserve African American History and Culture. Some of her current projects include the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman Statue project at the Maryland State House, and the Annapolis Port Marker project. Ms. Davis currently serves as a commissioner on the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture representing Prince George's County. Previously she served as the Interim Director of the Banneker-Douglass Museum and the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture, worked at the City Museum of Washington, DC, and served as the Chair of the International AAHGS Book Awards, Vice Chair of the Annapolis 1864 Commission to Commemorate the Emancipation of Slavery in Maryland, and was an exhibition team member of the Harriet Tubman Park and Visitor Center. A native Washingtonian, Ms. Davis is a graduate of Howard University and George Washington University.
Nicholas Fessenden -- Nicholas Fessenden earned a B.A. at Yale and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Columbia University in History. He taught History in the Upper School at Friends School/Baltimore (1972-2010), and History at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). After retirement, he joined the board of the Baltimore Immigration Memorial, which opened a museum in May 2016 in Locust Point, chronicling Baltimore's immigration history. He has taught courses on immigration history at CCBC/Owings Mills and Essex, as well as at Osher Institute/Towson and Columbia. Dr. Fessenden also has given lectures to genealogical and historical societies and retirement communities, and school and college groups about our immigration history.
Myat Lin -- Director of Maryland Office of Asylum and Refugees. Myat Lin has served refugees in both overseas and domestic settings. He worked for the Refugee Resettlement Unit (RRU) under the direction of Refugee and Migration Affairs of the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand from 1998-2006. During that time, Myat processed, on average, about 800 refugees a year through the U.S. Refugee Admission Program (USRAP). Having admitted himself as a refugee, Myat continued his services to refugees at two local resettlement agencies providing direct assistance and two national resettlement agencies at various levels. Myat joined the Maryland Office for Refugees and Asylees (MORA) housed within the Family Investment Administration - Maryland Department of Human Services in February 2019.
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Virtual Summit II
This Summit has taken place. Please go to this link for the YouTube Video:
CONNECTING CULTURES: BEGINNING WITH SELF
Purpose: Explore/Discuss connecting cultures to develop mutual cultural understanding in our international communities. The Session will begin with self and move to exploring ways of connecting our diverse cultures by developing mutual understanding.
Goals: The session will include ideas and means for everyone to develop mutual understanding which can apply to all citizens. The session will provide skills for connecting cultures to develop mutual understanding of Maryland’s International communities.
PANEL MEMBERS:
MODERATOR: Luis Borunda -- Appointed by Governor Larry Hogan in January of 2015, Mr. Borunda is the first Hispanic in Maryland history to serve as Deputy Secretary of State. Mr. Borunda’s portfolio includes the operations of the Office of the Maryland Secretary of State, as well as Division of International Affairs. He also assists in the development of Maryland’s subnational relationships, including those in Latin America and serves on the Governor’s Subcabinet on International Affairs. Mr. Borunda is also responsible for the Office of the Secretary of States’ initiatives on Customer Service and Social Media. In 2003, Mr. Borunda got his start in politics by forming a Hispanic committee to support the successful gubernatorial candidate, Bob Ehrlich. Governor Ehrlich appointed Mr. Borunda to several boards and commissions including the Maryland Economic Development Commission and the Baltimore County Board of Education. It was during this time that he met Larry Hogan who also served in the Ehrlich administration. Deputy Secretary Borunda’s business background serves him well as Governor Hogan’s message “Maryland is Open for Business” is the lens through which he sees these international contacts and seeks to build Maryland’s international relationships. His leadership style always encourages the best to come out in individuals. He is a bridge builder and provides opportunities for as many people as he can. Mr. Borunda is the father of six children ranging in age from 4 to 26 and has been married to his wife Sharon for 32 years.
Lobna “Luby” Ismail -- President of Connecting Cultures, LLC, Ms Ismail is dedicated to building cultural competence in diverse and global settings. She holds a Master’s degree in Intercultural Relations from Lesley College and a B.A. in International Service from The American University. An inspirational public speaker and powerful trainer and coach with over twenty years of experience, Ms. Ismail’s reputation and strong experience is in Arab cultures, communication across cultures, engaging with Americans, Islamic awareness, and Diversity & Inclusion. Publishing articles and books on Arab Cultures, Islam and American Muslims, she was selected as a Peace Fellow for Seeds of Peace and a Malone Fellow in Middle East and Islamic Studies by the National Council for U.S. and Arab Relations. She also participated in a study visit to Saudi Arabia. She has been a keynote speaker and presenter at conferences around the world including Human Capital Forum in South America, the Arabian Society for Human Resource Management Conference and the Society for Human Resources. Ms. Ismail assisted in the development of My Fellow American, America’s Unofficial Ambassadors and 20,000 Dialogues to stimulate dialogue across faiths. She has traveled extensively throughout Europe, including Bosnia, Croatia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, Jordan, Palestine, Israel, Peru, Singapore, Colombia, and Mexico. Her clients include Federal and State agencies, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations and private corporations including Microsoft, Walt Disney World, U.S. Departments of Justice and State, CVS, Darden Restaurants, King Abdullah University for Science and Technology, Foreign Service Institute, NIKE. Ms. Ismail received the 2012 Arab American Anti-Discrimination Honoring the Achievements of Extraordinary Arab-American Women Award.
Hollee McGinnis -- An Assistant Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Social Work, Hollee McGinnis teaches courses on social policy, social justice, and history & philosophy of social welfare. Her educational credentials include a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College, a M.S.S.W. from Columbia University, a Post-M.S.W. from Yale University and a Ph.D. from Washington University in St. Louis. She is a prominent scholar, policy expert, and community organizer on intercountry and transracial adoption and child welfare. Her research broadly examines the social and cultural determinants of children’s mental health and well-being, with a focus on improving outcomes across the lifespan for youth and adults with histories of childhood adversity and alternative care (adoption, foster, institutional care) in the U.S. and globally. Ms. McGinnis has extensive experience discussing and conducting workshops on diversity, ethnic-racial identity, racial-cultural socialization, and difference to a wide range of audiences, and has published articles, book chapters, and essays.
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Virtual Summit III
This Summit has taken place. Please go to this link for the YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/H0drQNVhIWE
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
IN
DIVERSE CULTURAL SETTINGS
Purpose: Deepen our awareness of the critical role of communication in daily lives. Furthermore, taking an analytical approach of how misunderstandings in verbal communication and none-cues emerge. And lastly, focusing on a set of guidelines for minimizing misunderstandings within and between cultural settings.
Goals: Develop effective communication skills in the multicultural landscape which allow participants to develop cross- cultural understandings in communities.
PANEL MEMBERS:
MODERATOR: Beatrice Fuller -- Beatrice Fuller currently serves as an educational consultant specializing in curriculum development; diversity, equity and inclusion work; and leadership training. A graduate of Williams College, Ms. Fuller was a double major in English and studio art, and a three-sport captain in field hockey, ice hockey and lacrosse, Ms. Fuller earned a Masters of Science in Education degree from Johns Hopkins University including the graduate certificate from the Association of Independent Maryland Schools in Educational Leadership and Supervision for Independent Schools. She completed her capstone research project on developing a global education program for independent schools. In her more than 35-year career in independent schools, Ms. Fuller has served as high school principal, director of college counseling, English teacher, art teacher, and coach at a wide range of schools including Severn School, Georgetown Day School, and Holton-Arms in the Maryland/Washington DC area and boarding schools in Massachusetts and California. In every school, she has focused on developing community by inspiring communication and leadership with students, teachers and parents. In particular, she has looked to increase programming in diversity, equity and inclusion with teams of both adults and students to create and support initiatives. Having grown up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C, Ms. Fuller always has had friends from around the world and from a variety of backgrounds. She loves to travel, and has traveled and camped extensively in the United States, as well as exploring South Korea, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Mexico and Canada.
Charles Belo -- Charles Belo holds a degree in Government and Politics from University of Maryland University College. Hailed as a "soft skills jedi", Mr. Belo has more than three decades of experience with the federal government, the last decade of that time has been exclusively as a diversity and inclusion practitioner. Known for his very personable and disarming style and demeanor, he has been recognized as a skilled inclusion consultant who makes nearly any topic easy to discuss, regardless of who is in the room. This U.S. Air Force veteran is also a career professional in national security analysis, mentoring and coaching, and professional networking. True to and proud of his native North Carolina roots, Mr. Belo never meets a stranger. A proven dynamic, energetic and engaging speaker and certified facilitator, Mr. Belo is regularly sought after by organizational leaders and workforce teams to provide a variety of diversity and inclusion related workshops, facilitate brainstorming sessions and "power-hour" discussions on such topics as unconscious bias, fostering inclusion on teams or in the workplace, approaching cultural competency, open-mindedness and psychological safety, and others.
Bagher Fardanesh -- Bagher Fardanesh earned his PhD in Higher Education with a concentration in marketing and in management, M.A. in Public Administration, and B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Having a multidisciplinary academic background, he has been teaching a broad range of graduate and undergraduate courses, including international business, international management, and strategic management. Dr. Fardanesh has more than twenty years teaching experience in the United States and overseas. He is currently teaching international marketing courses at the University of Maryland, R. H. Smith School of Business. He is the founder of Farco International, a management consulting firm in Boulder, Colorado, and served as the chair of a World Affairs Conference at the University of Colorado. He has given numerous seminars and conducted management consulting in the United States, Canada, the Middle East, and Western Europe. In his professional practice, he has served organizations such as the international operations of General Motors, Noranda Centre de Technologie in Quebec, TRADOC, and The Johns Hopkins University, Maryland Workforce Development Association, Lockheed Martin, and World Trade Center Institute. He is on the review panel for selected marketing and management textbooks. Dr. Fardanesh is a world traveler who has lived in several countries in the Middle East and Western Europe, as well as in the United States and Canada. He is multilingual with an in-depth appreciation and understanding of multicultural settings. A published author, his areas of expertise include the following: intercultural communications; managing diversity in complex organizations; strategic marketing and management; international marketing and management; international business negotiations; organizational behavior; leadership.
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Virtual Summit IV
This Summit has taken place. Please go to this link for the YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMrue1kGqig
SHARING OUR VOICES: USING ARTS
IN
UNDERSTANDING CULTURES
Purpose: Explore and discuss various arts pedagogies that can be used to bridge cultures. Share examples of art works and methods that facilitate intercultural understanding.
Goals: Offer educational models that promote the importance of diverse cultural perspectives, that encourage the expression and celebration of cultural differences, and that stimulate engaging with people and ideas from other cultures with courage, sensitivity, openness, curiosity, and joy.
PANEL MEMBERS:
MODERATOR: Liz Shearer (Moderator) – Originally from Bristol, England, Ms. Shearer came to the U.S. as an international graduate student in 1998 and is an alumna of Towson University. An ardent advocate for intercultural exchange for more than 20 years, Liz has served as Director of the TU Study Abroad Office since 2014. Responsible for long and short-term strategic planning for education abroad, Liz is dedicated to facilitating enriching cultural experiences for students and extending access to global learning opportunities for all students. She has increased overall study participation by 40%; expanded faculty engagement in international initiatives through faculty-led programming, the Faculty Committee on Study Abroad, and the TU Global Lecture Exchange; and has reduced barriers to study abroad for underrepresented students. In 2019, the Study Abroad Office was named recipient of the annual Towson University Academic Department Diversity & Inclusion Award in acknowledgement of the unit’s commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion. Liz is also the co-founder of Bmore Abroad – a fiscally sponsored organization that operates within Greater Baltimore to tackle education abroad related challenges facing local students and professionals and create a space for productive collaboration in the region. Since its inception, Bmore Abroad has awarded $20,000 in study abroad scholarships to support students in area schools.
Yesenia Mejia – Ms. Mejia is an interdisciplinary artist, activist, mother, and an educator from Oaxaca, Mexico. Based in Baltimore since 2008, she works to build community and share the transformative beauty of Latin American arts, culture, and traditions. As a community organizer and artist, she started Naciones Unidas in 2014, a dance group that showcases traditional folk dances from Mexico, El Salvador, and Peru. In 2018, she established Mañanitas Tacuatas, a vocal duo performing the rich, passionate, and joyous music of Oaxaca. In 2019, she co-founded the Pan y Rosas Collective, an activist organization that stands in solidarity with the immigrant community through creating inclusive and healing spaces. Her journey as an artist also includes Artesanas Mexicanas (which she joined in 2013) and Conjunto Bruja, an all-female Latin-Middle East cross-cultural ensemble that features six artists from Mexico, Peru, Guatemala, Iran, Bolivia and the U.S. who perform on cajón, guitar, charango, Irani sitar, with ranchera-inspired vocals. Conjunto Bruja has performed in cultural centers, at community events, and in demonstrations in Baltimore, Washington DC, and Miami, sharing the stage with groups such as Making Movies and Las Cafeteras. She has also collaborated as a performance artist with SECDC, the Baltimore City Cancer Program, Somos Baltimore Latino, K Pachanga, the Enoch Pratt Library, Towson University, Goucher College, Casa de Maryland, Baltimore for Healthy Babies, and many other organizations. Ms. Mejia is now the Coordinator of the Creative Immigrant Educators of Latin America Origin (CIELO) Program at Creative Alliance – https://www.creativealliance.org/programs/cielo. This bilingual program honors the artistic traditions of community members and educators with roots in Latin American. By engaging youth in learning and preserving Latin American cultures and traditions, the program focuses on passing knowledge along to future generations through art, music, dance, and cuisine. CIELO explores these traditions through artist exchanges, workshops, artisans’ markets, classes, exhibitions, and community events. Programs include Nikandii (a youth Latin music program started in 2020), Tianquiztli (marketplace), Jovenes en Accion (a teen folk dance group), and community events such as Dia de los Muertos, Posadas, and A Special Day with Mama. CIELO welcomes everyone who is interested in learning about Latin American cultures and traditions.
Mukwae Siyolwe -- A graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London and a member of Actors’ Equity, Mukwae Siyolwe also has an MA in Producing Film and Video from American University, an MA in Performance Studies from Tisch School, New York University, and an MFA in Film and Digital Technology from Chatham. As an interdisciplinary and international artist with a focus on racial justice and social transformation, and as artistic director, independent producer, and writer of Global Posse Productions, Ms. Siyolwe uses autoethnographic ritual drama, theatre of the oppressed, and eMerging media to create intercultural dance, documentary films, stage plays, arts festivals, music, and new media. As a descendant of the royal family of Barotseland, she serves as a custodian of her land and people. Engaging in international advocacy initiatives with the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO), she works to ensure Barotseland’s collective survival. She employs transformative arts practices to communicate cultural citizenry to her people marginalized across multiple colonial borders. Ms. Siyolwe was a screenwriting fellow with Miramax Films for the Sundance Institute and Southern African Screenwriters Lab (SCRAWL) and a pitching finalist at Sithengi Film and TV Market, South Africa. She writes her own blog and is a contributor to Afrikadaa, a Paris based journal of Afro art and design, and Ecrans d’Afrique (African Screen). She also worked with Leonard Bernstein as the Jazz Singer in Mass (Barbican Centre, London) and with Lord Richard Attenborough as Tenjy in the Oscar™ nominated motion picture Cry Freedom. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts at Towson University.
Kate Collins -- Dr. Collins earned her BFA in Acting from SUNY College at Fredonia, an MFA in Theatre for Youth from Arizona State, and her PhD in Arts Administration, Education and Policy from Ohio State University. As the Interdisciplinary Arts Infusion graduate program director at Towson University (TU), her action scholarship uses art for language acquisition and cultural sharing with refugee and immigrant youth, most notably with YAAAS! The YAAAS (Youth Artists and Allies taking Action in Society) project involves a partnership between TU, the Baltimore City Community College Refugee Youth Project and Patterson High School, a city school in southeast Baltimore with a significant immigrant and refugee population. Building on the success of a BTU award winning program and emerging investment support in 2018–19, Dr. Collins will expand the curriculum and offerings of the YAAAS. YAAAS has employed a model where TU graduate students (mostly working teachers) and refugee students work side by side as collaborators in an evening arts enrichment program during the Fall semesters. The innovative curriculum focuses on collaborative art-making strategies that prioritize dialogue to meaningfully support and engage refugee youth with limited English. The ethos of the program emphasizes assistance to the most vulnerable populations to make them feel valued, expand their relationships and network of support, build their confidence with English, and provide opportunities for creative self-expression and positive peer relationships. The goal is to help these students navigate their way into college and careers and help them find their place in American society and in the Baltimore community.
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Special thanks to the 2020 Summit Planning Team:
Taylor Casey
Greg Faller
Bagher Fardanesh
Beatrice Fuller
Katherine Jannotta
Betty McGinnis
Mary Nitsch
Saleha Sulemann
