Please join us for “The 2020 Election: Community Views and Challenges,” the second in our series of Strong City Neighborhood Conversations! Last month we kicked off the series with “Neighborhood Leaders Respond to the Pandemic.” On Wednesday, October 14 at noon, we will continue engaging with some of the most committed, innovative community leaders in Baltimore and learn how they are addressing our city’s challenges.
“The 2020 Election: Community Views and Challenges” features the following panel of local leaders:
Joshua Harris is Vice President of the Baltimore Chapter of the NAACP. As co-founder of Hollins Creative Placemaking, he leads initiatives that foster urban revitalization. He has served on the Charles Village Urban Renewal community board, Paul’s Place community advisory board, Baltimore’s Promise Mentoring Task Force, and was the youngest board member for Baltimore’s Southwest Partnership. He was the Green Party candidate for Baltimore Mayor in 2016.
Diana Emerson is Director of Community Relations for the HARBEL Community Organization, overseeing community programming and voter registration in Northeast Baltimore. A resident of Abell and longtime community organizer, she was named one of The Daily Record’s Top 40 under 40 professionals in Maryland and the United Way’s Philanthropic 5. She serves on the Waverly Main Street Board, the Abell Improvement Association, and the Junior League of Prince George’s County.
David Troy is a Baltimore-based tech entrepreneur and disinformation researcher whose data visualization work has been featured at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and at TED. He curates TEDxMidAtlantic in Washington, D.C. and serves as CEO and product architect at 410 Labs, maker of popular email management tools. He is also co-founder of the Facebook group Baltimore City Voters, which promotes discussion of civics among city residents.
Don Gatewood is Co-Director of The Initiative Baltimore, which strives to inspire young men to lead their communities through civic engagement, community development, and political leadership. The Initiative aims to foster a Baltimore where every citizen votes, is educated about the political system, and is encouraged to develop community-driven solutions. For 20 years, he has successfully managed various nonprofit and community development initiatives.
Moderator Tasmin Swanson is passionate about supporting local leaders to build a more inclusive democracy. As the Director of Programs at Baltimore Votes, she works to coordinate citywide get-out-the-vote and voter education activities grounded in community, collaboration, and celebration. She also supports the growing Maryland Civic Education Coalition and is a plain language consultant for the Center for Civic Design.
This timely discussion will focus on the election-related concerns, challenges, and hopes of Baltimore residents in the midst of one of the most consequential elections in our history. Audience participation is welcome, so mark your calendar now and register below to join us October 14 at noon on Zoom, or tune in to the live conversation on our Facebook page.