By Ariyana Griffin
AFRO Staff Writer
agriffin@afro.com
The Baltimore Weaver Awards, created by The Aspen Institute in Washington, D.C. and M and T Bank, annually selects 20 recipients who have organizations that are founded on the importance of community.
Each local recipient receives $5,000 to help propel the work that they are doing in their community to help those around them.
Among the 20 awardees, Tayonna “TayyBandz” Jackson, the youngest winner, is intersecting her passions of arts, music and community within her organization Be You Youth LLC. The rapper’s Be You Talent Showcases provide young people with paid experience to showcase their musical and artistic talents on stage.
“Be You isn’t just about the showcases–it’s a movement,” said Jackson. “We provide Baltimore youth that are talented and resilient . Investing in youth means investing in the future because we are the future.”
Nicole Bryant was driven to create We Responders after the heartbreaking loss of her father and nephew to fentanyl overdoses. She was determined to equip others within her community with the tools to prevent similar tragedies. Her organization offers a variety of training, including CPR, overdose awareness, Stop the Bleed and other essential resources to prepare individuals for emergencies.
Bryant is looking forward to diving into 2025 with more vital programming to increase overdose awareness for the community.
“There are so many people out there with the same story as me,” said Bryant. “We have so much that the community can do within if we can come together, collaborate and share the knowledge.”
To learn more about the amazing services and organizations that the 2024 awardees are working on, please read the bios below, provided by organizers of the 2024 Weaver Awards:
Jeannie Anderson, Northeast Baltimore – Jeannie felt lonely and disconnected as a child and didn’t want other kids to grow up that way. She started leading workshops to share relational skills and the healing power of listening. She will expand her trauma-informed, social-emotional learning at City Neighbors Charter School, the local library and the farmers’ market.
Nabeehah Azeez, Central West Baltimore – Nabeehah noticed that while many Muslim youth want to pursue spirituality, they often feel alienated from traditional places of worship and crave community. She created The Salaam Lounge in West Baltimore as a non-religious place for young people to gather around art and social events, as well as congregational prayer.
April Dodd, West Baltimore – For April, art has been a source of healing and self-discovery. She shares its power by offering art therapy and creative workshops to underprivileged and at-risk youth, trauma survivors and elders in underserved communities. Through these programs, April creates safe spaces for self-expression, confidence-building and personal growth.
MarTaze Gaines, Carroll-South Hilton – After the last supermarket in Edmondson Village closed, MarTaze started a new community garden in nearby Saint Josephs as a hub for healthy food, gardening and community gatherings. The longtime community organizer and urban farmer sees connection to the earth and ancestral wisdom as a path to empowerment and dignity.
Vaunita Goodman, Inner Harbor – When Vaunita’s kidneys failed and she needed to spend 12 hours a day on home dialysis, she felt isolated and trapped. Life was about medical care, not living. Then she joined a sailing club and found belonging and adventure again. Now she runs Dialysis to the Docks helping other patients find joy and freedom on the water.
Kai Inman, East Baltimore – Like many girls, Kai felt uncomfortable in her body after experiencing her first period. She started The Hygiene Hookup to create a supportive community for open conversation about menstruation. She plans to launch a menstrual hygiene hub to make period products and information easily accessible for girls in East Baltimore.
Rena Jackson, Sandtown – Rena has long given back to the place where she grew up and raised her daughter, often feeding the homeless and working with seniors. Now, she fills the gap left when local grocery and clothing stores closed. As CEO of Sisters Caring and Sharing with Love, she makes sure seniors get the basics of life and support services.
Raquel Johnson, West Baltimore – A former parole and probation officer and a seasoned psychotherapist, Raquel founded Essential Wellness to offer holistic mental health services that could bridge the gap between officers and civilians. Therapy sessions, community engagement training, and meditation workshops foster healing, unity, and community for the city.
Erin Lonon, Northeast Baltimore – As a teen, Erin suffered from anxiety, lacked self-confidence and felt alone. She started the nonprofit I Am a Child of God to help middle and high school students find community, confidence, and mental health. It offers Safe Haven Saturdays and retreats where teens can feel seen, heard and accepted.
Tracey Malone, Sandtown-Winchester – After losing her brother to gun violence, Tracey started helping others turn personal tragedy into community triumph. She led healing programs through dance, photography and family fun days. Now she is working to create safe, appealing places for neighbors to connect by reclaiming and beautifying three vacant lots as community spaces.
Grace Marshall and Naadiya Hutchinson of Waverly, Remington and beyond – The COVID-19 pandemic made longstanding issues of racial trauma, economic disparity and LGBTQ violence more pressing in the city. Naadiya and Grace became co-leaders of Free Baltimore Yoga and expanded it to support BIPOC and queer healing and empowerment. They offer consistent, trauma-informed yoga in many neighborhoods.
Jasmine Mayers, Park Heights – Jasmine founded the M.O.V.E. Collective to heal distrust between Black and indigenous communities and the people who serve them. Her team offers meditation, mental health resources, sound baths and gatherings for officers, community stakeholders and residents to meet each other as partners, rather than as adversaries.
Ebony McClenny, Central East Baltimore – McClenny founded Surviving Our Neighborhood (S.O.N.) after the loss of her son to gun violence just one day before his 18th birthday. S.O.N. is committed to addressing the needs of Baltimore families looking to identify resources for at-risk youth.
Nigeria Segure-Watson, East Baltimore and beyond – When Nigeria was in the 10th grade, mentors took her to other cities to meet experts in creative and tech fields. It opened her world and gave her confidence. She started the Girls Innovation Club to pay that forward, helping girls from underserved communities find peer support, mentors, and resources to overcome the barriers to STEAM careers.
Tia McDonald, Greater Mondawmin – Tia is a native of Mondawmin and no longer knew neighbors as new groups arrived and community gatherings disappeared. She became a Master Gardener and started growing in the Mondawmin Urban Green Space (MUGS). Now she meets and teaches neighbors to grow food and native flowers, while rebuilding the community garden.
Omar Tarabishi, Highlandtown and beyond – During a cross-country road trip, Omar visited popular restaurants he saw on social media… and was shocked to find that, at closing time, most threw their leftover food away. Back in Baltimore, he created Leftover Love, collecting food that would go to waste and spurring a community of support among businesses, nonprofits, and people.
Naijha Wright-Brown, Cherry Hill – Naijha has been building community around food for over 10 years. Along with running a vegan soul food restaurant with her husband, she holds a festival in Cherry Hill to teach kids to grow and cook cruelty-free food so they can support each other in finding ways to live more sustainably and ethically in the world.
