Female Trouble

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 of the Affordable Care Act and fighting the stigma around addiction and mental illness.

"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.