Female Trouble

Celebration, an indie psychedelic soul band from Baltimore, has been a fixture of the local music scene for more than a decade. Singer Katrina Ford fronts the three-piece, with multi-instrumentalist and husband Sean Antanaitis and drummer David Bergander. Never in one place for more than a few months, Katrina talked about her nomadic childhood and ultimately setting roots in Baltimore, where she has witnessed and experienced the music scene’s evolution from the days of flyers and word-of-mouth shows to the current online landscape. Katrina has been involved in many bands over the years, including JAKS, Love Life, Birdland and Mt. Royal -- she has also sung on TV on the Radio and Future Islands records -- and she relayed stories of her early punk days and the event that led to a shift in perspective and a change in direction for her musical projects. Formed in 2004, Celebration has released four full-length albums, most recently 2014’s "Albumin," and they’ll be putting out a new record in the spring.

Ever since she was young, Sonja Santelises has been a straight shooter who is all about the work. Raised by a family that put education first, Sonja became the CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools on July 1 -- the fifth superintendent to lead the system in a decade. Educated at Brown, Columbia and Harvard universities, Sonja previously worked as the school system’s chief academic officer, and also had stints at The Education Trust, Teach for America, The Algebra Project and the Boston public school system. As Sun education reporter Erica Green writes, Sonja takes over the school system in a tumultuous time, with losses in standardized test scores and enrollment and a strapped budget. In addition, tension surrounded Sonja’s hiring, as the school board conducted the search to replace former CEO Gregory Thornton in secret. Sonja discussed the trust-building that comes amid that fallout, and building respect with parents and students who often come from different backgrounds than her. She also talked about getting her start in education, the negative stereotypes that persist about teaching, and what she means when she says she’s an elitist.

It might be a cliche to call someone a Renaissance woman, but it’s difficult to describe Lexie Mountain any other way. The artist, writer, musician and comedian has been a mainstay in Baltimore’s arts and DIY communities for years, creating work that often grapples with gender and communication. Lexie might be best known for The Lexie Mountain Boys, an all-female experimental vocal group that put out two records on Carpark Records. Lexie talked about using art to stave off depression, and told the story behind some of her projects, including an attempt at staging the world’s longest game of telephone at The Walters Art Museum in May. Lexie also is a writer -- full disclosure, she contributes to City Paper and has written for The Baltimore Sun in the past -- and she's currently in a rock band called Scroll Downers. Lexie also discussed Twitter, tarot and finding her scene.(Photo courtesy of PSquared)

What is an open society? Diana Morris works to answer that question in her role as director of Open Society Institute-Baltimore, a philanthropic organization dedicated to promoting opportunity and justice by resolving issues faced in urban areas. Open Society Institute-Baltimore is the only U.S. field office of the Open Society Foundations, founded by billionaire philanthropist George Soros. Here in Baltimore, Diana and the office focus on issues like lowering suspension rates for kids in school, providing accessible drug treatment and reducing the number of Marylanders in the criminal justice system. Social justice and human rights work have always been important to Diana, who grew up in a small town with an itch to get out and see the world. Diana spoke about some of her travels, and the early issues that got her involved in this kind of work. She also discussed the learning curve she experienced when she got to Baltimore, the challenge of convincing people of the importance of urban issues, and the future of the city.

Esther Collinetti finds strength in vulnerability. She’s the co-owner of REV Cycle Studio, a spinning studio in McHenry Row, where she has offered high-energy, expletive-laden encouragement to spin clients since January 2014. Born in Nigeria to European parents, and raised in Chile, Esther has always felt like an outsider thanks to her unique accent and challenges in school. Before she ran a spin studio, Esther was a scientist at the Smithsonian Institution, and she talked about some of the experiences that inspired her to change course, including her father’s death, which had a profound effect on her. Esther talked about getting to the point where she could find power in that pain, and teaching her spin classes from a place of love rather than anger. Through teaching spin classes and goal coaching, Esther has found her passion in inspiring and motivating others.

Leading up to April, Rep. Donna Edwards of Prince George's County was engaged in one of the country’s most closely watched and competitive primaries, as she and Rep. Chris Van Hollen vied for the Senate seat that would be left open by Sen. Barbara Mikulski’s upcoming retirement. A close race until the final days, Edwards ultimately lost April’s primary race to Van Hollen, which Edwards described in an article on cosmopolitan.com as a case of a black woman hitting the glass ceiling with a "concussion-worthy crash." In a race in which both candidates had similar voting records, Edwards explained that claim. Edwards also spoke about an attack ad against Van Hollen that received pushback from Democratic leaders and the White House, which was run by super PAC Working for US, and to what extent she thought it negatively impacted her campaign. Edwards also discussed mentorship, being Maryland’s first black congresswoman, and how the state is poised to send an all-male delegation to Congress.

Regular listeners of 92Q, Baltimore’s hip hop and R----B radio station, know Angel Carpenter, better known as DJ AngelBaby, well. The on-air personality hosts "Rap Attack" on Sunday nights and keeps listeners live Monday through Friday on "The Late Show." In addition to on-air hosting, AngelBaby is also a Baltimore club DJ, and has released her free “Get Pumped” mixtapes for the past four years. Giving back to the community is fundamental to the East Baltimore native, who puts on a “Get Pumped” tour to uplift and motivate Baltimore City youth; she also founded Urban Artemis, a non-profit geared toward educating and mentoring young people in the city, girls specifically. Angel discussed about how she got her start in radio, and about some of the people who have motivated and educated her along the way, including legendary Baltimore club DJ K-Swift, who died in 2008. People are often quick to compare Angel and Swift, which Angel says is unwarranted. AngelBaby also talked about making a name for herself in a male-dominated industry and keeping her focus on what’s next.

Artists matter, collaboration is key and audience is everywhere. Those are the three guiding principals of The Contemporary, a nomadic, non-collecting art museum that commissions projects throughout Baltimore and implements educational programs. Deana Haggag, who received her MFA from Maryland Institute College of Art, was appointed director of The Contemporary when she was 26 years old. Deana, a native of Brooklyn and New Jersey, talked about the challenges that came with earning that job at a young age, and also about the often frustrating ways people talk about young women, particularly young women of color, who find success when they're young. Though she didn't grow up going to museums, Deana explained how art has always been a part of her life, and about what she hopes to see in Baltimore's arts community. Deana has learned a lot in these three years directing The Contemporary, as she's facilitated a bigger staff and budget, and she discussed how some of her perception of Baltimore and its communities have shifted, in addition to the role of The Contemporary and the arts after the death of Freddie Gray last year.

Mary Pat Clarke represents Baltimore’s 14th district in the City Council, which includes about 46,000 residents in neighborhoods including Homewood, part of Charles Village, Coldstream-Homestead-Montebello, Waverly and half of Hampden. At a time when women were a minority in city politics, Mary Pat became the first woman elected president of the Baltimore City Council in 1987; she discussed how the council hasn't advanced much in terms of representation from women. Mary Pat spent nine years away from city politics after mounting an unsuccessful bid for the mayor’s seat in 1995, returning to teaching, but after Baltimore residents voted for single-member council districts, she ran for office once again in 2004 and has represented the 14th district since. In April, Mary Pat introduced a bill to raise the city’s minimum wage to $15 an hour. Last week, that bill failed to pass by the necessary votes, and it will be sent back to committee. Mary Pat, who will face Republican Thomas Boyce in November’s general election, talked about who inspired her to get into politics, feeling like an outsider, the challenges of her job and finding a home in Baltimore.

When Amy Callner came upon a group of tattooed women hitting each other on roller skates, she knew she’d found what she was looking for. Amy, otherwise known as Lady Quebeaum, found roller derby at a time in her life when she needed to work out aggression, test her limits and have a blast while doing so. She co-founded the Charm City Roller Girls, Baltimore’s only female flat track roller derby league. Eleven years later, she’s still going strong. Amy talked about the sport’s evolution past fishnet tights and tutus, and the increasing athleticism of roller derby players. She also discussed what pop culture depictions of roller derby get right and wrong about the sport, roller derby’s DIY roots and ethos, and raising a son who sees that it's normal for women to play contact sports. Ultimately, Amy finds power in knowing how hard she can hit. (Photo by Tyler Shaw)