From our friends at BmoreArt, today we bring you an interview with Jenné Afiya, the founder of the Baltimore Collective Balti Gurls. Author Angela N. Carroll talks with Afiya about the Balti Gurls’ beginnings, their necessity, and their upcoming projects. This article was originally published March 17, 2016.

My first encounter with BALTI GURLS was during February’s All Over Street crawl, at the Copy Cat’s Penthouse gallery. BLK LUV presented visual and performative works from BALTI GURLS members as a sprawling collective homage to Black History Month.

No after-school special subjugation recollections here, though I am a strong advocate for inclusive and informed representations of history, dig Michelle Alexander, Cheikh Anta Diop, or Howard Zinn for introductory jewels, BALTI GURLS’ reflections on identity and history were nuanced, youthful, and left me with a generally warm inspired and slightly mushy feeling inside. Something akin to the feeling you get after playing Donny Hathaway’s Extensions of a Man from start to finish, or watching Bruce Leroy finally get his glow in the cult classic The Last Dragon, an affirming ancestral, “we gon’ be alright” tingle that still resonates weeks after the show has closed. I should note that I am not the type of gal to get blurry eyed over Valentine’s Day consumption or many things for that matter, but BLK LUV was pure #blackgirlmagic.

Maybe it was all the love in the air, or my general excitement about EDGE CONTROL the consistently invigorating and high energy art and music showcase BALTI GURLS presents at at EMP Collective—but I had to learn more. I caught up with BALTI GURLS founder, Jenné Afiya, to learn more about the collective.

Read the full article here.