Prologue
Part of the “Soothing the Itch” Series
by Conrhonda E. Baker
Welcome to the latest edition of the GIA Reader! My name’s Conrhonda (ka-RON-da), and I’m a toasted honey-complected Black woman from the land of the Muscogee in Northeast Georgia.
With “Soothing the Itch,” I invite you to experience the GIA Reader differently. Like the gentle embrace of your favorite podcast, I encourage you to tune in to the audio tracks, lean back, and let the words wash over you. It will be a profound listening journey.
The past few months during which my fellow contributors and I crafted this issue have been marked by devastating wildfires, the loss of O’Shae Sibley, increased political tensions, and the never-ending deluge of information and digital distractions. That’s why I’ve curated this issue with a unique twist – an invitation to listen. While the pages await your eyes, our content creators’ words are equally eager to dance in your ears.
As you engage with the submissions, imagine them all as conversations, as stories spoken directly to you. Allow the voices of the contributors to resonate in your mind, guiding you through thought-provoking discussions and enlightening insights. Let the content flow like a river and permit yourself to be carried away by its current.
I offer a momentary pause for those of you yearning for the comfort of written text. Navigate to “River Bend” by DéLana R. A. Dameron. The poem’s verses flow like the gentle ripples of a stream, offering solace to your desire for written words.
Seriously, you can press pause. It’s ok. I’ll wait for you.
It’s so good to have you back. Feeling refreshed?
Now, I implore you to let the symphony of voices in the following tracks guide you on an auditory voyage. When you need to pause, reflect, or dive deeper, the written pages will be there, ready to provide the text you seek.
So, dear reader, or better yet – listener – open your ears and embrace this experience designed to resonate with you in more ways than one.
Next piece: River Bend by DéLana R. A. Dameron
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo by Decisive Moment
Conrhonda E. Baker is founder & chief copy editor of The Bese Saka. Her passion for the performing arts is grounded in her dance background, sparked by taking after-school classes at a county-wide recreational facility in rural northeast Georgia. Having grown up with limited access to the arts, she understands the importance of exposing children to creative outlets and creating opportunities for artistic expression. She believes in holistic trust-based, regenerative, and restorative approaches to grantmaking.
Her philanthropic, fundraising, government affairs, and program development experience developed through work with South Arts, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, Alabama Dance Council, Vulcan Park and Museum, Birmingham Museum of Art, Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, and the Howard Gilman Foundation. She has sat on grant panels for Dance/NYC, the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and the National Endowment for the Arts. She has sat on grant panels for Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, Dance/NYC, the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and the National Endowment for the Arts. In addition to being a Women of Color in the Arts member, she serves on the Board of Directors for SOLE Defined and Arts Business Collaborative. She holds a Master of Arts Management from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Arts in African American Studies, with a minor in Dance Education, from The University of Georgia.
