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Meet the Team
Anchor Members
MarTaze "Taz" Gaines
Project Coordinator
Martaze (Taz) Gaines (they/them) is a 25 year old Baltimore native, spending most of their years in Edmondson Village (Zone 29). A psychology graduate of Morehouse College, Taz also holds a Master of Education in Community Development and Action from Vanderbilt University.
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Taz is a cultural organizer, student of life, and healer who fights for the realization of the "Beloved Community" by creating joyous and healing spaces and fighting for justice in all realms for po', Black, Queer, and Trans folk. Taz previously worked with youth experiencing homelessness as a Site Director of Nashville LaunchPad and has close to a decade of grassroots organizing experience with Organizing Black (current political home), Black Lives Matter-Nashville and global network, and Southerners on New Ground (SONG).
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"My people are Black, Queer, Southern (Up south and deep south). I was born and raised on Piscataway and Nanticoke Lands (Baltimore). I have lived on occupied Muscogee Creek Land (Atlanta) and Eastern Band of Cherokee Yuchi, and Shawnee Lands (Nashville). I honor the stewards of these, my homes."
Jamesha Caldwell
Wellness Coordinator
Baltimore-bred poet and storyteller Jamesha Caldwell strives to highlight the plight of her environment, Black womanhood, science, and all things hip-hop. Caldwell’s advocacy is focused on radically changing social systems and infrastructures to include equitable allocations of educational and recreational resources for Baltimore City youth. Caldwell is an alumna of The Baltimore City College High School as well as a recent college graduate of Criminology at Notre Dame of Maryland University.