Black community fund names advisory panel
The Empower! Black Futures Community Fund, launched in 2023 through a collaborative effort of the Earthseed Black Arts Alliance and the Santa Fe Community Foundation, has started a new advisory committee.
The group plans to make an inaugural grant from the fund as part of its Juneteenth 2024 celebrations.
Raashan Ahmad, the advisory committee chair, said in a news release he looks forward to working with the new members “to support opportunities that empower the present and future generations of Black New Mexicans.”
Led by Ahmad, the founding committee members include Hakim Bellamy, Rich Brown, Michael Davis, Bettye Kearse, Simesha McEachern, Neema Pickett and SPAC3.
Ahmad is a musician, poet and DJ who works with Vital Spaces. He is a member of the Santa Fe Arts Commission, a founding member of Earthseed Black Arts Alliance, a member of the Santa Fe Film and Digital Media Council and a member of the advisory board for the National Parks Arts Foundation.
Bellamy is the inaugural poet laureate of Albuquerque, a two-time National Poetry Slam champion and past creative writing chair at New Mexico School for the Arts. In 2017, he was named a Kennedy Center Citizen Artist Fellow and previously served as the host for New Mexico PBS’ ¡COLORES! program for three years. Prior to pursuing a law degree at the University of New Mexico School of Law, Bellamy served as deputy director for the Albuquerque Department of Arts and Culture from 2018 to 2022.
Brown is the director of the city of Santa Fe’s Community Development Department. Before moving to Santa Fe, he served as the executive director of the San Francisco Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth.
Davis, CEO and founder of Merek.io, leads a cybersecurity firm. He has served in the U.S. Navy and has had roles at Boeing, IBM and Los Alamos National Laboratory. He is a member of the American Psychological Association and the New Mexico Technology Council.
Kearse is the author of the memoir The Other Madisons: The Lost History of a President’s Black Family (Mariner Books, 2020). With a background in genetics, biology and medicine, Kearse practiced pediatrics in Boston for 31 years before retiring to Santa Fe.
McEachern, associate director of children’s services at Presbyterian Medical Services, has a doctoral degree in education. She serves as president of the Santa Fe branch of the NAACP and is a vestry member at St. Bede’s Episcopal Church.
Pickett founded Kamaria Creations Wellness Retreat over 25 years ago with the aim of supporting Black individuals through healing practices. She joined the Women’s Business Center in New Mexico, earning recognition as National Business Advisor of the Year and receiving the SBA’s 2023 Business Center of the Year award. She serves on the board of the Albuquerque Bless Fund.
SPAC3, a local hip-hop artist and independent filmmaker based in Santa Fe, has been involved in numerous local events.