Pictured, from left: Claire Berlus, Roe Braddy, Chantal Nga Eloundou, Contrena Baltimore, Donovan Bailey, Reverend Nathaniel Gadsden, James Berlus, Maria James-Thiaw, Dr. Kimeka Campbell, Reina 76. Photo by John Bivins
I am privileged to write about a special group—leaders of color, all at the top of their chosen fields. From business professionals to poets to community builders and artists, all are working independently and together for positive change in Harrisburg.
The Communicators
Dr. Kimeka Campbell’s name is synonymous with positive change in Harrisburg.
Drawing on her vast background as a political adviser, healthcare strategist, nonprofit leader and cultural storyteller, Campbell uses her voice to create a better life for her community. At the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC’s 2024 Catalyst Awards, she won “Diversity Influencer of the Year” for her role as host of Black NewsBeat and cofounder of Young Professionals of Color-Greater Harrisburg.
“My future is focused on building communities where belonging is the starting point,” Campbell shared. “Not the reward.”
This focus was born in her college days at Penn State University, where she remembers watching Black and Brown students “link arms and create change wherever they stood.”
“I wanted to be part of that kind of power,” she said.
Campbell, who earned a Ph.D. in adult and comparative international education at PSU, said she leaned into this in graduate school.
“I started studying how people build community out of whatever they have and wherever they are,” she said.
She learned that, sometimes, tensions and contradictions work against creating connection.
“That is when I understood my calling,” she said. “My work is to create belonging and connectedness that helps people bond and move the entire community forward.”
Rovenia “Roe” Braddy is at the top of her game as an author, a playwright, a director and the editor-in-chief of Black Wall Street PA.
Braddy oversees the news publication, which is designed for people of color, yet appreciated by all. As a retired educator, she espouses a voice of clarity and conviction.
“We can’t do this alone. We need each other,” she said. “No man, woman or child is an island.”
She is also a social justice poet and a theatrical producer, director and playwright, as well as an award-winning romance novel author.
As a community board member for Sankofa African American Theatre Company and Nathaniel Gadsden’s Writers Wordshop, her impact on our region is felt across the disciplines of art.
“Community has always been my thing. I like being around people,” she said. “I am someone who thrives off the energy of my surroundings.”
As the place where she’s discovered her calling, built a home and a family, and found her tribe, she considers Harrisburg a great surrounding.
“Harrisburg is my community,” she said. “Let’s get together, stay strong, and help our city to thrive.”
A transplant from Seattle, Wash., celebrated poet, author and playwright, Maria James-Thiaw is a treasured gift to Harrisburg.
James-Thiaw fell in love with poetry as a child. Her late father, Richard James, was a published poet, so it was natural for her to pay tribute to him through verse. Awards followed as early as the age of six.
“Poetry can teach us to understand and use language in a more precise and visual way,” James-Thiaw said. “It can teach us about the history and culture of a people. It can teach us to listen and to have empathy for one another. Poetry is as old as humanity and as new as tomorrow’s news.”
James-Thiaw was mentored by Harrisburg poetry pioneers Rev. Nathaniel Gadsden and Marty Esworthy. She received a Legacy Award from The National Black Writers Tour and in 2014 won a Catalyst Award for “Business Diversity” from the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC.
The Civic Club of Harrisburg’s president Contrena Baltimore has been a valued part of the community since 1991.
She has implemented programs at the club to embody unity, empowerment and cultural pride.
“My focus continues to center on service, education and collaboration—values that reflect my lifelong belief: ‘It’s bigger than us,’” she said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the Civic Club’s enduring legacy and to help build bridges that strengthen our community for generations to come.”
Contrena made history as the Civic Club’s first Black president. Among her inaugural initiatives were the installation of the Women’s History Garden, a tribute to the club’s legacy of women leaders. Prior, she founded the Keystone Math and Science Academy and served as its director for over a decade.
Creators, Artisans and a Bridge
When it comes to branding a business, it is hard to keep up with the Joneses. If you have a brilliant idea but need help reaching a client base, look no further than Collab Create HBG, owned by Ivan and Paige Jones. The space offers studios for photography and videography, audio booths, co-working space and office rentals.
“We’re building a collaborative home where creators connect, businesses flourish and innovative ideas come to life,” said the couple. “We love being a part of people’s journeys and supporting their ideas as they turn them into reality.”
Another artistic Harrisburg couple are Haitian-born James and Claire Berlus.
“As a couple, we share a special bond of creation. It transcends love and speaks to a feeling that you can’t put into words,” James said.
James is among a stellar group of artists that comprise the Civic Club’s United Artists Advisory Council. James draws on his experience as a video and graphic designer, web producer and photographer to bring technical mastery and historical awareness to the art he creates of his home country.
Claire also creates ethereal paintings. Their work encapsulates Haiti’s struggle, resilience and will to thrive.
Artist Donovan Bailey is a photographer, typographer and graphic designer.
“My aim is to create work that feels authentic, energized by the worlds that inspire me,” he said, noting that beauty is often found in unexpected places.
He is also a ceramist who creates Raku and Kintsugi-inspired pottery. Both Japanese pottery techniques involve unique, cracked finishes.
“True beauty lies in its imperfections,” he said.
Located on N. 3rd Street, Nyianga Store has roots thousands of miles away in Africa.
“The store that I call home extends the whole way to Cameroon,” said its owner, Chantal Nga Eloundou.
Eloundou brings her culture to Harrisburg, selling African goods. She established the store in 2018, selling clothing, jewelry, ornamental masks, beauty products and art.
All merchandise is made by hand.
“My mission is to be the bridge between African and American,” she said.
Hall of Fame
Rev. Nathaniel Gadsden is a former poet laureate of Harrisburg, who has carved a path for countless writers, poets and playwrights in the area as a community leader.
He founded an eponymous Writer’s Wordshop in 1977, which he refers to as his “gift from God for the past 48 years.”
“Through it, I found my voice, established a platform for poets and writers of all genres, and made friends with talented, creative, servant leaders who want to change the world with words and storytelling,” Gadsden said.
He attributes forward progress in his life to many of its members.
“Their vision, perspective and cultural lens, which is reflected in their poetic voice and storytelling, has helped me to grow spiritually,” he said. “I can truly say I have developed a better sense of cultural humility, and tolerance of ‘the other’ because of its participants.”
Epilogue
It helps to have a game changer in your life; we could all benefit from one.
My art world catalyst is someone I regard as a friend, Reina R76. In last February’s issue, I wrote that she coordinated the artists profiled, and, this year, she masterminded the effort too. She sincerely wants her entire community to be successful and does all in her power to make that happen.
A kinetic force at studio #104 at Millworks, Reina is truly an original one-of-a-kind. Her goal is that all people of color get their opportunity to shine on the stage of our city of Harrisburg.
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