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Written by Ron Kipling Williams
Twenty-five-year-old Carolyn Malachi is one of many progressive black women in Baltimore City who are moving artistically, professionally and civically. Her organization, Smart Chicks, Inc., is a product of that movement.
Malachi is one of the premier independent artists in the Baltimore-Washington region. For a while, her artistry was restricted to playing with a band. Then one day she decided to break out of her shell and flex her solo muscles. She launched her solo performance career last year and has been moving audiences throughout the music and spoken word scene ever since.
In September 2008, Malachi unleashed her debut CD, Revenge of the Smart Chicks. “It is about being intelligent and bold enough to be who I am as a woman— unrestricted,” said Malachi. Coming from a family with a penchant for perfection— which was reflected in her song “Needles” from her sophomore release, Revenge of the Smart Chicks II: Ambitious Gods released in June 2009. The musical process has lent itself to express the embodiment of her own values. “People were endeared to this project,” said Malachi. One person was Araina Ford, then-president of S.O.U.L. (Sisters of Unity and Love), an organization based at the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP).
After witnessing Malachi’s performance, she was requested to organize a Revenge of the Smart Chicks show at the Nyumburu Cultural Center at UMCP. Over 200 people were dazzled by the talents of drummers, poets, singers and other artists. “I’m constantly redefining myself,” said Malachi, Smart Chicks founder and creative director who will be attending the Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) program for Integrated Design at the University of Baltimore this coming fall. Smart Chicks as a 501c(3) (pending) nonprofit organization is dedicated to nurturing, serving uplifting, and mobilizing young black women to realize and actualize their own power.
Malachi has engendered relationships with other progressive women in the city who want to make a deep impact beyond giving monetary donations, but did not see an appropriate vehicle. “Giving $5 is not enough,” said Malachi, who intends to create a speaker series for women artists, as well as implementing art career programs inside the Baltimore City Public School System. The organization is also focused on improving the visibility of local independent artists. “This is a very cultured city, and independent artists are a big part of that,” said Malachi.
Smart Chicks provided programming at this year’s African American Heritage Festival. They partnered with Poetry for the People of Bmore (P4PB) for their Teen Poetry Slam and justlovepoetryink for their Interpretation Sunday, an event where poets performed their interpretation of works by internationally renowned visual artist Synthia St. James. Their signature event, “Woven” featured collaborations between poets and photographers from Brooklyn, New York and Baltimore. “You’ve got to pursue your passion, do what makes you happy,” said a bright, energetic Malachi. “Everybody should have that luxury.”
Equally as important to Malachi is for young women to liberate themselves from the aesthetic chains of a society that dishonors their own images.
“I am very focused on building the image of women from the individual. I want young ladies to believe in themselves and to be successful,” said Malachi, who added, “The presence of strong men is also important. We should celebrate the brothers in our community instead of talking about them so badly.”
As eyes are the window to the soul, Malachi’s were rich with introspection. “Everything comes from having a healthy spirit,” said Malachi. “Find your gifts and dedicate them to a higher purpose.”
To learn more about Smart Chicks, visit www.smartchicksinc.org or Twitter.com/Smart Chicks. To contact Carolyn Malachi directly, email cmalachi@smartchicks.org or Facebook.com/CMalachi.
(Article copied from the Baltimore Times. Click to view:
http://baltimoretimes-online.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1051&Itemid=31)
- Carolyn Malachi
Revenge of the Smart Chicks
www.reverbnation.com/cmalachi
Location:Baltimore, MD
