Red Emma’s

Join faith, labor, and community leaders from the Baltimore City Is Not For Sale campaign, along with City Councilmember Odette Ramos, for a panel discussion on right-wing efforts to dismantle Baltimore's safety net and City Council and what we can do together to fight back. We'll learn about dangerous amendments that may be on the ballot this November, and how solidarity across communities can create a positive vision of Baltimore for everyone, not just the wealthy few.

Panelists:

• Moderator: Ray Baker, AFT-MD
• Councilmember Odette Ramos
• Roderick Pinkett, City Union of Baltimore 
• Christopher Meyer, MD Center on Economic Policy
• Chris Patterson, Baltimore City Parent -

Ray Baker is a son of Baltimore and alumnus of Howard University. He’s currently a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University. The west Baltimore product. Professionally, Ray works as the communications director for AFT Maryland, a federation of public employee labor unions representing a diverse workforce including K-12 education, corrections, public health, higher education, and various other state and local public employees. He is also an adjunct professor at Towson University teaching communication theory.

In addition to his professional work, Ray is a proud member of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. He also contributes to Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, a Black community-based grassroots think tank and the Black Church Food Security Network.

Christopher Meyer is a research analyst at the Maryland Center on Economic Policy. His work focuses on state and local budgets, tax policy, education funding, and worker protections, with an emphasis on policies to advance racial and economic justice. He joined the organization in 2016. He holds a master of public administration from Baruch College, City University of New York.

Chris Patterson has been in education for over 7 years. She currently works at the BTU in the capacity of support services and is supporting coalitions, partnerships, legislative planning. As a Baltimore native and product of the BCPSS and now parent of two Baltimore City Public school students she has aligned her career with advocating for equity and sustainability in the school system. Patterson has been a member of Teachers Democracy Project for over 8 years and is also a member of the Baltimore table for the Alliance to reclaim our schools (AROS).  Patterson brings an empathetic approach to her work, given her experiences as a parent and teacher. She is excited to continue working with teachers, students and community members to identify their biggest challenges and supporting them in elevating their voices and empowering them to be advocates for a better Baltimore.

Roderick Pinkett is a Supervisor in the Facilities Department for the Baltimore City Public School System. Originally hailing from the Bronx, NY Roderick made his way to Baltimore following a successful basketball career at Trine University in Angola, Indiana. There, he obtained an associate degree in Business Administration. He moved to Baltimore 23 years ago, citing his appreciation for the rich history of the city. He is actively involved in his union, serving as the executive vice president of the City Union of Baltimore.

Councilmember Odette Ramos has been advocating for affordable housing and eliminating vacant and abandoned properties. She has passed several pieces of legislation to help advance this agenda. Odette serves on the Economic and Community Development Committee, the Public Safety and Government Operations Committee, and the Rules and Legislative Oversight Committee of the City Council. Odette was named Honorable Mention in the Baltimore Sun’s 2022 Best of Baltimore in the category of Best Politician/Government Official.