ABOUT
Conrhonda E. Baker, Founder & Chief Copy Editor
Conrhonda’s passion for the performing arts is grounded in her dance background, sparked by taking after-school classes at a county-wide recreational facility in rural northeast Georgia. Having grown up with limited access to the arts, she understands the importance of exposing children to creative outlets and creating opportunities for artistic expression. She founded The Bese Saka in 2018 as a way to live out her Christian faith by actively intervening and building equity into the process of securing institutional funding support. She believes in holistic trust-based, regenerative, and restorative approaches to grantmaking.
Her philanthropic, fundraising, government affairs, and program development experience developed through work with South Arts, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, Alabama Dance Council, Vulcan Park and Museum, Birmingham Museum of Art, Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, and the Howard Gilman Foundation. She has sat on grant panels for Dance/NYC, the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and the National Endowment for the Arts. In addition to being a member of Women of Color in the Arts, she serves on the Board of Directors for SOLE Defined. Her favorite Bible verse is 1 Corinthians 9:26 (NLT Version). She holds a Master of Arts Management from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Arts in African American Studies with a minor in Dance Education from The University of Georgia.
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Featured Writings
May I recommend you make your favorite beverage then #readup #levelup #respondwithreparations
Nonprofit Wakanda Quarterly Fall-Winter Issue 2020 begins on page 15.
Imagining: A Gibney Journal Commission entitled "Solidarity Audit: Real or Nah?" starts on page 18.
What does Bese Saka mean?
Bese Saka translates to "sack of cola nuts." It is a symbol of affluence, power, abundance, plenty, togetherness and unity. The cola nut played an important role in the economic life of Ghana. A widely-used cash crop, it is closely associated with affluence and abundance. This symbol also represents the role of agriculture and trade in bringing peoples together.