Saturday, January 17, 3-4:30 p.m.

Location: Graham Auditorium
Registration required.

“Why should there be hunger and privation in any land, in any city, at any table, when man has the resources and the scientific know‐how to provide all mankind with the basic necessities of life?…There is no deficit in human resources, the deficit is in human will.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s words and vision remain applicable to the current moment we are navigating. This celebration is a reminder of the deeply transformative society that King called forth, and how voices of artists have always been a guiding force for change. Come witness the powerful, soul-stirring performances from some of Baltimore’s most incredible voices. This year’s program is curated by Unique Robinson and features:

• Ray Winder, multi-instrumentalist, composer, singer/songwriter
• Lady Brion, Maryland Poet Laureate and founder of The Black Arts District
• Davon Fleming, singer/songwriter, semi-finalist on The Voice

REGISTER

Accessible Resources: Accessible seating, assistive listening devices, ASL interpretation, headphones, sensory kits
Accessibility resources and accommodations are available for programs and events. Visit our accessibility web page for more information. Please email [email protected] with questions and requests.

About the Artists

Unique Robinson is a poet/MC, professor, community educator, host, and proud Baltimore native. She received her MFA in English/Creative Writing from Mills College, and a BA in Creative Writing/Black Studies from Hampshire College. Robinson has a background in Community Organizing and national Reproductive Justice work, and is a lifelong artivist, with 20+ years of performance experience throughout the US and internationally. Through writing and performance, she consistently works within communities to promote change and collective healing through creativity. Locally, Robinson has worked as a Poetry Teaching Artist, and in administrative roles for various organizations, including DewMore Baltimore, LTYC, AFRO Charities, and The Lyric Baltimore. Unique received the Emerging Teaching Artist award from Arts Every Day in 2017, The Grit Fund Grant in 2019, and various other grants. She was the cover feature for Baltimore magazine’s GameChangers in 2022, and a Baker Artist Awards finalist in 2025. Robinson is the Director of Maryland Institute College of Art’s MFA Community Arts Program, and the facilitator for The LightHouse, Maryland’s longest running free monthly writing workshop for intergenerational communities at Motor House. Robinson has also facilitated arts education literary programming for the Baltimore Museum of Art, American Visionary Art Museum, and curated the Walters Art Museum’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration for three consecutive years.

With Davon Fleming’s unique combination of gospel, jazz, and soul performance, the world was bound to know his name. You may recognize him as a semi finalist on NBC’s The Voice, where he wowed judges from week to week, or from his work as a vocal producer and background singer. Fleming has worked with some of the biggest artists in music, from Grammy-, Oscar-, Emmy-, and Tony-Award winner Jennifer Hudson, to living legends like Stephanie Mills and Chris Stapleton. Fleming has also appeared on Good Morning America, The Late Show with Stephan Colbert, the Country Music Association Awards, and the Grammy Awards. Fleming also serves the community in his hometown of Baltimore, where he holds an honorary key to the city, and aims to show others that anything is possible.

Lady Brion is an international spoken word artist, activist, organizer and educator. Lady Brion currently serves as the executive director of the Black Arts District. In 2024 she was appointed by Governor Wes Moore as the Poet Laureate of Maryland, making her the youngest Poet Laureate in Maryland’s history and the only spoken word artist to ever hold this position. She received her B.A. in Communication and Culture from Howard University and her MFA in Creative Writing & Publishing Design from the University of Baltimore. During her slam career she has won the 2016 and 2021 National Poetry Slam, the 2017 and 2019 Southern Fried Regional Slam, and the 2019 Rustbelt Regional Slam. In 2021 she became the Women of the World Poetry Slam Champion making her the number one ranked woman slam poet in the world.

Ray Winder is a saxophonist, flutist, vocalist, and composer who creates a genre-blending sound she lovingly calls “Dream Grudge,” an enticing mix of jazz, alternative R&B, rock, and her own unique soul. A Peabody Conservatory alum and recipient of the Noble Levi Jolley, Sr. Jazz Studies Scholarship, Winder has shared the stage with the New World Outreach Jazz Orchestra, Benny Russell Jazz Orchestra, and the David Murray Baltimore Big Band, and has collaborated with Ivy Sole, DDm, and Kamelah. She is a powerful performer and a dedicated educator, having worked with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s OrchKids program.