Neighborhood: Pimlico/Park Heights
Photography by Kirby Griffin
Listen:
We see, hear and learn from Baltimore. Can you feel the change coming? Always in pursuit of a better Baltimore. I am a Woman of Valor, a leader, negotiator, role model and fire starter. I am a Baltimore City GUARDIAN!
-Yeshiyah Israel
Sister Yeshiyah Israel is a lifelong resident of Baltimore City and is President of the Pimlico Merchants Association. Sister Israel’s family has been an anchor in the Park Heights community for over twenty years with their businesses, Scott’s & Sons Furniture and YBI African Apparel, the latter of which she is the owner. She is committed to building business and community initiatives in Baltimore by engaging the city’s youth in meaningful beautification projects such as painting murals and cleanup days, using her storefront as a meeting space. Her latest project, Pimlico Market Cafe, will help address the food desert crisis facing the Southern Park Heights region of Baltimore.
The Guardians is a photo documentary & storytelling project including photo portraits, large scale banners and digital archives that celebrate unrecognized Black female leaders across Baltimore City neighborhoods. This project provides a platform for women who spend their lives fighting for a better, more equitable Baltimore.
Creative Direction and Interviews by Whitney Frazier, WGF Studio