Meet Shauntee Daniels, the visionary behind the Baltimore National Heritage Area
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The Baltimore National Heritage Area (BNHA) promotes, preserves, and enhances Baltimore’s historic and cultural legacy, and the city’s natural resources for current and future generations. This month, we’re talking with Executive Director Shauntee Daniels to learn more about BNHA and how the CCA and other SE Baltimore organizations partner with this important nonprofit to spotlight our community.
Welcome Shauntee, what is your role with BNHA?
As the Executive Director, it’s my role to be the visionary of the organization. I am responsible for ensuring we are staying true to our mission. Though I don’t do this alone, I have two very dedicated and passionate staff members to help me execute the BNHA mission.
Right now, it’s important to engage every single young person through our recreation and heritage programs. Bring a good light to our neighborhoods, that makes Baltimore a unique place to live, work and plan. We have a great deal of work educating and branding “What a Heritage Area is”. It’s not something tangible. But the resources we are preserving are tangible. That’s what is important.
I’m also responsible for the day-to-day business, paying bills, reviewing our agreements, and keeping us fiscally responsible for our funders.
What is a National Heritage Area?
Heritage areas are regions where historic structures, landscapes, cultural traditions, and other resources (such as parks and museums) work together to tell patterns of history unique to the location. This is what the definition is by the NPS unfortunately that’s not really a clear definition to everyone. Because everyone doesn’t know the story of tradition, historic built, and open spaces that make Baltimore worth preserving. So, through our grant programs, we are helping organizations tell stories. So, I recommend everyone grab their children and visit a museum or historic site. Learn something new about Baltimore.
The Baltimore National Heritage Area (BNHA) is one of 13 certified heritage areas in Maryland and one of 60 Congressionally designated national heritage areas across the country. BNHA works to accomplish its mission through a variety of products and programs, including hosting guided walking tours, developing new heritage tourism products, and providing grants that encourage tourism and historic preservation.
Could you give us some examples of BNHA projects in SE Baltimore?
In Canton, BNHA provided a grant to create the Frederick Douglass markers on Boston Street. These markers tell the story of his escape from enslavement and mark the location of his departure. We also partnered with the CCA, Canton Anti-Racism Alliance, and COTS to screen our film “Voice of the Black Butterfly” at the Church on the Square.
Other projects throughout the SE include
Charm City Fringe annual performing arts festival in Highlandtown
BNHA has provided grants to the Friends of Patterson Park for the preservation and rehabilitation of the Superintendent’s House and the Observatory.
We provided a grant to digitize the Painted Screen project, which I understand many of them could be located in Southeast Baltimore. We are currently seeking a permanent home for them.
Our partner at Creative Alliance has agreed to screen our 2022 film “Voices of the Black Butterfly”. We are extremely excited to present the film at Creative Alliance as The CIELO Artisans were interviewed in the film.
We are very excited to assist the East Baltimore Historical Library with funding for the strategy and development of a new building. This project is long overdue. BNHA is doing its best to be a better partner and steward with the East and Northeastern communities in Baltimore. We’ve spent a great deal of time with our West and Southern boundary partners. We would like to connect the city to all the great historic and cultural resources.
This list is a perfect example of why we are interested in making our program known in East/Southeast Baltimore.
What type of grants does BNHA offer to support area nonprofits?
Heritage areas work to leverage heritage tourism to bring about economic development. Since 2009, BNHA has proudly distributed a total of $8,623,000 in grants to our community. Grant funding is a critical tool to enhance and preserve historic, cultural, and natural resources.
BHNA offers 4 Grants; each one of our grant programs has a different proposal deadline, you can find information on ExploreBaltimore.org.
What do you like the most about working in and with our neighbors in Canton and partnering with the CCA?
I like the fact that people care about the history of their neighborhood. They want to do what’s right for all the right reasons and not because it’s popular. CCA is the first community association (in conjunction with the Canton Anti-Racism Alliance) that I heard that was meeting to discuss what the neighborhood could do to make it a better place to live for everyone…Oldtimers and newcomers, Black or white. The only way things can change is first recognizing there’s a problem.
What else would you like the community to know?
Every neighborhood and community in Baltimore has a unique history, you have storytellers and story keepers. We want to support the youth and adults to make their home a part of the giant quilt. The culture is different but that needs to be shared with other residents and visitors looking for a unique flavor.
If someone wants to learn more, partner on a project, or volunteer, whom do they contact?
Shauntee Daniels, Executive Director
Email: Daniels@BaltimoreHeritageArea.org
Outreach /Volunteers/employment/NPG projects
Kenyona Moore, Outreach Manager
Email: Kmoore@BaltimoreHeritageArea.org
Maryland Heritage Areas Authority/Small Capital/Heritage Investment
Danielle Walter-Davis, Grants Portfolio Manager
Website ExploreBaltimore.org