(BALTIMORE – November 7, 2024)—Be sure to RSVP for BMORENews.com’s Black Wall Street SOIREE, our annual fundraiser to support our Joe Manns Black Wall Street initiative, on Thursday, December 5, 2024 (6 to 9 pm) at the Downtown Cultural Arts Center at 401 N. Howard Street. RSVP to https://blackwallstreetsoiree.eventbrite.com/.
As always, the event will feature the Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards, where we celebrate Black entrepreneurs and professionals as well as the people who support them regardless of race.
Honorees will include Patti W. Smith.
Who is Patti?
Patti W. Smith, a Baltimore native born September 1, 1955, blazed trails in broadcast journalism as one of the city’s pioneering Black female radio personalities. Raised in Edmonson Village and a 1973 graduate of Northwestern High School, Smith studied communications and journalism at Morgan State in 1978.
Her groundbreaking radio career began at WEAA on Morgan State University’s campus, under the leadership of news legend Larry Dean, where she distinguished herself as a student news anchor and earned recognition from the Student Government Association for bridging connections between students and the community with her talk show Motivating Forces. She moved on under the direction of Curtis Anderson, making history as the first Black woman news anchor at WWIN. Smith conducted memorable interviews with prominent figures, including baseball legend Eddie Murray, Senator Edward Kennedy, and U.S. Congressman Parren J. Mitchell.
Smith continued breaking barriers at B104 FM, becoming the first Black female news anchor and talk show host. Her impactful work there earned her a Baltimore’s Best award from Mayor Donald Schaefer and the police commissioner Bishop Robinson. Her telephone poll shows that she connects the police and the community. Throughout her broadcasting career, she took pride in sharing stories of the Black experience and connecting listeners to community and world events.
Currently serving as the Outreach Director for the Sankofa Children’s Museum of African Cultures, Smith brings her passion for storytelling and community engagement to a new generation. An avid traveler who has explored over 20 countries and visited UNESCO sites, she continues to build bridges between cultures and communities, embodying the commitment to connection that defined her career.