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(BALTIMORE – June 16, 2025) – Reserve your spot today for Doni Glover 6.0: A BMORENews Benefit, set for Friday, June 27, 2025, from 7 to 10 p.m. at Baltimore Unity Hall, 1505 Eutaw Place.
🎟️ RSVP now at DoniGlover60.eventbrite.com.
This special evening celebrates Doni Glover’s 60th birthday and the enduring mission of BMORENews. The program will feature the Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards, a proud BMORENews tradition since 2011, honoring nearly 3,000 Black entrepreneurs, professionals, and allies across nine major U.S. cities.
Proceeds will support BMORENews’ independent Black media work—including our Emmy-nominated podcast, TV show, and events that uplift Black excellence. A portion of the evening’s proceeds will also benefit the Bea Gaddy Family Center, in recognition of its unwavering service to the Baltimore community.
Our Keynote Speaker is Wanda Queen Draper.
A lifelong Baltimorean and visionary leader, Wanda Queen Draper has dedicated her career to elevating voices, preserving culture, and strengthening communities. A proud graduate of the University of Maryland School of Journalism, she also pursued advanced studies at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland School of Law. Her commitment to service and excellence spans journalism, public affairs, nonprofit leadership, and community engagement.
Wanda served more than 25 years at WBAL-TV, rising to Vice President of Programming and Public Affairs for the Hearst Corporation. She began her career as a reporter for the Baltimore News American, later working at WJZ-TV and Maryland Public Television. Her communications expertise also extended to civic institutions, including her role as Director of Community Affairs and Visitor Services at the National Aquarium in Baltimore.
In 2016, Wanda was appointed Executive Director of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture, a role that marked her return to an institution she helped launch. As a founding board member from 1999 to 2008, she helped raise $38 million to build the museum and $2 million for its permanent collection. Her leadership continues to shape how Black history is preserved, presented, and celebrated.
Her community service spans hunger, homelessness, and education. She serves on the boards of the University of Maryland Medical System, Visit Baltimore, and the WBAL Kids Campaign and is also a deacon at New Shiloh Baptist Church.
Wanda lives in Baltimore County with her husband, Dr. Robert Draper. They are the proud parents of two children and grandparents of four.
A trailblazer in media, culture, and civic life, Wanda Queen Draper embodies the spirit of reinvention and resilience that defines Doni Glover 6.0.
