Local Central American artist Jessy DeSantis is partnering with the Latino Racial Justice Circle (LRJC) to raise funds for immigrant families in Baltimore who otherwise would not qualify for assistance by donating a portion of proceeds from the sales of her original paintings. This will represent the first time the artist has offered these original pieces for sale. DeSantis’ work is a reflection of her own Nicaraguan roots and celebrates the Latinx immigrant community in Baltimore.
Shortly after the outbreak, LRJC, a volunteer run social justice activist group that is a part of Call to Action Maryland, started a GoFundMe campaign for impacted immigrant families in Baltimore. A month and a half in, the group has raised over $35,000. While many Baltimoreans, like DeSantis, have donated portions of their stimulus checks to the fund, the need for additional donations is constantly growing as the needs of our immigrant community persist. DeSantis has raised funds for Baltimore’s immigrant community in the past at venues such as Artscape 2019, where the money she raised for Sanctuary Streets Baltimore went to ICE detainee bail funds. She has also held scholarship fundraisers for undocumented students at Baltimore City Community College.
The Guardian recently reported that “Latinos across the US are disproportionately getting sick from coronavirus, in some regions being infected and hospitalized at up to three times the rate of white Americans”. She is partnering with LRJC not only to raise funds for those in need, but also to shine a light on the health and economic inequity that our neighbors in Baltimore’s immigrant community experience.
Art sales in collaboration with LRJC will begin Thursday, May 7th through a series of weekly media posts on LRJC’s facebook page and DeSantis’ social media outlets. You can also catch one of Jessy DeSantis’ pieces featured on kiosks across downtown Baltimore beginning that same day as part of #artofbaltimore in collaboration with The Downtown Partnership.
Please contact Jessy DeSantis and LRJC.
Stay safe,
Jessy DeSantis, Artist
Latino Racial Justice Circle
latinoracialjusticecircle@
https://www.facebook.com/
