Personal Statement

“Is it really like…The Wire?”

This question often “greets” me whenever I find myself in conversations where I reveal that Baltimore is the city that raised me. And it’s the very question that inspired me to pursue a degree in African American studies decades ago.

Growing up, I was the family history nerd, always eager to listen to my aunt’s stories or leaf through our family photo albums. These simple moments offed glimpses into the lives of Black folks who paved the way for me and inspired me to think about my legacy.

It seemed natural as a young history buff to pursue this interest academically. My curiosity about my family’s stories mirrored my intrigue with Baltimore—its narratives, its potential. As one of the few American cities with a predominantly Black population, I knew there were so many other stories to the city that I called home that couldn’t be contained to an hour long television show. 

As a Ronald E. McNair Scholar at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC as it’s affectionately known), I was tasked with completing an intensive research project over the summer months. I chose to fuse my love of history and pop culture by researching the ways in which Black Baltimoreans used culture to combat racial discrimination, terrorism, and oppression. The small amount of Black history I encountered during grade school focused on the political and legal ways that Black people fought racism, and I always wanted to know more about Black cultural resistance to White Supremacist ideology. 

The stories that I encountered during that summer research project set the course of my life’s work. Learning about Baltimore’s Black Arts District along Pennsylvania Avenue and the queer roots of Baltimore Club Music deepened my appreciation for my culture and paralleled my journey into understanding and embracing my Queer identity.

Today, whether I am working to diversify audiences for film, teaching students about the history of Black counterculture, or creating my own music, my life is a tribute to my Black and Queer ancestors. 

Official Bio

Theo George is a New York-based arts manager who has dedicated his life to celebrating and archiving the cultural legacy of Black Queer people through his multifaceted roles as a cultural worker, artist, and historian.

Theo worked at the forefront of the modern LGBT civil rights movement as a Digital Strategist for the National Center for Transgender Equality on a variety of high-profile campaigns ranging from the first-ever LGBT Congressional Caucus on transgender violence on Capitol Hill, the 2015 U.S. Trans Survey which is the largest national survey of transgender people, to consulting on MTV’s 2015 Transgender Day of Remembrance programming and Times Square billboard. He was named to the Trans100 list in 2015 and received a Rising Star Award from Black Transmen Inc. in recognition of his work. 

In his most recent roles as Marketing Director for the Maryland Film Festival and Cinema Marketing Manager at BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music), Theo has worked to expand audiences for film and promote the works of underrepresented film and media makers. Theo’s research and teaching focus on Black Queer cultural history, and he regularly writes about Black LGBTQ representation in media. He hopes to expand on archival practices for media that documents the experiences of Black trans men and Black queer people. 

With a Master’s in Arts Management from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor’s from UMBC in Africana Studies, Theo’s approach to his work is informed by cultural sensitivity, historical awareness, and a passion for creating experiences that are engaging, purposeful, and inclusive.