Who We Are
Zoe Bambara
The Center will be created and led by Toni Cade Bambara’s daughter and granddaughter, Karma and Zoe. Zoe Bambara is a Community Organizer and Cultural Worker based in Atlanta, Georgia. She has led marches protesting State Sanctioned Violence, and Mental Health stigmas, and has fought for the protection of Reproductive rights. These marches have ranged from 400 to 4,000 people in attendance, all at the ripe age of 21. Her work is heavily influenced by her mother, grandmother, Karma Smith, and Toni Cade Bambara. Zoe’s work is deeply rooted in the Black Queer Feminist Radical Tradition and thinks educating the community through literature and the arts is the first step towards liberation. Coming from a long lineage of ancestors and living family members rooted in Georgia, and due to TCB’s deep roots in Georgia, she knew Atlanta was the rightful home of the TCB Community Arts Center. While working towards this goal with her mother, Zoe Bambara is the Youth Organizer for Women Engaged, a Black Woman-led reproductive organization based in Atlanta, GA.
Karma Smith
Karma Smith was raised in a household where community involvement was a primary importance, and she upheld that ideal as an adult in her own household. Karma’s first experiences were as a student of the Martin Luther King Jr. Community School and at the Neighborhood Arts Center where she attended the dance and other classes. She was exposed very early to the importance and need for community-based spaces. Karma was involved with a protest while attending Howard University and continued her efforts with volunteerism at various organizations as an adult. In business, she has experience being self-employed in different industries and owning and managing a real estate firm. In addition, Karma has film and television theoretical experience through a Bachelor’s degree in TV and Film Production, while attending HBCU Howard University, and courses towards a Master’s degree in Humanities (Film emphasis). She worked in entertainment public relations for more than a decade and has additional experience in film and television in Los Angeles and Atlanta. She continues to manage the licensing/publishing permissions for her mother’s work.