Bob Smith is an actor and storyteller whose talent is seen on stage, television, and movies.  He performs in living history productions as Benjamin Banneker and Paul Laurence Dunbar as he “Brings Them Back Alive.” Bob's shows have been presented throughout the mid-Atlantic states.

Juneteenth speaker Maria Broom — an actor, dancer, teacher, and storyteller with more than 40 years of various life and professional experiences — visited Upper School and Middle School assemblies on Thursday, March 9.

Juneteenth speaker Sheryll Cashin, author of “White Space, Black Hood: Opportunity Hoarding and Segregation in the Age of Inequality” and other books, spoke to Upper School students on Thursday, February 16, during Black History Month.

Sista' Martha Ruff visited Lower School students on Wednesday, January 18 as part of the Juneteenth Speaker Series. Ruff is an African American folklore and culture storyteller, former Lower School librarian at Gilman from 1986 to 1992, and grandmother to a Gilman second grader.

Author Dr. Lawrence Brown, who wrote “The Black Butterfly: The Harmful Politics of Race and Space in America,” spoke to Middle and Upper School students on Friday, November 18. The city of Baltimore played a leading role in the national topics he discussed, including the Civil War, segregation, and redlining.

Standing on the Alumni Auditorium stage in an orange tunic with a shekere (West African instrument) in hand, Juneteenth speaker Gordon Parks began his time with the Lower School community on October 26 engaging them in a song that highlighted the importance of storytelling.

Gilman's own Lower School counselor Laura Jordan and fourth grade teacher Karen Cooper presented at the first Juneteenth Speaker Series of the school year. The pair spoke to Middle and Upper School students about their travels together over the summer — to the Whitney Plantation Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana, and to the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama

Gilman welcomed Dr. Richard Antoine White to speak with Middle School and Upper School boys during their respective assemblies on Friday, March 4, 2022. Richard White is an inspirational speaker, professor, and principal tubist with more than two decades of performing on the world’s classical music stages.

Gilman was pleased to welcome Phoebe Kilby Baldwin and Betty Kilby, authors of “Cousins," to speak with students on Tuesday, February 22, as part of the Juneteenth Speaker Series.

Roca founder and CEO Molly Baldwin, along with her colleagues Kurt Palermo and Jamal West of Roca Baltimore, joined the Middle School and Upper School assemblies on Friday, February 11. Roca’s mission is to disrupt the cycle of poverty and incarceration by helping young people transform their lives.

As part of the Juneteenth Speaker Series, the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture virtually visited the Middle School assembly on Friday, January 21. The museum, located at Baltimore’s inner harbor, interprets, preserves, and tells the stories of Black Americans in Maryland.

Gilman is pleased to welcome author Brendan Kiely to speak with students on Friday, April 8, 2022, as part of the Juneteenth Speaker Series.

Educator Susan Yao spoke to the Gilman community, first on Friday, November 19 at the Upper School assembly, and then on Saturday, November 20 to a room full of parents, faculty, and staff. Her presentation examined the concept of solidarity.

Although it was André Robert Lee’s first time on Gilman’s campus when he kicked off the Juneteenth Speaker Series on Friday, October 15, 2021, at an all-student event, he says he “feels very connected to the School.” Lee’s college roommate was Rob Marbury ’89 whose family had deep roots at Gilman, and embraced him as part of their family.