Mariah Parker | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1991 (age 33–34) |
| Other names | Linqua Franqa |
| Education | |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Athens-Clarke County District 2 Commissioner | |
| In office June 4, 2018 –September 8, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Harry Sims [1] |
| Succeeded by | Melissa Link [2] |
Mariah Parker (born 1991 [3] ),also known by the stage name Linqua Franqa,is an American rapper and labor organizer. Based in Georgia,they served as the District 2 County Commissioner for Athens-Clarke County from 2018 to 2022.
Parker was raised in a small town near Louisville,Kentucky. [4] Parker first became interested in music from listening to their mother,a gospel singer,singing alongside other family members. [5]
After completing their undergraduate education at Warren Wilson College, [6] Parker briefly worked as an English teacher in Brazil before moving to Athens,Georgia in 2014. [4] [5]
After moving to Athens,Parker founded Hot Corner Hip Hop,a project to organize shows for local hip hop acts. [4] [5] During this period,Parker adopted the stage name "Linqua Franqa",a pun on the term lingua franca. [4] Parker also began writing their own raps and participating in rap battles. [7] This early work culminated in the release of Parker's debut album,Model Minority,in 2018. [5] Spin has described Model Minority as "a sophisticated aural exploration of self,race,mental health,and social justice". [6]
Parker holds a Ph.D. in Language and Literacy from the University of Georgia. Their second album,2022's Bellringer,was composed as a portion of their dissertation for this program. [8] Parker describes their academic experience in linguistics as an "analytic toolkit" that helps them refine their songwriting approach and delivery. [5] Georgia Public Broadcasting characterized Bellringer as an album that "capture[d] the essence of 2022". [9] Bellringer also includes the single "Wurk",which has attracted attention among organized labor advocates and led Parker to be invited to perform at the 2022 AFL–CIO Convention. [9] [10]
Parker's music has been described as combining hip hop and neo-soul. [5] [11]
In addition to their music,Parker hosts a podcast titled "Waiting on Reparations" on iHeartRadio,alongside fellow Georgia rapper Dope Knife. [12]
After their political lyrics attracted positive attention from the community,Parker began to become involved in community organizing. From there,they entered the political sphere by serving as a campaign manager for local activist Tommy Valentine,who ran for Athens-Clarke county commissioner in 2017. [8]
At the urging of Athens mayor Kelly Girtz,Parker ran for office personally in 2018,campaigning for the Athens-Clarke County District 2 Commissioner seat. [4] Parker was elected to the seat,and attracted widespread attention after being sworn in on a copy of The Autobiography of Malcolm X . [3] [13] They were reelected in 2020,in an unopposed election. [1] During their tenure as commissioner,Parker prioritized racial justice and the reduction of poverty in their district. [4] Parker was also a leading advocate of the 2021 Linnentown Resolution,an effort to make reparations to families who had been displaced in the Linnentown urban renewal project in the 1960s. [8]
Parker announced their resignation from the county commission in August 2022,stating that they had become disillusioned with the commission's limited scope and sought to return to external activism. [1] After their resignation took effect on September 8, [14] Parker moved to Atlanta and joined the Union of Southern Service Workers as a labor organizer. [6] [8]
Parker identifies as nonbinary and queer. [3] [7] They have a son,born in 2021. [8]