Meredith Ezinma-Ramsay

Violinist, Film Composer, Educator

As Donald Trump was getting sworn in as President and the Women’s March set an angry, outspoken tone for the country’s discourse, journalist Emily Ramshaw decided to meet the moment by launching The 19th. Named after the Nineteenth Amendment, The 19th became the first nonprofit, nonpartisan news agency in the United States. Its mission is to focus on the impact of national politics and policy on women. However, by the time Emily and co-founder Amanda Zamora had secured funding and officially launched The 19th’s news site, the pandemic hit — and the very fabric of society went into a tailspin. 

Breaking the News immerses its audience in the lives and steadfast pursuits of the members of The 19th — women and LGBTQ+ journalists — as they struggle to launch the agency and work to gain traction for their newsroom amidst shuttered news outlets and an upended America. With spirited storytelling, the directorial trio of Heather Courtney, Princess A. Hairston, and Chelsea Hernandez provide an inquisitive and dynamic view into the inner workings of this news agency as its journalists disrupt entrenched biases and push for accountability.––Jose Rodriguez

Breaking The News

I discovered the violin when I was four. I loved playing, loved music, so much that I took every chance to play I could get. I joined orchestras, played in string quartets, attended summer music festivals, whatever. That love has stayed with me to this day. But whenever I look back to those days, what often strikes me is the lack of diversity. 

I was often very isolated: I was almost always the only black person in the orchestra. Teachers often discouraged me from following my dreams. I had so much talent, but the parents and the staff of those music festivals I loved to attend only saw me as the "scholarship kid." The first time I met another black string player, I was 15; according to The Strad, black and Latino musicians make up less than 4% of orchestras. 

Luckily, I had enough emotional and financial support to push past the racism and classism I experienced. But other kids aren't so lucky. And really, they shouldn't have to be. I want to bring more diversity, access, and inclusion into the classical world. 

That is why I started Strings By Heart.

Strings by Heart

An award winning short film based on the play by French-Canadian playwright Annick Lefebvre, Les Câlins Cheaps (Cheap Hugs) is a bilingual short (French/English) that follows two women reeling from the loss of their mutual friend by suicide who find themselves in an unexpected moment of connection. Currently in its festival run.

Meredith Ezinma-Ramsay

Violinist, Film Composer, Educator

Breaking The News

Strings by Heart

Les Câlins Cheaps

Formation World Tour