Mariah Parker, PhD (they/them) is a linguist, cultural strategist, and public voice who brings unmatched clarity, creativity, and energy to conversations about language, leadership, labor, and change. With a rare ability to move between academic insight, cultural storytelling, and movement experience, Mariah is a speaker who leaves audiences energized, informed, and inspired to act.
Known on stage and in the streets as Linqua Franqa, Mariah is a nationally-recognized rapper and former Georgia County Commissioner whose viral 2018 swearing-in photo—hand on The Autobiography of Malcolm X, held by their mother—became an iconic image of a new generation of Southern leadership. During their time in office, they championed bold policy initiatives, including minimum wage reform and community-centered alternatives to policing, before transitioning into full-time labor organizing with the Fight for $15 and a Union.
With a PhD in linguistics, Mariah brings a deep understanding of how language shapes our culture, institutions, and daily lives. They help audiences unpack the power of messaging, the evolution of political language, and how words influence everything from workplace culture to public trust. Their insight is matched by their presence—equal parts sharp, grounded, and electrifying.
As a performer and cultural commentator, Mariah has been featured in Rolling Stone, CNN, NPR, The New York Times, Teen Vogue, The Nation, and more. Their music, including the acclaimed album Bellringer, tackles themes of mental health, inequality, and resilience with lyrical brilliance and emotional force.
Their new book, No Cop City, No Cop World (Haymarket, 2025), co-edited with Micah Herskind and Kamau Franklin, is a powerful archive of the people’s movement to stop the construction of Atlanta’s Cop City—offering a window into grassroots resistance, radical imagination, and the fight for a liveable planet for all.
Whether delivering a keynote, facilitating a strategic conversation, or performing from the stage, Mariah Parker bridges worlds—with intellect, authenticity, and fire.
The Power in the Word: Language, Culture, and the Fight for Meaning
Language isn’t just how we communicate—it’s how we make meaning, challenge power, and shape the future. In this dynamic session, Dr. Mariah Parker—linguist, cultural strategist, and former elected official—explores how words carry histories, encode values, and move people. Blending scholarship, spoken word, and lived experience, Mariah breaks down how language influences culture, politics, and identity—and invites audiences to think more critically about the messages they consume and create.
Labor, Disability, and the Fight for Economic Justice
Disabled people have long been at the forefront of labor struggles, yet their contributions are often overlooked. This presentation connects labor organizing with disability justice, exploring the exploitation of disabled workers, the fight for fair wages and accommodations, and the intersection of capitalism and ableism. How can labor movements better center disability justice, and what policies are needed to create truly equitable workplaces?
Burnout, Rest, and Political Longevity: A Guide for Organizers and Public Leaders
Activism, organizing, and governance are all emotionally and physically demanding—and burnout is a systemic issue, not an individual failing. This session explores the structural reasons activists and public sector workers face exhaustion, as well as practical strategies for sustainable movement work. Drawing from lived experience in politics, labor organizing, and mental health advocacy, this session reclaims rest as a radical act and offers tools for building resilience in the fight for justice.
When the System Won’t Budge: Navigating the Limits of Government and the Power of Organizing
What happens when the change you hoped to make from inside the system feels impossible? In this talk, a former county commissioner, Mariah Parker, shares their journey from elected office back to grassroots organizing, examining the limits of governance, the power of labor movements, and what it really takes to build worker power. How do we decide where our energy is best spent—in government, in the streets, or on the picket line? And how can we bridge the gap between policy and direct action to create lasting change?
Labor in Motion: Culture, Organizing, and the Fight for What We Deserve
In this high-energy and thought-provoking session, Dr. Mariah Parker breaks down the fight for worker power—from fair wages and union rights to dignity and democracy on the job. Drawing from their experience as a labor organizer, former elected official, and cultural worker, Mariah explores how collective action, storytelling, and strategy come together to shape the future of work. With clarity, charisma, and conviction, they offer a powerful look at how workers across the South and beyond are organizing not just for better pay—but for what we truly deserve.
