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 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]
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]
