Termite: A Baltimore Story Matinee

The Peale is thrilled to present the film, Termite: A Baltimore Story, created by WGF Studio in partnership with cinematographer Kirby Griffin. This short documentary film captures the story of Baltimore resident and community leader “Termite” Kin Lane Brown.

“Termite” is a lifelong Cherry Hill resident, a Muslim American, and well-known community leader. She has been a resident of Cherry Hill Public Housing for over 50 years and last year purchased land to build her first home.

For decades, Termite has fed families during Thanksgiving, given out toys and gifts to children during Christmas, helped mediate neighborhood conflicts, and welcomed new tenants into Cherry Hill homes.

She is a mother, grandmother, wife, sister, aunt, and good friend to many. She comes from a family that gave back to the community. As a child, she remembers assisting her mother Ernestine Brown and her aunt Hannah Beverly as they helped tenants with their bills. They managed to find school clothes for children, fed families during various holidays, and much more.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Termite found innovative ways to support children and families in Cherry Hill by identifying the greatest needs and then getting to work to fill those needs, like using a friend’s van to transport high-quality food to neighborhood residents who were struggling with food insecurity. She was able to secure much-needed resources and assist with strategies to support her community.

Termite is a trusted, hands-on leader. She is often sought after by local organizations, public servants, and community members to assist in providing solutions and ideas to improve the community and keep it safe. Most importantly, Termite works to cultivate the culture of love that she felt growing up in the Cherry Hill community.

Filmmakers Whitney Frazier and Kirby Griffin wanted to capture how and why Termite does what she does and to put a spotlight on the true heroes of Baltimore. “We wanted future generations to be proud of her legacy and to learn about what it took to make things happen. We also wanted people to know—inside and outside of Baltimore—what makes this city so special and unique.”

This project is produced by WGF Studio and Six Point Pictures, presented by The Peale and supported by T. Rowe Price.

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Host or Publisher The Peale Center for Baltimore History and Architecture