Championing Equitable Redistricting Across Maryland
Sensible Communities Redistricting in Maryland (SCRIM) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(4) social welfare organization dedicated to strengthening the integrity of redistricting processes in Maryland.
SCRIM was formed to focus on the structural rules that govern how district lines are drawn, including who draws the maps, what criteria control their design, and how public input is incorporated into the process at the congressional, state legislative, and local levels. District boundaries determine representation for a decade at a time. The design of the redistricting process — including transparency, independence, population equality, and compliance with the Voting Rights Act — directly affects democratic accountability.
SCRIM was founded in 2024 by five Prince George’s County residents with the goal of developing a durable redistricting reform organization with statewide reach: Daniel C. Smith (Cheverly, MD); Karren Pope‑Onwukwe (Hyattsville, MD); Michael Bridges (Bowie, MD); Frederick McBride (Greenbelt, MD); and Bradley E. Heard (Capitol Heights, MD).
Leadership
Daniel C. Smith
President
Read Bio
Daniel C. Smith is an environmental communications and policy expert based in Cheverly, Maryland with local, national, and international experience in urban forestry, environmental justice, and community outreach. He is co‑founder and president of Friends of Lower Beaverdam Creek and has long been active in regional watershed protection efforts. Smith serves as the first citizen voting member of the multi‑jurisdiction Anacostia Watershed Partnership and chairs the Anacostia Watershed Citizen Advisory Committee, where he helped organize the partnership’s first Citizen’s Summit. He has also led local initiatives such as developing a Green Infrastructure Plan for Cheverly and regularly advocates on environmental and development issues in Upper Marlboro and Annapolis. More about his work can be found here.
Karren Pope-Onwukwe
Vice President
Read Bio
Karren Pope‑Onwukwe is a prominent elder law and disability rights attorney, bar leader, and community advocate based in Prince George’s County. Her legal practice focuses on helping clients plan for aging, disability, and wealth transfer. She is a past president of the Elder Law and Disability Rights Section Council of the Maryland State Bar Association and co‑founder and past co‑chair of the Elder Law Section of the Prince George’s County Bar Association. Pope‑Onwukwe has held numerous national and state leadership roles, including serving on the American Bar Association’s Commission on Law and Aging, co‑chairing committees within the ABA’s Civil Rights and Social Justice Section, and participating on the Maryland Attorney General’s COVID‑19 Access to Justice Task Force and the Maryland Financial Consumer Protection Commission. She also serves on the Prince George’s County Adult Public Guardianship Review Board and has long been active in community and civic organizations. She is also the author of Life Is Filled with Swift Transitions, a book offering guidance on navigating aging, caregiving, and life planning. Additional information about her legal practice is available here.
Bradley E. Heard
Secretary-Treasurer
Read Bio
Bradley E. Heard is an attorney and nonprofit leader with nearly three decades of legal experience, including more than twenty years focused on civil rights and voting rights. He serves as Deputy Legal Director of the Voting Rights Advocacy and Litigation Impact Team at the Southern Poverty Law Center, where he works to protect fair access to the ballot and strengthen democratic participation. Earlier in his career, Heard served as a trial attorney in the Voting Section of the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, where he litigated cases enforcing federal voting rights law. He is also the founder and president of Greater Capitol Heights Improvement Corporation (GCHIC), a community‑based organization working to strengthen inner‑Beltway neighborhoods in central Prince George’s County, Maryland, through policy advocacy, planning, and community engagement. He graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Morehouse College and earned his J.D. from Yale Law School. More about his work can be found here.