On March 12, Civic Frame, a national nonprofit organization, will roll out the second installment of their community discussion series “Amplify Baltimore.” The quarterly forum was launched in January and combines local leaders with residents of the community to discuss some of the city’s most challenging issues. The day will begin with a continental breakfast, […]
Author Archives: AFRO Staff
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Environmental Film Festival to Feature Four Free Film Programs in Anacostia
The annual Environmental Film Festival in the nation’s capital returns on March 15-27 and will present over 150 films about the natural world and green living throughout the city. Also included in the event will be a series of four free film programs scheduled to take place in Anacostia from March 22-25. The film, Where […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Local Students Dream Big at Disney’s ‘Dreamers Academy’
High school student Denzel Wilson of Washington, D.C., designs a roller coaster March 4 at the Sum of All Thrills simulator attraction in Innoventions during a “Disney’s Dreamers Academy with Steve Harvey and Essence Magazine” career workshop session at Epcot in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The fourth annual “Disney’s Dreamers Academy” took place March 3-6 […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Howard Students Weather Rain to Help Residents of Haiti, U.S.
Howard University students, many of them soaked from afternoon rains, took to the streets of Washington, D.C. March 6 to raise money to support their efforts to help residents of Haiti and five U.S. cities during their spring break. The students were part of the WHUR 96.3 Helping Hands radiothon, according to a press release […]
Posted inNational News
Supreme Court Upholds Church’s Protest at Soldiers’ Funerals
The Topeka, Kan.-based Westboro Baptist Church is within its first amendment rights to picket the funerals of soldiers with anti-gay messages, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled March 3. “Speech is powerful. It can stir people to action, move them to tears of both joy and sorrow, and—as it did here—inflict great pain,” Chief Justice John […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Beyonce’s Comic Book on Shelves This Week
“Fame: Beyonce”, a comic book centered on the pop diva’s rise to fame, was released this week, promising a rare look into the singer’s life. According to a media release, the comic unveils new facets of Beyonce’s career and personal life, including her evolution into a solo artist that even the most avid fans don’t […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Ore. School Bus Driver Suspended for Displaying Confederate Flag
A Oregon school district has suspended a kindergarten bus driver for hanging a Confederate flag on his personal vehicle, saying he is in violation of their harassment policies. According to the Associated Press, Ken Webber, 28, was suspended from the bus company First Student, Inc., which contracts buses to the Phoenix-Talent School District, after he […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Prince Sued
Multi-platinum superstar Prince is being sued by his former lawyers, who claim the performer, owes more than $700,000 in legal fees. Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler (PBWT), a New York based law firm, is suing the Grammy winner for only paying $125,000 in court cases in New York, California and Ireland. This is the latest […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Houston Day Care Provider Reportedly Flees to Nigeria After Fire Kills Four Children, Injures Three
Manslaughter charges have been filed against a Nigerian woman who allegedly left a Houston, Texas day care center unattended that was the scene of a fire last month that left four toddlers dead and three injured, the U.S. Marshals Service said March 4. The charges grew out of an indictment against Jessica Tata, a Houston-based […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Black Transportation Security Agent Busted
An investigation into a Buffalo, N.Y. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent ended on Mar. 1 when FBI and DEA agents arrested 43-year-old Minneta Walker at Buffalo Niagara International Airport. Walker, a nine-year TSA veteran, is accused of helping drug dealers pass through security. CNN reported that Walker’s alleged acts were discovered in an ongoing wiretap […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Miss. Gov. Barbour Blames Obama for Rising Gas Prices
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, a possible 2012 Republican presidential candidate, accused President Obama March 2 of intentionally driving up gas prices in an effort to get Americans to buy more hybrids and other energy-efficient vehicles. Barbour specifically targeted comments made by Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, in 2008. Chu claimed that higher energy costs could […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Study: Major City Black/White Earnings Disparity
A recently released study conducted by the American Community Survey reveals an ongoing disparity between Black and White income levels. On average, Blacks earn 43 cents for every dollar their White counterparts make in Dallas, and the average white Chicagoan earns over $63,600 a year, while the average Black Chicagoan makes $28,725 a year, or […]