Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy of social justice and nonviolent protest may have prompted thousands of Egyptian activists to demand the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak. Georgia Rep. John Lewis (D) told MSNBC a 50-year-old comic book about the slain civil right’s leader and the Montgomery, Ala. bus boycott has gained notoriety in the Arab […]
Author Archives: AFRO Staff
Posted inD.C. Community, Washington D.C. News
Black Photographers Group Celebrates Its History
The Exposure Group African American Photographers Association is celebrating its history and presenting “In the Beginning: 1978 Evolution of POSITIVE IMAGE,” an in-depth discussion with the founding members of Positive Images, later renamed The Exposure Group African American Photographers Association. The event, which is dedicated to late founding member Harlee Hoover Little Jr., will focus […]
Posted inD.C. Community, Washington D.C. News
Giant Food Kicks Off Year-Long 75th Anniversary Celebration
Local officials, long-time community partners, members of the founders’ families, and Giant team members and customers gathered to commemorate the supermarket chain’s diamond anniversary at the Tivoli Giant in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 10. D.C. City Councilmember Jim Graham (Ward 1) addressed the crowd and congratulated Giant on their milestone. On behalf of the D.C. […]
Posted inD.C. Community, Washington D.C. News
Reading is Fundamental and NASA to Make Reading an ‘Out of this World’ Experience
Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) and NASA teamed up for an African-American History Month celebration to get students over the moon about reading on Feb. 8 at Ferebee-Hope Elementary School in Southeast Washington, D.C. Leland Melvin, a former astronaut and NASA’s associate administrator for education, shared his experiences traveling in space and read-aloud, {The Moon Over […]
Posted inD.C. Community, Washington D.C. News
Montgomery County Seeks Volunteers for Long Term Care Ombudsman Program
Montgomery County’s Long Term Care Ombudsman Program is seeking area residents interested in enhancing the quality of life for nursing home residents as long-term care advocates with the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services. Volunteers will be assigned to make regular visits to residents in nursing homes and assisted living facilities at convenient […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Norton Introduces Bill to Give D.C. a District Attorney
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) today introduced the District of Columbia District Attorney Establishment Act of 2011, the sixth bill in her “Free and Equal D.C.” series, to establish an Office of the District Attorney for the District of Columbia. The office would be headed by a district attorney elected by D.C. residents, to prosecute […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Charters South African Chapter
The world’s oldest intercollegiate fraternity founded by African-American men has established its first chapter in South Africa. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, founded at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., in 1906, chartered Rho Phi Lambda Chapter in Johannesburg on Feb. 3. The ceremony was held during the Kenneth Harlan Simmons Memorial Charity Dinner. Simmons, a successful […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Colin L. Powell to be Honored at NAACP Image Awards
Retired Gen. Colin L. Powell will receive the NAACP’s 2011 President’s Award at the 42nd NAACP Image Awards, broadcast live from Los Angeles on March 4. Vicangelo Bulluck, executive producer of the telecast and executive director of the NAACP’s Hollywood Bureau, made the announcement Feb. 10. This prestigious award will be presented by NAACP President […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Advance Placement For Minority Students–A Mixed Report Card
Despite increasing access to Advanced Placement (AP) courses, a recent report found that the upward progress of Black high schoolers was stifled by the all-too-familiar achievement gap. According to the College Board’s annual “AP Report to the Nation,” more than double the amount of Black students passed one or more of the rigorous college-level classes […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Steve Harvey’s Ex Wife’s Claims Denied in Court
Comedian and popular radio personality Steve Harvey appears to have the upper hand in a case filed against his ex-wife, as a Texas judge refuted Mary Harvey’s claims of infidelity and abandonment, among a list of other accusations. Harvey took his ex-wife to court on Feb. 7 to contest her claims and determine whether she […]
Posted inNational News
Va.’s First Black Chief Justice Dies at 55
Leroy Hassell Sr., Virginia’s first Black chief justice, died Feb. 9 at a Richmond hospital, the Supreme Court of Virginia announced in a press release. The cause of his death was not released. Hassell had been a member of the court since 1989 and served as chief justice from February 2003 until shortly before his […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Sen. Robert Ford Stands by Racial Comments
South Carolina State Sen. Robert Ford (D) is standing by comments he made claiming that Black and White Americans have a poorer work ethic than their Spanish-speaking counterparts. The comments came during a debate about an Arizona-style immigration law during a meeting of the state Senate Judiciary Committee on Feb. 8. Ford, who represents the […]