A Mississippi-based confederate group is requesting that the state issue specialty license plates commemorating a former Ku Klux Klan leader. Members of the organization, called The Mississippi Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, have sold state-license plates bearing a Confederate flag since 2003, but they want their 2014 design to recognize Nathan Bedford Forrest, […]
Author Archives: AFRO Staff
Posted inAfro Briefs, Religion
iPhone App Exists for Catholic Confessions
Need to prepare for confessional or study the sacrament? Now, there’s an app for that. The mobile applications company Little iApps has teamed with two Catholic priests to create “Confession: A Roman Catholic App.” The app, now available for download on iTunes, does not absolve users from guilt itself. Rather, it’s designed to be used […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Alabama Shop Trades Guns for Sex Toys
An Alabama sex toy shop has come up with a novel idea for Valentine’s Day: an initiative where people can trade in guns for gift cards. Sherri Williams, owner of Pleasures in Huntsville, Ala., told The Madison County Record she’s trying to live by the philosophy to “make love, not war.” “It’s my way of […]
Posted inNational News
NAACP Legal Defense Fund Joins Abu-Jamal Defense Team
The NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund has joined Mumia Abu-Jamal’s defense team to represent him in his ongoing appeal of his capital murder conviction. “Mumia Abu-Jamal’s conviction and death sentence are relics of a time and place that was notorious for police abuse and racial discrimination,” said John Payton, director-counsel of the LDF in […]
Posted inHealth
Study Says Women’s Tears Weaken Male Arousal
A study by the Weizmann Institute in Israel says that women’s tears are a turnoff for men, as scientists claim they have demonstrated that emotional signals are chemically encoded in tears and reduce the sexual arousal in men. In a test, male volunteers sniffed tears or a saline solution applied to them under their nostrils […]
Posted inNational News
Ky. House and Senate Pass Bills to Curb Illegal Immigration
The Kentucky House and Senate have passed bills to help eliminate illegal immigration in the state. House Bill 3 would require employers who receive public funding to use the federal government’s E-Verify system when hiring workers. Senate Bill 6 is similar in nature to Arizona’s immigration law, and would allow police to ask for a […]
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 […]
Posted inHealth
Lymph Node Study May Change Breast Cancer Treatment
According to a new study, early breast cancer patients may not need multiple lymph nodes removed, a common practice used to prevent the spread of tumors. The research, published in The Journal of the American Medical Association Feb. 9, found that the procedure does not increase survival rates of women with early stages of the […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Mubarak Finally Steps Down, Egypt Celebrates
Egypt President Hosni Mubarak stepped down from office on Feb. 11, just a day after refusing to do so. His resignation comes after intense pressure internally and internationally for him to leave office. Egypt’s Vice President Omar Suleiman read a one-sentence statement from Mubarak announcing the resignation. “I, President Hosni Mubarak, have decided to step […]