Georgia inmates began returning to work Dec. 16 after state correction officials lifted a five-day lockdown at four state facilities Dec.14, following prisoners refusal to leave their cells or report for work assignments. Georgia inmates staged what they are calling a prison strike in protest of grievances that they said include insufficient health care, poor […]
Author Archives: AFRO Staff
Posted inAfro Briefs
Civil Rights Groups Sign Ground Breaking Agreement With Comcast, NBC Universal
The NAACP, National Urban League and National Action Network announced today an agreement with Comcast and NBC Universal to expand current diversity initiatives intended to increase diversity in a wide range of areas including programming and employment. The Memorandum of Understanding, filed on Dec. 17 with the Federal Communications Commission, creates initiatives to improve diversity […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
D.C. Post Office Named After Dorothy Height
President Barack Obama recently signed a bill that names the United States Postal Service office in Washington D.C. after civil rights pioneer Dorothy Height. On Dec. 15, Obama signed into order H.R. 6118, which renames the United States Postal Service facility located on Massachusetts Avenue in northeast D.C. to the Dorothy I. Height Post Office. […]
Posted inNational News
Virginia Federal Judge Strikes Down Mandatory Healthcare Coverage
A federal judge in Virginia has ruled part of President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform unconstitutional. It is the first major setback for the reform and in particular, the provision which would allow for every American to be covered by 2014. “The unchecked expansion of congressional power to the limits suggested by the Minimum Essential Coverage […]
Posted inSports
Humane Society Says Michael Vick Should Wait to Get Another Dog
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick said he’s ready to own a dog again, but the U.S. Humane Society believes he should wait a little longer. According to the Associated Press, Vick told NBC’s TheGrio.com that he genuinely cares for animals and he hopes to own another dog someday. Vick was jailed in 2007 for his […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
California Law Orders Education for Gang Members’ Parents
California judges now have the option to steer parents to a gang education class if their children are convicted of gang crimes, according to the Associated Press. Under the new law, which took effect last January, the parents are taught how to identify the warning signs of gang involvement or study photos of drug fiends. […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
The Dangers Posed by Black Hair Products
Black women with finely primped hair may be jeopardizing their health, according to a recent report by NBC’s TheGrio.com. Some environmental justice advocates and scientists say the unnatural chemicals found in many hair care products, especially those on the Black hair care market such as relaxers, hair grease and oil sheen, can cause cancer, infertility […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
SBA to Increase Lending in At-Risk Communities
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) unveiled two new initiatives Dec. 15 to increase lending opportunities for small business owners in inner cities and underserved communities. Under the two initiatives, known as the Small Loan Advantage and the Community Advantage, community banks will be able to offer loans up to $250,000. Those loans come with […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Rep. Cummings Named Top Democrat on House Oversight Committee
Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) on Dec. 16 was named ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform for the 112th Congress by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). “I am honored by the trust shown in me by my Democratic colleagues,” Cummings said in a statement. “Oversight and Government Reform will be a […]
Posted inSports
Mayweather Again Arrested
Nevada police arrested undefeated fighter Floyd Mayweather Dec. 16 after a state judge reinstated a month-old arrest warrant for battery charges. Mayweather was arrested at the Bellagio resort on the Las Vegas strip, held overnight at the Clark County jail on a misdemeanor battery warrant and released on personal recognizance Dec. 17. The arrest stems […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
White Man Elected President Mississippi NAACP Chapter
A Mississippi chapter of the NAACP has made history by selecting a White man as its president. According to Newsone.com, the 60-member Jackson State University (JSU) chapter elected Michael Teasley, who is in his mid-30s, last spring for a year’s term that ends in 2011. State NAACP president Derrick Johnson described Teasley, who enrolled in […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Atlanta Customs Officer Charged with Smuggling Guns and Money Through Airport
An Atlanta federal custom’s officer based in the city’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport was arrested Dec. 16 along with 13 other people and charged with gun smuggling and drug trafficking, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced on Dec. 16. According to CNN.com, Devon Samuels, 45, a customs officer of Stockbridge, Ga. was apprehended by authorities on […]