Author Archives: AFRO Staff

President Obama’s bipartisan health care reform summit on February 25 failed to provoke any Republican converts, forcing Democrats to turn to a political process called reconciliation, which would sidestep the need for Republican support for the measure. The move would allow the majority-Democratic Congress to approve Obama’s proposed healthcare reform with a simple majority vote, […]

Among the hardest-hit victims of the Haitian earthquake in January were elderly residents of Port-au-Prince, but conditions are improving for individuals at one nursing home. HelpAge International took over management of the Municipal Nursing Home for the Haitian government and will run the facility for the next six months. Jonathan Barden, an emergency response team […]

The once-popular Black college spring break event “Freaknik” is nearing a possible return to Atlanta. “The Official Atlanta Freaknic Site” is claiming the return of the event from April 16 through April 18, but the city has not received a permit application and city officials are not convinced the event will happen. “I don’t believe […]

Rapper Jay-Z’s business dealings with a New York-based promotion company are under federal investigation over possible ethics violations. Aqueduct Entertainment Group was awarded a multi-million dollar contract in January to upgrade the Aqueduct Race Track and turn it into a racetrack and casino, or “racino”. It would be the only one of its kind in […]

According to a study released by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which ranks the nation’s health county-by-county across the country, many of the counties with the worst health conditions also have high poverty rates, and many have high Black populations. “We didn’t want this to be just a black and white analysis,” Patrick Remington, associate […]

Middle and upper-class African-Americans and Hispanics are narrowing the digital divide, according to a new study conducted by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. According to the report, 94 percent of Blacks and 98 percent of Hispanics who possess a college degree are online, and college-educated minority Americans who earn over $50,000, are […]

After months of controversy and scathing criticism from his political colleagues, New York Gov. David Paterson announced Feb. 26 that he would not seek election later this year, according to a New York Times report. Paterson took the helm nearly two years ago when then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer was purged from office following a prostitution scandal. […]

White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers will step down from her post at the end of the month amid controversy surrounding the infamous White House crashers in December, according to a Washington Post report. The Post quoted unnamed White House officials who said Rogers, a friend of President Barack Obama from Chicago, will return to […]