John Lewis was 25 years old when he led 600 marchers to Montgomery, Ala. across the now-infamous Edmund Pettus Bridge on Mar. 7, 1965. A student from Fisk University, the young activist had peace in mind when he set out on what would be recorded in history as “Bloody Sunday.” Lewis, a Freedom Rider and […]
Author Archives: Alexis Taylor
AFRO Staff Writer
Posted inPrince George's County News
HBCU Equity, Health Care Top Black Legislative Agenda
Maryland’s African American lawmakers converged on the Sheraton Annapolis hotel Nov. 15-17 for the 2012 Maryland Black Legislative Caucus Weekend, which included the annual prayer breakfast and a host of panels and programs focused on the issues key to the state’s Black residents. Lawmakers said the weekend provided them an opportunity to pinpoint their priorities […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Serial Killer Claims He Slashed O.J. Simpson’s Ex-Wife
Nearly two decades after the brutal murder of the wife of ex-football star O.J. Simpson and an acquaintance, a convicted serial killer has come forward with information he says links him to the crime. In an Investigation Discovery Channel documentary to be aired Nov. 21, California death-row inmate Glen Roger, a convicted murderer who says […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Elmo Puppeteer Resigns Amid Abuse Allegations
Kevin Clash, the voice behind Elmo, Clifford, and Hoots the Owl has resigned from his post as Sesame Street Muppet Captain and co-executive producer. The step down comes amid a widening sexual abuse scandal that has taken over headlines since the first accusation was made by a 23-year-old man, still anonymous, last week. The Sesame […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Air Force Adopts Measures to Address Sexual Assault and Harassment in its Ranks
United States Air Force officials have a new plan of action to add more female trainers to their ranks and improve the way they protect those enrolled in Air Force Basic Military Training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. The changes come after an investigation into 48 claims of sexual assault or […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
BP Dealt Record Breaking $4.5 Billion Fine for Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
For their role in the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion and subsequent spill which took 11 lives and ravaged the Gulf Coast ecosystem, BP agreed Nov. 15 to pay fines and penalties totaling $4.5 billion. The company said it would also plead guilty to 14 criminal charges in the April 2010 disaster. “The oil spill […]
Posted inHealth
Report: Fatalities Possibly Linked to 5-Hour Energy Drinks
Food and Drug Administration officials are investigating more than 13 deaths that have allegedly occurred after the consumption of the popular 5-Hour Energy drink. Authorities said the deaths and other extreme side effects, which range from spontaneous abortion and cardiac arrest to convulsions and shock, may not have been related directly to taking an energy […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Groove Phi Groove Social Fellowship Celebrates 50 Years
The year was 1962. Not afraid to buck the system and agitate the authority figures in their lives, fourteen college students came together for the purpose of promoting academics, ethical soundness, and the bonds of brotherhood between Black men. They called themselves Groove Phi Groove Social Fellowship. And though many would refuse to recognize them […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Tuskegee Airmen Celebrate Veterans Day
Cyril O. Byron, Sr. was only a sophomore at then-Morgan State College when paperwork drafting him into the U. S. Army arrived at his Bronx, N.Y. home in 1942. A year later, he would be arming fighter planes in missions across North Africa. First, though, he had to get through basic training at Camp Upton […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Snowstorm Slams Sandy Victims Again
Residents of the Northeast section of the United States were slammed again by erratic weather this week, just days after Superstorm Sandy, a massive storm that pummeled the area, leaving millions in damage and thousands more in the dark.mile along the eastern U.S. Within 10 days following the category 1Superstorm, a Nor’easter blew through on […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Rihanna and Brown Together Again in Hot Duet
Chris Brown and Rihanna Fenty are making music together again, and this time, on a Rihanna release, the song is aptly named “Nobodies Business.” The song is set to be released as part of Fenty’s upcoming album, Unapologetic, which is scheduled for a Nov.19 drop. This is not the first time the two have collaborated […]
Posted inHealth
Californians Vote ‘No’ on Required Labeling for Genetically Modified Foods
Fifty-three percent of Californians decided to vote down the mandatory labeling of genetically engineered (GE) foods Nov. 6 in a decision that would have made it the first in the nation to have such regulations. The law, Proposition 37, was able to get 4,287,168 favorable votes, but failed against the 4,847,020 Californians who said no […]