President Obama on Jan. 23 deployed a Navy SEAL unit to execute the successful rescue of two aid workers held by Somali pirates in a daring nighttime operation. The two hostages, American Jessica Buchanan, 32 and her Danish colleague, Poul Hagen Thisted, 60, were working in the country to assist in the clearing of field […]
Author Archives: Alexis Taylor
AFRO Staff Writer
Posted inAfro Briefs
United Airlines Names First African American Region Chief Pilot
Captain James Simons, Jr. was named United Airlines’ first African-American region chief pilot for United Airlines Jan. 20, and will lead the Northeastern Region of the world’s largest airline company. Simons, a United pilot for 22 years, will oversee 1,450 pilots flying for the airline. Beginning in 2007, he served as assistant chief pilot for […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Ariz. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Steps Down to Continue Recovery from Shooting
Amid ongoing recovery from severe injuries sustained in a shooting last year, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords announced Jan. 25 that she will step down from her position. One of a dozen injured in a January 2011 shooting spree at a community event sponsored by Giffords in Tucson, the three-term Democratic congresswoman spent five months in a […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Courtroom-Classroom Gives Reginald Lewis Students Real Life Experience
Giving many their first feel of the legal system, students on the law track of Reginald F. Lewis High School recently held the grand opening of their very own in-house courtroom. The new arena is complete with a jury box, a judge’s seat, plaintiff and defendant sections, a witness stand and all the trimmings that […]
Posted inNational News
Black Clergy Igniting Support for HBCU Equality Lawsuit
In keeping with the tradition of fighting for and supporting historical Black universities and colleges (HBCU), leaders and members of local Black churches crowded into courtroom 7D of the Garmatz Federal Courthouse Jan. 24 to show support for the ongoing Maryland HBCU Equality Lawsuit. “Silence is betrayal,” said the Rev. Errol D. Gilliard, pastor of […]
Posted inBUSINESS
College Entrepreneurship Still Growing Strong
“Everyone is capable of greatness and we inspire greatness in the everyday man,” said Idris Shineba, one of four founders of Upperthinking LLC, a new clothing line that stresses not only excellence in clothing but in day to day life as well. Created in 2011 by four undergraduate students that took a leap of faith […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Weekly Jobless Claims Fall Signaling a Rise in Hiring
The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits plunged in the last week, according to federal Labor Department data, signaling to some economists an uptick in the pace of hiring. Nationally, jobless claims in the Jan. 8-14 period fell to the lowest level since April 2008 when the Great Recession was strangling the U.S. economy. The […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Proposed Anti-Piracy Laws Cause Uproar
Congress’ drive to enact legislation to battle online piracy and target websites that violate intellectual property laws stalled last week. Lobbying action against the proposals was so intense that floor action on both the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) proposed by the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) forged in the the House […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Billionaire to Help Pay for Repairs to EarthquakeDamaged Washington Monument
By far, one of the biggest questions asked in 2011 was “Where were you when the earthquake hit?” Originating slightly northwest of Richmond, Va. in Louisa, Va., the temblor could be felt from Rhode Island to Chapel Hill, N.C. In response to the severe damage caused by that 5.8 magnitude earthquake to the Washington Monument, […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Lorraine Bailey-Carter Puts Women to the Challenge
Placing a focus on the overall well being of the mind, body, and spirit, of women, Lorraine Bailey-Carter, founder of The Women’s Challenge, has a genuine need to give back to those who need it most. Beginning The Women’s Challenge in 2009, the program creates innovative ways for women to become healthier, not only physically, […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Family League Program Promotes Healthy Pregnancies, Healthy Babies
Targeting the women of Park Heights, Upton/Druid Heights and Patterson Park North and East, B’More Fit for Healthy Babies has partnered with local fitness centers, area hospitals and Weight Watchers to ensure healthy pregnancies for women across the city. With nearly 40 percent of all Baltimore City women of childbearing age between 18 to 44 […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Minority Businesses Vital to Maryland Economy
There has never been a better time for minorities to step out on faith and begin contributing to the private-sector by beginning their own companies. With organizations like the Minority Business Development Agency and the 8(a) Business Development Program targeting minorities and companies that may not have adequate resources to compete on a national level, […]
