By the time the celebration started at 5 p.m., Emmanuel Baptist Church was already packed. The choir, resplendent in blue and gold robes, sang a favorite hymn as the audience clapped. The pastor, the Rev. Byron J. Day, and church First Lady Pamela Day, were seated at the front of the congregation, beaming, as many […]
Author Archives: Ariel Medley
AFRO Staff Writers
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Ayanna Gregory Pays Homage to Father, Trailblazing Civil Rights Activist Dick Gregory
Ayanna Gregory, daughter of comedian and civil rights activist Dick Gregory, embraced her father on stage at the Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center in downtown Silver Spring on Sept. 28 after giving a stunning performance in her highly acclaimed play, “Daughter of the Struggle.” “This play is an ode to my father,” said Gregory. “It’s […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Thousands Throng to CBC Prayer Breakfast
Positive words positive thinking are the keys to negotiating this world, Rev. Marvin Sapp told an estimated crowd of more than 3,000 people gathered at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Northwest, D.C. for the 43rd Annual Legislative Conference’s Prayer Breakfast. “Do not spit venomous words from your mouth,” Sapp, American gospel singer and […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Dave Chappelle Gets Lots of Love From Pittsburgh Fans
Dave Chappelle didn’t even make it to center stage at First Niagara Pavilion in Pittsburgh before the rafters literally shook with the reverberation of the thunderous applause the comedian received as he prepared for his set. A day after he was booed in Hartford, Chappelle was welcomed with cheers and multiple standing ovations for his […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
MOW Closing Ceremonies at Metropolitan AME Church
More than a hundred people gathered on the morning of August 25th, inside the historic Metropolitan AME Church in northwest, D.C. to witness the closing ceremonies for the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington. In an outpouring of appreciation, clergy and congregation rose together for a heartfelt ovation for the Rev. Al Sharpton, honoring […]
Posted inNational News
Clergy, Civil Rights Leaders Meet For Talks On 50th Anniversary of March On Washington
Civil rights leaders, activists and clergy members gathered Aug. 1 inside the historic Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church (Metropolitan) on M Street in northwest Washington, D.C. to discuss a plan of action for the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington. Hosted by the National Action Network, the meeting served as both a briefing […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
D.C.’s Chef Luigi Diotaiuti Teaches Kids to Cook
Luigi Diotaiuti, an award-winning Washington, D.C.-based chef and restaurateur, has traveled the globe preparing his famed Italian cuisine for celebrities like George Clooney and dignitaries such as Hillary Clinton, yet if you ask him to name the capstone of his career, he’d tell you teaching cooking to Hyde-Addison Elementary School students in Northwest D.C. “I […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Panelists Tell Forum How Civil Rights Struggle Fueled Their Art
The art, artistic inspiration, and creative influences of the Civil Rights Movement were the topic of an often-lively forum July 16 that was part of the March on Washington Film Festival in Washington, D.C. Hosted by CNN political analyst Jamal Simmons, the discussion featured Avis Collins Robinson, painter, quilter and former economist for the Environmental […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
National Museum of Women in the Arts Holds Town Hall on Artistry, Creativity, and Civil Rights
In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, the National Museum of Women in the Arts on July 16 hosted a “Town Hall on Artistry, Creativity, and Civil Rights,” a panelist discussion on art, artistic inspiration, and the creative […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Lt. Gov. Brown Taps Howard County Exec. Ulman for Running Mate
Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown, who hopes to move into the state’s top executive post after next year’s election, has named Howard County Executive Ken Ulman as his running mate. Brown (D), who hails from Prince George’s County, made the announcement June 4 in Columbia. “Ken has proven to be an extraordinary, energetic, experienced and […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Ground Broken for Friendship Schools’ Tech Prep Addition
Friendship Schools broke ground May 30 on expansion of the Friendship Technology Preparatory Academy to make way for the addition of eleventh and twelfth grade classes at the Southeast Washington facility. Opened in 2009, Technology Preparatory Academy currently serves students in the sixth through tenth grades. After the scheduled completion of construction in August 2014, […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Paying Tribute to C. Delores Tucker
She was a pioneer for African American women in the political arena and legendary for her work in the Civil Rights Movement. In her later years, she championed abortion rights and challenged the misogynistic and violent lyrics in some gangsta rap. From the time she walked onto the battlefield for rights and freedom until she […]