By Nicole D. Batey, Special to the AFRO In an order issued on March 15, The Maryland Court of Appeals has postponed the state’s Gubernatorial Primary Election from June 28 to July 19, shortening the general election season, amid legal challenges to redistricting. The state’s high court acted as a series of continuing legal challenges […]
Author Archives: Nicole Batey Special to the AFRO
Posted inBaltimore News
Local developer invests $1 million to uplift Mondawmin community
By Nicole D. Batey, Special to the AFRO More than 250 attendees stood in the space of what used to be the Target store at Mondawmin Mall to learn more on what would become of the West Baltimore building. Area residents and Baltimore City students, community leaders, business owners and employees, non-profit organizations all gathered […]
Posted inReligion
Black Churches 4 Digital Equity fights to close the digital divide
By Nicole D. Batey During the COVID-19 pandemic many churches in the Black community closed their physical church doors out of caution and safety concerns. Pastors around the country worked to transition to online ministry, only to find that many of their congregants- especially seniors or those in low-income neighborhoods- didn’t have internet access or […]
Posted inHealth
Dr. Thema Bryant championing mental health awareness: trauma, treatment and therapy
By Nicole D. Batey, Special to the AFRO Thema Bryant, Ph.D., is a woman on a mission to change the landscape of psychology, to not only be more diverse but also more accessible to the masses, especially within the Black community. Bryant, or “Dr. Thema,” as she is referred to on her website, is the […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Dana Peterson Moore is Baltimore’s Chief Equity Officer and Director in Office of Equity and Civil Rights
By Nicole D. Batey, Special to the AFRO Dana Petersen Moore, Esq., has been selected as Baltimore’s first chief equity officer. Since January 2021, Moore has served in the dual roles of chief equity officer and director of Baltimore’s Office of Equity and Civil Rights. Baltimore City Mayor Brandon M. Scott created a cabinet-level position […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Pamela Rene Leak keeps the laughs coming as ‘Ms. Maybelle’
By Nicole D. Batey, Special to the AFRO Pamela Rene Leak is one of Baltimore’s best entertainers and unsung heroes. She is known for her comedic personality, “Ms. Maybelle”, a hip, older wise-cracking auntie. Leak, as Ms. Maybelle, is a regular on the Larry Young Morning Show on Radio One’s WOLB Talk 1010 AM and […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Call for environmental human rights grows louder
By Nicole D. Batey, Special to the AFRO More than 50 faith leaders from a diverse coalition of faith communities rallied together virtually on Feb. 22 for the purposes of “Protecting the Gift of Creation” in support of the Environmental Human Rights Amendment (HB-596/SB-783). Too often, neighborhoods consisting of mostly Black, Brown and low-income Marylanders, […]
Posted inReligion
Faith Leaders rally for environmental human rights
By Nicole D. Batey, Special to the AFRO More than 50 faith leaders from a diverse coalition of faith communities rallied together virtually on Feb. 22 for the purposes of “Protecting the Gift of Creation” in support of the Environmental Human Rights Amendment (HB-596/SB-783). Too often, neighborhoods consisting of mostly Black, Brown and low-income Marylanders, […]
Posted inCoronavirus
N95 vs KN95 Respirators: Which mask is a better protection from COVID?
By Nicole D. Batey,Special to the AFRO As COVID cases are surging, the demand for facial coverings that provide better protection with facial coverings are also on the rise. The Black community needs to remain especially vigilant in helping to stop the spread of COVID, as we have been disproportionately affected by this pandemic. The […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
African culture is the inspiration behind the modern art movement
By Nicole D. Batey Special to the AFRO As the largest continent in the world, encompassing 54 countries, over one billion people, and so many countless aesthetic traditions, the demand for African art cannot be circumscribed by the global market. The influence of African art is so far-reaching that the mainstream, more commercial sector of […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Soul food, African culture embedded in American Cuisine
By Nicole D. Batey Special to the AFRO Much of American cuisine is influenced by African-American food and traditions. The expression “soul food” originated in the mid-1960s, when “soul” was a word commonly used to describe urban, or Black, culture. Soul food is the foundation for African-American that, at its core, involves down-home cooking that […]
Posted inBooks
Many use e-books, most prefer the old fashioned way
By Nicole D. Batey Special to the AFRO Although e-tablet or electronic readers, like the Kindle by Amazon or Nook by Barnes and Nobles, enhanced the way people read today, the physical book is still preferred by the majority of readers across the country. According to Tonerbuzz.com, a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center on book […]
