April 29 will mark the 32nd anniversary of the first time a space shuttle was piloted by a Black American, Fred D. Gregory, a native Washingtonian. Fred D. Gregory, 76, was the first Black man to pilot a space shuttle. (Photo by Byron Scott) Gregory and the crew of the Orbiter Challenger space shuttle lifted […]
Author Archives: Byron Scott
Special to the AFRO
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Local Musician: James King, Jr.
For the past 40-plus years, local musician James King, Jr. has been laying a solid foundation for musicians around the world. His mastery of the upright bass displays confidence and ebullience. King is a bender of notes and ideas. His resonate tone puts the meat on the musical bones of a composition. King, who resides […]
Posted inPrince George's County News
MGM National Harbor CEO Details Plans for PG County
Lorenzo Creighton has big plans for the Oxon Hill area of Prince George’s County. That’s where the chief operating officer and president of MGM National Harbor hopes to build a $900 million casino resort complex. But two other companies are also vying for the license to build a casino in Prince George’s County. Creighton helms […]
Posted inHealth
For Diabetics, Health is Defined by Sugar
For Ray Smith, it was an abrupt transition from a normal state of health —if a tad overweight—into a world in which thirst, hunger and even dimming eyesight can no longer be ignored. Smith, 53, was far from his home in Prince George’s County when he got the first signs that his health was changing […]
Posted inPrince George's County News
Gaming Companies Meet the Public in Prince Georges
The three gaming companies vying to build a casino resort in Prince George¹s County went before the Maryland Video Lottery Facility Location Commission and the public recently to make their cases as to why they should be awarded the lucrative gaming license. Each of the companies hosted a site visit followed by a presentation at Fort Washington¹s Friendly […]
Posted inPrince George's County News
Prince George’s County Vendors Flock to MGM Information Sessions
Several hundred vendors who are seeking a role in the casino and resort development proposed for Prince George’s County gathered Sept. 27 at two vendor information sessions sponsored by MGM Resorts International. “I need you to prepare. Preparation will meet opportunity. Prepare now!” Gerri Harris, director of contract administration for MGM, told the crowded room […]
Posted inPrince George's County News
Andrews AFB Welcomes Troops from Southeast Asia
Little Elias Pena and his sisters, Vicky and Anne, were told they were going to Andrews Air Force Base on Sept. 23 to pick up a family friend. What the children weren’t told was that their father, Sr. Airman Domingo Pena, was returning home from a deployment in Southeast Asia. The children weren’t the only […]
Posted inNational News
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Convention Draws Thousands to D.C.
If numbers make an event a success, then day two of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s annual convention was just that. The halls and conference rooms of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Northwest Washington, D.C. were filled with attendees who sat in on policy sessions, made plans to attend a bevy of social […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
CBCF Investment to Spur Black Banking
The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation announced Sept. 17 that it will invest $5 million dollars in what it is calling a major investment in African American banking institutions. The CBCF will purchase certificates of deposit at five Black banks in an effort at kickstarting lending to people of color, CBCF Chair and Rep. Chaka Fattah […]
Posted inNational News
Second March on Washington Draws Large Number of Participants
Edith Lee-Payne traveled from Detroit, Mich. to be in the nation’s capital for the 50th anniversary of the Aug. 28,1963 March on Washington where history was made and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. For Lee-Payne, it was a pilgrimage. She had been in the District as a […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Voices From the March
Ben Jealous NAACP Pres. “Turnout today is great. This will go down as one of the most diverse Marches on Washington and probbly the most grass-roots.” “The most important thing is people will leave here commited to going home and doing the hard work. There’s plenty of things happening, whether it’s raising the minimum wage, […]