By Deborah Bailey, AFRO Contributing Editor Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland (LBCM) members from Prince George’s county recently came home to Bowie State to reconnect with residents of Prince George’s County at a fall town hall. This was an impactful year for the LBCM. The group represents the largest elected state Black caucus in the […]
Author Archives: Dr. Deborah Bailey AFRO Contributing Editor
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Vice President Kamala Harris announces new federal supports for Black entrepreneurs and small businesses
By Deborah Bailey, AFRO Contributing Editor Vice President Kamala Harris is leading the charge to support underserved Black business across America. From the Sycamore and Oak small business retail incubator in Southwest D.C., Harris recently announced the Capital Readiness Program, a new $125 million federal initiative designed to help underserved entrepreneurs launch and scale small […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Phylicia Rashad steps down as Dean of Howard University’s Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts
By Deborah Bailey, AFRO Contributing Editor, dbailey@afro.com Phylicia Rashad, dean of Howard University’s Chadwick Boseman College of Fine Arts, is stepping down from her position at the end of the 2023-2024 academic year. Rashad, appointed by Howard University President Wayne A.I. Frederick in May 2021, shocked many as her resignation was announced just days before […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Montgomery County officials announce rent cap, bringing relief to hundreds of thousands of residents
By Deborah Bailey, AFRO Contributing Editor, dbailey@afro.com Montgomery County now joins D.C. and Prince George’s County in passing legislation to cap rapidly rising rental prices across the region. In late July, the Montgomery (MoCo) County Council, passed a permanent 6 percent rent cap during a grueling eight hour session. Thirty five percent of the county’s […]
Posted inNational News
Henrietta Lacks’ 103rd birthday marked by court settlement for use of HeLa cells, Ben Crump and descendants celebrate
By Deborah Bailey, AFRO Contributing Editor, dbailey@afro.com On what would have been Henrietta Lacks 103rd birthday, Aug. 1, civil rights attorney Ben Crump announced an undisclosed settlement had been reached with Thermo Fisher Scientific, a major biomedical firm headquartered in Waltham, Mass. and the family. “I can think of no better present on what would […]
Posted inPrince George's County News
Bowie State University successfully completes fundraising campaign for $50 million two years early
By Deborah Bailey, AFRO Contributing Editor, dbailey@afro.com Maryland’s first HBCU, Bowie State University (BSU), is celebrating the conclusion of its fundraising campaign of $50 million dollars. The feat comes almost two years ahead of its scheduled end date, originally set for 2025. The largest campaign in the history of BSU has resulted in an increase […]
Posted inNational News
Harvard and UNC-Chapel Hill find a way forward after Supreme Court strikes affirmative action in college admissions
By Deborah Bailey, AFRO Contributing Editor, dbailey@afro.com Claudine Gay, the 30th President of Harvard University, knew months ago that the Supreme Court would render a decision on Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College close to the end of the term in late June. Gay quickly realized that a good deal […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
D.C. Public Library hosts free summer programming
By Deborah Bailey, Contributing Editor, dbailey@afro.com The Broadway rendition of The Lion King and D.C. Public Library partnered to kick off their Discover Summer Program at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in downtown D.C. The D.C. Public Library kicked off their “Discover Summer” with a majestic roar at the rooftop program that started […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Disney’s The Lion King characters serenade Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library patrons this Saturday
By Deborah Bailey, Contributing Editor Your favorite characters from Disney’s The Lion King are coming to the D.C. Public Library this Saturday! Join all the characters you and your children love from the inspiring North American tour of the hit Broadway musical The Lion King as you join the D.C. Public Library to kick off […]
Posted inNational News
Push for national reparations legislation slows, activists and elected officials press on
By Deborah Bailey, AFRO Contributing Editor Legislation regarding reparations is still alive on Capitol Hill, but it is nowhere near the big-ticket topic of discussion it has been in the last two summers. In June of 2021, as Americans of all backgrounds celebrated Juneteenth as a federal holiday for the first time, backers of federal […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
President Biden speaks to Howard University graduates as Howard President Dr. Wayne Frederick introduces successor
By Deborah Bailey, AFRO Contributing Editor Graduates with a diverse background graced the stage at Howard University’s (HU) Commencement Convocation at the Capital One Arena in D.C. on May 13. President Joe Biden addressed Howard’s 2,000 plus graduates, urging them to recognize they were graduating at an important “inflection point” in history. “It’s your generation, […]
Posted inPrince George's County News
Black athletes gather at Bowie State University for straight talk about racial and social justice in sports
By Deborah Bailey, Contributing Editor Bowie State University recently held the fifth annual UMPC Social Justice Alliance Symposium in honor of Second Lt. Richard Collins III, a University of Maryland, College Park student killed in a 2017 hate crime. Collins was posthumously elevated to the rank of first lieutenant. The event took place on April […]