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 […]
Author Archives: Dr. Deborah Bailey AFRO Contributing Editor
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 […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
D.C. advocates celebrate Black Maternal Health Week
By Deborah Bailey, AFRO Contributing Editor Yes…Black Maternal Health Week is a “thing.” In fact, 2023 marks the sixth Annual Recognition of Black Maternal Health week, with workshops, events and support sessions across 13 states and the District of Columbia. Beginning on April 11, Black women, mothers, fathers and men of all ages will reflect […]
Posted inPrince George's County News
Prince George’s County to pay family of Demonte Ward-Blake $7.5 million in settlement for civil rights lawsuit
By Deborah Bailey, Contributing Editor Prince George’s County will pay Rena Ward, mother of Demonte Ward-Blake, a $7.5 million settlement in connection with a 2019 police traffic stop that left Ward-Blake paralyzed in 2019. At Greenbelt Federal Courthouse on March 31, Rena Ward, along with attorney’s Billy Murphy and Malcolm Ruff, announced the settlement. The […]
Posted inPrince George's County News
Bowie State University’s Performing Arts Center theatre named for Dionne Warwick
By Deborah Bailey, Contributing Editor Bowie State University’s Performing Arts Center (PAC) now bears the name of internationally renowned singer, Dionne Warwick. In a ceremony this past week, the PAC theatre was formally renamed the Dionne Warwick Performing Arts Theatre. Hundreds gathered in attendance to celebrate with Warwick and the campus, including Gospel Singer, BeBe […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Bill Tompkins: extending the vision, expanding the definition of diversity for Montgomery County business community
By Deborah Bailey, Contributing Editor Bill Tompkins, new CEO of the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) has a big vision and agenda for the business community in Maryland’s most populous county, with more than 1 million residents. Montgomery County’s residents are on the whole, relatively wealthy with a median income upwards of $117,000, according […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Ford’s Theatre debuts dynamic stage play,“Shout SisterShout!: The Untold Story of Rock and Roll Trailblazer Rosetta Tharpe”
By Deborah Bailey, Contributing Editor The East Coast debut of playwright Cheryl West’s “Shout Sister Shout!: The Untold Story of Rock and Roll Trailblazer Rosetta Tharpe, is the poignant and jubilant theatrical journey of a Black woman emerging from the deep, Jim Crow South of the early and mid-20th century to a world-wide stage– all the while […]
Posted inPrince George's County News
As COVID-19 rent support ends for Marylanders, rent stabilization efforts take hold in Prince George’s County
By Deborah Bailey, Contributing Editor With rental housing on the rise as the COVID-19 pandemic wanes and evictions in Prince George’s County increasing at an alarming rate, County Council members are aggressively looking toward sustainable solutions for the 40 percent of county residents who are renters. The Council is working on adding to its security […]
Posted inNational News
Biden Administration calls for cap on insulin prices –pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly responds
By Deborah Bailey, Corresponding Editor During the 2023 State of the Union Address, President Joseph Biden called on Congress and America’s pharmaceutical companies to cap the price of insulin at $35 per month for the 30 million Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes and dependent on the drug to control their symptoms. “There are millions […]
Posted inPrince George's County News
50K for 50 Years – Bowie State University colleagues and students honor legacy of veteran educator
By Deborah Bailey, Contributing Editor Barbara Jean Smith has been a faculty member with the Bowie State University School of Education for 50 years. That’s fifty years of sharing and shaping the fundamentals of education. Fifty years of ensuring Bowie State- trained educators head off to their classrooms with best pedagogy. Fifty years of the […]