AFRO Publisher Frances “Toni” Murphy Draper By Frances “Toni” Draper AFRO CEO and Publisher Seven years ago, Dr. Pamela Love Manning and I compiled stories of 12 Black women who successfully fulfilled their dreams and aspirations, despite tremendous obstacles. Many of these women experienced unbelievable trauma stemming from childhood abuse or abusive relationships or poor […]
Author Archives: Frances Toni Draper AFRO Publisher
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The great divide over COVID vaccine
Frances “Toni” Murphy Draper, AFRO CEO and Publisher By Frances “Toni” Draper AFRO Publisher and CEO Unless you’ve been in a deep Rip Van Winkle sleep over the past few months, I do not need to tell you that there is a great divide, especially in the Black community, over the efficacy and effectiveness of […]
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HBCUs filled the educational gap that racism demanded
Dr. Frances “Toni” Murphy Draper, AFRO CEO and Publisher (Courtesy Photo) Although the Supreme Court ruled in 1954 (Brown v Board of Education) that laws establishing racial segregation in public schools were illegal even if the segregated schools were equal in quality, it neither provided funds and protections to facilitate enactment; nor did it provide […]
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The game is not over until the playing field is level
Frances “Toni” Murphy Draper, AFRO CEO and Publisher The game is not over until the playing field is level Kudos to Managing Editor Dorothy Boulware and her dedicated hard-working team of writers and editors for another outstanding “We’re Still Here” edition – this time focusing on Black athletes and how they’re changing the game: from […]
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From aria to soul: I love it all
Frances “Toni” Murphy Draper, AFRO CEO and Publisher By Frances “Toni” Murphy Draper As a ‘child’ of the sixties, I listened to a lot of Motown music from Stevie Wonder to Mary Wells; from the Temptations to the Supremes; from the Miracles to the Marvelettes; from Gladys Knight and the Pips to Marvin Gaye, just […]
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Thank God for Wednesdays
Frances “Toni” Draper, AFRO CEO and Publisher Is it Wednesday yet? Will there be Smithfield ham, fried chicken, roast beef, sweet potatoes, string beans, homemade rolls, Hendler’s ice cream, little cakes with lots of sweet icing on top? These are the questions my brother, sister and I asked each other every week before we traveled […]
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Examining historic Black businesses, the wealth gap, financial literacy
Frances “Toni” Draper, AFRO CEO and Publisher Over ten years ago, Black Enterprise magazine published what I’m calling Ten Wealth Principles: l will live within my means. I will maximize my income potential through education and training. I will effectively manage my budget, credit debt and training. I will save at least 10% of my […]
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We’re Still Here: Maintaining our health Is a must!
Frances “Toni” Draper, AFRO CEO and Publisher By Dr. Frances “Toni” Murphy Draper AFRO CEO and Publisher Recently, I heard a comedian say that, in spite of the barrage of COVID-19 warnings and restrictions, he’d done a lot of traveling this past year – from his bedroom to his refrigerator, from his refrigerator to his […]
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We’re Still Here: A Salute to African American Firsts
Frances “Toni” Draper, AFRO CEO and Publisher “I’m not the president of Black America,” President Barack Obama famously said in 2012 when pressed during his re-election campaign on issues of race and inequality. “I’m the president of the United States of America.” While that statement was true, Barack Hussein Obama will forever be remembered as the […]
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We’re Still Here
Dr. Frances “Toni” Murphy Draper, AFRO CEO and Publisher (Courtesy Photo) Last summer, the entire AFRO team worked together to design a year-long series of special editions under the banner, “We’re Still Here.” We brainstormed a variety of topics and decided that each month, in lieu of our regular print edition, we would produce an […]
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Do Something…Vote!
On August 28, 1963, Dr. King delivered his well-known “I Have a Dream” speech declaring, “We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote, and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until […]
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From The Publisher: We.Are.Still.Here
“December 23, 1909 My dear Mr. Murphy: I have just read your very generous editorial bearing upon my new book, “The Story of the Negro.” I thank you for all that you have said. Booker T. Washington If the spirit moves you at some time, I wish you might say a word in your paper […]
