By Jannette J. Witmyer, Special to the AFRO “Eyewinkers, Tumbleturds, and Candlebugs: The Art of Elizabeth Talford Scott,” an exhibition comprising19 of Scott’s intricately stitched and colorfully adorned fabricated works of art, coupled with an extensive array of community programming and a focus on accessibility, opened on Nov. 12 at the Baltimore Museum of Art. […]
Author Archives: Jannette J. Witmyer
Special to the AFRO
Posted inBaltimore News
Maryland Center for Veterans Education and Training gives hope to homeless veterans
By Jannette J. Witmyer, Special to the AFRO Serving in the U.S. military is an honorable path that many follow for a variety of purposes. Members of the armed forces join to protect the freedoms of their country and its citizens, but also to provide a pathway to a stable life once their time in […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Edward Garrison Draper’s Maryland Bar acceptance a long time coming
By Jannette J. Witmyer, Special to the AFRO Sometimes it takes an incredibly long time to right a wrong, as is the case with the late attorney Edward Garrison Draper. After being denied admission to the Maryland Bar on Oct. 29, 1857, Draper will be admitted posthumously during a special session of the Supreme Court […]
Posted inBaltimore News
National African American Quilt Guild donates quilt to Souls at Sea
By Jannette J. Witmyer, Special to the AFRO When Rhonda Masters, co-founder of the National African American Quilt Guild (NAAQG), learned that the Universal Sailing Club (USC), a Baltimore-based organization of Black sailors, was preparing to commemorate the 10th anniversary of “Souls at Sea,” a two-part remembrance ceremony honoring the lives of enslaved men, women, and children […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Joyce Thomas and Charlene Knight prove education is a lifelong pursuit
By Jannette J. Witmyer, Special to the AFRO Age is nothing but a number for sisters Joyce Thomas and Charlene Knight, two of the proudest members of the 2023 graduating class for Baltimore City Community College (BCCC). The two stood tall inside of the Lyric Performing Arts Center on May 13, as they took part […]
Posted inCommentary
Commentary: On taking a second look at The Embrace
By Jannette J. Witmyer, Special to the AFRO The real beauty of art is that its “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Since folks see things differently, it is meant to stimulate thought and initiate conversations, allowing for the discussion of subjective interpretations, objectively. The bottom line is that people either like a […]
Posted inBaltimore News
AFRO Agent of Change: how entrepreneur Matthew Reeds is improving health literacy in the Black community
By Jannette J. Witmyer, Special to the AFRO During his senior year as an undergraduate at Morgan State University, Matthew Reeds began laying the groundwork for a nonprofit organization. It was 2017, and his mission was to address what he described as “insufficient government and healthcare services in Baltimore.” Reeds had seen his sister and […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Baltimore City faces a shortage of election judges for the July 19 primary election
By Jannette J. Witmyer, Special to the AFRO As the date for in-person voting in the Maryland Primary Election slated for July 19 rapidly approaches, area election officials are working frantically to secure additional election judges to accommodate the needs of voters who choose to cast ballots in person, instead of using the mail-in or […]
Posted inArts & Culture
MICA’s MFA Mamas reunite at the Fred Lazarus IV Center
By Jannette J. Witmyer, Special to the Afro If while driving through the 100 block W. North Avenue late Monday (5/9) afternoon you thought you witnessed four Black women seated in encircled chairs in front of the Maryland Institute College of Art Fred Lazarus IV Center, deeply engaged in conversation, you absolutely did. Seated in […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Johns Hopkins University to award Baltimore Artist Joyce J. Scott honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
By Jannette J. Witmyer, Special to the Afro When Johns Hopkins University holds its 146th Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 22, the University will award an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree to Baltimore artist Joyce J. Scott, a visual and performing artist well known for creating intricately designed beadwork, sculpture, and quilt-work to expose and address social […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Towanda R. Taylor: Using her second chance to give one to others
By Jannette J. Witmyer, Special to the AFRO Towanda R. Taylor was suddenly unemployed. After utilizing the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) to care for her father, she was out of a job- one she had worked for a decade. Taylor faced many options. She could give up, she could cry or […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Meet Gregory S. Smith, Creative Alliance’s new E.D.
By Jannette J. Witmyer, Special to the AFRO When Gregory S. Smith, the Creative Alliance’s new executive director, came to Baltimore to interview for the position; he conducted a few interviews of his own. He was completely sold on the diverse programs and work being done in the community by the Creative Alliance (CA), but […]