By Jannette J. Witmyer, Special to the Afro As Maryland’s COVID-19 positivity and hospitalization rates continue to decline, restrictions for those who’ve been fully-vaccinated have been lifted, and people are returning to enjoying time spent with family and friends. For many, it’s their first face-to-face visit (masked or maskless) in over a year and greatly […]
Author Archives: Jannette J. Witmyer
Special to the AFRO
Posted inBaltimore Community
Nancy by SNAC: Food, fun and the feeling of family
Customers call each day to confirm the presence of this amazing shrimp salad. By Jannette J. Witmyer Special to the AFRO Food has long been considered one of the best ways to bring people together. At Nancy by SNAC, owners Kevin “Downtown” Brown and William “Chef Bill” Maughlin whip up a recipe of reasonably-priced good […]
Posted in!Front Page
Rev. David Tyrone Gilmore: A great and sudden loss
Rev. David Tyone Gilmore (Courtesy Photo) By Jannette J. Witmyer Special to the AFRO When the Rev. David Tyrone Gilmore entered a room, he brought along with him a sense of calm and understanding. His infectious smile, fueled by his warm and welcoming spirit, radiated joy. With his passing, his family has lost a dedicated […]
Posted inBaltimore Community
House calls: A way of life
Dr. Jether M. Jones Jr By Jannette J. Witmyer Special to the AFRO Often when asked what kind of doctor my dad, the late Dr. Jether M. Jones Jr., was, I responded, “My dad was a doctor who made house calls.” As a youngster, his house calls (along with patients’ visits to our home) were […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Dr. Felder: ‘Every student can do it’
Dr. Theresa B. Felder (Courtesy Photo) By Jannette J. Witmyer Special to the AFRO When Dr. Theresa B. Felder officially began serving her appointment as president of Harford Community College (HCC) on Jan. 1, she stepped into a position for which she’d been acquiring knowledge and experience throughout the past 20 years. Additionally, she unknowingly […]
Posted inBaltimore News, Coronavirus, Health, NEWS
COVID-19 Drive-bys Take the Stage
By Jannette J. Witmyer Special to the AFRO #AFROcoversCOVID Wow! Talk about turning a negative into a positive… Not only have folks decided, in spite of COVID-19-ordered social distancing and other restrictions on gatherings, that the show must go on; they’ve also co-opted the term “drive-by” to describe what has quickly become one of the […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Rev. Dr. Bethea and Set The Captives Free Outreach Center: Growing in God
The Rev. Dr. Karen S. Bethea says her ministry has been a success over the years because she follows exactly what God tells her to do. The Rev. Dr. Karen S. Bethea opened Set The Captives Free Outreach (STCF) Center with seven members, April 9, 2000, in conference room 125 of The Comfort Inn, Woodlawn, […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
“Ashe to Amen” Uplifts at the Reginald Lewis Museum
The sound of joyful voices raised in song in the gospel tradition filled every corner of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture on a recent afternoon for the opening of its current exhibition, “Ashe to Amen: African Americans and Biblical Imagery.” The exhibition’s title uses two commonly recognized African […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Nonagenarian Makes Her Vote CountTwice
These are good days for Alice Bynum. At just a few years shy of 100, she feels well and has everything she needs by way of worldly goods. She has plenty of people she loves and plenty who love her. And, she lived long enough to see an African American inaugurated as president not once […]
Posted inPrince George's County News
Crafting the Fabric of Michele Obama’s American Tapestry
After covering Michelle Obama during her first year in the White House, New York Times reporter Rachel L. Swarns said she jumped at the opportunity to chronicle the first lady’s family history. “As the first African American first lady, people were enormously interested,” Swarns said. And, Obama, a descendant of the South, proved an interesting […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Penn Branch Sparkles After Makeover
If you’ve passed the corner of Pennsylvania and North Avenues lately, then you’ve caught a glimpse of the new look that Pratt Library’s Pennsylvania Avenue Branch 17 is sporting. The nearly two-story tall image on the front window of a young Black girl clad in a vividly colored, lime-green dress, sitting cross-legged while reading a book, is […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Clifton “Hines” Early: Tells His Story to Promote Prostate Cancer Awareness
Clifton “Hines” Early’s full and storied life is so compelling that, while working as an advisor on the highly acclaimed {HBO} series, The Wire, he was encouraged by a friend and writer for the show to write the story of his life. The book, “Had I Listened,” which he describes as “a memoir of sorts,” […]