Women in African villages would form savings clubs to be used toward building, maintaining and increasing their family’s wealth. (Photo by unsplash) By Jessica Dortch AFRO News Editor Blacks in America have lived at a socioeconomic disadvantage for hundreds of years. Things like the coronavirus pandemic and social injustice are bringing racial inequity to the […]
Author Archives: Jessica Dortch
Posted inAfro Briefs
Living Legacy Foundation of Maryland changes the narrative about organ donors
The Living Legacy Foundation of Maryland is a non-profit health service organization, works to educate the public about the importance of organ, eye and tissue donation to save lives. (Photos by Matt Roth) By Jessica Dortch AFRO News Editor Most of the time, especially in the Black community, becoming an organ donor is closely associated […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
All Roads Lead to Africa connects culture and creativity
Professor Eleanor Earl directing on set. In addition to being a HBCU professor, Professor Earl is also a singer/songwriter who has collaborated and performed with Grammy award-winning music producers, and is an alumna of The Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. (Courtesy of Professor Earl) By Jessica Dortch AFRO News Editor Africa […]
Posted inHBCU
Presiding in a pandemic: straight talk with CSU president
Coppin State University President Anthony Jenkins is a Washington D.C. native, an army veteran and a first-generation college graduate of Fayetteville State University. President Jenkins has dedicated his life to advocating for quality higher education. (Courtesy of Coppin State University) By Jessica Dortch AFRO News Editor Dr. Anthony Jenkins became Coppin State University’s (CSU) eight […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Mythbusters: setting the record straight about COVID-19
1981: Even if you have already recovered from COVID-19, the CDC recommends that you also take the vaccine. (AFRO archive) By Jessica Dortch AFRO News Editor jdortch@afro.com When the first cases of the novel coronavirus were reported in America, it didn’t take long for it to ravage through the country bringing devastation and death with […]
Posted inCoronavirus
Residents and rent in a pandemic
Apartment Guide recently began publishing a monthly rent report analysis of the rental market throughout the country. The data shows that the cost of rent continues to climb although many residents are already facing thousands in back rent due to the financial impact of the pandemic. (Courtesy of Unsplash) By Jessica Dortch AFRO News Editor […]
Posted inSports
The brave, beautiful and bold Simone Biles
At 23-years-old, Simone Biles is the most decorated gymnast in the country and the third most decorated gymnast in the world. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) By Jessica Dortch AFRO News Editor Simone Biles exploded onto the scene when she represented the United States at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Joined by an all-star team […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
‘The funniest woman in the world’
1952: Jackie “Moms” Mabely with her wealth of laughs and good humor, tops the holiday all-star review at Booker T. Restaurant’s Flamingo Room. (AFRO Archive) By Jessica Dortch AFRO News Editor “I know what to do to get myself a young boyfriend. All you have to do is knock on their door and ask them: […]
Posted inENTERTAINMENT
Alvin Ailey: the Black ‘revelation’
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performed his signature work “Revelations” on its 60th anniversary. (Screenshot/AlvinAiley.org) By Jessica Dortch AFRO News Editor Who knew that a Black man born early on in the Great Depression would rise to international fame and impact many lives through movement. Alvin Ailey was more than a dancer and a choreographer. […]
Posted in!Front Page
Capitol in Crisis: A look inside the minds of extremists, how Blacks can cope
Dr. La Keita D. Carter, owner and CEO of the Institute for HEALing in Owings Mills, Md. (Courtesy photo) By Jessica Dortch AFRO News Editor It did not take long for 2021 to go off track. On Jan. 6, while our lawmakers were officiating the presidential election, Trump supporters, now deemed the “MAGA mob,” stormed […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Before Rosa Parks, Lillie Mae Bradford had enough
(Photos/Wikipedia Public Domain) By Jessica Dortch AFRO News Editor Rosa Parks’ civil disobedience may have sparked the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement, but it wasn’t the first time a Black person stood their ground against the unjust transportation system in Montgomery, Ala. Four years prior to Parks, Lillie Mae Bradford had had enough. Bradford […]
Posted inNEWS
‘Transfigured Moments’ with Vernon Johns
Vernon Johns was a minister and civil rights activist. He is most remembered for his time at Dexter Baptist Church, shortly before his successor, Martin Luther King Jr. (Courtesy of Blackpast.org) By Jessica Dortch AFRO News Editor Before Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream, Vernon Johns had something to say. The southern preacher, most […]