A stream of women, along with a sprinkling of men, all adorned with afros of all shapes, sizes, textures and colors shuffled into Oyin Handmade, a natural hair product shop, on Sept. 16 for a celebration of natural hair. The crowd creating an audible buzz outside the Charles Village storefront was for a book signing […]
Author Archives: Krishana Davis
AFRO Staff Writers
Posted inAfro Briefs
Okla. School Board Alters Dress Code to Allow Dreadlocks
A Tulsa, Okla. charter school has reversed a dress code under which it dismissed a 7-year-old for wearing dreadlocks. The independent governing board for the Deborah Brown Community School voted 4-0 Sept. 9 to rescind a policy that banning dreadlocks, afros and other “faddish styles” of hair. The action came after Tiana Parker, 7, was […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Man Shot By Balto. Police, Setting Douglas Homes Community in Uproar
(Updated 9/6/2013) Baltimore police shot and killed a 25-year-old man who they said was about to commit a crime at a nearby business on Sept. 4. The shooting spurred outrage from residents and leaders in the Douglas Homes community, located in northeast Baltimore. On the scene following the shooting, Dep. Police Commissioner Jerry Rodriguez said […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Baltimore Residents Leery About U.S. Involvement in Syria
Anthony Stanton, of Baltimore, said he began keeping up with the coverage in Syria following news reports of the devastation following the use of chemical weapons against Syrian civilians. But while acknowledges the horror of such attacks, he believes that U.S. involvement would lead to the conflict getting out of hand and thousands of troops, […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Maryland Freedom Fighters Hailed by Baltimore Branch NAACP
One week prior to the 50th anniversary of the historic 1963 March on Washington, the Baltimore branch of the NAACP teamed up with the GCOMM Media Co. for the annual Freedom Fighter Awards Breakfast. Held at Hotel Monaco on Aug. 17, the awards ceremony celebrated Maryland’s leaders in media, politics, community and civil rights. Political […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Balto. Mayor Rawlings-Blake Joins Youth Violence Talks at White House
The White House hosted mayors from across the county on Aug. 27 to discuss their plans and strategies to combat the growing issue of violence against youth in America. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake joined mayors from 17 other cities for a closed-door meeting with President Barack Obama and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. Washington, D.C. […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
D.C. Residents Demand Statehood at Pre-March on Washington Rally
The words “Free D.C.” rang from the voices of hundreds of District of Columbia residents and their supporters who gathered Aug. 24 at the D.C. War Memorial to demand statehood from Congress. During the pre-March on Washington rally, supporters said self-governance for D.C. residents was one of the last issues supported by Dr. Martin Luther […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Seven Wounded, 15-Year-Old Killed in West Baltimore Shooting
A 15-year-old boy was shot and killed Aug. 24 and six other people were wounded in what Baltimore police said was the largest cluster shooting since 2009. Police said shooting erupted after what they called “an illegal dice game” in the 1500 block of W. Fayette Street. Deshaun Jones, 15, youngest victim of the shooting, […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Free SATs for D.C. High School Students
High school juniors and seniors in the District of Columbia will be able to take the SAT college entrance exam for free, Mayor Vincent Gray announced Aug. 20. Doxie McCoy, a spokeswoman for the mayor, said the cost of the SAT test was often a barrier for low-income and poor students in the city. Access […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Russell Simmons Apologizes After ‘Harriet Tubman Sex Tape’ Strikes Controversy
Hip-hop mogul “Uncle” Russell Simmons issued an apology on August 15 after releasing comedic video of Black history icon Harriet Tubman engaging in some questionable activities with her slave master. Simmons released a three-minute parody sex tape between Harriet Tubman and her White slave master on his All Def Digital YouTube Channel. In the parody, […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Higher Level Sought for Tyrone West Police Brutality Investigation
The family of a Baltimore man who died following a struggle with police officers during a traffic stop last month has created a petition on Change.org asking for the United States Department of Justice to intervene in the investigation into his death. The petition asks for Governor Martin O’Malley, the Maryland General Assembly and Baltimore […]
Posted inHealth
Environmentalists Seek Role in Balto. Pollution Cleanup
Blue Water Baltimore, an environmental advocacy group, wants to play a role in controlling pollution in the city’s waterways which, despite $340 million spent on sewage treatment since 2002, are still contaminated with raw sewage and untreated stormwater in violation of the federal Clean Water Act. In a motion filed in federal court in Baltimore […]