By Marnita Coleman, Special to the AFRO Raising children is a monumental task. Parenting style influences the home and can impact families and communities for generations– long after a mother or father has passed. Parents are often recalibrating their techniques to fit the concerns of their children. What’s interesting is parenting styles vary from too […]
Author Archives: Marnita Coleman Special to the AFRO
Posted inBaltimore Community
Operation Warm: Baltimore City Public Students receive coats ahead of wintery weather
By Marnita Coleman, Special to the AFRO The students at Baltimore’s Holabird Academy in O’Donnell Heights are now well-prepared for the change in seasons, thanks to Operation Warm, a national nonprofit that manufactures coats and shoes for kids in need. Come what may, hot or cold, on Nov. 15 from 9 to 11 a.m., 384 […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Baltimore clergy forge a get-out-the-vote drive
By Marnita Coleman, Special to the AFRO Most Mondays find pastors resting after their Sunday tasks of serving and leading their followers, but that is not the case now that early voting has started across Maryland. On the final Monday of the month, a group of clergy gathered at New Shiloh Baptist Church in Baltimore […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Wes Moore, Laity Sunday Guest Speaker at Freedom Temple A.M.E. Zion Church
By Marnita Coleman On Laity Sunday, one day after turning 44, the 2022 democratic nominee for governor of the state of Maryland, Wes Moore, was guest speaker at Freedom Temple A.M.E. Zion Church in South Baltimore, where Rev. Dr. Frances “Toni” Draper is pastor. Laity members were being honored for their outstanding service to ministry […]
Posted inReligion
A time to dance: Rev. Dr. Frances ‘Toni’ Draper announces retirement from pastorship at Freedom Temple AME Zion Church
By Marnita Coleman, Special to the AFRO To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven: a time to plant and a time to grow, a time to sing and a time to dance, a time to reign. Now, for Rev. Dr. Frances “Toni” Draper, pastor of Freedom Temple African […]
Posted inBaltimore News
#FaithWorks: Black Girls Vote honors ladies in ministry
By Marnita Coleman, Special to the AFRO, mcoleman@afro.com The Baltimore-based organization, Black Girls Vote, hosted its first Ladies in Ministry Luncheon on Sept. 17, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at The Forum Caterers in Baltimore. Through its outreach arm, the organization put a spotlight on 11 faith-based honorees that have served the community in […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Sen. Van Hollen talks Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 with Baltimore faith leaders
By Marnita Coleman, Special to the AFRO, mcoleman@afro.com On Sept. 6, Senator Chris Van Hollen spoke in depth about the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 before a group of faith-based leaders gathered at the Gospel Tabernacle Baptist Church on Walbrook Avenue in Baltimore. This stop was the first of three sessions, sponsored by the Maryland […]
Posted inReligion
Religion and spirituality associated with higher levels of heart health for African Americans
By Marnita Coleman, Special to the AFRO, mcoleman@afro.com Staggering statistics reveal a disparity in cardiovascular health in the African-American community. While heart disease is the leading cause of death in America, hospitalization from heart failure is twice as likely among Blacks, but the table is turning. The Jackson Heart Study, a 20-year research project conducted […]
Posted inNews
#FaithWorks: Local ministry aims to turn Prince George’s County into ‘No Lack Nation’
By Marnita Coleman, Special to the AFRO, mcoleman@afro.com When we think of outreach ministry, what usually comes to mind are everyday acts like feeding the hungry, providing donations to shelters, and maybe some prison ministry. But when a church leader is a visionary that can only dream “big” – there’s no telling what outreach will […]
Posted inReligion
#Faithworks: Pastor of Ames Memorial United Methodist Church supports back-to-school initiative, speaks on forthcoming community resource hub
By Marnita Coleman, Special to the AFRO As summer vacation comes to a close, Ames Memorial United Methodist Church in Sandtown made sure students were prepared with their annual back-to-school bash. Senior Pastor Rev. Rodney Hudson was excited to see more than 200-300 bookbags and school supplies donated to students a few days before the […]
Posted inReligion
#FaithWorks: Faith leaders address violence at Bless Baltimore Prayer Motorcade
By Marnita Coleman, Special to the AFRO, mcoleman@afro.com The Bless Baltimore Prayer Motorcade resumed in-person activity on July 30. The annual event came after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While many were sleeping-in, prayer warriors from around the area gathered at War Memorial Plaza to launch a spiritual attack against the lawlessness […]
Posted inReligion
#FaithWorks: God has your back– and mental health professionals do too
By Marnita Coleman, Special to AFRO Recently the AFRO spoke with mental health professional Dr. Carla Debnam, LCPC, founder and executive director of The Renaissance Center, a Christian-based counseling center. The operation is part of the outreach ministry of Morning Star Baptist Church in Woodlawn, Md. where she is the first lady. Gorgeous gray hair […]