By Megan Sayles AFRO Staff Writer Over the past several weeks, the AFRO has led its comprehensive endorsement process, evaluating candidates for dozens of closely contested races across Maryland and D.C. The deliberation included questionnaires, interviews with select candidates and a review of their positions on racial equity, criminal justice reform, cost-of-living pressures and more. […]
Author Archives: Megan Sayles AFRO Staff Writer
Megan Sayles is a business reporter for The Baltimore Afro-American paper. Before this, Sayles interned with Baltimore Magazine, where she wrote feature stories about the city’s residents, nonprofits and initiatives. Her love of music inspired her to be a writer. At a young age she realized it was not the melody that she was so infatuated with, but the lyrics that made up the song and connected with listeners. Sayles grew up in Pasadena, Maryland, and is a 2021 graduate of the University of Maryland, where for her senior capstone project she reported on how the coronavirus and inequality intersected in Baltimore. She also worked as a staff writer and copy editor for campus publications, including Stories Beneath the Shell and The Black Explosion. Sayles teamed up with a partner to report on how the pandemic had put many more responsibilities on the oldest child in families. The Associated Press and other news organizations picked up her story.
Posted inBUSINESS
More than profit: Baltimore entrepreneurs blend business with community service
Black entrepreneurs in Baltimore are using their businesses as vehicles for community impact, offering resources that extend far beyond their products and services. From literacy initiatives and youth programs to mutual aid and criminal justice advocacy, local business owners are investing directly in the people and neighborhoods around them.
Posted inHealth
Greater Washington Urban League set to spotlight paternal perinatal mental health
The Greater Washington Urban League is working to ensure Black fathers are not overlooked in conversations surrounding perinatal mental health. Through a new training initiative for birth professionals, the organization aims to equip providers to better recognize and respond to paternal mood disorders in the Black community.
Posted inBUSINESS
Downtown D.C. shows mixed recovery as jobs, housing lag behind gains in culture
A new report from the DowntownDC Business Improvement District shows a mixed economic picture for the city center, with gains in cultural activity and public safety offset by declines in jobs, tourism and housing development. City and business leaders say downtown’s recovery remains uneven as federal policy shifts and changing visitor patterns continue to shape its trajectory.
Posted inBaltimore News
Disappearance of Baltimore man with schizophrenia and epilepsy underscores challenges in missing persons cases
It’s been more than a year since 22-year-old Tiyaun J. Leach went missing from West Baltimore, leaving his family desperate for answers. His mother, LaMonica Patton, continues to call hospitals, shelters and jails in a relentless search for her son, who struggles with schizophrenia and epilepsy.
Posted inBaltimore News
Baltimore mother desperate for information on missing son with schizophrenia and epilepsy
It’s been more than a year since 22-year-old Tiyaun J. Leach went missing from West Baltimore, leaving his family desperate for answers. His mother, LaMonica Patton, continues to call hospitals, shelters and jails in a relentless search for her son, who struggles with schizophrenia and epilepsy.
Posted inNational News
Malcolm X’s global vision revisited on what would be his 101st birthday
By Megan Sayles AFRO Staff Writer msayles@afro.com More than six decades after his 1965 assassination, El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz—better known by the name Malcolm X– reremains one of the most influential and debated figures in Black political history. Still, scholars say the final years of his life are often misunderstood and simplified into a narrative that […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Greater Baltimore Committee unveils 2025 investment scorecard for the region
The Baltimore region’s economy continued to be shaped by large-scale “mega deals” in 2025, even as overall investment activity became more concentrated and uneven. A new scorecard from the Greater Baltimore Committee shows real estate remained the dominant driver of growth, while venture capital and foreign investment trends lagged behind peer cities.
Posted inNational News
Southern Poverty Law Center pleads not guilty to charges alleging misuse of donor funds for informants
The Southern Poverty Law Center has pleaded not guilty to federal charges alleging it misused donor funds to pay informants linked to extremist groups. The case has sparked competing claims between prosecutors and civil rights advocates over the organization’s long-running investigative practices.
Posted inBlack Press
Black Press outlets earn top honors at MDDC awards ceremony
The Black Press earned top honors at the annual MDDC Press Association awards ceremony, with the AFRO, The Washington Informer and Baltimore Beat collectively capturing dozens of awards recognizing excellence in journalism, design and multimedia storytelling across Maryland, Delaware and Washington, D.C.
Posted inCOMMUNITY
The hidden costs of being Black in America
Black consumers often face higher costs for everyday financial services, from banking fees to insurance premiums. Experts say those added expenses can quietly compound over time alongside the persistent, ever-growing racial wealth gap.
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Candidates for mayor and D.C. congressional delegate outline vision for District’s future
Candidates for D.C. mayor and delegate laid out their priorities at a debate focused on the District’s future, including housing affordability, education and economic opportunity. The May 2 event brought together contenders for both offices as they outlined differing approaches to statehood, economic growth and addressing inequality in the city.
