Robyn Murphy has been appointed as interim CEO and board chair of the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, tasked with improving the organization’s relationship with the city and the local arts community while the organization searches for permanent leadership.
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 inBaltimore News
Baltimore City Police Department hires chief who resigned from Boise Police Department with misconduct allegations
By Megan SaylesAFRO Business Writermsayles@afro.com The Baltimore Police Department (BPD) has selected a former police chief who resigned from his post following allegations of misconduct to serve as chief of detectives in the department’s operations bureau. Ryan Lee, a current resident of Baltimore, was asked to step down as Boise, Idaho police chief by Mayor […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Associated Black Charities’ ‘Women on the Move’ event highlights the power of pivoting
Associated Black Charities held its Women on the Move event on Dec. 5, featuring a panel discussion on the power of pivoting, with panelists sharing advice on self-confidence and overcoming fear of failure.
Posted inBaltimore News
Room for improvement: A look at accessibility for voters with disabilities
The Department of Justice has taken steps to ensure that people with disabilities have access to the polls, including evaluating voting equipment, adapting locations to make them ADA-compliant, and training poll workers, while organizations like the National Disability Rights Network have worked directly with election officials to make polling locations more accessible.
Posted inBaltimore News
Baltimore City leaders announce schedule for 2025 festivals with Artscape slotted for May
Baltimore City has announced a new festival schedule for 2025, with Artscape moving to May, AFRAM on June 21 and June 22, the Baltimore Caribbean Festival on July 12 and July 13, and Charm City Live on Sept. 20, while the Baltimore Advisory Committee on Caribbean Affairs has been created to advise the Mayor’s office, Baltimore City Council and all city agencies on the needs of the local Caribbean community.
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Local community organizations receive $10 million to assist students with school commute
The Center for Nonprofit Advancement, Collaborative Solutions for Communities, Georgia Avenue Family Support Collaborative and National Association for the Advancement of Returning Citizens have received $10 million to support D.C. youth as they travel to and from school through the Safe Passage, Safe Blocks program.
Posted inBaltimore News
Meet LaVonda N. Reed, the first woman dean for University of Baltimore’s School of Law
LaVonda N. Reed, the first woman dean of the University of Baltimore’s School of Law, is focusing on student success, raising the profile of faculty, and engaging Baltimore’s underserved communities in her new role.
Posted inPOLITICS
Lives in limbo: Immigrants grapple with uncertain future post 2024 election
Black immigrants in the U.S. are concerned about the incoming President’s anti-immigration rhetoric, as they fear deportation, loss of TPS status, and a lack of language access in the Democratic Party’s campaign efforts.
Posted inBaltimore Government
Members of 74th Baltimore City Council sworn in as new president takes the reins
The Baltimore City Council was sworn in at the Baltimore War Memorial on Dec. 5, with Zeke Cohen as the new City Council President, who pledged to work together to address trauma, public safety, climate change, the opioid crisis and education disparities.
Posted inBaltimore News
Proposed legislation could limit non-safety related traffic stops
Maryland’s Office of the Public Defender is proposing a new policy to enhance safety during traffic stops, which would treat non-safety related offenses as secondary violations, in an effort to reduce racial disparities in policing.
Posted inPrince George's County News
Senator-elect Angela Alsobrooks resigns as Prince George’s county executive
Angela Alsobrooks has resigned from her position as county executive of Prince George’s County, MD, to prepare for her role as Maryland’s first Black woman senator, while Tara H. Jackson steps in as acting county executive.
Posted inBUSINESS
Business Over Breakfast: Addressing Maryland’s procurement landscape for minority and veteran businesses
The Maryland Black Caucus Foundation hosted its 29th annual Legislative Weekend to discuss top issues for state lawmakers, including increasing minority, veteran and women business participation in the state’s procurement and contracting ecosystem.