Robert “Kaki” McQueen, a popular and prodigious artist and musician in West Baltimore’s grassroots community died Jan. 26. He was 72. McQueen was born in Baltimore to parents Wilbert and Nodia McQueen, Dec. 4, 1946. He was educated in the Baltimore City Public Schools, during this time he began to cultivate his self-taught artistic prowess. […]
Author Archives: Sean Yoes
AFRO Baltimore Editor
Scott Surprise Entry in Maryland Lt. Gov. Race
Baltimore City Councilman Brandon Scott, often a critic of Mayor Catherine Pugh’s administration and a vocal proponent for law enforcement reform, announced he is running for lieutenant governor of Maryland on Feb. 15. According to an email he sent out Wednesday morning to his constiuents, Scott has been tapped by gubernatorial candidate James Shea, an […]
`Skeleton Crew’ Echoes Life of Black Workers in Baltimore
I’ve spent more than my fair share of early morning hours on the streets of Baltimore, typically either heading from the nightclub or headed to the health club. But, no matter the occasion, there is one consistent observation I almost always make during those early morning hours; Black people on the bus stops on their […]
Trump Lawyer Paid Porn Star Out of His Own Pocket
The convoluted details of an alleged affair, that allegedly never happened, between Donald Trump and porn star Stormy Daniels and whether she was paid hush money, has seemingly become even more contorted. President Donald Trump’s personal attorney says he paid $130,000 out of his own pocket to porn actress Stormy Daniels (pictured) who allegedly had […]
Bill and Melinda Gates Hounded by Trump’s Erratic Behavior
On Feb. 13, the New York Times reported that the Gates’, in their annual update on the work of the Gates Foundation, said the already hefty list of scandals, outrageous comments and incompetence, which seems to grow on a daily basis, emanating from the Trump White House is affecting their efforts around the globe negatively. […]
First `Ceasefire’ of 2018: Not Just Zero Murders
On Feb. 3, Erricka Bridgeford and the Baltimore Ceasefire crew decompressed, exhaled and celebrated all at once at Terra Cafe on E. 25th St., in Charles Village. They, we, have a lot to be thankful for; Baltimore completed more than 72 hours without a murder, from Feb.2 to Feb. 4, and as of Feb. 6, […]
Ruth Elma Cummings, Mother of Rep. Elijah Cummings, Dies at 91
The morning of Feb. 5, venerable Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-7th), received the news that his beloved mother overseer Ruth Elma Cummings had died. She was 91. Rep. Elijah Cummings with his mother, overseer Ruth Elma Cummings. (Courtesy photo) “My mother was one of the smartest, most thoughtful and loving people I have ever known. She […]
Enemy of the State
I’ve watched every State of the Union Address since I graduated high school in 1983. But, not this year. I had no desire to listen to the sh*thole president blather on about what he’s done and what he’s going to do (too bad the Congressional Black Caucus didn’t have the guts to boycott the SOTU […]
What Would a New Start for Baltimore Police Really Look Like?
Last week, Darryl De Sousa former deputy commissioner and command staff veteran of the Baltimore Police Department (BPD), replaced Kevin Davis, who was fired by Mayor Catherine Pugh, as BPD Commissioner. After more than 1,000 homicides in the last three years, with Davis officially at the helm for the vast majority of that time, perhaps […]
Baltimore Out, Montgomery County, Washington, D.C. Still in Hunt For Amazon’s Second Headquarters
Baltimore’s bid to become the home of Amazon’s second North American headquarters is officially over, but two locations just south of the city are still in the hunt. Amazon on Thursday announced the list of 20 finalist cities to be the second home of the e-commerce giant, among them Montgomery County, Md. and Washington, D.C. But […]
Laura Jude Gardner, Pioneering Engineer and Businesswoman Dies at 72
Laura Jude Gardner, the second Black woman hired as a systems engineer at IBM in Baltimore and one of the founding members of the legendary Gatsby’s nightclub, died Jan. 5 at her Sutton Place home in Bolton Hill of natural causes. She was 72. Laura Jude Gardner was a scientist, pioneering engineer and nightclub owner. […]
Racism Denial Not Reserved for Whites Only
Despite his feeble denials, Donald Trump is a racist. It’s in his DNA. His daddy, Fred Trump, was arrested at a Ku Klux Klan riot in New York City in 1927. Father and son were both sued by the federal government twice in the 1970’s for refusing to rent apartments to Black people. In the […]

