Submitted to the AFRO by Pascal Archimede Rap, this musical genre created in the 1970s in New York ghettos, often receives negative press due to some of its messages which glorify drugs, violence and misogyny. However, despite its dark side, psychiatrists at Cambridge University have chosen to use it to treat patients who suffer from […]
Author Archives: Special Report
Posted inBaltimore News, NEWS, OPINION
Baltimore City Schools, Throwback to Jim Crow Era
Submitted to the AFRO by Karsonya Wise Whitehead I have been a Baltimore City resident for close to fifteen years. My husband and I are raising our sons here and teaching them how to navigate city life. I have worked as a middle school teacher, at one of the most persistently dangerous schools in Baltimore, […]
Posted inARCHIVES, National News, NEWS, Washington D.C. News
‘13’ Expect Nixon to React May 17
The Congressional Black Caucus is holding their annual conference in Washington, D.C. this week. The AFRO is reprinting this 1971 article about the founding members of the Black Caucus meeting with President Richard Nixon, one of the first actions the group took. By Ruth Jenkins April 3, 1971 Washington-A historic meeting and a historic date […]
Posted inCommentary, OPINION
The Queen of Soul and the Contralto
Submitted to the AFRO by Joe Marx I only saw Aretha Franklin perform once. It was April, 1983; the venue was Constitution Hall in Washington D.C. The Queen of Soul shared the evening with arguably the Earl of Soul, Ray Charles. Mr. Charles leaned into the crowd from his piano bench and took us on a spirited joy […]
Posted inCommentary, OPINION
How Can It Be National Wellness Month When There is an Opioid Crisis?
Submitted to the AFRO by Kevin Daniels and Anthony Estreet All around the country, the month of August has been designated as National Wellness Month with the focus on self-care, managing stress and promoting healthy routines. The irony is that while the whole country has been deemed to be in a national state of crisis […]
Posted inCommentary, OPINION
The Frederick Douglass Story Continues to Resonate
Submitted to the AFRO by Kim F. Hall The following is an excerpt from the book If I Survive: Frederick Douglass and Family in the Walter O. Evans Collection. It has been edited for length and clarity. As I read If I Survive: Frederick Douglass and Family in the Walter O. Evans Collection, which offers […]
Posted inArts & Culture, ENTERTAINMENT, History, INTERNATIONAL, National News, NEWS
Meet Haiti’s Founding Father, Whose Black Revolution was too Radical for Thomas Jefferson
By Julia Gaffield, Georgia State University (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) (THE CONVERSATION) Crowds cheered as local lawmakers on August 18 unveiled a street sign showing that Rogers Avenue in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn would now be called Jean-Jacques Dessalines Boulevard, after a […]
Posted inCommentary, OPINION
My Plea to Rape Apologists
Submitted to the AFRO by Nia Hampton Calling out abuse in your community isn’t divisive, being abusive toward your community is. I know this because I wanted to “save” my abuser. My abuser wasn’t a man. She wasn’t an adult. We were both children at the time. My awareness and compassion for her pain made […]
Posted inCommentary, OPINION
The Abuse Won’t Stop Until We Change Police Culture
Submitted to the AFRO by Ron Harris and Matthew Horace Another day, another week, another month, another viral video of a police officer gone wild. This time it’s Baltimore, a city already under a federal consent decree to reform its police department after a Justice Department investigation into the 2015 death of Freddie Gray at […]
Posted inAfro Briefs, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, ENTERTAINMENT, Music
Star-Studded Musical Tribute Saluting Aretha Franklin Will Be Held August 30 at Chene Park Detroit Amphitheatre
By AJ Williams, Michigan Chronicle City.Life.Style Editor More than 20 performing artists, activists and family members will celebrate the life and legacy of Aretha Louise Franklin, known as the Queen of Soul, during a Musical Tribute event at Chene Park Amphitheatre in downtown Detroit on August 30 from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. ET. The event […]
Posted inAfro Briefs, National News, NEWS
South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn Says that Democrats that Want to Win in November Must Advertise in the Black Press
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Contributor While there’s at least a perceived growing number of Democrats who say they want to replace California Rep. Nancy Pelosi as the Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn has emerged as a favorite among his peers to become the first African American to […]
Posted inAfro Briefs, National News, NEWS, Uncategorized
GAO Report Finds Federal Agencies Spend Very Little of their Advertising Budgets with Black-owned Firms
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Contributor Over the past five fiscal years from 2013 to 2017, federal government agencies have spent approximately $5 billion in advertising, but a minute share—$327 million—went to minority-owned businesses, according to a long-awaited report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The federal government serves as the largest advertiser in the […]