At 100, Andrew Billingsley is celebrated for a lifetime of groundbreaking scholarship and leadership that reshaped understanding of Black families and strengthened higher education, particularly at Morgan State University. Honored at Hampton University with a new endowed scholarship, his legacy reflects a journey from the son of sharecroppers to a nationally influential sociologist and educator.
Author Archives: Special to the AFRO
Posted inCommentary
Sarcoidosis revisited: What I’ve learned since ‘Sarcoidosis Doesn’t Have to Be a Death Sentence’
By Stacy Sneed Nearly a decade after first writing “Sarcoidosis Doesn’t Have to Be a Death Sentence,” I now understand that the truth is far more complex—but still rooted in hope. When I think about sarcoidosis in 2026, I realize how far we have come in awareness, knowledge and medical advancement. Technology has improved, and […]
Posted inObituaries - Baltimore
Mrs. Annie Jewel Foutz dies at 89
Obituary for Mrs. Annie Jewel Foutz, a devout member of the Central Church of Christ Baltimore, who passed away at the age of 89.
Posted inBlack Press
Levi Henry Jr., founder of the Westside Gazette, dies — a legacy rooted in truth, community, and unshakable purpose
Levi Henry Jr., founder of the Westside Gazette, has died, leaving behind a decades-long legacy of championing Black voices, advancing community empowerment and preserving local history through journalism rooted in truth and purpose.
Posted inOPINION
Commentary: Turning the page toward a healthier and more engaged DC
Jimmie Williams is CEO and president of the Washington Literacy Center and Adrian Jordan is a member of the board and works for Elevance Health. In this piece, they posit that improving adult literacy in Washington, D.C., is essential to strengthening public health, economic opportunity and civic participation, particularly as new challenges like ranked-choice voting emerge.
Posted inHealth
Breast Cancer Risks and Screening Barriers for Black Women
by Christa Mahlobo This report presents the findings of Word In Black’s national survey from its Insights & Research Division, exploring what Black women know about breast cancer, what questions they still have, and how they feel about risk, screening, and diagnosis. Based on responses from nearly 1,000 participants, the report examines knowledge of established and […]
Posted inOpinion
When a scent becomes a sentence: The high price of low-level marijuana arrests
Miranda Jones (Sis. Miranda) is an English educator and co-founder of the grassroots organization Hate Out of Winston (HOOW). This week, she argues that one man’s experience reflects a broader fear: For many Black residents, even a parked car offers no protection from police scrutiny. She also reflects on the systemic imbalance in how marijuana possession arrests are applied as referenced in this artwork by Shepard Fairey in Los Angeles, Calif.
Posted inDMV News
Associated Black Charities expands Teen Financial Literacy Summit
By Associated Black Charities Baltimore, MD – Associated Black Charities (ABC) is proud to announce the return of its Teen Financial Literacy Summit, expanding both its reach and impact in 2026. The summit will take place on Saturday, April 11, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at SECU Arena at Towson University, bringing together […]
Posted inOPINION
Don’t retire—return: Investing knowledge in the next generation
By Walter A.H.L. Fields Jr. When I turned 50, I began to contemplate if “retirement” was a possibility for me. Not from a financial perspective. I was fortunate enough to have had a healthy professional career and pension and retirement funds waiting. For me, the most important consideration was what would I do once I […]
Posted inEducation
Perfect homework, blank stares: Why colleges are turning to oral exams to combat AI
By Jocelyn Gecker AP Education Writer The assignment involves no laptop, no chatbot and no technology of any kind. In fact, there’s no pen or paper, either. Instead, students in Chris Schaffer’s biomedical engineering class at Cornell University are required to speak directly to an instructor in what he calls an “oral defense.” It’s a […]
Posted inNational News
From prison cell to public forum: What prison censorship teaches us about democracy
By Ivan Kilgore Last week, I appeared—remotely—from a California prison cell on a panel at North Central College in Naperville, Ill. The occasion was a screening of the Oscar-nominated documentary “The Alabama Solution,” a film that chronicles the retaliatory violence and systemic repression faced by incarcerated organizers in Alabama. I have participated in many interviews […]
Posted inMaryland News
An open letter to the descendants of the Charles Ridgely family
By Rev. Dr. Heber Brown III Dear Ridgely Family of Baltimore County, The land remembers what people sometimes try to forget. I was reminded of that 10 years ago while on a field trip to the Ridgely family estate at the Hampton National Historic Site. At the time, I was accompanied by youth from Orita’s […]