By William J. Barber II and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove We don’t need better training for the men who killed these activists. We need a moral movement to disarm them and reconstruct democracy. From 1920 until 1938, a flag on Fifth Avenue in New York City proclaimed an uncomfortable reality to passers-by on New York’s busy streets: […]
Author Archives: Special to the AFRO
Posted inAfro Briefs
Ending tax refunds by check speeds payments, but what about people without bank accounts?
By Beverly MoranThe Conversation More than 6 million Americans receive paper tax refund checks annually. Often, those refunds go to purchase groceries or pay the bills. But this year, those taxpayers may be surprised to learn that the paper check they’re waiting for no longer exists. That’s because of executive order 14247, which President Donald […]
Posted inCommentary
Subjective threats, fatal outcomes: The deadly gap in federal use-of-force policy
Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. This week, he speaks on the recent deaths of American citizens at the hands of federal agents.
Posted inCommentary
Commentary: Revisiting the brutal history of Senegal’s Gorée Island and The House of Slaves
A father-and-son journey to Senegal becomes a powerful exploration of culture, hospitality, and historical memory, centering on a visit to Gorée Island and the House of Slaves. Through art, local encounters, and guided history, the writers reflect on the brutality of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the resilience of the Senegalese people, and the enduring importance of preserving Africa’s past while engaging its vibrant present.
Posted inCommentary
When equity is performed, not practiced
By Dr. Marcus Anthony Hunter As we still mourn the passing of the oldest known survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre, Mother Viola Fletcher, Washington state’s handling of its reparations study shows the fragile line between meaningful repair and performative equity. Mother Fletcher did not live to see meaningful redress for the horror she survived, […]
Posted inCommentary
Commentary: Marylanders are leaving money on the table– here’s how to claim what’s yours
By Brooke E. Lierman If you worked last year, you might be walking past hundreds—even thousands—of dollars that already have your name on them. Nearly 20 percent of eligible Maryland residents didn’t claim the Earned Income Tax Credit in 2023. That’s roughly 100,000 people who left their money with our state rather than in their bank accounts. Most people lived in Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Montgomery County and Prince George’s […]
Posted inOPINION
Opinion: When eviction means losing everything in Baltimore
Eddie Blackstone, Baltimore Organizer at the Community Development Network and Albert Turner, Human Right to Housing Attorney at the Public Justice Center, say despite a federal appeals court ruling that says Baltimore’s abandonment law is unconstitutional, the city fails to act more than a year later.
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Community remember Marckell Williams as a brother, friend and photography master
By Ashleigh FieldsSpecial to the AFRO Local journalists, church members and the broader community in the District are mourning the loss of 26 year old Marckell Williams, who was killed in a Jan. 7 car crash. Williams, an internationally known photojournalist, is remembered for frequently capturing the essence of political, religious and public events that […]
Posted inOpinion
Is it density or destruction? A look at the Housing Options and Opportunities Act
By Nneka Nnamdi Council Bill 25-0066, otherwise known as the Housing Options and Opportunities Act, is a part of Mayor Brandon Scott’s plan to bring down housing costs by making it lawful to create 2-4 units in a single structure that is greater than 1,500 sq ft. The logic of the bill seems to be […]
Posted inMaryland News
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. members join to support women of D.C., Maryland and Virginia area
Thousands of women from Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. gathered at the Gaylord National Harbor Resort and Convention Center in Maryland to celebrate the organization’s 118th anniversary, with Phylicia Rashad as the special guest speaker and the Greater D.C. Diaper Bank Program as the beneficiary of the event.
Posted inOPINION
Opinion: What the NICU in Colombia taught me about Black fatherhood, preeclampsia and survival
In this deeply personal commentary, Jarvis Houston reflects on becoming a father under crisis when his son was born prematurely due to preeclampsia while the family was in Colombia. Through the experience of navigating a foreign health system, witnessing the fragility of life in the NICU, and advocating for his partner’s survival, Houston examines the realities of Black fatherhood, the dangers of maternal health inequities facing Black women, and the collective nature of survival, care and love.
Posted inOPINION
Opinion: Maternal care deserts are no accident—they are disinvestment zones harming Black mothers
Despite recent declines in overall U.S. maternal mortality, Black women continue to face rising and disproportionately high death rates due to systemic racism, chronic disease and inequitable access to care. The author argues that so-called “maternal care deserts” are intentionally under-resourced areas and should be reframed as “maternal care disinvestment zones” to highlight structural neglect and drive accountability.