STIN, Texas (AP) — The sister of Sandra Bland, a Black woman found dead in a Texas jail following a confrontational traffic stop with a White state trooper, says it is “gut-wrenching” that lawmakers stripped police reforms from a bill named after her sibling and are now pushing a weakened compromise that “painfully misses the […]
Author Archives: Special to the AFRO
Posted inAfro Briefs
Number of Harvard Black Students to Hold All-Black Commencement Ceremony
A number of Black students at Harvard University are gearing up for a first-of-its-kind event for this year’s graduation: an all-Black commencement ceremony. Dubbed Black Commencement 2017 by its student organizers, the event will be the Ivy League institution’s first university-wide graduation ceremony celebrating students of the African Diaspora. Taking place on May 23, it […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Md. Delegate Glenn Continues to Drum Up Support for Reform of State’s Medical Marijuana Industry
Maryland State Del. Cheryl D. Glenn (D-Baltimore) seeks the support of Black businesses as she plans a renewed push to change how medical marijuana licenses are distributed in Maryland. Maryland State Del. Cheryl D. Glenn (D-Baltimore). (Courtesy Photo) During the Maryland Black Business Legislative Wrap-Up in Baltimore on May 9, Glenn said she planned to […]
Posted inReligion
Robinson Named New President of Black Minister’s Conference of Montgomery County, Md.
The Black Minister’s Conference of Montgomery County, Maryland recently installed Haywood Robinson as its president through 2019. Dr. Haywood Robinson, pastor of The Peoples Community Baptist Church in Silver Springs, Md. (Courtesy Photo) Robinson previously served as vice president of the organization, which was founded in 1981 to represent “Black religious life, expression and spirituality to […]
Posted inHealth
Mental Health in the African American Community: Talk or Taboo?
A person’s mental well-being is just as important to their health as their physical and spiritual well-being, and African-Americans may be more likely to face mental illness. A study conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health revealed that African-Americans are up to 20 percent more susceptible to mental illness. […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Samira Wiley Battles For Survival in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’
One of the most shocking and unforgettable moments in television over the past year was the brutal death of the character Poussey on the Netflix series “Orange is the New Black.” Actress Samira Wiley, who played the iconic character, was born and raised in Washington, D.C. by parents who were both pastors of the LGBT […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Black Photo Exhibit Brings Humanity into Focus
If a single picture is worth a thousand words, the decision by curators at the National Museum of African American History and Culture to make selections from its photo collection the first temporary exhibition, will likely become a pivotal one in its growth. Photographers John Pinderhughes,Roy Lewis, Milton Williams, Supervisory Museum Curator of Collections, Michele […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
‘Men Are Trash’ Meme Swamps Twitter
Twitter’s brought up a lot of conversations in the past, but if you were on the social media platform this past weekend, your timeline may have been flooded with tweets that circulated around one key phrase: “Men Are Trash.” It all started on May 5 when Kelsey Joie, a YouTube hair vlogger and massive tweeter […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
‘Dear Ijeawele’ Offers Feminist Advice for Black Women
After reading {Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions} by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche, I believe that this is a mandatory read for women young and old. I gained a sense of freedom, a freedom from societal boundaries and the iron grip that it had on my thoughts. Note: I am a 23-year-old Black […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Locks Funeral Home Passes Into History
Joseph G. Locks Funeral home, one of Baltimore’s and the nation’s oldest Black-owned businesses has closed its premises at 1302-1310 North Central Avenue. The buildings were torn down April 19. The Locks Funeral Home before it was torn down. (Google Maps) The business, established by John W. Locks in 1835, spent 157 years primarily serving […]
Posted inHealth
High Blood Pressure Disproportionately Affects Black Community
Dr. Frank H. Morris had a new patient in his cardiology office at Mercy’s The Heart Center at Lutherville. Her blood pressure was 210 over 120. Frank H Morris is a cardiologist and internist at Mercy’s The Heart Center at Lutherville. (Courtesy Photo) While overweight, nothing else upon the initial exam revealed just why her […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Letter Carriers Attempt to Stamp Out Hunger
A national organization is set to begin an initiative that makes solving hunger only a mail box away. On May 13, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) will hold their annual nationwide food drive. D.C. area postal workers, all volunteers, gather at the Capitol Branch of the National Association of Letter Carriers on May […]