Shalonda Davis with Myeshia, Ka’Mysha and Sha’Mya on the first day of school at John Carroll Nalle Elementary School. Book bags packed. Lunches planned. Outfits laid out. It is that time of year again, and D.C. students returned to schools across the city, beginning Aug. 25. According to a District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) […]
Author Archives: Special to the AFRO
Posted inBaltimore News
What Does STEM Have To Do With the Death of Michael Brown?
Robert L. Wallace What does STEM have to do with the death of Michael Brown? Everything. Before you tune me out, take a moment to consider my explanation. Unless you have been living on another planet, no doubt you have been inundated with news coverage of the shooting death of Michael Brown by a Ferguson, […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
National Democratic Group Joins Fight for D.C. Statehood
PDA members and DC statehood activists speak with an administrative aid in Rep. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) office on Aug. 21. (Photo by Darlene Dancy) Progressive Democrats of America showed its support for D.C. statehood by including the issue in its August 2014 letter drop-off campaign to senators and congressional leaders. Since 2004, Progressive Democrats in […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Voice of D.C. Community Gerard ‘Jerry’ Phillips Dies
Community activist and radio host Gerard “Jerry” Phillips died recently at age 75. Community activist and radio host Gerard “Jerry” Phillips died recently at age 75. A fixture in D.C. media for more than 50 years, Phillips created D.C. Metro Talk blog and was seen on “Reporters Notebook,” a local news public affairs program on […]
Posted inCommentary
A Firewall is Needed Against Militant Islam
What’s a firewall? It’s an impenetrable barrier meant to stop an undesirable action. In politics, consider the example of the 1988 U.S. presidential race. After several embarrassing defeats in early primaries, then-Vice President George H.W. Bush’s campaign manager announced to staff and supporters that South Carolina and its influential primary would be the firewall for […]
Posted inCommentary
D.C.’s Public Charter School Students Deserve Funding Equality
Ramona Edelin, Executive Director of the D.C. Association of Chartered Public School. Recently, the D.C. Association of Chartered Public Schools, Eagle Academy Public Charter School and Washington Latin Public Charter School filed in court to require the District of Columbia government to end its practice of underfunding charter school students. For the past eight years, […]
Posted inCommentary
Caring For An Aging Population
Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson The number of senior citizens in our country is growing faster than at any other time in our history. They are living longer lives, and many are in need of physical and mental healthcare that will be provided, in many instances, by members of their families. Data from the 2010 U.S. […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Traveling Justice Seekers Demand Ferguson Prosecutor Recuse Himself
A group of Black Lives Matter riders hit the pavement in St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch’s Kirkwood neighborhood to inform residents of their fight for justice in the wake of the Michael Brown tragedy and to request that McCulloch recuse himself from the grand jury case. Tarah Taylor, a labor organizer from Houston, knocked […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Morgan U. Cuba Trip Unites Artistic Cultures
Exhibition artists Ben Jones, Howardena Pindell, Victor Davson, Nanette Carter, Mel Edwards BALTIMORE — Three members of Morgan State University’s staff traveled to Cuba this summer, as part of an event that sought to unite African Americans and Afro Cubans through art. Diala Toure, Curator of Collections at The James E. Lewis Museum of […]
Posted inPrince George's County News
County Residents, Visitors Gather at Empowerment Conference
Pastor Zina Pierre In this complex world, it’s not uncommon for young African-American males to die by acts of violence, police brutality, or black on black crime, according to news reports. In society, we often also hear about the many women seeking answers to some of life’s most difficult challenges, such as how to feed […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Calls for Justice Want Immediate Action to Rid Police Brutality
The crowd with arms in the air shouted “Hands Up! Don’t Shoot!” in front of the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building in Northwest D.C. Aug. 27. Progressive groups and sponsors such as No Fear Coalition, CODEPINK National, the Institute of the Black World, and WPFW Radio were there to send a message in […]
Posted inPrince George's County News
Prince George’s County, Md. State’s Attorney Alsobrooks Takes Aim at Curbing Domestic Violence
Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Angela Alsobrooks (Updated 8/30/2014) Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Angela Alsobrooks is placing a renewed emphasis on curbing domestic violence in the county with a series of programs seeking to spread awareness of the problem and provide resources to both victims and offenders. “We are seeking peace and unity in […]
