An assortment of signs colored the audience at the D.C. rally for Michael Brown. “Chant down Babylon, grassroots is the bomb, we ready, we coming!” Jonathan Lykes, a coordinating council member with the Washington D.C. Black Youth Project, told hundreds of people gathered Aug. 14 at Meridian Hill Park. The phrase, coined by reggae artists, […]
Author Archives: Special to the AFRO
Posted inCommentary
Is it a Mistake When a Black Man is murdered by the Police?
A member of the Clayton police department stands watch as protesters gather outside the Buzz Westfall Justice Center. During Slavery in America, Blacks were considered three-fifths of a person, and their life was controlled by an overseer and master. The overseer was authorized to punish slaves, and kill them if they refused to do the […]
Posted inCommentary
Mike Brown’s Death is a Product of America’s Recurring Tragedy and We All Have a Role
Diane Bell McKoy. America’s one-sided race problem continues unabated. As “post racial” as we want to believe ourselves to be, we, as a society, continue to demonize young Black men and women, in ways that truncate their life opportunities and rob ourselves of their leadership, their business and workforce talent. America’s current tragedy is not […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Tyrone West’s Sister Still Fighting for Justice
Tyrone West Last July, Tyrone West died while Baltimore City police were placing him under arrest. The officers involved in the incident were never charged. A joint investigation by the State’s Attorney’s Office, the Baltimore Police Department and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner concluded that officers used reasonable force and that West’s death […]
Posted inNational News
Christensen Set to be U.S. First Black Female Governor
Del. Donna Christensen has represented the U.S. Virgin Islands in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1997. The United States has never had a Black female as the governor of a state-level jurisdiction but that could change in the November general election. U.S. Virgin Islands Del. Donna Christensen (D) is well on her way to […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Baltimore’s Horseshoe Casino Finalizes Preparations for August 26 Opening
In a little over a week, the new Horseshoe Casino in downtown Baltimore will open its doors. Ahead of its August 26 grand opening, casino officials hosted members of the media for a sneak-preview. General Manager Chad Barnhill told reporters that although the casino will not open for a few more days, it could open […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Fans Celebrate New Chuck Brown Release
The late Godfather of Go-Go and music legend Chuck Brown . As fans of the late Godfather of Go-Go and music legend Chuck Brown prepare to mark his birthday Aug.22, they will also have an opportunity to hear his last release. The wildly anticipated release of Brown’s last album Beautiful Life, on Aug. 19, has […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Paulette Brown Begins Term as President-Elect of the American Bar Association
President-Elect Paulette Brown with former Chief Judge Robert Bell at ABA annual meeting in Boston. Paulette Brown began her one-year term as president-elect of the American Bar Association Aug. 12 at the conclusion of the ABA Annual Meeting in Boston. The move is a historic one – Brown is the first African-American female to hold […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
D.C. Shorts Film Festival Anticipates More Variety
With only 135 films from 25 countries selected out of 1400, the D.C. Shorts Film Festival, one of the largest film festivals on the East Coast, expects sold-out shows during its eleventh annual event, according to a press release. The festival will run from Sept. 11 to Sept. 21 at various locations across the metropolitan […]
Posted inNational News
Alexander Crowned Miss Black USA 2014
3rd Runner Up Terra Strong – Miss Black Ohio, 1st Runner Up Gabrielle Lewis, – Miss Black Tennessee; The Winner of The Miss Black USA 2014 Pageant- – Jasmine Alexander – Miss Black Colorado, 2nd Runner Up Jasmine Johnson – Miss Black California and 4th Runner Up Alexandra Morton – Miss Black Washington. “Any time […]
Posted inBaltimore News
The Day the AFRO Used Wild Comedy to Fight Bias
This article appeared in the Oct. 14, 1978 AFRO. The history of journalism is filled with any number of incidents where instead of waiting for news to happen, a newspaper went out and made it happen, thus changing the course of events. That’s what the Baltimore AFRO AMERICAN did during the turbulent 60’s when in a burst of inspired lunacy it […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Community Welcomes New ShopRite with Open Arms
Owners of the new Shop Rite say they are pulling in the kind of numbers they had predicted. It had been a few days since the grand opening of the new Shop Rite in the Baltimore City community of Howard Park. Notables like Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake have long since cleared […]
