Welterweight boxing champion Lamont Peterson turned 30 on Jan. 24, but he opted to delay celebrating, according to his camp. Instead, he spent the time preparing for his fight the next night. Then, on Jan. 25, the son of Southeast Washington delighted a crowd of 5,700, including many of his loved ones and supporters, by […]
Author Archives: Talib I. Karim
Special to the AFRO
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Barbara Lett Simmons Remembered as Fighter for D.C.
Barbara Lett Simmons, a long-time District of Columbia activist and a champion of civil rights died on Dec. 22 at age 85, closing the book on a 63-year storied public service career. A long-time Democratic Party activist, she made national news in 2000 after, as a member of the Electoral College, she withheld her previously […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
District Officials Plan ‘Green’ City of 900,000 Residents in 20 Years
On Sept.14 District of Columbia officials hosted a day-long symposium at Gallaudet University to discuss plans for building what they called the “green D.C.” by 2032. By then, according to D.C. Mayor Vince Gray (D), the District’s population is expected to be near or beyond 900,000. “We are growing at a pace of 1000 per […]
Posted inNational News
Local, National Leaders Rally Voters at Alexandria’s Alfred Street Baptist Church
On Sept. 15, a bright Saturday morning in Alexandria, Va., a crowd estimated at five dozen or more parishioners and supporters of Alfred Street Baptist Church attended a rally organized by the church, the NAACP, and the Northern Virginia Coalition on Black Civic Participation. The event kicked off the NAACP’s “16 on the 16th” voter […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
D.C. National Democrats Demand Full Voting Rights Democratic Convention
To the D.C. delegation that attended the just-ended 2012 Democratic National Convention, the event was more of a pilgrimage than a party gathering. Those who traveled to the Democratic party confab in Charlotte, N.C. on behalf of the 600,000-plus residents of the nation’s capital, most of them Democrats, came with a clear mission. “We want […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Congresswoman Norton Demands Hiring of City Residents by Builders
One rainy Tuesday night on Capitol Hill, inside the Rayburn House Office Building that was largely vacant due to Congress’ August recess, D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), was busy. The issue is jobs, she said on the eve of her Aug. 22 employment fair. Earlier her office had released a statement that underscored her […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
D.C. Mayor Gray Hosts Historic Ramadan Iftar Dinner
On the last day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Aug. 17, D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) hosted an Iftar dinner at the Wilson Building. Joining the Mayor in presenting this event was the D.C. Muslim Democratic Caucus along with a distinguished list of co-hosts including the Council on American Islamic Relations, the […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Business Leaders Focused on DC Development, Not Petty Scandals
Recent revelations from a federal probe into the successful 2010 campaign of DC Mayor Vincent M. Gray (D) have dogged the veteran community organizer-turned-politician. Kwame Brown (D) is also under scrutiny for leasing two costly SUVs in the days before he became chairman of the DC Council. While these stories may dominate the attention of […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Dean Garfield Lays Out Tech Industry Blueprint for Jumpstarting U.S. Economy
Writer William Faulkner in a 1958 interview said, “Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” In 2012, Dean Garfield, is employing this sage wisdom to assist the nation’s top tech firms create innovations and jobs to boost the country’s economic engine. Garfield serves as president […]
Posted inHealth
D.C., Maryland Health Centers Win Millions from Obama Health Law Grants
Recently, the Obama administration awarded grants of over $728 million for the renovation and construction of health centers around the country. D.C. and Maryland centers snagged more than $15 million for projects designed to boost local government’s ability to care for low and mid-income patients while creating jobs in the process. The funds were made […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
DC, Maryland Health Centers Win Millions from Obama Health Law Grants
Recently, President Obama’s administration awarded grants of over $728 million for the renovation and construction of health centers around the country. DC and Maryland centers snagged more than $15 million for projects designed to boost local government’s ability to care for low and mid-income patients while creating jobs in the process. The funds were made […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Science & Engineering Festival Takes Center Stage in Washington
Last week, hundreds of thousands of people attended a series of events in Washington focusing on science and science related fields. These events included a White House Forum on Women and Girls in STEM, a pair of health policy forums, and a science and technology festival. The largest of the events was the science fest, […]