It is old news that Michael Jordan once considered himself a racist, but the revelation has taken on new life in light of a new biography of the basketball legend amid the public pillorying of Clippers owner Donald Sterling. In the just-published Michael Jordan: The Life, author Roland Lazenby presented what he calls “the first […]
Author Archives: Zenitha Prince
Special to the AFRO
Posted inAfro Briefs
Marissa Alexander a Mother’s Day Symbol of Black Women Victims
While Mother’s Day is a day to recognize all mothers, a group of activists are asking that this year the special day for mothers be used to acknowledge two special groups—mothers who are victims of domestic abuse and those who are in prison. “Mother’s day is special time to remember all mothers no matter where […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
May 17thThey Also Made Brown Happen
Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark decision changing the course of history on May 17, 1954, provided a new outlook on the prospect of quality education for millions of children. Along with it comes the names of history makers synonymous with the case like Thurgood Marshall and Linda Brown, but the AFRO American Newspaper […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Supreme Court Backs Regulation Combating Pollution Across State Lines
The Supreme Court handed the Environmental Protection Agency a big win this week, upholding its approach to fighting pollution produced by coal-fired power plants that wafts across state lines. The justices ruled 6-2 to validate the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (Transport Rule), which seeks to curb emissions of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide in 28 […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Congressional Black Caucus Praises Response to Criticism of Army Hairstyle Regulation
Female members of the Congressional Black Caucus praised Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel for his swift and “thoughtful” response to their concerns over the discriminatory nature of a new Army regulation that banned certain hairstyles usually worn by women of color. “Members of the CBC appreciate Secretary Hagel for his prompt response to our letter and […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Black Bodyguard Stands by Cliven Bundy Despite Racist Statements
When racist statements made by Cliven Bundy, the Nevada rancher and conservative hero-of-the-month, hit the airwaves, his Republican boosters abandoned him like rats fleeing a sinking ship. But he has at least one stalwart supporter—his African-American bodyguard, Jason Bullock. “I would take a bullet for that man if need be,” Bullock told CNN. “I look […]
Posted inSports
Backlash
Displaying an unprecedented unified front against racism, NBA players, past and present, are leading the charge against Los Angeles Clippers’ owner Donald Sterling in light of his alleged anti-Black statements that were caught on tape and released by TMZ on April 25. “This is a very serious issue which we will address aggressively,” said Chris […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Groups Campaign for Voters
The civil rights community’s get-out-the-vote machine is slowly reawakening. But, given what’s at stake in this year’s mid-term elections, activists say, GOTV campaigners need to shake off the malaise—ASAP. “It is too quiet, and we’ve got to get busy really fast,” said Melanie Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
State Efforts Trump Citizens’ Rights
Part III in an ongoing series on efforts to reverse voting rights in this country. In the Republican-led movement to reverse the democratic gains of minorities and other targeted communities across the United States, North Carolina is ground zero. After 150 years of taking a back seat in the Tar Heel state, the GOP gained […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Lupita Nyong’o Named ‘World’s Most Beautiful Person’ by People
Lupita Nyong’o was named People Magazine’s “World’s Most Beautiful Person” 2014—but the choice was hardly a surprise. The Mexico-born Kenyan beauty has been riding a wave of critical acclaim from her role as the slave Patsey in director Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave—for which she won a best supporting actress Oscar. During the awards […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Racially-Charged Plastic Eggs Dropped on Calif., Va. Lawns Good Friday, Easter Sunday
(UPDATED 4/25/14) Some residents of Henrico County, Va., received a nasty surprise when they opened the rainbow-hued eggs found strewn on their lawns on Easter Sunday morning: White supremacist messages instead of the usual candy. Jim McCarty told local television station NBC 12 that at first he was pleased to find the colorful eggs in his […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
‘…A Life and Death Struggle for Voting Rights’
Anita Johnson, a community organizer with Citizen Action of Wisconsin, spends her days beating the streets—knocking on doors, visiting senior citizen homes, addressing congregations and other groups about changes in election laws. In previous months, her days were spent in Madison at the state capitol, testifying, agitating, shaming the General Assembly about the slew of […]
