Sketch artist Ted Rall has come under fire after the recent posting of a cartoon depicting President Obama with apelike features. Rall’s comic strip, posted on the liberal blog site Daily Kos on Nov. 27, portrays Obama with a close-shaven head covered in bristles, a protuberant nose that dominates his face and a simian-shaped jaw […]
Author Archives: Zenitha Prince
Special to the AFRO
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Mayor Vincent Gray Announces Second Run
Washington D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray, whose first term has been marked by tremendous success in improving the city even as an investigation into possible wrongdoing in his 2010 campaign has persisted, ended months of speculation Dec. 2 when he announced that he is running for reelection. Gray, 71, who collected nominating petitions required to […]
Posted inHealth
Black Participation Low in Clinical Trials
Despite many breakthroughs in medicine, health outcomes for African Americans continue to be disproportionately bleak. Blacks experience higher incidences of certain diseases such as diabetes and hypertension and have higher mortality rates from stroke, heart attack, breast cancer and some other maladies, data shows. The lack of African-American participation in clinical trials, where valuable research […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Essence Magazine Launches Filmmaking Contest to Improve Portrayal of Black Women
Essence magazine has challenged aspiring filmmakers to counter the distorted portrayal of Black women in film and television, and to showcase images of Black women that depict the beauty, bounty, triumphs and truths of their lives. “We’re launching a short film contest seeking visions of Black women that are multidimensional, ones that are different from […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Study: Black Women Falling Behind in STEM Fields
Women of color—particularly Black women—are being left behind in the increasingly important fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, according a new study by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. President Obama in 2008 announced his administration’s goal of making the United States a world leader in STEM fields. “Reaffirming and strengthening America’s […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Morgan State and Fayetteville State Launch New Academic Journals
Two historically Black universities launched new journals this month, according to the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. Morgan State University and Fayetteville State University will publish academic journals that explore issues in global journalism and education, respectively. Morgan State’s School of Global Journalism and Communication (MGJC) has debuted the Morgan Global Journalism Review(MGJR) a […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Obama, Cornel West Among GQ’s “25 Least Influential”
President Barack Obama, Dr. Cornel West and Dennis Rodman are among the 25 least influential people of 2013, according to GQ magazine. In its November edition, the magazine released its third annual listing of “people who’ve overstayed their turns in the spotlight and used their fame for not a good goddamn thing,” contributor Drew Magary […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Actor Morris Chestnut to Promote Black Film Festival
Actor Morris Chestnut will be the face of the 18th annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF), which will be held June 19-22, 2014, in New York City, officials announced recently. “It’s an honor and privilege to be the ambassador of the ABFF, taking place this year in New York – a city that has inspired […]
Posted inHealth
Howard Conference to Address Social Disgrace Linked to AIDS
Howard University will host the Fourth Annual HIV Stigma Conference Nov. 22, bringing together between 600 and 1,000 healthcare providers, public health officials, activists, students, faith leaders, people affected by HIV and experts from across the globe. The daylong conference will seek to raise awareness of the social disgrace associated with HIV/AIDS and the devastating […]
Posted inNational News
Black America Confronting Republican Barrier to Robert Leon Wilkins’ Confirmation to U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C.
Members of the Black legal, legislative and civil rights communities are gearing up for a fight over the confirmation of Judge Robert Leon Wilkins to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the nation’s second highest court. Senate Republicans are expected to block Wilkins’ nomination as the latest salvo in an […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Harry Belafonte to Deliver Keynote Address at Phi Beta Sigma Centennial Celebration
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity will kick off its 100-year celebrations on Jan. 11 with a Centennial Founders’ Day Gala, during which renowned humanitarian and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte will be the keynote speaker. The gala, slated to take place at the Renaissance Hotel Downtown in the nation’s capital, comes ahead of the fraternity’s five-day […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Employee of Md. Youth Center Arrested for Sexual Abuse of Minor
The recent arrest of a youth center employee on charges of sexual abuse has prompted Maryland officials to warn parents about the need to monitor their children’s digital communications. Anthony Dennis Williams II, of Severn, Md., a former employee at the Fort Meade Youth Center, was arrested Nov. 12 on charges of sexually abusing a […]
