Baltimore-born scholar Intisar A. Rabb, a leading expert on Islamic Law and legal history, was recently appointed as a tenured professor of law at Harvard Law School (HLS), joining the faculty in spring 2014. At HLS, she will be a faculty director of the Islamic Legal Studies Program. Rabb’s family said the recognition is well-deserved […]
Author Archives: Zenitha Prince
Special to the AFRO
Posted inAfro Briefs
Scores of Lawmakers, Rights Activists, Arrested at Immigration Reform Rally
Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) was arrested for the 45th time on Oct. 8 during a massive rally and march protesting government inaction on comprehensive immigration reform in Washington, D.C. A venerated figurehead of the Civil Rights Movement, Lewis has seen the inside of a jail many times as he fought for equal rights and justice […]
Posted inReligion, Washington D.C. News
Conservative Black Pastors Meet in D.C.
Tea Party figurehead U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was the keynote speaker at an awards dinner that kicked off the Coalition of African American Pastors’ 8th Annual Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., this week. “Senator Paul is one of the most prominent leaders in Washington because he understands issues that affect all Americans and is […]
Posted inNational News
Md. in Violation of HBCU Students’ Constitutional Rights
In a historic, 60-page decision Oct. 7, a federal court judge ruled that Maryland violated its constitutional commitment to dissolving vestiges of segregation in higher education by allowing traditionally White institutions to duplicate programs already offered by historically Black colleges and universities. In the suit, filed in 2006 and argued in 2012, current and former […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Jason Miccolo Johnson Exhibit of Award-Winning Photographer’s Work Proceeds
The power palaces of Washington are shut down, but for photographer Jason Miccolo Johnson the show must go on. For the first time in a decade, the works of the award-winning photojournalist will be on exhibit at two galleries in the District; at the Anacostia Arts Center from 6 to 9 p.m. beginning Oct. 4 […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
KKK Letter Protests Re-Naming of School Christened for First “Grand Wizard”
An “imperial kaltrop” of the Ku Klux Klan has sent a letter to members of Florida’s Duval County School Board urging them not to change the name of a high school named after the group’s first “grand wizard.” Board member Jason Fischer, who said he comes from a racially diverse family, called the letter “vile” […]
Posted inHealth
Activists Praise New Proposed Carbon Pollution Standards
Civil rights and environmental groups are lauding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recent release of proposed carbon pollution standards for new power plants. The new rules are the first milestone in a climate change package announced by President Obama in June. According to the administration, carbon is the largest driver of climate change, and power […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Shonda Rhimes, Black TV Mogul, Named to Kennedy Center Board
A recent White House announcement is demonstrating once again that Shonda Rhimes is one of the most powerful women in Hollywood. President Obama recently appointed the Black writer, director and producer to the board of trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Rhimes, a Golden Globe winner and three-time Emmy nominee, […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Business Scholar Wants to Build Black Companies -$1 at a Time
BlackBizFunding, a Cincinnati-based nonprofit dedicated to supporting Black entrepreneurs, is launching a $1 million fundraising drive Oct. 1. The grassroots campaign asks supporters to chip in one dollar or to “Give a Buck for a Biz.” This is the first major campaign of BlackBizFunding, which was founded in November 2011. The organization not only provides […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Black Farmers Receive Second Wave of Payments from Victorious Discrimination Suit
A second wave of payouts has begun streaming to Black farmers from the settlement of a lawsuit, commonly referred to as “Pigford II,” against the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Between 1983 and 1997, thousands of African-American famers suffered rampant discrimination at USDA’s Farm Service Agency offices, which denied them loans solely because of their race, […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Three African Americans Receive ‘Genius’ MacArthur Fellow Awards
Three African Americans are among the recipients of the prestigious MacArthur Foundation fellowships for 2013 —an award that recognizes those who have demonstrated extraordinary achievement and potential in their creative pursuits. Kyle Abraham, Tarell McCraney and Carrie Mae Weems were among the 24 individuals who will each receive the $625,000 monetary award, which they can […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
D.C. Mayor Gray Declares All City Services Essential to Skirt Pending Shutdown Impact
In the face of a possible federal government shutdown, District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray has made a bold move, declaring all local government services essential in order to keep their doors open. The clock is ticking down for Capitol Hill lawmakers to pass an appropriations bill for the fiscal year 2014, which begins Oct. […]
