District of Columbia officials this week expressed indignation after a series of Washington Post stories, which claimed that the city’s property tax sales system has deprived some of its most vulnerable residents of their homes over miniscule debts. But a local advocacy group said the outrage is more than a year too late. In April 2012, AT […]
Author Archives: Zenitha Prince
Special to the AFRO
Posted inAfro Briefs
Black Lawmakers Will Play Key Role in Decision on Syria
The Congressional Black Caucus could play a vital role in determining Congress’ position on a proposed U.S. strike on Syria’ government forces should attempts at diplomacy fail. “We are 43 out of 199 representatives in the House, that’s a very important bloc,” said Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif. President has asked Congress to authorize the military […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Miami Heat Udonis Haslem & Wife’s, Unusual Wedding Announcement
A wedding announcement in The New York Times is a triumph for any couple, a place to tell the world about the tight bonds of their love and its manifestation in the romantic splurge of their wedding day. The Aug. 30 profile for Miami Heat player Udonis Haslem and his wife, Faith Rein, detailed a […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
New Short Film Aims to Change Culture of Violence
The Washington, D.C.-based group Black Women for Positive Change has released a short film that seeks to address the epidemic of violence in communities across the United States. “We want to change the culture of violence in America,” Stephanie E. Myers, national co-chair of the civic organization, said in an interview with the AFRO. “Youth […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Haitian Boys Choir to Perform in D.C. Sept. 13 at Smithsonian
Thirty young ambassadors will remind a Washington, D.C. audience of the enduring spirit—and struggle—of the Haitian people three years after an earthquake devastated the impoverished country. Les Petits Chanteurs, or The Little Singers, the renowned boys’ choir of the Holy Trinity Episcopal Cathedral Music School of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, will be featured in concert at The […]
Posted inHealth
Use of Electronic Cigarettes on Upswing Among Youth
The use of electronic cigarettes has spiked among middle- and high-school students over the last few years, undermining a decades-long effort to stem smoking among young Americans, officials said. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Youth Tobacco Survey, released Sept. 5, the number of U.S. middle and high school students who […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Obama Syrian Gambit Draws Congressional Support, Skepticism
Even as key congressional leaders voiced their support for the White House’s plan for limited strikes against Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces, many remain skeptical. Lawmakers—and Americans—on both sides of the ideological aisle say there are many questions President Obama would need to answer before they give him the nod for military action. Rep. Eleanor […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
NYPD Surveillance, Infiltration Campaign Revealed by News Service
The New York Police Department has been using invasive methods of spying on entire mosques and Islamic organizations, under the auspices of a law that allows such methods if an organization has been labeled a terrorism enterprise, the Associated Press reported. Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the NYPD has launched several “terrorism enterprise investigations” into […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Gay Rumors Persist But Don’t Distract Cory Booker’s Senatorial Campaign
The U.S. Senate campaign of Newark, N.J. Mayor Cory Booker is being overrun by rumors about his sexuality, but the celebrity politician seems to be taking it in stride. “…People who think I’m gay, some part of me thinks it’s wonderful. Because I want to challenge people on their homophobia,” Booker, the Democratic nominee for […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Four College Freshman Put New Face on Integrity at Unlocked Store
Four young men are getting kudos this week for their integrity in the face of what, to some, would be major temptation. On Aug. 25, police alerted the manager of Buddy’s Small Lots in Wayne, N.J., that there had been a break-in at the store. Video surveillance showed four young men entering the store, and […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Black Stars Chastised for Lack of Presence at March Celebration
Actor Jamie Foxx called out modern-day Black entertainers, urging them to carry on the torch lit by civil rights leaders of yesteryear during his speech at the commemoration of the March on Washington on Aug. 28. In his three-minute speech to the crowd gathered before the Lincoln Memorial, Foxx shared a story about a dinner […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Lawmakers Seek Momentum for Anti-Profiling Bill
Baltimore and Prince George’s County, Md., were the sites of two forums on racial profiling hosted by Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.), and local civil rights groups, this week. Cardin has introduced legislation on Capitol Hill, the End Racial Profiling Act, and the roundtable discussions were meant to galvanize a grassroots movement to propel the bill […]
