Two Baltimore men have pleaded guilty to an armed robbery spree that targeted area stores and businesses during the summer of 2012, police announced Aug. 8. Quindell Ryeshawn Gardner and co-conspirator Tavon McPhaul, both 22, made plea agreements in which they admitted to conspiring with others to commit commercial robbery and to possessing firearms in […]
Author Archives: Zenitha Prince
Special to the AFRO
Posted inAfro Briefs
Oprah, Ernie Banks Among Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients
Four African Americans are among the 16 recipients of this year’s Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest honor. President Barack Obama announced the winners on Aug. 8, marking the 50th anniversary of the award, which was established by President Kennedy. Since its founding, the award has been conferred on more than 500 individuals who […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Baltimore’s Plan to Avoid Becoming the Next Detroit
As Detroit, Mich. lurched into the biggest municipal financial bankruptcy in American history, mostly from an estimated $3.5 billion in immediate debt it couldn’t pay to current and future retirees, the question in Baltimore and countless other U.S. cities is blunt– and fretful: Could it happen here? Yes, according to municipal finance experts. But Baltimore […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Voting Rights Erosion Threatened by N.C. GOP Bill
Legislation that was hurriedly revised by Republicans in the North Carolina legislature would make extensive changes to the state’s voting laws that could marginalize certain groups, voting advocates say. House Bill 589, which initially would have required voters to present photo identification before casting a ballot, sat stagnant for three months after the House approved […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Advice Offered to Parents on How to Protect Black Youth
A new 80-page report purports to educate Black parents on how best to protect their children from violence in the wake of the shooting death of Trayvon Martin and the recent acquittal of George Zimmerman, his admitted killer. Kenneth Love, a former police officer, prison and juvenile correctional officer, U. S. Army sergeant, and former […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Trayvon Martin Dominates Lead Hearing of Congressional Caucus on Black Males
Tracy Martin, Trayvon Martin’s father, vowed to continue fighting for his son and for other “Black and brown” boys in America during the inaugural hearing of the Congressional Caucus on Black Men and Boys July 24. A 17-year-old unarmed Trayvon Martin was killed after being stalked by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, and shot […]
Posted inNational News
Justice Department to Press Texas to Seek Clearance of Election Changes
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced July 25 that the Justice Department plans to ask a federal court to require Texas to obtain approval from the federal government before the state can implement future voting changes. This “bail in” request is available under the Voting Rights Act “when intentional voting discrimination is found,” Holder said. “Based […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Blacks Who Stand Their Ground Often Imprisoned
The recent acquittal of neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman in the shooting death of 17 year old unarmed Trayvon Martin has led to intense scrutiny of Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, which hung over the Zimmerman trial along with similar “no retreat” self-defense laws, and their impact on people of color. “I think the Trayvon Martin […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Zimmerman Verdict: How Right, How Wrong?
Black legal experts have conflicting opinions on the outcome of the trial of George Zimmerman, who was accused of killing 17-year-old Trayvon Martin during an altercation on the night of Feb. 26, 2012, in Sanford, Fla. A six-member, all-female jury comprising five Whites and one Hispanic on July 13 acquitted the 29-year-old on the charges […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Actor Johnny Depp’s Black Roots
For many years, actor Johnny Depp has brought to life the stories of real-life and fictional villains and heroes on television and the big screen across the world. But details about Depp’s own heritage make his personal story worthy of a Hollywood film, according to Ancestry.com. New research revealed the actor is a direct descendant […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Ebony Details Denzel and Pauletta Washington’s 30-Year Marriage
In an industry where love and marriage is as inconstant as the latest box office or Billboard ratings, Denzel and Pauletta Washington have defied the odds. The power couple graces the cover of Ebony magazine’s August issue. And, in a cover story celebrating Black love, the couple discusses the ingredients for their successful marriage: The […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
D.C. Councilman Seeks Pot Decriminalization
A District of Columbia mayoral candidate wants the nation’s capital to join a growing number of states that have decriminalized marijuana possession. The trend reflects nationwide concern about over-criminalization and the disproportionate impact of such laws on Blacks and other minorities. “The effort to decriminalize marijuana is about removing barriers for individuals – the impact […]
