In a less high-flown more pragmatic speech than he delivered four years ago, President Obama urged Americans during his second inaugural speech on Jan. 21 to take collective action to solve the nation’s myriad problems. Under a clear blue sky, with temperatures hovering in the mid-40s, hundreds of thousands of men and women gathered on […]
Author Archives: Zenitha Prince
Special to the AFRO
Posted inInauguration 2013
First Lady Michelle Obama Dazzles on Inauguration Day
They may be afraid to admit it openly, but many Americans who tuned in to the second inauguration of President Obama were just as excited about seeing what Michelle Obama would wear as they were about hearing the president’s inaugural address. The first lady stunned again in her inimitable style, heading things off with her […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Conservative Commentator Blames Minorities for U.S. Gun Violence
Conservative commentator Ann Coulter suggests that minorities are the root of the nation’s gun violence problem. Speaking Jan. 15 on Fox News’ “Hannity,” Coulter said she had just returned from England, and spoke dismissively about comparisons of that country’s low gun crime rate relative to the United States’. The difference, she suggested, could be explained […]
Posted inHealth
Trainers’ Video Derails Myth About Black Women and Exercise
A Black mother-daughter team in Atlanta, Ga. is trying to debunk the myth that Black women are averse to exercise with a new workout video that declares “Black Girls Workout Too!” Ellen and Lana Ector, Atlanta-based fitness instructors, have parlayed their popular group training classes into a 45-minute workout video that women can use at […]
Posted inBaltimore News
MD Gov. Seeks Death Penalty Repeal
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) announced he is seeking repeal of the death penalty in the state, drawing the praise of the human rights community. “The death penalty does not work in terms of preventing violent crime,” the Democratic governor said Jan. 15 at a news conference, where he was surrounded by anti-capital punishment legislators, […]
Posted inNational News
Obama Gun Control Initiative Draws Impeachment Threat
The White House’s proposal to curb violent gun-related crime has provoked conservatives into a state of near-apoplexy, with at least one Republican House member suggesting he would bring impeachment proceedings against the president. On Jan. 16, President Obama announced several legislative proposals and 23 executive actions after a month-long review process led by Vice President […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Ambassadors Ball to Promote Peace, Unity and Diplomacy
The international community in Washington, D.C., will celebrate the second inauguration of President Barack Obama on Jan. 21 with the Ambassadors Inaugural Ball, “Promoting International Peace, Unity and Diplomacy,” at the Carnegie Library. More than 2,000 persons are expected to dance to the sounds of American hip-hop artist Biz Markie; multi-platinum, award-winning South African singer/songwriter […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Tyler Perry Nominated for Five “Razzies,” Including Worst Actress
Tyler Perry has been nominated for several “Razzies,” the annual comic award satirizing the worst in filmmaking, topping off what has been a rough year for the Black media mogul. The nominations come after the disappointing performance of “Madea’s Witness Protection,” the latest installation in his successful Madea franchise and Perry’s much-criticized debut in action […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Mortgage Servicers to Pay $8.5 Billion in Federal Settlement
Federal regulators’ review of deficient practices in mortgage loan servicing and foreclosure processing concluded in a $8.5 billion settlement with 10 of the nation’s largest mortgage servicers. The settlement, announced Jan. 7 by the Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), involves some of the giants of the financial industry […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
MSNBC Sees Viewership Gains in Black Audience
MSNBC had a banner year in 2012, seeing a 20 percent increase in ratings overall. The boost was fueled, undoubtedly, by the 2012 presidential campaign, but there was another major factor: Black viewership. The cable news channel announced that its already robust Black audience increased by 60.5 percent to 284,000 in 2012 from 177,000 in […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Congressional Black Caucus Offers Diversity Boosting Obama Cabinet Suggestions
Amid criticisms that President Obama’s new administration seems to be dominated by White men, the new chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus has offered some diversity-boosting suggestions. In a letter sent to the White House, Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) asked the president to consider Rep. Mel Watt (D-N.C.) for the position of Secretary of Commerce […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
“Django” Action Figures Draw Criticism
“Django Unchained,” Quentin Tarantino’s blood-drenched tale of slavery romance and vengeance is doing well at U.S. box offices, despite criticisms that it trivializes the horrors of Black enslavement. But the director’s homage to the spaghetti western is sparking new outrage over action figures related to the film. Black activists, including the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National […]
