By BRIAN WITTE, Associated Press ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Marilyn Mosby, a high-profile prosecutor who aligned herself with criminal justice reformers but ended up with legal problems of her own, has lost the Democratic primary for Baltimore state’s attorney to Ivan Bates, a defense attorney. Baltimore is heavily Democratic, and there is no Republican candidate […]
Category: News
Posted inBaltimore News
Vernon Simms, seasoned advisor and chief of staff for the late Elijah Cummings dies
By Kara Thompson, Special to the AFRO Vernon L. Simms, longtime advisor and chief of staff to the late Elijah Cummings, passed away on July 16. “Vernon loved the AFRO and the AFRO loved him,” said Diane Hocker, director of the Community & Public Relations for the AFRO. “He would open doors and use his […]
Posted inPolitics
Wes Moore among potential winners
By H. R. Harris, Special to the AFRO Tashi McQueen, AFRO Political Writer Report For America Corps Member Army veteran, author, TV producer and former CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation, Westley Watende Omari Moore is moving closer to the Democratic nomination for Governor in the State of Maryland. But not yet. As of 8:30 […]
Posted inNational News
Texas school shooter left trail of ominous warning signs
By Bernard Condon, The Associated Press The Uvalde, Texas, gunman gave off so many warning signs that he was obsessed with violence and notoriety in the months leading up to the attack that teens who knew him began calling him “school shooter.” He was once bullied as a fourth-grader in one of the same classrooms […]
Posted inD.C. Community
Heat Emergency in D.C. Until Monday – Cooling Stations, Pools, Spray Parks Open Extended Hours
By Deborah Bailey, AFRO D.C. Editor It is going to be HOT this weekend. With anticipated weekend temperatures ranging between 95 and 100 degrees, Mayor Muriel Bowser has declared a heat emergency through Monday. District officials do not want you to try and “tough this one out.” Cooling Centers and Pools will be open for […]
Posted inNational News
We were there: How AFRO war correspondents kept Black America informed
By Sarah E. Crest, Special to the AFRO The Afro-American Newspapers sent correspondents to all theaters of war during World War II. This is Our War, published in 1945, is a collection of dispatches filed by AFRO correspondents. The men and women chronicled the experiences of African-American military personnel. Correspondents provided a boots-on-the-ground view of […]
Posted inWord In Black
#WordinBlack: Black parents are more involved in their children’s education than ever
By Maya Pottiger, Word in Black School buses stopped running, classrooms turned virtual, and the traditional education system turned upside down. In the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the days of parents and guardians sending kids off to school and not reuniting until dinnertime were over. Instead, many families were holed up inside, 24 […]
Posted inWord In Black
#WordinBlack: What happens to Black kids when record numbers of teachers quit?
By Maya Pottiger, Word in Black The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted every aspect of our lives, but there’s one that has taken an incredibly dramatic hit: schooling. First, there was the shift to virtual learning, which had its own ups and downs. Then came the debates over how soon students should return to in-person learning, […]
Posted inWord In Black
#WordinBlack: Should Black parents trust schools to teach their kids how to read?
By Maya Pottiger, Word in Black Between summer camp, family vacations, and partaking in some well-deserved rest and relaxation, reading is often not at the top of students’ list of summer priorities. But it should be. Though reading achievements have improved in nearly every grade level since Spring 2021, they still aren’t quite reaching pre-pandemic […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Elected officials react to attack of Squeegee crew that led to fatal shooting in Downtown Baltimore
By Tinashe Chingarande, Special to the AFRO The July 7 killing of 48-year-old Timothy Reynolds at a downtown Baltimore intersection has once again inflamed the long-standing debate of how to handle “squeegee boys,” or young men and children who clean car windshields on busy street corners across the city Reports from the Baltimore Police Department […]
Posted inCommentary
Commentary: The Moore Report – Frank Wills: The Black patriot who did his job and brought down a president 50 years ago
By Ralph E. Moore, Jr., Special to the AFRO There once was a president named Richard M. Nixon (1969-1974) who was the first president in U.S. history to resign. There once was a hotel in D.C. named “Watergate,” where the president’s men broke in to steal secrets from his election opponents (the Democrats in 1972). […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Anthony Barksdale appointed as new Deputy Mayor for Public Safety
By Kara Thompson, MDDC Intern On July 8, Mayor Brandon Scott announced that Baltimore’s next Deputy Mayor for Public Safety would be Anthony Barksdale. Born and raised in Baltimore, Barksdale brings a thorough knowledge of Baltimore to his new position, as well as years of experience in law enforcement and a history of proactive public […]