Discover the rising cost of childcare in Washington, D.C., and how it affects families, especially Black and Brown communities. Learn about National Day Without Child Care and its impact.
Category: Opinion
Posted inOpinion
Black Women built the workforce. Why are we locked out of it?
Discover the challenges faced by Black women in the American workforce and the systemic barriers hindering their employment and entrepreneurship.
Posted inOpinion
The unfinished business of Sonia Hayes and Mildred Frisby
Maryland Sen. Antonio Hayes reflects on the enduring influence of his mother, Sonia Hayes, and grandmother, Mildred Frisby, in a heartfelt Mother’s Day commentary about resilience, sacrifice and public service. Drawing from his upbringing in West Baltimore’s Penn North community, Hayes connects his legislative work to the struggles and hopes of the women who shaped his life and inspired his commitment to improving Baltimore neighborhoods.
Posted inCommentary
The blood that bought the ballot
Before the Voting Rights Act existed, before the Civil Rights Movement had a name, Black Americans were fighting — and dying — for the right to vote. The AFRO was there keeping the record. Here’s what it cost to get to 1965.
Posted inOpinion
Week One: America’s birth, our nation
Karsonya Wise Whitehead, president of The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), reflects on America’s founding through a Black historical lens, emphasizing centuries of resistance, contributions and ongoing struggles for freedom, equality and inclusion in the nation’s promise.
Posted inOpinion
ASALH issues statement on evisceration of the Voting Rights Act of 1965
Dr. Karsonya “Kaye” Wise Whitehead, leader of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) strongly condemns the recent Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) decision in the Louisiana v. Callais case. As the premier Black heritage and learned society, ASALH and its leadership knows this is yet another marker in the ongoing fight to secure and protect our vote—a struggle against disenfranchisement that we have been engaged in since the early 1800s.
Posted inOPINION
The emotional economy of social media
By Stacy Sneed How did we get here? And more importantly, where are we going? Will this fast-paced digital way of communicating continue to expand, or will we ever return to more meaningful connections like before? Modern technology has transformed how people think about themselves and one another. Social media platforms offer both opportunity and […]
Posted inOPINION
Opinion: Baltimore and Maryland are investing billions in transit—so why aren’t residents building wealth along the way?
Michael Eugene Johnson is creator of the Pikes Studio Cinema and cofounder of Black Men Unifying Black Men. This week, he argues that new development near transit needs to include ownership opportunities for average residents in order to foster distributed, generational wealth.
Posted inOPINION
We must rekindle our relationship with Earth
By Rev. Dr. Heber Brown III This month, I’ll head down to rural Virginia to a small town called Kilmarnock in order to celebrate the life of my great uncle, Dwight O’Neal Caster. Preparing for his homegoing caused me to reflect on the significant time that I spent as a child in rural Virginia. I […]
Posted inOpinion, OPINION
Opinion: Tiger Woods didn’t just disappear–we just stopped looking at his pain
By Steven Ragsdale From Augusta to Baltimore, Tiger’s story reflects a familiar pattern—pain ignored, addiction misunderstood and lessons learned too late. Rory McIlroy’s Masters win gave golf the kind of storybook ending it has come to expect from its biggest stage. A boy who learned to play golf in the foothills of Ireland on a […]
Posted inOPINION
Cannabis, justice and religion: My journey to leading a dispensary
Rev. Dr. Heber Brown III is an author, nonprofit executive and now, CEO of Marula Wellness Dispensary. This week, he shares his inspiration for pursuing and opening his own marijuana dispensary.
Posted inCommentary
Overcoming the guilt of a medical diagnosis: My kidney disease journey
After being diagnosed with kidney failure at 31, Sharron Rouse navigated years of uncertainty, dialysis, and ultimately a life-saving transplant before discovering her condition was caused by APOL1-mediated kidney disease, a genetic risk linked to African ancestry. Her journey from confusion and guilt to clarity and advocacy underscores the importance of genetic testing, personalized care, and awareness—especially for communities at higher risk.