Stephanie Cochran, a cancer survivor and Lynch syndrome advocate, shares how investigating her own family health history led to an early diagnosis of endometrial cancer and revealed a hereditary condition that significantly increases cancer risk. She urges Black and Brown communities to document family medical histories, consider genetic testing for Lynch syndrome, and advocate for proactive, informed healthcare to help save lives across generations.
Category: Opinion
Posted inOpinion
The Community Trust Act: Due process should not depend on immigration status
The Community Trust Act in Maryland would require a judicial warrant for immigration detention, ensuring due process and protecting the rights of those accused of a crime.
Posted inOPINION
Commentary: Turning the page toward a healthier and more engaged DC
Jimmie Williams is CEO and president of the Washington Literacy Center and Adrian Jordan is a member of the board and works for Elevance Health. In this piece, they posit that improving adult literacy in Washington, D.C., is essential to strengthening public health, economic opportunity and civic participation, particularly as new challenges like ranked-choice voting emerge.
Posted inOpinion
When a scent becomes a sentence: The high price of low-level marijuana arrests
Miranda Jones (Sis. Miranda) is an English educator and co-founder of the grassroots organization Hate Out of Winston (HOOW). This week, she argues that one man’s experience reflects a broader fear: For many Black residents, even a parked car offers no protection from police scrutiny. She also reflects on the systemic imbalance in how marijuana possession arrests are applied as referenced in this artwork by Shepard Fairey in Los Angeles, Calif.
Posted inWord In Black
March Madness runs on Black athletes, but at what cost?
By Ashley Stewart, Ph.D.Word in Black Scan the NCAA’s Sweet 16 rosters and you’ll see what college basketball has always known: Black athletes built this tournament. Now imagine if their institutions invested in their minds the way they profit from their bodies. Each March, college basketball becomes a unifying cultural event unlike almost anything else […]
Posted inOPINION
Joy-based budgeting is in: Tips for achieving your financial goals
By Janet Currie As many households continue to watch their budgets, “joy-based budgeting” has become a more positive and realistic way to manage their money. Instead of focusing only on cutting spending, this approach encourages people to spend intentionally on the things that matter most to them. Joy-based budgeting helps consumers prioritize purchases and experiences […]
Posted inOpinion
No Kings Day and Black participation
On March 28, 2026, millions of Americans will take part in the third major No Kings Day Protest against the presidency of Donald Trump, and voter participation in the upcoming elections is key to making a difference.
Posted inOpinion
Global conflict pressures food and fuel prices
Congresswoman Alma S. Adams highlights the real consequences of global conflicts on American families, from rising energy prices to increased fertilizer costs, and the need for affordable and accessible healthcare.
Posted inOpinion
When a scent becomes a sentence: The high price of low-level marijuana arrests
By Miranda Jones On Nov. 3, 2025, Nathaniel Williams was sitting in his car in Greensboro, N.C., when the air changed. The clock had just struck 11 p.m.—the dead of night—when a private moment was shattered, transforming into a viral nightmare of physical and a high-stress arrest. According to Greensboro Police, Williams had marijuana in […]
Posted inOPINION
The Black power struggle is not over—It has evolved
By Michael Eugene Johnson There is a dangerous myth circulating in some corners of public discourse: that the Black Power struggle ended decades ago. That it peaked in the 1960s and early 1970s with fiery rhetoric, militant activism and iconic leaders and then quietly disappeared into history as equality was “achieved.” This notion is convenient […]
Posted inOPINION
It’s time to reframe the narrative on Opportunity Zones
By Vernoy July With the extension of the Opportunity Zone (OZ) tax benefit as part of the 2025 Reconciliation Act, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), now is the time to strategize to maximize the flow of transformational funds to the communities that stand to benefit the most—but first, the narrative […]
Posted inOPINION
A message to Anne Arundel County: An apology without repair isn’t complete
By Rev. Dr. Heber Brown III In any conversation about healing from the horrific legacy of slavery, there lingers the question of what comes next. We all know that slavery created devastating harms. Particularly with current threats to the true telling of history, it is significant when our government recognizes and acknowledges this. But what […]