Critics question why Maryland has not joined other states suing to preserve stronger clean car standards and why costs of climate damage remain unmeasured. Maryland records 30 heat-related deaths through mid-August, the second-highest number in modern history, along with record ER visits in July.
Category: Opinion
Posted inOpinion
Rediscovering Elsbeth
By Dr. Frances “Toni” DraperAFRO Publisher and CEO When my sixth-grade teacher, Pauline Paysour, mailed me an envelope in July 1994, I nearly dismissed it as a kind gesture from the past. Inside were two treasures: her beautifully handwritten letter and a single story I’d written years earlier, titled “Elsbeth, An English Peasant Girl – […]
Posted inOpinion
Once a fan, always a fan
Despite a disappointing 44-10 loss to the Texans, Ravens fans remain devoted to their team and are determined to show up and support them through the tough times.
Posted inOpinion
What do Black Americans have to lose under the 47th president? Everything
Angela Hanks and Jeremy Edwards of The Century Foundation argue that while the 47th president once asked Black voters “What do you have to lose?”, his current presidency has left them with worsening unemployment, rising debt and greater economic vulnerability. They warn that Trump’s economic and social policies — from tariffs to cuts in healthcare, education, and food assistance — are disproportionately harming Black Americans and risk eroding hard-won progress.
Posted inOpinion
Thirty years after the O.J. Simpson verdict, what we’ve lost is respect for the rule of law
Carl E. Douglas, an award-winning civil rights attorney and founding partner of Douglas Hicks Law, served on O.J. Simpson’s “Dream Team,” helping secure his acquittal in 1995. Decades later, on the anniversary of the verdict announcement, he discusses the polarization of America and the importance of a return to civil discourse– even in the midst of disagreement.
Posted inOpinion
Another blood-stained sanctuary: America cannot look away
Violence in sacred spaces is an American epidemic that must be addressed with laws, leadership, and a return to civil speech, as well as preparation and vigilance in faith institutions, schools, and civic organizations.
Posted inCommentary
From stigma to support: Rethinking how schools address youth mental health
By Wayne Campbell “Mental health problems don’t define who you are. They are something you experience. You walk in the rain and you feel the rain, but you are not the rain.” – Matt Haig The youth mental health crisis endures, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data released in August. In […]
Posted inOpinion
Our voices and our votes matter
Sylvia Ghazarian, executive director of the Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project, says that National Voter Registration Month, designated by the National Association of Secretaries of State in 2002, serves as a reminder that democracy depends on participation. Ghazarian stresses that reproductive freedom, LGBTQIA+ rights, climate justice, disability rights and racial equity are all tied to voter turnout.
Posted inCommentary
Legalization was never about justice– and Illinois just proved it
Will Jones III is the director of community engagement and outreach for Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM). He is a third generation Washingtonian. This week, he shares his thoughts on the toll of “Big Marijauna” on the Black and Brown community.
Posted inOpinion
What were they thinking: A betrayal of leadership?
Black Americans across the nation are questioning why Black leaders such as Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY-08) voted for a National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk, the conservative commentator who often made disparaging comments about the Black community. This week, AFRO News Publisher and CEO Dr. Frances Murphy Draper speaks on the legislators who voted to honor Kirk, and praises those like Congressman Kweisi Mfume (D-MD-07) (center) and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14) (right), who stood against the resolution put before them.
Posted inOPINION
Upset about your electric bills this summer? Get to know PJM.
Lyle Rawlings, president of the Mid-Atlantic Solar & Storage Industries Association, and Andy Wall, a board member, argue that skyrocketing summer electric bills across the PJM region are the result of flawed market rules and artificially inflated prices, not a true shortage of power.
Posted inOPINION
Block by block: How communities are torn apart
Steven Kappen, a staff attorney with Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service who focuses on estate planning, probate and property issues, explains how Baltimore’s neighborhoods are hollowed out block by block through tax sales, foreclosures, and discriminatory housing policies. Using a study of the 500 block of N. Carrollton Ave., he shows how family homeownership has dropped sharply, fueling displacement and community loss.
