By Ann Brooks, Special to the AFRO In her recent State of County Budget Address, County Executive Angela Alsobrooks speaks to Prince George’s County’s “future proof budget.” In fiscal year 2024, nearly 82 percent of the county’s $5.4 billion budget will go to education, public safety and policing. While these investments will undoubtedly make our […]
Category: Opinion
Posted inOpinion
Maryland: a look at the new center for Black Power
By Ke’Aun Charles, Special to the AFRO With Gov. Wes Moore’s historic win in 2022, the large presence of the Legislative Maryland Black Caucus in state government and wealthy Black areas such as Prince George’s County, Maryland have the potential to become something we have never seen before in America: a center of institutional Black […]
Posted inOpinion
Black hair should be clean of politics
By Wayne Campbell Black hair continues to be policed– and these days those at the forefront of the discrimination have a new face. Sadly, negative opinions against Black hair these days are not only being expressed by our former European colonizers– but by those who have Black skin. We have all read about Black students […]
Posted inCommentary
Commentary: Collaboration breeds success through a culture of opportunity and innovation in Baltimore City Public Schools
By Kyair Butts, Special to the AFRO Imagine a world where the best of the best shared their insights with others without ego, red tape or hoops to jump through. Think of how you feel when you successfully collaborate on a project, idea or task. The results at completion usually far exceed what one can […]
Posted inCommentary
Commentary: The time is now to recognize the Black men and women of World War II
By Dante R. Brizill, Special to the AFRO As we approach the Memorial Day weekend, it is fitting to remember the ever-vanishing WWII generation. The sense of urgency calls out to us, as they are leaving us at a rapid pace. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, we have approximately 167,000 World War […]
Posted inCommentary
Why are we ignoring our children?
By Dr. Julianne Malveaux, Ph.D, Forward Times Staff The recent massacre of three students and three adults in Nashville is alarming. How and why did a former student invade the school locked and loaded with an automatic weapon and ruthlessly kill innocent students and their caretakers? While it is useless to speculate on the thought […]
Posted inCommentary
Summer 2023 is coming- ready or not
By Maxine J. Wood, Ed.D, Special to the AFRO Winter in the Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C. areas in 2022–2023 was moderately kind, with no real extreme weather challenges. Spring entered rather quietly on March 20, and will end June 20, with the arrival of summer. Ready or not, those perennial expectations, events, activities– and behaviors […]
Posted inCommentary
The obesity crisis is not a hopeless fight for Black America
By Benjamin F. Chavis, Ph.D Whether we accept it or not, obesity continues to be a complex, chronic disease that kills thousands of Black Americans every year. Indeed, nearly half of Black Americans live with obesity, so we cannot afford to ignore this national emergency any longer. The public discourse around weight loss that has […]
Posted inCommentary
It’s time for gun laws to make sense, not casualties
By Catherine Pugh There are laws in every state that should be modified or repealed, either because they are outdated or just don’t make sense. Some laws are not enforceable or provide convenience for legislators. Other statues are not justly applied and can be seen as discriminatory. The question for all states is not only […]
Posted inOPINION
Mistrust Is Ripping America Apart
By Janice Ellis, St. Louis American On an almost daily basis we are confronted with the choice of continuing to believe in the role, value and integrity of our government or conclude that it is irretrievably broken. At a minimum we must seriously ask: Are we at risk of succumbing to what appears to be […]
Posted inWord In Black
Commentary: Air pollution impacts us all — but not equally
By Margot Brown, Word in Black Access to clean air is a fundamental human right. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to clean air. Across the U.S., air pollution threatens the health and safety of millions of Americans, and those threats are not felt equally. Your race or zip code should not determine your life expectancy […]
Posted inOPINION
Clarence Thomas does not belong on the Supreme Court
By Svante Myrick It’s been over 30 years since Justice Clarence Thomas was confirmed to the Supreme Court seat once held by the great Thurgood Marshall, and it’s safe to say that his reputation for unethical behavior – which was poor to start with – has only gotten worse. What are we supposed to think […]