By Ariama C. Long, New York Amsterdam News New York City Councilmember Rita Joseph has introduced a bill to address the rise of suicide rates among Black girls and boys, and other racial ethnic groups, an “alarming” situation that’s persisted for the past two decades nationwide. September is National Suicide Prevention Month and Americans are […]
Category: Afro Briefs
Posted inCoronavirus
CDC challenges continue: fighting a pandemic requires public trust
By Fatiha Belfakir, Special to the AFRO, fbelfakir@afro.com The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently revealed new changes of its operations and the COVID-19 quarantine protocol. This sparked a debate among both the American public and health professionals, exposing a dire need to rebuild a fundamental trust between the people and public health […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Minneapolis teacher contract’s race language ignites firestorm
By Steve Karnowski, The Associated Press When Minneapolis teachers settled a 14-day strike in March, they celebrated a groundbreaking provision in their new contract that was meant to shield teachers of color from seniority-based layoffs and help ensure that students from racial minorities have teachers who look like them. Months later, conservative media outlets have […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Madam C. J. Walker barbie doll now available
By Brenda C. Siler, Word in Black Madam C. J. Walker’s status as an entrepreneur, philanthropist and activist has long been a model for aspiring Black business owners. On August 24, she became a model too- a doll in the image of Madam premiered as part of Mattel’s “Barbie – Inspiring Women Series.” According to […]
Posted inTechnology
Apple announces security risk; experts advise haste with latest iPhone update
By Mae Anderson and Michael Liedtke, AP Business Writers Apple regularly issues updates to the software powering the iPhone, and sometimes it’s OK to dawdle when it comes to installing them. But that’s not the case with its latest — an upgrade that Apple released Aug. 17 to close a security hole that could allow […]
Posted inBaltimore News
‘Street librarian’ aims to bring Baltimore kids more books
By Aaron Wright, The Baltimore Banner via The Associated Press Araba Maze noticed neighborhood kids gathering around her as she read children’s books to her niece on her front stoop. As she wrapped up storytelling, one of the kids asked, “When are you gonna do this again?” She later made it an everyday occurrence to […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
James Baldwin Legacy Awards Celebrates Contributions Of Black Men Within The LGBTQ+/SGL Community
The National Black Justice Coalition Honors Black Elders With James Baldwin Legacy Awards. (Black PR Wire) – On Sunday, August 21, 2022, National Senior Citizens Day, at 3 p.m. ET, the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) hosted the 2nd annual James Baldwin Legacy Awards to honor the invaluable contributions of Black men and masculine elders within […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Statue honors once-enslaved woman who won freedom in court
By Mark Pratt, The Associated Press The story of the enslaved woman who went to court to win her freedom more than 80 years before the Emancipation Proclamation has been pushed to the fringes of history. A group of civic leaders, activists and historians hope that ends Aug. 21 in the quiet Massachusetts town of […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
CEO selling NFTs of Confederate monuments he took down
By Chris Suarez, The Richmond Times-Dispatch via The Associated Press After removing the Robert E. Lee monument in Richmond and nearly two dozen other statues across the city and state, Devon Henry is seeking to raise money for charity by selling digital artwork inspired by their removal in the cryptocurrency market. CryptoFederacy, Henry’s newest venture, […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Black men in Baltimore join forces to foster generational wealth
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com According to the Abell Foundation, the homeownership rate in Baltimore City dropped from 51 percent to 47 percent from 2007 to 2017. The Black homeownership rate plunged to 42 percent. The decline of Black homeownership is not special to Baltimore. In fact, the […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Factuality is the board game giving players a 90-minute crash course on structural inequality in the U.S.
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com While working as a director of diversity at Notre Dame of Maryland University, Natalie Gillard was often tasked with developing diversity training for the school. She would find standard exercises online and run them in person, but they felt foreign to her. Even […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Wes Moore visits communities across Maryland ahead of November election
By Tashi McQueen, AFRO Political Writer, Report For America Corps Member After winning the Democratic primary on July 19, gubernatorial nominee Wes Moore now moves on to face Dan Cox, the Republican rival backed by former President Donald Trump, on Nov. 8. Moore is making his rounds throughout Maryland to engage with local communities and […]