By Maya Pottiger, Word in Black The banning of Black books is making the headlines again. This time, it’s because some parents are claiming all types of Black books — like picture book biographies of Civil Rights leaders — are teaching critical race theory. The American Library Association tracks annually the most challenged and banned […]
Category: Afro Briefs
Posted inNational News
Katrina Survivors Were Told They Could Use Grant Money to Rebuild. Now They’re Being Sued for It.
by Richard A. Webster, The Advocate | The Times-Picayune, and David Hammer, WWL-TV After Hurricane Katrina, struggling homeowners said, they were told not to worry about the fine print when they received grants to elevate their homes. Now the state is going after them because they did exactly that. This article was produced for ProPublica’s […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Man pleads guilty to stealing checks intended for churches
By The Associated Press GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — A Florida man has pleaded guilty in connection with the theft of more than 2,600 checks intended for religious institutions in several states that were deposited into fake bank accounts, a federal prosecutor in Maryland said. Florin Vaduva, 31, of Dania Beach, Florida, pleaded guilty to conspiracy […]
Posted inNational News
Report for America expands into all 50 states, bolsters newsroom diversity with diverse selection of new corps members
Report for America today announced the placements of more than 300 journalists for its 2022-23 reporting corps. The cohort, which includes a number of corps members returning for a second or third year, will join the staffs of more than 200 local news organizations across all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Guam. The […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Women Find A Winning Solution in Dealing with Hair Loss
By Sylvia Dunnavant Hines After Actor Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock during the Oscars for making a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, one word was echoed around the world – alopecia. From break rooms to the morning talk shows, people were asking, “what is alopecia?” Even though many people in the nation […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Last Minute Mother’s Day Finds – For The Culture!
By Cara Williams The most celebrated holiday other than Valentine’s Day is Mother’s Day. But sometimes, life happens, and we find ourselves scrounging for last-minute gifts and activities for our cherished moms. We’ve found some places in Washington DC and the surrounding areas to consider if you are still searching for the perfect gift, and […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Mother’s Day: women talk the nuances of motherhood on a day of celebration for some and grief for others
By Reginald Williams, Special to the AFRO The joy that many mothers feel serving as a vessel for life is unexplainable. Many mothers conclude that motherhood is a central experience in their lives. However, with all its joys, maternity is saturated with its fair share of challenges, often leaving moms to feel depleted. “Being a […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Wellness nonprofits come together to promote movement in the Black community and equal usage of Baltimore’s green spaces
By Jonathan Samuel Meltzer, Special to the AFRO Charm City’s athletic organizations are on a mission to get Black Baltimoreans moving. Recently, more than 200 residents gathered in Carroll Park for the first annual Cylovia, which took place at the Move Well Fest in Carroll Park. The two events were held together as a joint […]
Posted inHealth
Labor and Delivery — ‘No One Feels Forgotten’
As a nurse in the labor and delivery unit on Zayed 8 at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Nikki Bellamy worried that sick mothers and babies were sometimes waiting too long to see a nurse or a doctor. “When we got especially busy, we had patients sitting in the waiting room as long as eight hours […]
Posted inWord In Black
#WordinBlack: The 4 Biggest Barriers Keeping Black Students Out of Advanced Classes
by Maya Pottiger This is the second article in a three-part series that looks at why AP classes aren’t offered to all students, the barriers to being able to take an AP class, and, in the end, who benefits from these classes and tests. Amir Cannon struggled taking International Baccalaureate classes, a rigorous option similar to the College […]
Posted inWord In Black
#WordinBlack: How Black Kids Benefit From AP Classes — Even Without College Credit
by Maya Pottiger This is the third article in a three-part series that looks at why AP classes aren’t offered to all students, the barriers to being able to take an AP class, and, in the end, who benefits from these classes and tests. The beginning of May brings a particular buzz to the halls of […]
Posted inCoronavirus
Overcoming tragedy: surviving two rounds of COVID-19 in Detroit
By Darryl Sellers, Special to the AFRO There’s rarely a day that goes by when we don’t hear or read about how the pandemic has adversely affected the lives of Black Americans, leading them on unexpected twists and turns. This is especially true for Latresa Rice, who is on a mission to share her poignant […]