By Miranda S. Spivack A community group in Montgomery County was asked to pay $95,000 for copies of police discipline and complaint records, which, under a 2021 change in Maryland law, are no longer automatically private. Local public defenders in Baltimore seeking those records have been told to pay as little as $10 to the […]
Category: Afro Briefs
Posted inINTERNATIONAL
#WordinBlack: Black refugees have harder time fleeing Ukraine
By Isaiah Peters and Dawn Suggs, Word in Black Ukraine continues its heroic homeland defense against Russia’s accelerating invasion to purportedly ‘rid the state of Nazis.’ More than 1.3 million refugees have evacuated their homes and fled the country to escape Russia’s indiscriminate bombardment throughout the country. Black Ukrainians and Africans living in Ukraine are […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Poet Sonia Sanchez to receive Edward MacDowell Medal
By Hillel Italie, Associated Press The poet, activist and educator Sonia Sanchez is this year’s winner of the Edward MacDowell Medal, a lifetime achievement honor started in 1960. The award has previously been given to Robert Frost, Toni Morrison and Stephen Sondheim, among others. “I had tears in my eyes as I learned about this […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Dushko Vulchev of Maine, indicted for federal hate crimes in alleged arson of predominantly Black Massachusetts church
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent@StacyBrownMedia A federal grand jury indicted Dushko Vulchev, 45, of Houlton, Maine, on four counts of damage to religious property involving fire and one count of use of fire to commit a federal felony. Vulchev was indicted for his connection with a fire that destroyed a predominantly […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Keisha Jennings-Eakin, seeking a fair process
By J.J. McQueen, Special to the AFRO In March of 2021, Keisha Jennings-Eakin, an occupational therapist and owner of The Right Turn Rehabilitation Services, approached members of the Harford County government with a proposal for a program that supplemented the needs of seniors living within Harford county. The funding for the proposed project would come […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
“Our community is being wiped out”
By Sean Yoes On a frigid Saturday night in Ashland, Virginia, several members of the Brown Grove Preservation Group gathered at Around the Table, a Black-owned soul food restaurant in the area. As they dined on fried catfish, pork chops, collard greens, macaroni and cheese, and other southern delicacies, several members of the group, who […]
Posted inMaryland Government
Legislative Brief: Municipal Incorporation House Bill HB0042
By J.J. McQueen, Special to the AFRO During the 2021 legislative session, HB1226 was one that could have opened doors for small communities within Harford County’s district 34-A to become municipalities. If approved, communities like Edgewoond and Joppatowne would have had the approval to form their own local governments within Harford County. Why is this […]
Posted inCoronavirus
CDC allows healthy Americans to take off their masks
By Black Health Matters The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has announced that healthy Americans can take off their masks. They have outlined new guidelines for communities where COVID-19 is lessening its grip. The new system set in place changes the look of the CDC’s risk map. It puts more than 70% of the U.S. […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Techstars joins Tulsa startup ecosystem to invest in diversify founders
By BlackPressUSA Founded in 2006, Techstars began with three simple ideas: entrepreneurs create a better future for everyone, collaboration drives innovation, and great ideas can come from anywhere. The global investment business that provides access to capital, one-on-one mentorship, and customized programming for early-stage entrepreneurs helps fledgling business owners succeed. Techstars recently launched the Build […]
Posted inCoronavirus
Pandemic fears are fading along with omicron: AP-NORC poll
By Michael Rubinkam and Hannah Fingerhut, Associated Press News As coronavirus pandemic case numbers, hospitalizations and deaths continue to plummet, fewer people As coronavirus pandemic case numbers, hospitalizations and deaths continue to plummet, fewer people are concerned about catching the omicron variant of the coronavirus. According to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
#WordinBlack: Memorials to lynching victims challenge who writes nation’s history
By Madison Peek, The Howard Center For Investigative Journalism James White looked at the barren ground in Elaine, Arkansas, where a memorial tree dedicated to hundreds of Black lynching victims once grew and reflected on his hometown. White grew up in Elaine, where few talk about the horrific massacre that claimed hundreds of Black lives […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
No Conviction for Brett Hankison, sole officer to face charges stemming for shooting in Breonna Taylor’s apartment
By Alexis Taylor, AFRO News Editor On March 3, 2022, the sole officer to face charges for shooting through the apartment leased to Breonna Taylor in March 2020, was found not guilty of all charges. The trial was live-streamed on a variety of networks, to include the Law and Crime Trial Network. Viewers could watch […]