By Gene A. LambeySpecial to the AFRO On Friday, March 13, 2020 teachers and members of the school community had their last normal day in the workforce. As fear of a deadly virus spread, infection rates traveled faster. In recognition of the fifth anniversary of the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the AFRO reached out […]
Category: Afro Briefs
Posted inNational News
Congressman Kweisi Mfume introduces legislation to commemorate African American World War II hero Doris Miller
On National Medal of Honor Day, Congressman Kweisi Mfume introduced two bills to honor African American World War II hero Doris “Dorie” Miller, who bravely manned an anti-aircraft gun during the Pearl Harbor attack despite having no formal training. The legislation seeks to posthumously award Miller both the Medal of Honor and the Congressional Gold Medal, recognizing his long-overdue heroism and service to a country that had yet to grant him full rights at the time of his valor.
Posted inEducation
Reading the room: Why Black kids need more than the norm
Diana Greene, CEO of the Children’s Literacy Initiative, argues that Black students’ reading struggles stem from socioeconomic barriers like poverty, food insecurity and chronic absenteeism rather than instructional methods alone. She advocates for a holistic, equity-driven approach that supports early literacy, family engagement and addressing students’ basic needs to create lasting improvements in reading proficiency.
Posted inAfro Briefs
One of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen remembers struggle for recognition amid 47th president’s diversity purge
By Mead Gruver and Thomas PeipertThe Associated Press AURORA, Colo. (AP) — With members of a trailblazing Black Air Force unit passing away at advanced ages, efforts to remain true to their memory carry on despite sometimes confusing orders from President Donald Trump as he purges federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Col. James H. […]
Posted inReligion
Bishop Michael Curry’s gospel of love
By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware Overview: Appointed in 2015, Curry, a widely respected theologian, guided the Episcopal Church through challenging times, including the COVID-19 pandemic and racial reconciliation. Bishop Michael Curry has no doubt: There is evil in the world. Turn on the evening news, as he does most days, and you’ll see plenty of […]
Posted inWord In Black
As services shrink, the Black Church steps up
By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware Overview: Since its founding during the era of slavery, the Black church has made community service and social justice core parts of its mission. A survey of faith leaders found the Black church is far more likely to take on those roles at home than white churches, who are more […]
Posted inClimate Change
Is the US becoming uninsurable? How climate change affects insurance costs
By Andrea Vale As Southern California still reels from January’s catastrophic wildfires, the economic damage has surged to $250 billion, far exceeding initial estimates. But that figure doesn’t account for damage incurred by residents whose homes and businesses were reduced to rubble and ash. The Palisades and Eaton fires alone will result in up to […]
Posted inINTERNATIONAL
Why White House is singling out South Africa and accusing it of being anti-White and anti-American
The Trump administration expelled South Africa’s ambassador, Ebrahim Rasool, accusing him of being anti-American and supporting Hamas, while also imposing sanctions on the country over its domestic and foreign policies. The move escalates tensions between the two nations, which were already strained under the Biden administration due to South Africa’s stance on Russia and its accusations against Israel at the UN’s top court.
Posted inAfro Briefs
U.S. Army Women’s Foundation announces 2025 Hall of Fame inductees
By U.S. Army Women’s Foundation WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Army Women’s Foundation will hold their annual Hall of Fame Induction and Scholarship Ceremony at 1:30 p.m. on March 19, 2025, at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Virginia. Six women Army veterans will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, and two champions […]
Posted inNational News
How Jesse Jackson embodied Southern politics − and changed American elections
By Gibbs Knotts, Coastal Carolina University and Christopher A. Cooper, Western Carolina University Holding hands with other prominent Black leaders, the Rev. Jesse Jackson crossed the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, Alabama, on March 9, 2025, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday.” Like several survivors of that violent day in 1965, when police […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Black homeownership faces persistent barriers despite hard-fought gains
By Stacy M. BrownBlackPressUSA.com Senior National Correspondent@StacyBrownMedia Sonia Reed believed she had achieved the American dream. In December 2024, the Black grandmother and former homeless individual became a homeowner in San Leandro, California. But her triumph quickly turned into a nightmare when neighbors began harassing her with racial slurs and vandalizing her property. “I worked […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Beyond Tulsa: Uncovering America’s forgotten Black Wall Streets and their legacies today
By Jazmin GoodwinData work By Elena Cox “Beautiful, bustling, and Black”—that was how author, attorney, and activist Hannibal B. Johnson described Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Greenwood District in his book “Black Wall Street: From Riot to Renaissance in Tulsa’s Historic Greenwood District.” In the early 1900s, the Greenwood District flourished with over 100 Black-owned businesses, from restaurants […]