Category: Afro Briefs

On July 28, the House of Representatives passed the Fair Sentencing Act (S.1789) to restore fairness to Federal cocaine sentencing. The legislation, which matches a measure passed in March by the Senate, is aimed at reducing the current sentencing disparity of those convicted of possession of crack cocaine versus powder cocaine and eliminating mandatory minimum […]

Jean Gregoire Sagbo, a 48-year-old African native, recently made history after he was elected Russia’s first Black politician. Sagbo, who now serves as one of the 10 councilmen in the village of Novozavidovo, aims to use his newly elected position as an opportunity to rescue the village from drug addiction, pollution and poverty. “Novozavidovo is […]

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law will honor CNN and Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Bernette Johnson with its Distinguished Civil Rights Advocate Award at a reception hosted in conjunction with the National Bar Association´s 85th Annual Convention in New Orleans. During the Aug. 11 event, the CNN network and Justice Johnson will be […]

According to the United States Fire Administration (USFA), African-American children are at increased risk of death during home fires. A 2008 report found 38 percent of all children killed in home fires in the United States were Black. In addition, a study found African Americans as a racial group and African-American children face higher rates […]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently issued a first-of-its-kind analysis showing that 2.1 percent of heterosexuals living in urban areas with high rates of poverty in the U.S. are infected with HIV. The findings indicate a massive health concern for many low-income cities in America, who may now face generalized HIV epidemics as […]

Detroit Police Chief Warren Evans resigned on July 21, according to city officials, amid dual controversies over his appearance on a reality show and a relationship with a fellow officer. “We appreciate the time and dedication that Warren Evans has given to the Detroit Police Department,” Detroit Mayor Dave Bing said in a statement. “He […]

The next time you go to your favorite restaurant and order those specialty nachos, you might want to think twice before trying the dip. A study by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found that salsa and guacamole from many food restaurants around the country are often the cause of food poisoning. The CDC found […]

The mayor of an upstate New York town resigned July 20 after he was secretly recorded using a racial slur mocking President Obama’s campaign slogan. According to WTEN 10, on the tape, Cobleskill, N.Y. Mayor Mark Nadeau and Supervisor Tom Murray used the “n-word” in a conversation. Nadeau used a racist acronym when characterizing Obama’s […]

The June 2 dragging death of Anthony Hill is without a doubt a hate crime, according to the New Black Panther Party. But the South Carolina state prosecutor and investigators aren’t so sure; claiming that Hill’s death at the hands of a White man could have been a dispute between two friends that had a […]

Rev. William Barber, president of the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP, was among 19 people arrested at a July 20 hearing in Wake County, N.C. about the local school district’s busing policy. “It’s time that the Wake County school board officials wake up and realize how a model for re-segregation will damage not only […]

Shirley Sherrod, a Black USDA official announced her resignation on July 19. Sherrod, the former USDA Georgia Director of Rural Development said the White House pressured her to resign. “They called me twice,” Sherrod told the Associated Press. “The last time they asked me to pull over the side of the road and submit my […]

Vonetta McGee, a leading actress in popular 1970s films Blacula and Shaft died at a hospital in Berkeley, Calif., on July 9 after suffering a heart attack and spending two days on life support, the Los Angeles Times reported. She was 65. A family spokeswoman to the Times McGee’s death was due to an undisclosed […]