By Jake CoyleAP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Ed Dwight grew up in segregated 1930s Kansas on a farm on the edge of town. An airfield was within walking distance, and, as a boy, he’d often go to marvel at the planes and gawk at the pilots. Most were flying back from hunting trips […]
Category: Black History
Spelman College receives record-breaking $100M gift for scholarships and academic advancement
By Stacy M. BrownNNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent@StacyBrownMedia (NNPA NEWSWIRE) – Renowned businesswoman and philanthropist Ronda Stryker and her husband, William Johnston, chairman of Greenleaf Trust, have bestowed a monumental gift of $100 million to Spelman College. The extraordinary donation is the largest single contribution ever made to a historically Black college or university (HBCU). […]
NNPA highlights the rich civil rights history between Black and Jewish communities during Mid-Winter Training Conference
By Aria Brent AFRO Staff Writer abrent@afro.com The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) held their Mid-Winter Training Conference Jan. 24-27 at the B Ocean Resort and Hotel in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., where they hosted representatives of the 250 Black-owned newspapers and media companies of their membership. The theme for this conference was “Empowering in 2024: The Black […]
What you need to know about the origins of Black History Month
By Jesse J. HollandThe Associated Press Black History Month is considered one of the nation’s oldest organized history celebrations, and has been recognized by U.S. presidents for decades through proclamations and celebrations. Here is some information about the history of Black History Month. How did Black History Month start? It was Carter G. Woodson, a […]
NNPA Mid-Winter Training Conference focuses on allies, the Black vote and tech
By Alexis TaylorAFRO Managing Editor The National Newspaper Publishers Association, the trade association which represents more than 240 Black publications across the nation, held their Mid-Winter Training Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Jan. 24 to Jan. 27. Publishers, editors, writers and businessmen and women from around the country gathered under the theme of empowering the […]
Activism in Journalism: From the seats of Black America’s Press
By Ashleigh FieldsAFRO Assistant Editorafields@afro.com There are currently 49 seats in the James S. Brady briefing room for White House reporters dedicated to covering the most trying truths of our nation’s present and past. Only one belongs to a Black owned media outlet, well half a seat. The Grio, short for the griot, a term […]
Andrew Young reflects on Civil Rights Movement at Washington National Cathedral
By Deborah BaileyAFRO Contributing Editor dbailey@afro.com Seated humbly in a chair on the platform of the Washington National Cathedral, former United Nations Ambassador and Congressman Andrew Young preached extemporaneously Jan. 14. King confidante, friend, collaborator and fellow pastor, Young is among a dwindling number of activists who worked and served full time in the Civil Rights […]
Democrats allocate $35 million for outreach, but overlook Black press in bid for diverse voter support
By Stacy M. BrownNNPA Newswire @StacyBrownMedia In what the Democratic Party is calling a bid to secure control of the U.S. House in the upcoming November elections, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has announced a $35 million investment in a comprehensive outreach initiative targeting Latino, Black, Asian American, Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian voters. “Power […]
NFL reaches ‘major milestone’ with record 9 minority head coaches in place for the 2024 season
By Steve ReedAP Sports Writer CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The National Football League has urged teams for years to hire more minority head coaches. That mission finally seems to be paying off. Four minority head coaches have been hired this year — Atlanta’s Raheem Morris, New England’s Jerod Mayo, Las Vegas’ Antonio Pierce and Carolina’s […]
Lanny Smoot to be the first Disney Imagineer inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame
(Black PR Wire) – Lanny Smoot, a Disney Research Fellow and longtime member of Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development, is being inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. He is the first Disney Imagineer to receive this prestigious recognition and only the second individual from The Walt Disney Company to be inducted—the first […]
Jim Harbaugh pushed for Michigan to hire Sherrone Moore after leaving to lead Chargers
By Larry LageAP Sports Writer ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan is giving Sherrone Moore a shot, hoping he can sustain at least some of the success coach Jim Harbaugh had toward the end of his nine-season run with college football’s winningest program. “Jim talked effusively about Sherrone before the season, after the season and […]
Jackie Robinson statue stolen from a Kansas park
The Associated Press WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A prized statue of Jackie Robinson was stolen from a public park in Kansas, spurring a police search Jan. 26 and outrage across the city of Wichita. The statue honors the first player to break Major League Baseball’s color barrier in 1947. Surveillance video was released of two […]

