Faith leaders in D.C. honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy with a call to action. Bishop Mariann Budde delivers a powerful sermon on equality.
Category: Black History
Posted inBooks
Enoch Pratt to highlight work of Angela Flournoy at 38th Annual Booklover’s Breakfast
Enoch Pratt Free Library will host its sold-out 38th Annual Booklovers’ Breakfast featuring award-winning novelist Angela Flournoy on Feb. 7 at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront.
Posted inBaltimore News
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Morgan State University choir honor MLK Day with community concert
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra honored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a powerful community concert at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Featuring the Morgan State University Choir, the program celebrated the civil rights leader and his legacy through music by Black composers.
Posted inBlack History
Protect the day, protect the truth
By Dr. Frances “Toni” Murphy DraperAFRO CEO and Publisher As the nation marks Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the real question is not how loudly we celebrate — but whether we are willing to live by the values Dr. King demanded. Each January, the nation knows how to celebrate. We mark the day. We replay […]
Posted inBlack History
Remembering the fight for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
By Victoria Mejicanos AFRO Staff Writer vmejicanos@afro.com Nearly 60 years after the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and decades after a hard-fought campaign to make his birthday a federal holiday, organizers, city leaders and scholars are preparing to celebrate on Jan. 19. Though Martin Luther King Jr. Day events are festive, many are […]
Posted inBUSINESS
AFRO spotlight on Black excellence: How Kaci Patterson advances Dr. King’s legacy through equity-driven change
Communities nationwide continue to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy through service, faith and advocacy. Today’s leaders and organizations are expanding his vision through action, equity and community-building.
Posted inArts & Culture
National Museum of African American History and Culture opens exhibition featuring collections from five HBCUs
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture opened a new exhibition, “At the Vanguard: Making and Saving History at HBCUs,” celebrating the cultural, intellectual and artistic legacy preserved by historically Black colleges and universities. Featuring collections from five HBCUs, the exhibition highlights rare artifacts, artwork and archival materials before embarking on a national tour through 2029.
Posted inBlack History
Why Bernice King sees MLK Day as a ‘saving grace’ in today’s political climate
Bernice King says Martin Luther King Jr. Day offers a moral and emotional “saving grace” amid today’s political division, reminding the nation of hope, nonviolence and the ongoing fight against poverty, racism and militarism. She urges Americans to honor her father’s legacy not only through service, but through sustained personal reflection and action toward a more just, humane and peaceful society.
Posted inBlack Press
From the AFRO Archives: A look at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Black Press
The Black Press stood shoulder to shoulder with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the frontlines of the Civil Rights Movement, serving as both a chronicler and catalyst for change. From exposing racial terror to amplifying boycotts and voter education, Black newspapers helped shape the movement from within.
Posted inBlack History
Claudette Colvin, who refused to move before the nation was ready, dies at 86
Claudette Colvin, who refused to give up her seat on a segregated Montgomery bus at age 15—months before Rosa Parks—has died at 86. Though her arrest did not immediately spark a boycott, her courage helped lay the groundwork for the Civil Rights Movement, including her pivotal role as a plaintiff in Browder v. Gayle, the Supreme Court case that ended bus segregation in Alabama.
Posted inWord In Black
Amid backsliding, a Michigan group keeps MLK’s fire burning
As the nation marks 40 years of the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday, the King Commission of Mid-Michigan—one of the oldest organizations devoted to King’s legacy—continues to adapt amid civil rights backsliding. With fewer living veterans of the movement, the Commission is shifting its focus toward educating and empowering younger generations, using its nationally prominent King Luncheon and year-round programming to keep Dr. King’s vision of justice and collective action alive.
Posted inAfro Briefs
Rev. Sharpton issues statement after claims to the New York Times that White people were ‘very badly treated’ from Civil Rights Era actions
By National Action Network Rev. Al Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network (NAN), on Jan. 12 condemned recent claims from President Trump that White people were “very badly treated” as a result of laws and policies adopted during the Civil Rights Movement. Trump’s alarming statements to the New York Times come as […]