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 […]
Category: Civil Rights
Posted inCivil Rights
Michigan case offers an example of how public trust suffers when police officers lie
By Corey WilliamsThe Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — A Black man who was detained by police during an early morning walk in a quiet community northwest of Detroit says the White officer who threw him against a squad car, cuffed him and accused him of planning to break into a car also told a significant […]
Posted inBlack History
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 […]
Posted in!Front Page National News
After LA police raid home of Black Lives Matter attorney, a judge orders photographs destroyed
By Jake OffenhartzThe Associated Press A judge has ordered the Los Angeles Police Department to get rid of photographs of legal documents that officers allegedly took during an unannounced raid on the home of an attorney representing a prominent Black Lives Matter activist. The attorney, Dermot Givens, said roughly a dozen Los Angeles police officers […]
Posted inMayor Brandon Scott
Baltimore City officials announce significant progress in consent decree
By Tashi McQueenAFRO Political Writertmcqueen@afro.com The Baltimore Police Department (BPD) recently filed a joint motion with the Department of Justice (DOJ) announcing that BPD has reached full and effective compliance on two sections of their mandated consent decree. “Together with the DOJ, we filed a joint motion that BPD has reached a state of full […]
Posted inCivil Rights
A Texas school’s punishment of a Black student who wears his hair in locs is going to trial
By Juan LozanoThe Associated Press ANAHUAC, Texas (AP) — A judge ordered Jan. 24 that a trial be held next month to determine whether a Black high school student in Texas can continue being punished by his district for refusing to change a hairstyle he and his family say is protected by a new state […]
Posted inTechnology
Inequitable algorithms: Facial recognition’s alarming pattern of misidentifying Black individuals sparks calls for reform
By Stacy M. BrownNNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent (NNPA NEWSWIRE) – Recent research conducted by Scientific American Online supported fears that facial recognition technology (FRT) can worsen racial inequities in policing. The research found that law enforcement agencies that use automated facial recognition disproportionately arrest Black people. The report’s authors stated that they believe these […]
Posted in!Front Page National News
NNPA 2024 annual mid-winter conference to empower Black America
By Stacy M. BrownNNPA Newswire The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) is gearing up for its 2024 Annual Mid-Winter Training Conference, which begins on Jan. 24, at the B Ocean Resort and Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Representing 250 African American-owned newspapers and media companies in the United States, NNPA’s theme for this year’s conference […]
Posted inCommentary
After Claudine Gay’s resignation, who and what will colleges defend?
By José Luis Vilson Claudine Gay was the first Black president in Harvard University’s history and, as such, stewarded the work of the world’s most prestigious university over a six-month tenure. I’ve read dozens of opinions, and no one has any illusions about the nature of working for a university like Harvard. Creating a space […]
Posted inCommentary
We must work together to support the sustainability of HBCUs in America
By Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. Earlier this year the U.S. Department of Education sent all colleges and universities across the nation a notice, reminding them that they need to comply with the newly updated cybersecurity regulations published by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The regulations – which include specifications such as implementing critical controls […]
Posted inMLK Memorial Special Coverage
Youth compete in oratorical contest held by Prince Williams County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority in honor of MLK Day
By AFRO Staff In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Prince Williams County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority (PWCAC-DST) held their 39th annual oratorical competition at Charles J. Colgan High School in Manassas, Va. Students from sixth to 12th grade competed for a cash prize, a Drum Major medal, certificate […]
Posted inHBCU
Historically Black Missouri college in turmoil after suicide of administrator who alleged bullying
By Heather Hollingsworth and Summer BallentineThe Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Many students at a historically Black college in Missouri returned from Christmas break this week dressed in black, mourning the suicide of a beloved administrator who had alleged bullying and racism by the school’s White president. Known for keeping her office door […]
