By Victoria MejicanosAFRO Staff Writer On Sept. 15, 1963, the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., was bombed, killing four girls in the church’s basement and shocking the nation. Sixty-two years later, the attack is remembered as a turning point in the civil rights movement and a reminder of the role Black churches continue […]
Category: Civil Rights
Posted inMaryland News
Civil rights leaders at Maryland gala urge unity, investment in young voices
The Maryland Commission on Civil Rights hosted its 2025 Annual Civil Rights Gala on Aug. 23 at Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland, featuring a panel discussion on unity, policy and the future of leadership. Panelists Jeff Johnson, Tamika D. Mallory and Maryland Del. Malcolm P. Ruff, D-District 41, urged attendees to stay committed to the civil rights movement and invest in young leadership.
Posted inCommentary
ASALH leads resistance to attacks on Smithsonian and U.S. history
ASALH is standing in opposition to the President’s directive to review archival materials and remove any exhibit or artifact that does not align with his definition of American exceptionalism, and is calling for daily acts of resistance to preserve and protect Black history.
Posted inMaryland News
Maryland’s forgotten victims: Shedding light on the state’s lynching legacy
Since 2018, the Maryland Lynching Memorial Project has worked to uncover the state’s legacy of racial terror, documenting dozens of lynchings that were long ignored or forgotten. Its leaders say reckoning with these truths is essential to healing—and to preventing history from repeating itself.
Posted inNational News
Civil rights attorney James Ferguson II, who helped integrate schools, dies at 82
By Ashleigh FieldsSpecial to the AFRO Longtime attorney and civil rights activist James Ferguson II died on July 21, leaving a hole in the lives and hearts of former clients, business partners and the country’s living icons. Ferguson, a North Carolina native, earned his stake in legal prominence with the landmark Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board […]
Posted inEditorial
The endgame behind the MLK Files — erase the man, then erase the holiday
The sudden release of FBI files on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a calculated attempt to tarnish his legacy and silence the symbols that inspire progress, and is part of a broader reactionary wave aimed at rewriting history.
Posted inAfro Briefs
FBI’s Release of MLK assassination files is an invasion of privacy, say King’s children
President Donald Trump’s executive order to release over 240,000 pages of FBI documents on the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has sparked backlash from King’s children, who call the move an invasion of privacy. They argue the files, rooted in the FBI’s COINTELPRO campaign, are part of a longstanding effort to discredit their father and the civil rights movement.
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Paris unveils mural of Josephine Baker to honor her legacy
A new mural honoring Josephine Baker has been unveiled in northeast Paris, celebrating the legendary entertainer’s legacy as a performer, World War II spy, and civil rights activist. Painted by artist FKDL, the mural is part of a street art festival and serves as a tribute to Baker’s enduring spirit of freedom, resistance, and cultural impact, fifty years after her death.
Posted inOpinion
Legally Written: A modern-day green book for justice
In honor of Juneteenth, Kisha A. Brown announces the launch of the first national Black Lawyer Directory aimed at empowering Black communities through culturally competent legal representation. Through the “Road to 1 Million” campaign, the initiative seeks to connect 1 million Black households with trusted Black attorneys by Juneteenth 2026, echoing the legacy of the Green Book as a tool for protection and empowerment.
Posted inOpinion
Is pride in the way of progress?
Christopher Anderson, member of the Baltimore City Republican Central Committee and former congressional and Baltimore City Council candidate, argues that Pride Month has overshadowed Black struggles by co-opting the momentum of the Civil Rights Movement and pushing Black issues further down the national agenda. He urges Black Americans to prioritize their identity and challenges uncritical support of movements that may dilute their fight for justice.
Posted inReligion
Rebuilding one of the nation’s oldest Black churches begins at Juneteenth ceremony
On Juneteenth, a ceremonial groundbreaking marked the reconstruction of First Baptist Church of Williamsburg—one of the oldest Black churches in the U.S.—on its original site, where enslaved and free Black worshippers once defied laws to gather in faith. The effort by Colonial Williamsburg aims to restore not only a historic structure but also the long-suppressed legacy of Black Americans who shaped the nation’s spiritual and cultural foundations.
Posted inNAACP
NAACP previews 116th national convention, aiming to empower community amidst adversity
NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson was joined by local and national NAACP leaders and key Charlotte stakeholders for a press conference to preview the upcoming 116th National Convention in Charlotte.
