By Jannette J. Witmyer, Special to the Afro When Johns Hopkins University holds its 146th Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 22, the University will award an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree to Baltimore artist Joyce J. Scott, a visual and performing artist well known for creating intricately designed beadwork, sculpture, and quilt-work to expose and address social […]
Category: Arts & Culture
Posted inPrince George's County News
Civil rights exhibit on Maryland’s pivotal role to open this Spring
By Nicole D. Batey, Special to the AFRO The Maryland Center for History and Culture will open its new exhibit, “Passion and Purpose: Voices of Maryland’s Civil Rights Activists,” on May 20. In the exhibition, historic moments in the ongoing civil rights movement are told through the words and voices of those who lived it. […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Dewmore Baltimore celebrates 10 years, crowns new Grand Slam Youth Poetry winner
By AFRO Staff Dewmore Baltimore, the city’s premier community-based organization focused on “using art and community organizing as tools to increase community engagement” is celebrating a decade in service this year. The organization recently held their Baltimore Youth Grand Slam at the Baltimore Design School in East Baltimore. Participants aged 13 to 19 were eligible […]
Posted inTV and Film
New ‘Doctor Who’ star is ‘Sex Education’ actor Ncuti Gatwa
By The Associated Press Ncuti Gatwa will take the mantle from Jodie Whittaker on “Doctor Who,” the BBC announced May 8, ending speculation over the iconic Time Lord’s next regeneration. “Sometimes talent walks through the door and it’s so bright and bold and brilliant, I just stand back in awe and thank my lucky stars,” […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Morgan U. alum, David E. Talbert, award-winning filmmaker, to keynote Spring commencement, May 21
By Special to the AFRO David E. Talbert, celebrated auteur and 1989 Morgan State University graduate, will be the keynote speaker at Morgan’s 145th Spring Commencement Exercises held on May 21, beginning at 9:30 a.m. An accomplished and award-winning filmmaker, Talbert is set to deliver an inspiring message reflecting his profound capacity for storytelling and […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Mosaic’s Marys Seacole Celebrates Black Caregivers
Broadway star and famed singer of the “Reading Rainbow” television show theme song, Tina Fabrique appears alongside local favorite Kim Bey under the direction of beloved local director Eric Ruffin in Mosaic Theater’s production of Marys Seacole by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury, on stage now through May 29th. Hailed as “revelatory” by The […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Met Gala moment: Janelle Monáe stuns in futuristic look
By Beatrice Dupuy, John Carucci and Jocelyn Novack, The Associated Press News It started in 1948 as a society midnight supper, and it wasn’t even at the Met. Fast forward 70-plus years, and the Met Gala is something totally different, one of the most photographed events in the world for its head-spinning red carpet — […]
Posted inTV and Film
HBO puts spotlight on corruption in Baltimore Police Department with new mini-series
By AFRO Staff A new HBO miniseries, “We Own This City,” has refocused attention on the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) and the corrupt officers of the BPD Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF) that terrorized the city for years. Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, the six-episode series is based on the book, “We Own This City,” written […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
2022 Met Gala highlights
Help us Continue to tell OUR Story and join the AFRO family as a member – subscribers are now members! Join here!
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
LeVar Burton to receive Lifetime Achievement Award for literacy advocacy
By AFRO Staff LeVar Burton is a fixture in the memories of many African Americans, having played a pivotal role in the seminal slavery saga, “Roots” and hosting “Reading Rainbow” for more than two decades. This year, the actor and television host will be recognized for his contributions to advancing literacy, receiving the Lifetime Achievement […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Ray Charles, Judds inducted into Country Hall of Fame
By Kristin M. Hall, AP Entertainment Writer The Country Music Hall of Fame induced Ray Charles and The Judds on May 1, although the death of Naomi Judd a day earlier will undoubtedly alter the normally celebratory ceremony. The hall continued with the ceremony at the request of Judd’s family, but with “heavy hearts and […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
‘First Lady’ drama spotlights Roosevelt, Ford, Obama spouses
By Lynn Elber, The Associated Press “The First Lady” presents three influential women, three acclaimed actors playing them, and a century of history encompassing wars, presidential scandals and America’s stubborn gender and racial fault lines. The ambitious Showtime drama series proved an irresistible challenge for Oscar-winning director Susanne Bier. While the show’s subjects — Eleanor […]