By D. Kevin McNeirSpecial to the AFROkmcneir@afro.com Go-Go Awareness Week kicked off Nov. 17 with a press conference held at the Go-Go Museum & Café in Southeast Washington, D.C. And while legends, including Rare Essence, E.U., Trouble Funk and “the godfather of go-go,” Chuck Brown, were essential in the evolution of the regional music style into […]
Category: Arts & Culture
Posted inDMV News
Local Black actors transcend racial barriers in stellar performances as Ebenezer Scrooge in holiday classic, ‘A Christmas Carol’
By D. Kevin McNeirSpecial to the AFROkmcneir@afro.com For those who are diehard fans of the stage and anxiously await the holiday season every December, enjoying a production of the Charles Dickens classic, “A Christmas Carol”: counts as a family tradition. Over the past decade, two Black actors, Gregory Burgess and Craig Wallace, portraying Ebenezer Scrooge […]
Posted inMusic
Salt-N-Pepa blaze the stage and Outkast reunites in style at 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony
Salt-N-Pepa celebrated their trailblazing legacy with a high-energy performance and message of empowerment, while Outkast reunited to reflect on their Atlanta roots during a star-studded 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction that also honored Cyndi Lauper, Soundgarden, and the White Stripes.
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
‘Michael’: The King of Pop’s story returns to the big screen
Lionsgate has released the trailer and set an April 24, 2026, premiere date for “Michael,” the long-awaited biopic about Michael Jackson directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring the pop icon’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson. The film promises to honor Jackson’s artistry and humanity, tracing his rise from child prodigy to global legend while focusing on his creative legacy beyond controversy.
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
At Morgan State theater, ‘Ain’t No Mo’’ mixes comedy with painful honesty
Morgan State University’s theater department staged the 2019 play “Ain’t No Mo’” on Oct. 28, transforming the Murphy Fine Arts Center into a space filled with laughter, tension and reflection. Set in an alternate America where the U.S. government offers Black citizens one-way plane tickets to Africa, the play used scenes that ranged from grief to parody to explore race, identity and survival.
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Lena Waithe brings ‘The Peculiar Patriot’ to Baltimore Center Stage, spotlighting love, loss and mass incarceration
By Ericka Alston BuckSpecial to the AFRO Baltimore Center Stage is taking audiences from the comfort of their seats straight into a prison visiting room. “The Peculiar Patriot,” presented by Emmy-winning storyteller Lena Waithe and written and produced by Liza Jessie Peterson, isn’t just a play; it’s a powerful and unfiltered look at the realities […]
Posted in!Front Page Baltimore News
Annual Masked Ball returns to Charm City
By D. Kevin McNeirSpecial to the AFROkmcneir@afro.com With the assistance of individuals like Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott, the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) remains committed to transforming the historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) across Baltimore City On Saturday, Nov. 1, beginning with a 7 p.m. reception, UNCF will return its fundraising event, the […]
Posted inWord In Black
Could Emmett Till’s coffin be erased from the Smithsonian?
By Liz Courquet-LesaulnierWord in Black If history can be rewritten, then objects, no matter how sacred, can be put back into a shed, hidden in a basement or destroyed. Seventy years on, the task remains what it was in 1955: to look unflinchingly at racism, at the brutality it inflicted on a child and to […]
Posted inBaltimore News
“House of Melo” exhibit shines spotlight on Baltimore resilience
By Chianti MarksAFRO Intern On Oct. 25, 2025, Baltimore native and 10-time NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony celebrated the opening of the “House of Melo” exhibit at the Enoch Pratt Free Library’s Central Branch. The event followed Anthony’s recent induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The exhibit, open through Dec. 20, 2025, highlights […]
Posted inDMV News
B.E. Spirits Awards Gala to celebrate Black excellence at Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay
By The B.E. Spirits Awards On Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, leaders, entrepreneurs and visionaries from across the nation will gather for the B.E. Spirits Awards Black Tie Gala, an unforgettable evening of elegance, culture and empowerment at the prestigious Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort and Spa in Cambridge, Md. The B.E. Spirits Awards is […]
Posted inWord In Black
Inside the soon-to-open Obama Presidential Center
The Barack Obama Presidential Center, set to open on Chicago’s South Side in spring 2026, will be a first-of-its-kind presidential library and community hub. The 19-acre campus will feature green spaces, a library branch, a podcast studio, and areas for public events, while the museum building—shaped like four hands coming together—will house exhibits on Obama’s presidency and the foundation’s programs.
Posted inArts & Culture
Misty Copeland hangs up her pointe shoes after performing for adoring crowd at retirement show
Misty Copeland, the first Black female principal dancer in American Ballet Theatre’s 85-year history, performed her farewell show Oct. 22 at Lincoln Center, marking her retirement after 25 years with the company. Surrounded by family, colleagues and admirers including Oprah Winfrey and Debbie Allen, Copeland celebrated a career that broke racial barriers in classical ballet while pledging to continue advancing diversity through her foundation and advocacy work.
