By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. and TIM REYNOLDS, Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — When Will Smith marched onto the Oscars stage and smacked Chris Rock, the unpredictable moment served as a jarring interruption to Hollywood’s feel-good celebration. But once Smith returned moments later to accept his first-ever Academy Award, he delivered a tearful apology for an […]
Category: Media
Posted inBooks
New book explores “Double Consciousness” in Black celebrities
By Nadine Matthews, Special to the AFRO In 1903 W.E.B. DuBois’ seminal work, The Souls of Black Folk, introduces the term “double consciousness” to explain a feeling of embodying multiple social identities. For more than a century the term has been mulled over by thought leaders, authors and social activists. Even today, the questions and […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
TIME highlights several women of color in annual list
By AFRO Staff Black girl magic was sprinkled all over TIME magazine’s inaugural Women of the Year list which hit newsstands March 4. “When you speak your truth, things happen,” said Olympic gold medalist Allyson Felix, one of the 2022 honorees. The list includes 12 women from a cross-section of backgrounds –activism, entertainment, sports, health […]
Posted inBooks
In Memoriam: Valerie Boyd, Zora Neale Hurston biographer, dies
By Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D, NNPA Newswire Culture and Entertainment Editor Valerie Boyd, world-renowned author of the definitive biography of Zora Neale Hurston, “Wrapped in Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston,” died Feb. 12, 2022, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. A native Atlantan, Valerie Jean Boyd was born on Dec. 11, 1963, to Roger […]
Posted inBaltimore News
For the love of the community, local theatre company hosts BMORE ArtsCentric! in Remington neighborhood
By Special to the AFRO This year, in addition to producing full-scale streamed and mainstage productions and continuing their work with Baltimore’s youth, ArtsCentric will be hosting a brand-new community engagement event, BMORE ArtsCentric! ArtsCentric is a color-conscious organization committed to re-examining traditional roles in the Arts. The group prides itself in advancing original stories […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Smithsonian, IF/THEN collaborate to celebrate women in STEM
By Micha Green, AFRO D.C. and Digital Content Editor, mgreen@afro.com With Women’s History Month in full swing, the Smithsonian Institution and Lydia Hill Philanthropies’ IF/THEN collaborated on an exhibit that showcases and celebrates women in STEM. The exhibit, called #IfThenSheCan, includes 120 full sized statues of women in STEM- highlighting these women scientists as true […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Photographers present “Black Is” exhibition
By DeAnna Giles, Special to the AFRO A moment in Black history. “You would think that from the surface level, we don’t have anything in common. There was a particular older White gentleman who saw my images and afterwards, came to talk to me and just fell on my arms and cried. I didn’t know […]
Posted in!Front Page
Simmons takes audience on life’s ride, gets real with ‘Just Angela’
By Micha Green, AFRO D.C. and Digital Editor, mgreen@afro.com Actress, entrepreneur, mother, producer and designer Angela Simmons has spent much of her life in the limelight and being followed by cameras, but in her Aspire TV show Just Angela the daughter of rap royalty works to show us intimate aspects of her personal life journey […]
Posted inBUSINESS
‘ALIVE’ becomes the first Black woman-owned podcast network across all major platforms
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com Founder of nonprofit The Woman Behind the Business (WBB) and host of “The Woman Behind the Business” Talk Show, Angel Livas will soon become the first Black woman to own a podcast network that offers programming across all major platforms. The ALIVE Podcast […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Supreme Art in Hampden
By Jermaine E. Davenport, Davenport Imports & Arts “The Pursuit of Perfection” is the name of the current exhibition–Feb. 1 through March 14–by acclaimed, up-and-coming Baltimore artist Wendell Supreme Shannon in the new gallery space of Davenport Arts & Imports on “The Avenue” in Hampden. On view and for sale are more than 20 recent, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
EBONY Honors the Life and Legacy of Fashion and Cultural Icon André Leon Talley
By Special Report (Atlanta, GA – February 9, 2022) – EBONY, the iconic brand serving as the leading voice of the Black American experience committed to “Moving Black Forward,” today unveiled its February digital cover experience celebrating the life and legacy of fashion and cultural icon – the late André Leon Talley. For this special […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
10 banned books that are crucial to Black culture
By Nadia Reese, Special to the AFRO Recently, schools across the country have begun banning books on topics such as religion, “witchcraft,” sexuality, police brutality and racism from the classroom and pulling them from school libraries. It is no surprise that most of the books that made the banned book list are written by Black […]