By Maya Richard-Craven, Word in Black Imagine a world where Black folks experience liberation. We receive reparations for centuries of racial harms. Compensation goes beyond making amends for the atrocities committed during slavery. And the environmental problems affecting Black people get addressed head-on. If the promised 40 acres and a mule had been given, that […]
Category: ENVIRONMENT
Posted inNational News
East coast cities grapple with worsening air pollution as Canadian wildfire smoke engulfs the region
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent, @StacyBrownMedia On June 6, experts ranked New York as the city with the worst air pollution worldwide, as dense smoke from over a hundred wildfires raging in Quebec, Canada, drifted southward. The persistently poor air quality caused by the Canadian fires has been a cause for […]
Posted inSponsored Content
Baltimore Teens Develop Creative Climate Resilience Solutions
By Hub staff report /, Published May 3 Students from three Baltimore high schools recently spent a day developing and presenting ideas for how communities in cities such as Baltimore can become more resilient against the effects of climate change and how city residents can better cope with heat stress and other climate-related health threats. […]
Posted inWord In Black
Commentary: Air pollution impacts us all — but not equally
By Margot Brown, Word in Black Access to clean air is a fundamental human right. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to clean air. Across the U.S., air pollution threatens the health and safety of millions of Americans, and those threats are not felt equally. Your race or zip code should not determine your life expectancy […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Part two: Following the science: America must lead in meeting clear environmental goals
By Frank Dexter Brown, Special to the AFRO What a year of global weather-related events it was in 2022, and now into 2023. The extreme weather witnessed during the summertime and fall of 2022 were soon followed by devastating weather conditions this winter. Historic freezing temperatures caused by what meteorologists referenced as “arctic blasts,” spread […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
A time to protest: youth, climate activists call for an end to fossil fuel use
By AFRO Staff Climate activists and advocacy groups from all walks of life joined with youth in protest on Earth day, calling for President Biden and White House officials to officially put an end to the use of fossil fuels. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), “fossil fuels, or energy sources formed in […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Despite cleanup efforts, Chesapeake Bay remains challenged by pollution
By Hunter Savery, Capital News Service Despite decades of conservation efforts, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) gave the overall health of the Chesapeake Bay a D+ in its recently released 2022 State of the Bay report. In fact, the needle has hardly moved since the Chesapeake Bay Foundation began issuing the annual report in 1998. […]
Posted inBooks
Becoming a better you: seven self-help books you should read in 2023
By Kara Thompson, Special to the AFRO Baltimore has long been known as the “City that reads,” and now is the perfect time to snuggle up with a good book. While biographies, mysteries and science-fiction texts all have their place on the reading list for 2023, this month, the AFRO spoke with mental health professionals […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Dru Hill comes home for 30th anniversary of Oriole Park at Camden Yards
By Stephanie Harper, Special to the AFRO Baltimore residents will be pleased to know that with their Summer 2022 Orioles ticket purchase, they will be able to attend the Birdland Summer Music Series. Presented by Miller Lite, the event is part of the on-going celebration of the 30th anniversary of Oriole Park at Camden Yards. […]
Posted inBaltimore News, ENVIRONMENT, Maryland Government, NEWS, POLITICS
Legislative Update: Despite Tight Landfill Space, Mattress Recycling Bill Failed
By Jared Beinart, Capital News Service “End-of-life” mattresses and box springs are often discarded in landfills or illegally dumped — this remains an issue for Maryland’s environmental waste management goals and the state’s landfill lifespan. These products, which are often bulky and difficult to move, are one of the factors causing the depletion of available space […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Black DC Residents Fight for Climate Change Bill
By James Wright, Special to the AFRO, jwright@afro.com African Americans in the District of Columbia are concerned about the quality of the environment and are taking steps to become more active. On April 13, a handful of Black residents attended a rally in front of the John A. Wilson Building to demand a cleaner environment and for […]
Posted inCommentary
Maryland Must Stay Committed To Clean Energy
The oil and natural gas industry is responsible for 138,000 asthma attacks leading to over 100,000 missed school days each year for African American children nationwide. This was concluded in a groundbreaking new study by the Clean Air Task Force (CATF) and the National Advancement for Colored People (NAACP). These new findings help illustrate the […]