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 inBaltimore News

West Baltimore students compete in spelling bee at Herbert Street Park

West Baltimore students from Robert W. Coleman Elementary School showcased their skills at a spelling bee held Oct. 10 at Herbert Street Community Park. The family-friendly event, hosted by the West North Avenue Development Authority and Greater Mondawmin Coordinating Council, also featured an outdoor movie screening and food from Black-owned Concierge Catering.

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 inBaltimore News

Civil rights, advocacy groups demand accountability after false AI alert leads to student detainment at Kenwood High

Black leaders are speaking out in support of Kenwood High School student Taki Allen, 16, who was handcuffed at gunpoint by members of the Baltimore County Police Department after an artificial intelligence surveillance system mistakenly identified his Doritos bag as a gun. Now, advocacy and civil rights groups, including Associated Black Charities and the Randallstown NAACP, are calling the incident a failure of leadership and systemic bias and urging accountability, AI audits and reforms to protect students of color.

Posted in!Front Page Maryland New

AI, fear and a bag of chips: How a Maryland teen became the latest victim of a broken system

by Frances Toni Draper, CEO and Publisher of the AFRO I keep thinking about a teenager—Black, 16, a student-athlete—who did what kids do after practice: he ate snacks with friends and waited for a ride. Minutes later, eight police cars rolled up to Kenwood High School in Baltimore County. Officers drew their guns, ordered him […]

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 inBaltimore News

Coppin State University names Health and Human Services Building after Henrietta Lacks

Coppin State University’s Health and Human Services Building now bears the name of Henrietta Lacks, honoring the Baltimore woman whose cells became the first immortal human cell line. The building, CSU’s largest academic facility, houses nursing, social work, criminal justice, and other programs, and was unveiled during a ceremony featuring CSU President Anthony L. Jenkins and civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump.

Posted in!Front Page

City of Gods: Where Baltimore fashion meets community 

By Megan Sayles, AFRO Staff Writer msayles@afro.com Credit: All photos by Devin Allen Back in 2009, a group of local players in Baltimore’s fashion scene came together to open City of Gods, an urban apparel store in West Baltimore’s Hollins Market neighborhood.  What began as a collaboration between multiple independent clothing brands quickly became a […]

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