Lt. Violet Hill Whyte was the first African American and first woman to be appointed as a Baltimore City Police Officer. (AFRO Archive) By Ralph E. Moore Special to the AFRO She was a most unusual woman: Violet Hill Whyte that is. Born in Washington, D.C. in 1897, “Miss Whyte” as she was affectionately known […]
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How Baltimore’s Black youth furthered the cause of Black press
For decades mere children kept Black Baltimore abreast of pressing issues facing the race, current events, and pop culture.Source: https://laurawmurphy.wordpress.com/2009/03/02/my-dad-the-afro-paperboy/ By Alexis Taylor Special to the AFRO Long before 24- hour news coverage, Facebook feeds, and Tik Tok videos, newspapers kept the masses informed through an intricate network that criss-crossed the nation. Though the information […]
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We’re Still Here: A Salute to African American Firsts
Frances “Toni” Draper, AFRO CEO and Publisher “I’m not the president of Black America,” President Barack Obama famously said in 2012 when pressed during his re-election campaign on issues of race and inequality. “I’m the president of the United States of America.” While that statement was true, Barack Hussein Obama will forever be remembered as the […]
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We’re Still Here: Black Firsts from A – Z
Thurgood Marshall in his New York residence Sept. 11, 1962 after the Senate confirmation of his year-old nomination to the U.S. Circuit Court of America. On Oct. 2, 1967, he was sworn in as the first African-American U.S. Supreme Court Justice.
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If Black History is American History, treat it as such
Rep. Kweisi Mfume (Photo courtesy of Facebook) By U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume In 1926, Harvard-trained historian Carter G. Woodson launched “Negro History Week.” Celebrated during the second week of February, it was designed to promote the study of African American contributions to the United States. Fifty years later, in 1976, President Gerald Ford helped establish […]
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Black Broadway, Madame Lillian Evanti and Washington DC’s Black history
Madame Lillian Evanti in France in 1926 (Photo: Agence de presse Meurisse – Bibliothèque nationale de France / Wikimedia Commons) By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia There’s little question that African Americans have been a significant part of Washington, DC’s civic life and identity since the city was first declared the […]
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Hundreds pay respects to actor Cicely Tyson at her viewing
People wait on line to attend a public viewing for Cicely Tyson at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in the Harlem neighborhood of New York, Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. Tyson, the pioneering Black actress died on Jan. 28. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle) By The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — People traveled across the country and stood […]
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Michael Jordan gives $10M for North Carolina health clinics
Basketball legend Michael Jordan speaks during a press conference ahead of an NBA basketball game between the Charlotte Hornets and Milwaukee Bucks in Paris, in this Friday, Jan. 24, 2020, file photo. Jordan is donating $10 million to launch two medical clinics in underserved communities near his hometown in North Carolina, a regional health care […]
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Keep up on kids’ dental health, despite pandemic
During Children’s Dental Health Month, dentists recommend families maintain good oral health routines, even if the pandemic is delaying trips to the dentist. (Adobe Stock) By Maryland News Connection ANNAPOLIS, Md. — February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, and dental-health experts are urging families not to skip kids’ routine dental visits despite disruptions during […]
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Can vitamin D prevent COVID-19?
(Photo courtesy Black Health Matters) By Black Health Matters You need vitamin D. And one of the best ways to get it is by being outside in the sun’s UV rays, which activate vitamin D production. But you’re most likely spending a lot of time indoors, both because it’s winter with its shorter days, and […]
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Love in the age of COVID-19 stokes high anxiety
Academic Administrator Annette Wedderburn and her husband of 23 years believe that the pandemic has brought them closer together. (Courtesy photos) By Trae Mitchell Special to the AFRO Annette Wedderburn, an administrator for a local university, and her husband of 23 years believe COVID-19 has brought them closer together. Not only do they have the […]