BALTIMORE — Morgan State University will welcome U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai to its Northeast Baltimore campus for a special engagement with University officials, faculty and students. Paramount to the Ambassador’s visit will be a roundtable discussion with students and faculty from various schools and disciplines associated with trade and commerce. Moderated by Morgan professor and MSNBC commentator, Dr. Jason Johnson, […]
Category: Baltimore News
Posted inMaryland Government
Maryland House of Delegates passes bills to refer adult-use cannabis legalization to voters in November
Annapolis, MD — The Maryland House of Delegates approved a pair of bills that would allow voters to decide whether to legalize cannabis for adults’ use in November 2022. This marks the first time either chamber in Maryland’s legislature has voted on a bill that would legalize cannabis. HB 1, the bill to refer the […]
Posted inReligion
#FaithWorks: The Importance of Social Justice & the Black Church
By Shanon Murray, Givelify As we celebrate Black History Month, it’s important to spotlight the role the Black church plays in advocating for various social justice issues within the African American community. Whether it’s tackling food insecurity, police violence, or health disparities, pastors and clergy are continuing the long-held tradition of serving as both faith leaders […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Minority and locally owned businesses to lead design and construction of Johns Hopkins building named for Henrietta Lacks
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Medicine announced on Thursday that minority- and locally-owned businesses would lead the construction and design of the new on-campus building named in honor of Henrietta Lacks, whose cells continue to advance biomedical research and medicine today. The […]
Posted inOPINION
Black bodies have always mattered
By Dr. Kaye Whitehead There is a place between who we want to be and who we are. It is a difficult, sobering place because it forces you to look at what you have done and then challenges you to do better. This is that moment, and unfortunately, we have been here before. The end […]
Posted inHealth
Skin cancer doesn’t care about the color of your skin
By Mylika Scatliffe, AFRO Women’s Health Writer February is National Cancer Prevention month. Dr. Ashani Weeraratna is a leading, pioneering Johns Hopkins melanoma researcher and wants everyone to know that melanoma does not discriminate. People of color have traditionally been conditioned to think skin cancer is a White person’s disease, so largely goes ignored in […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Meet Gregory S. Smith, Creative Alliance’s new E.D.
By Jannette J. Witmyer, Special to the AFRO When Gregory S. Smith, the Creative Alliance’s new executive director, came to Baltimore to interview for the position; he conducted a few interviews of his own. He was completely sold on the diverse programs and work being done in the community by the Creative Alliance (CA), but […]
Posted inBaltimore News
What are Bonds, and who do they help?
By J.J. McQueenSpecial to the AFRO As the momentum builds for this legislative session, bills aren’t the only items under review, bonds are also important to this season’s session. What are bonds? A bond is a fixed-income instrument that represents a loan made by an investor to a borrower (typically corporate or governmental). It can also be […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Supplemental Education Funding submitted in Hogan’s FY 2023 budget request
By Deborah BaileySpecial to the AFRO Bowing to pressure from education advocates and Maryland General Assembly members, Governor Larry Hogan sent a supplemental funding request of $139.9 million to the State’s FY 2023 budget to fully fund the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future (Kirwan Commission) Education Reform plan. The majority of Hogan’s supplemental education funding request, […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
State Board of Education rescinds mask mandate, pending approval from state legislators
By Logan Hill, Capital News Service ANNAPOLIS – The Maryland State Board of Education Tuesday lifted the statewide mask mandate for public schools, allowing the state’s 23 county school boards and Baltimore to each decide how they want to handle masking. The board’s decision, which could begin as early as March 1, affects more than […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Laura Johnson joins United Way of Central Maryland as Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation and Data Research Officer
Baltimore, MD (February 22, 2022) – United Way of Central Maryland today announced that Laura Johnson has been appointed as senior vice president and chief innovation and data research officer. In this new position, Johnson will be charged with designing and launching a new enterprise to address complex community challenges and accelerate impact across the organization’s core areas […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Mayor Scott Announces $90.4 Million Investment in Homeless Services
BALTIMORE, MD. (Tuesday, February 22, 2022) — Today, Mayor Brandon M. Scott announced the Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services (MOHS) would receive $75 million from Baltimore’s $641 million allocation of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding and $15.4 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) HOME Investment Partnerships Program. The $90.4 million in combined […]