A tear streams down the cheek of Nakia Porter during a news conference to announce the filing of a federal lawsuit she has brought against two Solano County Sheriff’s deputies, in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021. The lawsuit stems from an incident where the deputies knocked Porter unconscious and arrested her after she had […]
Category: National News
Posted inCoronavirus
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s COVID claim denounced as racist
In this July 9, 2021, file photo, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick speaks during opening general session of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas. Lt. Gov. Patrick blamed rising hospitalization and death rates from COVID-19 on unvaccinated Black people, and his comments were quickly denounced as racist. Patrick made the comments Thursday, Aug. […]
Posted in!Front Page
HBCUs filled the educational gap that racism demanded
Dr. Frances “Toni” Murphy Draper, AFRO CEO and Publisher (Courtesy Photo) Although the Supreme Court ruled in 1954 (Brown v Board of Education) that laws establishing racial segregation in public schools were illegal even if the segregated schools were equal in quality, it neither provided funds and protections to facilitate enactment; nor did it provide […]
Posted inWord In Black
#WordInBlack: Pandemic magnifies education inequality for minority students
Even with in-person learning, America’s education gap has been prevalent for far too long, putting minorities at a disadvantage. (Courtesy of unsplash) By Micha Green AFRO D.C. and Digital Editor mgreen@afro.com In the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous, “I have a dream speech,” the celebrated civil rights leader and orator painted a picture […]
Posted inHBCU
Over 323,000 federal student loan borrowers to receive $5.8 billion in automatic total and permanent disability discharges
Over 323,000 borrowers who have a total and permanent disability (TPD) will receive more than $5.8 billion in automatic student loan discharges due to a new regulation announced today by the U.S. Department of Education. The change will apply to borrowers who are identified through an existing data match with the Social Security Administration (SSA). […]
Posted in!Front Page
Facebook launches its first ever #BuyBlack Summit
After the murder of George Floyd, Rachael Hawk, marketing manager at Facebook, decided she wanted to do more for Black businesses in her work at the social network. The #BuyBlack Summit became a passion project for her. (Courtesy Photo) By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com August is recognized as […]
Posted inNEWS
Nation’s only Black Cybersecurity reskilling school receives $10M funding boost to connect students with high-paying careers in Tech
Founded in 2017 as Cisco Networking Academy, Automation Workz Institute is an SBA woman-owned career technical trade school that advocates the future — and how we get there — uniquely depends on automation, processes and people (APP). DETROIT, Mich — Detroit-based Automation Workz Institute, Inc., the nation’s only Black tech diversity consulting and upskilling institution, today announced […]
Posted inNEWS
Housing Insecurity is Inhumane
Congressman Kweisi Mfume By Congressman Kweisi Mfume On August 3rd the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued guidelines for a new eviction moratorium. Although this is a step in the right direction, it isn’t as expansive as the last one. For this reason, our government needs to do more to ensure that all […]
Posted inCoronavirus
My kids’ school won’t reinstate masks despite a recent surge in COVID cases. Here’s what I chose to do.
(Photo by Deleece Cook on Unsplash) Georgia’s Cobb County School District had parents choose between virtual and in-person learning, then lifted its mask mandate. Many families are frantically figuring out how to navigate this reality. ProPublica reporter Nicole Carr is one of them. By Nicole Carr, ProPublica ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
(BPRW) FPL presented surprise scholarship awards to three Black college-bound students majoring in STEM fields
From left to right: Miya V. Aviles, Jayden McNab, and Luke J. Fourie. (Black PR Wire) Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) and parent company NextEra Energy announced the NextEra Energy Scholarship for Black Students in SECME, which is a merit award of up to $20,000 for college-bound high school seniors who plan to enroll in […]
Posted inBUSINESS
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Requires Workforce to be Vaccinated
Healthcare organization serving 3.5 million people in communities throughout mid-Atlantic region announces vaccine requirement for workforce, Board members and guests Baltimore, Md./Washington, D.C. – Today, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst), a not-for-profit and the largest healthcare company in the mid-Atlantic region, announced it will make COVID-19 vaccinations a requirement for its workforce, Boards of Directors, and guests. […]
Posted inNEWS
Greenbelt becomes first city to take reparations issue to the polls
By Daryl Moore Special to the AFRO In an historic move on April 14, the House Judiciary Committee voted to move forward House Resolution 40, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act, or H.R. 40. The bill was introduced in 1989 by the late Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), but was never passed. […]