By J. K. Schmid, Special to the AFRO Jack Whitten, the distinguished contemporary Black artist, premieres at the the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) this weekend. “Odyssey: Jack Whitten Sculpture, 1963-2017” features 40 works of an artist whose career spanned five decades. Part exhibition, part biography, the BMA display presents a uniquely physical encounter with the […]
Category: National News
Posted inMedia
Baltimore’s Gervonta Davis Becomes Youngest Two-Time World Champion
By Perry Green, AFRO Sports Editor Gervonta “Tank” Davis became the youngest two-time world champion after beating former champion Jesus Cuellar to earn the WBA Super Featherweight title on April 21 at the Barclays Center in New York. Davis, 23, earned a TKO victory over Cuellar as referee Benjy Esteves was forced to stop the fight […]
Posted inNational News
NY Gov. Cuomo Orders Voting Rights Restored for Parolees
By DAVID KLEPPER, The Associated Press New York state will restore the voting rights of parolees under an executive order issued April 18 by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo that will impact as many as 35,000 New Yorkers who have served time for felonies. The move adds New York to a list of more than a dozen states […]
Posted inENTERTAINMENT
Defense Says Schedules Show Cosby Wasn’t Around for Assault
By MICHAEL R. SISAK and CLAUDIA LAUER, The Associated Press Jurors got a look April 20 at Bill Cosby’s travel records as his lawyers made the case that he never visited his suburban Philadelphia mansion in the month he is accused of drugging and molesting a woman there. Cosby’s lawyers say the alleged assault on Andrea Constand […]
Posted inNational News
Cosby’s Star Witness Says Accuser Spoke of Plot to Frame
By The Associated Press The chief accuser at Bill Cosby’s sexual assault retrial talked about framing a celebrity before going to police with her allegations in 2005, a key defense witness testified April 18 as the TV star’s lawyers began putting on their case. Marguerite Jackson, an academic adviser at Temple University, said Andrea Constand […]
Posted inINTERNATIONAL
Kansas Militia Members Convicted of Somali Refugee Bomb Plot
By The Associated Press Three Kansas militia members were convicted Wednesday of plotting to bomb a mosque and apartment complex housing Somali refugees, an attack thwarted by another member of the group who tipped off federal authorities about escalating threats of violence. Patrick Stein, Gavin Wright and Curtis Allen were convicted of one count of […]
Posted inNational News
HBCU Students and Leaders Lobby Capitol Hill for Support
By James Wright, Special to the AFRO, jwright@afro.com Hundreds of students, administrators and alumni from Black higher education institutions from around the country recently visited the U.S. Capitol to lobby lawmakers on behalf of their institutions to demand more financial support. The HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) Collective held its “Second Day of Action” April 17, […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
DC High School Puts City on Global Climate Stage
By Hamzat Sani, Special to the AFRO Deanwood’s H.D. Woodson High School recently hosted D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s kickoff of #EarthWeekDC. The Northeast school is one of the largest on-site solar projects in the country. Mayor Muriel Bowser poses with some of the collaborators for the solar project at H.D. Woodson High School. (Courtesy Photo) Solar […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Bearden in Baltimore City Public Schools
By Sean Yoes, Baltimore AFRO Editor, syoes@afro.com The vast majority of people who pass through the Upton Metro station, the second busiest Metro stop (Penn-North is first) in the city, probably don’t realize that an American art masterpiece hangs in their midst, looming over all that enter. “A Baltimore Uproar,” is perhaps the most famous mosaic of […]
Posted inNational News
March Vows to Fight Trump Tax Plan
By Hamzat Sani, Special to the AFRO Tax Day was not a good day for the Trump government to collect taxes. While the IRS.gov site crashed due to record numbers of late filers, activists and politicians across the country gathered for the 2nd Annual Tax Day March. About 200 protesters gathered on the East Front of […]
Posted inNational News
The Real Meaning of “California” is #BlackGirlMagic
By Aya Elamroussi, Special to the AFRO When you hear or read about California, do you think of a Black woman ruling one of America’s largest states? You probably don’t since every governor of the Golden State has been a White man. The name “California” has ancient Spanish roots that can be traced back to the […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Tennessee Lawmakers Punish Memphis for Removing Confederate Statues
By The Associated Press The Republican-dominated House in Tennessee voted Tuesday to punish the city of Memphis for removing Confederate monuments by taking $250,000 away from the city that would have been used for a bicentennial celebration next year. The retaliation came in the form of passage of a last-minute amendment attached to the House […]