Richard Barrett, 67, general counsel of the Nationalist Movement, which he founded in Mississippi, was found dead in his home on April 22, in Rankin County, Miss. Police said the attorney, well-known for his public opposition to the Dr. Martin Luther King holiday and his anti-Jena Six demonstrations, was murdered. And they have charged Barrett’s […]
Category: NEWS
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Council Set for Final Vote on Medical Marijuana Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. — With the time drawing for the District Columbia City Council’s final vote on a medical marijuana bill, At-large Councilman David Catania, head the committee overseeing the issue, is confident that it will pass. The Council has already taken two votes on “Initiative 59,” which has received overwhelming support of District residents. And, […]
Posted inBaltimore News
For Same-Sex Couples, Cost of Marriage Recognition Remains Unclear
ANNAPOLIS – After 20 years and two children together, Silver Spring couple Ellen Kahn and Julie Drizin married in Washington in March, just days after the city began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Under a February legal opinion by Attorney General Douglas Gansler, Kahn and Drizin’s union is recognized in Maryland like any other […]
Posted inNational News
Black Lawmakers, Advocates Fight for Minority Gains in Financial Reform
For African Americans and other minorities financial reform is particularly important, advocates, lawmakers and officials said. “For starters, they’ve been disproportionately hurt by the current system, which has allowed this ‘go-go’ mentality of ‘anything goes,’” said Kathleen Day, spokeswoman for the nonprofit, Center for Responsible Lending. “And as we can see, unfairly targeting specific groups […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Education Officials Discuss NCLB Reauthorization
A month after the Obama administration released its blueprint for revising the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), city and state officials gathered in Baltimore for a panel discussion on what that reform would mean for Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS). Within the blueprint, the federal government expects college and career-ready standards to be implemented […]
Posted inNational News
Farewell, Dr. Height
Mourners paid tribute to fallen civil rights heroine, Dr. Dorothy Height on April 29 at Washington National Cathedral. Interment: Fort Lincoln Cemetery in Maryland. Scroll down to view photos from the funeral by AFRO Photographer Rob Roberts. You can also view the Dorothy Height Commemorative e-edtion here. Click here to view the video program from […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Bus Driver Charged with Assaulting Autistic Child
Daniel Harris Sr. hopes the second defendant in his son’s assault case doesn’t get off as easy as the first one. After agreeing with the prosecutor that a surveillance video shows Susan Nelson hitting 13-year-old autistic child Daniel Harris Jr. on a Baltimore County school bus, District Court Judge G. Darrell Russell Jr. ruled “not […]
Posted inHealth
‘Mighty’ Doctor Discusses Childhood Obesity
Childhood obesity is the leading chronic illness of today’s adolescents and youth, and African-American school-aged girls suffer from it the most, said Hugh Mighty, a national expert on improving maternal health and birth outcomes. As one of Maryland’s top obstetrician/gynecologists, Mighty spoke on childhood obesity and its preventions at Advocates for Children and Youth’s (ACY) […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Suit Against State Progresses
A lawsuit against the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) seeking parity between the state’s Black and White colleges is making progress, according to an attorney representing the plaintiffs. Prospective students, current students and alumni of three of the state’s four historically Black universities filed the suit to end alleged “state-sponsored discrimination,” claiming the MHEC has […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Oxon Hill Middle School Security Non-Existent
OXON HILL, Md. — Oxon Hill Middle School sits in the middle of a quiet, middle-class neighborhood in southern Prince George’s County. But its tranquil exterior belies chaos within its walls, parents claim. On April 22, concerned parents gathered in the school’s auditorium and expressed their frustrations over deteriorating safety in the school, saying their […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Ousted UMCP Associate Provost Considering Virginia Move
COLLEGE PARK – A popular diversity officer at the University of Maryland is considering the presidency at a historically Black college in Virginia, nearly six months after the announcement that his position would be terminated amid budget cuts. The university publicized plans last November to replace associate provost for equity and diversity Cordell Black with […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
UDC ‘White-washed’ Ad Raises Ire
When Allen Sessoms, president of the University of the District of Columbia, began implementing his vision last year for a new and improved institution of higher learning, that also apparently meant presenting an updated pictorial of the historically Black campus. Since then, full-page advertisements detailing Sessoms’ vision have been published in major newspapers including the […]