By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, msayles@afro.com Juneteenth, or June 19, commemorates the day that enslaved Black Americans were freed after the Civil War. On that day in 1865, the Union Army troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to emancipate the last of the enslaved people in the U.S. Though the holiday was celebrated in different […]
Category: NEWS
Posted inFood
Making room at the table: exploring the intersection of soul food and veganism
By Aria Brent, AFRO Staff Writer Black culinary culture is sacred and rich. The dishes passed down since the first Juneteenth have inspired a nation and yes— even the international culinary arts scene. We honor our ancestors by making the very recipes they created to sustain themselves as they forged through the deepest bowels of […]
Posted inNational News
White House Juneteenth concert celebrates Black music, denounces racism
By Stacy M. Brown, Senior National Correspondent, NNPA Newswire President Joe Biden delivered a powerful speech denouncing racism in the United States during the White House’s first major Juneteenth celebration on June 13. The Biden-Harris administration hosted a concert in celebration of the holiday, featuring renowned singers Jennifer Hudson, Audra McDonald and Ledisi. Organizers aimed […]
Posted inNational News
Nevada joins growing number of states recognizing Juneteenth as an official holiday
By Stacy M. Brown, Senior National Correspondent, NNPA Newswire Nevada has officially declared Juneteenth a state holiday, joining a growing list of states commemorating the day the last enslaved individuals in the United States learned of their freedom. The state’s Republican Governor, Joe Lombardo, signed the bill into law on June 8, elevating June 19 […]
Posted inNational News
Push for national reparations legislation slows, activists and elected officials press on
By Deborah Bailey, AFRO Contributing Editor Legislation regarding reparations is still alive on Capitol Hill, but it is nowhere near the big-ticket topic of discussion it has been in the last two summers. In June of 2021, as Americans of all backgrounds celebrated Juneteenth as a federal holiday for the first time, backers of federal […]
Posted inNEWS
America can’t afford to pay Black people reparations– or can it?
By Tashi McQueen, AFRO Political Writer, tmcqueen@afro.com For more than 100 years, Black Americans have been seeking reparations as compensation for centuries of free, Black labor. And while most are familiar with the 1865 initiative that gave slaves “forty acres and a mule,” what they might not know is that slave owners along the South […]
Posted inNational News
Why isn’t Juneteenth a paid holiday nationwide?
By Tashi McQueen, AFRO Political Writer, tmcqueen@afro.com Juneteenth only became a nationally recognized holiday in 2021, at the direction of President Biden. The most recent federal holiday to be created commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S. Though the recognition is now at an all-time high, the benefit of being a full-fledged federal […]
Posted inBaltimore News
AFRO spotlight on Black excellence: Morgan State University’s ROTC Bear Battalion
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, msayles@afro.com Since its inception in 1948, the Morgan State University (MSU) Bear Battalion, has graduated nearly 1,800 graduates. In 1979, George M. Brooks became the first general officer in the U.S. Army to graduate from the historically Black institution’s program. Today, the Bear Battalion is one of the top […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Juneteenth special events and celebrations in the D.C., Maryland and Virginia area
By AFRO Staff Juneteenth is a time to celebrate culture, freedom and the perseverance of a people. From D.C. and Prince George’s County to Baltimore City and surrounding areas, the offerings across the region include low budget items as well as free events for the entire family. Read below to find a celebration just right […]
Posted inNational News
Celebrating Juneteenth
By Dr. Frances “Toni” Draper, AFRO Publisher and CEO CORRECTION: This article has been updated to reflect that June 19, 2023 is the 158th anniversary of Juneteenth. This year we celebrate Juneteenth National Independence Day for the 158th time, and the third time as a national federal holiday. Many Americans are still learning about Juneteenth’s […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Nonprofit works to combat lack of diversity in marine science
By Ariyana Griffin, Special to the AFRO When Dr. Tiara Moore, an environmental ecologist, took to Twitter to look for more Black marine scientists in 2020, she had no idea it would lead to a forceful movement and the founding of a new organization, Black In Marine Science (BIMS). “I realized that we might be […]
Posted inNational News
Local activists hold forum, weigh in on Atlanta’s ‘Cop City’
By DaQuan Lawrence, Special to the AFRO Activists in the D.C., Maryland and Virginia (DMV) area are weighing in on the construction and use of a public safety training center near Atlanta. Opponents of a massive police training center soon to open near Atlanta, Ga. staged a two-hour virtual roundtable to engage national attention on […]
