By Ralph E. Moore Jr., Special to the AFRO Here is a question for you: why has the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) for women not been passed? What’s up with that? There was an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that was proposed by the National Woman’s Party in 1923 (three years after White American women […]
Category: NEWS
Posted inBaltimore News
Baltimore DPW launches training initiative for diverse, small businesses to compete as prime contractors in city
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, msayles@afro.com Mayor Brandon Scott and Department of Public Works (DPW) Director Jason Mitchell recently announced a new initiative to help minority- and women-owned small businesses compete as prime contractors with the city of Baltimore. The two-phase DPW Unbundling Initiative will provide mentoring to local diverse businesses, which tend to […]
Posted inHealth
Black women take charge to fight for Black women’s health despite persistent disparities
By Mylika Scatliffe, AFRO Women’s Health Writer As we move from Women’s History Month, observed in March, into International Black Women’s History Month, observed in April, the AFRO is honored to highlight women who are making moves on the medical front. Women are pillars of their family and the community. This month, we salute the […]
Posted inMaryland Government
Maryland Senate confirms first Black head of state police
By Brian Witte, The Associated Press The Maryland Senate confirmed Lt. Col. Roland Butler on March 31 to be the first Black superintendent of the Maryland State Police, a department under a federal discrimination probe. The Senate voted 43-4 to confirm Gov. Wes Moore’s appointee, who came under questioning largely because he has worked at […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Park Heights recreation center to host youth, police forum
By Nicole D. Batey, Special to the AFRO The Children of Lanier Avenue Organization are inviting youth and their families to come out April 6 from 6-8 p.m. for a youth and police relations forum at the C.C. Jackson Recreation Center, 4910 Park Heights Ave. Dinner will be provided. The center, which is less than […]
Posted inOPINION
Op-ed: The US should support African Union intervention in Haiti
By Ke’Aun Charles, Special to the AFRO Haiti has collapsed. Armed gangs roam the country. Its disputed leader, President Ariel Henry, has requested international intervention to save the country multiple times. No one has answered the call. This is mostly due to war exhaustion on America’s part, the West’s focus on Ukraine, global economic uncertainty […]
Posted inBaltimore News
East Baltimore Black Wax Museum gets $2 million in federal funding
By Tashi McQueen, AFRO Political Writer, tmcqueen@afro.com The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum received a $2 million federal investment, which was presented by U.S. lawmakers Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.), Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) to museum co-founder and President Joanne Martin on March 31. “These funds represent the ability […]
Posted inHealth
Know the facts: advocates weigh in on self-administered rape kits
By Mylika Scatliffe, AFRO Women’s Health Writer Rape. Sexual assault. To many people, the terms are likely interchangeable–Google both and you will find multiple unsettling definitions. If a sexual assault victim chooses to go to a hospital for treatment, they will be asked to consent to a sexual assault forensic exam (SAFE), also colloquially known […]
Posted inMaryland Government
Maryland becomes first state to reimburse EBT fraud victims with federal SNAP funds
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, msayles@afro.com Maryland became the first state in the nation to start using funds from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to reimburse victims of Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) fraud on March 27, with outreach efforts to affected individuals already underway. Gov. Wes Moore recently announced the Department of Human […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Change your diet, change your life: how one Black man is taking control of his health
By Reginald Williams, Special to the AFRO On March 2, Keith Person visited his doctor for his annual physical. He weighed in at 253. His blood pressure read 110/75, and his A1C was 5.9. Two months earlier, on January 1, the Pathway to Housing D.C. Peer Support Specialist tipped the scales at 275 pounds. His […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
A time to heal: Black men gather in D.C. to discuss Black manhood and mentorship
By Reginald Williams, Special to the AFRO A two-and-one-half-hour panel discussion recently took place at Sankofa Video Books and Cafe on Georgia Avenue in Northwest D.C., delving into a discussion on the nuances of what it means to be a Black boy and man. The panel explored what was required of boys to survive, and […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Wheels of justice slowly turning for Jan. 6 insurrectionists
By AFRO Staff Though 26 months have passed since insurrectionists violently took over the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021, trials, convictions and sentences are still being handed down. The attack on the U.S. Capitol disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress, which was in the process of affirming the 2020 […]