By Grace Kpetemey and Tinashe Chingarande, Special to the AFRO The first day of the historic AFRAM festival in Baltimore concluded on Saturday with a performance from Grammy award-winning singer and songwriter Ne-Yo. Ne-Yo delivered an electric performance to shrieking fans that sang every lyric, evoking 2000s nostalgia with tunes like “Miss Independent.” He also […]
Category: NEWS
Posted inBaltimore News
John Henry Murphy Sr.; Slave. Soldier. Seer. Media maven.
By Tashi McQueen and Kara Thompson, Report for America Corps Member, Political Writer for the AFRO; MDDC Intern John Henry Murphy, Sr. might have been born a slave- but he died a giant of the Black press. The founder of the AFRO American Newspaper was born on Dec. 25, 1840, in Baltimore. Born to Benjamin […]
Posted inWord In Black
#WordinBlack: Manifesting the legacy of our liberation
By Sen. T’wina Nobles (D-Wa), Word in Black Opal Lee is the grandmother of Juneteenth. For most of her life, she has advocated to make Juneteenth a national holiday. In 2016, she even walked from her home in Ft. Worth, Texas to Washington, D.C., traveling two and a half miles each day to symbolize the […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Journey to Josiah Fatherhood: Single gay man adopts and discovers the love of being Dad
By Cara Williams, Special to the AFRO Maryland opera singer David Marshall wouldn’t have been considered a candidate for adoption as a single Black parent a generation ago. As a single black gay man – Marshall may still have problems adopting in some states. Adoption in years past happened within the strict confines of racial, […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Fatherhood in 2022: Black men are battling demons you can not possibly imagine
By Reginald Williams, Special to the AFRO “Have you ever asked a man how he’s doing and he says, ‘I’m alright?’” That was the question posed in a viral video popular on YouTube. Colion Noir, a video producer and self-confessed “responsible gun owner” narrated a video shown at the start of Kean University’s tenth Annual […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Coaches and their players – a bond like fatherhood
By H. R. Harris, Special to the AFRO Rob Harris is the head coach of Washington, D.C.’s famed Lions Football Team at Archbishop Carroll High School. Harris thought he was just attending an awards dinner at the St. James Sports Complex in Springfield, Va., in early June. After all, the team won the 2022 D.C. […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Happy Father’s Day!
By Sharon Williams Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers. Fathers, you play a very important role in children’s lives. You should be a role model, provider, protector, inspiration, and motivation. Your children should feel loved by you. Children need attention, their own personal attention. They need to feel special. They need guidance and a […]
Posted inBaltimore News
On Becoming a Serious Father: Our Roles & Responsibilities
By S. Bruce “Olamina” Stevenson Besides love, the greatest gift a father can give his children is his time. As fathers we need to provide our children with a lifetime of treasured memories. We need to make sacrifices for our children even if it means losing out on something else. How we spend time with […]
Posted inBaltimore News
What Fatherhood has taught me
By Christopher L. Maith Sr. Nobody knows when they are a young boy that being a father is one of the most rewarding and sometimes hurtful experiences you will ever have. Who’s job was it to tell me that? Who dropped the ball? Or was it strategic not to inform me and let me figure […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Honoring and celebrating healthy Black fatherhood
By Richard A. Rowe Each year, the third Sunday of June is set aside to pay tribute to the many fathers that are devoted to their families and that have embraced fatherhood as an honorable and sacred role unlike any other. Unfortunately, in a number of Black households, this Father’s Day will be and feel […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Encouraging and supporting Black fathers
By David C. Miller Historically, Black fathers continue to be marginalized and depicted as absent, deadbeat, and emotionally disconnected from their children. Within public discourse, these exaggerated portrayals have become a self-fulling prophecy in the hearts and minds of too many Black fathers. While father absence remains a significant issue with far-reaching generational implications, imagine […]
Posted inNational News
Kamala Harris talks diversity and media coverage in a briefing with the Black Press
The vice president highlighted the role of Black women in the Biden-Harris administration and the coverage surrounding White House wins, among other topics. By Tinashe Chingarande, Special to the AFRO Vice President Kamala Harris held a Zoom press briefing this week to highlight how the Biden-Harris administration has excelled in employing Black women and appointing […]
