Category: NEWS
Inside the success of Workshops Empowerment Inc.’s jobs program
Kinisha Bester works with nuts and bolts at Workshops Empowerment Inc. in Avondale. (Marvin Gentry, For the Birmingham Times) THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES via NNPA — WE Inc., a nonprofit organization based in Birmingham’s Avondale community, offers a broad range of vocational rehabilitation services geared toward helping people with disabilities become employed. It also has programs […]
Police officer. Social worker. Breaker of glass ceilings
Lt. Violet Hill Whyte was the first African American and first woman to be appointed as a Baltimore City Police Officer. (AFRO Archive) By Ralph E. Moore Special to the AFRO She was a most unusual woman: Violet Hill Whyte that is. Born in Washington, D.C. in 1897, “Miss Whyte” as she was affectionately known […]
How Baltimore’s Black youth furthered the cause of Black press
For decades mere children kept Black Baltimore abreast of pressing issues facing the race, current events, and pop culture.Source: https://laurawmurphy.wordpress.com/2009/03/02/my-dad-the-afro-paperboy/ By Alexis Taylor Special to the AFRO Long before 24- hour news coverage, Facebook feeds, and Tik Tok videos, newspapers kept the masses informed through an intricate network that criss-crossed the nation. Though the information […]
Through the eyes of Gordon Parks
Gordon Parks is a motion picture producer, director, author and photojournalist. (AFRO Archive) By Sean Yoes AFRO Senior Reporter syoes@afro.com This year marks the 50th anniversary of “Shaft,” perhaps the quintessential Black action movie of the so-called “Blaxploitation” era of Hollywood. Fifty years since its release in 1971, Shaft has reached mythical status for many […]
Benjamin O. Davis blazed the military trail
1942: Benjamin O. Davis Sr. was promoted to the rank of brigadier general by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on the eve of the presidential election, making him the nation’s first Black general in the regular army. (AFRO Archive) By Sean Yoes AFRO Senior Reporter syoes@afro.com Black men have been fighting and dying in defense of […]
Op-ed: How can we narrow the Black homeownership gap?
According to a 2020 report from the Urban Institute, Black households have the lowest median FICO score among all racial and ethnic groups and the greatest share of households with no credit score at all. NNPA NEWSWIRE — During Black History Month, and throughout the year, it’s important to acknowledge the challenges the Black community […]
Madam C.J. Walker found wealth in Black beauty
Madam C.J. Walker was the first African American woman millionaire, and a visionary in the beauty and hair care industry. (Courtesy Photo) By Micha Green AFRO D.C. Editor mgreen@afro.com Black hair care has been a booming business since pioneering leaders like Madam C.J. Walker saw how African American women (and their men) invested in their […]
Baltimore City Joint Information Center COVID-19 Briefing
February 19, 2021 BALTIMORE CITY COUNT: 39,682 cumulative cases, 779 total deaths as of 2/19/2021 via coronavirus.baltimorecity.gov/ COMMUNITY TOOLKIT COVID-19 Online Dashboard – Access information about the number of COVID-19 cases with breakdowns by race, zip code, age, gender. coronavirus.baltimorecity.gov/ COVID-19 Vaccine – For reference, updates, and information about the COVID-19 vaccine, visit coronavirus.baltimorecity.gov/covax. BMORE […]
American Heart Association hosts Black Women & Wellness Roundtable with Divine Nine & the Links, Inc.
Influential Black women amplify need for health equity amid COVID-19 American Heart Association announces EmPOWERED to Serve™ Black Women and Well-Being Roundtable in partnership with Divine Nine Sororities and The Links, Inc. DALLAS, February 19, 2021 — In appreciation of Black History Month and American Heart Month, the American Heart Association, the leading global voluntary […]
Racism inside, take it outside to the people
1939: Marian Anderson sang in Washington on Easter Sunday in what was called “the biggest demonstration against prejudice since the funeral of Col. Charles Young.” (AFRO Archive) By Micha Green AFRO D.C. Editor mgreen@afro.com By the time Marian Anderson made history as the first African-American woman to sing at the New York Metropolitan Opera in […]
