When President Obama released his five-year goals for reducing drug use and its consequences last May, he observed that “by boosting community-based prevention, expanding treatment, strengthening law enforcement, and working collaboratively with our global partners, we will reduce drug use and the great damage it causes in our communities.” I fully agree. Last week, I […]
Category: OPINION
Posted inEditorial
AFRO’s Primary Endorsements for Baltimore City and County, and Maryland
Starting Sept. 3, Maryland voters will be able to cast their votes in the primary election for local and statewide candidates. This is the first time Maryland has allowed early voting and the submission of absentee ballots for convenience, providing more opportunities to vote and more access to voting for eligible voters. This is not, […]
Posted inCommentary
Ezili Danto…Wyclef Jean’s Presidential Candidacy a Distraction
The on-again-off-again presidential candidacy of music star Wyclef Jean is a distraction for Haiti. On Friday, Aug. 20, the Haiti Electoral Council ruled that 15 out of the 34 candidates had not met the legal requirements to run for president of Haiti. Jean was one of the rejected candidates and he’s chosen to appeal the […]
Posted inEditorial
AFRO’s Primary Endorsements for Washington, D.C.
On Aug. 30, Washington voters began to cast their votes in the primary election. This is the first time the District has allowed early voting and along with that, initiated a variety of other enhancements and changes. This election cycle is definitely full of firsts for the Washington, D.C. This is not, however, the first […]
Posted inCommentary
Adrienne T. Washington…District’s ‘Bush v. Gore’ Redux
Could the Democratic primary in two weeks turn out to be “Bush v. Gore in D.C.?” Maybe no hanging chads or midnight Supreme Court session, but with an unprecedented number of “disputed” provisional or “special ballots” predicted to be cast, D.C. Board of Elections officials will be hard pressed to declare a definitive winner in […]
Posted inCommentary
The 47th Anniversary of the March on Washington
Saturday will mark the 47th anniversary of the historic March on Washington where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his powerful “I Have a Dream” speech. Dr. King’s message of equality, unity, democracy and tolerance lured men and women from across the nation from different racial, ethnic and economic backgrounds. They came for a healing […]
Posted inCommentary
Rev. Al Sharpton…Let’s Reclaim the Dream on Aug. 28
(NNPA) – Forty-seven years ago, our nation was in the midst of uncertainty, trepidation, fear, frustration, anger and unrest. Forty-seven years ago, we were simultaneously hopeful, dedicated, ambitious, determined and resilient. Forty-seven years ago, people of all races gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. to urge their federal government to live up to […]
Posted inCommentary
H. Lewis Smith…The Enigmatic N-Word
Even though not all Black Americans refer to themselves as the pejorative n-word, an alarming proportion of the Black community uses and/or supports use of the term. For instance, ministers invoke the word from their pulpits, and the NAACP, with the wink of the eye, looks the other way when prominent Blacks publicly embrace the […]
Posted inCommentary
Marc Morial…Dr. Laura Resigns
Here we go again. One more time, a clueless commentator with a microphone and an audience of millions, has brazenly insulted Black America and reacted as if we were the perpetrators. The latest incident involves Dr. Laura Schlessinger, the host of the “Dr. Laura” radio show. On Aug. 10, Dr. Laura made racially insensitive statements and […]
Posted inCommentary, Religion
Raynard Jackson…The Flag of Hypocrisy
I am amazed that the controversy surrounding the proposed Muslim mosque and community center in New York City at ground zero is still going strong. America has turned into a country where if you don’t agree with someone, you are painted as a bad person. This is exactly what is going on in New York […]
Posted inCommentary
Julianne Malveaux…Five Years After the Levees Broke
(NNPA) – On Aug. 29, we will commemorate five years since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, broke its levees and drowned the city in feet of water. Five years ago our nation exhibited some of the most profound indifference to human beings as thousands of New Orleaneans were stuck without food, water, or sanitation in […]
Posted inCommentary
Celebrating 90 Years of Women Voting
When my great-grandmother arrived in Baltimore from Poland, she was 16 years old, here to marry a man she’d never met. She had no money in her pocket, but she had the American dream in her heart. While she was able to build a home and a better future in Maryland, as a woman she […]