By Ben Jealous When General Motors, Chrysler and Ford – the “Big Three” American automakers – were close to extinction 15 years ago, their workers and the American people stepped in to save them. The United Auto Workers (UAW) gave back wages and benefits they had every right to get under a contract they had […]
Category: OPINION
Posted inCommentary
Consumers deserve to have choices in the grocery store: Lawmakers should reverse course on misguided SNAP restrictions
By John Burnett Amidst Congress’ best efforts to keep the government open, it’s also hard at work to re-authorize affordable food, farmers are able to insure their crops, and ranchers can export their products to foreign markets. It’s not an understatement to say it’s one of the most important bills Congress can send to the […]
Posted inCommentary
A call to the NAACP: Let’s prioritize Baltimore’s Black students
By Denisha Allen In the heart of Baltimore, where history and hope intertwine, the songs of our ancestors echo with tales of triumph and tribulation. The NAACP has long been a part of this symphony, casting light on shadows of injustice and inequality. Yet today, as new needs have evolved and emerge, it’s time for […]
Posted inCommentary
Black Americans need better immigration policy
By Andre Barnes Growing up on the rural farms of Halifax, Va., I pulled tobacco just like my great-grandfather Roosevelt, a sharecropper who provided for his family until he died in his late 80s. Just a generation before him, his father was a slave. In the late 1990s, as I edged closer to high school […]
Posted inCommentary
Poverty just jumped— and it was no accident
By Lakeisha McVey I’ve lived and studied poverty most of my life. But you don’t have to be an expert to see why it’s spiking after lawmakers let antipoverty programs expire. After hitting a record low of 7.8 percent in 2021, new data shows the government’s Supplemental Poverty Measure jumped to 12.4 percent last year. […]
Posted inOPINION
Disrespect and deception: we’re looking at you, Tim Scott and Eric Johnson
By Claude Cummings, Jr. As this was being written, I was proudly representing Communications Workers of America’s members during the 52nd Annual Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Legislative Conference. Since its inception, the CBC has passionately supported the interests of the Black community and worked to ensure that we have an equal voice in public policy. […]
Posted inCommentary
A call to action: how rites of passage can combat attacks on the minds of Black boys
By Dayvon Love One of the central elements of the condition of Black youth in the U.S. is that they are being socialized in a society full of dehumanizing systems. Pop culture, public education, politics and a host of other societal messages bombard Black youth with the idea that they are worthless. If we are […]
Posted inCommentary
Mind full or mindful? Normalizing mental health for Black men
By Maurice Carroll Black male children are born into a culture where their way of life is showered with doubt, untrustworthiness and systems of racism. Worries of White supremacy and high expectations –both self-imposed and externally forced – all take a back seat on the day that a Black boy is born, but what about […]
Posted inCommentary
Commentary: Tell the Maryland Public Service Commission to reject BGE’s proposed rate hike
By Ryan Coleman, Special to the AFRO Marylanders already have a higher cost of living than the United States average. In fact, Maryland is the sixth most expensive state in the country. If you live in the Randallstown, Woodlawn or Towson areas, you already spend nearly 7 percent above the national cost of living average. […]
Posted inOPINION
Opinion: Will Judge Tanya S. Chutkan be fair to Donald Trump? I think so.
By Andrellos Mitchell I have been a lawyer for nearly 29 years and a member of the Washington, D.C. Bar for 22 years. I have also been an active member of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia since 1996. I have practiced law in that court in the Bankruptcy and Civil Divisions. If memory […]
Posted inOpinion
Time is running out to heal our nation
By: Ben “BostonBen” Haith While I greatly respect President Joe Biden, I believe that we need a human leader who will prioritize transforming our country into a non-violent and peaceful society for the sake of future generations. Our nation has a long history of systemic violence, often linked to the use of firearms. Guns have […]
Posted inCommentary
It’s time to address Parkinson’s Disease in the Black community
By Valerie Gibson Too many African Americans with Parkinson’s disease experience invisibility when it comes to their medical care. In fact, no one in the Parkinson’s healthcare community even has an estimate as to the number of Blacks in this country living with the disease. As a Black neurological physical therapist who has treated Parkinson’s […]