By Juan Benn Jr., Special to the AFRO I remember where I was, who I was with, and how hopeful I felt on June 26, 2015– the day the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is protected under the 14th Amendment. I was a young teen, not old enough to get married, and lived in […]
Category: OPINION
Posted inCommentary
COMMENTARY: Portrait of Black School Founders: A survey of Black education entrepreneurs and how they are demystifying education freedom
By Denisha Allen In mainstream media, school choice is often framed as taking money away from public schools or being elite, white, and only a conservative policy issue. Yet Black school founders’ very existence directly debunks these common myths. My own experience does, too. That’s why I founded Black Minds Matter, a national movement to […]
Posted inOPINION
Op-ed: Are long hot summers driving mass shootings? Seeking real time understanding of a complex issue
By Dr. Natasha C. Pratt-Harris and Dr. Johnny Rice II Here we are. It’s the height of Summer 2023 and for some there’s this prevailing notion that with the heat comes the increased potential for crime, and for devastating violence. “The warm temperatures are the explanation for increased violence,” some say, and historic data trends […]
Posted inCommentary
New cannabis expungement rules address systemic injustice
By Chris Sweeney Last November, Maryland voters overwhelmingly approved a referendum to legalize cannabis use by adults. Those votes triggered new rules and legal processes that will affect use and possession of the drug, recreational sales and the ability to expunge criminal charges. Perhaps lost in the excitement of these major changes is the significant […]
Posted inBaltimore News
The Moore Report: Christine King Farris a unique member of a revolutionary family
By Ralph E. Moore Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a middle child in the birth order of children from the union of Martin Luther King Sr. and Alberta Williams King. King, Jr.’s older sister, Christine King Farris, died on June 29, 2023, in the city of their birth, Atlanta, Georgia. In some ways she […]
Posted inCommentary
The 16th annual “Rich States, Poor States” report: a look at the policies that could create opportunity for all
By Dr. Alveda King and Jonathan Williams While discussing his motivation for lowering state income taxes, Mississippi Speaker of the House Philip Gunn explained, “There is just no downside to putting money back into the pockets of people.” It’s hard to argue with that. Despite the gridlock in our nation’s capital, there is hope across […]
Posted inCommentary
Commentary: Honoring our past and looking toward the future: the importance of the International African American Museum
By Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn (D-SC-6) In 2019, my daughter Jennifer and I took part in a Congressional Delegation to Ghana that included my good friend, the late Congressman John Lewis. Our visit was to commemorate the 400 years since Black people were forcibly taken from the continent of Africa and enslaved in […]
Posted inCommentary
Breaking barriers, saving lives: Black Family Cancer Awareness Week’s call to action
By Dr. Shanique Palmer “You have cancer.” These are three words that we all dread hearing. If you are a Black person, you are more likely to hear these words and are often less likely to survive the disease than people of other racial or ethnic backgrounds. To put this into perspective – consider that […]
Posted inCommentary
The big chance to cut climate pollution from big trucks
By Ben Jealous The interstates built in the 1950s and 1960s killed the vitality of the communities where people of color and the poor lived, from Overtown in Miami to the Hill District in Pittsburgh to the South and West Sides of Chicago. The disruption and segregation of those communities happened by design. The harm […]
Posted inOPINION
From a son’s point of view: the impact of incarceration on a Black mother
By Rodney Wrice The moment a mother finds out that her child has been incarcerated is one that she will never forget. At first, shock and disbelief set in. “How could this happen? What did I do wrong?” She may blame herself and replay every mistake she’s ever made as a parent. She feels helpless […]
Posted in!Front Page
Juneteenth: A Time to Celebrate
Dr. Eugene L. Moore Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger proclaimed freedom for enslaved people in Texas. This marks the third year it has been observed as a federal holiday but it has been celebrated for more than a century prior to its national recognition. […]
