By Wolfgang Klietmann This year, roughly a dozen Americans will contract melioidosis, an infection caused by a tropical bacteria with a fatality rate as high as 50 percent. Two of the four patients in one recent outbreak died – and none of them had recently traveled abroad, which suggests the bacteria is incubating on U.S. […]
Category: OPINION
Posted inOPINION
Vaccines don’t cause autism—here’s how we know
Greg Scaduto is the parent of a nonverbal autistic child, author of the blog “Broken but Readable” and an advocate for the Autism Society. In this piece that originally appeared in U.S. News and World Report, he debunks the theory that vaccines cause autism.
Posted inOPINION
Betrayal within: Drugs in neighborhood stores and the scars on our community
Baltimore police recently raided two convenience stores, uncovering illegal marijuana operations and multiple arrests. In this commentary, Michael Eugene Johnson condemns the betrayal of community trust when local businesses become drug hubs and calls for strict legal and financial accountability to protect neighborhoods.
Posted inCommentary
Homecoming and the spirit of unity: What HBCUs teach America
Dr. Javaune Adams-Gaston is president of Norfolk State University, chairwoman of the Mid Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and a member of the Board of Governors for the NCAA; and Dr. Tony Allen is president of Delaware State University, vice chairman of MEAC, and the chairman emeritus of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In their joint commentary, the pair celebrates the spirit and legacy of HBCU homecomings as more than festive gatherings—they are affirmations of cultural pride, resilience and unity.
Posted inOPINION
Legally Written: The missing voice in America’s access to justice PART 2
By Kisha Brown, Esq. For most of the conversation and efforts regarding access to justice, the focus is often on visible crises — eviction, incarceration, domestic violence — that are inextricably linked to poverty. However, the Black community’s barriers to legal counsel and information are often structural and cultural as much as economic. Think about […]
Posted inOPINION
Sudan: In the face of dastardly acts, the world remains silent
Jennifer R. Farmer is the author of “First and Only: A Black Woman’s Guide to Thriving at Work and in Life,” and founder of the social good public relations firm, Spotlight PR LLC. Farmer urges the world to confront the ongoing atrocities in Sudan, arguing that true commitment to the value of Black lives must include protecting Sudanese civilians from genocide and mass suffering.
Posted inOPINION
Teach your kids backyard and urban farming to promote nutrition and neighborhood health
Community gardens in urban areas provide inter-generational learning, promote social cohesion, provide nutrition education, reduce crime, lower grocery bills, create jobs, reduce carbon footprint, and improve air and soil quality.Community and backyard gardens teach children about nutrition, provide fresh produce, lower grocery costs, and strengthen neighborhood ties. Urban farming also promotes intergenerational learning, community cohesion, economic opportunities, and environmental benefits, while requiring organized efforts to overcome space, soil, resource, and regulatory challenges.
Posted inOPINION
Storms, solidarity and selective aid: The U.S., Jamaica and the ‘s- -thole’ bias
Residents stand on the wreckage of a house destroyed by Hurricane Melissa in Santa Cruz, Jamaica. In this piece, Edmond W. Davis argues that America’s disaster aid and immigration responses reveal a persistent racial and political bias, showing more compassion toward European nations than to its Black Caribbean neighbors like Jamaica and Haiti.
Posted inCommentary
Faith, housing and hope: How planning builds stronger Black communities
By Dr. Teresa M. Jeter Every October, we celebrate National Community Planning Month, a recognition established by the American Planning Association (APA) to highlight the vital role urban and regional planners play in shaping our communities. While often behind the scenes, planners help communities navigate change, protect culture and build resilience. For African American neighborhoods, […]
Posted inOPINION
The goalposts keep moving: Maryland’s public arts funding is failing its working artists
By Sarahia Benn “Maryland artists just saved the arts budget, and yet somehow, we still can’t get a grant. It’s like showing up to your own party and being told the punch bowl is for everyone else.” – Sarahia Benn For decades, I’ve worked as an artist, educator and advocate for public arts funding in […]
Posted inCommentary
Legally Written: The missing voice in America’s access to justice PART 1
By Kisha Brown “Access to justice” is a term of art and action in legal and policy circles — a call for better inclusion and participation in our legal system. That system of course is not relegated to just the courts; it includes nearly every facet of life from healthcare to education to housing to […]
Posted inWord In Black
Compassion has left the building
By Dr. Frances Murphy DraperAFRO CEO and Publisher As Americans worry whether they’ll get their next paycheck, keep the lights on, or afford dinner tonight, an internal email dated October 31, 2025, from the halls of the U.S. Department of War (formerly the Department of Defense) lands — addressed to “Policy Colleagues,” wishing them a […]