By Mylika ScatliffeAFRO Women’s Health Writer Dealing with COVID -19 has become a way of life. Two years into this pandemic and it still touches nearly all aspects of our lives. Work, play, and one of the most important aspects – school. Students of all levels have been affected in one way or another. Children, […]
Category: Word In Black
Posted inWord In Black
#WordinBlack: Baltimore community members distressed at school closings
By Deborah BaileySpecial to the AFRO Declining enrollment, failing building conditions and the two-year running COVID-19 crisis collided to create the perfect storm as Baltimore City School Board members made the decision to permanently close three Baltimore City Schools this week. Despite pleas from scores of community members in attendance at this week’s virtual board […]
Posted inNEWS
#WordinBlack: Incoming NYC schools chancellor talks to Black Press about his vision for teachers and students of color
By Nadine Matthews Special to the AFRO Word in Black, a coalition of leading Black newspaper publishers including the AFRO’s own Publisher and CEO Frances “Toni” Murphy Draper, describes its mission as one that “amplifies the Black experience by reporting, collecting and sharing stories about real people. Recently, in alignment with their mission, the coalition […]
Posted inNEWS
#WordinBlack: Liz Dwyer named Word In Black managing director
By Word In Black Liz Dwyer, former founding editor of Shondaland.com, has been named managing director of Word In Black, a first-of-its-kind digital startup and collaboration powered by the nation’s leading Black publishers and managed by Local Media Foundation. Dwyer will start January 3, 2022. Dwyer joins Word In Black at a moment of explosive growth, […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
The Caregivers: COVID-19 changed the roles for many of today’s Black grandparents
By D. Kevin McNeir Washington Informer Senior Writer The Caregivers is a unique series focused on the challenges and triumphs of caregiving. These stories have been created through a strategic partnership between AARP and Word In Black. Franklin and Vivian Wilds, both in their late 70s and residents of the District since 1971, consider themselves fortunate despite […]
Posted inNEWS
#WordinBlack: School bus driver shortage compounds pandemic school challenges, overwhelmed drivers demand change
By Alexis Taylor, Special to the AFRO The school bus driver shortage sweeping the nation gave way to tense operations in Baltimore County this week. Parents and guardians woke up to an alarming email over the weekend, warning that “Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) bus drivers and bus attendants may organize a ‘call out’ that will […]
Posted in!Front Page
#WordInBlack: #WeNeedBlackTeachers campaign tackles nationwide shortage
By Laura Onyeneho Houston Defender If you click on the hashtag #WeNeedBlackTeachers on social media, you will see the collective responses of thousands of people describing the ways Black teachers have positively impacted students nationwide. The non-profit the Center for Black Educator Development (CBED) is the creator of the national campaign, which strives to raise […]
Posted inOPINION
WARNING: Time is Running Out! The Return of Jim Crow is Pending
By Sonny Messiah Jiles The adage “History Repeats Itself” is in full operation as Texas leads our nation back in time to the birth of Jim Crow. Some say Texas is leading the charge for other states to follow. The Texas legislature has passed laws to limit access to voting by changing dates, times and places where […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Covid collateral damage: The rise in cost of education
By Megan Kirk The Michigan Chronicle School is back in session and for some parents, back-to-school shopping has been yet another aspect of life affected by the pandemic. Shortages in apparel, supplies and other school necessities are making the return to in-person learning more difficult. Parents are having to use additional resources to source goods […]
Posted inNational News
#WordInBlack: Over 500 students take Dell’s STEM courses
Dell Technologies is shifting toward more inclusivity in the STEM industry by creating a pipeline for minority students. (Photograph by RF._.studio/Pexels) By Bria Suggs The Atlanta Voice In 2018, some of the most underrepresented demographics in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) industry were Hispanics, African-Americans and women in general. At that time, in […]
Posted inNEWS
#WordInBlack: Black students made up smallest percentage of enrollment in advanced placement classes
In the 2017-2018 school year, Black students made up less than 10%, nationwide, of students who were enrolled in advanced placement classes. Two of the major barriers found were educator bias and a lack of communication with families. (Photograph by RF._.studio/Pexel) By Maya Pottiger Word In Black Nationwide, 6% of students were enrolled in Advanced […]
Posted inCoronavirus
#WordinBlack: Plateaued public school enrollment will likely fall due to COVID
By Maya Pottiger Enrollment in public schools has been steady for years, but a variety of factors have caused that number to start falling. The first, of course, is the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Between schools transitioning to virtual classes and then the subsequent return to in-person classes with or without mask and vaccine mandates, parents have found […]