Baltimore has filed a lawsuit against fintech company MoneyLion, alleging the app traps residents in high-cost, short-term loans known as “Instacash.” City officials say the company’s misleading marketing and optional fees have disproportionately harmed the city’s most financially vulnerable residents.
Tag: Maryland
Posted inBUSINESS
Marylanders weigh in on their favorite local gems
Maryland ranks second in the U.S. for its share of Black-owned businesses, with 10 percent of companies owned by African Americans, according to a 2025 Pew Research Center report. To celebrate this entrepreneurial spirit, the AFRO spoke with residents about their favorite Black-owned businesses, highlighting local gems from bookstores to restaurants.
Posted inHealth
Maryland joins national fight to protect inclusive sex education programs
Maryland joins other states in defending comprehensive, evidence-based sexual health education against federal overreach.
Posted inOPINION
Hot, humid, and getting worse: Why Maryland must step up on climate
Critics question why Maryland has not joined other states suing to preserve stronger clean car standards and why costs of climate damage remain unmeasured. Maryland records 30 heat-related deaths through mid-August, the second-highest number in modern history, along with record ER visits in July.
Posted inOpinion
The invisible caregivers in our prisons
Rev. Jamesina E. Greene argues that incarcerated people often serve as hidden caregivers inside prisons, providing essential support like feeding, lifting, mentoring and comforting others without recognition or resources. Greene calls for policies that acknowledge and support this invisible labor, urging lawmakers to adopt standards that ensure dignity, healthcare and transparency in correctional facilities.
Posted inPrince George's County News
Glenn Ivey’s balancing act: A congressman, a husband, a father
Rep. Glenn Ivey, a devoted father and husband, has managed to strike a rare balance between life on Capitol Hill and the responsibilities of raising a family. With a home just miles from Congress, Ivey’s proximity allows him to stay present, even as his schedule demands near-constant attention to work. His story is one of adaptation, shared sacrifice and the powerful example of a Black political family living their values both publicly and privately.
Posted inHBCU
Morgan State University secures $1.75M grant from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to plan launch of public, nonprofit M.D. medical school
Morgan State University has received a $1.75 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to develop a plan for launching a public, nonprofit M.D. medical school — the first of its kind at Maryland’s largest HBCU. The two-year initiative aims to expand opportunities for underrepresented students, produce physicians committed to underserved communities, and strengthen Maryland’s health care workforce pipeline.
Posted inMaryland News
Attorney General Brown sues to stop federal cuts that threaten state energy programs
By Maryland Office of the Attorney General Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today joined 17 other states in suing to block the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) from imposing a new funding cap that cuts support for vital state-run clean energy and energy efficiency programs. The new DOE policy would limit funding for critical administrative […]
Posted inMaryland News
Moore and Scott push back against 47th president’s criticism, tout historic crime decreases
Gov. Wes Moore and Mayor Brandon Scott pushed back against White House criticism by pointing to major crime reductions—Maryland homicides are down 20 percent since Moore’s inauguration, while Baltimore is seeing its lowest homicide rate in 50 years. Both leaders credit data-driven strategies, law enforcement and community partnerships for the historic progress.
Posted inOPINION
Opinion: Baltimore’s roads were built on Black suffering; now it’s time to build something different
Steven K. Ragsdale argues that Baltimore must reckon with its legacy of slavery and disinvestment—particularly in West Baltimore—by fully committing to projects like the Red Line, which can serve as a form of reparative justice for communities historically harmed by systemic neglect.
Posted inMaryland News
Maryland’s forgotten victims: Shedding light on the state’s lynching legacy
Since 2018, the Maryland Lynching Memorial Project has worked to uncover the state’s legacy of racial terror, documenting dozens of lynchings that were long ignored or forgotten. Its leaders say reckoning with these truths is essential to healing—and to preventing history from repeating itself.
Posted inOpinion
We know what hurts us, and we know what heals us
Floyd Taliaferro IV is the CEO of All Walks of Life (AWL), a Maryland-based organization focused on improving urban communities through culturally responsive mental health care. This week, he shares insight into the need for a new response to the mental health crisis.