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American hero and baseball giant Willie Mays dies at age 93
By Mekhi Abbott AFRO Sports Intern
mabbott@afro.com
Willie Mays Jr., widely regarded as the best center fielder ever and one of the greatest baseball players of all time, died June 18 at the age of 93 due to heart failure.
Mays was truly one of baseball’s most recognizable names and faces, synonymous with “America’s pastime,” and was one of the athletes that aided in making Major League Baseball (MLB) a bigger brand. People of all ages and races wanted to watch the superstar dazzle on the pitch and achieve athletic
heights that many players who succeeded him couldn’t even reach.
“Willie Mays was a part of the vanguard of Black baseball players out of the Negro Leagues who were able to play in the majors and their impact– his in particular–was stunning,” said ESPN panelist and Washington Post columnist Kevin Blackistone.
Mays was born in Westfield, Ala., on May 6, 1931. He was one of 10
“Willie Mays was a part of the vanguard of Black baseball players out of the Negro Leagues who were able to play in the majors and their impact– his in particular–was stunning.”
siblings. Mays was introduced to baseball at a young age through his father Willie
Howard “Cat” Mays Sr. Mays and his father were teammates on Mays
Sr.’s Birmingham Industrial League team. Through this team, Mays met Piper Davis, which led to him playing with both the Chattanooga ChooChoos and the Black Barons of the Negro League for three years while in high school. In 1948, the Black Barons made it to the Negro League World Series. After graduating high school at 19, Mays was signed to the New York Giants organization for $4,000.
After dominating in the
minor leagues, Mays was quickly promoted to the big league. In 1951, Mays was the recipient of the National League Rookie of the Year award. Three years later, Mays won the World Series and his first National League Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. During that World Series championship run, Mays made one of the greatest catches in baseball history, affectionately referred
Biden-Harris investment in Black Press goes beyond swing states
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire
The Biden-Harris Campaign’s recently announced a $1.5 million advertising deal with the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) goes beyond swing states and serves as a reminder of what the current administration has done for African American-owned small businesses, including the Black Press of America.
“In August of last year, our campaign announced the earliest and largest investment into Black media for any reelection campaign in history,” said Jasmine Harris, director of National Black Media for Biden-Harris 2024. “This partnership with the NNPA is a continuation of those efforts and will
strengthen our work in meeting Black voters where they are, to underscore the stakes of this election for Black America. President Biden and Vice President
Harris are responsible for creating millions of new jobs for Black workers and record low Black unemployment. Black America has far too much to lose this election.”
The Black Press, which dates to 1827, has remained a steadfast pillar for African American voices. That mission persists today as the Black Press approaches its
200th anniversary in 2027.
“I think the campaign realizes that, by advertising with NNPA newspapers, it also serves to support the
a $1.5 million for
Friends and family of baseball legend Willie Mays are still mourning his death at age 93. This week, the AFRO celebrates the life and legacy of Mays, recorded in detail by the great AFRO sports editor, Sam Lacy. See A3 for more.
AP Photo/ Paul Kitagaki Jr.
Photo courtesy of NNPA Newswire
with Black Press.
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Vice President Kamala Harris visits Maryland to recognize second anniversary of overturning of Roe v. Wade
By Tashi McQueen AFRO Political Writer Tmcqueen@afro.com
With the first presidential debate of this election season just days away, Vice President Kamala Harris (D) made a stop in College Park, Md. to recognize the second anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade., a landmark case that made abortion a constitutional right.
“Over the past two years, in states across our nation, the extremists have proposed and passed laws that criminalize doctors and punish women. Laws that limit access to contraception and to fertility treatments like IVF. Even some of them, trying to revive laws from the 1800s,” said Harris.
According to the Center for Reproductive Rights, a non-profit organization of reproductive rights advocates and lawyers, around 14 states have made abortion illegal.
“Two years ago today, Donald Trump’s Supreme Court majority ripped away the fundamental freedom for women to access the health care they need and deserve. The consequences have been devastating. If given the chance, there is no question he will ban abortion nationwide, with or without the help of Congress,” said Biden in a statement on June 24, acknowledging the day. “I will never let that happen. My message to
overturned
constitutional right.
Americans is this: Kamala and I are fighting like hell to get your freedom back. And we won’t stop until we restore the protections of Roe v. Wade for every woman in every state.”
At the gathering, Harris doubled down on Biden’s sentiments.
“In the case of the stealing of reproductive freedom from the women of America, Donald Trump is guilty,” said Harris, gaining cheers from the crowd.
The lively crowd chanted “four more years” and “restore
Roe” several times throughout the event.
Throughout her speech, Harris played up Trump’s part in and lack of remorse for the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
“When he was in the White House, Donald Trump handpicked three members of the United States Supreme Court because he intended for them to overturn Roe v. Wade,” said Harris. “As intended, they did.”
There are currently six Republican-nominated justices
“In the case of the stealing of reproductive freedom from the women of America, Donald Trump is guilty.”
“Today is more than just an anniversary. It’s proof that we should never take for granted our liberties,” said Democratic nominee for U.S Senate and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks at the gathering. “It’s the confirmation that we must be vigilant and fighting for and protecting, with everything we have, our rights.
on the U.S. Supreme Court and three Democrat-nominated justices.
“Electing Vice President Kamala Harris and President Biden means that we will have a country that remains recognizable to us,” said Alsobrooks.
Voters’ perspectives of a
candidate’s views on abortion surely matter as a poll by Navigator Research, a project led by pollsters, finds that 68 percent of Americans believe it is important for Biden and Congress to protect abortion access this year.
In Our Own Voice, a national partnership to uplift Reproductive justice leaders, finds that Black voters are six times more likely to vote for a candidate who supports abortion access than one who opposes it.
The poll by Navigator Research also shows that 80 percent of women are supportive of increasing access to birth control pills, 70 percent for easier access to fertility planning such as IVF, 57 percent for an abortion pill and 56 percent for in-clinic abortions.
Trump did not make any public statements on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
Previously Republicans have said the decision restored power to the states concerning abortion and protects the lives of unborn children.
Hampton University announces new school of religion
By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware Word in Black
One of the most exciting pieces of news from the 2024 Hampton Ministers Conference is the launch of Hampton University’s School of Religion, which offers the usual degrees in religion and theology, and is now the first HBCU to offer a doctorate.
“It’s more than a dream come true. It’s much needed at this time in the life of the Black church and the Black community. Churches need as much support and assistance as we can give them,” says the Rev. Dr. Debra L. Haggins, founding dean of the School of Religion, executive director and treasurer of the Hampton University Ministers’ Conference, and Hampton’s first woman chaplain.
“Theological education is changing. It’s a post-COVID education. People are going to church differently with different expectations,” Haggins says.
She says COVID brought to the forefront a culture of consumerism in the church, and people are making choices unlike those previously made.
“Not only have we survived COVID, but the paradigm has literally shifted. We now rely on the creative side of worship; technology to broadcast, social media platforms like Meta live. Technology came together to keep the church alive, and we rely heavily on it now,” Haggins says.
Not only is the school already in full operation, but its first partnership has been formed with the Church of God in Christ Second Jurisdiction of Virginia.
“We are thrilled to announce that the Church of God in Christ is our very first partner with the School of Religion,” said Hampton University President Darrell K. Williams in a statement. “Together, we are shaping the future of religious education and leadership, stepping forward to support our mission of preparing inspired and effective leaders for the 21st century.”
The Church of God in Christ (C.O.G.I.C.) is one of the largest Pentecostal denominations in the world. Founded in 1907, C.O.G.I.C. is known for its commitment to spiritual growth, community service and social justice.
“The collaboration between C.O.G.I.C. and Hampton
School of Religion, executive director and treasurer of the Hampton University Ministers’ Conference and
University’s School of Religion is a remarkable opportunity to enhance spiritual education and leadership,” said Bishop Michael B. Golden Jr., one of the youngest bishops of C.O.G.I.C. “We are honored to be the inaugural partner in this endeavor, and we look forward to the positive impact this will have on our communities and beyond.”
“The School of Religion is
The Rev. Drew Kyndall Ross is one of the new professors at the Hampton University School of Religion and senior pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in Hackensack, New Jersey.
a dream realized for Hampton University and the faith community,” said Haggins in a statement. “This institution will provide a comprehensive and inclusive platform for theological education, research, and spiritual development. We are excited about our partnership with C.O.G.I.C. and we’re committed to fostering a new generation of leaders who are well-equipped to address the challenges of our time.”
The School of Religion offers a diverse range of programs and initiatives, including: Degree Programs: Undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs in theology, religious studies, and ministry. Continuing Education: Workshops, seminars, and certificate programs for clergy and lay leaders. Research and Publications: A robust agenda of research projects and publications aimed at advancing religious scholarship and practice.
“Our online classes are cutting edge technology, custom built and contextually appropriate,” Haggins says, adding that applications are being accepted for the doctoral level through July 15 and all other levels through July 30. The new school is also bringing 32 new professors to Hampton, and they’ve already experienced extensive training and two faculty retreats.
One of those new professors is the Rev. Drew Kyndall Ross, senior pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in Hackensack, New Jersey, who says his passion for teaching at a seminary level started while studying for his master of divinity in 2011.
“It was then that I began having a desire to teach preaching,” Ross says. “Last year, I started a Ph.D. program to eventually teach preaching. When I saw that Hampton University’s new School of Religion was accepting new professors, I quickly applied.
“The opportunity at Hampton has been a dream come true. It gives me a chance to teach in a field of study that I love. It also allows me to make an impact on preachers who are seeking to sharpen their skills. I am looking forward to this new journey as an extension of my preaching and pastoral ministry.”
This article was originally published on WordinBlack.com.
AFRO Photo / Tashi McQueen
Vice President Kamala Harris (D) recognizes two years since the U.S. Supreme Court
Roe v. Wade, a landmark case that had established abortion as a
Courtesy photo
The Rev. Dr. Debra L. Haggins is founding dean of the Hampton University
Hampton’s first woman chaplain.
Photo courtesy of Hampton University
to as “The Catch.” The Polo Grounds stadium that the game was played at had very unorthodox dimensions, with right and left field being extremely shallow but center field being very large and far. The ball traveled 425 feet and Mays caught it over his head in a full sprint. In 2024, that would be a homerun in every single major league ballpark in the United States and Toronto.
Mays played a huge role in the expansion of the MLB and baseball in general. After he had played his first six MLB seasons in New York, the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers both relocated to California. With the move to San Francisco, Mays assisted in making the sport more visible and popular across the country, wowing fans from coast to coast and becoming a true national hero.
“He set a path for many people. Without Mays there aren’t players like Rickey Henderson, Ken Griffey Jr. and so many others. Not only was he a grinder on the field but he was an even better person off the field,” said Nick Payero, pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds organization.
During his baseball career, Mays was a 24-time All Star, two-time MVP, 12-time Golden Glove Award winner and a recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award in 1971. Mays played with the Giants for over 20 years (with a brief gap due to military service) before returning to The Big Apple to play his final two seasons with the New York Mets.
Mays is also considered the most complete baseball player of all time as he was one of the first true examples of a five-tool player. Mays hit for both average and power, while also being an elite defender, base runner and having a strong arm.
“To serve in the Korean War, come back and he’s still spectacular at everything he does . If you were to define the five-tool baseball player, it would be a picture of Willie Mays and all of his accomplishments,” said Blackistone.
Mays led the league in home runs four times and also led the MLB in stolen bases for four consecutive seasons. He finished his 1954 MVP campaign with the highest batting average in the MLB. He also holds the record for most home runs hit in a game with four, which he holds alongside
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230+ Black-owned small business media companies, which will have the effect of stimulating the local economy,” said NNPA Sales and Business Development Director Ron Burke.
The NNPA is a trade association made up of Black-owned media companies.
President Biden and Vice President Harris have already unveiled a comprehensive plan aimed at economic growth, job creation and business support. The administration earlier announced that over 18 million new business applications have been filed since they took office, with Black-owned small businesses reaching their highest levels in 25 years. Officials at the Small Business Administration noted that, “Under the Biden-Harris Administration, the United States has experienced a historic small business boom being led by women and people of color, and FY23 furthered that trend with 11 percent more loans delivered to small businesses than in FY22. Black-owned small businesses are crucial to this monumental growth.”
The administration’s economic policies have led to the creation of over 2.5 million jobs for Black workers, helping to reduce the Black unemployment rate to historic lows. As of April 2023, the unemployment rate for Black workers fell to 4.8 percent, the lowest on record and has continued to trend below historical averages. The administration is also prioritizing homeownership as a means to build generational wealth. The American Rescue Plan has provided significant support through emergency rental assistance and mortgage forbearance programs, benefiting millions of Americans, including a large proportion of Black families. The Federal Housing Administration has played a key role in supporting mortgages for Black and
nine other MLB players. Mays is a member of Major League Baseball’s All-Time Team and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979. In 2015, President Barack Obama presented Mays with the Presidential Medal of Freedom due to his impact on American culture as a whole. Upon hearing the news that Mays had passed away, Obama took to X to share his condolences.
“He was also a wonderfully warm and generous person – and an inspiration to an entire generation. I’m lucky to have spent time with him over the years, and Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to his family,” said the former president.
Mays is also remembered for being an active member of his community. He wasn’t the most vocal when it came to publicly speaking about topics on race and politics. However, Mays lived in the predominantly-Black borough of the Bronx, N.Y., for most of his MLB career, and prior to being married, he would go out and play stickball with all of the children a reported two-to-three times a week. He also played a role in housing discrimination being outlawed in San Francisco.
Mays’ legacy is continued by his son, Michael Mays.
Hispanic borrowers, ensuring stability and security for senior homeowners through its Home Equity Conversion Mortgage programs.
Addressing the burden of student loan debt, which disproportionately affects Black Americans, President Biden has delivered over $167 billion in student loan debt relief, despite interference by Republicans, federal judges and the U.S. Supreme Court. Further, the
“In August of last year, our campaign announced the earliest and largest investment into Black media for any reelection campaign in history.”
administration’s expansion of the child tax credit under the American Rescue Plan has significantly reduced poverty rates among Black children. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Black child poverty nearly halved from 2020 to 2021, showcasing the direct impact of these policies on vulnerable communities.
The Biden-Harris administration said they remain committed to reversing these trends and ensuring that economic growth benefits all Americans, particularly those who have been historically marginalized, including a commitment to closing the racial wealth gap and empowering Black families.
“The partnership between Biden-Harris 2024 and the NNPA is urgent because
we must pool all of our resources to keep Donald Trump out of office,” said Fran Farrer, the NNPA’s National Secretary and Publisher of The County News in Charlotte, N.C. “Biden has helped the Black community grow, and he and the vice president are on the ground fighting for our community and all of America.”
For the Black Press to tell the story properly, it must have resources, Michigan Chronicle Publisher and Real Times Media CEO Hiram Jackson demanded. “The initial advertising deal between the campaign and the Black Press is a great first step. It symbolizes that the campaign understands the significance of the Black Press, but it can’t only be a first step. There must be many more steps to increase engagement, voter registration and excitement.”
Black-owned media voices can “shape political messaging, mobilize voters and advocate for Black issues,” stated Bobby Henry, NNPA’s national chairman and publisher of Florida’s Westside Gazette. Further, if Biden wants to win, “he and his campaign must have a commitment and dedication to the African American community and what our experience in America has been,” said Philadelphia Tribune Publisher Robert Bogle.
Biden-Harris 2024 is being responsive to the interests of Black America through the campaign’s advertising initiatives with the NNPA, said NNPA President & CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. “The Black vote throughout the United States will be a key determinative factor to the outcome of the 2024 national elections. We profoundly thank the Biden-Harris 2024 Campaign.”
This article was originally published by NNPA Newswire.
Reproduced
Willie
Lacy, Sam Afro-American (1893-); Apr 20, 1957; ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Black Newspaper Collection pg. 13
COMMENTARY
Why I want Cardi B to vote
By Keith Boykin
In a new interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Cardi B explained why she won’t be voting in the November presidential election. “I don’t f*** with both of y’all n*****,” she said.
I love Cardi, but I hope she reconsiders her decision.
The New York-born rapper and former Bernie Sanders supporter told the magazine that she’s concerned about high costs of living, low wages and “endless wars.”
I am, too. Anyone with a conscience wants lower prices, higher wages and fewer wars. But not voting is not the answer. It’s the problem.
The reason why we face so many problems in America is because too many of us aren’t voting, and we’re letting other people who disagree with our values set the agenda.
Although inflation is down from its peak a few years ago and wages are up, Cardi is right that the federal minimum wage is stuck at $7.25 an hour because all 50 Republican senators and eight conservative Democrats voted to block an increase in 2021.
The issue isn’t Cardi’s description of the problem; it’s her prescription. If you don’t vote, then what’s your strategy to create the change you want to see in America? Is it going to happen magically? Is the government going to see
millions of Black people not voting and think, “Hey, let’s listen to the people who didn’t bother to vote?”
That’s not how it works. That’s not how any of this works. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, and if we don’t speak up, we get less attention, not more.
This is why we can’t just show up once every four years for a presidential election and then complain when things go wrong. We have to vote in every election — for Senate, Congress, governors, state representatives, mayors, city councilors, prosecutors, judges and school board members. Those are the people who make the majority of the decisions that affect our lives, not the president.
But voting, by itself, is not enough. We have to hold our leaders accountable even after we vote for them. The way to do that is to negotiate for your vote. That’s what people with power do. They don’t walk away and refuse to vote when they’re upset. They demand some specific deliverable in exchange for their vote. That’s what we should do, too — prioritize an issue and demand attention to it.
Voting is not just aspirational; it’s transactional. You’re not selecting a spouse for life. You’re hiring an employee for a specific amount of time. You don’t have to fall in love with them. They just have to do the work.
AP Photo/Evan Agostini
Keith Boykin is a New York Times–bestselling author, television and film producer and former CNN political commentator. A graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School, Keith served in the White House, cofounded the National Black Justice Coalition, cohosted the BET talk show, “My Two Cents,” and taught at the Institute for Research in African-American Studies at Columbia University in New York. This week he speaks on popular celebrities and their influence when it comes to getting voters to the polls this election year.
When anyone tells you it doesn’t matter who you vote for, you’re being played. If voting didn’t matter, Republicans wouldn’t be trying so hard to stop you from doing it. And, trust me, they’re not telling White people not to vote.
Voting is not about choosing the lesser of two evils. It’s about choosing among the available applicants for the job. Sure,
How ADOS is counter revolutionary
By Dayvon Love
If we accept the premise that Black peoples’ grievances with America began with enslavement in the U.S., then we are also accepting White people’s ability to define and shape our reality.
The drive toward global domination of the non-White world by Europe and America was carried out by waging war against sovereign nations and societies. People of African descent in the WesternHemisphere are prisoners of war. America is a settler colony that was able to emerge as a global superpower because of the material wealth it genocidally extracted from the dehumanization of Indigenous people and people of African descent.
The economic inertia from stealing the land from native people of the Americas and the enslavement of African
people created the foundation upon which America has been able to become the wealthiest nation in the world.
Starting our grievances against the U.S. with enslavement renders the larger project of America as a legitimate enterprise. As Derrick Bell has brilliantly theorized, racism in America is permanent. There is no version of America where Black people are not subject to collective oppression and subjugation. Many in the mainstream social justice space are operating under the guise that they are fighting to make America a genuine multiracial democracy. As a Pan-Africanist, I am clear that what Black people should be fighting for is the development of independent Black institutions that will give us the capacity to navigate this society from a position of sovereignty and power, instead of relying on the benevolence
of people outside of our community. We should build coalitions with other groups that are based on respect for our need for independent political action. We should not be looking to get this racist society to recognize our humanity, but to build the power needed to effectively advance our collective interests.
Over the past several years, a movement called American Descendants of Slaves (ADOS) has emerged and has taken up significant time and space in the conversation about reparations. They have been hostile toward PanAfricanist and approaches to reparations that come from proponents of it. A lot has been said in these discussions, but I want to focus on the ADOS demand for lineage-based reparations. The central area of contention in the reparations conversation between ADOS
I would love to vote for a young, charismatic, powerful, progressive Black woman who reflects all my values, but she didn’t apply for the job this year. So, I gotta choose between these two old White guys. And I don’t agree with Biden on several issues, but I don’t agree with Trump on any issues.
The most enduring impact the next president will have on the future is the appointment of judges. Donald Trump and George Bush already appointed the conservative Supreme Court justices and federal judges who eliminated affirmative action in college
admissions, overturned Roe v. Wade, struck down a rescue plan for Black farmers, ordered the Minority Business Development Agency to serve White men and declared a Black woman’s venture capital fund to be illegal. Not voting in 2024 gives Donald Trump the chance to stack the Supreme Court and the federal bench with right-wing judges with lifetime tenure who will be able to block any progressive legislation that you support for the next 30 years. Not voting doesn’t help advance a pro-Black agenda. It stops it dead in its tracks. I’ve worked on six
and Pan-Africanists is about whether or not Black people should strive to be integrated into the American mainstream. Revolutionary Pan-Africanists believe that reparations should be about building our capacity to practice sovereignty. PanAfricanists are clear that the existing social order is structured on the global system of White supremacy, capitalism, colonialism, and imperialism. The emphasis by ADOS on lineage reparations and a lack of serious engagement on how to build independent Black political power demonstrates that they are interested in an agenda that ultimately integrates Black people into the American mainstream. Cash payments for individual Black people are one intervention that should be on the table when discussing a holistic approach to reparations. But focusing on cash payments to African
descendants in America simply puts more money in the hands of individual Black people in this oppressive social order that will ultimately maintain the collective subjugation of Black people. All of the civilizational machinery that structures our individual engagements with society are owned and controlled by nonBlack people. Global telecommunications, transnational financial institutions, the medical industry, and any of the major arenas of civic life that structure this society are not controlled by Black people. We cannot be a truly free and liberated people until we exercise meaningful power over the aforementioned arenas of civil society. This is truly a long-term endeavor, but this should be the framework we use to guide the work we are currently doing toward
political campaigns in my life, and I’ve learned that no candidate will agree with everything I believe in, unless I run myself. That means we need realistic expectations about what candidates can and cannot do.
This article was originally published by Word In Black. “Black Vote, Black Power,” a collaboration between Keith Boykin and Word In Black, examines the issues, the candidates and what’s at stake for Black America in the 2024 presidential election.
See more on afro.com
Black Liberation. This means that in regard to reparations, there needs to be investments in community-controlled, independent Black institutions that occupy various arenas of civil society.
See more on afro.com
Raising successful kids: Picking the right school starts earlier than parents think
By Dr. Calvin Moore Jr.
Comedians love to make jokes about how things are different from when they were growing up. Many start with something like this: “In my day we had to actually pick up the phone and ask who it was to know who was calling us.” While we laugh about how technology has rapidly changed our lives from one generation to the next, more parents need to embrace this reality as it relates to education. The place to start is when parents make that first
critical decision about where to send their child for early childhood education. Too often we see parents picking a program based on their memories of what daycare was like for them. They did not like the preschool at the church decades ago, so they will never enroll their little one in a program based in a religious setting. The memory of preschool was unenjoyable, so they would never consider it for their three-year-old today. How accurate can memories really be from so long ago? Or they make choices about the quality of a program from
what a neighbor or friend told them or an online review. An all-day program was right for one child but not for another—there is no universal “right” answer.
My experience began as a Head Start student and years later, I served as a Head Start teacher. One of the things I learned as a teacher was the importance of supporting the social and emotional development of all my students and providing positive guidance. These are competencies stressed for educators like me who’ve earned a Child Development Associate Credential. I
join my fellow educators in believing it is critical to develop a warm, positive, supportive and responsive relationship with each child, and to help each child learn about and take pride in his or her individual and cultural identity.These are wise words that parents should also take to heart when looking for a program that will spur their child to the success we all want.
Choosing the right program that meets the unique needs of a child also has benefits beyond the immediate ones. We have all seen parents who
push their children in high school or college to pursue a field of study, sport or other extracurricular activity to make mom and dad “happy,” neglecting the needs of the child. The best way to create a successful ecosystem is to start at the earliest age.
Parents should choose an early childhood education environment that matches their child’s needs, not one based on faded memories of youth.
This article was originally published by NNPA Newswire.
Dayvon Love is public policy director for the Baltimore-based think tank, Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle.
Courtesy photo
Dr. Calvin Moore Jr. leads the Council for Professional Recognition, a nonprofit that supports early childhood education professionals. This week, he talks about the importance of selecting the right school for beginning learners.
Photo courtesy of www. cdacouncil.org
Cardona to Black students: Don’t miss out on FAFSA like I did
By Joseph Williams Word In Black
Having spent months fixing the botched overhaul of the online Free Application for Federal Student Aid, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona has a message for Black college-bound students: Don’t bypass the FAFSA like he did when he headed off to college.
“I definitely left money on the table,” Cardona told Word In Black on Tuesday, June 4. As the first in his family to attend college, Cardona says, he didn’t realize how much the FAFSA, and the federal aid it brings, could have eased the sting of his tuition bills.
Fixing the FAFSA
Now, after some nine months of fixing bugs, untangling errors and clearing millions of backlogged applications, Cardona wants Black students to take full advantage of the program. So he’s spreading the word, touting steps the White House has taken to make things easier.
“We have a nationwide strategy to get students from Black communities to fill out FAFSA,” including financial support for churches and grassroots organizations to hold clinics for high school seniors, he says. “We increased the ease of filling out FAFSA because over 80 percent of our Black borrowers are Pell eligible,” he says, referring to a federal grant program.
“We have to do all of the above, in order to address the negative actions taken by many Republicans to limit education or defund it so that it becomes a private entity.”
from student loan forgiveness (“Black borrowers have gotten debt relief at a higher proportion than many other groups,” he says) to addressing the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision dismantling affirmative action as a factor in college admissions.
Although he respects the high court’s authority, “We are fighting that (decision) tooth and nail,” Cardona says. “We are fighting
“We have a nationwide strategy to get students from Black communities to fill out FAFSA.”
what we perceive to be a potential lack or lessening of students of color going into our campuses.”
“we had a summit at the Department of Education over the summer” to strategize about how to work around the high court’s ruling, Cardona says. “We brought people from all over the country — leaders that know how to do it well. We put together guidance, giving (other college presidents) strategies on what they could do to attract black talent” to their campuses.
“Look at the facts”
When asked about what the Ed Department has done to improve education for Black Americans, Cardona didn’t hesitate.
“What I would say is, look at the facts,” he said, including billions in student debt relief, billions more for urban K-12 schools in pandemic-relief funds, and $15 billion for HBCUs. “No other president comes close.”
Education is on the ballot
With a hotly-contested election looming between his boss, President Joe Biden, and former President Donald Trump — a highstakes race that could hinge on Black voter turnout — Cardona made the rounds of Black newspapers, outlining what his department has done to tackle racial disparities in education.
In a call lasting around 10 minutes, Cardona spooled off a list of the Biden administration’s accomplishments, ranging
To counter that drop, “what we’ve done at the Department of Education is bring together college leaders to communicate obligations and make sure that their campus reflects the diversity of our country,” Cardona says. His department has issued guidelines to colleges on how to admit more students of color while still respecting the rule of law.
“We’re giving them strategies, we’re lifting up examples of what (other) colleges are doing to attract Black and brown students,” Cardona says. “We’re encouraging presidents to be very intentional about attracting black talent into their schools, because we know a diverse campus is a better campus.”
Not long after the Supreme Court ruling,
While he acknowledged “we need to do more,” Cardona also pointed to the ballot box. If Black people want the improvements to continue, he says, they need to vote in November.
“We need a Congress that understands that their role is to support that,” he says. “If folks look under the hood a little bit, they’ll see that when you have a Republican-controlled House that wants to cut Title I dollars to inner city schools, that’s what we’re up against. So we’ve — I think we’ve done a great job.”
What grade would he give himself?
“I’ll let others grade me,” he says “I’m going to focus on making sure that I do everything I can” to improve education.
This article was originally published by Word In Black.
Baltimore’s 47th AFRAM festival thrives despite heat
Alston Buck Special to the AFRO
The 47th AFRAM festival, kicked off June 22 at Druid Hill Park, proved to be an unforgettable event, living up to its theme of “Elevating Culture, Uniting Communities - Baltimore’s Premier Family Celebration!” The event was organized by Baltimore City Recreation and Parks, drawing thousands during a weekend that saw recordbreaking temperatures across the country.
Attendees were undeterred
by the scorching heat, thanks to the city’s numerous precautions, including misting stations and frequent reminders from the main stage to stay hydrated. The sense of community and celebration was palpable as families and friends gathered to enjoy a day filled with music, dance and cultural pride. The day’s lineup was nothing short of spectacular. Alex Isley captivated the audience with her soulful voice, performing hits such as “Into Orbit” and “Good and Plenty.” Her soothing melodies provided a perfect start to the festival.
Local DJ favorites, DJ Boobie and DJ Angel Baby, kept the energy high with their sets, featuring a mix of Baltimore club music and nostalgic hits. Their infectious beats had the crowd dancing and momentarily forgetting the intense heat. A notable moment came when Nigerian Afrobeats artist Pheelz, who was scheduled to perform, sent a heartfelt video apology to Baltimore’s mayor and his fans for his absence. He promised to make it up to the city with a future
performance.
The headliners truly stole the show. Hip-hop legend Big Daddy Kane took the stage, delivering an engaging performance that had attendees rapping along to the lyrics. Known for his hits like “Ain’t No Half-Steppin’” and “Smooth Operator,” Kane’s set was a trip down memory lane for many fans, highlighting his enduring impact on the rap scene.
However, the highlight of the festival was undoubtedly Busta Rhymes. Joined on stage by Spliff Star, Busta delivered a high-octane performance that electrified the crowd. With hits like “Break Ya Neck,” “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See,” and “Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check,” Busta’s energy was infectious. His declaration, “I don’t perform over a track, I simply perform. I don’t need special effects because I am a special effect,” rang true as he commanded the stage with his dynamic presence.
Park Heights resident Tonette McFadden was among the many who braved the heat for Busta’s performance. “The only thing
that would bring me out in this heat is Busta Rhymes, and he did not disappoint. I loved his entire set, he’s such an entertainer!” she exclaimed, her excitement reflecting the sentiments of many in attendance. Adding a touch of local flavor, Bunky, the dancer who popularized the famous
Park Heights Strut, graced the main stage, performing his legendary dance and delighting the crowd with his iconic moves.
Sunday’s closing lineup included Beanie Sigel, October London, Mya, Karen Clark-Sheard and Morris Day. As the sun set on Druid Hill Park, both days of the
weekend-long 47th AFRAM festival concluded on a high note, having successfully brought the community together in celebration of culture, music and unity. Despite the heat, the festival was a testament to Baltimore’s resilient spirit and love for its vibrant cultural heritage.
AP Photo/Susan Walsh
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona says the Biden Administration has come through for Black students and their families. But that progress, he says, hinges on the outcome of the upcoming election.
Ericka
Hana Pugh (left) enjoys the festival with her husband-tobe, Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott .
Grammy Award winning gospel singer Karen Clark Sheard performs for the crowd as part of the AFRAM 2024 lineup.
Singer-songwriter and dancer Mya performs on stage as an AFRAM 2024 headliner.
AFRAM attracts roughly 150,000 people each year.
Big Daddy Kane gives a solo performance to hype up the crowd.
All photos courtesy of J.J. Abrams
WASHINGTON-AREA
Prince George’s County Annapolis delegation celebrates 120 signed bills
By Deborah Bailey AFRO Contributing Editor
Members of the Maryland General Assembly’s Prince George’s County delegation kicked off the summer celebrating hardfought victories won in the Annapolis Statehouse with a town hall session held, June 11, at Bowie State University.
County residents came to the state’s oldest HBCU to hear the most significant legislative successes of the county’s 31 state legislators and the impact these new laws will have on close to 950,000 residents living in Maryland’s second most populous county.
“Collectively, the senators and delegates of Prince George’s County sponsored 350 bills with 120 signed into law by our governor,” said State Sen. Ron Watson (D23) of the record number of legislative advances made by the county’s legislative team.
Watson explained to the audience that significant legislation was passed in a
“What this delegation was able to achieve was nothing short of amazing.”
tough year for the state of Maryland.
“What this delegation was able to achieve was nothing short of amazing,” said Angela Alsobrooks, Prince George’s County executive and candidate for U.S. Senate.
“We knew we were facing significant budgetary challenges,” Alsobrooks said and explained to the audience that the delegation was able to secure funding for $198 million of capital requests for the county.
“Every single project we sought funding for received some level of funding,” Alsobrooks added. New capital funding projects
Continued on B2
Maryland activists working to encourage youth, reduce violence
By D. Kevin McNeir Special to the AFRO
June is National Gun Violence Awareness Month, a time when many Americans give greater focus to the devastating impact of gun violence and consider possible solutions to a problem that, in recent years, has only gotten worse.
While any instance of gun violence is troubling, perhaps most alarming are the daily televised news reports or stories in print and social media which center on youth-involved gun violence – some serving as the triggerman while others become the latest victims.
The American Academy of Family Physicians now recognizes violence as a major public health concern, as do the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who in February 2024 released an in-depth analysis, “Preventing Youth Violence.” The report addresses the myriad ways gun violence involving youth often results in lifelong physical and psychological damage, and provides strategies to reduce the surge in youth
injuries and deaths.
In the overview of the report, the CDC posits that “youth violence is a serious problem that can have lasting harmful effects on victims and their families, friends and communities.”
The CDC report continues, “to prevent youth violence, we must understand and address risk and protective factors at the individual, relational, community and societal levels.”
Recommended strategies include promoting family environments that support healthy development, providing quality education early in life, strengthening youth’s skills, connecting youth to caring adults and activities, creating protective community environments and intervening to lessen harm and prevent future risk.
African Americans in Suitland, Md. take their message to the streets to save youth
Prince Hamn, a resident of Suitland, Md., said the increase of gun-related murders in his community, among youth
in particular, became so disturbing that he decided to do something about it. He dealt with his anger and frustration positively, founding the nonprofit organization M.A.D (“Making A Difference”), after losing several close friends to murder and prison.
In August 2017, M.A.D hosted its first Backpack Drive, now an annual event, and distributed more than 125 fully loaded backpacks to children in need. Since then, Hamn, who serves as the organization’s CEO, has taken his message of hope and the importance of thinking and acting more positively to youth wherever he and his staff can find them – including in the streets of the D.C., Maryland and Virginia (DMV) area.
“The media can make even an innocent man look guilty but those of us here in Suitland, a Prince George’s County suburb just a mile away from D.C., know there are folks throughout the DMV who are being proactive in efforts to save our children,” Hamn said. “And there are young people out there who are crying out for help and want to be saved.
AFRO News Briefs
By D. Kevin McNeir
Track star Quincy Wilson, 16, among the DMV’s best at U.S. Olympic Trials
Bowie, Md. native Quincy Wilson, 16, said, “I gave everything I had and at the end of the day I’m 16 and ran ‘grown man time,’” following his valiant but unsuccessful attempt to secure a bid in the Paris Olympics during the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 400-meter dash. Quincy, a rising sophomore at Bullis High School in Montgomery County, broke the under-18 world record with a time of 44.66 seconds, which had stood for 42 years, on Friday, June 21 in Eugene, Ore. He failed to qualify for the team, placing 6th in the 400-meter finals on Monday, June 24. However, he may still have more races to run as the chance remains that he will be invited to join Team U.S.A. as a member of the 4x400 meter relay.
Other local athletes who also shined on June 24, in track and field events included: Noah Lyles, Alexandria, Va. (1st place, men’s 100-meter dash, qualified for team); Walmart employee still chasing his dream, Dylan Beard, Baltimore, (2nd place, men’s 110-meter hurdles, advanced to the finals); and Juliette Whittaker, Laurel, Md. (3rd place, women’s 800-meter dash, qualified for team).
Maryland among U.S. states offering new SUN Bucks grocery benefits for families in need
Nearly 30 million children participate in the USDA’s school breakfast and lunch program on an average school day. But when schools are closed for the summer, many
D.C. Mayor Bowser unveils final phase of Skyland Town Center transformation
By Tashi McQueen AFRO Political Writer Tmcqueen@afro.com
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) announced the final phase of a threepart transformation for the Skyland Town Center on June 20. The new development will bring 126 townhomes, 75 affordable housing units for seniors, 10,000 square feet for retail, a public square and a plaza to Ward 7.
“It’s been 10 years since we broke ground here. We’re excited about Skyland,” said Bowser at the livestreamed groundbreaking ceremony. “I want to thank the community for trusting, believing and fighting for this neighborhood. When we all work together we not only get economic development, but we get economic development that enhances the neighborhood and delivers what the people want.”
The residential area’s nearly 90,000 inhabitants will benefit from the complete transformation of the Skyland Town Center. As 83 percent of Ward 7 residents are
like to say were stuck when I became mayor, and we worked really hard to unstick them. Skyland will be like the poster child of unsticking projects over many years.”
Bowser acknowledged that Skyland was one of many community projects held up that is now on its way.
African-American and 7 percent are White, according to 2022 U.S. Census data, Black residents should largely benefit from this investment. Bowser acknowledged the delays in the process but emphasized that they are on track now and will get done.
“I have to take a moment just to acknowledge all of the great people in government that make sure projects like this get done,” said Bowser. “This has been over a series of many years. We added [it] to a series of hard projects. These are the projects I
“Last week we were at the McMillan Reservoir to open what will be the first in a series of openings, first the Reservoir Park Recreation Center,” she said. “Last week we were at Sycamore and Oak adding to the entertainment and sports arena, adding to WhitmanWalker Health, adding to affordable housing with a great play space for kids.”
At-large D.C. Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie (Ind.) echoed the magnitude of the efforts put into these long-term projects. “In 2014 the council voted to provide tax increment financing proceeds to support this Skyland Redevelopment. Ten years later, I’m happy to be here getting you all one step closer to the finish line,” said McDuffie. “To the development team, as I mentioned, that is continuing these efforts to complete this worthwhile project, keep pushing. To all the residents, keep pushing. We all look forward to coming back here successfully to take part in a ribbon cutting and a grand opening.”
“I want to thank the community for trusting, believing and fighting for this neighborhood. ”
Photo by Sasun Bughdaryan on Unsplash Prince George’s County delegation to the Maryland General Assembly is celebrating the achievement of 120 signed bills, including $198 million of capital requests, in the 2024 legislative session.
Photo courtesy Chris Thomas
Leaders of the Prince George’s County-based nonprofit Making A Difference (M.A.D) acknowledge and celebrate the positive decisions and achievements of youth throughout the Greater Washington Area each and every day – no matter how small they may seem to be.
Special to the AFRO
AFRO Photo/Tashi McQueen
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) announces the third and final phase for the transformation of the Skyland Town Center on June 20.
Unfortunately, the only thing you hear on TV or read in the news are the bad things going on.”
Hamn’s organization works with youth in both Maryland and the District, including a recent go-kart outing for a group of students from Jefferson Middle School in Southwest D.C. Each of the students was also presented with awards for completing a year-long program that includes conflict resolution as an integral part of its training modules.
“We often chastise our children for doing wrong. In fact, far too many parents only pay attention to their children when they get into trouble or do something that’s negative,” he said. “We believe that what children need is more encouragement for the positive things they do.
“Conflict resolution is just one aspect of our strategy. We instill love, which we think equates to time, and we put as much time as possible into youth – our future – so that they begin to love themselves.”
Chris Thomas, also a resident of Suitland, works beside Hamn and is chief of staff for the D.C.-based 100 Fathers, Inc. He said most of the youth with whom he works don’t need someone else to preach to them as much as they need someone who’s simply willing to listen.
“Kids need positive affirmation and when they do positive things, we reward them accordingly,” he said. “A lot of the children we mentor are homeless. In D.C. alone, there are more than 1,000 homeless youth. Many others have been sexually
secured by the Prince George’s County delegation include $16.8 million for a corridor pavilion in Lottsford, $5 million for a new film studio and soundstage in Fairmont Heights, and $7.5 million for a redevelopment project for the Prince George’s County Hospital in Cheverly, Md.
Funding has also been secured for the continued expansion of the transit hub in New Carrollton, as well as the controversial Blue Line Corridor project that will extend Metro service to Oxon Hill and National Harbor. The project has caused concern among some residents, who have expressed dismay that the execution of the Blue Line Project is being done without ongoing community input.
Lawmakers could only highlight a small portion of the more than 100 bills that were signed into law. Among the legislative highlights discussed are the following initiatives:
abused or assaulted. They tell us what’s going on, sometimes coming directly to us but other times communicating their pain and frustrations through social media.
“For some of them, even having good grades isn’t something they, or anyone else, celebrate. But when you don’t have clean clothes, don’t have a safe place to live or don’t know when you’re going to eat again, getting good grades is the least of your concerns.”
Black male, children, and teens disproportionately account for gun violence victims
In 2020, there were more than 11,000 emergency room visits for gunshot injuries among children and teens under the age of 18 – far higher than in other recent years. However, because the CDC’s estimate is only based on a sample of U.S. hospitals, an exact number could not be ascertained.
Further, between 2019 and 2021, the number of children and teens killed by gunfire in the U.S. rose by 50 percent, which coincides with a broader recent increase in firearm deaths among Americans overall.
For Black families, recent statistics do not bode well for the future as some groups of Black children and teens are far more likely than others to die by gunfire. Boys, for example, accounted for 83 percent of all gun deaths among children and teens in 2021, with homicide representing the leading type of
Housing: HB 538 increases housing density and allows multi-family homes to be built in communities that have been previously reserved for single-family dwellings. HB 599 is a renter’s rights bill limiting security deposits to one month’s rent and providing other rights to rental tenants.
Transportation: Local governments in Prince George’s County only will have electronic enforcement of stop signs near schools and a prohibition against exhibition driving.
Education: HB 1441 creates easier access for pre-K teachers to enter the profession. HB 945 simplifies requirements for teacher certification. In higher education, the delegation passed legislation to ensure legacy preferences were not allowed in public higher education, and the “Freedom to Read Act” will combat book banning in state libraries.
Cannabis: Legislation requiring Prince
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gun death in 2021 for youth under 5, between ages 6 to 11 and those ages 12 to 17.
Racial and ethnic differences in gun deaths among youth illustrate the need to provide greater services for children of color. In 2021, 46 percent of all gun deaths among children and teens involved Black victims, even though only 14 percent of the U.S. under-18 population that year was Black. Much smaller shares of gun deaths among children and teens in 2021 involved White (32 percent), Hispanic (17 percent) and Asian (1 percent) victims.
Both Hamn and Thomas agreed that young adults would have a greater chance of refusing to succumb to peer pressure or engaging in illegal activities like shoplifting, carjacking or stealing cars if they had more positive outlets and greater employment opportunities.
“We need to open the doors of more churches, increase the number of recreation centers and extend their hours and give kids jobs so they can eat and take better care of themselves,” Thomas said.
Hamn said it’s also important to provide counseling for youth.
“Last year we held a three-day summit and taught the kids how to meditate and how to handle anxiety and panic attacks,” he said. “The environments in which they live can be dangerous and deadly. We need them to know that there are more ways to respond to the stress besides acting out violently.”
“The key after today is for Prince George’s County residents to stay involved. It’s really the public’s input that we need.”
George’s County’s 22 licensing dispensaries.
“If we did not create this requirement in legislation, we would have a proliferation of criminal activity and operators in the county,” said Del. Kris Valderrama (D-26).
“The key after today is for Prince George’s County residents to stay involved,” said Del. Nicole Williams (D-22), chair of the Prince
George’s County delegation, reflecting on the town hall meeting.
“It’s really the public’s input we need,” Williams said, noting that the Maryland General Assembly has retained online participation in hearings after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. She added, “It makes a difference when Prince George’s County residents sign up for hearings and tell us publicly what you need.”
Williams said her only wish is for more time to highlight the delegate and senatorial scholarships available to Maryland students for post-secondary study in every Prince George’s County district. Maryland residents who plan to pursue full-time (12 or more undergraduate credits or nine graduate credit hours per semester) or part-time (six to 11 undergraduate or six to eight graduate credit hours) are eligible to apply and can contact their state delegate or senator.
D.C. communities to keep cool with open pools in every ward
By Aria Brent AFRO Staff Writer
abrent@afro.com
Summer is officially here, bringing with it stifling, hot weather. All across the nation, there have been complaints of scorching temperatures that have left people dehydrated, sick and downright angry. Areas like the nation’s capital reached record highs with temperatures getting up to 100 degrees over the weekend of June 22 according to the National Weather Service.
Leading up to June 24, all the outdoor pools operated by the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) were only open on the weekends, however, all of their outdoor public pools are now open six days a week with varying schedules. Additionally, all of DPR’s spray parks except Fort Greble Recreation Center located in Ward Eight, have been open since June 15 and will remain open until Labor Day.
DPR has a total of 23 outdoor pools, most of which are located
in the Anacostia area near Wards seven and eight. Meanwhile, Wards three and four only are reported to have one in each of their regions.
The high temperatures which lead to a high volume of visitors at the pools were well anticipated by DPR. Earlier this year they were looking to fill over 700 seasonal jobs, hoping to hire for positions like lifeguards, and camp and summer program staff. Last year the department extended both the hours and dates of operation for the outdoor pools due to the increased temperatures and they’re reportedly expected to do the same this year.
All DPR indoor and outdoor pools are free to D.C. residents and daily or seasonal passes can be purchased by non-residents online at dpr.dc.gov. Everybody is welcome and at this time there are no reserved hours of operation for District of Columbia Public Schools that use some of the indoor facilities.
A full list of public indoor and outdoor pools, along with spray parks in the D.C. area can be found at dpr.dc.gov.
children, while still in need of nutritious food, lose access to healthy meals that they need to grow strong and healthy.
Fortunately, children in Maryland will not go hungry as the state recently announced that it will participate in the new SUN Bucks grocery benefit. It provides families $120 per eligible school-aged child, enabling families to stretch their grocery budget and buy more of the foods their children require. The innovative SUN Bucks program works in tandem with other benefits that families may already receive, like SNAP and WIC.
Many families will automatically get SUN Bucks benefits but some may need to apply for the program. Unfortunately, some states have chosen not to offer the benefit including
Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina and Florida. Visit www.fns.usda.gov for more information.
Prince George’s County couple among thousands who have died from extreme heat during Hajj pilgrimage
A husband and wife from Bowie, Md., who had dreamed of making the Hajj to Mecca, died in triple-digit heat earlier this month along with more than 1,000 other people, during their efforts to complete the annual five-day pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. According to their daughter, Saida Wurie, the couple, Alhaji Alieu Dausy and Haja Isatu Wurie, said they
had paid nearly $20,000 for food, transportation and lodging. However, they were forced to walk for hours, without food or water, in temperatures that exceeded 120 degrees.
The highly respected couple and parents of three children, were well known throughout Prince George’s County and were volunteers on County Executive Angela Alsobrooks’ U.S. Senate campaign. Saida Wurie said she and her brothers plan to travel to Saudi Arabia to secure additional information about their parents’ death and to find where they were buried.
“Despite everything, they still walked and pushed to what they wanted to do because of their religion,” she told reporters.
Image courtesy of Unsplash/ Eril Mclean
This summer the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation will have all 23 outdoor pools open six days a week.
Multiple embassies come together for gala at Organization of American States in D.C.
By Lizzie Suber AFRO Intern lizziesuber@afro.com
Washington, D.C. locals and diplomats from various countries across North, Central and South America gathered for a celebration of Caribbean culture at 7 p.m. on June 21 at the Organization of American States (OAS). The Multi Embassy Caribbean Gala was a three-hour event, open to the general public, featuring music and food from the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Cuba.
Attendees of the gala found no shortage of ways to immerse themselves in Caribbean culture: dance teachers from the area hosted salsa lessons, and an open bar offered drinks usually only sold in the Caribbean.
Purchasers of VIP tickets enjoyed cuisine such as pineapple glazed wings, reggae pasta and callaloo.
Beyond the food, dancing, shows and costumes,
Minister Counsellor and Alternate Representative of the Bahamas to the Organization of American States Mikhail Bullard (left) and Dornell WatsonDean, senior business development manager for the Bahamas Tourism Office in DC attend the gala as representatives for the Bahamas, just one of the Organization of American States’s thirty-five member nations.
participants were also able to engage with ambassadors and diplomats from Caribbean nations and learn from their firsthand experiences. Things To Do D.C. and Embassy Experiences, co-sponsors of the gala, donated profits from the event to The Bahamas Crisis Center.
Lillian Nalwoga (left) and John Dudley dance to live music on the large dance floor. After the live music, a DJ treated guests to a mix of Caribbean hits and salsa music.
Allen Kelly enjoying the evening at the Organization of American States Caribbean Party with Cristy Kelly, Kaitlin Kelly and Connie Kelly by his side.
Paul Dudley (left) and Selina Mutswairo perform live Soca music for gala attendees, supplying an authentic Caribbean feel to the event.
All photos by Patricia McDougal
Greg Bland, CEO of Things To Do D.C., welcomes guests to the event.
Ambassador Chet Neymour, the permanent representative of The Bahamas to the Organization of American States (OAS), speaks to guests.
June Findlay (left), Matthew Findlay, Yolande Findlay and Giovanni Moss, along with the others attendees of the event, could choose to not only celebrate Caribbean culture with food and dancing, but also through an event-wide limbo contest.
Pres. Joe Biden applauds U.S. Supreme Court following United States v. Rahimi
By Ashlee Banks Special to the AFRO
The Biden-Harris administration and members of Congress applaud the U.S. Supreme Court for upholding a law that temporarily bans domestic abusers from possessing firearms on June 21.
President Joe Biden said as a result of the ruling, “survivors of domestic violence and their families will still be able to count on critical protections, just as they have for the past three decades.”
U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts penned the 8-1 majority opinion in the United States v. Rahimi case.
“When a restraining order contains a finding that an individual poses a credible threat to the physical safety of an intimate partner, that individual may – consistent with the Second Amendment – be banned from possessing firearms while the order is in effect,” wrote Roberts.
and were not allowed to vote—and husbands could subject their wives to physical violence without it being considered a crime,” said Harris. “The fight to protect common sense gun safety measures is not over.”
Respondent Zackey Rahimi, a domestic abuser, who was served a restraining order against his girlfriend for threatening her life with a firearm, contended that by being temporarily stripped of his weapon, his Second Amendment rights had been violated.
“When a restraining order contains a finding that an individual poses a credible threat to the physical safety of an intimate partner, that individual may – consistent with the Second Amendment – be banned from possessing firearms while the order is in effect.”
Vice President Kamala Harris stated that the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling will keep “important” protections against domestic violence in place.
“This case is yet another reminder that some want to take our country back to a time when women were not treated as equal to men
However, after the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari to Rahimi’s case and heard oral arguments from both parties, it ruled to keep in place limitations prohibiting temporary gun use for domestic abusers.
U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, (D-Ga.-4) stated that the majorityconservative court sometimes gets it right.
“In the span of a week, this same Court struck down a bump stock ban and upheld keeping guns out of the hands of domestic abusers,” said Johnson.
“While I agree with today’s decision, we have more work to do to keep Americans safe from gun violence.”
Both Biden and Harris used the verdict to tout their efforts to curb gun violence across the nation and gun violence against women.
The Biden-Harris administration passed
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Karris are praising the conservativemajority U.S. Supreme Court for upholding legislation that temporarily bans domestic violence abusers from possessing firearms.
the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act which has prevented the sale of nearly 30 thousand firearms to convicted domestic abusers.
The vice president emphasized that U.S. Citizens need to vote for Biden this November or gun safety legislation could be at “risk” of being rolled back if former President Donald Trump were to be re-elected.
“Trump is a threat to our freedoms and our safety, and we must defeat him in November,” said Harris. “Trump has made clear he believes Americans should ‘get over’ gun
violence, and we cannot allow him to roll back commonsense protections or appoint the next generation of Supreme Court justices.”
Following the ruling, President Biden vowed that he and Harris will remain committed to ending gun violence against women.
“We will continue to call on Congress to further strengthen support and protections for survivors and to take action to stop the epidemic of gun violence tearing our communities apart,” said Biden.
Black Vote, Black Power: Why Black Republicans aren’t persuading Black voters
Black Republicans like Tim Scott and Byron Donalds have to pretend racism is not an issue, but majority of Black people know better
By Keith Boykin Word in Black
If you want to know why Black people don’t vote for Republicans, just look at the Black Republicans.
America’s top Black Republican, Tim Scott, claims that “woke supremacy is as bad as White supremacy.” What on earth is woke supremacy? Scott is so desperate for White approval that he voted against the first Black woman on the Supreme Court, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, even while three of his White Republican colleagues voted for her.
Then there’s Byron Donalds, who claimed that “the Black family was together” under Jim Crow. Donalds is one of 26 House Republicans who refused to sign a letter denouncing White supremacy. And he was one of only two Black members of Congress who voted to overturn the 2020 election results, which would have disenfranchised Black voters in Philadelphia, Detroit, Atlanta and other cities.
And just in time for Juneteenth, three Black Republicans in the House of Representatives (Donalds, Burgess Owens and Wesley Hunt) voted to restore a racist, Confederate monument at Arlington National Cemetery.
Republicans love Black people — who love White people.
North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson speaks before Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally March 2, 2024, in Greensboro, N.C. In his bid to become North Carolina’s first Black governor, Robinson assails government safetynet spending as a “plantation of welfare and victimhood” that he says has mired generations of Black people in “dependency” and poverty. But the firebrand lieutenant governor’s political rise wouldn’t have been possible without it.
But one of the most notorious Black Republicans today is North Carolina gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson. Robinson tells Black people, “nobody owes you anything for slavery,” and invokes the history of Black abolitionists and civil rights leaders to excuse White people from accountability.
the gun-toting Virginia lieutenant governor, who is upset because she thinks critical race theory is being taught in schools. It’s not. Next up is Daniel Cameron,
through Jim Crow segregation, Rosa Parks’s arrest and Dr. King’s assassination, but he told Fox News that Donald Trump’s indictment was “probably the most egregious thing I’ve ever seen in the history of our republic.” Was he kidding?
Or Ben Carson, the Trump appointee who thinks systemic racism ended with the civil rights movement, says Colin Kaepernick would never have been criticized if he had just said he loved America, and claims that Obamacare is the “worst thing that has happened in this nation since slavery.” Really, Dr. Carson?
Providing health care to Black people is worse than segregation, lynchings, and mass incarceration?
And we can’t forget Herschel Walker, the former football player who lied about being his high school valedictorian, lied about graduating from college, had no experience in government, and didn’t even live in Georgia when Republicans recruited him to run for the Georgia Senate seat against Raphael Warnock. Walker’s own son, Christian, admitted that his father was picked mainly “because he was the same skin color as his opponent.”
“...none of them represent Black districts or interests.”
Last but not least is Clarence Thomas, the Harlan Crow-funded Black conservative who replaced the legendary Thurgood Marshall on the U.S. Supreme Court through affirmative action, and then joined five of his White colleagues to kill affirmative action for everyone else. Thomas also cast the decisive vote to gut the Voting Rights Act that protects Black people at the polls. What these Black Republicans have in common is that none of them were chosen by Black people. They may have been born in Black communities decades ago, but none of them represent Black districts or interests. That means they have no accountability to the majority of Black Americans.
And that’s important because Black and White people, like Democrats and Republicans, see the world differently. A new study from the Pew Research Center found that nearly 80 percent of Biden supporters say that White people benefit from racial advantages in society, while only 22 percent of Trump supporters say this.
Tim Scott and Byron Donalds have an excuse, but it’s not a good one. They are so desperate to be Trump’s running mate that they refuse to upset his base or hold him accountable even after he was convicted of 34 felonies. What Black man with 34 felony convictions gets a pass from Republicans?
the former Kentucky attorney general who said the police killing of Breonna Taylor was “justified” and declined to charge the officers responsible for her death. I guess Black lives really don’t matter to Republicans.
This article was originally published on WordinBlack.com “Black Vote, Black Power,” a collaboration between Keith Boykin and Word In Black, examines the issues, the candidates, and what’s at stake for Black America in the 2024 presidential election. Opinion
“If anybody owes, it’s you,” he says. Robinson became popular in the GOP precisely because he loves to attack Black people. He called the Black Panther movie “trash” made by a “satanic marxist,” said that Halle Berry, Mariah Carey, and Issa Rae wear “whore dresses,” and repeatedly misgendered former first lady Michelle Obama as a man. Then there’s Winsome Sears,
Or how about Larry Elder? The 72-year-old Black Republican lived
After years of Republicans weaponizing Dr. King’s line about judging people “by the content of their character,” when it came time to pick a candidate to run against Rev. Warnock, the pastor of Dr. King’s church, they picked an inexperienced Black guy based on the color of his skin.
In order for Black Republicans to stay relevant with the base, they have to pretend — or in some cases, they may even believe — that racism is not an issue in America. But the majority of Black people know better. If Black Republicans spent more time in Black communities, they’d know it too.
Unsplash / Claire Anderson
AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File
Experts speak on colorectal cancer, recommend screenings at younger ages
By Mylika Scatliffe AFRO Women’s Health Writer
Awareness of colorectal cancer might be highlighted during the month of March, but it is never far from Kelli Bagby’s mind. Her sister, Danielle Bagby succumbed to the disease in 2021.
She was 35 years old.
“Early diagnosis can make or break the outcome of a colon cancer journey,” said Bagby, who lives in Baltimore.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends adults aged 45 to 75 be screened for colorectal cancer.
The world was dismayed when Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman died from colon cancer on August 28, 2020. The public’s shock was two-fold since Boseman never spoke publicly about his diagnosis, and he was just 43-years old when he died.
Colorectal cancer is not as common in people younger than age 50 as it is in older individuals, but it is not as uncommon as one might think. According to the American Cancer Society, in 2020 about 12 percent of colorectal cancers, or 18,000 cases, were predicted to be diagnosed in individuals under age 50 in the United States. While the rates of colorectal cancer have dropped among older groups in recent years, they have increased among younger people. It also disproportionately affects the Black community in the United States. African Americans are about 20 percent more likely to get colorectal cancer and 40 percent more likely to die from it than most other groups.
“Young people across racial lines are being diagnosed at younger ages and at a more advanced stage of the disease which contributes to their dying at earlier ages,” said Dr. Joseph DiRocco, director of gastrointestinal oncology for the Sandra and Malcolm Berman Cancer Institute at Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC) in Towson, Md. DiRocco emphasized to the AFRO that early diagnosis is crucial for a positive outcome with colon cancer.
“We’re seeing younger people with advanced progression of the disease because they are not being screened. Recommended screening for those of average risk doesn’t begin before age 45 so a colonoscopy doesn’t immediately come to the mind of a 30-year-old,” DiRocco said.
While the American Cancer Society doesn’t recommend screening before age 45 for most people of average risk, it is important for anyone of any age to recognize possible colorectal cancer symptoms. They include:
A change in bowel habits, such as diarrhea or constipation, or narrowing of the stool that lasts more than a few days
Needing to have a bowel movement but not feeling relief when you have one
• Rectal bleeding
• Blood in the stool, which might give the stool a dark brown or black appearance
Abdominal pain or cramping
Fatigue
Losing weight with no effort
Chadwick Boseman’s death is a reminder that age has less to do with manifestation of the disease than previously thought. The actor was diagnosed in 2016 at the age of 41 with stage III colon cancer and died at age 43.
The loss of her sister created in Bagby a desire to advocate for colorectal screening as part of preventive health care, much like checks for blood pressure, cholesterol or diabetes.
“My sister was in so much pain one morning she couldn’t get off the floor. She was fine the day before. We rushed her to the emergency room where we found out she had stage IV colorectal cancer. We couldn’t believe it,” exclaimed Bagby.
She didn’t recall her sister having any symptoms out of the ordinary prior to the emergency room visit, and there was no history of colon cancer in their family. “She’d mentioned some constipation, but we just chalked that up to other things – needing to eat a little better or drink more water, but we would have known it was cancer a lot earlier if she’d had some sort of screening as part of her normal healthcare,” Bagby said.
“There may not be symptoms of colon cancer when
develops. The incidents that are caught early are almost always discovered during
“Young people across racial lines are being diagnosed at younger ages and at a more advanced stage of the disease which contributes to their dying at earlier ages.”
colonoscopies, which most people younger than 45 aren’t having. By the time they have
symptoms and get checked out, the cancer is at a later stage and may have even spread to the lymph nodes or other organs,” said DiRocco.
DiRocco also commented that while having a family history of colorectal cancer increases an individual risk, many of his patients have no family history of the disease at all. There is no definitive answer as to why younger people are dying at such an increased rate.
As reported by the American Cancer Society, there are risk factors of colorectal cancer –some that can be changed and some that cannot. Lifestyle factors linked to colorectal cancer include obesity, type 2 diabetes, cooking meat at very high temperatures, a diet high in red meat, smoking and alcohol consumption.
Some risk factors over which individuals have no control include:
• Age – Colorectal cancer is more common after age 50, although it’s on the increase among people younger than 50.
• Racial and ethnic background- American Indian and Alaska Native people have the highest rates of colorectal cancer in the United States, followed by African- American men and women.
• Your sex at birth- Men are more likely to die from colorectal cancer than women.
Gallbladder removal Personal history of colorectal cancer or colorectal polyps - If you have had colorectal cancer, even if it was
removed, there is an increased chance of developing new cancers in other parts of the colon or rectum.
As with almost every other aspect of life for underserved communities, health disparities that affect access and quality of care influence colorectal cancer outcomes. Lack of insurance or being underinsured often means individuals lack a primary care physician to keep them on track with health screenings.
Bagby believes this was a factor in her sister’s tragic outcome.
“My sister was an entrepreneur and didn’t have high quality insurance. Maybe if she did, or if she had a primary care physician, her cancer may have been caught earlier and not at such advanced progression by the time she was diagnosed. Better insurance means better access and better quality of care, and it shouldn’t be that way. Everyone deserves quality health care,” said Bagby. There is no discussion of colorectal cancer screening without acknowledging the stigma attached to it.
“Not many people want to talk about their poop or endure the dreaded colonoscopy,” said DiRocco.
“It’s not really the procedure that concerns people, it’s the required prep. Patients put off scheduling colonoscopies because they want to avoid it,” DiRocco continued. There is no proven way to prevent colorectal cancer, but screenings can find abnormal, pre-cancerous cells before they develop into cancer.
Both Bagby and DiRocco agree that early screening is crucial. It can save your life.
A call to action: Addressing Black trauma during PTSD Awareness Month
By Mackenzie Williams
AFRO Intern
mwilliams@afro.com
And Madeline Seck
AFRO Intern mseck@afro.com
Short for post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD is defined as a mental health diagnosis “that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening or traumatic event,” according to the National Center for PTSD.
Dr. Katina Kennedy, a dual-certified family and psychiatric nurse practitioner, spoke with the AFRO about her own experiences with PTSD and factors that exasperate the disorder.
“I was robbed when I was in high school [at] gunpoint. I have a bit of PTSD when I go to certain places like a convenience store. My heart rate starts to increase. I get nervous because it reminds me of that traumatic event,” Dr. Kennedy said. Traumatic experiences can occur for military veterans or as a result of assault or abuse of any kind. The loss of a loved one, natural disasters and more can trigger the disorder. PTSD can be diagnosed when an individual suffers from recurring physical and mental symptoms, such as an increase in negative thoughts and emotions. Many who suffer from PTSD have trouble because they often relive the traumatic event. The lack of sleep and decrease in appetite that can result from PTSD can alter an individual’s day to day lifestyle.
Dr. Kennedy’s passion today in helping others focuses on primary care, gynecology, sexual, mental, teen and women’s health.
“Out of the 100 percent of my patients that come to me, about 70 percent have experienced some type of trauma,” she said.
In her work, she has found that African Americans experience trauma at a higher rate when compared to other races. Factors that increase Black trauma are “cultural” said Dr. Kennedy, adding that burdens tied to “social economic
“I was robbed when I was in high school [at] gunpoint. I have a bit of PTSD when I go to certain places like a convenience store my heart rate starts to increase.”
status and sexual assaults occur more readily in the Black community.
Terrill Taylor, Ph.D, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at The University of Maryland, spoke directly to PTSD in the
Black community. His research, aimed at systemic injustices in America, focuses on historical mistreatment, discrimination and oppression which can lead to racial trauma.
According to the National Center for PTSD, “racial trauma refers to the emotional impact of stress related to racism, racial discrimination, and race-related stressors. People can experience racial trauma from something that happens directly to them or from seeing others mistreated because of their race.”
Taylor points out that the experiences African Americans have with racial trauma are different from the textbook definition of PTSD. African American trauma can include dealing with the magnitude of historical losses, such as losing connection to heritage and ancestry as a result of chattel slavery.
Trauma can look different among various marginalized groups. When understanding the different experiences within the Black community, intersectionality— a term for multiple overlapping identities, such as gender, race and sexual orientation—can play a role in the trauma experienced and how it’s processed.
For example, Taylor explained that “toxic masculinity,” along with “minimization and stigma connected to the male experience [of] being tough and strong” leads men to “resort to forms of heightened emotions, which could be a foundation of trauma that has been unresolved.”
Individuals often question if the discrimination they experience can cause trauma. “That can lead to minimizing an individual’s experiences because they perceive them as a normal part of reality because they
According to the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the disorder can impact anyone who survives a traumatic event— regardless of age, gender, creed or color.
happen so often,” he said.
According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, “There are many similarities between PTSD symptoms and symptoms related to the emotional impacts of racial trauma. After experiencing racial discrimination, people may have unwanted memories and may avoid thoughts, feelings and reminders of racial trauma. In addition, racial trauma can lead to negative thoughts about oneself, others, and the world, and contribute to negative moods.”
“If you or a loved one are experiencing any type of trauma, don’t keep it to yourself. Tell someone, let them know you need help, If you are feeling
suicidal call 911, call or text the suicide hotline; 888,” advises Dr. Kennedy. If you or a loved one is experiencing signs and symptoms of PTSD, help can be found with the following organizations:
The Gavin Farrell Foundation is a nonprofit focused on increasing affordable PTSD treatment and training in evidencebased research from licensed clinicians.
• The Open Path Collective is a nonprofit organization solely dedicated to helping those who
lack or have no health insurance for counseling services to people of all races, creed and gender.
• The Black Girl Doctor is a therapy service tailored for and prioritizes mental health and wellness for Black women. New clients get their first consultation for free.
• Black Men Heal is a non-profit, dedicated to providing mental health treatment, education and resources to men of color.
• The National Center for PTSD at 877-SAMHSA-7 (7264727).
it first
Unsplash / Susan Wilkinson
AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais
Hair Education and Beauty Summit to shine a spotlight on Black hair
By Megan Sayles AFRO Business Writer msayles@afro.com
Natural hair care founder Nicole Schuler is set to host the inaugural Hair Education and Beauty Summit (HEBS) on July 7-8 at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, N.J. The two-day event will feature panel conversations, live demonstrations, workshops, musical performances and competitions.
Schuler was inspired to create the summit after attending hair shows herself. She realized the high costs associated with the events could deter hair professionals from attending them and getting the exposure they need to build their brand.
“There’s so much bureaucracy that goes into it. You might have to spend $10,000, and an average person is not going to spend that to be able to expose their unique talents,” said Schuler. “The Hair Education and Beauty Summit is providing you with that platform. It’s a big network that brings people together feasibly and affordably.”
The Nigeria native is the creator of PureO Natural Products, a multicultural hair care line she started in 2012. Growing up, Schuler recalled her hair being shaved in the fifth grade—a practice that was commonplace in schools at the time.
When she moved to the states, she discovered that her shaved head was unconventional.
“We need more Black beauty brands to put on shows like this. That way, we can support each other in the best way we can.”
“Being thrown into America in the seventh grade, coming here baldheaded was not acceptable. My normal became abnormal in America, and it became a struggle finding a look that I could embrace,” said Schuler. “I think it took me 10 to 15 years to find the look that speaks to me.”
HEBS is her way of creating opportunities for hair professionals in the state she spent much of her life in. The exhibition is divided into seven specialities, including barbering, locs and braids, protective styling, nail art, skincare, makeup and hair coloring. Each experience has experts sharing their techniques through group discussions, demos and consultations.
HEBS will also feature four contests, including a barber battle, wild and crazy hair competition, a business pitch competition and a fantasy hair challenge for cosmetology students.
Celebrity hair stylist Terrence Davidson, affectionately known as the “King of Hair,” will serve as a judge for the latter.
“You can’t have a fantasy hair competition without having someone who kills the game and has been winning for years in this category. I’m all in for that,” said Davidson. “I love seeing people create. I love giving back to those who are trying to come up in the game and build the same way I built.”
In highschool, the New Jersey native
designed hairstyles for his female peers. Although he intended to obtain a business degree in college, he discovered he didn’t have a passion for it. Davidson decided to go to cosmetology school instead.
After running a few hair salons in Atlanta, he started working for celebrities. His first client was the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes of R&B girl group, TLC. He’s since worked with Remy Ma, Lil’ Kim and Patti LaBelle. Davidson commended Schuler for putting on HEBS.
“We need more Black beauty brands to put on shows like this,” said Davison. “That way, we can support each other in the best way we can.”
Are you killing your career by avoiding conflict?
By Laura Onyeneho Word In Black
For many Black professionals, navigating the workplace can be a complex dance. While excelling in their roles, they may face additional challenges, including microaggressions, unconscious bias and the pressure to assimilate. In this environment, conflict can feel particularly daunting. However, avoiding it altogether could be hindering career growth.
“The fear of being ostracized or seen as difficult can be real.”
This fear can lead to a cycle of silence, where Black professionals choose to stay quiet rather than risk confrontation. Unresolved conflict can fester, leading to resentment and missed opportunities. By avoiding it, you might miss a chance to improve a process, share a valuable idea or advocate for yourself.
The Defender spoke to Fay Lawrence, a veteran human resources professional corporate trainer who warns that this approach can be detrimental.
The science behind the silence
Our brains are wired for survival, and conflict triggers the amygdala, the fight-or-flight center. This reaction can be especially pronounced for Black professionals who may have heightened sensitivity due to past experiences of discrimination.
“The fear of being ostracized or seen as difficult can be real,” Lawrence said. “Many of us have grown up being taught that disagreement is bad and that we must always project optimism and positivity to achieve.”
However, while avoiding disagreement creates an appearance of harmony, it conceals the truth and erodes
trust. Human beings naturally want to feel like they belong. When you fear being ostracized, the more it leads to avoiding conflict.
According to a 2013 National Library of Medicine journal, suppressing our feelings raises our chance of dying young, even from cancer.
Strategies for effective communication
Lawrence recalled a time when she had to defuse a situation between a manager and an employee who suspected that her manager was giving preferential treatment to a woman he hired who happened to be
his girlfriend. The young lady was asked to document everything while Lawrence did her due diligence to investigate the matter. When she confronted the manager about the concern, even though he got a bit defensive, he confessed to their relationship, and Lawrence decided to change his girlfriend to a different department.
“Human resource professionals are often seen as people who only seek the company’s best interest. We are trying to keep the company from being sued,” Lawrence said. “But it’s important to create an inclusive space for employees to air their concerns without feeling like they need to harbor them because, over time, it will hinder their careers if proper measures aren’t taken.”
She offers practical advice for navigating conflict. Here are some additional strategies professionals can use to navigate conflict effectively:
Seek allies: Having a support network of colleagues can provide encouragement and a sounding board.
Document everything: Keep a record of key events and conversations, especially if you suspect discrimination.
Know your rights: Familiarize yourself with company policies and procedures regarding conflict resolution and discrimination.
Avoiding conflict can limit your ability to advocate for yourself and contribute to your full potential.
“Don’t be afraid to speak up, but do so strategically, especially when you’re a Black professional, because it is always assumed that we are more aggressive when we express ourselves,” she said. “By understanding your triggers and practicing effective communication skills, you can turn conflict into an opportunity for growth and advancement.”
This article was originally published by Word In Black.
Courtesy photo
Fay Lawrence, veteran human resources professional corporate trainer.
Photo courtesy of Nicole Schuler Nicole Schuler is the founder of PureO Natural Products, a brand for multicultural hair care. She will host the Hair Education and Beauty Summit on July 7 and 8 in Secaucus, N.J.
Photo courtesy of Terrence Davidson Terrence Davidson is a celebrity hair stylist from New Jersey. He will serve as a judge during the fantasy hair competition.
NO. 2024ADM000681
ELIZABETH MARTIN SMITH Name of Decedent Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs
DAVIE E. SMITH JR., whose address is 1332 RAN-
DOLPH ST., NW WASHINGTON, DC 20011 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of ELIZABETH MARTIN SMITH, who died on JULY 14, 2023 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance In this proceeding. Objections to such, appointment shall be filed With the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before DECEMBER 21, 2024. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before DECEMBER 21, 2024 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Date of first publication: JUNE 21, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Daily Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers
DAVIE E. SMITH JR.
Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 6/21, 6/28, 7/05/24
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2024ADM000701 JANIE M. MOORE Name of Decedent
THOMAS L. CAMPBELL, ESQUIRE 3807 MINNESOTA AVENUE, N.E WASHINGTON, DC 20019-2660 Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs
HARVEY R. MOORE AND CLAUDIA M. PAYNE, whose addresses are 3312 RANDALL ROAD SUITLAND MD 20746 AND 4928-12TH STREET NE WASHINGTON DC 20002 were appointed Personal Representative of the estate of JANIE M.MOORE, who died on SEPTEM-
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2024ADM000203
EVERETT WARREN HUGHES II Name of Decedent Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs
AVA HUGHES BOOKER, whose address is 6116
ROSEMONT CIRCLE NORTH BETHESDA MD 20852, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of EVERETT WARREN HUGHES II, who died on NOVEMBER 23, 2021 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance In this proceeding. Objections to such, appointment shall be filed With the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before SEPTEMBER 22, 2024. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before SEPTEMBER 22, 2024 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.
Date of first publication: MARCH 22, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Daily Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers AVA HUGHES BOOKER Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 3/22, 3/29, 4/05/24
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2024ADM000721
GODFREY A. SWINDALL Name of Decedent Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2024ADM727 RAYMOND ESPEUT AKA RAYMOND ANTHONY ESPEUT Name of Decedent KARL L. CHEN C/O CHEN LAW, LLC 9701 APOLLO DRIVE SUITE 381 LARGO, MARYLAND 20774
the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before DECEMBER 14, 2024 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Date of first publication: JUNE 14, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Daily Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers
MARY DIANE FIELDS REED Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 6/14, 6/21, 6/28/24
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2024ADM000638
BER 21, 2016 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance In this proceeding. Objections to such, appointment shall be filed With the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before DECEMBER 21, 2024. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before DECEMBER 21, 2024 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.
Date of first publication: JUNE 21, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Daily Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers
HARVEY R. MOORE
CLAUDIA M. PAYNE
Personal RepresentativeS
TRUE TEST COPY
REGISTER OF WILLS 6/21, 6/28, 7/05/24
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2024ADM726
DAISY B. SUITT Name of Decedent Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs
DENISE S. ANTHONY, whose address is 12004 MANCHESTER WAY BOWIE, MD 20720 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of DAISY B. SUITT, who died on FEBRUARY 18, 2024 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance In this proceeding. Objections to such, appointment shall be filed With the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before DECEMBER 28, 2024. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before DECEMBER 28, 2024 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Date of first publication: JUNE 28, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Daily Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers
DENISE S. ANTHONY Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 6/28, 7/05, 7/12/24
GWENDOLYN L. SWINDALL, whose address is 201 I STREET NE #210 WASHINGTON DC 20002 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of GODFREY A. SWINDALL, who died on MAY 14, 2024 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance In this proceeding. Objections to such, appointment shall be filed With the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before DECEMBER 28, 2024. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before DECEMBER 28, 2024 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Date of first publication: JUNE 28, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Daily Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers
GWENDOLYN L. SWINDALL Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 6/28, 7/05, 7/12/24
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2024ADM734 JUANDA DALE SMITH Name of Decedent Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs
PENNY SAMUDA, whose address is 12519 BREW-
STER LANE BOWIE, MD 20715 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of JUANDA DALE SMITH, who died on MAY 16, 2024 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance In this proceeding. Objections to such, appointment shall be filed With the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before DECEMBER 28, 2024. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before DECEMBER 28, 2024 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Date of first publication: JUNE 28, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Daily Washington
29, 2005 without a Will and will serve with Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance In this proceeding. Objections to such, appointment shall be filed With the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before DECEMBER 28, 2024. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before DECEMBER 28, 2024 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.
Date of first publication: JUNE 28, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Daily Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers
PHILLIP BROWN Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 6/28, 7/05, 7/12/24
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION 2024ADM737 Estate of TIMOTHY ELLIOTT Deceased NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE
(For estates of decedents dying on or after July 1, 1995)
Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by KARIMAH WARE EDWARDS for standard probate, including the appointment of one or more personal representatives. Unless a responsive pleading inthe form of a complaint or an objection in accordance with Superior Court Probate Division Rule 407 is filed in this Court within 30 days from the date of first publication of this notice, the Court may take the action hereinafter set forth.
*in the absence of will or proof satisfactory to the Court of due execution, enter an order determing that the decendent died intestate
*appoint an unsupervised personal representitive
*ordering intrested persons to prove heirship
Date of first publication: JUNE 28, 2024
Names of newspapers: Daily Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers
TYECHIA L. WHITE ESQ.
300 NEW JERSEY AVE NW SUITE 300
WASHINGTON, DC 20001
Signature of Petitioner/Attorney
Register of Wills
Clerk of the Probate Division 6/28, 7/05/24
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ANNOUNCEMENT
REQUEST FOR BIDS
On or after June 17, 2024, Plans and Specifications may be obtained from the Anne Arundel County Web Page at the following address: https://www.aacounty.org/departments/ central-services/purchasing/P.O.R.T./bids/index.html . Bids will be received until time/date shown below, please submit your bid electronically via the PORT. Bids received after the date and time set will be rejected.
Due by 1:30 p.m. Local Time, Tuesday, July 30, 2024
Project: P587901 – Tanyard Springs Park Development
Sonication No.: CAP24000396
Contact: Kathryn Garafola – 443-336-4648
CITY OF BALTIMORE DEPARTMENT OF RECREATION AND PARKS NOTICE OF LETTING
Sealed Bids or Proposals, in duplicate addressed to the Board of Estimates of the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore and marked for BAL-
TIMORE CITY NO. RP23891 Greater Model Pools will be received at the Office of the Comptroller, Room 204 City Hall, Baltimore, Maryland until 11:00 A.M. August 7, 2024. Positively no bids will be received after 11:00 A.M. Bids will be publicly opened by the Board of Estimates in Room 215, City Hall at Noon. The proposed Contract Documents may be examined, without charge, at the Dept. of Rec & Parks at 2600 Madison Ave, Baltimore, Md. 21217 by appointment only on Mondays - Fridays, 8:30am – 4:00pm by emailing benitaj.randolph@baltimorecity.gov as of June 28, 2024 and copies may be purchased for a non-refundable cost of $100.00. A SharePoint link to a PDF of the Construction Drawings will be provided to all prospective bidders. Conditions and requirements of the Bid are found in the bid package. All contractors bidding on this Contract must first be prequalified by the City of Baltimore Contractors Qualification Committee. Interested parties should call (410) 396-6883 or contact the Committee at 4 South Frederick Street, 4th Floor, Baltimore, Maryland 21202. If a bid is submitted by a joint venture (“JV”), then in that event, the document that established the JV shall be submitted with the bid for verification purposes. The Prequalification Category required for bidding on this project is G90073 Swimming Pool Construction and Repair or E13001 Three Story and Under. Cost Qualification Range for this work shall be $7,200,000.00 to $8,200,000.00. A “Pre-Bidding In formation” session will be conducted via Microsoft Teams at 11:30am EST on July 11, 2024. Email your contact information to kbrower@baltimo recity.gov to receive an invite to the Microsoft Team (video conference meeting) no later than 3:00pm EST, July 10, 2024
Principle Items of work for this project are Removal of Site Improvements and Structures, Demolition of One- Story Buildings, Earthwork, Under ground Utilities, Storm Water facilities, New One-Story Buildings, New Swimming Pools, New Misters, New Site Amenities including Fencing, Landscaping, Hardscaping, Paving (including new sidewalk) and Curbs. The MBE goal is 10% and WBE goal is 9% APPROVED: M. Celeste Amato, Clerk, Board of Estimates CITY OF BALTIMORE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS OFFICE OF ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION NOTICE OF LETTING
Sealed Bids or Proposals, in duplicate addressed to the Board of Esti mates of the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore and marked for WATER CONTRACT NO. 1448-Urgent Need Water frastructure Rehabilitation and Improvements Phase 1-FY25 will be received at the Office of the Comptroller, Room 204 City Hall, Baltimore Maryland until 11:00 A.M on July 24, 2024. Positively no bids will be received after 11:00 A.M. Bids will be publicly opened by the Board of Estimates and can be watched live on CharmTV’s cable channel 25/1085HD; charmtvbaltimore.com/watchlive or listen in at (443) 984-1696 (ACCESS CODE: 0842939) from City Hall at Noon. The Contract Documents may be examined, without charge, at Contract Administration 4 South Frederick Street Baltimore, Maryland 21202 on the 3 rd floor (410) 396-4041 as of June 28, 2024 and cop ies may be purchased for a non-refundable cost of 100.00. Conditions and requirements of the Bid are found in the bid package. All contractors bidding on this Contract must first be prequalified by the City of Balti more Contractors Qualification Committee. Interested parties should call (410) 396-6883 or contact OBC at 4 S Frederick St., 4 th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202. If a bid is submitted by a joint venture (“JV”), then in that event, the document that established the JV shall be submitted with the bid for verification purposes. The Prequalification Category required for bidding on this project is B02551 Water Mains. Cost Quali fication Range for this work shall be $10,000,000.01 to $15,000,000.00. A “Pre-Bidding Information” session will be conducted via Microsoft Teams. Vendor can call 443-984-1696 Passcode: 4174591# on July 12, 2024 at 10:00 AM.
BOARD OF LIQUOR LICENSE COMMISSIONERS FOR BALTIMORE CITY
NOTICE—SPECIAL AD – JUNE 17, 2024
Petitions have been filed by the following applicants for licenses to sell alcoholic beverages at the premises set opposite their respective names.
The real property for these applications will be posted on or about June 17, 2024. Written protests concerning any application will be accepted until and including the time of the hearing. Public hearings may be scheduled on or after June 27, 2024 at 10:30 AM in City Hall; 100 N. Holliday Street, Room 215, Baltimore, Maryland 21202. Please visit llb.baltimorecity.gov under the link for "Hearing Schedules for confirmation of the date, time, and place for all matters being heard by the Board.
1. CLASS “BD7” BEER, WINE & LIQUOR LICENSE
Applicant: Thames Street Venture, LLC T/a Trade Name Pending - Darin
Mislan
Petition: Request to expand premises to include courtyard
Premises: 1704 Thames Street 21231
(City Council District: 1st; State Legislative District: 46th)
BOARD OF LIQUOR LICENSE COMMISSIONERS FOR BALTIMORE CITY
NOTICE—SPECIAL AD – JUNE 12, 2024
Petitions have been filed by the following applicants for licenses to sell alcoholic beverages at the premises set opposite their respective names. The real property for these applications will be posted on or about June 17, 2024. Written protests concerning any application will be accepted until and including the time of the hearing. Public hearings may be scheduled on or after June 27, 2024 at 10:30 AM in City Hall; 100 N. Holliday Street, Room 215, Baltimore, Maryland 21202. Please visit llb.baltimorecity.gov under the link for "Hearing Schedules & for confirmation of the date, time, and place for all matters being heard by the Board.
1. CLASS “BD7” BEER, WINE & LIQUOR LICENSE
Applicant: 900 N Charles Operating, LLC T/a Spirits of Mount VernonJeffry Stevenson
Petition: Transfer of ownership with continuation of live entertainment and outdoor table service (Amended)
Premises: 900 N. Charles Street 21201 (City Council District: 11th; State Legislative District: 40th)
ARUNDEL COUNTY
To purchase a bid book, please make an electronic request at: https:// publicworks.baltimorecity.gov/dpw-construction-projects-no tice-letting and dpwbidopportunities@baltimorecity.gov. For further inquiries about purchasing bid documents, please contact the assigned Contract Administrator Latonia.Walston@baltimorecity.gov
Principal items of work for this contract include, but are not limit ed to: Urgent need water main repairs and replacement as necessary, including, but not limited to, replacement/installation of various size new ductile iron pipe, valves, fittings, and appurtenances replacement/instal lation of fire hydrants, small (residential) meter settings and meter vaults, renew and replacement of existing water services, sidewalk restoration, curb and gutter, roadway paving, sedimentation and erosion control mea sures and maintenance of traffic, as required.
The MBE goal is 8% The WBE goal is 5% APPROVED:
Where to go and what to do in the D.C., Maryland and Virginia area
By Tierra Stone AFRO Intern
tierrastone@afro.com
By Mackenzie Williams AFRO Intern
mwillaims@afro.com
This week the AFRO compiled a list of events happening throughout the month of July in the D.C., Maryland and Virginia (DMV) area. Take a look below to see what’s happening near you!
Baltimore
Captain America Movie Marathon
Are there any Marvel fans in the family? If so, the Enoch Pratt Central Library, which sits in the heart of downtown Baltimore is hosting a Captain America movie marathon–perfect for all the superheroes in your life.
Date: July 6
Time: 10:00 a.m- 4:30 p.m.
Location: Enoch Pratt Central Library (Wheeler Auditorium) 400 Cathedral Street Baltimore MD, 21201
Cost: Free
First Thursdays: Make and Mingle
Make art and mingle is an adults only event to not only socialize, but unleash creativity with other locals. There will be food and drink vendors available for purchase and art supplies will be provided. If you have a membership with the museum you will receive a complimentary drink on the house, and any college students can show their ID to get a free cup of coffee.
Date: July 11
Time: 6 p.m - 7 p.m.
Location: The Walters Art Museum (Walters Cafe) 600 North Charles Street Baltimore MD, 21201
Cost: Free
Walk A Mile in My Dreams Performance by Joyce J. Scott
The Baltimore Museum of Art is hosting an event led by musical artist Joyce J. Scott with collaborators Lorraine Whitlessey, and jazzman Derrick Thompson. Space is limited and all attendees must register online. Register at https://checkout.artbma.org/.
Date: July 14
Time: 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Location: Baltimore Museum of Art 10 Art Museum Drive Baltimore MD, 21218
Cost: Free
Summer Sounds at the Square
Make sure to bring your family and friends to historic Belvedere Square and enjoy a live musical performance
by local band The New Romance. The parking lot will be converted into an open air market where there will be food and drink from local businesses such as Atwater’s, Prigel Family farm, Sassy Squeeze and so much more.
Date: July 19
Time: 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Location: Belvedere Square 529 East Belvedere Avenue Baltimore MD, 21212
Cost: Free
Red Cross Blood Drive
The Enoch Pratt Central Library is hosting a blood drive to help those in need. All prospective donors will go through a screening process before their donation, and will receive a snack after the procedure. Make sure to stay hydrated and drink plenty of water for the best result possible. All donors are required to register at https://www.redcrossblood.org/.
Date: July 20
Time: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Location: Enoch Pratt Central Library (Creative Arts Center) 400 Cathedral Street Baltimore MD, 21201
Cost: Free
Washington, D.C
Bold & Beautiful: After Dark
The Anacostia Community Museum is showcasing its new after dark series of 2024 with a viewing of its exhibit, Bold and Beautiful Vision: A Century of Black Arts Education in Washington, D.C.,1900-2000. Enjoy this summertime theme with glow in the dark art, jams by DJ Farrah Flosscett and a guided art phenomenon by instructor Lex Marie titled “Luminous Landscapes: A Neon Night of Art.” This event is 21+ register at https:// www.eventbrite.com and search for Bold & Beautiful: After Dark.
Date: July 25
Time: 7 p.m -10 p.m
Location: Anacostia Community Museum 1901 Fort Place SE Washington, D.C., 20020
Cost: Free
Jazz in the Garden
The National Gallery of Art will be hosting a jazz
music concert every Friday until the first week of August. Come enjoy an outdoor experience with your family and friends with a new artist every week. The museum recommends public transportation and blankets for sitting in the grass, first come first serve. Tickets are placed in a lottery system so make sure you check the website for open time slots to register. For any other questions please contact tickets@nga.gov and register at https://tickets.nga.gov/events/.
Date: Every Friday until August 9th
Time: 6 p.m - 8:30 p.m
Location: National Gallery of Art The Sculpture Garden (located on the north side of the National Mall between 7th and 9th Streets NW.) Washington, D.C., 20565
Cost: Free Asia in the Dark
In light of bruceploitation weekend, The National Museum of Asian Art is hosting a film screening and after hour party. The museum will leave exhibits open while you enjoy food, music, and a special screening of The Dragon Lives Again. If you register for the film you must be in line by 6:50 to claim your seat. Registering for the event and film are done so separately, register at eventbrite.com by searching the event, and register at https://hkclassics.eventive.org/ for the film.
Date: July 13
Time: 5p.m - 8p.m
Location: National Museum of Asian Art 1050 Independence Avenue SW Washington, D.C., 20004
Cost: Free
Prince George’s County
Community Health is Wealth Fair
The V.K. Nyambi Foundation is hosting a community event where attendees can receive free health screenings and testing for vision, kidney, HIV and Hepatitis B. There will also be resources for mental health, marital counseling, and financial advising. The event will also include free food giveaways as well as light refreshments being served.
Date: July 21
Time: 2 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Location: Hampton Conference Center 207 West Hampton Place Capitol Heights, MD, 20743
Cost: Free
Baltimore, D.C. and the surrounding neighborhoods are hosting different events that are perfect for the entire family. Upcoming events range from free health screenings and movie marathons to live concert performances.
Unsplash / Rohan
BALTIMORE-AREA
We celebrate Juneteenth, but Baltimore County residents want more
By Ryan Coleman
Juneteenth is one of the oldest known commemorations related to the abolition of slavery in the United States. Juneteenth was signed into law as a national holiday on June 17, 2021. The word “Juneteenth” is a Black English contraction, or portmanteau, of the month “June” and the number “nineteen.” Juneteenth celebrates the date of June 19, 1865, when enslaved people of African descent, located in Galveston, Texas, finally learned of their freedom from the slavery system in the United States. Juneteenth is just a battle won. We, in Baltimore County –and America– must confront an elephant in the room. This elephant in the room is a significant problem in 2024 that is very obvious to most people, but many do not wish to discuss the problem because it would make them
Coleman is president of the Baltimore County NAACP. This week, he discusses the importance of putting real action to the Juneteenth celebrations that take place each year in the Black community.
Maryland
leaders,
officials celebrate new civil rights exhibition in Baltimore City Hall
of the National Newspaper Publishers Association
U.S. Rep.
and
NNPA chairman in celebrating the opening of the new civil rights exhibit in Baltimore City Hall on June 18.
By Tashi McQueen AFRO Political Writer tmcqueen@afro.com
Celebrating 40 years since Maryland’s divestment from apartheid-era South Africa, the “Marylanders Cry Freedom: Civil Rights At Home and Abroad” is an exhibition that opened inside of Baltimore’s City Hall on June 18, highlighting impactful contributions to the Civil Rights Movement.
During the opening ceremony
Baltimore City Mayor Brandon M. Scott (D) emphasized that the fight for civil rights is ongoing, acknowledging the 400 years of slavery, decades of segregation and the battle to stop police brutality and “realize the liberty and justice for all promised centuries ago.”
Scott acknowledged the people who didn’t settle for the harmful past of Baltimore and worked to change things for the better.
“Because of their perseverance and unwillingness to back down we are here,” he said, to the large crowd in the rotunda of City Hall. “You are here able to hold power in these halls that used to serve laws to prevent those who look like us from achieving our excellence. We can never forget the history, the good and the bad.”
the bad.”
The exhibit was created through the partnership of Baltimore City, the Maryland and KwaZuluNatal Sister State Committee, a partnership between Maryland and the Province of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa and the Sister States of Maryland, a conduit for Maryland’s sister state relationships.
Making headway:
A look at Baltimore’s digital inclusion strategy
By Megan Sayles AFRO Business Writer msayles@afro.com
The term “digital divide” rose to national prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic. As schools, businesses and workplaces went virtual, a spotlight was shone on the bleak reality of disparities in internet and technology access for underserved communities.
“We want to make sure that Baltimore City has a future-facing network that will last a few generations.”
In Baltimore, the Abell Foundation discovered that 73.3 percent of White households had access to wired internet connection compared to 50.2 Black households respectively. Gaps were also uncovered in device access, as 60 percent of Black families had one laptop or desktop computer compared to 80.7 percent of White families.
By Tashi McQueen AFRO Political Writer tmcqueen@afro.com
After weeks of agency hearings led by the Baltimore City Council Ways and Means Committee, the council overwhelmingly approved Mayor Brandon M. Scott’s (D) $4.2 billion budget on June 17.
“Tonight, the Baltimore City Council unanimously voted to pass the Fiscal
“We must acknowledge our state and our city’s deep ties to this challenging part of America’s past,” said Scott.
“Baltimore, as a port city, played a significant role in the transatlantic slave trade. Baltimore was where some of the strictest policies and codes in the country were created, worsening the mistreatment of African Americans.”
Year 2025 Budget without any amendments. At the beginning of this budget process, our city was staring down a more than $100 million deficit that we were able to close without cutting services or eliminating the jobs of any city workers,” said Scott in a statement shortly after the vote. “This budget maintains important investments that will sustain our historic reductions in gun violence, bolster our
“This budget maintains important investments that will sustain our historic reductions in gun violence, bolster our work to support Baltimore’s young people through recreation and parks and unprecedented funding in City Schools and continue to modernize city government to improve services for all residents.”
“It’s important for us to ensure that something like art, that is a living tool, a living symbolic representation of that struggle, continues,” said Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby (D). “That’s why we must continue to support our artists, that’s why we must tell our own stories.”
The exhibit will be open to the public weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
work to support Baltimore’s young people through recreation and parks and unprecedented funding in City Schools and continue to modernize city government to improve services for all residents.”
This was the city council’s second year having the ability to cut and re-align funding for the city’s budget. Last year, the council reallocated $10 million to benefit a range of issues, including violence
“The digital divide is evidenced by the very high number of low-income communities who do not have wireline, in-home internet service,” said Kenya Asli, director for the Office of Broadband Digital Equity (BDE) for the city of Baltimore. “Wireless is great, 5G is good, but wireline
prevention and better working conditions.
This year’s budget includes an increased operating budget of $3.47 billion and a capital plan of $732 million.
Though the budget process was rather peaceful, there was some turbulence concerning the date for the final vote.
“Unfortunately, I will not be able to vote yes on this
Continued
AFRO Photo / Dana Peck
Legendary journalist April Ryan (left) joins Baltimore City Mayor Brandon M. Scott (D);Jean Bailey, president and CEO of Sister States of Maryland; Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby (D); Dr. Ben F. Chavis Jr., president and CEO
(NNPA);
Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.07)
Bobby Henry,
Courtesy photo
Ryan
Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby and other members approve Mayor Brandon M. Scott’s (D) proposed $4.2 billion budget on June 17 after weeks of agency hearings and discussions.
AFRO Photo/Tashi McQueen
Baltimore County
Continued from D1
uncomfortable. Moreover, a full discussion of the issues might result in a call for major structural changes — changes that people have been, so far, reluctant to make. Throughout the nation, this elephant is the utter failure to satisfactorily
address systemic racism.
There might be a tendency for some to withdraw into training sessions, workshops and planning retreats to educate Whites. But however helpful these activities might be, the things needed most
“We all have a role to play in calling for greater accountability from our government, from law enforcement, our neighbors and ourselves. What we have today is simply not enough.”
Making headway
Continued from D1
is a reliable, consistent connection.”
“Even if you have wirelines, part of the digital divide is the affordability issue,” Asli continued. “You can have in-home internet connectivity, but it may cost you $200 a month.”
With technology tied to nearly every facet of daily life, the digital divide becomes a paralyzing obstacle in navigating the world today. Access to high-speed, reliable internet and devices underpins access to education, employment, healthcare, financial services, social programs and more.
The impact of the divide has led to calls to action for digital inclusion, or equity, which maintains that every person should have equal access to technology and digital resources.
“It’s a 21st century problem because digital equity is intertwined with every other issue. When
you think of digital equity, you think about telehealth if you’re a healthcare provider,” said Cody Dorsey, executive director of the Baltimore Digital Equity Coalition. “If you’re an educator, you think about virtual learning. It also intersects with public safety.”
Dorsey’s organization was established in 2020 to promote advocacy for the closing of the digital divide and advancement of digital equity. While statistics surrounding connectivity in Baltimore put the gaps into numbers, Dorsey said it’s the lived experiences of residents that really illustrate how critical the problem is.
“We’ve heard stories of parents having to choose which child gets on Zoom for school,” said Dorsey. “We’ve heard stories of grandparents not getting visits from their grandchildren because they don’t have the internet.”
“When we think about digital equity, oftentimes,
are equity and social justice policies and practices that replace policies and practices that have a disparate impact on the Black community. These equity and social justice action plans must have timetables for realizing specific goals and specific means of accountability to disrupt structural racism.
To defeat structural racism we must do the following for Black Americans:
1. Homeownership subsidies
2. Rental assistance: Expand and reform the housing choice voucher program
3. Baby bonds and other wealth-building tools
4. Strengthen CommunityBased and Black-Owned Financial Institutions
5. Universal Pre-K
6. Expand magnet schools and high achieving schools for Black Americans
7. Expand access to vocational job training and community college
8. Forgive student debt
we talk about the internet connectivity piece, but there’s also the skills piece. With AI, we have to make sure people know what’s real and what’s fake,” Dorsey added. “We have to make sure people
20K Please help us get to
know how to work a device and are prepared for the workforce because 92 percent of jobs across the country require some level of digital skill.”
In December 2023, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott in conjunction with the Baltimore City Office of Information and Technology (BCIT) announced a five-year plan to decrease the digital divide, improve the city’s digital infrastructure and enable residents to equitably engage with technology.
The blueprint centers on four actionable goals: provide Baltimoreans with access to reliable, high-speed internet, enable them to obtain modern devices, offer digital skills training and supply technical support in multiple languages to all residents who need it.
BDE, an office under BCIT, has been tasked with implementing the plan. Asli said they’ve already begun to make progress.
Ensuring residents have access to reliable, high-speed broadband
Baltimore’s focus for internet connection rests in fiber optics.
“Fiber provides faster, more reliable speeds,” said Asli. “We want to make sure that Baltimore City has a future-facing network that will last a few generations.”
On the heels of the Digital Inclusion Strategy roll-out, Scott launched FreeBmoreWifi, a publicfacing, free Wi-Fi network. It will be available in every city recreation center and several older adult centers.
“The plan is to get all 50 recreation centers done by August,” said Asli. “We already have 11 completed, and we wired up two pools just in time for Memorial day. In our recreation centers, we’re going to have indoor and outdoor, public Wi-Fi.”
The city is also addressing affordability with the Bmore Connected campaign. The
9. Reparations
10. Support minority owned business
11. Hold accountable our businesses, elected officials, our school systems, our neighbors and ourselves to ensure the same quality of life for Black Americans
12. Vote for individuals addressing structural racism
13. Join the Randallstown NAACP and other civic minded organizations
We all have a role to play in calling for greater
accountability from our government, from law enforcement, our neighbors and ourselves. What we have today is simply not enough. We need to work together to root out hate and replace it with a deep and abiding appreciation for diversity, equality and inclusion. It must start with each of us–and it must start now.
Ryan Coleman, president of the Randallstown NAACP, can be reached at randallstownnaacp@gmail. com.
initiative advocates for the reauthorization of the federal government’s Affordability Connectivity Program (ACP), which offered a monthly discounted internet service and a one-time subsidy for the purchase of a device. The program ended on June 1 due to a lack of funding from Congress.
To complement this effort, Baltimore is using $2 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to deploy grants to local nonprofits and anchor institutions for the construction of broadband networks. The Connect Baltimore Broadband Grant Program is targeting internet service providers (ISPs) that will work in low-income communities—primarily multi-dwelling units— and provide internet service at low to no cost.
It’s part of Baltimore’s strategy to increase ISP competition in the city, which can create more affordable service options for residents.
Later this year, Asli said a request for proposal (RFP) will be released to invite a new ISP to provide free internet service in eight of the Housing Authority of Baltimore City’s (HABC) public housing locations.
In the past, costs have been a barrier for attracting new ISPs. But, Baltimore is building out its middle mile infrastructure, which will enable ISPs to save money by leasing existing city lines to deliver internet service.
“What we hear time and time again from Baltimore City residents is we only have one provider in the city—good, bad or otherwise. They want to see more competition,” said Asli. “The belief is more competition will drive down those prices or at least offer a variety of price points.”
Getting devices in the hands of Baltimoreans
As part of a grant from the Maryland Connected
Devices Program (MD-CDP), Baltimore has been in the process of distributing 50,000 Chromebooks to low-income households at no charge. BDE partnered with the Enoch Pratt Free Library to deploy the devices and expects to finish delivering them by December. It also forged a partnership between Baltimore City Recreation and Parks and the library system to provide a number of Chromebooks to each of the city’s recreation centers.
Digital skills education and technical support
BDE has developed a directory of online training courses for residents that will be available on the devices at recreation centers. Asli acknowledged that this resource is limited to those who already know how to use technology.
“We know online training is great for those who know how to use devices. But, if you don’t then what?” said Asli.
To address this challenge, the second round of Baltimore’s Digital Equity Fund will award grants to nonprofits that can provide inperson training at recreation and community centers around the city. The first round of the fund delivered $1 million to more than 20 organizations for programs covering device access, digital literacy and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.
“We’re beginning to call rec centers, ‘tech hubs,’” said Asli. “Every rec center will have indoor and outdoor public Wi-Fi, devices you can borrow on site, a directory of training providers and, where possible, in-person training.”
This story is part of the Digital Equity Local Voices Fellowship lab. The lab initiative is made possible with support from Comcast NBC Universal.
Kenya Asli is the director of Baltimore’s Office of Broadband Digital Equity. The office is charged with leading the city’s 5-year digital inclusion plan.
Courtesy photo
Cody Dorsey is the executive director of the Baltimore Digital Equity Coalition. Founded in 2020, the organization drives advocacy around the closing of the digital divide and expansion of digital equity.
Courtesy photo
Baltimore City Council
budget as the vote has been scheduled and rescheduled multiple times and ultimately was rescheduled during a vacation that I planned with my wife and our family a year ago,”
wrote Councilman Zeke Cohen (D-District 01) hours before the final vote via X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Council President Nick Mosby (D) responded to Cohen’s remarks after the
final vote for the bill.
“I think it’s really important, as we highlight all of the hard work that folks have done, that we also maintain the integrity of the process,” said Mosby. “There was a voting session
that was scheduled last Thursday. Unfortunately, it fell directly on a Jewish holiday. In order for us to be more inclusive we needed to ensure that we voted this week. For something that’s important and statutorily
required like passing the budget, we cannot do that in the eleventh hour. That’s why we’re voting this week.”
Mosby also said council members are advised not to
schedule vacations during budget time. Scott must now sign the budget by the end of the month as the new fiscal year begins on July 1.
Mentoring Black Males in Da Hood: Investing in the lives of young Black men
By Reginald Williams Special to the AFRO rwilliams@afro.com
Forty Black adolescent males from Baltimore City traveled to Birmingham, Tuskegee and Montgomery, Ala., for a cultural excursion of historic landmarks.
The boys visited Tuskegee University, Dexter Ave Baptist Church, Dexter Parsonage Museum, the Legacy Museum, The National Memorial for Peace and Justice and the Civil Rights Memorial Center.
This is the 28th year that Cameron Miles, founder and director of Mentoring Male Teens In Da Hood, a Baltimore-based mentoring program, has exposed Black boys to cultural adventures through travel that introduces them to the historical significance of who they are. Morehouse College, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Duke and North Carolina A&T University represent some of the other educational institutions visited by past cohorts.
“We’re giving our young boys exposure and helping them to want to succeed,” explained Miles.
Seven adult chaperones joined Miles on the four-day trip, which commenced on June 13 and concluded June 16. The trip began with a flight to Birmingham. For many of the boys, this was their first experience with air travel. The tour started at Tuskegee University, a Historical Black College and University. Dr. Booker T. Washington served as the first teacher and founding principal, and Lewis Adams, a former enslaved tinsmith and community leader, was instrumental in establishing the educational institution. Subsequent visits to the Legacy Museum, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, Dexter Ave Baptist Church, where a 26-year-old Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. served in his first pastorship, and Dexter Parsonage Museum (Dr. King’s residence while serving as Dexter’s pastor) gave the boys surreal vulnerability to what their ancestors were required to endure.
A part of the activities included taking time to be intentional about experiencing a spiritual connection.
“On the morning of the 15th, we [did] what is called a morning grounding at the river,” Miles said. “We [met] at a river. It [was] a spiritual time to balance a sort of rite of passage experience. I want to make sure that we continue to be on one accord.”
Naturalists maintain that morning grounding, also known as earthing, slows down the heart rate, reduces illnesses and chronic pain and disrupts depression.
Engaging and learning a therapeutic exercise can
prove valuable for boys growing up in Baltimore.
Mentoring Male Teens In Da Hood began when Miles, a worker for the Department of Social Services, witnessed a group of adolescents behaving disruptively in the building.
“The young people were coming into the building completely out of control,” said Miles. “They were cursing and fighting. I said, ‘I grew up in Baltimore. I can work with these young people.’”
Miles drafted a one-page proposal. His vision was embraced, and 28 years later, the program has served more than 3,000 Black
“My goal is to expose our young men to positive things and role models – male, female, Black or White – from different ethnicities, different occupations so that they can start thinking early and often about what they want to do.”
adolescent males. They are currently tracking 65 former mentees. According to Miles, most are doing well, while some have died by violence.
A shining example of what is possible through the program is Imhotep Simba, a former mentee. Raised by a single mother on Dolphin Street and experiencing behavioral issues, Simba, a Coppin University graduate and current Georgetown grad student, completed the program at 18. Desiring to experience the cultural diversity of a different country, Simba, with the help of Miles, spent two years in Ecuador on a Peace Corps mission. Coming full circle, Simba now brings his son and helps Miles with the program.
Miles’ intent for the boys is to have them achieve their greatness.
“My goal is to expose our young men to positive things and role models – male, female, Black or White –from different ethnicities, different occupations so that they can start thinking early and often about what they want to do,” explained Miles. “I want to get engineers in front of them. I want to get pilots in front of them—the judge, the lawyer, the college professor, the business owner and the military general. Whatever the case, they need to see
these different pieces and figure out what they want to do.”
The extent to which Black adolescent males do not partake in dangerous and violent encounters can be measured primarily by the extent to which those males are engaged in experiential, life-altering learning opportunities like those provided by organizations such as Mentoring Male Teens In Da Hood. Some of the program’s donations are re-invested directly to the mentees. Miles uses a portion of the funding
to pay peers. Those are mentees who have proven themselves as leaders. Miles also rewards mentees who earn A’s in major subjects.
“We incentivize for report cards,” explained Miles. “If your son brings me three A’s in major subjects—like math or English—they get $20 for each A. I think that’s the right thing to do with donations. This does give them an incentive,” Miles said. “Some might say they’re supposed to go to school and do good. But there are so many
distractions. Everybody isn’t focused on learning. So, we want to give a reward for doing good.”
Mentoring Males In Da Hood also provides the first $10,000 in scholarship funding for any mentee who desires to attend college.
The program will host its sixth Annual STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) camp from July 8 to August 9.
“I’m not working this hard for everybody to flip burgers and clean toilets,” said Miles. “I’m not knocking that work– but I
want them to do and be the very best that they can.”
Now that they have returned, the boys must submit a one-page report detailing how the trip impacted them. Miles calls the tours “learning trips.”
“We want them to be prepared and learn about great things to help prepare them for greatness,” said Miles.
Contributions to
Mentoring Male Teens In Da Hood can be made by contacting Cameron Miles at (410) 852-8013 or by email at cmilesmmth@gmail.com.
Mentoring Black males in Da Hood’s current cohort of youth will spend the year with mentors building their life skills and becoming well traveled. The program is the brainchild of Cameron Miles.
Courtesy photo
NNPA Fund hosts 2024 Messenger Awards
Publishers and journalists conclude conference with Inner Harbor cruise
By Lizzie Suber
On June 20, the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s (NNPA) annual national convention closed out with an awards ceremony, recognizing individual newspapers for excellence in various categories such as original advertising campaign and best coverage of education, entertainment, health and more. The ceremony was hosted by Mister and Mistress of Ceremonies, Lester A. Booker Jr. and Jocelyn K. Coley.
AFRO winners were Amelia Uduafemeh, who won the first place for the Youth and Children award after writing an article on high school activist, Jaydhen Johnson; Aria Brent, who took the first place Community Engagement award for her AFRO Cooking Live Series and Dana and Kevin Peck, winners of the third place Video Campaign award for work created by the AFRO’s Technology and Marketing team in collaboration with Comcast. On June 22 the conference ended with a cruise on the “Majesty,” a presentation from Baltimore Times writer Regi Taylor, food, drinks and entertainment.
AFRO News hosts second annual Juneteenth celebration
By Madeline Seck AFRO Intern mseck@afro.com
The AFRO hosted its second annual
and
at the
near
to honor the
of the
a
Leaders of the
and the
speaker; former Baltimore mayor, Catherine Pugh. Black press leaders were also present, many of them members of The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), whose national conference was officially opened at the brunch and ran through June 22.
and
Photos by Patricia McDougall
AFRO Intern lizziesuber@afro.com
Juneteenth celebration,
brunch
Center Club
Baltimore Inner Harbor.
Black community came together
Juneteenth holiday
importance
Black Press. Guests included Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott; Dr. Karsonya Wise Whitehead, professor at Loyola University
keynote
Photos courtesy of James Fields
Lenora Howze, AFRO executive director and director of advertising, welcomes this year’s group for the Juneteenth brunch.
Event honorees Dr. Vonnya Pettigrew (left), CEO and founder of Root Branch Media Group; Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., NNPA chairman; Dr. Daley, lifelong activist and educator, and Bobby R. Henry Sr. are together
given the spotlight for this year’s celebration.
Dr. Karsonya Wise Whitehead, the Black mommy activist, gives a passionate speech to the guests of the brunch.
Dr. Thelma T. Daley is the NAACP national director of women.
Dr. Draper, AFRO CEO and publisher, with Rachel D. Graham, CEO of BOPA.
Shown here, AFRO staff members Denise Dorsey (left), production manager; Deyane Moses, Afro Charities’ curator of archives, and Alexis Taylor, managing editor.
Dr. Thelma T. Daley (center) is surrounded by members of her beloved organization, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
Dana and Kevin Peck make their way down the soul train line.
Bobby R. Henry Sr. (left); AFRO writer Aria Brent; Karen Carter Richards and Dr. Ben Chavis gather as Brent accepts the first place Community Engagement award for her AFRO Cooking Live Series, which appears on the AFRO’s YouTube channel and social media platforms.
Baltimore Times Publisher Joy Bramble (left) accepts the NNPA Publisher of the Year award with National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Chairman Bobby R. Henry Sr. and Karen Carter Richards, publisher and CEO of the Forward Times, at her side. Bramble announced in June 2024 that she would retiring, closing out decades of service and commitment to the local community. The new publisher of the Baltimore Times is Paris Brown, not shown.
The NNPA cruise around the Baltimore Inner Harbor attracted plenty of attendees, many of whom took time to dance with journalists, publishers and National Newspaper Publishers Association board members in attendance.
Dr. Ben Chavis, president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, joins in with cruisers dancing on the “Majestic,” June 22 in the Baltimore Inner Harbor.
AFRO staff concludes day three of the conference with three NNPA Messenger awards. Shown here, Andre Draper (back, left); Nico Lee; Denise DeLeaver; Lenora Howze; Aleisha Robinson; Diane Hocker; Felicia Phillips; Benjamin Phillips; Kevin Peck; Denise Dorsey; Dr. Frances “Toni” Draper; Eva Lee; Alexis Taylor (front, left), Aria Brent and Dana Peck.