Kamala Harris: A leader for all people
By Keith Boykin
Word in Black
Certain Black people on the internet keep raising two questions about Kamala Harris. What is her Black agenda? And why didn’t she do it during the last four years?
First, if you want to know Kamala Harris’s Black agenda, look at what she’s already done. As vice president, Kamala Harris helped to pass the Emmett Till AntiLynching Act, provided a record $16 billion in funding to HBCUs, $2.8 billion for Pell grants and need-based assistance, $2 billion to Black farmers, $2 billion to clean up pollution in communities of color, doubled the number of Black businesses in America, and brought us the lowest Black unemployment rate and the lowest Black poverty rate in history.
The Biden-Harris administration also expanded the child tax credit, which cut the Black child poverty rate in half, capped the cost of insulin at $35 for seniors, which is especially important for Black people who are disproportionately affected by diabetes, signed up 5 million more people for Obamacare, canceled $168.5 billion in student loan debt for 4.8 million people, pardoned thousands of marijuana charges, and on top of all that, even signed a law creating the first new Black-related federal holiday in forty years — Juneteenth.
At the same time, they appointed more Black judges than any administration in history, and gave us the first Black woman on the Supreme Court and the first Black vice president. And those federal judges have lifetime tenure, so they’ll be on the bench for decades
to come.
Trump was president for four years and he didn’t do any of those things. In fact, he was the first president since Richard Nixon 50 years ago to appoint no Black judges to the U.S. Courts of Appeals. And the judges he did appoint are the very ones striking down the laws and policies that help Black people.
Now, the second question. Why hasn’t Kamala Harris done whatever thing you think she should have done in the last four years? The answer. She’s not the president. She’s the vice president, and that person’s job is to help the president. But even if she were president, people need to have realistic expectations about what a president can and cannot do.
The president leads one of our three co-equal branches of government. For those who
missed “Schoolhouse Rock,” the three branches are legislative, executive, and judicial. Congress, the legislature, makes the laws. The president, the executive, enforces the laws. And the judiciary, through the Supreme Court and lower courts, interprets the laws.
In the UK, the executive and legislature are combined in Parliament. The prime minister comes from the legislature and has the power to enact their own agenda. It makes it easier to get things done, but we don’t have that system in the U.S. Currently, we have a divided Congress, with a Republican House of Representatives and a Democratic Senate. The House is gerrymandered, giving members no incentive to work with a president from the other party. And the Senate is constitutionally unrepresentative
Results of needs assessment conducted by Virginia Department of Health reveals disturbing trends
By D. Kevin McNeir Special to the AFRO
From 1999 to 2020, opioid overdose deaths claimed the lives of over half a million Americans, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with opioid-involved deaths increasing each year. Even more disturbing, 2021 marked the first time the U.S. surpassed 100,000 related deaths in a single year.
Yet, while a majority of adults – 61 percent – consider the misuse of opioids in the U.S. to be a major public health emergency, based on results of a Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) poll conducted this year, many Americans tend to believe that the opioid crisis is more of a national problem (68 percent), than one impacting their own state (53 percent) or their
community (36 percent).
Even in areas of the U.S. where drug overdose rates have increased, public concern about addiction is down, according to a Pew survey. As for those who come from low-income or minority communities, the BPC poll indicates that they are less likely to say the opioid crisis is a major problem in their respective communities than adults who are not. However, as data from sources including the CDC indicate, they would be wrong – dead wrong.
One major takeaway from the BPC poll illustrates a change in demographics over the past five years among those with the highest drug overdose mortality – from White Americans in the Northeast to other ethnic populations. Contrary to popular belief, mortality has increased by 81 percent among
of the country.
That’s why the 1.6 million people in the mostly White and rural Dakotas get four U.S. senators, while the nearly 40 million people in the racially diverse state of California get only two U.S. senators. That means the people of South Dakota have 50 times more power than the people in California in the Senate. The legislature is rigged against us.
And, unfortunately, so are the courts. Because of the antiquated electoral college system for picking presidents, we have an unrepresentative Supreme Court with six of the nine justices appointed by Republican presidents, despite the fact that Democrats have won the popular vote in seven of the last eight presidential elections.
So, even if Bernie Sanders,
AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast
Vice President Kamala Harris is now officially the Democratic nominee for president. Now voters must show up at the polls to see it all the way through.
Photo courtesy Unsplash/ Towfiqu Barbhuiya Opioid addiction and death is a national epidemic in the United States, crossing boundaries of race, culture and class.
Remembering Gladys Blount and Romay Johnson-Davis, women of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion
By Aria Brent AFRO Staff Writer abrent@afro.com
It is with a heavy heart and great pride that the AFRO honors the life and legacies of Mrs. Gladys Blount and Mrs. Romay Johnson-Davis, two members of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. Following their courageous service during World War II (WWII) both ladies went on to live long and meaningful lives all the while never forgetting their time in the military.
Romay Catherine Johnson-Davis was born on October 29, 1919 in King George County, Va. She was the middle child of six and the only girl. With no Black high school in King George County, she was forced to attend numerous high schools in New Jersey, New York, and Washington, D.C., staying with different family members.
Johnson-Davis graduated from Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C. Following graduation she worked as an elevator operator in a hospital elevator and then served at the Bureau of Engraving in Washington, D.C.
During WWII, the United States decided to expand their military capacity and Johnson-Davis volunteered to join the Army. After enrolling in the Army she completed her basic training at Fort Des Moines, Iowa she was assigned to the motor pool
at Camp Breckinridge in Morganfield, Ky. During her time there, Johnson-Davis worked as a mechanic and a driver. It was during her time at Camp Breckinridge that she volunteered to go overseas and was chosen to serve in the 6888th.
In February of 1945, Johnson-Davis joined the first group of women sent over to England to sort through months worth of undelivered mail. The women created a system that operated in three different shifts, seven days a week and allowed them to process approximately 195,000 pieces of mail a day.
“In March of 2022–almost 80 years after the 6888th service in World War II–Ms. Romay came to me and told me that they are now going to award them the Congressional Gold Medal. When that announcement came, only six of the 855 women were alive,” said Col. Eries Mentzer, a member of the U.S. Air Force and a dear friend of Johnson-Davis .
“At that time Ms.Romay was the oldest living member of the 6888th at 102. It was the extended family of many members of the 6888th that accepted their honors because they were deceased. But for Ms.Romay we decided to make this as grand of a ceremony as possible because she waited far too long for this honor to happen.”
Mentzer recalled how Johnson-Davis reacted to
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and family of Gladys Blount (left) and Romay Johnson-Davis are remembering their work as members of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion in the wake of their deaths.
the special celebration they held for her in downtown Montgomery.
“When she came home from overseas she went to New York and attended the Traphagen Fashion School. When she parked her car for the first time in New York her footlocker was stolen and for almost 80 years she’s never had her military uniform,” said Mentzer. “We made it our mission to return her military uniform. We found a World War II footlocker just by kind of scouring the internet and then from the footlocker we were able to find every part of the uniform just by looking at pictures of her. We took all of this and made the footlocker into a shadow box.”
“We presented that to her and you could just see her eyes well up. After that she never took her eyes off that footlocker. I went over to her house later that night and she was just staring at the footlocker and she said ‘I never thought I would see my uniform again. I never thought anybody would care this much about me,’”Mentzer recalls.
Johnson-Davis’ charismatic spirit and big personality stuck with her even as she grew older. Known for defying odds and marching to the beat of her own drum, the army vet went on to live a very full life following her service in the 6888th. When Mentzer
met her, she was 101-yearsold and working at the local Winn Dixie grocery store as a way of “keeping herself active and busy.” Prior to that she worked in the fashion industry, having earned degrees from the New York Fashion Institute and the Traphagen School of Fashion.
Amidst her exciting career in fashion she met her husband, Jerry Davis at a party in 1957. They were married for 42 years until his passing in 1999. Throughout the years, Romay would go on to earn her master’s degree in education from New York University, in addition to picking up a series of hobbies and professional interests like taxidermy, real estate, painting and making furniture.
Johnson-Davis was the oldest living veteran of the battalion until her death on June 21. It was only a day later, on June 22, that her fellow soldier, Gladys Blount would also die.
Born on June 6, 1922 to John and Eva Debman in Newark, New Jersey, from 1944 to 1946, Blount proudly served in the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. Before joining the military, she worked as a beautician. In 1948 Blount married Anthony Blount Sr. and they had two children, Eva Davis and the late Kwame Blount.
“When she first went overseas she wasn’t frightened with the war going on. She was happy to be there and very excited about what laid ahead of her,” said Eva
Davis, Blount’s daughter. “She went overseas and really enjoyed the assignment she was given.”
Following her service in WWII, she followed multiple career paths including one in the medical field as a nursing assistant and within the dietary department for Newark Public Schools.
Blout was the matriarch of her family with eight grandchildren: Kevin Blount Sr., Willie Davis IV, Joaquin Blount, Chaz Davis, Stephen Davis, Rakeem Blount, Amber Blount and Chole Blount. She also had 10 greatgrandchildren and two greatgreat-grandchildren.
Blount was known for her kind and joyful spirit. Her artistic spirit was often expressed through her hobbies which included scrapbooking, baking, reading and listening to classical music.
She is survived by her daughter, Eva Davis, her 8 grandchildren, and a host of great-grandchildren. Blount is preceded in death by her parents, her son Kwame Blount, her siblings and sonin-law, Willie Davis III.
The legacy of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion is one the AFRO has treasured and upheld for years. Although many of the women who served in the unit are deceased, the few remaining members have continued to show up to receive the many honors bestowed upon the women of the battalion in the last six years.
White House Initiative on HBCUs announces 2024 scholars – all D.C. and Maryland HBCUs
By Deborah Bailey AFRO Contributing Editor dbailey@afro.com
The White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities has announced the 2024 class of scholars, marking the tenth anniversary of a program that has highlighted the scholarship, talent and rigor of America’s HBCUs.
This year, 110 exemplary students hailing from 77 of America’s HBCUs have been selected for their outstanding academic achievement, prospective leadership and contribution to their communities.
The 2024 cohort includes students from all HBCUs in Washington, D.C., and Maryland, displaying the strong and diverse educational experiences students receive in the nation’s capital and its neighboring state.
“For 10 years the HBCU Scholars program has celebrated the exceptional academic talent and achievements of students at our Historically Black Colleges and Universities. This is a recognition that reflects the Biden-Harris Administration’s determination to fight for our nation’s HBCUs and their immense contributions to black excellence and diversity in higher education,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.
“These students exemplify the excellence and leadership that is characteristic of the HBCU Community.”
Week National Annual Conference to be held Sept.1519 in Philadelphia, Pa.
The six White House HBCU scholars hailing from District and Maryland schools come to their institutions from cities across the nation, the Caribbean and South America, making them the most geographically diverse scholars named in the 10-year history of the program.
“I am very honored to be selected as a White House HBCU scholar. This recognition validates the hard work and dedication I’ve poured into my studies and extracurricular activities,” said Sara Amanda Owusu, a bioinformatics junior at Bowie State University.
Throughout the year, White House HBCU scholars will participate in a series of workshops, leadership development programs and networking events to boost their skills and expand their horizons. Honorees will be invited to the 2024
During the conference, which will bear the theme “Raising the Bar,” students will be invited to participate in sessions, engage professionals and peers and connect with policymakers, industry leaders and alumni of the 10-year program.
Students in the White House HBCU scholars program are given these opportunities to give back, said Deidra Trent, executive director of the White House initiative.
Trent said the White House HBCU conference in Philadelphia will kick off a series of ongoing monthly sessions for the fellows.
“These students exemplify the excellence and leadership that is characteristic of the HBCU community,” Trent said. The 2024 White House fellows representing D.C. and Maryland institutions are (each student’s name is followed by their school and hometown):
-Ashley Anderson, of Howard University from Upper Marlboro, Md.
-Jalen Gourrier, of University of Maryland Eastern Shore from Princess Anne, Md.
-Michaela Hart, of Morgan State University from Baltimore.
-Mellany Menendez, of Coppin State University, from Chiquimula, Guatemala.
-Sarah Owusu, of Bowie State University, from Suitland, Md.
-Kayleah Shelton, of University of the District of Columbia, from Washington D.C.
Friends
HBCU
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Photo courtesy of the National Park Service
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Alsobrooks takes center stage at DNC
Prince George’s executive is seeking to become first Black senator from Maryland
By Asia Matthews Special to the AFRO
Black women seeking to make political history were highlighted during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
At the forefront, of course, was Vice President Kamala Harris, who secured the Party’s nomination as she seeks to cement her place in history as the first woman to assume the helm of the White House. But in a smaller spotlight were two women also chasing history: Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), both vying to join the exclusive club of Black women to serve in the U.S. Senate.
Alsobrooks, who would become the first African-American senator from Maryland should she win, delivered a prime time speech on night two of the convention, elevating her national visibility. But hours before that, Alsobrooks and Rochester were feted at a fundraiser held at the DuSable Black History Museum in Chicago, where forerunners Sen. LaPhonza Butler (D-Calif.) and former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun (D-Ill.) – Black women who served in the U.S. Senate – were expected to attend.
Alsobrooks used the opportunity to explain her policy priorities and life experiences . She later expounded on her commitment to advancing women’s rights, health care reform, and economic opportunities for students and young people
The Maryland executive said she believes in the right of a woman to freely make her own health care decisions, and it should be supported by a federal law that protects a woman’s reproductive rights.
“One of the first pieces of legislation that I want to co-sponsor is the Women’s Health Protection Act, to ensure that women
have codified in federal law the right to choose , ” she said.
Alsobrooks also supports the Inflation Reduction Act, which was championed and created by President Biden. She wants some of the Act’s provisions to be expanded to help decrease health care costs.
Additionally, Alsobrooks said she wants to enhance economic opportunities, particularly for young people and college students who attend HBCUs like Morgan State University in Baltimore.
“My number one issue is making sure that students, like the students at Morgan State University, can graduate with the real expectation that they can afford to buy a home, to have high paying jobs, to support their families and to be able to live the American dream ” she said.
Alsobrooks stressed the importance of voting, calling it both a “right” and “an obligation.” She encouraged students to exercise their right to vote.
The Prince George’s politician would need the momentum gained from her DNC appearance as she vies for the Senate seat against Republican candidate, former Gov. Larry Hogan.
The pair presents sharply contrasting visions for Maryland’s future, setting the stage for a pivotal election that will influence the direction of the state’s policies and priorities.
For example, the “Hogan for Maryland” campaign sent an open letter to Alsobrooks on July 3, urging her to reconsider her support for new taxes and fees.
The burden of these regressive taxes and fees will be paid by the struggling Marylanders who can least afford them ” the campaign wrote.
Stating that the affordability crisis affects all Marylanders regardless of political affiliation, the campaign stressed
the need for leaders like Alsobrooks to prioritize the people over party interests.
“The affordability crisis impacts everyone in our state,” Hogan wrote. “At this critical time, Marylanders deserve
leaders who are willing to stand up to the party bosses to fight for them.”
Asia Matthews is a student at Morgan State University.
Being Black in Germany has never been easy–elections in eastern states could make it harder still
By Kirsten Grieshaber
The Associated Press
It was a balmy summer night in 2020, shortly after the lifting of Germany’s first COVID-19 lockdown, and Omar Diallo and two friends from his home country of Guinea wanted to celebrate Eid al-Adha, the Muslim festival of sacrifice.
“We were enjoying life, playing music, walking through the city at night — we just wanted to be together again and have a good time,” Diallo, 22, told The Associated Press in Erfurt, an area in the eastern state of Thuringia.
He was not prepared for how the day would end. Suddenly Diallo and his friends were confronted by three black-clad White men.
“They were shouting: ‘What do you want here, f-——foreigners, get out’!” Diallo remembered.
“First there were three, then five, seven — they were surrounding us from all sides. We couldn’t run away, and then they started chasing us,” he said.
At some point Diallo managed to call the police, and when the officers finally arrived, the attackers ran away. One of his friends was beaten up so badly that he had to be hospitalized.
“I simply tried to survive,” Diallo said. “I hadn’t done anything wrong. It all happened only because of my skin color.”
Being Black in Germany has always meant exposure to racism, from everyday humiliations to deadly attacks. In eastern Germany, the risk can be even greater.
After World War II, West Germany became a democratic, diverse society but in East Germany, which was run by a communist dictatorship until the end of 1989, residents barely had any contact with people of different ethnicities and were not allowed to travel freely abroad.
Experts say that specifically in Thuringia, radical far-right forces have created an environment that’s hostile toward minorities, including Black people.
Now, with the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, Black Germans and African migrants like Diallo are growing increasingly concerned.
Thuringia, which has a population of 2.1 million,holds state elections on Sept. 1, and the fiercely anti-immigration AfD is leading the polls, on 30 percent.
In 2023, the NGO Ezra, which helps victims of far-right, racist and antisemitic violence, documented 85 racist attacks in
Thuringia, down only slightly from 88 attacks in 2022, which Ezra described as “an all-time high of right-wing and racist violence” in the state.
“In recent years, an extreme right-wing movement has formed in Thuringia, which has contributed to a noticeable ideological radicalization of its followers. Politically, the Alternative for Germany party is the main beneficiary,” Ezra and a consortium of organizations tracking racism wrote in their annual report.
AfD’s Thuringia branch is particularly radical and was put under official surveillance by the domestic intelligence service four years ago as a “proven right-wing extremist” group.
“Authoritarian and populist forces, which are becoming very strong here now, harbor a great danger in Thuringia,” says Doreen Denstaedt, Thuringia’s minister for migration, justice and consumer protection.
Denstaedt, the daughter of a Black father from Tanzania and a White German mother, was born and grew up in Thuringia.
The 46-year-old member of the Green party said that growing up in Communist East Germany, she was “always the only Black child.” As a teenager, she was never allowed to go home on her own because of the risk of racist attacks, and she sometimes suffered racist slurs in her school.
“In recent years, an extreme right-wing movement has formed in Thuringia, which has contributed to a noticeable ideological radicalization of its followers. “
“I actually experienced myself that people called me a foreigner, which really confused me at first, because I was born in Saalfeld” in Thuringia, Denstaedt said.
She fears that in the current political climate, racist narratives will become acceptable in the middle of society.
“My biggest concern is that people do not question [these prejudices], especially if they are not affected themselves,” she said.
It’s not exactly clear how many Black people live in Germany nowadays, as different ethnicities are not documented in official statistics, but estimates put the number of people of African descent at 1.27 million. More than 70 percent were born in Germany, according to Mediendienst Integration, which tracks migration issues in the country.
Germany’s history of racial discrimination begins long before the Nazis began excluding, deporting and ultimately murdering Black people in the 1930s and 1940s.
The German Empire held numerous colonies in Africa from 1884 until the end of World War I. These included territories in
present-day Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Namibia, Cameroon, Togo and Ghana.
The German government has only recently started dealing with the injustices committed during that period. In 2021, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called on Germans to face the country’s cruel colonial past, and in 2023, he apologized for colonial-era killings in Tanzania over a century ago.
Daniel Egbe, a 58-year-old chemist from Cameroon who moved to Thuringia in 1994 to study, says he’s shocked how little Germans know about their colonial history. He says this ignorance may also factor into the unequal treatment of Black people.
“I’ve been teaching classes in school,” Egbe told the AP. “I tell them a bit about myself and especially the fact that Cameroon was a German colony. Many students don’t know anything about Africa or about the German past and it must be put on the map.”
Egbe, who took German citizenship in 2003, founded AMAH, an organization that helps university students and migrants from Africa when they experience discrimination in the city of Jena, in eastern Thuringia.
He’s worried about the rise of the AfD but has no intention of leaving.
“We won’t leave, we will do our part to change this society,” he said. “People are mostly afraid of what and who
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
Angela Alsobrooks, the Democratic nominee for the US Senate in Maryland, speaks at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 20 in Chicago.
Loving and embracing the differences in our youngest learners
By Dr. Calvin E. Moore Jr.
Every parent has certain preconceived ideas of how their child will fit into our complex world. The unexpected joy of parenthood is accepting that each child has unique abilities and challenges — some of which may be difficult to initially understand. I began my career as an early childhood educator and was privileged to teach children from all types of backgrounds and abilities. My professional training gave me the skills to develop personalized strategies for a child who was experiencing learning challenges.
Earning a child development associate (CDA) credential, which is based on a core set of competency standards that guide early childhood professionals, really propelled my teaching practice. A key part of earning the CDA is understanding traditional educational models may not be enough to support early communicative development for children with disabilities. In my teaching, I also realized what the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute has reported:
“Black families of children with disabilities face additional stress and difficulties because of their multiple marginalized statuses, particularly within the intersection between racism and ableism.”
The nonprofit I lead, the Council for Professional Recognition,
which advances career pathways for early childhood educators through high-quality, competencybased credentialing. This week, he discusses the crucial collaboration between educators and families in supporting student development.
emphasizes to our early childhood educators that they need to modify their approach to lesson plans and offer tools to better help all children with disabilities thrive. We highlight such insights in “Essentials for Working with Young Children,” the textbook for educators pursuing a CDA credential. Yet our responsibility to all parents and society at large means we must do more to share insights, especially with underserved and under-resourced communities. The following is some of our best thinking for families embracing the uniqueness of young children with special needs
or accommodations. Much of the advice below can apply to all preschool children.
• Embrace Multimodal
Communication: Children with disabilities may experience challenges in verbal communication, but they often excel in other modes of expression. Educators and families should encourage and support various forms of communication, such as sign language, pictures, or other augmentative and alternative communication devices. For instance, if a child finds it difficult to articulate words, they can use picture cards to express their needs, feelings, and ideas. We should emphasize that all forms of communication are valid and valued.
• Speak Simply and Clearly to Children: Slow the pace of your speech and repeat statements and questions as needed. Speak simply to children and give them one-step directions. For example, ask a child to “Please clean up your toys” (one step) instead of “Please clean up your toys when you’re done. Then go put on your shoes” (multiple steps).
• Promote Storytelling and Dramatic Play: We should engage the child in storytelling and dramatic play activities. Storytelling enhances language skills, imagination, and creativity. A good idea is to use props and costumes during dramatic plays to bring stories to life and encourage the child to participate actively. This approach can help build language
and communication abilities in a fun and engaging manner.
• Encourage Peer Interaction: In both home and classroom settings, we should provide opportunities for children with disabilities to interact with their peers. Encouraging group activities that promote cooperative play and communication is a good step. These interactions can help improve social skills and language development as the child learns from and models their peers.
• Use Visual Aids and Schedules: Visual aids and schedules can provide structure and predictability for children with disabilities, promoting better understanding and participation. Visual timetables and daily schedules can help the child anticipate what comes next and reduce anxiety. Additionally, visual aids like flashcards with images and corresponding words can reinforce vocabulary and language comprehension.
• Create a Literacy-Rich Environment: Research shows that books have a significant impact on a child’s development, including their cognitive, spiritual, and linguistic skills, as well as their mental and emotional maturation. Both at home and in the early childhood classroom, immerse children in a literacy-rich
environment. Surround them with age-appropriate books, brightly labeled objects, and educational materials. Designate a cozy reading corner with comfortable seating and a diverse selection of books that cater to different interests and abilities. Begin with simple, wordless, or photographbased books. Also select books that appeal to the senses, such as texture or scratch-and-sniff books. Encourage children with fine motor challenges to look at books independently to gain practice holding books and turning the pages.
Most of all, early childhood educators understand (or should understand) the need to involve families in learning.
Collaboration between educa-
‘It’s up to us’: Why we can’t take Harris’ election for granted
By Sonny Messiah Jiles
Now that the DNC Convention is over and Kamala Harris is officially the presidential nominee, the real work begins to get her elected — and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
The groundswell of support for Vice President Kamala Harris is off the charts, especially after watching the Democratic National Convention. The atmosphere in the United Center was electric, with a party atmosphere and joyful camaraderie.
But speaker after speaker at the convention also made it clear there is much work to be done before the Nov. 5 election, and there is too much at stake for us to sit on our behinds.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama made it clear
in an energizing speech the night of Aug. 20.
“It’s up to us to remember what Kamala’s mother told her: ‘Don’t just sit around and complain. Do something.’ So, if they lie about her — and they will — we’ve got to do something. If we see a bad poll — and we will — we’ve got to put down that phone and do something.”
This is a historic occasion, with the possibility of electing the first Black and Southeast Asian woman as commander in chief of the most powerful country in the free world. But we must not lose sight of how the results of the 2024 election will affect you and your family, your work, your health, and your finances.
Given that, let’s examine some of the contrasts be-
tween Harris and Trump. Harris proposes:
• Tax increases on corporations and the wealthy to fund programs that would help low- and middleincome families struggling to build wealth.
• A $25,000 down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers and $40 billion for developers to build starter homes, a way to ease the affordablehousing crisis.
• Permanently reinstating the child tax credit, a benefit that lifted millions of children out of poverty.
• Incentives for manufacturers who create technologies to fight global warming.
• Federal ban on corporate price gouging, a way to bring grocery prices down and hold food manufacturers accountable.
The stigma of fatherlessness
By Dayvon Love
It is frustrating that we live in a world where the personal lives of elected officials and public figures take up so much space in the news media. Often Americans are groomed to make the mistake of reducing politics and the contestation for power to personality contests. Unfortunately, we aren’t going to change that dynamic any time soon, but it doesn’t make the Baltimore Sun editorial board’s Aug. 12 piece on Mayor Brandon Scott’s marriage any less ridiculous. Even though it claims to take a positive tone, it is both condescending to Mayor Scott and to Black people in general. Mayor Scott can handle himself in addressing, to the extent he desires, the dynamic of condescension to him. But I will address the way that this piece is condescending to Black people and perpetuates racist stigmas of inherent Black inferiority.
A 2018 study in the Social Science Quarterly by Ellerbe,
Jones and Carlson, titled “Race/ Ethnic Differences in NonResident Fathers’ Involvement after a Non-Marital Birth,” found that Black fathers “shared responsibilities more frequently and displayed more effective co-parenting than Hispanic and White fathers.”
Additionally, a 2013 CDC study found that “Black fathers (70 percent) were most likely to have bathed, dressed, diapered or helped their children use the toilet every day compared with White (60 percent) and Hispanic fathers (45 percent).” Black fathers were also found to be more likely to help their children with homework and take them to and from activities. This is just a small bit of the information that exists about how present Black men are in their families. This is important social scientific data that refutes a core claim in the piece that “fathers are not so involved with their children.”
Robert B. Hill wrote in 1972 about the strength of Black families. He outlines five of
Trump proposes:
• Initiatives to bring down the cost of car insurance in the first 100 days of his administration.
• An increase in oil drilling to lower gas prices and cut energy costs in half.
• The deportation of millions of undocumented immigrants living and working in the U.S.
• An as-yet unspecified plan to bring housing prices down.
• Rolling back federal regulations on businesses. Plans sound nice, but what you DO speaks louder than what you SAY. In the words of Malcolm X, “We have been bamboozled, we have been tricked, we have been fooled.”
We should not be bamboozled in 2024 and assume Harris will win. Take nothing for granted.
those strengths based off of his sociological study of Black families. He noted that Black families have the following:
-Strong kinship bonds
-Strong work orientation
-Adaptability of family roles
-Strong achievement orientation
-Strong religious orientation
Focusing particularly on the point regarding the adaptability of family roles, Black families have historically shown up for each other in ways that are consistent with the findings of the studies mentioned previously that Black men are more active in the life of their children than any other racial group.
When people discuss the notion of missing Black fathers, it is often framed as a circumstance where Black men are choosing not to be present. But the data indicates otherwise.
There are 88 Black men for every 100 Black women, compared to 97 White men for every 100 White women, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This means that there
What’s at stake makes it even more important that we vote. There’s the conservative Project 2025 agenda, which would eliminate the Department of Education and send school oversight to states, among other far-right proposals. When I look at my state, Texas, that is not the best idea.
Our Republican-controlled legislature has taken control of our local school districts and banned certain books on Black subjects. They have crushed reproductive freedom and eliminated DEI programs at state universities that opened doors to Black and Brown students. If Trump wins, we can expect more of the same, at a national scale.
Again, the stakes are high.
are significantly less men available to our community than in the White community.
The diminished availability is the result of mass incarceration wherein Black men are locked out of legitimate means of economic mobility and entered illicit markets that track them into the criminal justice system and make them susceptible to violent encounters with other Black men who are competing in the same unregulated and dangerous illegal activities.
The challenges that emerge from an absence of Black fathers is not primarily an issue of Black fathers choosing not to be fathers to their children. There are certainly Black men who choose not to be in their child’s life, just like there are men of other racial groups that make the same bad choices. But those individual stories do not negate the reality that while Black men are fighting hard to support their families, they are being ripped away from their families by systems that have been weaponized to undermine the
It’s clear from their track records that Harris is clearly the better choice
But don’t forget: House and Senate seats are also up for grabs. Control of Congress can make the difference between a White House that gets things done for the people, and more gridlock in Washington, D.C. This year, voting must not stop at the top of the ballot.
That is why, as Michelle Obama says, we must do something. Register to vote if you haven’t already. Encourage your family and friends to do the same. Volunteer to work on a campaign, if you have time. If you don’t, and can spare the money, donate to the candidate of your choice. On election day, vote early to avoid long lines.
humanity of Black people.
The societal pain that emerges from lacking meaningful economic opportunity, societal propaganda that represents Black people as inherently criminal, blight and disinvestment in Black communities, and many other aspects of the condition that Black people are in, produces so much pain and financial challenges that are obscured in the Baltimore Sun editorial. Even though the Sun editorial mentions issues like poverty and housing, it frames those issues as if they are incidental. The reality is that those challenges exist as a result of policies, norms and institutional practices (i.e. redlining, mass incarceration, neoliberal economic policies) that make up some of the organs of the system of White supremacy that organizes every aspect of civil society.
The proper narrative is that– in spite of the tremendous challenges that Black people face–Black fathers are showing up for Black children. Even
tors and families is essential in supporting language and literacy development. Educators should share progress updates, provide strategies for at-home learning, and encourage families to engage in literacy activities together. This partnership ensures that the child receives consistent support, reinforcing the concepts taught in the early childhood classroom. From my classroom days, I know young children have so much joy and love to share with us. Creating a supportive and inclusive environment for young children with disabilities is vital. The early childhood classroom, along with a nurturing home setting, can serve as a powerful foundation for their future academic and social success.
“We only have two and a half months, y’all, to get this done,” Michelle Obama told a fired-up crowd at the DNC. “Only 11 weeks to make sure every single person we know is registered and has a voting plan…So, consider this to be your official ask: Michelle Obama is asking you — no, I’m telling y’all — to do something.”
though there are still many challenges that Black youth face, and that there is more that can be done by Black men to show up for our community, Black men should be an example to the White community about how to persevere through societal assaults to show up for our children at higher rates than them.
See more on afro.com
Courtesy photo Dr. Calvin E. Moore Jr. leads the Council for Professional Recognition,
Courtesy photo
Sonny Messiah Jiles is CEO of the Houston Defender Network. This week, she discusses the importance of voting in the 2024 election.
Dayvon Love serves as director of public policy for the Baltimore-based think tank, Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle. This week, he speaks on fatherhood in the Black community.
Courtesy photo
Opioid crisis
Continued from A1
both Black Americans and Native Americans, and by 67 percent in the West since 2019.
Further, even when Black and Native Americans recognize that they have a problem with opioid use, they often find it more difficult than Whites to secure affordable, effective and convenient treatment – not to mention the added burden of the stigma related to opioid addiction that’s particularly prevalent within minority communities.
Prince William County, Va., takes the lead identifying, resolving gaps in services
The Prince William Health District (PWHD), located in Northern Virginia, is part of the Washington metropolitan area whose county seat is the city of Manassas. PWHD recently released the results of a 10-month communitybased needs assessment which evaluated factors that contribute to opioid-use disorder. PWHD received funding from the Virginia Department of Health›s (VDH) American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Community Engagement grant opportunity. The three-year award supports community engagement efforts among key stakeholders and community members who have a shared vision of preventing opioid-related deaths and injuries in the region. With goals rooted in a CDC-sponsored initiative, facilitators followed the CDC’s Public Health 3.0 model in efforts to ensure that appropriate information remains available to support individuals and their families struggling with mental and behavioral health challenges.
contributor to those deaths is opioids because unlicensed chemists, particularly along the East Coast, are putting all kinds of things in pills, especially fentanyl.”
Acting Prince William Health District Director Dr. Olugbenga Obasanjo noted that as part of the grant, the assessment gathered input from September 2023 to June 2024 from various populations, including Latino communities, adolescents, individuals in active drug use and those in recovery, through interviews and listening sessions.
“By working across systems of care to understand the burden of addiction in our communities, we can begin to address disparities surrounding opioid use disorder in the Greater Prince William region,” he said in a press release. Given recent statistics, the challenges health officials face cannot be overstated.
“In many ways, the opioid crisis is a lot like the AIDS epidemic, and it’s not going anywhere fast.”
Kirstin Sievers, a community engagement specialist for PWHD, who has served as an addiction advocate for 10 years, joined the district just over a year ago and said her commitment to her new role is due, in part, to “lived experience.”
“My sister is a longtime drug user so I am a staunch advocate for families and for securing more resources to support them,” Sievers said. “In many ways, the opioid crisis is a lot like the AIDS epidemic, and it’s not going anywhere fast.”
“It’s this generation’s AIDS crisis,” she continued, “and it’s like a Boeing [jet] fatally crashing every day. We’re losing about the same number of people, which we estimate at 350, as those aboard that jet to drug overdose deaths each day. However, the greatest
Harris
Continued from A3
Jill Stein, Cornel West — or any imaginary candidate you think might be more radical or more pro-Black than Kamala Harris — was elected president, there’s very little that any president can do in our system of government that won’t be blocked by Republicans in Congress or overruled by the Republicanappointed judges on the federal courts.
That’s why we can’t just vote once every four years in a presidential election and complain when things don’t work out. We have to vote in every election, every year, in primaries, runoffs, and general elections, up and down the ballot, for city council, mayor, judge, school board member, county
Black in Germany
Continued from A3
they don’t know. We have to change things through education.”
As for Diallo, the Guinean who was attacked in Erfurt four years ago, he also vowed to help improve the situation for Black people in Germany.
Even though the attack traumatized him, it also empowered him to fight for justice, he said. A year ago, he enrolled in university in Munich to study law, but he still visits Erfurt frequently, where he supports Youth without Borders, a network of young migrants.
“I don’t exactly know yet how I’m going to change Germany, but I know I will,” he said.
In the Greater Prince William Region, there were 454 OUD deaths (opioid use disorder) from 2018 to 2023. Nonfatal opioidrelated overdoses have more than doubled since 2017. Meanwhile, overdoses continue to rise among the 20-24 age group, adolescent females and Black and Latino adults.
“We’re doing our best to tackle the increase in deaths but we know that nonfatal opioid overdoses are widely underreported,” Sievers said. “We believe that’s because a lot of people do not seek traditional means of care when they experience an overdose. We estimate that the number is probably two or three times greater because not everyone is captured or wants to be captured in the data, often for fear of legal repercussion.”
Reflections from advocates working with communities of color
While November will mark his third year clean and sober, Jonathan Torres, 25, once struggled with opioid addiction and was even incarcerated for three and a half years. Today, the Mexican American, born in Fairfax, Va., serves as a certified peer recovery specialist who works primarily with Latino youth, 18-25 years old, in Prince William County.
He said he became addicted to opioids soon after being prescribed pain medicine from a physician.
“I was prescribed Percocet and when the
commissioner, state representative, governor, senator, vice president, and president.
But the choice is clear. If you want a president who has spent his life attacking Black people, from the Central Park Five to Barack Obama to Colin Kaepernick, Trump is your guy. If you want a president who won’t be able to accomplish everything we want but will move us in the right direction and has a record to prove it, Kamala Harris is the one.
And if you want a king or queen to be your leader, move to London.
This article was originally published by Word in Black.
prescription ran out, I turned to the streets –‘M30’ blue pills, laced with fentanyl because they were significantly stronger than Percocet and cost a lot less, sometimes as cheap as five dollars a pill,” he said. “The danger lies in the different amounts of fentanyl that people put in the pills. You never know how strong they are and you never know what they’re laced with. Sometimes, they’re so potent that you can overdose just by touching or inhaling them.”
Torres’ road to recovery began because of his involvement with the county’s Drug Court.
“The judge assigned me a great case worker who really cared about me and knew that I needed guidance – someone positive in my life,” he said. “I had to stay clean if I didn’t want to be sent back to jail, and eventually the things I was required to do became habits.”
The recovering addict said he heard that some of his peers had gone through training to become recovery specialists and he became interested in doing the same.
“Mostly, I listen to other young people like me these days, share my story, educate them on the dangers they face and help them access resources. But you can only help those who want to be helped,” Torres said.
Dr. Miranda M. Hill, 63, who in July took over as the director of drug information at Hampton University’s School of Pharmacy, was first exposed to the devastating effects of opioid addiction during her formative years in her hometown of Detroit.
“In the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, as Black men returned from Vietnam, many of them, because of the hell they experienced on the frontline, suffered from mental, physical and emotional pain and trauma,” said Dr. Hill, author of “Opioid Drug and Alcohol Abuse –Information Parents Must Know.”
“There was no real help for them to deal with post-traumatic stress or the other problems they faced,” said Dr. Hill, who also serves as an associate professor of pharmacy practice. “And there were no programs to help them overcome their addiction to opioids or other drugs.”
One of her neighbors, a veteran, died from an overdose when she was nine, Dr. Hill said. But then the epidemic hit even closer to home.
“My older brother, Gregory Jones, who also served in Vietnam, went through a vicious
cycle of overdoses, detox, rehabilitation and relapses for 50 years. He died on Aug. 5, 2021, from an overdose of fentanyl. He was 68 years old,” she said.
Death can be quick for opioid overdoses, Dr. Hill said, with signs that include labored breathing, foaming from the mouth and excessive sweating. The doctor advised that everyone keep Narcan, the brand name for Naloxone, which is used to treat narcotic overdoses, in their medicine cabinets, in their cars, even in the office, “just in case.”
“Fentanyl is a drug that’s 800 to 900 times more potent than morphine,” she said. “Its impact on the body can be abrupt and deadly because when it’s mixed in the streets, one never knows how potent the drug they’re getting may be.”
Dr. Hill also addressed some of the specific sociological issues faced by African Americans that make them vulnerable to addiction and death.
“Blacks are often reluctant to seek help because of distrust of medical professionals, not only because there are so few Black physicians but because of tragedies like the Tuskegee Experiment when doctors purposely exposed Black men to syphilis,” she said.
“Blacks also face disproportionate levels of depression, stress and anxiety while just trying to cope with life and our environment. And many Blacks, because we don’t have adequate health care, live with undiagnosed health conditions – we’re fighting demons every day,” she continued. “In some cases, there are those who only meant to ‘experiment’ with opioids one time but because of their biological makeup, they were more susceptible to addiction and quickly got hooked.”
Today, she remembers her brother fondly, even if opioids stole him away from the person he once was.
“He received all kinds of medals, including the Purple Heart and he really tried but he just couldn’t beat it,” she added. “But the worst thing is, he had been dead for 10 days before we located his body in the city morgue. It had been really hot that summer and his body was so swollen and deformed that we had to have a closed casket funeral. I only have photos to remind me of how handsome he once was.”
AP Photo/Markus Schreiber
Omar Diallo, a 22-year-old migrant from Guinea in West Africa, poses near a dilapidated storage building where he and two friends were hunted and beaten up in 2020, in Erfurt, Germany.
Dem lovefest in Chicago a sharp contrast to GOP hate rally in Milwaukee
By Keith Boykin Word In Black
From the moment it started, the happy, hopeful Democratic Convention provided a stark contrast to the dark, divisive message of the Republican Party’s convention in July.
While the Republican convention featured a sea of White people sprinkled with a few unrepresentative Black people on the stage, Democratic delegates reflected the rich diversity of America in the audience.
Convention co-chair Minyon Moore, a Black woman from Chicago, and Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison, a Black man from South Carolina, gaveled the convention to order. Harrison’s two young Black sons led the pledge of allegiance, Soul Children of Chicago sang a beautifully Black rendition of the national anthem, and NAACP president Derrick Johnson told the convention, “I’m here to do my Black job.”
But the most touching moment of the early evening came when Chicago’s own Rev. Jesse Jackson made a surprise appearance in a wheelchair to a standing ovation.
Forty years after he electrified Democrats at the 1984 San Francisco convention with his Rainbow Coalition speech, Jackson is still beloved by the party.
Compare that to the MAGA Republicans who kicked out former president George W. Bush, former presidential nominee Mitt Romney, and former vice president Mike Pence in Milwaukee. They’re so hateful that they even turned on the people they claimed to love just a few years ago.
Democrats are showing us
the opposite. This week’s list of speakers proudly featured Democrats Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Bill Clinton, and Hillary Clinton.
“Donald Trump fell asleep at his own trial, and when he woke up” he became the first president to run for president with 34 felony convictions, Hillary Clinton told the convention. Then in an unscripted moment of poetic justice, the audience mockingly chanted, “Lock him up,” the same chant Trump led against Hillary eight years ago when she had committed no crime.
Texas Representative Jasmine Crockett compared résumés between Kamala Harris, who worked at McDonald’s while she was a student at a historically Black college, and Donald Trump, who “was born with a silver spoon in his mouth” and entered his daddy’s business: housing discrimination. “Kamala Harris became a career prosecutor while Trump became a career criminal,” Crockett said.
And Rev. Raphael Warnock, the Democratic senator from Georgia who pastors at Dr. King’s church in Atlanta, gave a sermon for the ages.
Bible “says love your neighbor as yourself.”
Democratic speakers did not run away from the party’s most challenging internal conflict: the war in Gaza. “I need the poor children of Israel and the poor children of Gaza” to be OK, Rev. Warnock told the audience.
“Kamala Harris became a career prosecutor while Trump became a career criminal.”
I saw Trump holding the Bible and endorsing the Bible, as if the Bible needed his endorsement, said Rev. Warnock. “He should try reading it. It says do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God.” The
“I need Israelis and Palestinians,” he said.
Even President Joe Biden, who has been the main target of the criticism, acknowledged he had work to do. “Those protesters out in the street, they have a point. A lot of innocent people are being killed,” he said.
THE RIGHT MORTGAGE AWAITS.
Unlike the GOP Convention, there was no 71-year-old former professional wrestler ripping his shirt open in an outdated symbol of party masculinity, no clout-chasing reality TV star embracing a group that attacks people like her, and no party-produced signs threatening “mass deportations” of immigrants. There were real people, like Hadley Duvall, a rape and incest survivor speaking about the impact of Trump’s abortion bans. “What is so beautiful about a child having to carry their parent’s child?” Kamala Harris surprised the audience with a cameo appearance and a final touching moment where she embraced President Biden as he said goodbye. It reminded me once again that Trump cannot embrace his
own vice president because he tried to have him killed at the January 6 insurrection.
And that’s the fundamental difference between the two visions presented by the parties. Trump’s Milwaukee Republicans outlined a negative worldview based on fear. Democrats in Chicago offered a positive vision based on love. Fear teaches us scarcity. Love teaches us abundance. Fear encourages selfishness. Love encourages community. Fear is negative and backward-looking. Love is positive and forward-looking. Those are the choices, America. Choose wisely.
This article was originally published by Word In Black.
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
Second Gentlemen Doug Emhoff celebrates the success of his wife, Vice President Kamala Harris, at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, alongside her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and his wife, Gwen Walz.
BALTIMORE-AREA
Making change in Baltimore: A progress report on vacant housing
By Mark Thomas
It’s been a seven-decade streak of population loss and disinvestment for Baltimore’s neighborhoods.
The post-industrial headwinds that shook the economic foundation of America’s rust belt left a trail of abandoned industrial sites and brownfields, crumbling infrastructure and blighted communities from the Midwest states to the Black Butterfly of Baltimore. Through economic booms and busts, desegregation, diversification, internationalization, the death and rebirthed life of America’s cities, Baltimore
and
with students in different
Baltimore City Public School students return to classes
By DaQuan Lawrence AFRO International Writer DLawrence@afro.com
Students and families in Baltimore County and Baltimore City returned to school for the official first day of school on Aug. 26. As the school year kicks off, the AFRO spoke with Baltimore City Public Schools CEO Sonja Santelises to get tips on how to properly return to classes.
At the top of the list?
Sleep!
“Parents, grandparents and families– please make sure that young people are getting to bed at a decent time,” Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools) CEO, Dr. Sonja Brookins Santelises said, when asked to speak directly to returning families with back to school tips.
and
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), students
who are between six and 12 years of age need an average of nine to 12 hours of sleep every 24 hours. Scholars ages 13 to 18 are said to need between eight and 10 hours of sleep every night.
Though sleep is necessary for all students, Santelises gave tips for every grade band.
“If your student is in high school make sure you are checking their schedule. Students should be coming home with schedules, if not please call their school and tell them that CEO Santelises said, ‘Your student needs to have their schedule that first day- no later than by the end of the first week of school.’”
She also gave a bit of advice for families with middle school students.
“If your child is in middle or elementary school, make sure that they are in the classes that they need to be in. Make sure you understand
from the teacher what the expectations are and attend Back to School Night events if you can,” Santelises said.
“If you cannot attend back to school night, make sure you know where to get that information.”
City Schools has shared a checklist with families that helps prepare students for the new school year, including information on attendance policies, school bell times and school supplies lists.
The district suggests setting routines to make the process of returning back to school and getting into the flow of classes a smooth process.
“Set routines that your family sticks to every day and make sure the children in your family follow them. Have specific times for waking up, starting homework, and going to bed. Check in with your child in the evening to ask about
her or his day at school,” suggest City Schools experts in their attendance guide.
“Maintain contact with your child’s teachers to keep up with what’s being taught and to keep an eye on your child’s progress; you can also check your child’s attendance through [the] Parent Portal.
Be sure to let your child’s school know when he or she needs to miss school. And, don’t forget to update your contact information with your child’s school if your phone number or address changes.”
The number to the attendance hotline, open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., is 410396-8643.
Families and students can find more information about the upcoming school year at the City Schools website
The district has information on how to access laptops and hotspots, where to find meals, and upcoming events
Tipped workers push for $15 minimum wage in Baltimore
By Tashi McQueen AFRO Staff Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com
Tipped employees and One Fair Wage, a national advocacy organization, presented the Baltimore City Council with a 400-signature petition in supporting the Fair Wages for Tipped Employees bill on Aug. 26. The proposed legislation would gradually implement a $15 minimum
wage for tipped workers. Employers are currently only required to pay tipped employees $3.63 per hour under state law.
available as well. Families or parents with questions, can call 410-545-1870.
“I think the biggest thing to remember is that the full year counts. School is a
By Megan Sayles
Business Writer
AFRO
msayles@afro.com
[and] predictability in terms of wages.”
“We should have universal basic income and everybody should have access to housing. At $3 an hour, that’s not possible.”
“The reason why I support
it, as well as others, is because I believe it’s the right thing to do,” said Councilman John T. Bullock (D-District 9), the main bill sponsor. “It’s about fairness, it’s about equity
Ebony Battle, a waitress, talks about how the bill would benefit her.
“I wouldn’t have to
wonder if I’m going to make ends meet every single weekend,” said Battle, 28.
Right now, Battle says she is often “not sure if I’ll be able to pay my rent or eat food.”
Battle emphasized the need for everyone to have access to the bare necessities of life.
“We should have universal basic income and everybody should have access to housing,” she said. “At $3 an hour, that’s not possible.”
Though Bullock says there is support among his colleagues for the initiative, one group has met with council members advocating against the bill.
“The Restaurant Association of Maryland
Jason Billingsley, the man accused of murdering tech founder Pava LaPere, pleaded guilty to the brutal attack and torture of a Baltimore man and woman on Aug. 26. The 33-year-old entered a guilty
her throat. She bears a scar on her neck from the incident today.
“We are relieved that Jason Billingsley pleaded guilty today,” said Hurley’s attorneys William “Billy” Jason Billingsley pleads guilty to attempted murder of West Baltimore couple
As the school year kicks off, Baltimore City Public Schools CEO Sonja Santelises (center) is encouraging all families to set routines
sleep schedules that promote success in the classroom. Parents and guardians are asked to familiarize themselves with school policies and the teachers that will be working with scholars throughout the year. Students like Amya Ball (left) returned to classes on Aug. 26 in Baltimore, along
counties around the state.
Courtesy Photo
AFRO Photo/Tashi McQueen
Ebony Battle, a restaurant server, stands outside Baltimore City Hall on Aug. 26 as she advocates for a proposed bill to raise tipped workers’ minimum wage to $15.
AFRO Photo / Tashi McQueen
Councilman John T. Bullock (D-District 9), the main fair wages bill sponsor, says he has support from his colleagues that could ensure the legislation is successful.
Unsplash / Note Thanun
Courtesy photo
Mark Thomas is president and CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee, an organization working to strategically strengthen the economy in Baltimore
its economic impact on the region.
AFRO Photo / James Fields
Local orgs open grant program for businesses impacted by Key Bridge Bridge collapse
By Megan Sayles AFRO Business Writer msayles@afro.com
As Maryland businesses continue to recover from the March collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, the Greater Baltimore Committee (GBC) and the Baltimore Community Foundation have announced a new grant program to provide assistance.
The Maryland Tough Baltimore Strong Key Bridge Small Business
“There will be many years where we will not have a bridge. Businesses and commercial corridors have to adapt to the impact of that.”
Grants are deploying $5 million to nonprofit organizations supporting small businesses and communities impacted by the loss of the bridge. Interest letters are being accepted on a rolling basis.
“The investment we’re making now is for businesses where the absence of the Key Bridge has either restricted their access to communities or made it more
Vacant housing
Continued from B1
has been exceedingly resilient but unsuccessful in the collective action needed to fully reverse course around a vacant housing issue that has hamstrung the economic vitality of our black and brown neighborhoods.
Founded in 1955, the Greater Baltimore Committee consistently sought to turn the tide of disinvestment, authoring solutions around consequential infrastructural issues to catalyze needed growth. Our work has left us with a litany of successes and lessons learned. We collectively live with these
complicated for them to do business with people who would normally frequent those communities,”
Mark Anthony Thomas, CEO and president of GBC, told the AFRO. “We’ve put a call out for organizations that actually serve small businesses to send us their best ideas to help impacted businesses.”
Prior to its collapse, the Key Bridge functioned as a critical connector for regional and national economic activity, particularly for industries linked to the Port of Baltimore. Although the port is now operating at full capacity, the effects of the commerce and transit interruption still linger. The impact has been especially significant for small businesses in Anne Arundel County, Baltimore County and Baltimore City communities.
The Maryland Tough Baltimore Strong Key Bridge Small Business Grants are designed to help these enterprises build long-term resilience and to strengthen the local economy. To be considered, nonprofit organizations must have a current or planned footprint in affected communities.
Acceptable uses for the funds include providing technical assistance, expanding existing small business grant programs and investing in business districts.
“There will be many years where we will not have a bridge. Businesses and commercial
choices made, schooled by life on their impacts, and tasked with forging a path ahead. It’s been more than a year since GBC announced our partnership with Mayor Brandon Scott and Baltimoreans United In Leadership Development (BUILD) to collaborate on the seemingly impossible challenge: reversing blight and housing vacancy. Addressing the challenge isn’t just a moral imperative but an economic one that must be overcome for our region to be successful against high growth opportunity markets
Back to school
Continued from B1
long-distance journey and I want our students to have a great 2024-2025 school year,” Santelises said. We want a great start, but we want to make sure we are checking in with young people along the way.”
While a few specific schools started classes in the past few weeks, most districts in Maryland welcomed all students back on Aug. 26. Students in Anne Arundel; Dorchester; Kent; Montgomery; Wicomico and Queen
Tipped workers
Continued from B1
strongly opposes Baltimore City legislation that would eliminate the tip credit, because of the negative consequences it would have on tipped employee earnings, restaurants and customers,” said Melvin Thompson, senior vice president of Government Affairs and Public Policy at the Restaurant Association of Maryland, a non-profit advocacy organization.
According to Innessa M. Huot, an employment attorney, a tip credit allows restaurants to pay employees less than the minimum wage as long as they earn enough
Nonprofit organizations have the chance to receive new funds to support small businesses impacted by the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The Greater Baltimore Committee and Baltimore
Foundation announced the opening of the $5-million Maryland Tough Baltimore
Business Grants program on Aug. 21.
corridors have to adapt to the impact of that,” said Thomas. “This program eases that transition, and in some ways, it’s an opportunity to make the community stronger.”
In partnership with BCF, GBC, the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, World Trade Center Institute, Anne Arundel Development Corporation and Baltimore County Department of Economic and Workforce Development will review grant applications. This program builds on BCF’s cash assistance program for Baltimore port workers, which provided one-time payments of $1,000. The foundation manages the Maryland Tough Baltimore Strong Key Bridge Fund, which is still accepting donations.
down south or those with more corporate or philanthropic clout.
Our problem is unique. Baltimore’s vacant properties sit in the hands of thousands of private owners, a vastly different scenario than the thousands of blighted properties that reside in public ownership in rural and urban cities also tackling this issue. Our region’s community development groups and housing builders must operate as America’s most pragmatic, problem-solving developers to succeed at navigating the labyrinth of legal, financial,
Anne’s Counties all have staggered returns, taking place between Aug. 26 and Sept. 3.
Aside from the school districts in Baltimore, students in Allegany; Charles; Howard; Talbot and Washington Counties also returned in full on Aug. 26.
Calvert County students begin on Aug. 27. Caroline County schools will welcome all students on Aug. 28, and Carroll; Cecil; Garrett; Somerset and Worcester Counties are expecting all students to return on Sept. 3.
tips to bring them over the minimum wage.
Thompson claims that “tipped employee earnings would significantly decrease” as a result of the increased minimum wage because restaurants would turn to service charges to cover the higher labor costs.
“Customers are unlikely to tip on top of service charges,” he said.
Thompson also said restaurant operators may raise menu prices and eliminate jobs to accommodate the new requirement.
The Congressional
Budget Office, a nonpartisan organization, found that if the federal minimum wage, which is currently $7.25 an hour, was increased it would raise family income and earnings for most low-wage employees. Though it would give some tipped employees the chance to overcome poverty, it would leave others jobless due to higher labor costs.
Bullock introduced the fair wage bill on June 24 and hopes there will be a hearing within the next few weeks in the Ways and Means Committee.
“In the immediate aftermath of the Key Bridge collapse, the Baltimore Community Foundation focused on providing much needed funds to support port workers and their families,” said Shanaysha M. Sauls, president and CEO of BCF, in a statement. “Now in collaboration with regional and statewide organizations, we turn our attention to building resilience and creating growth opportunities in the local impacted communities. We are here for these communities for the long haul.”
and permitting challenges needed to address the vacant housing issue at scale.
The framework we jointly released was an important start, building off of the collective progress and work of many organizations working at the frontlines of addressing this challenge, and informed by the latest research both within the region and nationally. The partnership called for strategic public investment to redevelop a minimum of 37,500 vacant properties and lots, and jump start a citywide housing redevelopment focus.
As a first step, we engaged the nationally recognized government advisory firm PFM Financial Advisors. Their analysis factored in a 15-year time horizon to identify and secure the necessary public and private support to address vacant housing, which is a reasonable timeline for an initiative of this scale. Most importantly, it’s a shift from the approaches in the past.
PFM’s research, which calculated $3 billion in public investment over a 15-year period and a two-year buildup for case making, has better informed policy makers and sets a baseline for discussions.
It highlighted the importance of a whole block, neighborhood development-based approach to create sustained wealth in communities while generating the ongoing tax revenues needed to reverse decades of disinvestment.
PFM’s economic modeling – informed by thorough financial analysis and consulting with key experts and stakeholders engaged in this work - found that these investments will be fully recovered through future tax revenues generated in a city with revitalizing neighborhoods and a State government poised to equally reap its investment.
Moving from piloting neighborhood-level success to a market-driven approach that matches the scale of the need
will take time and a menu of creative solutions.
PFM’s analysis looked at new and existing public tools and financing opportunities. This included reactivating the defunct Industrial Development Authority, which can generate $150 million in public investment over 15 years, and issuing noncontiguous tax incremental financing (otherwise known as TIF bonds), as well as a fair (though unsupported) question of local sales tax sharing.
We’ve worked with public and private sector leaders to champion the state’s investment in community redevelopment.
Maryland’s toolkit of economic development and community revitalization tools is quite robust. The State increased its annual commitment to Project C.O.R.E. (a state and city partnership to demolish thousands of vacant buildings to serve as the catalyst for redevelopment, reinvestment, and stabilization) from $20 to $50 million. Additionally, an increase from $12 to $22 million was committed to Baltimore Regional Neighborhoods Initiative, which supports neighborhood organizations.
The Moore-Miller Administration and the state leaders have presented a number of new reforms that are major steps forward. The creation of the Maryland Community Investment Corporation and new initiatives like the Enough Act and Just Communities Designation create the type of focused interventions that orient public investments to highest need areas and create more confidence from the private sector that we’re serious about seeing major reinvestment.
Housing is a national crisis and needs proactive engagement from business and economic leaders.
This election cycle has finally elevated the housing affordability discussion. The
GBC can serve a critical role in proactively proposing federal investments that would make a difference for the Baltimore Region. This will ensure we’re not just responding to programs after they’ve been initiated by our peer groups in other markets. Federal economic redevelopment case-making efforts helped inform bipartisan programs like Historic Tax Credits, New Market Tax Credits, Opportunity Zones, and the CHIPS Act (which includes the $10 billion federal tech hub program).
Meanwhile, the private sector has stepped up.
Bloomberg Philanthropies’ gifted the city an innovation team, led by a new director who successfully reduced the number of vacant housing properties in Mobile, Alabama. JP Morgan Chase and the Weinberg Foundation have both made recent announcements to support community redevelopment. The Mayor’s Business Roundtable has selected this as its top priority. Private sector leaders eyeing how they can support Baltimore’s revitalization, can now understand whether their investment will be transformative or minimal. We finally have a north star. On a personal-level, it’s the visual metric that will define, as civic leaders, if we’re actually making a difference. We’re not in the clear yet. It will take time to build the governance structure to support the deployment of resources and a private market that still needs some convincing that the momentum is real. But the collective will from the public and private sector to address Baltimore’s vacant housing issue is there. The work it took to get us to this point is a milestone worth acknowledging and a corner finally turned.
Mark Anthony Thomas is the president and CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee.
AFRO Photo/James Fields
Community
Strong Key Bridge Small
National Council of Negro Women to hold recognition program
By Ariyana Griffin AFRO Staff Writer agriffin@afro.com
The Bethune Height Recognition Program of the National Council of Negro Women’s (NCNW) Mid-Atlantic Region will take place at Martin’s West, 6817 Dogwood Rd, Baltimore, MD 21244, on September 7 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. This year, the organization celebrates the 50th anniversary of the luncheon.
The National Council of Negro Women has 300 campus and community-based sections and 32 national women’s organizations around the country. The organization stands on strong roots of advocacy and empowerment dating back to 1935 when NCNW was founded by Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune.
This year’s luncheon is expected to have over 400 guests and serves as a way to highlight volunteers, community members and members of the organization. They will also raise money for a donation to the National Council of Negro Women in the name of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune and Dr. Dorothy Irene Height.
“We make an annual donation of $300, that money is used to support activities in the community for women and children of african descent,” Catrice Vandross, a co-chair of the NCNW’s Mid-Atlantic Bethune Height Recognition Program told the AFRO. The Bethune Height Recognition Program was founded in 1974 as a way to help raise funds for The National Council of Negro Women.
“We want to look back and honor the 50 years of our dedication to the mission and the realization that together our mission will continue.”
The Recognition Program recognizes and uplifts the achievements of honorees. “The Bethune/Height Recognition Program honors Bethune Achievers, persons who contribute $300.00 or more, Life Members, and Legacy Life Members who contribute, join or upgrade
Billingsley
Continued from B1
Murphy, Andrew O’Connell, Malcolm Ruff and Phylecia Faubias in a statement. “Our client, April Hurley, is now one step closer to justice for the brutal attack in which she was raped, tortured, set on fire, had her throat slashed and was left to die— a horrific assault that has forever changed her life.”
“We are relieved that Jason Billingsley pleaded guilty today and will spend the rest of his natural life in prison.”
Gilmore and Hurley’s attack took place on Sep. 19, 2023. Six days later, LaPere was found dead on the rooftop of her Mount Vernon apartment building, after being strangled and beaten to death.
Only then did Baltimore police publicly identify Billingsley as a suspect in the cases and a threat to the public. Police apprehended Billingsley on Sep. 27 in Bowie, Md.
In April, Gilmore and Hurley sued Eden’s Homes and Property Pals, the manager and owner of their Edmondson Avenue home and Billingsley’s employer. The lawsuit accuses the companies of negligence and property liability. Gilmore and Hurley are seeking compensatory damages in excess of $75,000.
“Yet, no sentence can undo the trauma she endured— not only at the hands of Jason Billingsley but also due to the negligence of those who were responsible for the property where she lived,” Hurley’s attorneys added. “We will continue to hold Eden’s Homes and Property Pals accountable and press them to do what is right by adequately compensating Ms. Hurley for the devastation she has suffered.”
These violent acts are not Billingsley’s first encounter with the justice system. In 2015, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison, but 16
Obituary
Jason Billingsley is expected to serve life in prison for the attack and torture of April Hurley and Jonte Gilmore last September. The 33-year-old pleaded guilty on charges of attempted murder, home invasion and arson on Aug. 26.
years of the term were suspended. In 2022, he was released after collecting enough good conduct credits.
Billingsley is set to appear in court for the first-degree murder charges stemming from the death of LaPere on Aug. 30, the same day he will be sentenced for his attack on Hurley and Gilmore.
“The horrific acts of false imprisonment, assault and attempted murder have left a lasting impact on the lives of not only the victim but our city as a whole. This outcome reflects our unwavering commitment to seeking justice for victims and holding violent offenders accountable for their actions,” said Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan J. Bates in a statement. “Our hearts continue to be with the survivors, and we hope this verdict brings them, their loved ones and their community some measure of closure and healing.”
Dr. Yvette Marion Myers
Dr. Yvette Marion Myers died on August 1, 2024, at her home in Durham, North Carolina. Dr. Myers was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and attended PS #142, St. Francis Academy, Frederick Douglass High School, and Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland.
She received her master’s degree in early childhood education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and her Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park. She was a faculty member at Towson State University and a project evaluator at Minority Access, Inc. before moving to Durham, N.C., to start her clinical psychology practice.
She is preceded in death by her father, Dr. Samuel L. Myers, Sr., former president of Bowie
State University; her mother, Marion Rieras Myers, an elementary school teacher in the Cherry Hill section of Baltimore; and her younger sister, Tama Rose Myers Clark, retired judge, Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia, Pa. Yvette Myers was presented at the Med-De-So Cotillion by Dr. Ivanhoe Higgins. She was initiated into the Alpha Delta Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. She is survived by her brother, Dr. Samuel L. Myers, Jr. (Sheila Ards) of North Oaks, MN, god-daughter and niece, Dr. Andrea Myers Achi (Ejim Achi), New York City, and niece, Angela Rose Myers (Tyler Moroles), Miami, Florida, and a host of cousins.
A memorial service in Baltimore, Maryland, is planned for October 2024.
through the Program,” said the organization.
Tilynn Cobb, Monique Robinson-Poole and Awanya D. Anglin Brodie are this year’s special honorees. The theme for this year’s luncheon is “Fifty Years Honoring a Dedicated Mission: Together the Mission Shall Continue.”
“We chose this theme because we want to look back and honor the 50 years of our dedication to the mission and the realization that together our mission will continue,” Vandross told the AFRO.
For more information on the luncheon and The National Council of Negro Women please visit ncnw.org.
Photo courtesy of Baltimore Police Department
Courtesy of The National Council Negro Women Mid-Atlantic Region Bethune Height The Recognition Program
The Bethune Height Recognition Program of The National Council of Negro Women’s Mid-Atlantic Region is celebrating 50 years of service. The luncheon will be held at Martin’s West in Baltimore on September 7. The program is named after NCNW Founder Mary McCloud Bethune Cookman (left) and Dr. Dorothy Irene Height, who served the organization as chair and president.
Maryland Commission on Civil Rights honors local leaders
By AFRO Staff
On Aug. 24 the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights held their Biennial Civil Rights and Fair Housing Gala inside of The Hall at Live! Casino in Hanover, Md. The program paid homage to both Governor Wes Moore, the first Black man to lead Maryland, and Lt. Governor Aruna Miller, first woman of color to be lieutenant governor, for service to the state.
Other honorees for the evening of pomp and circumstance included Superintendent of the Maryland State Police Colonel Roland L. Butler Jr., and President and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance Lisa Rice.
Comptroller of Maryland Brooke E. Lierman and Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown were recognized with Visionary Awards during the program, which featured author and activist Dr. Michael Eric Dyson as keynote speaker.
Left: Dawn Collins and Richard Collin Jr., parents of Second Lieutenant Richard W. Collins lll, work to keep the legacy of their son
Lt. Governor Aruna Miller speaks moments after receiving a Visionary Award from the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights.
Stephanie Suerth, a chairperson for the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights, speaks to those gathered. Suerth was appointed March 12, 2021 and will serve in her role until June 30, 2025.
Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, prolific author and activist, serves as keynote speaker for the event.
Gary Monroe
alive via a foundation named in his honor.
Kirk and Nonet Sykes show up to the Biennial Civil Rights and Fair Housing Gala in style.
Model Carolyn Phillips serves up a layered look at the gala.
Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown receives his Visionary Award.
Acting Executive Director of the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights Cleveland L. Horton ll (left) and Yolanda Sonnier, president of the Maryland Association of Human Relations/Rights Agencies, present an award to Major Crystal Carter Savage (center), assistant bureau chief of support services, on behalf of Bureau Personnel Command for Colonel Roland L. Butler Jr. (not shown).
Honoree Lisa Rice, president and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance, speaks after being recognized for her work on affordable housing.
AFRO Photos / James Fields
Black kids have a political voice, too
By Aziah Siid Word in Black
From the civil rights movement of the 1950s and ’60s to the Black Lives Matter protests following George Floyd’s death, Black students have been marching in the streets and demanding justice. Some are more hesitant than others about engaging in political discussions or activism, while others jump in as soon as they get the chance.
Now, with a presidential election on the horizon — one that could see Vice President Kamala Harris become the first woman of color in the Oval Office — educators and experts see a historic, teachable moment unfolding outside the classroom. They are exploring ways to get students engaged with what’s happening around them and how their voices can influence history.
“Black people — especially young Black people — can make a HUGE difference in swaying election outcomes,” says Diane Robinson, educator and founder of Yard Girl Productions, which makes films about education and social change. One need look no further, she says, than to the last presidential and midterm elections: “In 2020 and 2022, Black people and young people were key to the outcomes of those elections.”
This year, “young people are 40 percent of the (U.S) electorate — they can determine the outcome of the election by either staying home or how they vote,” Robinson says. “Their voices and vote especially definitely matter.”
K-12 students and voting
Jonathan Collins, professor of science and education at Teachers College, Columbia University, says K-12 students and political activism go hand in hand. Schools have helped educate young people about politics for generations, and not just in civics classes.
During the civil rights era, for example, Black children were on the front lines of the movement, even if they weren’t old enough to vote. Ruby Bridges was just 6-years-old when she became the first student
to integrate an all-White school in the South; in the Children’s Crusade in Birmingham, about 1,000 gradeschool students marched every day for a week, demanding equality.
More recently, after Floyd, Breanna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbury and other unarmed Black people were shot and killed under questionable circumstances, Black K-12 students joined Black Lives Matter activists in protest marches from New York to California. And there have been youth-led movements demonstrating against everything from school shootings to climate change.
With data showing 1 in 4 Black people age 23 or younger is registered to vote, several nonprofit voter-registration organizations have popped up in recent years, looking to harness that political power. Organizations like The Civics Center and the Youth Voter Movement help students organize in-school voter registration drives and provide information on voting laws in all 50 states.
More specifically, initiatives
Threat to Black voices
Despite the long tradition of student activism and voting, the right of young people to protest is under threat. They point to Project 2025, a far-right blueprint for the next Republican president, that would remake the federal government — including shutting down the Department of Education. If that happened, full control of the nation’s education policies would revert to the states, and students would lose the Office of Civil Rights, a key department responsible for investigating complaints of discrimination. Without the Education Department, Black students likely would lose the right to equitable resources, culturally relevant learning, and other essential support for Black students. Given that, it’s highly likely Black students would be
opposed to Project 2025.
One way Collins recommends students who oppose the plan and want to make it known is to create or ensure they have a safe space to come together and share their thoughts. Second, he says, is to start having important conversations among peers and others about what changes in their schools, around their neighborhoods, and in the districts they’d like to see.
“There will be a response to what they identify as an important problem,” he says. “Especially Black kids. We don’t even see the idea that we have agency in these kinds of processes.”
He cites an example from his own high school experience to illustrate the point.
“I went to an all-black high school,” he says. Back then, “the idea that we could go to a school board and actually push back against some of the rules and policies that were forced upon us — we didn’t think that was possible.”
Yet Robinson, the educator and filmmaker, says students using their voices to oppose something real going on in their lives is the foundation for initiating change, forcing policy makers to pay attention and connect it to their right to vote.
“Based on what I have learned by spending time with young Black people and asking them what inspires them to get involved in our political system, I think it is always best to start with the issues young people care about,” Robinson says.
Fighting disinterest
Too often, young Black people are disillusioned with politics; studies show they don’t believe one vote makes a difference in their lives. According to a Harvard Youth Poll, fewer Black voters under age 30 plan to vote in the upcoming presidential election than did at this point in the 2020 election cycle.
But an increasing number of Black elected officials — including Harris, the vice president, who could become the first president to graduate from an HBCU and the first who is a member of a Black
sorority — could drive up voter participation among Black youths. For the first time since 2016, they will have someone on the presidential ballot who looks like them.
“Representation matters, and this is where the authenticity of the representation matters,” Collin says. “The job of the representative is to kind of be that conduit between communities. So if we get representatives who are comfortable in these community spaces, well, then you have someone who’s there and who comes from where you come from to have a certain kind of political conversation. ”
Robinson, who in 2020 followed the lives of a diverse group of students and activists in the film ‘The Young Vote’, agrees. Besides representation, she says, it’s about equipping young people with the tools and skills they need to take action.
“Specifically, a young African American woman that I followed in The Young Vote was encouraged by her teacher to reach out to a local elected leader about an issue that was really important to her,” Robinson says. “This started her journey as a student activist and got her to make the connections between what she cared about and the political system.”
Still, there are different ways for young Black people to get involved in a movement or a campaign. Some use their social media presence; others stand on street corners, handing out flyers or speaking into a bullhorn. Still others prefer taking trips to Capitol Hill to watch committee meetings or contact their members of Congress.
“The young woman that we followed in The Young Vote was initially skeptical about the power of voting but she realized that it was a powerful way to use her voice,” Robinson says. “I also learned from her that voting alone does not make you a “beautiful citizen” but it is staying engaged in your community in an ongoing way.”
This article was originally published by Word in Black.
Black hair as a battleground: From the DNC stage to school suspensions
By
During the Democratic National Convention, Michelle Obama’s stunning braids and Tennessee Rep. Justin Pearson’s mighty afro were celebrated nationwide as symbols of Black pride, cultural identity and resistance.
Given that the former First Lady once said America wasn’t ready to see a Black woman with anything but straight hair in the White House, their hairstyles symbolize a growing acceptance and recognition of natural hair in political spaces.
However, while Black hairstyles are becoming more accepted in politics, a stark contrast exists in America’s public schools. Black hair may be embraced in some spaces, but it remains heavily policed and criminalized in classrooms.
Hair dress code policies in schools disproportionately affect Black students, leading to higher rates of negative perceptions about their identity, severe psychological effects and students being shoved into the school-to-prison pipeline.
Just weeks before the DNC, a judge dismissed a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by Darryl George, a Black student in Texas, after it was ruled that he was lawfully punished for wearing locs, a hairstyle rooted in African culture and spirituality. The school cited ‘”its dress code”’ as the reason for the suspension.
A national issue for Black students Savannah Walker, an Andrew Jackson
School
in Jacksonville, Fla., tells Word In Black that when schools enforce such
policies, they are “not only policing hair but identity as well.”
“They’re basically telling us that we as our natural selves are unacceptable and that we must conform to White norms to be seen as respectable and worthy. This is hurtful, especially for young people like me who are still figuring out their sense of self and identity.”
In 2017, 17-year-old Jenesis Johnson was sent to in-school suspension for wearing her natural afro to school. The school’s dress code mandated that hair be “kept neat and out of the face,” and administrators claimed her afro was a distraction.
A year later in 2018, Faith Fennidy, an 11-year-old from Louisiana, was sent home because her braided hairstyle allegedly violated the school’s dress code. Fennidy’s case garnered national attention and sparked outrage over discriminatory hair policies in schools.
In 2019, Tyler House, a high school wrestler in Kentucky, was forced to cut his locs on the spot or forfeit his match. The referee insisted that his locs were not compliant with the sport’s regulations despite other athletes with similar hairstyles not being asked to make changes.
These incidents, and many others like them, highlight the ongoing struggle Black students face in schools across the country.
According to a 2020 report from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Black students, who make up only 15 percent of the U.S. public school student population, account for 45 percent of all school suspensions related to hair being cited as a dress code violation. In addition, 25 percent
Students across the country are feeling the impact of the CROWN Act, which addresses hair discrimination in schools and the workplace. Shown here, a visual explanation of the amount of students who report hair discrimination in states with and without the legislation.
of Black students reported being penalized for wearing their natural hair, compared to just 5 percent of White students.
Does the CROWN Act protect Black students?
As of 2024, 25 states have passed the CROWN Act (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair), which protects against hair-based discrimination in workplaces and schools. The act first became law in California in
2019 and is designed to ban discrimination based on hair texture and protective hairstyles, including locs, braids, twists, and afros. In March 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the federal version of the CROWN Act. The Biden Administration voiced its support for the legislation. However, the bill stalled in the Senate, leaving millions nationwide without protection against hair-based discrimination.
See more on afro.com This article was originally published by Word in Black.
like Black Voters Matter and other activist networks work to mobilize young Black voters to gather and utilize their voice.
Nappy.co/ AlyssaSieb
As Election Day draws closer, Black parents and teachers are reminded that children have a voice too– even if they can’t vote.
Quintessa Williams Word in Black
High
senior
Photo courtesy of Word In Black
A look at summer learning loss, curriculum challenges and the Black boys left behind
Reginald Williams
Special to the AFRO
This time of year is full of back to school events, including free back-to-school haircuts from neighborhood barbers and school supplies from churches, government agencies and community organizations.
The return to school is intended to be a time for reacquaintance, where students arrive prepared to learn, and educators are ready to teach. However, in too many cases, students often return to school after summer break academically unprepared.
Several studies suggest that summer separation from scholastic instruction contributes significantly to the academic disparity K-12 students face upon their return from vacation.
Harvard research maintains that academic decay is more progressive depending on “ethnicity and socioeconomic status.” The obstacles that negatively impact White students often have a more severe impact on Black students, says the research. The study also noted that “summer reading and math losses are sensitive to income status.”
Poor and disadvantaged students experience more considerable summer reading losses than their middle-class counterparts, and all students experience similar losses in math. To explain this finding, scholars have relied on surveys of summer activities, which show that children in poverty have fewer opportunities to practice reading than middle-class children. As a result, socioeconomic gaps in reading are heightened during vacation, suggesting that differences in family background—not differences in school quality—create achievement inequalities.
A time for change
The Center for American Progress, a public policy organization dedicated “to improving the lives of all Americans through bold, progressive ideas,” maintains that systemic racism colors education. The organization has said that wide-reaching changes to America’s education indoctrination must start with a change in the curriculum.
Coach Alfred Powell agrees that the public school curriculum is “adverse” and ineffective for Black children. Experts today use a behavior risk factor survey for adverse childhood experiences (ACE) to score the potentially traumatic impact of events before age 18. The survey asks about everything from instances of divorce to housing instability to gauge the trauma a person has experienced. Powell, a Western Ohio community educator and clinical professor, instead looks at a different type of “ACE,” which he calls “adverse curriculum experiences.”
“The word ‘curriculum’ connotes a course of study. Therefore, a Eurocentric curriculum is designed to take a person on a course of study that primarily highlights the accomplishments of Europeans, often excluding the achievements of other cultures,” Powell explained. “This narrow focus is detrimental to the imagination, self-esteem, and self-worth of BIPOC students, especially young Black boys. When the curriculum fails to reflect their history, culture, and contributions, it implicitly tells them that their experiences and identities are less valuable or irrelevant.”
Powell maintains that children who have to navigate the storms of an adverse curriculum are also grappling with the invisible messaging, intentionally advanced by public education leaders. Powell contends that the current public education curriculum:
• Omits the accomplishments and contributions of
• Celebrates
• Purposely manipulates cultural consciousness
• Minimizes slavery and racism
• Profiles BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) as savages and career criminals
“By connecting the curriculum to their students’ lived experiences and cultural backgrounds, educators can motivate them to pursue excellence, exceptionalism, and determination,” said Powell. “This approach helps students overcome the many distractions and challenges surrounding them and fosters a sense of belonging and self-worth. When students see themselves reflected in their education, they are more likely to engage with the material and strive for success.”
J. Dwayne Garnett, a valued-based educator, also believes the curriculum has a more nuanced problem that fails to speak to the humanity of Black boys.
“When you talk about education, there’s no curriculum set aside for them. Their minds can’t even think about a Black male being a human,” said Garnett, founder of Love Is A Parable, a nonprofit organization transforming lives through valued-based education.
El-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz, the minister formerly known as Malcolm X, said more than five decades ago, “Only a fool would allow his enemies to educate his children.”
As suggested by the late activist, there exist all kinds of red flags that suggest Black children have no valued place in America’s educational system.
The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights says Black students comprise 14.9 percent of public school
students. However, they make up almost 40 percent of the students suspended annually.
The American Institutes for Research found that missing significant time from school had counterproductive impacts on academic outcomes and future behaviors. One study revealed that Black adolescent males represented more than one-half of the 17,000 preschool students expelled or suspended. Many educators have proven that they honor policy above practicum.
The Yale Child Study Center conducted research entitled, “Do Early Educators’ Implicit Bias Regarding Sex and Race Relate to Behavior Expectations and Recommendations of Preschool Expulsions and Suspension,” revealing that the suspension of Black boys was too often due to teacher bias. The study validates Garnett’s hypothesis regarding the dehumanization of Black boys, which is evident in how the world treats Black men.
“We do live in a society where we are not prepared– nor have we even ventured to discuss– the intersectionality of Black men,” said Garnett. “Black boys aren’t thought of because Black men are not thought of. Black men are prepared for masculinity, every other demographic is prepared for humanity.”
Baruti Kafele, credited with elevating Newark Tech High School in Newark, NJ from the worst school in the state to the best, challenges educators and curriculum. He believes Black students must be seen and welcomed within the curriculum.
“As long as we fail to properly educate Black children as to who that is in the mirror—historically, culturally, socially, economically, politically– we will continue to ask the same questions that we have been asking for decades: ‘How do we close the achievement gap of Black children?’ and ‘How do we inspire Black children to excel in the classroom?’”
The high price of being a Black, tired and homeless student
By Aziah Siid Word in Black
What was supposed to be a routine field trip to the courthouse turned into a nightmare for 15-year-old Eva Goodman, a Detroit teenager, who found herself handcuffed, forced into jail clothes, and detained for hours — all under the orders of Michigan’s 36th District Court Judge Kenneth King.
The dehumanization and mistreatment of the teen during the Aug. 13 incident sent shockwaves through Detroit, and people across social media asked why the child was treated so poorly, and speculated on if Eva had not been a young Black girl, would she have been treated the same
The questions highlight the broader issue of the adultification of Black children — how they are often perceived as older and less innocent than their White peers, leading to harsher treatment. Given that the teen is homeless, the incident also put the plight of Black students who are housing insecure in the spotlight.
The adultification of Black kids
Research shows that due to racial bias, people simply don’t assume the best of Black children, and are apt to criminalize them. Whether they’re in school or on a field trip, because of this bias, Black children are expected to behave like adults, and they’re deprived of the care, concern, grace, and empathy given to their White peers. They are adultified.
“When people see Black children, if they don’t see them as people, they definitely don’t see them as children,”
Amir Gilmore, assistant professor of cultural studies and social thought in education at Washington State University, explained to Word In Black last year.
Indeed, people may fall asleep in court due to medication, a medical condition, the temperature in the courtroom, or not understanding the court proceedings. But instead of assuming Eva was tired for a good reason, King assumed she had fallen asleep to disrespect him.
“It wasn’t so much, in fact, that she had fallen asleep because I have
“When people see Black children, if they don’t see them as people, they definitely don’t see them as children.”
attorneys that fall asleep sometimes, so that’s not too big of a deal. It was her whole attitude and her whole disposition that disturbed me,” King told 7 News Detroit in an Aug. 14 interview. “I wanted to get through to her, show how serious this is and how you are to conduct yourself inside of a courtroom.”
Eva and her mother say the judge took an unnecessarily harsh approach
housing at the moment, and actually arrived late where they were staying the night before the field trip.
A recent analysis of students in Detroit found that “Black students were at a greater risk of homelessness than their peers of other races at 86 percent of students who were homeless compared to 83 percent of students overall.” At a national level, an analysis of federal data found that “Black high school students are 2.25 times more likely to experience homelessness.”
Given their lack of housing, Eva’s mom expressed her outrage over what King said to her daughter to Detroit’s WXYZ-TV.
“The fact that he was talking about ‘You go home and get in your bed,’ how do you know my baby got a home? How do you know my baby got a bed, her own bed she could sleep in? She don’t have that right now, so she was tired,” Till said.
to the teen. As a result, Eva — along with her mother Latoreya Hill — is suing Judge King, alleging that he violated her Fourth Amendment rights. The lawsuit states that King’s actions were his own version of “Scared Straight,” a misguided attempt to “teach a lesson” that left Eva traumatized and humiliated. In the wake of the lawsuit, Judge King has been temporarily removed from the docket and is expected to undergo additional training.
“It’s been pretty devastating. Eva
doesn’t want to come outside … It’s hard for her to sleep at night. She’s asking me, ‘why did the judge do me like this out of all the kids?’ Like she’s really not understanding the or the whole thing of the system or what happened or was going on,” Hill said at a news conference after the incident.
A crisis of housing insecure students The judge was so busy disciplining Eva he failed to learn she and her family are unhoused. Till told NBC News that they have no permanent
King defended his decision to have the teen treated like a criminal, stating he did not like the child’s attitude. He told WXYZ-TV he hadn’t been disrespected like that in a long time.
The negative effect on Eva, however, could last for the rest of the teen’s life. “I wish I could have brought my daughter here for today, but she doesn’t want to be in front of the camera,” her mom said. “She doesn’t want to talk. She’s embarrassed, humiliated, and I can’t blame her.”
This article was originally published by
Black people, especially before slavery
Whiteness
Unsplash / Sam Balye
As the school year begins, stakeholders are weighing in on learning loss and how the needs of Black youths are served by public school curriculums- especially as it relates to Black boys and teens.
Kara Berg/Detroit News via AP
Latoreya Till, left, the mother of a 15-year-old girl who fell asleep in the Detroit courtroom of 36th District Court Judge Kenneth King, while on an Aug. 13 field trip, is suing the judge according to her attorney James Harrington, right, as they speak at a press conference in Southfield, Mich. on Aug. 21. 2024.
New study shows postpartum morbidity on the rise for AfricanAmerican women
By Aria Brent AFRO Staff Writer abrent@afro.com
A June report shows that Black women disproportionately face postpartum maternal morbidity complications when compared to their White counterparts. The study, conducted by the University of Chicago National Opinion Research Center (NORC) and Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS), analyzed millions of Medicaid and commercial insurance reports.
The report discussed the dangers many mothers face during labor, delivery and the postpartum period after birth, and found that Black women are at higher risk of severe maternal morbidity (SMM).
“Severe maternal morbidity represents very severe acute medical occurrences that happen during the postpartum period. Examples would be heart attack, stroke, admission to the ICU and the need for a blood transfusion,” said Dr. Nicole Saint Clair, executive medical director for Regence BCBS in Washington. “These are severe complications that have immediate repercussions and the potential for lifelong disability and other health complications.”
One local mother who dealt with the very real and scary effects of SMM, spoke with the AFRO about her postpartum experiences.
“With both of my pregnancies I experienced very traumatic births,” said Shannel Pearman, a stay-at-home mom of two from Parkville, Md. “I had postpartum preeclampsia in both of my pregnancies and with the first one, I had a stroke one week postpartum and I almost lost my life.”
Pearman said she started receiving hints of the trouble ahead before her baby was born.
“Towards the end of my first pregnancy, during the last week, I started experiencing some extreme weight gain in a short amount of time,” she recalls. “I was really swollen. I expressed my concerns, but unfortunately I feel as though my concerns weren’t heard.”
Pearman had her first child in May of 2019. She anticipated the time spent with her newborn baby as one of the happiest times in her life. Instead, she was left hospitalized and then permanently disabled.
The mother of two discussed the prevalence of stories like hers and how vital it is for Black women to advocate for themselves during medical emergencies.
“Unfortunately, my story is not unique,” said Pearman. “There’s so many Black women who are no longer here with us to tell their stories. There’s also many of them like myself, who are left with the scars of having traumatic birthing experiences.
“Black women have to advocate for themselves. If you feel like something is wrong, don’t just take what a doctor or a medical professional tells you,” she continued. “If you truly feel like something is wrong and your intuition is telling you that something’s not right–you have to speak up. Far too many Black mothers are suffering. What should be the happiest moments of their lives, unfortunately turns into some of the most terrifying.
“More needs to be done to uplift and support and advocate for Black moms,” she said.
Advocating for oneself is hard for some, especially when facing off against a healthcare professional with years of training and medical experience. However there are a series of resources available to help assure the voices of mothers are heard; one of the most popular being a doula.
Nyeema Wright, a postpartum doula from Long Beach, Calif., said one challenge facing mothers is a lack of education about resources available when it comes to doula services. Wright said that women are at a disadvantage by “not knowing about doulas, not knowing that we are here to be your companion throughout pregnancy [and] throughout postpartum.”
“We are here to provide mothers with all of this well deserved education and well needed and deserved support,” she explained, adding that doulas serve as “the liaison between the provider and the parent.”
“That’s a crucial space to be filled and it’s necessary to have someone there outside of your family and friends. I am here, with all of my knowledge and my expertise–and I can tailor the care to fit every individual need,” said Wright.
According to the BCBS report, “postpartum SMM rates are 87 percent higher among Black patients and 7 percent higher among Latina patients in the commercially insured population.
The study included data from 2.9 million hospital deliveries from Jan. 2019 to Dec. 2022 through BCBS claims. Mothers with Medicaid accounted for another 6.2 million hospital deliveries studied between Jan. 2017 and Dec. 2021 by NORC. Researchers used claims from the Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS).
The study found that “hospitalization rates are 71 percent higher for Black patients in the commercial population.”
Saint Clair discussed the research done and contributing factors to the increased rates of SMM and maternal mortality.
“As we follow both maternal mortality rates and morbidity rates, year after year, we see that Black women are at significantly increased risk compared to White women and all other ethnicities for both complications,” she said. “Black women continue to be two to three times more likely to experience either issue. And when we look at what the factors are, it’s really multifactorial.”
“There are issues in quality [of] health care, as well as the presence of underlying conditions,” said Saint Clare, adding that there needs to be a focus on “what’s happening in the lead up to the pregnancy,” especially when knowledge of disparities exist.
“We know that there are many components of structural racism and implicit bias that really manifest in a variety of different ways,” said Saint Clair.
In a 2022 report, titled “How Implicit Bias Contributes to Racial Disparities in Maternal Morbidity and Mortality in the United States,” implicit bias is defined as “attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner.”
The report explained that implicit bias can have disastrous results, and often comes into play “in settings that are prone to overload or high stress,” such as “emergency departments or labor and delivery settings, where relying on automatic or unconscious processes to execute medical decision making quickly becomes essential.”
The automatic components to high-stress decision making “are likely to activate stereotypes and unconscious beliefs. In addition, cognitive stressors, such as overcrowding and the demand to care for more patients during a shift, are associated with an increase in implicit bias.”
All of this can make the labor and delivery room more dangerous for Black women, who face a plethora of stereotypes as they conceive, carry, deliver and care for their children.
To make matters worse, while doctors are aware of the disparities, they don’t see their own contributions to the problem.
The 2022 implicit bias study used research from the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine, which showed “inconsistency between clinicians’ willingness to acknowledge disparities in their practice and their consideration of implicit bias.”
Researchers found that “84 percent of respondents agreed that disparities affect their practice, but only 29 percent believed that personal biases influenced their ability to care for patients.”
In efforts to fight inequality in the healthcare system, BCBS has created a public health platform that calls for those in power to:
- Improve access and affordability by working to “remove barriers to Medicaid enrollment retention for eligible Americans,” while also improving access to telehealth. BCBS says that “insurance through tax credits that keep Marketplace plans affordable for those who need them” is also crucial.
- Address and mitigate the impacts of social drivers of health (SDOH) to combat the effects of health inequity. SDOH can account for over 50 percent of a person’s wellbeing. Access to enough food, access to healthy food options, a lack of access to transportation and unstable housing are some of the most common social determinants of health. Marginalized communities are more likely to experience some of these dangerous social drivers.
- Build an equitable health care workforce by investing in initiatives such as educational pathways, to expand and diversify the workforce. Fostering the partnerships between public-private organizations is vital to creating a more equitable health care environment. Additionally, expanding peoples accessibility to non-physician practitioners is necessary when aiming to create more equitable healthcare systems.
- Harness and standardize health equity data to help lessen health disparities and measure progress. The government can directly help by providing funding to the CDC to create, coordinate and manage state-based review committees to recognize, review and characterize pregnancy-related morbidity. Assuring that data is collected without bias and directly from patients is vital to the standardization of data.
To view the full BCBS report and more information on how to combat the issues of Black maternal morbidity and mortality visit cdc.gov/ hearher
Stigma, stereotypes, and the HIV crisis in the South
By Anissa Durham Word in black
Shadawn McCants, of Houston, was diagnosed with HIV at 17-years-old. Now 46, she says back in 1995 when she was diagnosed, it was a death sentence, and there was a lot of fear surrounding her prognosis.
“I tell people I gave birth to triplets: shame, fear, and guilt,” she says. “I was very unsure of what this really meant for me. I had dreams at that time, but because my life changed, I had to take a different path.”
Despite the internal and external shame and stigma she faced, McCants still went on to finish high school, get her undergraduate degree, and later her master’s degree. Now, she’s a licensed therapist and an advocate for HIV awareness.
The days of HIV being a death sentence are long over. With advancements in medicine and prevention efforts, contracting the virus doesn’t mean your life will end. But stigma, misinformation, and shame continue to burden Black and Brown folks who are overwhelmingly vulnerable to the virus.
What’s going on in the South?
In 2022, Southern states accounted for nearly 50 percent of new HIV infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. African Americans made up 37 percent of the estimated 31,800 HIV infections in that year, higher than other
racial and ethnic groups.
But what is it about the South that puts Black people at higher risk of contracting the preventable disease?
“The South is really a critical battleground in the fight against HIV, with some unique challenges,” Randevyn Pierre says. The Atlanta resident serves as the director of the external affairs community liaison team at ViiV Healthcare and is on the board of directors of the Southern AIDS Coalition.
Many of the states with the highest rates of poverty in the U.S. are in the South, with more than 20 percent of poverty occurring in rural areas. Pierre says transportation is spread out in these rural Southern areas, which adds to the disparities and difficulties folks have in accessing HIV care.
One of the most exacerbating factors to the rates of HIV infection is: stigma. HIV stigma and discrimination continue to affect the mental state of those living with the disease, according to the CDC. And it can lead people to delay getting tested and treated for the virus.
“The stigma tends to be different in the South,” Pierre says. “We’re living in the Bible Belt, where people tend to think more traditionally about family, identity, partnership, and sexual orientation.”
To alleviate those challenges, he suggests creating policies that increase health care access for communities that are most at risk and pushing to remove barriers to prescription medications that treat the disease. But Pierre says there needs to be more
attention on Black women who are heavily impacted by HIV and “have carried our community for so long.”
While data shows that men who have sex with men account for the highest percentage of new HIV infections, infection rates also disproportionately affect Black women. In 2022, Black American women accounted for 50 percent of new HIV diagnoses, a little more than two times the rate for white women and two and a half times the rate for Hispanic women.
Taking Care of HIV and Mental Health
As a teen, McCants admits she coped the best way she knew how, by putting her head down and masking the pain with substances and partying. And prior to her diagnosis, she had already experienced abuse, neglect, and sexual assault.
“I was already a young adult that was needing mental health treatment and support, but I didn’t receive it,” she says. “Even at the time of my diagnosis, I was seen as a strong Black woman.”
The Strong Black Woman stereotype is systemically endorsed as Black women who can overcome all obstacles, remain strong through any trial, and sacrifice themselves for others. For McCants, she was left with little to no mental health care services, in large part because she was expected to be a strong resilient Black woman — even as a teen.
It’s not just stereotypical tropes that reinforce
stigma and barriers to HIV care.
“The Bible Belt is a big barrier when we talk about HIV. Because we’re in the Deep South, the conversation is abstinence. What they tell you is, don’t bring a baby home. But don’t bring a baby home means that you’re still having sex,” McCants says. “It’s unfortunate because there are women who are sitting in those pews, living with a diagnosis and don’t know where to go. You tell me to pray — however, you’re telling me (Jesus’) looking at me with a mark.”
In recent years, churches across the South have increased initiatives to reduce HIV stigma among Black men and congregation wide testing. Since 2017, the National Faith HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is celebrated every August 29. And individual churches connect folks with HIV health care and counseling services.
Saving lives with grassroots solutions
“Initially, all I wanted to do was pass out sandwiches,” says DeWayne Crowder, executive director of A Vision 4 Hope, a service-based organization in Atlanta that offers health care services to underserved communities. Part of its work includes offering HIV testing to those who are positive or may be impacted by the virus, initiation of health care services, and connecting folks to housing. See more on afro.com
This article was originally published by Word in Black.
Nappy.co Photo/@Brit
According to a recent report from the University of Chicago and Blue Cross Blue Shield, Black women face a
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2024ADM000893 MARY ALZERLEEN SMITH Name of Decedent Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs
RENEE M. SMITH, GABRIELLE D. DUBOSE, KELLY C SMITH, whose address is 1313 ROXANNA ROAD NW WASHINGTON DC 20012 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of MARY ALZERLEEN SMITH, who died on MARCH 17, 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 FEBRUARY 16, 2025. 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 FEBRUARY 16, 2025 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: AUGUST 16, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Daily Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers
RENEE M. SMITH GABRIELLE D. DUBOSE KELLY C SMITH
Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 8/16, 8/23, 8/30/24
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION 2024FEP000093 JUNE 8, 2007 Date of Death
VINCENT RONNIE JONES Name of Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS GWENDOLYN C. FORD whose address is 6499 WINDWARD PLACE, NW BREMERTON, WA 98312 was appointecd representative of the estate of VINCENT RONNIE JONES deceased, by the SUPERIOR COURT Court for KITSAP County, State of WASHINGTON, on NOVEMBER 18, 2008. Service of process may be made upon THECLA BETHEL, ESQ. 316 14TH PLACE NE WASHINGTON, DC 20002 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C. The decedent owned the following District of Columbia real property: 1950 2ND STREET NW WASHINGTON DC 20001. Claims against the decedent may be presented to the undersigned and filed with the Register of Wills for the District of Columbia, Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice. Date of first publication: AUGUST 16, 2024 Name of newspaper, and/or periodical: Daily Washington Law Reporter
AFRO-American
GWENDOLYN C. FORD Personal Reperesenative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 8/16, 8/23, 8/30/24
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2023ADM000893 ROSA LEE SUBER AKA ROSA LEE POUNDS Name of Decedent HORACE L. BRADSHAW JR. 1644 6TH STREET NW WASHINGTON DC 20001 Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs ANDRE SUBER, whose address is 18 NICHOLSON STREET NW, WASHINGTON DC 20011 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of ROSA LEE SUBER AKA ROSA LEE POUNDS, who died on SEPTEMBER 2, 2019 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 FEBRUARY 16, 2025. 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 FEBRUARY 16, 2025 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: AUGUST 16, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Daily Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers
ANDRE SUBER
Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 08/16, 8/23, 8/30/24
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION
ADMINISTRATION NO. 2024ADM000056
AUGUST 16, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Daily Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers CARROL STALLINGS ADAMS Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 8/16, 8/23, 8/30/24
GEORGE RUCKER Name of Decedent Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs ALEXANDRA CHERI RUCKER, whose address is 1451 SHIPPEN LANE SE, WASHINGTON DC 20020, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of GEORGE RUCKER, who died on NOVEMBER 21, 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 FEBRUARY 23, 2025. 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 FEBRUARY 23, 2025 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: AUGUST 23, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Daily Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers
ALEXANDRA CHERI RUCKER Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 8/23, 8/30, 9/06/24
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION 2024ADM001013 Estate of HARRY RUBENSTEIN SACHSE AKA
SACHSE AKA HARRY R. SACHSE 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 MICHAEL JUDAH SACHSE for standard probate, including the appointment
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2024ADM000947 CECIL W DIGGS AKA CECIL WALTER DIGGS Name of Decedent Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs
DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2024ADM000924 JOHN YOUNG Name of Decedent Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs
MAGGIELENE YOUNG SMITH, whose address is 2327 PEMBERELL PLACE, DISTRICT HEIGHTS, MD 20747, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of JOHN YOUNG, who died on APRIL 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 FEBRUARY 23, 2025. 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 FEBRUARY 23, 2025 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:
AUGUST 23, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Daily Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers
MAGGIELENE YOUNG SMITH Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 8/23, 8/30, 9/06/24
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2024ADM000938 PENNELLA BUCHANAN Name of Decedent
NICKEY EARLINE PATTERSON 6710 OXON HILL ROAD, SUITE 210 OXON HILL, MD 20745 Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs
EVERETT BUCHANAN, whose address is 12602 LAMPTON LANE, FORT WASHINGTON MD 20744, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of PENNELLA BUCHANAN, who died on MARCH 22, 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 FEBRUARY 23, 2025. 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 FEBRUARY 23, 2025 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: AUGUST 23, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Daily Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers EVERETT BUCHANAN Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 8/23, 8/30, 9/06/24
OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2024ADM000690 CARLOS ANTONIO FERNANDEZ Name of Decedent WILLIAM A. BLAND, ESQUIRE 80 M STREET SE 3330 WASHINGTON DC 20003 Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs MONICA THOMAS , whose address is 2224 36TH STREET SE WASHINGTON DC 20020 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of CARLOS ANTONIO FERNANDEZ, who died on JANUARY 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 MARCH 02, 2025. 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 MARCH 02, 2025 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: AUGUST 30, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Daily Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers
MONICA THOMAS Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 8/30, 9/06, 9/13/24
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2024ADM000834 EVELYN C. CRAIG Name of Decedent Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs
TERRENCE J. CRAIG, whose address is 3017 15TH NE WASHINGTON DC 20017 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of EVELYN C. CRAIG, who died on MAY 10, 2013 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 MARCH 02, 2025. 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 MARCH 02, 2025 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: AUGUST 30, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Daily Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers
TERRENCE J. CRAIG Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 8/30, 9/06, 9/13/24
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Effective immediately, The Afro American Newspapers will require prepayment for publication of all legal notices
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HOUSING AUTHORITY OF BALTIMORE CITY INVATATION FOR BIDS
CLASS 1 & 2 VANS, PICKUP TRUCKS AND SUVS HABC IFB NUMBER: B-2016-24 IFB NUMBER: B-2016-24
The Housing Authority of Baltimore City (“HABC”) will issue an Invitation for Bids (“IFB”) for interested and qualified vendors to supply Class 1 & 2 Vans, Pickup Trucks and SUVs.
BIDS WILL BE DUE no later than 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, August 30, 2024
A non-mandatory pre-bid conference will be held on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, at 10:00 a.m., which will be scheduled as a virtual meeting.
The entire IFB can be viewed and downloaded by visiting https://habc. bonfirehub.com/projects on or after Monday, August 26, 2024 Questions regarding the IFB should be directed in writing to the address and individual indicated below and must include the reference: HABC IFB Number B-2016-24.
Housing Authority of Baltimore City Division of Fiscal Operations, Procurement Department 417 E. Fayette Street, Room 414 Baltimore, Maryland 21202
Attention: James Mobley, Senior Buyer Tel: 410-396-3105 james.mobley@habc.org
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF BALTIMORE CITY INVATATION FOR BIDS CLASS 3, 4 & 5 TRUCKS
HABC IFB NUMBER: B-2017-24 IFB NUMBER: B-2017-24
The Housing Authority of Baltimore City (“HABC”) will issue an Invitation for Bids (“IFB”) for interested and qualified vendors to supply Class 3, 4 & 5 trucks.
BIDS WILL BE DUE no later than 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, August 30, 2024
A non-mandatory pre-bid conference will be held on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, at 11:00 a.m., which will be scheduled as a virtual meeting. The entire IFB can be viewed and downloaded by visiting https://habc.bonfirehub.com/projects on or after Monday, August 26, 2024
Questions regarding the IFB should be directed in writing to the address and individual indicated below and must include the reference: HABC IFB Number B-2017-24.
Housing Authority of Baltimore City Division of Fiscal Operations, Procurement Department 417 E. Fayette Street, Room 414 Baltimore, Maryland 21202 Attention: James Mobley, Senior Buyer Tel: 410-396-3105 james.mobley@habc.org
City of Baltimore Department of Finance Bureau of Procurement
Sealed proposals addressed to the Board of Estimates of Baltimore will be Received until, but not later than 11:00 am local time on the following dates for the stated requirements.
September 4, 2024
* HOME DELIVERED GROCERY BOXES for CITY RESIDENCE
RFQ-000556
September 18, 2024
* SOUND SYSTEM EQUIPMENT and INSTALLATION for MYERS PAVILLION RFQ-000515
October 2, 2024
* ROLLER SKATES for SHAKE AND BAKE FAMILY FUN CENTER
RFQ-000620
*DUTY BELT EQUIPMENT RFQ-000637
October 16, 2024
* EATHING TOGETHER IN BALTIMORE PROGRAM (ETIB)
RFQ-000586
ENTIRE SOLICITATION CAN BE VIEWED AND DOWNLOADED BY VISITING THE WEBSITE: https://wd1.myworkdaysite.com/supplier/baltimorecity/SupplierSite
ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS TOWN OF HAMPSTEAD HAMPSTEAD, MARYLAND
For More Information
HAMPSTEAD PFAS TREATMENT/CENTRALIZATION PROJECT GAC AND IX EQUIPMENT PROCUREMENT IFB No. TOH-GACP-FY25-04
The Town of Hampstead is soliciting bids for the procurement of granular activated carbon (GAC) treatment and ion exchange (IX) treatment equipment (Goods and Special Services) associated with the Town of Hampstead PFAS Treatment and Centralization Project (“Project”).
The Project is being funded, in part, by grants issued by the Maryland Department of the Environment State Revolving Loan Fund and the United States Environmental Protection Agency Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities Grant Program. Qualified minority business enterprises (MBE’s) and women’s business enterprises (WBE’s) are especially encouraged to participate.
To request an official copy of the Town of Hampstead PFAS Treatment/ Centralization, GAC and IX Equipment Procurement Issued for Bids Documents (IFB No. TOH-GACP-FY25-04), please contact: Judy Rang Town of Hampstead 410-239-7408 jrang@hampsteadmd.gov
MBE/WBE Subcontractors and Suppliers Ulliman Schutte Construction, LLC, Chantilly, VA is interested in receiving quotes from qualified MBE/WBE subcontractors and suppliers for the Miscellaneous Facility Upgrade – Phase 8, Pre- Dewatering Centrifuges Nos.1 & 12 Upgrades bidding on September 19, 2024. Opportunities are available for Specifications Divisions 1 ,3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 26, 40, 43 and 44. Please Fax quotes to 703-434-3714. Contact Phone : 703-972-6053. Ulliman Schutte Construction, LLC 14420 Albemarle Point Place Chantilly, VA 20151 www.ullimanschutte.com Equal Opportunity Employer
Reach
Voter registration events in the D.C., Maryland and Virginia area
By Aria Brent AFRO Staff Writer abrent@afro.com
This week, the AFRO has compiled a list of voter registration events taking place in the coming weeks. Are you registered and ready to vote on Election Day, Nov. 5?
The Baltimore City Chapter of the League of Women Voters and a host of other organizations focused on voter turnout will hold events throughout the D.C., Maryland and Virginia area with a goal of registering voters ahead of the Oct. 15 voter registration deadline. Check out the events below to see where you can register to vote or help others who need the information!
Maryland
Voter Registration Training
The ladies of the Baltimore Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority invites members of the community to their Sept. 7 voter registration training. Information for how to sign up for the training can be found on their instagram page by searching @thebaltimoredeltas.
Date: Sept. 7
Time: 11 a.m.
Location: Delta Community Center 2501 Springhill Avenue Baltimore, MD 21215
32nd Street Farmers’ Market
Members of the Baltimore City Chapter of League of Women Voters will meet at the 32nd Street Farmers Market to get members of the community registered to vote on Sept. 7.
Date: Sept. 7
Time: 7 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Location: East 32nd Street and Barclay Street, Baltimore, MD 21218
Catholic Charities of Baltimore
Members of the Baltimore City Chapter of League of Women Voters will meet at Catholic Charities of Baltimore to register voters for the upcoming election.
Date: Sept. 10
Time: 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Location: 620 Fallsway, Baltimore, MD 21202
Morgan State University, Matriculation Convocation
As the campus of Morgan State welcomes the most recent class of Morganites to their Matriculation Convocation, members of the Baltimore City Chapter of League of Women Voters will be present and ready to register voters.
Date: Sept.12
Time: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Location: Murphy Fine Art Building, 2201 Argonne Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218
University of Maryland, Fall Involvement Fair
The ladies of the Baltimore City Chapter of League of Women Voters will be at the University of Maryland’s Fall Involvement Fair to register eligible students to vote.
Date: Sept. 13
Time: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Location: School of Nursing (Lawn) 621 W. Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD. 21201
Getting Out the Vote: An Intro to Voting Rights in the US
Members of the community are welcomed to the Enoch Pratt Library to learn about their right to vote, the voting process and a history of voting. Event attendees will also be given the chance to register to vote for the upcoming election.
Date: Sept. 17]
Time:1 p.m. - 2 p.m.
Location: Central Library, BST Room 1801, 400 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
Baltimore City Community College, Workforce Development Office
The Baltimore City Chapter of League of Women Voters will be in the Baltimore City College Office of Workforce Development, welcoming students and community members alike to come and register to vote.
Date: Sept. 18
Time: 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Location: 710 East Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD 21202
Unsplash.com Photo/ @Blessng Ri National Voter Registration Day is Sept.17, however you can register to vote online or at an in-person event several weeks after this date.
Baltimore Healthy Start: “Baby Buggy Walk”
Visit the Baltimore City Chapter of League of Women Voters during, before or after the Baltimore Healthy Start: “Baby Buggy Walk” to get registered to vote.
Date: Sept. 21
Time: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Location: Patterson Park, Pulaski Monument, Corner of Eastern and Linwood Avenues
University of Baltimore, Engagement Fair
Come out to the University of Baltimore’s Engagement Fair to get registered to vote by members of the Baltimore City Chapter of League of Women Voters.
Date: Sept. 26
Time: 2:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Location: 1420 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
Move Your Vote Forward 2024: Informing, Educating and Amplifying Your Vote
Moving U Forward, Inc. is hosting a voter education event where they will focus on how your vote matters. The event will teach voters about the need to pay attention to local and state elections and how they can move their vote forward in their communities. This community civic event is free to the public and all are welcome to attend
Date: Sept 7.
Time:10 am - 2 pm
Location: Baker Park Frederick, MD 21701
Washington, D.C.
Voter Registration at the Woolly Mammoth Theater Members of the League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia will be at the Woolly Mammoth Theater on several dates during the month of September engaging voters, registering them to vote, informing them about VOTE411, the League’s comprehensive voter information website, and gathering DC statehood signatures.
Dates and Times:
Sept. 8
Time: 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Sept. 14
Time: 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Sept. 15
Time: 5:30 p.m. -7 p.m.
Sept. 21
Time: 1:30 p.m. - 3 p.m.
6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Sept. 22
Time: 12:30 p.m. - 2 p.m. 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Sept. 28
Time: 1:30 p.m. - 3 p.m. 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Sept. 29
Time: 12:30 p.m. - 2 p.m. 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Location: Woolly Mammoth Theater 641 D St NW, Washington, DC 20004
Voter Registration at the New Citizen Naturalization Ceremony
As the D.C. District Court continues Naturalization Ceremonies, the ladies of the League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia will be out and about registering voters.
Date: Sept. 10
Time: 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Location: U.S. District Court 333 Constitution Ave NW, 6th Floor Washington, DC 20001
American University Community Engagement Fair
Members of the League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia will register voters at the Community Engagement Fair hosted by the American Constitution Society, American University Law chapter. Members of the community will also have the chance to learn about volunteer opportunities related to the upcoming 2024 election.
Date: Sept. 12
Time: 11 a.m - 1 p.m.
Location: American University Washington School of Law 4300 Nebraska Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016
Voter Registration at the Washington Mystics Game Mystic fans will be able to register to vote with the ladies of the League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia at the Commissioner’s Cup tournament.
Day 1- Sept. 15
Time: 1 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Day 2 - Sept. 17
Time: 5:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Location: Mystics Arena 1100 Oak Drive SE, Washington, DC 20032
National Voter Registration Day and the National Museum of African American History and Culture On National Voter Registration Day D.C. residents can visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture to receive voter registration and election information. Members of the League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia, along with other organizations, will register people to vote.
Date: Sept. 17
Time: 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Location: National Museum of African American History & Culture 1400 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20560
Voter Registration Drive at Coolidge High The Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4B is working with the League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia to welcome members of the community to come out for a day of family fun and to get registered to vote on National Voter Registration Day.
Date: Sept. 17
Time: 2 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Location: Coolidge High School 6315 5th St. NW, Washington, DC 20011
Voter Registration for the Disabled Lifeline Partnership, in partnership with the League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia, will host an interactive event for voters with developmental disabilities. Event attendees will have the chance to learn about voting in D.C., see a demonstration of the League’s VOTE411.org voter information tool and receive a demonstration on how to vote with a voting machine.
Date: Sept. 21
Time: 12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Location: First Trinity Lutheran Church 309 E St. NW, Washington, DC 20001
Voter Registration Drive Warren County will host a voter registration drive at the Samuels Public Library.
Date: Sept. 3
Time: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Location: Samuels Public Library 330 E. Criser Road, Front Royal, VA 22630
Be an Informed Voter - Make Your Vote Count
Get all the information you need on how to register to vote, find accurate information about candidates’ positions and fact-check what you hear on the news and social media at this virtual event hosted by the Baltimore County Public Library.
Date: Sept. 9
Time: 7 p.m. - 8 p.m.[13][14][15]
Location: Virtual - Please register by visiting the events page on the Baltimore County Public Library website
WASHINGTON-AREA
Black authors shine at National Book Festival
Ariyana Griffin
AFRO Staff Writer agriffin@afro.com
The Walter E. Washington Convention Center was filled with bookworms on Aug. 24 for the 24th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival.
Two-time Emmy Award-winning television host Tamron Hall served as one of the headliners for this year’s festival. She hosted a discussion for her new cookbook co-written with Lish Steiling, “A Confident Cook.”
This year’s festival featured a variety of offerings for the entire family, complete with readalouds for children, panel sessions for adults, book signings and more.
Each year the book festival serves as an opportunity to bring together book lovers and some of their favorite authors from around the country. More than 90 authors participated in this year’s festival, providing fans and avid readers with the opportunity for meet-and-greets and book signings.
Baltimore native Monet Walker shared with the AFRO that she attended to see and hear from one of her favorite authors, Christopher Paolini, a sci-fi author.
“I try to go to any book conventions that I do hear of,” she said.
Walker said she believes such events keep the literary culture alive, and thanks social media for spreading the word.
The book community on
Bowie State University honors Lt. Richard W. Collins III with two-story image in new Martin Luther King Jr. Center
By Megan Sayles AFRO Business Writer msayles@afro.com
Bowie State University (BSU) celebrated the ribboncutting of the $166-million Martin Luther King Jr. Center on Aug. 27. The new 192,000 square-foot building will be the home base for studies in communications and humanities, as well as for the historically Black college’s military science program.
“We are thrilled that the university continues to remember our son.”
The hub notably displays a two-story likeness of late BSU student 1st Lt. Richard W. Collins III, who was killed on the University of Maryland’s (UMD) campus in 2017 just days before his graduation. Collins’ parents said they were thankful for the university’s commitment to honoring their son.
AFRO Briefs
“We are thrilled that the university continues to remember our son. What happened to him seven years ago is something no parent should ever have to endure,” said Dawn Collins. “My son was ready to give his life for this country, and to have his life taken away from him because someone viewed him as ‘other’ is despicable. It’s momentous that the university would do this, and it’s so befitting that it’s in the MLK center.”
In the early hours of May 20, 2017, Collins was waiting for a ride-hailing service with friends when UMD student Sean Urbanski approached him. Urbanski, a white man, instructed Collins to “step left, if you know what’s good for you.” When he refused, Urbanski fatally stabbed him in the chest. The U.S. Army
By Tashi McQueen AFRO Staff Writer tmcqueen@afro.com
The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) announced the reopening of the Lane Place Pedestrian Bridge in Ward 7 on Aug. 23. The bridge had been out of use since it collapsed on June 23, 2021 when a truck crashed into it.
“We want every
“The completion of the Lane Place Pedestrian Bridge marks a great milestone in our efforts to provide safe, accessible and sustainable transportation options for all residents.”
Washingtonian to be able to get where they need to go quickly and safely,” said the mayor’s office on Aug. 26. “This new bridge is a critical replacement which will help keep residents safe and connect neighborhoods.”
The bridge, which goes over DC-295, was rebuilt using $17 million in federal emergency funds.
Montgomery County Board of Education moves to install vape detectors in high schools
By D. Kevin McNeir
high schools.
Over the past few years, school officials throughout the D.C., Maryland and Virginia area have continued to address and confront the challenge of
students vaping. Some school districts have already installed detectors, stationed bathroom monitors and provided information for teachers so they can better anticipate when and where students may attempt to sneak away for a puff.
But the problem has only gotten worse.
According to CDC research from 2023, 2.1 million students currently use e-cigarettes. Of the children who vape, 25 percent reported using e-cigarettes (electronic cigarettes) daily; more than 22,000 were surveyed by the FDA.
Further, recent data shows that e-cigarettes are currently the most widely used tobacco product
among young people in the U.S. But hold onto your hats. While the number of high school students using tobacco decreased between 2022 and 2023, the number of middle school students went up, according to the FDA.
Any form of nicotine use, including vaping, has been found to have negative health impacts,
experts say. E-cigarettes can damage lungs, leading to problems that include COPD, asthma and lung cancer. The chemicals found in e-cigarettes can also cause lung disease or heart disease. Medical officials warn that young people may become more easily addicted to nicotine because their brains are still developing.
Photo courtesy of Bowie State University
The life of First Lt. Richard W. Collins III is now being honored with a two-story image inside of Bowie State University’s new Martin Luther King Jr. Center. Collins was commissioned into the Army shortly before he was killed on the campus of the University of Maryland in 2017.
Special to the AFRO
Unsplash/ Matt Sirr
Montgomery County Board of Education is working to bring vape detectors to all high schools this year in their district.
Continued from D1
commissioned Collins as a second lieutenant shortly before his death and later promoted him to 1st lieutenant posthumously.
Investigators discovered that Urbanski was a member of a Facebook group called “Alt-Reich: Nation,” a page known for sharing bigoted posts about African Americans and other groups. Although prosecutors argued that the killing was a hate crime, the judge dismissed the charge for lack of evidence. Urbanski was convicted of first-degree murder in December 2019 and subsequently sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
Following their son’s death, the Collins were thrust into advocacy. They quickly established the 2nd Lt. Richard Collins III Foundation to educate and empower young Americans who are dedicated to creating a hate-free society.
The couple was also instrumental in the formation of the BSU-UMD Social Justice Alliance. As a result of their work, BSU and UMD began offering a new sociology course, “Hate Crimes in the U.S.: What Lt. Richard Collins III Can Teach Us About History, Hope and Healing,” this semester. The class is the first-of-its kind in the country.
Collins’ father said his son would have been proud of the new portrait.
“We’re proud of him, and he certainly would have been proud of the likeness and representation that he’ll forever have on his alma mater’s campus,” said Richard Collins Jr. “He was a young man
who was full of life, intelligent, athletic, and he loved people. It’s a bittersweet moment for us because you never get over something as traumatic as what happened to our son, but it helps us to be energized around our active advocacy.”
Aside from Collins’ image, the center’s main entrance displays abstract impressions of vocal sound waves from Dr. King’s 1964 Nobel Peace Prize speech.
The building features a fitness center and outdoor training plaza for BSU’s ROTC students. Those studying communications have access to a podcast studio, two television studios, digital editing labs, a custom recording booth and an advanced digital screening room.
The center also holds 18 general
classrooms, a 1,500-seat auditorium and two lecture halls.
“Every student receiving a BSU education will pass through this building at some point in their curriculum,” said BSU President Aminta H. Breaux in
Bridge reopening
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The remodeling of this bridge ended the work of repairing three of four pedestrian bridges along DC-295 that were in poor condition and posed safety risks. The other two revamped bridges are the Douglas Street Bridge and the Parkside Pedestrian Bridge.
“The completion of the Lane Place Pedestrian Bridge marks a great milestone in our
a statement. “The cutting-edge tools and resources found here will elevate instruction of the liberal arts and enable students to find their own voice and develop skills to navigate real-world challenges in their future careers.”
efforts to provide safe, accessible and sustainable transportation options for all residents,” said DDOT Acting Director Sharon Kershbaum in a statement on Aug. 23. “We want to thank the Biden-Harris administration for their continued support on these transformative projects that are having a meaningful impact in supporting communities.”
The new structure
features an enhanced vertical clearance to ensure safer vehicle passage below, Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant ramps and access stairs and better lighting on the bridge and sidewalks.
The Lane Place Pedestrian Bridge also now goes over both Kenilworth Avenue service roads, ending the need for pedestrians to cross the busy access roadways.
Book Festival
Continued from D1
TikTok has been accumulating followers from around the globe.
“Book-Tok is keeping a lot of these bookstores alive,” she said. “I think the conventions are also keeping the bookstores and physical books alive.”
The compact schedule had a balance between reading events and activities focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Several organizations such as Black Girls Code, Boolean Girl and NASA had offerings catering to children and young adults.
“I am an advocate for reading. If you can read, you can do math, you can do anything. So learning your alphabet, learning your letters, learning sentences, word structure is something I am a stickler for,” said Shamir Cole, who attended the festival with her nieces and daughter. “We push reading at home, and I feel like if you can take children to a carnival, you can take them to go learn something.”
Some families anticipate making the
“I am an advocate for reading. If you can read, you can do math, you can do anything.”
trip to the nation’s capital every year for the day-long festival as a way to bond and grow their love for reading.“This is maybe our third year in a row attending,” said D.C. native John Pendleton, who attended the festival with his daughter Ava Pendleton. “My daughters inherited their love of books from their mother, so they are serious about books. Ava can go through books pretty quickly, so it gets too expensive if we don’t go to the library.”
“I just like absorbing knowledge from different books and reading about different topics,” said Ava Pendleton. “And I just like reading in general– it’s fun.”
Photo courtesy of the District Department of Transportation
The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) reopens the Lane Place Pedestrian Bridge in Ward 7 on Aug. 23.
Photo courtesy of Bowie State University
The Martin Luther King Jr. Center at Bowie State University is the new home for communications and humanities disciplines. ROTC students also have a dedicated space in the building.
Fight For Children prepares D.C. youth for school year on Youth Sports Day
By Mekhi Abbott Special to the AFRO mabbott@afro.com
Fight For Children sent students in the Washington D.C. area back to school in style with free backpacks, school supplies and haircuts during their Youth Sports Day held on Aug. 24. The event highlighted the importance of youth participation in physical activity, while showcasing the teams and programs in the
“What we’ve done is assembled nearly 40 nonprofit organizations that are high quality youth sports programs that puts the kids first. They focus on the whole child.”
area that families can put their children in for educational and recreational purposes. Youth Sports Day was held at the Fields at Robert F. Kennedy Campus in Anacostia Park. Sponsors and partners for the event included Gatorade, Under Armour, 37 nonprofit organizations from
AFRO Briefs
Fight For Children Youth Development Institute and all of the D.C.-based professional sports organizations.
“Unfortunately, youth sports have become out of reach for a lot of families. If you want to put your kid into a quality soccer program, you’ve got to have $300 in disposable income for maybe six to eight weeks of play,” said James Kallusky, president of Fight For Children. “It’s become a business and unfortunately, it left a lot of families out that just can’t afford that. What we’ve done is assembled nearly 40 nonprofit organizations that are high quality youth sports programs that puts kids first. They focus on the whole child.”
Although the event was catered towards showcasing the sport and recreational activities that Fight For Children and other organizations in the D.C. area have available for free or low costs, Kallusky also wanted to make sure that children are being given the opportunity to have access to resources that improve their performance in the classroom as well as their overall livelihood.
“We focus on the development of the child, not just the athlete. We have tutoring programs, college readiness programs and mentorship programs,” aid Kallusky. “After school, if kids don’t have any programs or teams available to them, they can be out getting in trouble. These programs keep kids in school, out of trouble and keep kids healthy physically and mentally. We are just trying to bring awareness to these programs.”
Youth Sports Day 2024 marks the
Former Prince George’s County Councilman Mel Franklin agrees to plea deal
By D. Kevin McNeir Special to the AFRO
Former Prince George’s County Councilman Mel Franklin pleaded guilty to felony theft scheme over $100,000 and perjury Aug. 26 after prosecutors determined that he had stolen money from his own campaign fund.
According to prosecutors, Mel Franklin allegedly took more than $124,000 from his Friends of Mel Franklin campaign account and used the money, without legal authority, to pay for his personal use and benefit, including loans, credit card debt, rent and cosmetic procedures.
He has also been charged with falsifying reports to the state board of elections regarding
expenditures. As part of the plea, Franklin agreed to a sentence of five years, with all but one year suspended, on both counts. The sentences
is now awaiting the next steps of the legal process after pleading guilty to felony theft charges.
Kids rock climb at a Youth Sports Day
second year that the event was put on by Fight For Children. In its inaugural year, attendance was at about 500 people, according to program coordinator Marc Shapiro. This year, that number grew to almost 2,000.
will run concurrently. In addition, he agreed to pay $133,000 in restitution to the campaign. That money will go to a charitable organization.
Gatorade, one of the biggest sponsors at the event, provided water, a dunk tank, a cooling station and plenty of free merchandise. Under Armour provided 500 free backpacks and food vendors such as La Raza and DC Mexicano Grill provided free food for the community from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. EST.
“We are about to start a program called E.A.T.S., which stands for ‘early access to sports’. We will be utilizing our 37 youth
sports organizations and connecting the community to them by either bringing the programs into D.C. public schools or bringing the first through third graders to sites where our programs or organizations operate… We really want to eliminate the transportation barrier,” said Shapiro.
Also provided at Youth Sports Day were physicians for youth eye exams, physicals and wellness checks. Games and activities included flag football, rock climbing and soccer. Shapiro said that Fight For Children hopes to continue to make Youth Sports Day an annual event and “something that is a D.C. staple for the end of the summer” with kids going back to school.
Courtesy photo Former Councilman Mel Franklin
AFRO Photo / Mekhi Abbott
held by Fight For Children.
D.C. students enjoy back to school fun
By Patricia McDougall
Mayor Muriel Bowser held her Back to School Day on Friday, Aug. 23 at the Fields at RFK in Washington, D.C. The event brought out families for a fun day with free food, haircuts, activities, health checks and more. Families received backpacks filled with school supplies, while some received their school uniforms. Health officials were on hand to give children their immunizations needed to enter classrooms across the District.
The event was free and open to all that attended. It was truly a fun day for all that attended as they danced to the sounds of live music and various local artists.
Thousands of bookworms flock to D.C. for National Book Festival
By Ariyana Griffin AFRO Staff Writer agriffin@afro.com
Thousands gathered at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Aug. 24 for the 24th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival. The three-story convention center was full of events from book reading sessions for children, author panels, book signings and so much more related to literary success. The free event is a way to allow book lovers to gather and hear from some of their favorite authors. Attendees had an opportunity to purchase books from the 90-plus authors that were a part of the festival, as well as get them signed by the authors.
Bookworms of all ages and authors across the country gather to connect each year at the annual Library of Congress’ National Book Festival. This year’s event took place on Aug. 24 at the
Kaiden Matthews-Findley (left) and Jazmine Hall are ready for school with their backpacks.
Candesse Cameron enjoys the event with her daughter, Karis-Lillian Cameron.
Pamela A. Smith, chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) of Washington, D.C., takes time out of her busy schedule to participate in the Back to School Day at RFK with Z’riyaa Wade (left) and Mekhi Wade.
Nelson Anderson receives his back to school haircut by Master Barber Renee Sterling, of Spirit by Nature.
Zion Anderson (left), Ziona Anderson, Amariyah Anderson and Zamar Anderson enjoy a free meal.
Graffiti Artist Raj Sedalia makes character drawings for Anika James (left), Quincy James, Olu Pyne and Nyirah Newton.
Families celebrate the Mayor’s Back to School Day at RFK with food, music, free haircuts and more.
All photos by Patricia McDougall
Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
Children and parents enjoy the space designated for read-aloud story time sessions.
Father-daughter duo John and Ava Pendleton attend their third National Book Festival.
Soraya Walker (back, left), Shamir Cole , Winter Wynn (front, left) and Naima Johnson are all smiles at the Book Festival.
Loren Spivery ( left) and Jasmyn Marsh spend their Saturday at the Washington Convention Center, enjoying the book festival.
The line to get into the National Book Festival is long and filled with eager book enthusiasts.
Monet Walker, of Baltimore, is a frequent book festival patron. She attended the 24th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival to see her favorite writer, scifi author Christopher Paolini.
AFRO Photos / Ariyana Griffin