Cherry blossom season concludes with fashion show at National Harbor
By Ama Brown AFRO Editorial AssistantPlus Ultra Entertainment and Studio Couture recently came together to close out the end of D.C.’s iconic cherry blossom season with a fashion show at the National Harbor. Plus Ultra, an event planning entity focused on the niche of nerd culture, worked with Studio Couture owner Roquois Clarke, an events planner and creator of multimedia productions, to flood the harbor with bright spring designs in an ode to the flower.
Elegant and fun pieces rocked the runway from designers such as the world-renowned DiDomenico and Andrew Lowell. VIP treatment at the event included an open bar with cooling stations. Seated on the pier at sunset, the show as a dazzling array of pink and green tones, bringing out the natural beauty of popular bloom.
Howard County NAACP hosts 2024 Freedom Fund Luncheon and Awards
By AFRO StaffOn April 28 the Howard County NAACP held the Freedom Fund Luncheon and Award Ceremony
at The Hotel at Anne Arundel Preserve. The event serves as both a fundraiser and a platform to honor local champions who have made a difference in civil rights,
education and health in Howard County.
The Howard County NAACP hosts the luncheon on an annual basis. This year, the event featured
Grammy-nominated poet, human and civil rights activist, journalist and author Kevin Powell as the keynote speaker.
The NAACP Howard County Branch, founded in 1944, is dedicated to advocating for civil rights, equality and justice in Howard County, Md. Through its programs and initiatives, the NAACP Howard County Branch works to address systemic issues and empower communities to create positive change.
Willie Flowers, president of the NAACP Howard County Branch, was in attendance to help handout awards and honor individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to advocacy and community service.
Leaders of the law, civil rights community celebrate upcoming anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education
On April 25 the Reginald Lewis Museum, in partnership with the Thurgood Marshall Center Trust, held a memorable event in celebration of the 70th anniversary of Brown vs Board of Education. The event included a panel discussion and honored Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first Black man to sit on the Supreme Court. Prior to joining the highest court in the land, Justice Marshall spearheaded the desegregation of schools across the country.
Speakers for the event included the renowned lawyer-professor and civil rights leader Larry Gibson, U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.) and President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), Dr. Benjamin Chavis. Both Congressman Mfume and Ben Chavis have served as heads of the National Office for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Maryland Governor Wes Moore brought greetings and offered thanks and appreciation to the panelists for their work on behalf of civil rights and to Terri Freeman, president of the Reginald Lewis Museum, who served as moderator for the event.
The panelist shared with the audience their encounters with Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall in his early years and the significance of
with law
and
his contribution to history and to them personally.
The event was just one of three planned by the Thurgood Marshall Center Trust in honor of the upcoming anniversary. An event will be held May 9 in Washington, D.C. at the Thurgood Marshall Center for Service and Heritage and on May 17 in Charleston, South Carolina at the International African American Museum. The 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education will arrive on May 17.