By Deborah Bailey, Contributing Editor Maryland voters responded positively to a ballot measure on Nov. 8 that legalized recreational use of marijuana for residents 21 and over. The law reform will go into effect across the state starting July 1, 2023. The fourth Maryland ballot question was approved by slightly more than 65 percent of
By Catherine Pugh, Special to the AFRO The ballroom at the Waterfront Marriott hotel in downtown Baltimore could not have been more jovial on Nov. 8. It was teeming with campaign volunteers, well-wishers, people who wanted to be a part of history and those who made the trek just to get a glimpse of Gov.-Elect
By Howard University President Wayne A. I. Frederick, M.D. & Bruce Jones, Ph.D. Vice President for Research Dr. Charles R. Drew changed the world. Starting in the 1930s, while on faculty of Howard College of Medicine, Drew discovered a method for long-term storage of blood plasma, which led to the first large-scale blood banks, an innovation that
By Maya Pottiger, Word in Black Last year, an elementary school principal in rural Mississippi wanted to get her students excited about science. So, after receiving grant funding, she bought robots for third and fourth graders to assemble and then held a white coat ceremony for them, complete with their names embroidered on the jackets.
By Marc H. Morial, President and CEO National Urban League “Reverend Butts worked more effectively than any other leader at the intersection of power, politics, and faith in New York. He understood the role of faith in our lives, especially in the Black community. But he also understood power and how to wield it and
By Hamil R. Harris Barbara Hatcher was a registered nurse working on her nursing doctorate at George Mason University when she learned that the 115th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital of the D.C. National Guard was being mobilized for duty in the Persian Gulf. “When we were called up, I thought it would backfill and support the
By Ralph E. Moore Jr., Special to the AFRO All Souls Day is observed on November 2 of each year in the Catholic and other Christian traditions. It is a day of remembrance with prayer, meals and visits to cemeteries. Those who have gone before us are honored fondly for the lives they led; they
By Tashi McQueen, AFRO Political Writer, Report For America Corps Member, tmcqueen@afro.com The day after the historical win for then-Democratic candidate Wes Moore, Black male Baltimoreans weighed in on the monumental achievement. “Wes Moore seems authentic, genuine and he shakes up the normal political landscape,” said Hasani James, a 47-year-old Baltimore native. “It’s impressive that
*The annual Merge Awards returned to Los Angeles at The Beverly Wilshire Hotel on November 5, where some of Hollywood’s biggest movers and shakers were honored. Among the list of honorees of the evening included PJ Morton, Charles D. King and Stacey Walker King, Israel Houghton, Romeo Miller, and Adam Blackstone, James Dubose, Moran Debaun
*Black veterans are owed a special debt of gratitude. We do so on Veterans Day via TheHistorymakers.org. The vets’ stories have been one of service to their country when often the United States did not protect them. The bottom line is that African Americans were present among the forces fighting in the French and Indian