Afro e-Edition 04-12-2024

Black Maternal Health Week: An AFRO inside look at motherhood in America

Each year, Black Maternal Health Week is recognized April 11-17. The week is used to highlight the joys and challenges of motherhood from conception to the postpartum period. Even as technology and science advance, experts say Black women are still disproportionately affected by miscarriage, complications such as high blood pressure during pregnancy and death before, during or after childbirth. This year, the AFRO spoke with women about motherhood, miscarriages and the choice to become a mother later in life.

By Alexis Taylor

Cristina Easton was 34 when she found out she miscarried her very first child. The first issue? She never even knew she was pregnant.

“I was told in a very matter of fact way,” she recalls. “It changes you when you find out about a pregnancy that way. I never got the ‘Oh my gosh– I’m so excited,’ phase. I went to the emergency room because I was in significant pain.”

Today, the experience and the coldness of it all sticks with her– even though she went on to have a healthy baby just two years later. Easton was just one of the women the AFRO spoke with for Black Maternal Health Week,

recognized each year April 11-17.

“You spend your whole life trying not to get pregnant so you can go to school, get settled in your career and find the right person,” Easton told the AFRO. “I never thought about miscarriage until it happened.” And she wasn’t alone.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Black mothers were more than twice as likely to experience stillbirth compared to Hispanic and White mothers” in recent studies.

The data is worse when it comes to Black maternal mortality.

“Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than White women,” reports the CDC. “Multiple factors contribute to these disparities, such as variation in quality healthcare, underlying chronic conditions, structural racism and implicit bias. Social determinants of health prevent many people from racial and ethnic minority groups from having fair

opportunities for economic, physical and emotional health.”

Experts have been ringing the alarm for years about rising maternal mortality in the Black community and solutions to the deaths which are– in large part–preventable.

“Recommendations include addressing implicit bias and improving cultural humility in the healthcare sector,” according to the 2023 report titled, “Listen to the Whispers before They Become Screams: Addressing Black Maternal Morbidity and Mortality in the United States.” Other suggestions include “diversifying the workforce, incorporating social determinants of health and health disparities into the medical and health professions curriculum, exploring the impact of environmental and occupational exposures on maternal morbidity and mortality, addressing the impact of structural racism on health outcomes and improving social policies and programs.”

Easton, now a 40-year-old education

consultant, agrees that awareness, a biasfree birthing team, close monitoring and community support kept her from becoming a statistic. As she was 35 when she conceived her second child, Easton says her doctor, Dr. Robert Atlas, and the team at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore watched her closely, monitoring everything while she carried her child through what was considered a “geriatric pregnancy,” due to her age.

It was during this time, for example, that she became aware of her low blood pressure.

“I credit my team because they were watching me,” said Easton.

The World Health Organization (WHO) lists high blood pressure during pregnancy or postpartum as one of the leading causes of maternal mortality. When Easton’s birthing team saw a blood pressure result that would normally be deemed “regular,” they used the background information they had about her naturally low blood pressure and instead

Arizona outlaws abortion using law from 1864

By Tashi McQueen AFRO Political writer tmcqueen@afro.com

The Arizona Supreme Court issued a ruling that created a near-total abortion ban in the state on April 9. The Arizona Supreme Court, through the Planned Parenthood Arizona v. Kristin Mayes case, reinstated a criminal law from 1864 that nearly completely banned abortions in the state until the 1970s. “Freedom shouldn’t

When I’m in the Senate, I’ll fight like everything to eliminate the filibuster and make sure women across this country have access to abortion rights, IVF and the full spectrum of reproductive care,” said Angela Alsobrooks, a U.S. Senate candidate for Maryland. “I can’t imagine what the women and families of Arizona are going through today. Know that we see you and we will not stop fighting until your freedoms are restored.” The reinstated law reads:

“A person who provides, supplies or administers to a pregnant woman, or procures such woman to take any medicine, drugs or substance, or uses or employs any instrument or other means whatever, with intent thereby to procure the miscarriage of such woman, unless it is necessary to save her life, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state

Photo by Unsplash/ Eyasu Etsub Photo by Unsplash/Jeferson Santu

Photo by Unsplash/Amr Taha

Though Rwanda has come a long way since the

1994 genocide,

scars of the past still haunt the nation

By Rodney Muhumuza and Ignatius Ssuuna The Associated Press

Rwanda is marking the 30th anniversary of the East African nation’s most horrific period in history — the genocide against its minority Tutsi. To this day, new mass graves are still being discovered across the country of 14 million people, a grim reminder of the scale of the killings.

Delegations from around the world gathered on April 7 in the capital of Kigali as Rwanda holds somber commemorations of the 1994 massacres.

In a pre-recorded video ahead of the ceremonies, French President Emmanuel Macron said on April 4 that France and its allies could have stopped the genocide but lacked the will to do so. Macron’s declaration came three years after he acknowledged the “overwhelming responsibility” of France — Rwanda’s closest European ally in 1994 — for failing to stop the country’s slide into the slaughter.

Here’s a look at the past and how Rwanda has changed under President Paul Kagame, praised by many for bringing relative peace and stability but also vilified by others for his intolerance of dissent.

What happened in 1994?

An estimated 800,000 Tutsi were killed by extremist Hutu in massacres that lasted over 100 days. Some moderate Hutu who tried to protect members of the Tutsi

ideology” among some Rwandans.

What does Rwanda look like today?

The streets of Kigali are clean and free of potholes. Littering is banned. Tech entrepreneurs flock here from far and wide. Stylish new buildings give the city a modern look and an innovation center aims at nurturing local talent in the digital culture.

But poverty is rampant outside Kigali, with most people still surviving on subsistence farming. Tinroofed shacks that dotted the countryside in 1994 remain ubiquitous across Rwanda.

30 years since the genocide in which an estimated 800,000 people were killed by governmentbacked extremists, shattering this small east African country that continues to grapple with the horrific legacy of the massacres.

minority were also targeted.

The killings were ignited when a plane carrying then-President Juvénal Habyarimana, a member of the majority Hutu, was shot down on April 6, 1994, over Kigali. The Tutsi were blamed for downing the plane and killing the president. Enraged, gangs of Hutu extremists began killing Tutsi, backed by the army and police.

Many victims — including children — were hacked to death with machetes. Kagame’s rebel group, the Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front, managed to stop the killings, seized power and has since, as a political party, ruled Rwanda.

Kagame’s government and genocide survivor organizations have often accused France of training and arming militias and troops that led the rampage, sometimes saying they expect a formal apology.

A report commissioned by Macron in 2019 and published in 2021 concluded that French authorities failed to see where Habyarimana’s regime, which France supported, was headed and were subsequently too slow to acknowledge the extent of the killings. However, the report cleared France of any complicity in the massacres.

What came after the genocide?

After Kagame seized power, many Hutu officials fled into exile or were arrested and imprisoned for their alleged roles in the genocide. Some escaped to neighboring Congo, where their presence has provoked armed conflict. In the late 1990s, Rwanda twice sent its forces deep into Congo, in part to hunt down Hutu rebels.

Some rights groups accused Rwanda’s new authorities of revenge attacks, but the government has slammed the allegations, saying they disrespect the memory of the genocide victims.

Kagame, who grew up as a refugee in neighboring Uganda, has been Rwanda’s

de facto ruler, first as vice president from 1994 to 2000, then as acting president. He was voted into office in 2003 and has since been reelected multiple times.

What’s the political landscape like?

Rwanda’s ruling party is firmly in charge, with no opposition, while Kagame’s strongest critics now live in exile. Kagame won the last presidential election, in 2017, with nearly 99 percent of the vote after a campaign that Amnesty International described as marked by suppression and a “climate of fear.”

Critics have accused the government of forcing opponents to flee, jailing or making them disappear while some are killed under mysterious circumstances. Rights groups cite serious restrictions on the Internet, as well as on freedom of assembly and expression.

Some claim Kagame has exploited alleged Western feelings of guilt over the genocide to entrench his grip on Rwanda.

Now a candidate in the upcoming July presidential election, Kagame has cast himself in the role of a leader of a growing economy marked by technological innovation, with his supporters often touting Rwanda as an emerging business hub in Africa.

What about reconciliation?

Rwandan authorities have heavily promoted national unity among the majority Hutu and the minority Tutsi and Twa, with a separate government ministry dedicated to reconciliation efforts.

The government imposed a tough penal code to punish genocide and outlaw the ideology behind it, and Rwandan ID cards no longer identify a person by ethnicity.

Lessons about the genocide are part of the curriculum in schools.

However, a leading survivors’ group points out that more needs to be done to eradicate what authorities describe as “genocide

The nation is young, however, with every other citizen under the age of 30, giving hope to aspirations for a post-genocide society in which ethnic or tribal membership doesn’t come first.

Corruption among officials is not as widespread as among other governments in this part of Africa, thanks in part to a policy of zerotolerance for graft.

Are there troubles on the horizon?

Though mostly peaceful, Rwanda has had troubled relations with its neighbors. Recently, tensions have flared with Congo, with the two countries’ leaders accusing one another of supporting various armed groups.

Congo claims Rwanda is backing M23 rebels, who are mostly Tutsi fighters based in a remote area of eastern Congo. The M23 rebellion has displaced hundreds of thousands in Congo’s North Kivu’s province in recent years. Rwanda says Congo’s military is recruiting Hutu men who took part in the 1994 massacres.

U.N. experts have cited “solid evidence” that members of Rwanda’s armed forces were conducting operations in eastern Congo in support of M23, and in February, amid a dramatic military build-up along the border, Washington urged Rwandan authorities to withdraw troops and missile systems from Congo.

In January, Burundi, whose troops are fighting alongside the Congolese military in eastern Congo, closed its border with Rwanda and started deporting Rwandans. This happened not long after Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye accused Rwanda of backing Congobased rebels opposed to his government. Rwanda denies the allegation.

Rwanda has also been in the news recently over a deal with Britain that would see migrants who cross the English Channel in small boats sent to Rwanda, where they would remain permanently. The plan has stalled amid legal challenges.

In November, the U.K. Supreme Court ruled the plan was illegal, saying Rwanda is not a safe destination for asylum-seekers.

AP Photo/Brian Inganga

Rwandan President Paul Kagame (left), and his wife, First Lady Jeannette Kagame arrive for a ceremony to mark the 30th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, held at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, in Kigali, Rwanda. Rwandans are commemorating

Beyoncé’s 'Cowboy Carter' gallops to number one, making history on Billboard 200 music chart

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire

Beyoncé has once again proven her dominance in the music industry as her latest album, “Cowboy Carter,” rides triumphantly to the top of the Billboard 200 chart. Released on March 29, the album’s debut at number one marks a stellar achievement for the superstar and stands as the highest-selling album of 2024 thus far.

With an impressive 407,000 equivalent album units, “Cowboy Carter” secures Beyoncé’s eighth chart-topping album, solidifying her status as a musical powerhouse. Fans and critics alike said the remarkable feat reflects her artistry’s enduring appeal and influence.

With her latest achievement, Beyoncé becomes the first Black woman to debut at number one on the Top Country Albums chart, highlighting her groundbreaking impact across genres and the album’s wide-ranging appeal that resonates with audiences worldwide.

Streaming counted as pivotal in “Cowboy Carter’s” triumph, with 232,000 units attributed to streaming equivalent albums. This marks Beyoncé’s most significant streaming week ever, demonstrating her ability to captivate audiences across digital platforms.

In addition to digital success, the impact of “Cowboy Carter” is felt in physical sales, with traditional album sales totaling 168,000 units.

With an impressive 407,000 equivalent album units, “Cowboy Carter” secures Beyoncé’s eighth chart-topping album, solidifying her status as a musical powerhouse. Fans and critics alike say the remarkable feat reflects her artistry’s enduring appeal and influence.

The album’s limited edition vinyl releases also made a significant mark, selling 62,000 copies and claiming the title of the best-selling vinyl

album of 2024, a testament to the enduring appeal of physical music.

Beyoncé’s chart-topping prowess extends

beyond “Cowboy Carter.” She surpasses Janet Jackson to claim the fourth-most number one albums among women on the Billboard 200, placing her alongside icons such as Madonna and Barbra Streisand.

“Cowboy Carter” represents the second chapter of Beyoncé’s ambitious “Renaissance” trilogy project, a musical journey that intrigues with its diverse array of collaborators and musical influences. The album’s thematic depth and sonic innovation resonate with fans and critics alike, solidifying Beyoncé’s status as a visionary artist.

Reflecting on the album’s inspiration, Beyoncé recently recounted her journey to embrace the country music genre. “Cowboy Carter was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed,” Beyoncé wrote on Instagram regarding her 2016 performance at the Country Music Association Awards, where backlash on social media was immediate and drenched in racial overtones.

“But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of country music and studied our rich musical archive. It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world, while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives to educating on our musical history.”

This article was originally published by NNPA Newswire.

became alarmed. She was given compression socks and monitored closely. And with good reason.

A 2023 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force report showed that “the risk of dying of eclampsia and preeclampsia is about five times greater for Black individuals.” According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), preeclampsia and eclampsia are pregnancy-related high blood pressure disorders.”

“In preeclampsia, the mother’s high blood pressure reduces the blood supply to the fetus, which may get less oxygen and fewer nutrients,” reports NICHD. “Eclampsia is when pregnant women with preeclampsia develop seizures or coma.”

It was a risk that Ciara Stevens, a college access educator and mother of two, also had to face.

Black women experience anxiety related to childbirth.

Rashaun James, an instructional coach and mother of two, spoke about the anxious feelings she experienced during her pregnancy.

“I was very concerned about the doctors being dismissive or telling them that I was feeling unwell,” stated James. “I feel like they look at Black women like we just ‘get pregnant’ by somebody and here you are with this baby. They don’t always treat you like you’re a real person with feelings–but you are.”

When James conceived her twins, she had already had a miscarriage. She was mindful of how she took care of herself, but her greatest concern was something she couldn’t control: her doctors and nurses being biased.

“I had a miscarriage before my pregnancy, but when I was actually pregnant I had experienced some bleeding so I called the nurse and I was so scared. I asked her ‘what should I do ?’”

Continued from A1 prison for not less than two years nor more than five years.”

advocating for themselves. Both James and Stevens advise all expecting mothers to get a second opinion from a different healthcare professional if the first one doesn’t seem right. They also warn that Black women must learn to trust their bodies. Several of the mothers that spoke with the AFRO emphasized how important it is to stand firmly in their concerns during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period.

“I tell people all the time that the medical field is to Black women, what police are to Black men–dangerous! It just seems like more times than not they don’t take our concerns seriously,” exclaimed Jada Dunwoody-

“I had my daughter in October of 2019. At the time I was preparing to turn 34, which is older than the typical maternal age. At the time one of my biggest fears was preeclampsia and gestational diabetes,” recalled Stevens. “When I went into labor with my daughter they had to give both her and myself oxygen because my blood pressure was high. After giving birth we were both fine.”

Stevens said her deliveries in both 2019 and 2023 had complications related to high blood pressure.

The risk of experiencing complications– and having concerns dismissed- are just two of the many reasons

“At that point, I had already announced my pregnancy. I knew that I was having twins and I was so scared that I had miscarried again,” James stated. “I was asking her what to do and if we should come in and she told me ‘well we don’t have a magic button or something that we can push to make it stop,’” recalls James. “I wondered would she have said that to a White woman.”

When it comes to Black women and their pregnancies, many mothers are left

Abortion

Continued from A1

According to the Center for Reproductive Rights, a worldwide human rights legal organization, the law will be “enforceable in 45 days after the court issues its mandate, which is separate from today’s decision.”

“This cruel ban was first enacted in 1864—more than 150 years ago, before Arizona was even a state and well before women had secured the right to vote,” said President Biden in a statement on the matter. “We will continue to fight to protect reproductive rights and call on Congress to pass a law restoring the protections of Roe v. Wade for women in every state.”

Brent, a flight attendant and mother of three. “I didn’t have any issues with my pregnancies, but I recognize how important it is for us to look out for ourselves and if you can’t look out for yourself–have someone who can.” Easton said mental health and support are key while making the transition into motherhood.

“Culturally, we’re seen as the living superwomenwe’re not. As a community, we aren’t as quick to ask for mental health help or admit when we’re struggling and I think that is important to address,” she said.

“The crisis is often captured in deaths–but it’s not always that you’re going to die,” Easton noted. “You cannot raise a child if you do not have the mental fortitude. If you’re not right mentally you may not pay attention to certain things your body is telling you. You cannot take care of yourself and another human when your mind is not right –especially for Black women who already experience a lot of mental stress just existing in America in 2024.”

state.”

According to the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonprofit law public policy organization, in the 1960s, abortions were illegal in most states in the U.S.

“To stop bans like this we need a United States Congress that will restore the protections of Roe v. Wade and when they do, President Biden will sign it into law,” said Vice President Kamala Harris, in a video she released on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “Let’s always remember, it does not have to be this way.”

“Freedom shouldn’t be dictated by your zip code.”

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced on the day of the ruling that she would not enforce this law.

“Today’s decision to reimpose a law from a time when Arizona wasn’t a state, the Civil War was raging and women couldn’t even vote will go down in history as a stain on our state,” said Mayes in a statement. “This is far from the end of the debate on reproductive freedom, and I look forward to the people of Arizona having their say in the matter. Let me be completely clear, as long as I am Attorney General, no woman or doctor will be prosecuted under this draconian law in this

The Alliance Defending Freedom, a faith-based legal advocacy organization, held a live-streamed press conference on April 9 to discuss their approval of the decision.

“We are incredibly grateful for the Arizona Supreme Court’s ruling today,” said Jake Warner, senior counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom’s Appellate Team. “We celebrate the Arizona Supreme Court’s decision that allows the state’s prolife law to again protect the lives of countless innocent unborn children.”

Tashi McQueen is a Report For America corps member.

Courtesy of NNPA Newswire

COMMENTARY

Two years since the CROWN Act– now what?

By Jasmine Nichole Cobb

As African Americans continue to face discrimination involving Black hair despite the introduction of the CROWN Act, policymakers must trade efforts to define acceptable Black hairstyles for more explicit definitions of abuse and discrimination.

March 2024 marks two years since the CROWN Act passed in the House of Representatives, following a wave of state bills targeting hair discrimination. Beginning with California’s CROWN Act, passed in July 2019, several state legislatures have debated the topic, passing successive bills that claim “hair texture or that hairstyle is commonly associated with a particular race or national origin” cannot be held “against those participating in federally assisted programs, housing programs, public accommodations and employment.” However, March also marks the bill’s failure in many places–including West Virginia, where state Sen. Eric Tarr

(R) argued discrimination lawsuits would be too costly for the state. Likewise, there remains ongoing suppression of African American’s access to public institutions in districts that have already introduced or enacted CROWN Act laws and acknowledge the need for protection.

Unfortunately, CROWN Act bills are limited in scope, offering guidance for recognizing various Black hairstyles, including “cornrows, twists, braids, Bantu knots, or Afros,” as professional but insufficient direction on understanding racial discrimination. In naming the kinds of hairstyles African Americans might wear, the CROWN Act seeks to make Black hair more legible to the public instead of making discrimination easier to recognize. The result is that decision-makers use the law to narrowly judge what is acceptable regarding hair practices for African Americans. We see this approach in the recent ruling by Texas Judge Chap Cain III, who sided with

Jasmine Nichole Cobb, Ph.D. is a professor at Duke University who specializes in African and African American Studies and Art History. With expertise in Black cultural production, her perspective enriches discussions on hair discrimination and the significance of legislation like the CROWN Act.

the Barbers Hill school district, reading the law and finding that Superintendent Greg Poole did not violate the CROWN Act in his requirement that Daryl George, 18, cut his locked hair. Since the school will allow locked hairstyles but insists on a desirable length, the judge’s ruling found that the school’s dress code does not discriminate against George because the CROWN Act does not include

exemptions for long hair. However, a longer view of Black hair in US history reveals that the law has often been mobilized against African Americans attempting to wear long hair, going back to slavery. For instance, African Americans who ran away from slavery in eighteenth-century Virginia had their hair forcibly cut upon recapture

New Fed rule will increase your banking fees

By David J. Byrd

As the national director at the Minority Business Development Agency, located within the U.S. Department of Commerce, one of my primary concerns was creating conditions for the economic success of all Americans, including those in underrepresented communities. Recent statistics from the Office of Business Advocacy at the Small Business Administration, found over three million Black-owned businesses employ 1.2 million people. Being part of America’s economic engine and taking part in the American Dream is critical for a better future for all. But this success did not happen overnight and cannot occur if policymakers in Washington, D.C.

don’t promote economic policies that encourage our entrepreneurial spirit. That’s why a recent proposal by the Federal Reserve is such a concern, as it empowers the largest corporations in the world and does little to benefit America’s small business owners.

In a March 5 letter to the Fed, a 38-member congressional coalition sounded this alarm. The issue centers on the Fed doubling down on its 2011 price cap of debit card swipe fees. Essentially, in 2011, Congress instructed the Federal Reserve to artificially lower the fees businesses pay to banks when consumers use debit cards at their stores. Although the Fed was not a fan of this congressional mandate at the time, the central bank

reluctantly complied with the legislative branch’s directive, adopting a policy capping the interchange fee to approximately 24.5 cents per transaction.

As Harry C. Alford, the now late president of the Black Chamber of Commerce, said at the time, the winner of this policy was not consumers but rather the wealthiest corporations in America. According to Alford, while “big box retailers claimed this policy would help small mom-and-pop businesses by creating a ceiling on the amount they can be charged on debit transactions,” these large companies “neglected to mention that the price controls also created a floor that was often higher and more expensive than what these small businesses were paying in the first place.”

The result was large companies like Amazon, Walmart and Costco raked in billions of dollars –over $106 billion, to be precise–by escaping their swipe fee obligations, giving them an incredible marketplace advantage they continue to use to stifle their small business competition.

Now, however, most of the Federal Reserve skeptics of this policy from the previous decade are out of power, and the central bank’s new leaders are proposing to tighten the screws once again, further reducing this price cap by 28 percent to approximately 17.7 cents. This new rule, which the Fed is formally calling Regulation II, is outrageous, and will constitute a remarkable expansion of the governmentmandated subsidy for the

to signal their status as enslaved persons. Likewise, Black women who survived slavery in the nineteenth century share personal stories about having their heads forcibly shaved as part of a brutal process of sexual violence in North Carolina and Louisiana. This history is a missing piece and a vital element to understanding the cultural significance of Black

largest retailers in the world if it is implemented.

These mega retailers seem to delight in their privileged status. Recall these corporations were deemed “essential” by the government and were allowed to stay open during the pandemic while most states forced small businesses to close their doors. The last thing these behemoths need today are more favors from America’s politicians and regulators.

The marginal benefit small businesses might receive from a reduction in their swipe fee liabilities would be far outweighed by the massive windfall that the megaretailers will receive. Small companies simply cannot scale their costs as well.

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Environmental racism in Maryland: How Black communities are disproportionately exposed to toxic PFAS

By Jonathan Sharp

Environmental justice in Maryland state law is defined as the right to equal protection from environmental hazards for all, regardless of race, income, culture and social status. Still, marginalized communities in Maryland experience environmental racism and injustices on an everyday basis. Among other hazards, they are exposed to toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) through their drinking water.

In its most specific form, environmental racism is the intentional placement of polluting facilities, such as industrial sites, landfills, airports and military facilities near communities primarily populated by people of color.

Since the 1980s, advocates and studies have raised concern over such policies. A report published by Princeton University states that although African Americans make up 13.6 percent of the U.S. population, they are 75 percent more likely than White people to live in areas near facilities that produce noise, odor and traffic and 68 percent live near coal-fired power plants.

Another study has shown that African American and Latino communities have twice the number of oil and gas wells that exist in White communities.

PFAS contamination is one of the most worrying environmental hazards in the U.S. because of its dangers to human and non-human health. PFAS is a large group of synthetic chemicals

used since the 1950s in various household products, including aqueous filmforming foam (AFFF), a type of firefighting foam. They are called “forever chemicals” because once they leak into the soil and groundwater, they are very mobile and hardly break down. Longterm exposure to PFAS leads to severe diseases such as decreased fertility, weakened immune systems and various types of cancers. Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the maximum contamination level (MCL) of PFOA and PFOS, the most common types of PFAS, at four parts per trillion (ppt), meaning virtually no contamination level is safe.

PFAS has been found in the blood of almost 90 percent of Americans, but not

all communities are affected in the same way. There has been plenty of research on how PFAS-caused cancer impacts firefighters at a disproportionate level because they regularly work with AFFF. Still, it has hardly been researched how communities living close to PFAS pollution sites– such as military bases or airports–are affected. The first-ever research focusing on drinking water contamination by PFAS in particular communities of color by also looking at the connection between the level of contamination and the proximity of PFAS pollution sites was published in May 2023. The study, conducted by scientists at Harvard University, proves the hypothesis that communities with higher rates of Black and Latino individuals are more

likely to be exposed to PFAS than other communities. Is PFAS contamination an environmental injustice problem in Maryland?

Maryland is the ninth smallest state by land area but the fifth most densely populated in the U.S., home to various ethnic and racial communities. According to population estimates from 2022, more than half of its residents are people of color, and it has a sizeable 31.7 percent African-American population. Maryland is also home to 29 active and passive federal military facilities, which are among the biggest PFAS polluters in the state, mainly because of AFFF use and discharge into the environment.

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hair in U.S. culture and must be paired with efforts to eradicate discrimination. This information reveals that attempts to force African Americans to cut their hair to desirable lengths are about controlling Black bodies and go back centuries in U.S. history.

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Policy Development at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This week, he weighs in on how a new federal rule can impact the Black community.

Jonathan Sharp is a

David J. Byrd is former national director of the Minority Business Development Agency at the U.S. Department of Commerce. He previously served as the deputy assistant secretary for the Office of

Courtesy photo

Photo courtesy of Duke University

chief financial officer at Environmental Litigation Group, responsible for case evaluation and financial analysis. The Environmental Litigation Group, based in Birmingham, Ala., is a law firm that works with victims of toxic exposure. This week, Sharp discusses Black communities, which are disproportionately affected by PFAS.

Courtesy photo

FAFSA fiasco could keep Black kids out of college this fall

By Joseph Williams Word In Black

It’s been one thing after another with the new-but-notnecessarily-improved Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA), a form that helps students pay for college.

First, the long-anticipated rollout of the redesigned online application was delayed for three months because it just wasn’t ready. Then, when it finally did appear, a variety of bugs and glitches, including some that could reduce the amount of federal tuition aid, kept students and their families from completing it. Now, Chronicle of Higher Education reports that schools are receiving FAFSA applications with incorrect tax information from families.

None of this is good news for Black students, some 80 percent of whom depend on FAFSA to help pay for ballooning college costs.

According to the nonprofit National College Attainment Network, roughly 34 percent of all eligible high school seniors have submitted FAFSA applications through March 22, an overall decline of nearly 29 percent since last year. But the problem is most acute, according to NCAN data, among lowincome schools and schools with high concentrations of minority students. There, the percentage decline in 2024 FAFSA applications is slightly more than 35 percent.

Besides worsening an already-bad time crunch for colleges and students who

needed the financial information weeks ago, the FAFSA fiasco could keep Black students — an outsized number of whom rely on federal aid — out of college classrooms this fall.

“Because Black students are disproportionately FAFSA filers, this has a huge impact on their ability to make a decision about both where, and if, they go to college,” says Bryan Cook, director of higher education policy at the Urban Institute Center on Education Data and Policy.

Cook worries that some frustrated Black students, worried that they can’t pay for college without federal assistance, may downgrade their college choice or give up on college completely. Either option, he says, would have negative, long-term effects on their earning power in the job marketplace.

The FAFSA process, which colleges use to calculate their share of financial aid for a student, is already months behind schedule, Cook says.

Unless the problems get resolved quickly, he says, ”Black students are going to have to make some really tough decisions about whether or not they continue to stay in this process.”

The unequal impact on Black college-bound seniors is the latest headache for the federal Ed Department’s FAFSA reboot, which stumbled out of the gate late last year.

Instead of the FAFSA application being open Oct. 1, enough time for students and colleges to prepare for the

fall 2024 semester, the form didn’t launch until Dec. 31, setting off a scramble. The subsequent series of errors and submission problems didn’t help; at last count, only around 20 percent of applications have been processed, resulting in a nationwide backlog of some 6 million applications.

technicality it overlooked could end up costing students almost $2 billion in aid. And that’s before the cascade of issues that

“Because Black students are disproportionately FAFSA filers, this has a huge impact on their ability to make a decision about both where, and if, they go to college.”

Even though the Ed Department delayed the rollout to fix problems it knew about, a

President Biden unveils sweeping student loan relief plans, targeting racial disparities

By Stacy M. Brown

Newswire

President Joe Biden has announced comprehensive plans to provide substantial relief to borrowers, particularly those from marginalized communities disproportionately burdened by debt. The proposed measures, announced on Monday, April 8, would represent a significant step towards making higher education more accessible and equitable for millions of Americans.

Despite Republican opposition and a previous rejection by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Biden-Harris administration is implementing yet another round of student loan forgiveness measures.

Since taking office, the Biden-Harris Administration has prioritized reforming the federal student loan program, focusing on easing borrowers’ financial burdens. The administration has already approved debt cancellation for 4 million borrowers, offering them muchneeded breathing room and economic mobility.

White House officials say that the newly unveiled plans build upon these efforts and are expected to provide relief to over 30 million borrowers, combined with previous actions taken by the administration. One of the central aims of the proposals is to address the disproportionate debt burden borne by communities of color, mainly Black and Latino borrowers.

Statistics reveal stark racial disparities within the student loan system. Black and Latino borrowers, who are more likely to take on student loans to afford a college education, often find themselves saddled with higher levels of debt compared to their White counterparts. According to a White House Fact Sheet, 20

have surfaced in recent months. Cook says those numbers are exacerbated by the fact that lowincome, high-minority schools have fewer guidance counselors who can help guide students through the process. That can be important, experts say, because heads of low-income minority

households tend to have lower rates of college degree attainment.

“We know that Black and Hispanic students disproportionately attend highpoverty schools, where their ratio of guidance counselors to students is double what that what they are in more wealthy schools,” he says. “So the combination of Black students disproportionately filing FAFSAs and disproportionately having less access to guidance counselor’s means that this issue with the rollout of the new FAFSA is having a much harder impact on Black students.”

Indeed, studies have found that Black students are 1.2 times more likely than White students to attend a school with a law-enforcement officer but without a guidance counselor. The counselors can be critical to completing the FAFSA.

And every bit of financing helps: According to a study by College Board, for the 2022-23 academic year, average tuition and fees for a public four-year school averaged $10,940 for in-state students and $28,240 for out-of-state students, according to the latest data from College Board. Private nonprofit fouryear schools amassed a much higher $39,400 average. Add room and board, books and other expenses to the mix, and that bill goes up several thousand dollars more.

Given those hurdles, Cook worries that Black student enrollment in college — already on the decline in part because of skyrocketing tuition and the

Supreme Court dismantling of affirmative action in school admission decisions — is about to take another hit because of the FAFSA snafu.

Students depend on the financial aid form to get “a better sense of what schools they can afford,” he says. That matters, he says, because a degree from a more selective college tends to bring higher wages after graduation.

Without knowing how much federal aid they’ll get for tuition, “high school students may decide to now go to maybe a regional, public school that’s more affordable, or even a community college that they can afford,” Cook says. “Or — worst case scenario — opting out of pursuing a college education this year, altogether. And we know any sorts of delay for low income students could ultimately mean they choose not to go on to college.”

Fortunately, Cook says, many colleges are doing what they can to help, pushing back deadlines and trying to work with students. But the ripple effects of the FAFSA revamp, Cook says, spotlights the bigger, thornier problem of college affordability.

“I think it just underscores how much of a reliance students have on federal financial aid,” he says. Unfortunately, “there is no silver bullet.”

“My biggest fear,” Cook says, “is that we may have already lost some students.”

The

One of the central aims of the proposals is to address the disproportionate debt burden borne by communities of color, mainly Black and Latino borrowers.

AP Photo/Evan Vucci

WHERE THE MONEY GOES.

Thanks to the support of our players, the Maryland Lottery contributed more than $714.3 million to support Maryland’s schools, public health and safety programs and the environment, and paid more than $1.73 billion in prizes to players during Fiscal Year 2023. Not bad. We’d like to think we generated a few million smiles as well.

WASHINGTON-AREA

Uncovering history: Deep in the woods, a former enslaved woman’s grave tells a story

By Hailey Closson Capital News Service

“Have you seen the gravesite?” a neighbor asked.

“Seen what?” Amanda Sciaretta responded.

The weather was pleasant the day Sciaretta joined her father and daughter for a walk around her new neighborhood in the fall of 2023.

She and her husband, Anthony, were a few months away from welcoming a member to their growing family, another daughter, and had recently moved from a Maryland suburb to an emerging housing development in King George’s County, Va., called

“We were just walking outside in my neighborhood and people had mentioned that there was a grave in our neighborhood in the woods. As we were walking, we were looking… and we could see it from the road.”

Oakwood Estates. It’s a small rural community in the northern part of the state, complete with farmlands and a bustling nature scene along the Potomac River.

Through her neighbors, Sciaretta learned that her home connected to lurid whispers about an enslaved woman’s grave in the forest.

“We were just walking outside in my neighborhood and people had mentioned

Connecting through science: Bowie State University brings solar eclipse viewing to HBCU community

Bowie

By Deborah Bailey AFRO Contributing Editor dbailey@afro.com

Leave it to an HBCU to transform the 2024 solar eclipse viewing into a family reunion, homecoming- style celebration of Black excellence– all rolled into one event.

That’s exactly what Bowie State University did on April 8 as hundreds of students, faculty and staff, alumni and community members gathered at Bulldog Football Stadium to witness the 2024 solar eclipse on a Monday afternoon.

The brass section of the Bowie State band was turning up the volume and the cheering squad was on hand to greet students and guests piling into the football arena armed with solar viewing glasses.

They came in tee shirts and jeans, divine nine fraternity and sorority colors, and one mother and daughter team even came in matching astronaut gear. Melissa Duchene-Kelly, BSU faculty member and her daughter, Marley Kelly, celebrated the occasion in matching space suits.

“I’ve been into astronomy since elementary school so I thought it would be cool to see the solar eclipse,” said Wilson.

“I have to say this is an experience, it doesn’t happen a lot. I never want to take an experience like this for granted. I don’t know where I’ll be in 20 years when another eclipse comes to North America,” said Elliott.

Students like Wilson and Elliott were joined by scores of community members who joined the campus in eclipse viewing like Mayelle Guilliame, a 15-year-old from Northwestern High School who came with her brother and father for the experience.

“I never want to take an experience like this for granted. I don’t know where I’ll be when another eclipse comes to North America.”

“I thought it was very cool, and yes I was a little excited about it,” said the self-contained student who let out an audible gasp as the sky began to darken shortly after 3:00 p.m. Maryland was not in the path of “totality,” however the eclipse did cover up to 85 percent of the sun, according to NASA scientists who experienced the event with the Bowie State community.

Mayor Bowser targets truancy in attempts to stem surge in juvenile crime, violence

By Ronald Taylor Special to the AFRO

is zeroing in on truancy to reverse stubborn trends in school attendance and youth violence and crime.

In a bill labeled the UPLIFT Act, the administration is tackling chronic truancy in the District. According to the Office of the State Superintendent of Education, more than a third of D.C. students are chronically truant, accumulating more than 10 unexcused absences.

What Bowser wants

“We believe in diversion. We believe that it’s appropriate for certain young people, but we are seeing an increase in young people who are involved in more serious crime–dangerous and violent crime.”

“It’s not going to happen for another 20 years and in 20 years she’ll be in college,” Duchene-Kelly said about Marlene, her elementary school-aged daughter. Scientists predict that North Americans will have to wait until 2044 to see the next full solar eclipse– and they will have to travel to North Dakota or Montana to see it.

“She really loves astronomy–anything that has to do with outer space. She’s been asking every day, ‘Is this solar eclipse day?’ so we’re here and we’re ready,” said DucheneKelly.

More than 200 eclipse enthusiasts filled the stadium bleachers including music-tech senior, Grace Wilson, and Jasmine Elliot, a business administration junior.

NASA’s Kenneth Harris II, one of NASA’s youngest Senior Satellite Engineers, and Chidilim Okonkwo, director of NASA Financial Systems, joined the eclipse experience at Bowie State and offered students a complete history of the earth’s eclipses, a rundown of NASA’s current eclipse research projects and comprehensive safety guidance. They also took the opportunity to offer a pep talk and encouragement to students.

“You can impact someone else’s life just by your love of science. You never know what you’re going to spark in the next generation,” Harris said to the group just before the eclipse began.

“I was advised to drop out of engineering at one point in my journey,” said Harris, who went on to earn his Ph.D. in engineering and now works with his mentors, Alphonso

is a new system melding D.C. social services with counseling and increased parental involvement to bring children back to school.

The proposed legislation would combine early intervention, alternative in-school placements, enhanced family engagement, and accountability to keep young people safe, in

JPMorgan Chase expands affordable housing commitments, awards $3 million to Homes by CFE

By Megan Sayles AFRO Business Writer msayles@afro.com

JPMorgan Chase announced $20 million in new philanthropic funding for nonprofits committed to growing homeownership opportunities for underserved communities on April 8. The commitment includes $3 million for Homes by CFE, a D.C.-based community development financial institution (CDFI) mortgage lender that provides down payment assistance to Black and Brown homebuyers.

The financial firm also increased its Chase Homebuyer Grant from $5,000 to $7,500 in 15 markets, including the D.C. metropolitan area, and removed the income limit for its 3 percent-down DreaMaker mortgage program in 15,000 communities across the country.

“In nearly every state, people of color are less likely to own homes compared to White households. The significance of these disparities cannot be overstated,” said

“Research consistently shows that homeownership contributes to a more prosperous community, creates an opportunity to secure equity, provides people with a stable safe place to call home and can lead to generational wealth.”

wealth,” said Berry.

Black and Brown communities experience wealth disparities and limited access to credit when trying to buy a home. They may also be deprived of the requisite financial

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser

State University students and community members gather to view the solar eclipse on April 8. The crowd included Melissa Duchene-Kelly (left), a BSU faculty member and her daughter, Marley Kelly, who arrived prepared to celebrate the solar eclipse viewing at the historically Black college in matching space suits.

Tim Berry, global head of responsibility and Mid-Atlantic chairman for JPMorgan Chase. “Research consistently shows that homeownership contributes to a more prosperous community, creates an opportunity to secure equity, provides people with a stable safe place to call home and can lead to generational

Courtesy photos

Uncovering history

Continued from B1

that there was a grave in our neighborhood in the woods. As we were walking, we were looking… and we could see it from the road,” Sciaretta said. “We went closer and that’s when we saw the gravesite they had mentioned.”

King George’s County is home to a legion of historic sites including a national trail and the birthplace marker of James Madison, the fourth president of the United States. But lesser-known is the final resting place of a vital figure in the development of gynecological science, an enslaved woman named Anarcha Jackson.

Off the road in the thickets of a shallow preserve stands a polished tombstone adorned with a statue of a cherub, surrounded by several marked and unmarked stone slabs.

“We said a prayer before we approached it because we didn’t want to be disrespectful,” Sciaretta said. “But we looked at it and you could see she had a really nice headstone that looked like somebody put [it] there more recently.”

The burial grounds Sciaretta and her neighbors encountered belonged to a White Reconstruction-era family whose matriarch was named Hattie E. Jackson, according to J.C Hallman, researcher and author of the 2023 biography about Jackson, “Say Anarcha.”

Jackson’s headstone lies further back in the woods, propped against a tree.

Who was Anarcha Westcott Jackson?

Anarcha Westcott Jackson

was born on the Westcott Plantation in Alabama around 1828, where she was listed as the fourth of five children, according to some of the earliest birth records found by Hallman.

In 1845, physician J. Marion Sims, the man known as the “father of gynecology,” received a request to visit the Westcott Plantation near his practice in Montgomery, Ala., to perform a forceps delivery on Jackson.

Sims had created a “Negro hospital” in his the backyard of his residence to perform orthopedic and ophthalmological surgeries, according to docuseries, “The Anarcha Archive,” available on Youtube. He conducted experiments at a local infirmary on enslaved men suffering from face and jaw cancers. He also experimented with the infants of enslaved mothers, finding that a diagnosis he called “infant lockjaw” was the bacterial infection tetanus.

It’s estimated that Jackson was 15 or 16 at the time of her pregnancy, which was likely due to rape, as the Westcott Plantation was known for forcing enslaved women to reproduce, Hallman said.

She was in labor for days. After her delivery, she suffered a vesicovaginal fistula, an opening between the bladder and the vagina that causes involuntary urinary incontinence, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. The abnormality can occur from difficulties during childbirth. Sims determined Jackson’s condition was incurable, as were the

Bowie State University

Continued from B1

Stewart, leader of Deployment Systems for NASA’s James Webb telescope.

Harris’ other mentor and co-worker is Kenneth Harris Sr., his father, who is also an engineer at NASA and the younger Harris’ lifelong role model. Both Stewart and Harris Sr. are Bowie State alumni, and the solar eclipse served as a sort of homecoming for those returning to the campus.

“This event is a bridge to connect Bowie State University and the community together,” Provost Guy-Alain Amoussou said to the crowd of students, family, friends and faculty gathered underneath the afternoon sky.

And with every gasp and hush of the crowd, a connection was indeed made.

Okonkwo, who travels the nation representing her agency at sites where NASA’s research and space flight projects are located, encouraged students to be proud of their identity.

Mayor Bowser

Continued from B1

school and engaged, Bowser said in a statement, unveiling the proposed legislation on April 3.

“We know that the safest place for our young people is in schools. Not only is school the safest place for our young people, it is also where they connect with trusted and caring adults who can assess their needs and make sure they have what they need to be safe, healthy and happy,” said Bowser.

The goal, said Deputy Mayor for Education Paul Kihn, is to “help support families as they navigate their students’ attendance” with a bill that helps “all families understand their students’ need to be in school every single day.”

This legislation would:

conditions of two other women battling the same affliction, Betsey and Lucy — the only names (minus Jackson) who were listed in his writings about his first round of pelvic experiments. He discharged the women but returned after testing a curative method on a white woman who’d dislocated her uterus from a fall off a pony, according to “The Anarcha Archive.”

Sims gathered Jackson, Lucy, Betsey, and seven additional enslaved women suffering from vesicovaginal fistulas to be the subjects of his and his colleagues’ medical tests in his backyard hospital.

His experiments were

conducted without the patients’ consent and without anesthesia, a sedative and pain reliever that, while in its early development, was given to white women, according to Vanessa Northington Gamble, professor of medical humanities at George Washington University in a 2016 interview with NPR.

It is estimated that Jackson underwent 30 procedures while in Alabama and an unknown number of additional procedures after being sold to plantations in Virginia.

Sims founded a women’s hospital in New York in 1855. His assistant married a woman in Alabama, prompting the discovery that

“You can impact someone else’s life just by your love of science. You never know what you’re going to spark in the next generation.”

the original surgeries Sims performed on Jackson did not cure her. Jackson was sent to Richmond, Va., to be further studied by the founder of a new medical school in the state, Charles Bill Gibson. Gibson was unsuccessful in curing Jackson, pregnant with her fifth child at the time, and sent her to Sims in New York.

The details of her trip to New York are unclear because of insufficient documentation, a common struggle in the research of enslaved people, according to Hallman.

The Maury family of Bowling Green, Va., later “owned” Jackson. Around 1863, she was leased to the “Alto” Plantation, owned by Charles Mason in King George, Va.

A letter between Mason and William L. Maury details that Jackson was in poor health and unable to work. She lived through the emancipation of enslaved people in 1865 and is recorded by the King George’s County Historical Society to have died in 1870 at age 48.

Unofficial marriage records show that Anarcha Westcott Jackson, also referred to as Ankey, Anky, and Annacay in varying historical documents, deemed herself married to a formerly enslaved man named Lorenzo or Laurenzi in 1864, Hallman wrote. Lorenzo is believed to have adopted Jackson’s birth last name and not the name of her first enslavers on the Westcott Plantation. He died 15 years later in 1884 and is buried next to her and two of their infant children in the woods.

Jackson carried 10 pregnancies to term.

The path to memorialization

Jackson’s gravesite rests on private property and no formal arrangements have been made between the county and the landowner.

Nick Minor, the director of economic development and tourism for King George’s County, said the property owner has been cooperative in allowing people to visit the gravesite and helped to confirm it as Jackson’s.

Minor says his department and the King George’s County Historical Society have discussed a project, but are unable to do anything without a formal request and collaboration by the landowner.

“We can’t just interject on this project and take control over it– that’s not how this works,” Minor said. “This has to be a cooperative project from the landowner to the historical society, to the county, and then any other organization that would need to be involved to do this the right way.”

Under a solemn tree, Jackson’s grave will be preserved in its spot and remain there permanently, said Robert Gertz, the president of the company that owns Oakwood Estates. The Rawlings family cemetery will also be preserved as the work in that phase of the neighborhood is completed, he said.

-Establish temporary alternative school placement as an alternative-to-suspension model for students (grades 6 – 12) involved in serious incident

-Fine tune the District’s approach to discipline by defining allowable suspensions for serious safety incidents for middle school students (grades 6–8), clarifying definitional language,

-Allow a designee of the head of a local education agency (LEA) to approve suspensions for more than 20 cumulative days.

Under the bill, chronic truants would be the subject of a mandatory family meeting with the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services when a child is charged

with a violent crime. There would also be family support from the Department of Human Services for truant students.

The initiative would also reduce the use of a judicial tactic known as diversion to give accused juveniles a second chance when accused of violent crimes.

“We believe in diversion; we believe that it’s appropriate for certain young people,” Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Lindsey Appiah said. “But we are seeing an increase in young people who are involved in more serious crime, and dangerous and violent crime, and gun crime.”

Last week, D.C. police arrested three girls, ages

12 and 13,charging them with beating a handicapped man to death. Prosecutors

The grave marker for Anarcha Jackson and her husband Laurenzi leans against a tree deep in the woods near a new housing development in King George’s County, Va.

Photo courtesy of J.C. Hallman

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s crackdown on truancy with the UPLIFT Act has been described as a way to support parents in boosting school attendance, while simultaneously keeping youth out of trouble.

AP Photo/Susan Walsh

say 64-year-old Reggie Brown didn’t know his attackers and tried to get

away before he was killed. Police said the girls each had a history of truancy.

The moon partially covers the sun during a total solar eclipse on April 8. Shown here, a view from the Washington, D.C. area.

AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

The Nigerian American, told students when she first came to NASA, many co-workers couldn’t even pronounce her name. Still, she persevered and arrived at Bowie on the day of the eclipse to deliver a message: “Be authentic to who you are.”

JPMorgan Chase

Continued from B1

literacy to navigate the homebuying process.

In 2021, JPMorgan Chase made a $400-million, five-year commitment to boost housing affordability and stability for these communities. The pledge is a part of the financial institution’s larger $30-billion racial equity commitment.

The Chase Homebuyer Grant and DreaMaker mortgage program help individuals manage down payment and closing costs, significant, upfront expenses.

“At the end of the day, we recognize there are no easy answers to a challenge as complex as our nation’s housing crisis,” said Berry. “But, we’re excited to continue to bring ideas to the table to invest in innovative programs that increase access to homeownership and help us deliver for our clients and customers across the country.”

Homes by CFE, a subsidiary of City First Enterprises, will use the $3 million to support its Down Payment Assistance Program (DPA), a special purpose credit program. Through it, eligible Black and Latinx homebuyers receive assistance of up to 20 percent of the home price, or a maximum of $100,000.

Those who earn less than the median family income

can receive an additional $10,000 in purchase assistance funds, which can be used to pay down debts and afford closing costs. The program launched in 2022 and has since spawned nearly 20 firsttime homeowners. By 2026, Homes by CFE expects to to serve 100 new homeowners in the WashingtonBaltimore area.

“We want banks, mortgage lenders and public agencies to embrace this concept and take it to the next level,” said Oswaldo Acosta, CEO for City First Enterprises. “We want to be at the very beginning of a new consumer financial product that could be adopted by mainstream financial institutions.”

25-year-old Jose Padron bought his first home in Waldorf, Md. through the DPA. Padron, a police officer, began searching for

houses in February 2023 after deciding he didn’t want to deal with rising rent. He felt as though he was throwing his money away. However, he needed help affording a down payment.

“Without this program, there is no way I’d be able to own a home in Waldorf and have a place to call my own,” said Padron.

The mortgage for his new 1,200 square-foot house is less than his rent for his previous 700-square foot apartment.

“Being a homeowner has been amazing. Repairs have come along. I’ve had to take care of my HVAC system, and [I’m] waiting on a new roof and insurance, but being a homeowner is well worth it,” said Padron. “It gives you a different perspective in life.”

Megan Sayles is a Report for America corps member.

Stantec is soliciting expressions of interest from qualified DBE/WBE firms or individuals to provide services necessary in response to DC Water Solicitation #: DCW-SOL-24-10358, Process Facilities Program Manager (PFPM)- DCFA #550-WSA.

Services include program and construction management for Water, Stormwater, and Sewer Pumping Facilities, as well as the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant. Areas of needed support include program/project controls, facility planning, capital planning, asset management, project management, construction inspection, permitting, condition inspection and assessment, as well as water/ wastewater engineering and technical support services.

Interested firms should submit qualifications to Vesna Vujinovic at vesna.vujinovic@stantec.com preferably on or before April 23, 2024 but no later than May 6, 2024

Upcoming meetings and events in the D.C. area

By Tashi McQueen AFRO Political Writer tmcqueen@afro.com

Earth Day Family Festival

The National Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum are celebrating Earth Day with a family festival on April 20 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 800 G Street Northwest, Washington, D.C. The event will feature musical performances, craft workshops, a scavenger hunt and face painting for children 12 and under.

Budget Oversight Hearing: Committee of the Whole

The D.C. Council is currently going through its budget process. Anyone who’d like to be apart of the process can attend a budget oversight hearing on April 24 at 9 a..m. During the hearing the Office of Zoning, the Office of Planning and the Department of Buildings will testify. Those interested can attend at 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, D.C. or via https://bit.ly/2ooL0l1.

Protecting Cultural Heritage Under Siege

The National Museum of Asian Art is hosting a panel discussion on April 24 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on protecting tangible cultural heritage and those who work to maintain it in areas of violence. Panelists will explore the intertwined economic, humanitarian and political challenges of protecting shared cultural heritage.

The event is located at Freer Gallery of Art on Independence Avenue at 12th St, SW Washington, D.C.

The Big 202 Entrepreneur Networking

Those looking for an opportunity to network with other entrepreneurs grow their connections and should attend the Big 202 Entrepreneur Networking event on April 25 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at 800 Maine Avenue Southwest, Washington, D.C.

DC Walk 4 ReCovery 2024

Join the D.C. Walk 4 ReCovery for a day of support, music and networking at the National Mall on April 27 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The D.C. Walk 4 ReCovery is a national initiative committed to providing education and providing solutions for individuals dealing with the effects of co-occurring Disorders associated with addiction and mental health illnesses.

Tashi McQueen is a Report for America Corps member.

Tuesday, April 30th 8am - 3pm

Washington Convention Center

801 Allen Y. Lew Place NW, 20001

Cutting Edge Workshops

Tools, Tips and Strategies

Access to Capital Procurement Opportunities

Awards Luncheon

Networking Opportunities

One-on-One Consultation with Business Experts

Business Expo and Vendor Exhibits

Speed Networking REGISTER

Tim Berry is the global head of responsibility and chairman for the Mid-Atlantic region for JPMorgan Chase.

Photo courtesy of JPMorgan Chase

April brings an Earth Day festival, budget hearings and networking opportunities to the D.C. area.

Unsplash

Black and Brown communities celebrate Hispanic heritage at Mexican Cultural Institute

On April 6 Things To Do DC held its Black Tie Fiesta Gala, celebrating Mexican heritage in the heart of Washington, D.C. The event took place at the multi-level Mexican Cultural Institute.

Art lined the walls, food was offered and the crowd was entertained as they networked in beautiful cultural attire. Things to Do DC hosts a variety of events throughout the year, with many held at various embassies in the District.

By Patricia McDougall Special to the AFRO

Attendees of the 2024 Black Tie Fiesta meet at the Mexican Cultural Institute on April 6 to celebrate all things related to Hispanic culture.

Sharmane Meredich and Reginald Anderson celebrate Hispanic heritage in D.C.

Mexican Dancers Abigail Aquino and Jonathan Aquino perform for the crowd.

Maya Piper and Peter Tellez enjoy the festivities.

Martha Curtin and Regan Weigei

Evelyn Vernon (left), Joy Akin and Imaobong Ewfiong-Archibong

Greg Bland, CEO at Things To Do DC, welcomes guests to the Black Tie Fiesta at the Mexican Cultural Institute.

Black, disabled and dealing with the maze of health care

By Anissa Durham Word in Black

Sanieqwa Wilson has lived with Type 1 diabetes since she was 11. One of the challenges she has faced is getting an insulin pump. She first requested it when she was 25. Now, at 40, the Columbus, Ohio, resident finally got a new endocrinologist who approved it two months ago. It took 15 years.

Part of the problem was the constant switch in doctors, Wilson says. Every few months or years, she was assigned a new endocrinologist. But it’s not just diabetes that she has to worry about.

In June 2017, she had a heart attack. And 10 months later, on March 31, 2018, she had a sudden cardiac arrest — which subsequently left her in a coma for eight days. Wilson lives with kidney disease and congestive heart failure.

“I have a lot of anxiety with my diabetes…it’s extremely traumatic,” she says. “I have PTSD from the sudden cardiac arrest.” Adults like Wilson who live with a disability report higher rates of delayed access to medical equipment and supplies than adults without a disability, a new Urban Institute report finds. This contributes to worsening health outcomes, chronic pain and mental health issues.

The analysis comes from

the Institute’s June 2022 Health Reform Monitoring Survey of nearly 10,000 adults ages 18-64. And researchers who spearheaded the report told Word In Black the findings are not surprising.

“What is surprising…there’s not a lot of national data on barriers adults with disabilities face to get medical equipment, supplies and other home and community-based services,” Michael Karpman, principal research associate in the Health Policy Center at the Urban Institute, says. “This is filling an important data gap that is really not covered by federal surveys.”

Some of the most common types of equipment and supplies that were delayed or not received included eyeglasses, breathing equipment, mobility equipment, diabetes supplies, and hearing aids. And adults with a disability were six times more likely than non-disabled adults to say they experienced delayed physical and occupational therapy.

Beyond the data are the people living with and experiencing first hand complications and delays in the health care system.

With multiple health conditions to manage, Wilson, like many Americans, is left to navigate a complicated health care system. And as a Black woman, she faces additional inequities. For example, when

she explains to physicians that she’s in pain, they assume she can handle it since she’s lived with diabetes since childhood. And Wilson says anytime she goes to the hospital, even if it’s not related to her diabetes, it’s automatically blamed on the autoimmune disease. “It’s a whole ball of

frustration that comes along with diabetes,” she says. After the sudden cardiac arrest, she was put on disability and assigned Medicaid insurance. Three years ago, she got married and was put on her husband’s UnitedHealthcare insurance.

A tale of two insurances

“Medicaid is like a catch-22,” she says. “I can see the difference between having Medicaid and having UnitedHealthcare. It’s sad, but you’re literally treated two different ways.”

Prior to getting UnitedHealthcare, Wilson had ongoing issues getting insulin. And she faced similar problems when accessing her prescription heart medication. Medicaid refused to refill her heart medication even though she ran out. However, a CVS program refilled it for 10 days until her insurance company would refill the prescription.

“It’s almost like the insurance company was deciding what I needed and what I didn’t need,” Wilson says. “But the insurance company is not here with this diagnosis with me.”

Adults living with a disability and insured with Medicare or Medicaid were more likely to report delayed or unmet needs for medical supplies, like prescription drugs, than those with private insurance, the Urban

Institute report states. “Medicaid is the payer of last resort,” Karpman says. But he says having insurance is better than having nothing.

Black Disability Coalition, has spent more than two decades navigating the health care system for her son. Pilgrims’ son Hunter, now

“There’s not a lot of national data on barriers adults with disabilities face to get medical equipment, supplies and other home and communitybased services. This is filling an important data gap that is really not covered by federal surveys.”

“There’s no question that having health insurance is helpful. People gain much more protection from having insurance than being uninsured,” Karpman says. “The problem is there is still a large number of gaps in coverage. Too much complexity in health insurance. And there’s often a lack of transparency.”

With so much convoluted information about insurance plans and the health care system, it can be difficult to know where to start. Jackie Pilgrim, a representative of the National

24, was born seven months prematurely. When he was one week old, he had one-third of his small intestine removed. Months later, he developed lung disease after being intubated in the NICU. She says he came home with a colostomy bag and now lives with autism and other intellectual disabilities.

This article was originally published by Word in Black. See more on afro.com

AI models that analyze language in social media posts fail to detect depression in Black people

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire

In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have uncovered significant disparities in the effectiveness of language-based models for detecting depression on social media, mainly when applied to Black individuals. The study authors called for more inclusive mental health assessment and treatment approaches.

The study found that depression, which is a common mental health condition, often leaves clear linguistic traces. For example, first-person pronouns (“I”) and certain groups of words that show negative emotions can be signs of depression among social media users, according to previous research. However, the recent analysis of Facebook posts from over 800 individuals, including equal numbers of Black and White participants, revealed that these predictive qualities were primarily applicable to White individuals.

“We need to have the understanding that, when thinking about mental health

and devising interventions for treatment, we should account for the differences among racial groups and how they may talk about depression. We cannot put everyone in the same bucket,” said Dr. Sharath Chandra Guntuku, a senior author of the study, who expressed surprise over the findings.

The research uncovered that language-based models trained to detect depression performed significantly less accurately when applied to posts by Black individuals on social media.

Even after teaching the models on language specifically used by Black individuals, their predictive ability remained poor.

“Why? There could be multiple reasons,” said the study’s lead author, Sunny Rai, Ph.D., a computer and information science postdoctoral researcher. “It could be the case that we need more data to learn depression patterns in Black individuals compared to White individuals. It could also be the case that Black individuals do not exhibit markers of depression on social media platforms due to perceived stigma.”

Rai said there’s a need for increased representation of

Black individuals and other racial and ethnic groups in research to better understand how depression is expressed across diverse populations. The goal is to develop more accurate predictive models and improve mental health interventions tailored to different communities.

Moreover, the study revealed that specific linguistic markers previously associated with depression, such as first-person pronoun usage and expressions of negative emotions, were not indicative of depression among Black individuals. Researchers argued that this fact highlights the complexity of mental health

A new study finds that depression, which is a common mental health condition, often leaves clear linguistic traces. Though AI technology is being used to help identify social media users who may be struggling with their mental health by what they type and post online, the benefit is greater for White people, as the signs from Black social media users are missed more often.

“We

need to have the understanding that, when thinking about mental health and devising interventions for treatment, we should account for the differences among racial groups and how they may talk about depression. We cannot put everyone in the same bucket.”

expression across racial lines and underscores the importance of culturally sensitive approaches in mental health research and practice.

“AI-guided models that were developed using social media data can help in monitoring the prevalence of mental health disorders, especially depression, and their manifestations,” Rai added. “Such computational models hold promise in assisting policymaking as well as designing AI assistants that can provide affordable yet personalized healthcare options to citizens.” The researchers noted that

“insights made through AI can also serve the education of professionals who help people manage depression.”

“Understanding differences in how Black and White people with depression talk about themselves and their condition will be important when training psychotherapists who work across different communities,” said Lyle Ungar, Ph.D., a coauthor of the study and professor of computer and information science.

Sanieqwa Wilson speaks on her struggle to thrive despite her challenges with Type 1 Diabetes, kidney disease and congestive heart failure.

Courtesy Photo / Sanieqwa Wilson

Unsplash / Melyna Valle

Sean Paul helped bring dancehall to the masses– now, with a new tour, he’s ready to do it all over again

By Maria Sherman The Associated Press

It has been 21 years since Sean Paul’s dancehall anthem “Get Busy” topped the Billboard Hot 100 — which means “Get Busy” is finally old enough to hear “Get Busy” at the club.

“It’s changed for me now,” Sean Paul told The Associated Press over Zoom from his studio in Jamaica, reflecting on the song’s legacy. “Because when I say, ‘Get busy,’ I’m telling the kids to do their homework or clean stuff up.”

In the years since Paul helped introduce dancehall riddims and reggae to new audiences, he’s released six ambitious albums, including two straight out of the coronavirus pandemic: 2021’s “Live n Livin” and 2022’s “Scorcha.” He’s become a father and a devoted husband. (The “Jodi” in the “Get Busy” lyric “Shake dat ting, yo, Donna Donna / Jodi and Rebecca”? That’s his wife.) And his ambition to make joyful, danceable music has never wavered.

“It’s a timeless piece for me,” he says of “Get Busy.” “Every

time I try to do a song, I try to put the same butterflies that I had in my belly when I was flirting with the first girl on the first dance floor I went to. It’s just a feeling.”

That translates to his goal of bringing positivity to the masses.

“I have a lot of help with the riddim tracks, the genre itself is very infectious,” he says. “It gives you joy.”

His dedication comes from life experience.

“I had a lot of problems, as most teenagers do, trying to find themselves, trying to understand what life’s about. You know, my father was in prison. It was a single mom situation, and she was struggling to make sure that we were conscious beings,” he says.

Music was his release.

Now, he’s taking that energy on a 22-date U.S. run dubbed the “Greatest Tour,” kicking off May 2 at House of Blues in Orlando, Fla., and ending June 16 at the Fillmore in Charlotte, N.C.

“Why am I doing it now? I feel that the people are ready for me again,” Paul says.

“I did some work with some reggaetón acts last year,” he

adds, referencing new dancefloor hits, including the massive “Niña Bonita” with Feid and “Dem Time Deh” with Colombian singer Manuel Turizo.

He’s also released a few solo singles, including the infectious “Greatest,” and promises more conscious songs in the future — thematically not unlike 2016’s

“Never Give Up.” “There’s a lot of struggles here in Jamaica as well as it being, you know, a very beautiful place. But we do have our struggles that we have to deal with,” he says. “A lot of people don’t know me for that type of material, but, you know, it’s as important in my career.”

At his shows, fans will get a little taste of everything. But “good vibes,” mostly, he says: “I think people feel the fun from me and it bounces back and forth.”

This article was originally published by The Associated Press.

An AFRO inside look: Amidst legal scrutiny, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs named in case against son, Christian Combs

By Ericka Alston Buck Special to the AFRO

Amidst a whirlwind of controversy and legal battles, music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs and his son, Christian Combs, now find themselves entangled in a new web of allegations, lawsuits and federal investigations.

Recent events have cast a harsh spotlight on the Combs family, with federal Homeland Security Investigations agents executing searches on two of Sean Combs’ properties in Los Angeles and Miami on March 25. Sources familiar with the matter indicate that these searches are part of a broader sex trafficking investigation, led by federal authorities in New York. The involvement of the Department of Homeland Security suggests a deepening probe into allegations of criminal activity surrounding Combs.

“This is a significant development,” remarked attorney Chambord BentonHayes, of Benton Employment Law. “The Department of Homeland Security must have spent a significant amount of time investigating this case before launching such massive raids on Diddy’s properties. The fact that it has gotten to this point is a bad omen for Diddy– even though he is innocent until proven guilty.”

Indeed, Combs has been facing a torrent of accusations, ranging from sexual assault to sex trafficking. The latest lawsuit, filed by Grace O’Marcaigh in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleges that Christian Combs sexually assaulted her aboard a chartered yacht in late 2022. It’s reported that the incident occurred amidst a backdrop of rampant partying and drug use.

“The situation paints a disturbing picture,” Benton-Hayes remarked. “It often takes victims of sexual abuse or harassment a lot of time to gather their

courage to sue powerful people. After one victim sues, it often opens the floodgates for others.”

Christian Combs’ alleged misconduct adds to the mounting legal woes facing the Combs family. Sean Combs himself has been the subject of multiple lawsuits, including one filed by his former protege and romantic partner, R&B singer Cassie, alleging years of sexual abuse. The settlement of Cassie’s lawsuit underscores the complex legal terrain Combs navigates.

“The criminal case may bring to light exactly what Cassie Ventura experienced,” Benton-Hayes noted. “From my experience conducting workplace investigations, I know that the standard approach is for investigators to start with one witness who experienced or saw something and to learn from that person who else would have seen what occurred. Some individuals will be unwilling to talk,

others will be all too willing to talk.”

As the investigations continue and legal proceedings unfold, the ramifications for Combs and the broader entertainment industry remain uncertain. Yet, amidst the turmoil, there is a growing imperative for accountability and transparency within the industry.

“As allegations continue to surface, Diddy can likely expect to see more individuals from his past filing lawsuits against him,” Benton-Hayes concluded. “The ongoing scrutiny highlights the imperative of addressing allegations of misconduct within the industry.”

The allegations against Combs reverberate beyond the realm of entertainment, prompting broader discussions about power dynamics, accountability and systemic issues within the industry. With the #MeToo movement shining a spotlight on sexual misconduct, high-profile figures like

Combs face heightened scrutiny and calls for accountability.

Moreover, the involvement of federal authorities underscores the seriousness of the allegations and the potential legal ramifications. As investigators delve deeper into the allegations, the scope of the investigation may widen, implicating additional individuals and shedding

“The Department of Homeland Security must have spent a significant amount of time investigating this case before launching such massive raids on Diddy’s properties. The fact that it has gotten to this point is a bad omen for Diddy–even though he is innocent until proven guilty.”

light on systemic issues within the entertainment industry.

In the face of mounting legal challenges and public scrutiny, Combs and his legal team maintain their innocence, vehemently denying all allegations of wrongdoing. However, Benton-Hayes adds “ as the legal battles unfold and the investigations progress, the truth may come to light, reshaping the landscape of the entertainment industry and redefining

AP Photo/Tamas Vasvari

Sean Paul performs during his concert at Strand Festival in 2022. The Jamaican singer and songwriter is embarking on a 22-date U.S. run dubbed the “Greatest Tour,” kicking off on May 2.

notions of accountability and justice.”

AP Photo / Richard Shotwell

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ legal woes continue to grow, as he is now named in case against son, Christian Combs.

Redefining brotherhood: A look at the men of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity

By Aria Brent AFRO Staff Writer abrent@afro.com

Iota Phi Theta Fraternity (Iota) was birthed out of a series of intense civil rights events that forever changed the nation. The year was 1963– a time of many changes, which created the perfect setting for a new Greek letter organization to be founded.

Iota Phi Theta Fraternity was founded on Sept.19, 1963 on the campus of Morgan State College by Albert Hicks; Charles Briscoe; Frank Coakley; John Slade; Barron Willis; Webster Lewis; Charles Brown; Louis Hudnell; Charles Gregory; Elias Dorsey Jr.; Michael Williams and Lonnie Spruill Jr.

a tradition, not resting upon one” and established the organization’s values of scholarship, leadership, citizenship, fidelity and brotherhood.

Still today Spruill can be seen upholding the legacy of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity as the longest living founder of the organization. With a focus on building a new tradition and redefining what collegiate brotherhood looks like, the men of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity created their organization with a cause.

With several of the fraternity’s founding members being fathers and husbands, employed full-time, veterans or men who were older than the average college student, the founders of Iota had a lifestyle and perspective that set them apart from other college students. With these specific differences in mind, they began to operate under the motto “building

Although the Iotas were the last organization to be added to the National Pan-Hellenic Council, their service has been equally impactful to the Black community and the legacy of Black Greek letter organizations. By partnering with organizations like All of Us and Good Health WINS the men of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity have fostered initiatives focused on promoting health within the Black community.

There are currently over 300 chapters and 75,000 members of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity in 40 states and across the world in countries like Japan, Korea and the Bahamas.

Notable members of Iota include actor Terrence C. Carson, producer and songwriter Kendrick Jevon Dean, author and former meteorologist Spencer Christian, and civil right activist and Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill).

Local civic groups provide scholarships for students

Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Founder Frank Coakley

Key figures of the 1985 Founders’ Day Award Banquet, hosted by the Alpha Omega Graduate Chapter of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, included Dwayne Diggs, vice president and co-chairperson, Marion DeVaux, president and “Brother of the Year” awardee for 1985 and Lee Davis,

Coach Dawn Staley in spotlight after Gamecocks capture NCAA Division I national basketball championship

By Edward G. Robinson III AFRO Contributing Sports Editor

As confetti rained down upon her, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley raised her arms to the sky – a national television audience watched on as she, her team and assistant coaches basked in the moment.

“We all know she loves confetti,” ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe said as Staley looked to the heavens and then doubled over in exasperation on the floor of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.

Staley and her team seized this moment to celebrate a season full of accomplishments that culminated in a 87-75 victory over Iowa – and its wunderkind guard Caitlin Clark – to capture a NCAA Division I national championship on April 7.

Tears rolled down Staley’s face as she described the improbable run her No. 1-ranked team made this season – finishing with an undefeated record (38-0).

The Gamecocks are the 10th team in Division I history to

Baseball

of

to honor Hank Aaron with statue unveiling; U.S. Postal Service to issue commemorative stamp claim a perfect season. “You have to let young people be who they are,” Staley explained. “But you have to guide them and help navigate them through this tough, tough world. When young people lock in and have a belief and have a trust … this is what can happen. “They made history. They etched their names in the history books. When this is the most unlikely group to do it,” she said in news interviews immediately after the win.

The Gamecocks fended off Clark – who scored a gamehigh 30 points and stands as the NCAA Division I career leading scorer with 3,951 points – to collect the program’s third championship in five seasons. They did so after losing five starters from a team that lost to Iowa in the tournament last season. This time, though, the Gamecocks were led by 6-foot7 senior center Kamilla Cardoso – the Final Four’s most valuable player – who scored 15 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. South Carolina freshman

South Carolina’s coach Dawn Staley points to the rafters of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland after her team defeats Iowa to win a Division I national championship. Confetti rains down as the Gamecocks win the school’s third title and finish the season undefeated (38-0). The teams performed before a historic television audience – 18 million – the most-watched women’s game since 1992. Staley became the first Black coach to win three NCAA titles and first Division I Black coach to go undefeated.

Tessa Johnson scored a teamhigh 19 points, while the Gamecocks’ bench outscored Iowa 37-0.

They also outrebounded the Haweyes 51-29.

Staley became the fifth coach to win at least three national championships –standing with Geno Auriemma, Pat Summitt, Kim Mulkey and Tara VanDerveer. She became the first Black coach to win three NCAA titles and first Division I Black coach to go undefeated in a season. “I’m super proud,” she said. “It’s awesome. It’s unbelievable.”

Fifty years ago, the sports world watched in awe as Hank Aaron shattered baseball’s most hallowed record, cementing his place as one of the game’s greatest legends. To celebrate the anniversary of that historic moment, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum plans to immortalize Aaron’s legacy with a monumental tribute.

In conjunction with the opening events for the new exhibit, “More Than Brave: The Life of Henry Aaron,” at the Atlanta History Center, Hall of Fame Chairman of the Board Jane Forbes Clark announced plans to unveil a bronze statue of Aaron at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. on May 23. The statue honors Aaron’s remarkable contributions both on and off the field.

“Hank Aaron’s impact transcended the game of baseball,” Clark stated. “His philanthropy, advocacy for youth empowerment, and trailblazing achievements as an executive have left an indelible mark on society. We are privileged to safeguard his legacy and are honored to unveil this statue as a lasting tribute to an American hero.”

Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1982 after a 23-year career with the Braves and Brewers, Aaron’s legacy extends far beyond his monumental 715th career home run, which surpassed Babe Ruth’s record on April 8, 1974. A 25-time All-Star, Aaron still holds records for the most career RBIs and total bases.

Just how good was Aaron? Even if all his 755 career home runs were removed from the record books, he would still boast over 3,000 hits. The slugger, who died in 2021, made the All-Star team 25 times, established a record with 2,297 RBIs, 1,477 extra-base hits, and 6,856 total bases.

Officials displayed Aaron’s Hall of Fame plaque during a Truist Park ceremony before a recent Atlanta Braves game against the New York Mets. The statue’s creation was made possible through a generous gift from supporters Jane and Bob Crotty, with the guidance and approval of Aaron’s widow, Billye. The statue will debut during the Hall of Fame Classic celebration over Memorial Day Weekend, coinciding with the May 25 Legends game featuring numerous former big leaguers at Cooperstown’s Doubleday Field.

“Henry would be as thrilled as I am to see his statue at the National Baseball Hall of Fame,” expressed Billye Aaron. “His life embodied hope and perseverance, inspiring generations to pursue their dreams despite obstacles. This tribute is a testament to his love for the game and his desire to inspire young boys and girls everywhere.”

In conjunction with opening events for the new Atlanta History Center exhibit, “More Than Brave: The Life of Henry Aaron,” plans to unveil a bronze statue of Aaron at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. on May 23 have also been announced.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum has remained dedicated to preserving Aaron’s legacy, including the exhibit “Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream,”

“Hank Aaron’s impact transcended the game of baseball. His philanthropy, advocacy for youth empowerment, and trailblazing achievements as an executive have left an indelible mark on society.”

unveiled in 2009. Additionally, Aaron pledged his entire personal collection to the Museum in 2010, with many artifacts now on loan to various exhibitions, including the one at the Atlanta History Center. The U.S. Postal Service announced that it will issue a commemorative Forever stamp to celebrate Aaron’s life and career further. The stamp art will feature a digital painting of Aaron as a member of the Braves, with the selvage showcasing him watching the ball he had just hit for his record-breaking 715th home run on April 8, 1974. USPS

NNPA Newswire

BALTIMORE-AREA

Maryland General Assembly passes several major bills as session ends

By Tashi McQueen AFRO Political Writer tmcqueen@afro.com

Maryland’s state legislators acknowledged April 8, the last day of the Maryland General Assembly session, with a flurry of last minute deals and– finally, as the clock struck midnight–blasts of confetti to signify the crossover into April 9.

“This session we responded to the moment and we protected Maryland’s future,” said Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Md.46). “While we did some remarkable work this year, the last 14 days really proved what this general assembly is about. There were a number of issues from housing security to making sure that our neighborhoods are safer.”

Major bills such as the Juvenile Law Reform and the Maryland Protecting Opportunities and Regional Trade (PORT) Act passed in time to make it to the governor’s desk.

“This year, we worked together to pass meaningful juvenile justice legislation. Legislation that puts rehabilitation front and center while strengthening the oversight and accountability for the Department of Juvenile Services to make sure children are treated fairly and held accountable to their treatment plans,” said House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Md.-10).

The general assembly passed over a thousand bills in the 2024 session.

The Juvenile Law Reform bill, laid out in HB 814 and SB744, was one of the hightension bills this session, with everyday Marylanders and legislators alike concerned about the number of youth involved in crimes in the state over the last year.

During fiscal year 2023, the Department of Juvenile Services reported that there were 12,363 complaints about Maryland juveniles.

HB 814 expands the juvenile court’s jurisdiction

President Joe Biden visits Baltimore to assess Key Bridge collapse and recovery efforts

Local and state government embrace AI to enhance

digital services

By Megan Sayles AFRO Business Writer msayles@afro.com

As more industries leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to increase productivity and efficiency, local government has its own plans to harness the technology. Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott issued an executive order in March to regulate the use and development of AI within city operations.

By Alexis Taylor AFRO Managing Editor

President Joe Biden visited Baltimore on April 5, reiterating a federal commitment to help Maryland fully recover from the March 26 collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, reopen the Port of Baltimore to full capacity and support those affected by the accident.

Biden’s visit included an operational briefing where he received updates on response and recovery efforts and a meeting with officials on the local, state and federal level. The president also met with first responders to thank them and delivered remarks to the press before meeting with family members of the six victims who died in the collapse.

“The

“The damage is devastating, and our hearts are still breaking. Eight construction workers went into the water when the bridge fell. Six lost their lives. Most were immigrants, but all were Marylanders — hardworking, strong, and selfless,” said Biden, standing on the banks of the Patapsco River.

The president’s visit came just one day after Isabel Casillas Guzman, leader of the Small Business Administration, spoke with residents and business owners about efforts to mitigate the economic fallout of the Key Bridge collapse. Two centers have been opened to help residents affected by the disaster recover financially with loans and grants.

According to information released by the SBA, “applicants in the declared area can apply for a federal Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) of up to $2 million to help overcome any temporary loss of revenue stemming from the bridge collapse. These loans may be used to pay normal operating expenses such as fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills that can’t be paid because of the disruption.

damage is devastating, and our hearts are still breaking. Eight construction workers went into the water when the bridge fell. Six lost their lives. Most were immigrants, but all were Marylanders— hard-working, strong, and selfless."

Now, the president says, the tough work of clearing the debris and building back stronger begins, as the six construction workers who were killed are honored for their sacrifice.

“Within hours of the Maryland request, we approved $60 million in emergency federal funding. I fully intend — as the governor knows– to have the federal government cover the cost of rebuilding this entire bridge — all of it — as we’ve done in other parts of the country in similar circumstances,” said Biden, calling on Congress to authorize this effort as soon as possible.

Though $60 million was immediately approved for initial costs, Biden said more support is on the way.

The filing deadline to return economic injury applications is December 30, 2024.”

Expert crews are working hard to clear pathways to the Port of Baltimore, which supports more than 20,000 jobs.

Two temporary channels have been opened to partially restore marine traffic to the port, as members of the Army Corps of Engineers work to create a third by the end of April. The ship that struck the bridge in the early morning hours of March 26 is still stranded in the Patapsco River, with the crew on board. Officials say the part of the ship used for habitation at sea was not damaged.

Biden was joined on April 5 by a wide array of leaders, including Maryland Governor Wes Moore, who spoke of a new partnership to help those affected.

“Today we launch a new partnership with leaders in the public and the private sectors. It is called the Maryland Sough Baltimore Strong Alliance,” said Moore. “The

“I want Maryland to be the leader in AI and AI technology.”

The announcement came just over two months after Governor Wes Moore issued his own executive order to guarantee the responsible and productive use of the technology. Both directives seek to modernize outdated government processes while ensuring AI is wielded equitably.

“City government has routinely played catch-up in terms of technology, but this administration is trying to change that. We know that artificial intelligence is moving incredibly fast, presenting both unprecedented challenges and opportunities for city services,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott in a statement. “We must proceed with caution and the utmost responsibility to ensure the best interests of Baltimore’s residents are centered as the use of AI becomes increasingly common.” Scott’s executive order will create an advisory group to govern AI implementation and compliance. It will also restrict AI technologies that have the ability to fake or

Alsobrooks speaks on crime, education, healthcare after Trone backs out of debate

By Aria Brent AFRO Staff Writer abrent@afro.com

Community members filed into the Sollers Point Multipurpose Center in Dundalk, Md. on April 7 to see two of the top candidates in Maryland’s Congressional senate race face off against each other. However, most learned when they arrived that U.S. Representative David Trone had taken ill and was unable to meet his opponent, Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, on the Southeast Baltimore prepared for them. For two hours Alsobrooks answered numerous questions on her plans for the state, should she be elected to represent the state of Maryland in the U.S. Congress.

Hosted by the Baltimore County and Baltimore City Democratic Parties, the event was set to have a six-person panel, consisting of James Kraft, Charlotte Wood, Olivia M. Lomax, Braxton C. Street, Keisha Allen and moderator, Jayne Miller. Though a table was set for the panel to sit on stage, shortly before the event started the panelists gathered and took reserved seats in the audience, asking their questions with only Alsobrooks and Miller on the stage.

“Register and vote. Please do not think it doesn’t matter. If you think your vote doesn’t matter, turn on the news and see that it does.”

Topics discussed during the debate included crime and public safety, education, climate change and more. Before diving into the many questions the crowd had, Alsobrooks set the tone for the evening by sharing some of the things she’s accomplished throughout her political and judicial career, and how she plans to continue those efforts if elected as senator.

“As U.S. Senator I will continue to work on prioritizing the families of Maryland and making sure we address the issues that are at your kitchen table,” she stated.

Public safety

When it came to crime and gun violence, Alsobrooks shared that she thinks the increasing amount of gun violence is a result of the lack of mental health resources and gun laws throughout the nation.

“We know that gun laws are safe, and we need to take action to put some sensible gun legislation in place. Ghost

guns are a huge issue in our community. Gun violence is an epidemic and our children are dying,” Alsobrooks said. “Behavioral health is the number one health issue in multiple communities.We need access to mental health care so that people can have the opportunity to heal.”

Education

Alsobrooks noted that she looks forward to helping students receive equal opportunities to a proper education regardless of their neighborhood, socioeconomic background or learning

AFRO Photo / James Fields

President Joe Biden speaks after taking an aerial tour of damage done during the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. Shown here, from left to right: U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume (left), Senator Chris Van Hollen (back), Maryland Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg (back), President Joe Biden and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (front, right).

Upcoming meetings and events in the Baltimore area

By Tashi McQueen AFRO Political Writer tmcqueen@afro.com

Baltimore City Council Budget Briefing

On April 25 at 3:00 p.m., the Baltimore City Council Finance

and Performance

Committee is holding a hearing to inform the city council on how the city and school finances compare to its budget projections. Baltimoreans who want to keep track of the city’s budget process as it goes through the city council should plan to attend in person on the fourth floor of the City Hall or via Webex.

Quarterly Oversight Hearing on American Rescue Plan Funds

Join the Baltimore City Council Finance and Performance Committee on April 25 at 3:05 p.m. for an oversight hearing concerning the management and disbursement of the $641 million American Rescue Plan Act funds, federal funding to help the city recover from the impact of COVID-19. Those interested can attend by going to the fourth floor of the Baltimore City Hall or Webex.

Sketching Sessions at the Walters Art Museum

Calling artists of all levels. On April 25 from 6 to 7:30 p.m., the Walters Art Museum will host a sketching session with some guidance on techniques. Materials will be provided, and no registration is required. The Walters Art Museum is located at 600 N. Charles St., Baltimore, Md.

Blueprint for Successful Coaching Programs

Women entrepreneurs seeking guidance on creating a successful coaching program should consider attending the virtual master class, Blueprint for Successful coaching programs. On April 29 from 7 to 8 p.m. attendees can

Biden visits

Continued from D1

made up of leaders who are doubling down on their commitment to the city and their commitment to this state.”

Moore said that he has been in talks with business owners who use the Port of Baltimore and rely on Maryland waterways to conduct business. “Many have agreed to not lay off employees. Many have agreed to return to Baltimore–even if they need to move somewhere else temporarily–and all have agreed to help us build a better future.

Foundations, businesses, sports teams [and] community champions have committed a combined $15 million thus far to support our workers and our neighbors. The Alliance is over 50 members strong and we are only getting stronger,” said Moore.

General Assembly

Continued from D1

to include 10 through 12-year-olds who have allegedly committed car theft, animal abuse, offenses involving firearms and third-degree sexual offenses. Current state law says that no child under 13 can be charged with a crime. It also requires that intake officers forward complaints to the state’s attorney to consider prosecution. The bill also authorizes detention before a hearing.

Some were not happy with the bill, which permits the Department of Juvenile Services to have control over children ages 10-12.

“I don’t want anybody’s child locked up at 10 years old,” said Zakiya Sankara-Jabar, co-founder of Racial Justice Now! “I don’t want people to think that it’s okay to lock up 10-year-olds without providing the necessary services and care they deserve. These kids need care, not cages.”

Dayvon Love, director of public policy for Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, was one of many gathered days before the April 8 deadline to pressure Gov. Wes Moore to veto the bill.

“That’s the last step in the process,” said Love.

But Moore supported the package when it was announced, so Love said he’s not confident that the governor will veto it.

If the governor signs the bill it will take effect on January 1, 2025.

“It’s been great, having my first session with the general assembly under my belt as a Delegate,” said Del. Malcolm Ruff (DMd.-41) as he reflected on the 2024 session. “A couple of things that I’ve been able to accomplish include, today, passing the bill that will start the process of developing Gwynn Falls/Leakin Park into a state park.”

April activities within the Baltimore area bring opportunities to hone your art skills and engage with the city’s budget process.

learn to identify their clients’ needs, set courageous goals and design interactive learning activities. Those interested should register online at https://allevents.in/ baltimore/10000875686009427.

Tashi McQueen is a Report for America corps member.

“I know our state’s largest city is being tested right now, but Baltimore has been tested before we get knocked down–we stand back up and we dust ourselves off. We move forward. That is what we do and the people and the people of Maryland are grateful to have a full partner in this work like President Biden.” Leaders at every level of government are adamant that the bridge be rebuilt– no matter how large the task.

“This port is over 300 years old. As a matter of fact… my great-great-grandfather worked here as a waterman in this bay. This port is older than our Republic. And it’s been through tough, tough times before,” said Biden. “This is going to take time, but Governor Moore, Senator Cardin, Senator Van Hollen, Congressman Mfume, Mayor Scott, County Executive Johnny O., and others are going to rebuild this bridge as rapidly as possible. And, folks, we’re determined to come back even stronger.”

Moore also signed a few of his bills, including the Time to Serve Act of 2024, a bill that will provide more military leave for members of the National Guard and Reserves to 30 days and a bill to rename the Port of Baltimore the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore.

Moore highlighted that he has gotten all of the 26 bills he’s introduced since becoming governor passed by the Maryland legislature.

The Budget bills SB360 and SB362, were passed and sent to the governor’s desk on April 5. The governor has not yet signed the bills.

The budget process took a bit longer this year, partly due to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse on March 26 and legislators’ being at odds on how to address the $761 million projected deficit the state began with for fiscal year 2025.

House delegates believed in using raised taxes and fees to close the gap and the Senate, as well as the governor, were against raising taxes.

The House and Senate reconciled $257 million of revenues by raising vehicle registration fees, creating a Transportation Network Company impact fee, an annual registration surcharge on owners of zeroemission and plug-in electric vehicles, raising the dealer processing charge and increasing fines for speeding in work zones via Senate Bill 479.

“This session we responded to the moment and we protected Maryland’s future.”

House Bill 1358, if signed into law, will convene focus groups on the establishment of the state park, identify priority needs and associated costs and establish an advisory committee to oversee the management of the park.

Ruff said he was also able to work

on a bill that would keep Preakness in Park Heights in Baltimore City and fund community revitalization efforts in the Park Heights community. “For too long Park Heights has been left out of the spoils of Preakness,” said Ruff. “I think with House Bill 1524, which I along with the senator and my fellow delegates in the 41st district were able to help weigh in on how we would set up a plan that would really work for the people of the neighborhood that hosts the Preakness.”

The bill also transfers ownership and operation of thoroughbred racing facilities

in the Maryland Jockey Club (MJC) to the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority (MTROA). If signed, the bill would take effect on June 1.

The PORT Act was the first bill to be signed into law from the 2024 session on April 9. The PORT Act aims to provide financial support to Baltimore port workers and businesses impacted by the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse through the slowdown of port operations.

“Today, I will proudly sign the PORT Act into law,” said Moore at the signing. “This bill will help create a new permanent scholarship program for the families of transportation workers who died on the job. The legislation will empower our administration to stay nimble in our response to the collapse.”

Because the PORT Act is an emergency bill, it became law immediately upon receiving the needed signatures on April 9.

The budget eliminates the projected fiscal 2027 Blueprint Fund shortfall by increasing taxes on cigarettes, dedicating new revenues and a portion of existing tobacco tax revenues to the Blueprint Fund and transferring $40 million from the School Construction Revolving Loan Fund.

“We have passed a budget that funds the Blueprint through 2027 and makes critical investments in Maryland’s Transportation system to ensure that we don’t see catastrophic cuts to roads, bridges, busses, transit, airports and the port,” said Jones.

The budget also restores funds the governor’s proposed budget reduced including nearly $10 million for community colleges, $5 million for pediatric cancer and $1 million for warrant apprehension grants.

Unsplash

AFRO Photo/Tashi McQueen

Confetti and balloons fall as the 2024 Maryland General Assembly session ends as the clock strikes midnight, April 9. Members of the Maryland General Assembly worked hard up until the last minute of April 8 to pass major legislation, such as the Juvenile Law Reform bill and the Maryland Protecting Opportunities and Regional Trade (PORT) Act.

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mimic people’s appearances or voices.

Moore’s order establishes a dedicated AI subcabinet that will devise an action plan for implementing the technology across state agencies and coordinate the responsible and ethical use of AI.

“I want Maryland to be the leader in AI and AI technology. We have the resources here. We have the assets here that can help to foster it,” Moore told the AFRO

The action plan will be rooted in Maryland’s AI principles, which include fairness and equity, innovation, privacy, security, validity and transparency. It will create a strategy to ingrain risk assessments for AI tools in state processes and track the tools to confirm they reflect the state’s principles.

“I also know that we have to do it responsibly because this is a powerful technology, and it’s one that is here and

Alsobrooks

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growing. It’s important that we put the right guardrails around what that growth looks like so that it will be additive to our societal growth and not something that takes away from it,” he added.

One priority for the AI subcabinet will be to ensure the state has the requisite workforce for the implementation of AI. The group is tasked with offering training programs to state workers on generative AI and examining strategies for providing opportunities to external AI talent to serve the state on targeted, short-term projects.

John Foster, chief impact officer for Fearless, thinks Moore’s service year and apprenticeship program will be able to help in building this pipeline.

Last October, the governor launched the Service Year Option, a public service program for high school

“I’ll be fighting to ensure that we are increasing funding for programs like Title 1, which allows our children who are at a disadvantage in impoverished communities to have an excellent education,” Alsobrooks stated. “I’ll be fighting also for the individuals with disabilities. It is so heartbreaking to know how many of our children with disabilities are left behind.”

Further discussing her agenda for improving education, Alsobrooks addressed the current issues that are shaping our school systems and how it’s impacting our students.

“Many of our local jurisdictions rely so heavily on local property taxes to fund education. We have created a system where your zip code determines the quality of your education and in my mind there is something so wrong with that,” she said.

Health care

When discussing the topic of healthcare Alsobrooks explained how the ever changing expense is both a necessity and a right to all people.

“I believe every person in our community has a right to quality and affordable healthcare.

graduates to learn hard and soft skills through a service placement while earning money. In November, he announced a $3-million initiative to bolster the growth of registered apprenticeships in Maryland’s public sector.

“If we know there’s a need for highly skilled digital technicians inside the government, we need to think about incentive structures that exist to make it so that individuals want to work inside the government or with industry partners,” said Foster.

He believes the programs could be especially beneficial in state contracting.

“One idea that I have is ensuring that the procurements that the government pushes out have mandates that require bidders to partake in the Service Year Option or apprenticeship program,” said Foster.

He said this could encourage the technology

It should not be a privilege to have health care, it’s a right,” explained Alsobrooks. “The Affordable Care Act is what we have used to bring down the cost of healthcare. It’s allowed us to have 22 million additional people covered by insurance.”

Going on to further explain why our nation needs The Affordable Care Act, Alsobrooks discussed some of the changes she’s looking to bring to health care and some of the progressive efforts that have happened under the Biden administration such as lowering the out of pocket cost of insulin and Medicare’s negotiation with the pharmaceutical industry to cap the out of pocket cost for prescription drug medications.

“I’m looking to build on the Affordable Care Act. Things like dental care and vision care, all of those things added to the Affordable Care Act will bring down the cost of healthcare for our families—this is a huge issue for some families. I’m fighting for health care and to make sure it’s affordable for all families,”she stated.

Members of the community who attended the event shared their thoughts following Alsobrooks’ impromptu town hall meeting. Some expressed concern for Trone for his absence, but noted that regardless of circumstance being present during your campaign in an election year is vital.

“I hope that he is well, but I personally thought this was very important and sometimes you have to soldier up,” said Haki Ammi, a board member of the Maryland Black Caucus Foundation. “Sometimes you got to go through the minefield for our community and sometimes outside of true death, you soldier up to make things happen for our community. That’s just how I feel, if it were me I would have been wheeled out here.”

Though a range of topics were discussed, one thing seemed to be at the forefront of people’s minds: the importance of voting. “Register and vote. Just vote, get out there,” Lynda Rice, vice president of the Anne Arundel County, West County Democratic Club, told the AFRO. “Let your voice be heard. Please do not think it doesn’t matter. If you think your vote doesn’t matter, turn on the news and see that it does.”

Obituary Lydia Williams Mussenden

Boston. She then matriculated and graduated from Howard University in three years with a Bachelor’s degree

After moving to Baltimore with her husband, the late

Mussenden, she worked at the old Freedmen’s Hospital as a dietician. Together, they raised twin girls Caryl and Christine Mussenden.

Lydia Williams Mussenden was a member of multiple organizations and she was known for working and substantially contributing to each one. She was a member of

In addition to her daughters and their spouses, Dr. Rodney Ellis and Mr. Greg Q. Williams, she leaves behind her grandchildren Camille Jones (Steven), Patrick Jackson (Elaine), Jason Chesnut (Madeline) and Rashida Winslow. She will also be remembered by Jamellah Ellis, wife of Malik Ellis Esq., a beloved grandson who preceded her in death. Mussenden had 10 great grandchildren: Amir, Caike, Isabela, Lincoln, Jair,

industry to invest in systems that create new talent who can meet the needs of the government as it works to modernize operations. If the necessary talent pool is not created, Foster said Marylanders will face lackluster government services.

“I think we will continue to see subpar services being provided to constituents. The end result is that government has to increase its delivery in a way that is not optimized,” said Foster. “That’s how services degrade overtime.”

Innovation design consultant Bianca Jackson said AI could be used to automate

government certain services and remove bias in systems.

“Racial equity can be enhanced by AI systems designed to eliminate bias, bias in state employment, housing, law enforcement and decision making,” said Jackson.

In light of the Francis Scott Key Bridge disaster, Jackson said government could have used AI-powered tools in its response.

“It could be used for automating evacuation alerts and directing first responders more efficiently, optimizing rescue operations,” said Jackson.

She commended Moore and Scott’s efforts to lean in

on AI rather than reject it. As they lead by example, Jackson believes individuals will become more comfortable with AI.

“If they hadn’t taken this stance, they would have missed an opportunity to reduce the digital divide between the tech rich and the tech poor,” said Jackson. “We still have people around the country who are fighting this, and it’s already here. The best thing we can do is figure out how we can get AI tools to work for us and create better outcomes for society.”

Megan Sayles is a Report for America corps member.

Photo courtesy of Bianca Jackson Bianca Jackson is the founder of Brickrose Exchange, a Baltimore tech start-up that offers artificial intelligence, virtual reality and augmented reality workshops.

Photo courtesy of Fearless John Foster is the chief impact officer of Fearless, a Baltimore digital services integrator that serves government, healthcare organizations, nonprofits and educational institutions.

AFRO Photo

Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks speaks to those gathered to hear her speak on her agenda if elected to U.S. Congress.

Lydia Williams Mussenden was born Aug. 27, 1919 in Patternson, N.J. as the only child of Jane abd Rev. Charles Williams. In 1935 she graduated from Roxbury Memorial High School for girls in

in home economics.

Dr. Glenford

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and a past president of the oldest chapter in Maryland, the Baltimore Alumnae Chapter. She was also a member of the Links Inc. and the Pierians. The love for the women in her organizations was endless and it was mutual.

Jason Jr., Jordan, Jaden, Nisa and Reese.

Authors of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority bring book tour to Baltimore

By Catherine Pugh Special to the AFRO

The 2024 Delta Authors on Tour, an initiative of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority’s National Arts and Letters Commission, made a stop in Baltimore on April 6.

The event was hosted by three local alumnae chapters of the sorority, including the Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Baltimore Metropolitan Alumnae Chapters. Kellie Gowan, trichair of the Delta Authors On Tour event said, “It is an honor to be selected by the Eastern Region to host this exciting event in our city.”

“All three alumnae chapters have

The

Elizabeth Talford Scott celebrated with student-led exhibition

The James E. Lewis Museum of Art (JELMA) at Morgan State University

Stone Left Unturned:

Community Initiative” with a closing reception on April 4. This citywide project saw students curate eight unique exhibitions showcasing the art of Baltimore’s own Elizabeth Talford Scott across various institutions.

The initiative’s success stemmed

from the collaboration of numerous organizations. Major support came from the Bunting Family Foundation, Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA), Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and its Friends of Exhibition Development Seminar.

The closing reception received additional support from Carol and Jerry Doctrow. In-kind contributions were provided by the Estate of Elizabeth Talford

Contemporary

Michelle Coles (left), enjoys the event with Diane Hamilton; Terri Johnson; Vivian King; Canara Price, who serves as co-chair of the organization’s National Arts and Letters Commission; Rosie Allen-Herring, the director of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority’s Eastern Region; Daphne Maxwell Reid, an advisor for the National Arts and Letters Commission; Marion Lane; Cicely Mitchell; Jaye Lynn Peabody Smith and Dawn Wayman.

Aaron Ferguson, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, supports the women of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority inside of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum in Baltimore. David Lindberg serenades the crowd.

Dr. Mabel Lake Murray has served Delta Sigma Theta Sorority for 50 years. All photos by James Field

All photos by Levi Lewis

worked together to make this event possible,” she continued.

event titled, “Elevating Your Mind Between The Lines,” was free and showcased nine Delta Sigma Theta Sorority authors at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 East Pratt St., from 1-3 p.m.

By Levi Lewis Special to the AFRO

capped off “No

The Elizabeth Talford Scott

Exhibition Development Seminar (EDS) Instructor Deyane Moses, speaks on the work included in the student exhibition. EDS Accessibility Consultant Mike Brown (left), EDS Accessibility Mentor Pat Halle, EDS Accessibility Consultant Marguerite Brown, EDS Accessibility Mentor Melanie Hood-Wilson, EDS Accessibility Consultant Roxanne Griffin explore the exhibit.

EDS Graduate Teaching Assistant Aleem Allison speaks to those gathered.

Curator Emeritus at Maryland Institute College of Art George Ciscle (left) and Associate Curator of Contemporary Art at the Baltimore Museum of Art Cecilia Wichmann enjoy the exhibit alongside art lovers from around the area. Ricardo Mayrick stands in front of the quilt, won by purchasing a raffle ticket at the closing reception.

EDS Student Olubunmi Bakare

Scott at Goya

Gallery.

Above: Authors sign their books as readers from across the area enjoy the 2024 Delta Authors on Tour event.

Left: Shaiah McLain (left), Tarry Scroggins and Veronica Menefee celebrate the authors of their organization, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.