NOVEMBER 1, 2025 - NOVEMBER 7, 2025
Hurricane Melissa: A beast among a string of monster Atlantic storms– scientists explain
By Seth Borenstein
Officials in Jamaica are still assessing the damage in the wake of Hurricane Melissa. Dana Morris Dixon, Jamaica’s education minister, said that 77 percent of the island was without power on Oct. 29. as officials reported
that most of the island had downed trees, power lines and flooding.
Extensive damage was reported in parts of Clarendon in the south and in the southwestern parish of St. Elizabeth, which was “under water,” said Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of Jamaica’s Disaster Risk
Management Council.
The small town of Santa Cruz in the southern Jamaican parish of St. Elizabeth was devastated by Hurricane Melissa.
A massive landslide triggered by widespread flooding blocked the town’s main roads, and streets have
been reduced to mud pits. Residents swept out gallons of water from their homes as they tried to salvage whatever was left of their belongings.
Fierce winds ripped off part of the roof at St. Elizabeth Technical High School, which was designated a public shelter.
Nonprofits struggle to keep up as more federal workers, SNAP recipients seek assistance
By D. Kevin McNeir Special to the AFRO kmcneir@afro.com
Roughly 42 million Americans who rely on SNAP benefits remain on edge, unsure if they will receive November payouts.
But they are not alone. Tens of thousands of furloughed or fired federal workers are also struggling to cover financial shortfalls so they can pay their bills and feed their families.
As a result, nonprofit food agencies in Washington, D.C., and Maryland find themselves overwhelmed with longer lines and limited amounts of food as they seek to fill in the gaps.
Organizations like Manna Food Center in Montgomery County, Md., and Martha’s Table, founded as a safe space for children to access after-school meals in D.C., admit that meeting the needs of anxious families remains a daily struggle. But they refuse to give up and have weathered storms before.
A spokesperson for Manna
Food Center said “while meat and bread products are in short supply because of higher demand from both our monthly and newly registered clients, we are still working on behalf of our community, augmenting packages with more fresh fruit, vegetables and canned goods. Other items are more difficult to obtain given the surge in requests.”
When it first opened its doors in 1983 as a faith-based, centralized food bank, Manna served several hundred clients a month. Today, the organization, which relies on donations and volunteers, distributes more than 12,000 pounds of food daily, offers nutrition education, and in 2024, served 60,865 families.
Is the federal government promoting a false narrative?
In October, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins asserted that the Trump administration could not provide November SNAP benefits if the shutdown continued. However, Sharon Parrott, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) president and former Office of Management and Budget
Unsplash / Nico Smit
While the 47th president of the United States promised that food prices would go down under his watch, the opposite has occurred. Now, with a prolonged federal government shutdown, more families are facing food insecurity after either losing their jobs or being furloughed.
(OMB) official, said in a statement that Rollins was not only lying, but that the administration is legally required to use contingency reserves
“The entire hillside came down last night,” Robert James said.
The storm damaged four hospitals and left one without power, forcing officials to evacuate 75 patients, McKenzie said.
Misty Copeland hangs up her pointe shoes
By Jocelyn Noveck
Misty Copeland took one last spin on her pointe shoes Oct. 22, showered with golden glitter and bouquets as she retired from American Ballet Theatre after a trailblazing career in which she became an ambassador for diversity in an overwhelmingly White art form. Copeland, who a decade ago became the first Black female principal dancer in the company’s 75-year history, was feted at its star-studded fall gala at Manhattan’s Lincoln Center. Oprah Winfrey and Debbie Allen were among those who gave speeches of praise. Winfrey spoke of the power of young people of color seeing Copeland lead iconic ballets like “Swan Lake.”
“Misty didn’t just perform ballet,” Winfrey said of the ballerina who has achieved a unique crossover fame. “She changed it. She redefined who belongs, who gets to be seen, and who gets to lead.”
In a way, the gala was both a return and a departure for Copeland, 43. She was dancing with the company for the first time in five years. During that time, Copeland has been raising a son, Jackson, with her husband. The 3-year-old came onstage to hug his mother during curtain calls, wearing a tuxedo.
Copeland has also been continuing her career as an author — the second volume of her “Bunheads” series
AP Photo/Matias Delacroix
Jamaican residents are now examining the damage and beginning the journey to rebuild in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa. Shown here, community members in Santa Cruz, Jamaica, surveying the wreckage on Oct. 29, 2025.
AI, fear and a bag of chips: How a Maryland teen became the latest victim of a broken system
By Frances “Toni” Draper, CEO and Publisher of the AFRO
I keep thinking about a teenager—Black, 16, a student-athlete—who did what kids do after practice: he ate snacks with friends and waited for a ride. Minutes later, eight police cars rolled up to Kenwood High School in Baltimore County. Officers drew their guns, ordered him to the ground and handcuffed him. Not because he had a weapon. Because an artificial intelligence “gun detection” system mistook a crumpled Doritos bag for a firearm.
That child’s name is Taki Allen. His fear—and the fear of the students who watched—was real. Police body-camera video confirms officers discovered there was no gun, only a snack bag. Yet that didn’t stop them from treating him as a threat. What kind of world have we built where a computer’s bad guess can summon an armed response against a child?
If you hear echoes of 2012, you’re not alone. When America learned that Trayvon Martin was walking home with candy and a drink before he was profiled and killed, Black parents everywhere doubled down on “the talk”— that painful conversation every Black family knows: keep your hands visible, don’t run, say “yes, sir/no, ma’am,” and get home alive. Trayvon was 17 and unarmed. Those memories came rushing back the moment Taki Allen was forced to the pavement.
Let’s be clear about what happened. The AI vendor, Omnilert, issued an alert claiming to detect a possible gun. School administrators reviewed the footage and reportedly canceled the alert, but the principal—who is White—allegedly re-escalated the situation by contacting police anyway. Officers responded in force, guns drawn. Taki was detained, humiliated and traumatized—all because an algorithm and an adult made the wrong call. Adding insult to injury, the principal reportedly called the student three days later to “check in.” For a teenager still processing fear and embarrassment, that call must have felt hollow at best, manipulative at worst.
Baltimore County Public Schools recently dismantled the department that once might have provided oversight for incidents like this. The district now insists it will “look into” what happened. But that’s not enough. Where is the outrage from those in charge? Where is the public apology? Where is the accountability for a principal who allowed fear—or bias— to override judgment? Technology didn’t make this happen alone. Human decisions did. Someone saw that false alert, hesitated, then chose to act. Someone decided that calling the police was safer than calling a parent. Someone decided to point a weapon at a child. That’s not artificial intelligence— that’s human irresponsibility
disguised as innovation.
And there’s another troubling layer. The so-called “intelligence” in AI systems like this one does not exist in a vacuum—it learns from data. Decades of research show that predictive algorithms, facial-recognition software, and surveillance technologies disproportionately flag or misidentify darker skin tones and Black bodies as threats. When racial bias gets coded into software, it reproduces injustice at machine speed. The harm multiplies because it looks “objective,” when in truth it’s just prejudice in digital disguise.
Community voices must be part of the solution. Leaders like Chrissy M. Thornton, president and CEO of Associated Black Charities (ABC), have long pressed for equity-centered approaches to safety, education and accountability—approaches that protect children without criminalizing them. ABC’s own investigative work uncovered additional truths about the Kenwood High School principal—facts that district officials appeared to hide behind the veil of a “personnel matter.” Once again, transparency took a back seat to protectionism. That’s unacceptable. If an adult’s actions put a child in danger, the public has a right to know. This moment demands courage, not cover-ups.
Baltimore County and school leaders should invite organizations like ABC, along with community and faith leaders,
to conduct an independent, trauma-informed review that centers students and families—not bureaucracy. Real accountability must follow, including a public report on the failures in the chain of communication, a reassessment of the district’s AI policies, and mandatory training on racial bias in both technology and
human response. We’ve seen this story before. Trayvon Martin carried Skittles. Taki Allen carried Doritos. The packaging changes, the peril does not.
“The talk” will continue in Black households because it has to. But this time, our response cannot stop with talk. It’s time for those in
power—school officials, police and policymakers—to face the consequences of their choices. No child in Baltimore County, or anywhere in America, should ever again be terrorized at gunpoint because an algorithm—and the adults who trusted it—couldn’t tell the difference between a snack and a threat.
If you accepted or processed Discover credit cards between 2007–2023, you could be eligible to get a payment from a class action settlement.
**YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO A SETTLEMENT PAYMENT**
To receive a payment, file a claim by May 18, 2026
WHAT IS THIS ABOUT?
A proposed class action settlement has been reached in three related lawsuits. The lawsuits allege that, beginning in 2007, Discover misclassified certain Discover-issued consumer credit cards as commercial credit cards, which in turn caused merchants and others to incur excessive interchange fees. The misclassification did not impact cardholders. Discover denies the claims in the lawsuits, and the Court has not decided who is right or wrong. Instead, the proposed settlement, if approved, will resolve the lawsuits and provide benefits to Settlement Class Members.
WHO IS INCLUDED?
The Settlement Class includes all End Merchants, Merchant Acquirers, and Payment Intermediaries involved in processing or accepting a Misclassified Card Transaction during the period from January 1, 2007 through December 31, 2023. To view the full Settlement Class definition, including defined terms and excluded entities, go to www.DiscoverMerchantSettlement.com.
WHAT
CAN I GET?
To receive a settlement payment, with very limited exceptions, you will need to file a claim by May 18, 2026 and/or provide
additional information to the Settlement Administrator. Under the proposed settlement, Discover will make payments to eligible Settlement Class Members who submit valid claims. Discover has agreed to pay between $540 million and $1.225 billion plus interest in connection with this settlement. Your settlement payment amount will be calculated based on a variety of factors.
YOUR OTHER OPTIONS.
You can file a claim for a payment by May 18, 2026 and/or provide additional information. Alternatively, you can exclude yourself from the settlement by opting out, in which case you will receive no payment under this settlement and retain any right you may have to sue Discover about the claims in these lawsuits or related to the Misclassified Card Transactions. If you do not exclude yourself, and the Court approves the settlement, you will be bound by the Court’s orders and judgments and will release any claims against Discover in these lawsuits or related to the Misclassified Card Transactions. If you do not exclude yourself, you can object to or comment on any part of the settlement. The deadline to either exclude yourself or object to the settlement is March 25, 2026. Visit the website for information on how to exercise these options.
Photo courtesy of Meta (Facebook) / Kenwood High School BlueBirds
Kenwood High School student, Taki Allen, is still recovering after having guns drawn on him by Baltimore County police, who were called after an AI system run by Omnilert mistakenly identified a Doritos bag as a gun. Though the alert was initially cancelled, the principal of the school allegedly re-escalated the situation and had police respond.
Unsplash / Gaining Visuals
Raiders legend George Atkinson dies at 78
By Josh Dubow
George Atkinson, a hard-hitting former Raiders safety who struck fear in the opposition, has died. He was 78.
The Raiders said Atkinson’s family informed the team of his death on Oct. 27. The team said he died in Georgia without revealing a cause of death.
The Raiders called Atkinson the anchor of the team’s “Soul Patrol” secondary of the 1970s that helped lead the team to its first Super Bowl title. Atkinson remained connected to the organization until his death.
“George’s contributions as a friend and mentor to everyone in the Raiders organization continued long after his playing career, and his genuine personality and wonderful sense of humor will be dearly missed by everyone who knew him,” the team said in a statement.
Atkinson played 144 games in his career, spending 10 seasons with the Oakland Raiders and a final season with the Denver Broncos. He played in seven AFL or AFC championship games and helped the Raiders win the Super Bowl following the 1976 season.
His 33 career interceptions in the regular season and playoffs rank fourth all-time for the Raiders but he was most known for his physical play.
“Football is a collision sport,” Atkinson told the San Jose Mercury News in a 2016 interview. “If you don’t have
a certain mentality you will get run out of the game.”
Atkinson had disclosed he was suffering symptoms consistent with CTE in that interview.
Atkinson joined the Raiders after being drafted in the seventh round in 1968. He was part of a stellar draft class that included Hall of Famers Ken Stabler and Art Shell, as well as running backs Marv Hubbard and Charlie Smith, who all helped build the team into one of the top in the league in the 1970s.
“We became part of the nucleus for the Raiders from that draft,” Atkinson once told the team website. “We wore the Silver and Black with pride. We understood what the tradition was and what we had to live up to.”
Atkinson was a major part of that, almost from the start, scoring on an 86-yard punt return in his professional debut. He made the AFL Pro Bowl in his first two seasons for his play as a returner and defensive back and later became part of the most feared safety duo in the NFL after Jack Tatum was drafted in the first round in 1971.
In an era when receivers had little or no protection when going over the middle, Atkinson and Tatum doled out harsh punishment to anyone who tried.
“We never go out on the field with the intention of trying to hurt anyone but we go out with intentions of getting
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our jobs done,” Atkinson said at the time. “If you don’t want to get hit, it’s best not to show up when we play Sunday. I guarantee you will get hit.”
Atkinson’s most famous hits came against Pittsburgh and Hall of Fame receiver Lynn Swann. He knocked him out in the 1975 AFC
championship game and then again in the 1976 season opener with a forearm to the back of the head on a play when Swann didn’t even get the ball.
“Maybe a little outside of the rules but that was George’s way of setting the tone for the game,” Stabler later said in an interview with NFL Films.
The second hit on Swann led Pittsburgh coach Chuck Noll to refer to Atkinson as part of the “criminal element” in the NFL. Atkinson sued Noll for defamation but lost the suit.
Atkinson’s twin sons George III and Josh both played football at Notre Dame with George Atkinson III having a brief NFL career that included a stint with the Raiders. Josh died by suicide in 2018 and George III died by suicide in 2019. This article was originally published by The Associated Press.
McNoldy and Klotzbach said.
Melissa somehow shook off at least three different meteorological conditions that normally weaken major hurricanes and was still gaining power as it hit, scientists said, a bit amazed.
And while more storms these days are undergoing rapid intensification — gaining 35 mph in wind speed over 24 hours — Melissa did a lot more than that. It achieved what’s called extreme rapid intensification — gaining at least 58 mph over 24 hours. In fact, Melissa turbocharged by about 70 mph during a 24-hour period last week, and had an unusual second round of rapid intensification that spun it up to 175 mph, scientists said.
“It’s been a remarkable, just a beast of a storm,” Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach said.
Melissa ties records
When Melissa came ashore it tied strength records for Atlantic hurricanes making landfall, both in wind speed and barometric pressure, which is a key measurement that meteorologists use, said Klotzbach and University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy. The pressure measurement tied the deadly 1935 Labor Day storm in Florida, while the 185 mph wind speed equaled marks set that year and during 2019’s Hurricane Dorian. Hurricane Allen reached 190 mph winds in 1980, but not at landfall.
Usually when major hurricanes brew they get so strong that the wind twirling in the center of the storm gets so intense and warm in places that the eyewall needs to grow, so a small one collapses and a bigger one forms. That’s called an eyewall replacement cycle, McNoldy said, and it usually weakens the storm at least temporarily.
Another weird thing is that Melissa sat offshore of mountainous Jamaica for a while before coming inland. Usually mountains, even on islands, tear up storms, but not Melissa.
“It was next to a big mountainous island and it doesn’t even notice it’s there,” McNoldy said in amazement.
Warm water is the fuel for hurricanes. The hotter and deeper the water, the more a storm can power up. But when storms sit over one area for a while — which Melissa did for days on end — it usually brings cold water up from the depths, choking off the fuel a bit. But that didn’t happen to Melissa, said Bernadette Woods Placky, chief meteorologist for Climate Central, a combination of scientists and journalists who study climate change.
“It’s wild how almost easily this was allowed to just keep venting,” Woods Placky said. “This had enough warm water at such high levels and it just kept going.”
Warm water fuels growth
Melissa rapidly intensified during five six-hour periods as it hit the extreme rapid intensification level, McNoldy said. And then it jumped another 35 mph and “that’s extraordinary,” he said.
For meteorologists following it “just your stomach would sink as you’d see these updates coming in,” Woods Placky said.
“We were sitting at work on Oct. 27 morning with our team and you just saw the numbers just start jumping again, 175. And then again (Oct. 28)...185,” Woods Placky said.
“It’s an explosion,” she said.
One key factor is warm water. McNoldy said some parts of the ocean under Melissa were 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than the long-term average for this time of year.
with no human-caused climate change, estimated the role of global warming in Melissa. It said the water was 500 to 700 times more likely to be warmer than normal because of climate change.
A rapid Associated Press analysis of Category 5 hurricanes that brewed, not just hit, in the Atlantic over the past 125 years showed a large recent increase in those top-of-the-scale storms. There have been 13 Category 5 storms from 2016 to 2025, including three this year. Until last year, no other 10-year period even reached double digits. About 29 percent of the Category 5 hurricanes in the past 125 years have happened since 2016. McNoldy, Klotzbach and Woods Placky said hurricane records before the modern satellite era are not as reliable because some storms out at sea could have been missed. Measuring systems for strength have also improved and changed, which could be a factor. And there was a period between 2008 and 2015 with no Atlantic Category 5 storms, Klotzbach said.
Still, climate science generally predicts that a warmer world will have more strong storms, even if there aren’t necessarily more storms overall, the scientists said.
“We’re seeing a direct connection in attribution science with the temperature in the water and a climate change connection,” Woods Placky said. “And when we see these storms go over this extremely warm water, it is more fuel for these storms to intensify rapidly and push to new levels.”
Melissa showed some signs of being ready to do this, but it never did,
This article was originally published by The Associated Press. Data journalist M.K. Wildeman contributed from Hartford, Connecticut. Danica Coto and John Myers Jr. also contributed to this report. The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. Continued from A1
Climate Central, using scientifically accepted techniques of comparing what’s happening now to a fictional world
AP Photo/David Richard
Family and friends are mourning the death of former Oakland Raiders safety, George Atkinson. The football star died at age 78.
Hurricane Melissa
COMMENTARY
The lie about immigrants and America’s debt to them
By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent
There is a lie moving through America. It creeps through congressional halls and across television screens, whispering that undocumented immigrants live freely off the sweat of the American taxpayer. It is a lie told by those who know better and repeated by those who are too ignorant—or too hateful—to care. And while the lie spreads, the truth is being brutalized on the streets.
According to data from the Cato Institute, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has intensified its war on peaceful people. As of this past summer, ICE was arresting 1,100 percent more noncriminal immigrants than it did in 2017. By June 2025, its agents were seizing nearly 3,800 men, women and children each week, most with no criminal record at all. They are landscapers, caregivers, construction workers, restaurant staff—the quiet hands that build this nation’s comfort. Yet ICE agents, masked and faceless, now stalk them at bus stops, schools and home improvement stores. These are not arrests made in the name of
safety—they are acts of terror disguised as law. The architects of this cruelty justify it with another lie: that these people are bleeding America dry, taking what they have not earned. But every ledger, every study, every dollar collected proves the opposite.
Undocumented immigrants, forbidden from accessing almost every public benefit, pour billions into the U.S. economy. In 2022 alone, they paid $96.7 billion in taxes—nearly $9,000 each—into the same systems that exclude them. They paid $25.7 billion into Social Security, even though the law bars them from ever receiving a penny of it. Their effective state and local tax rate, 8.9 percent, exceeds that paid by the top 1 percent of U.S. earners. And still, politicians like J.D. Vance and Donald Trump tell America that these workers are stealing from it. They insist that Democrats shut down the government to hand health care to “illegal immigrants.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called that accusation what it is: a lie. “Nowhere have Democrats suggested that we’re interested in changing federal law,” Jeffries said. “The question for the president is whether he’s interested in protecting the health care of the American people.”
NBC News confirmed that the GOP’s narrative was false. So did NPR, which reported plainly: “People living in the U.S. who are undocumented do not qualify for Medicaid. They do not qualify for tax credits on the ACA health care exchanges.” But facts no longer seem to matter. Lies feed fear, and fear feeds votes. While the powerful argue over fiction, the reality on the ground has become unbearable. Cato’s research shows that fewer than 6 percent of immigrants detained by ICE had violent convictions. In Los Angeles, more than 70 percent of those taken in early June had no criminal record at all. One senior White House adviser was quoted as asking ICE agents, “Why aren’t you at Home Depot? Why aren’t you at 7-Eleven?”—as if immigrant workers were quarry to be hunted. This is what America has become: a nation that criminalizes the hands that feed it. While undocumented families harvest crops, clean hospital rooms, and care for the elderly, their wages are taxed to fund public schools, emergency services, and the very agencies that terrorize them. They pay, but they cannot claim. They build, but they cannot belong.
See more on AFRO.com
The power of giving: Proof that generosity can’t be confined
By Chrissy M. Thornton
In a world filled with division, uncertainty and economic anxiety, generosity can sometimes feel like a lost art – a quiet gesture in an increasingly loud and divided world. Yet, at Associated Black Charities (ABC), we were recently reminded that generosity is not lost at all. It is alive, resilient and capable of flourishing in the most unexpected places.
In August 2025, our office received a call from a mother inquiring on behalf of her son, who is currently incarcerated at North Branch Correctional Institution in Cumberland, Md. Her son wanted to begin making charitable contributions as part of his rehabilitation process. She asked if there was a way for him to give to ABC, because he believed deeply in our mission to create opportunity for Black people in Maryland and beyond.
Since that first call, he has made monthly donations ranging from $13 to $15, faithfully giving every month for the past three months. He has also inspired two others at the same facility to join him in making recurring contributions.
We are continually inspired each
time the phone rings and we hear the familiar tone of a monitored call from the correctional facility. On the other end are individuals who want to talk with us directly, who ask thoughtful questions about our mission, and who seek to understand how their contributions – however modest – can make a difference. These conversations
remind us that philanthropy is not reserved for the privileged. It belongs to anyone with a heart to give.
Each call is a moment of connection that bridges worlds, affirming that generosity can exist even where hope is scarce.
At a time when individual giving has declined across the nonprofit sector – and when organizations
like ours must compete in an oversaturated philanthropic landscape – these quiet acts of generosity are nothing short of extraordinary.
Maryland’s incarceration statistics reveal just how profound this story is. Although Black residents make up about 30 percent of the state’s population, they represent over 71 percent of Maryland’s prison population, one of the highest racial disparities in the nation.
Maryland also leads the country in incarcerating young Black men, sentencing them to longer terms and offering fewer opportunities for parole and rehabilitation.
This isn’t simply a story about crime or punishment. It’s about systems that have historically over-policed, over-prosecuted, and over-incarcerated Black people – systems that have too often disconnected individuals from their communities and their sense of belonging.
And yet, within that system – inside one of Maryland’s highest-security correctional facilities – three men who have lost their freedom have chosen to give. Month after month. Quietly. Consistently.
Their actions challenge us to rethink what it means to belong and to contribute. They remind us that these men who are incarcerated
are still members of our community – sons, brothers, fathers, and neighbors. They are human beings capable of empathy, reflection, and transformation. Their circumstances may confine them, but their humanity does not end at the prison gate.
Across the country, nonprofits –especially those focused on civil rights, racial equity and community advancement – are facing mounting challenges. The philanthropic landscape is shifting. Individual giving is at one of its lowest levels in decades, even as community needs continue to grow.
For organizations like ABC, this means doing more with less – innovating, collaborating and holding fast to our belief that collective care is the foundation of progress.
And then, out of nowhere, comes a gift like this: a handful of small checks from a Maryland correctional facility that carry the weight of something far greater.
Because when someone with so little gives so much of themselves, it renews your faith – not just in the work, but in the people the work is for. It reminds us that generosity is not the privilege of the wealthy or the free. It is a conscious choice to believe in community.
The power and necessity of future-proofing career paths
By
“Uncertain” doesn’t even begin to describe the times we’re living through right now.
There are shifting alliances and allegiances. Rules and regulations are here today but gone tomorrow… and then back a few days later.
Tariffs implemented and then postponed and then reinstated…all in a matter of hours. Anyone could be forgiven for feeling a bit of whiplash these days. At times like these, we crave stability, consistency and a plan for the way forward.
At Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America (OIC of America), a nonprofit founded by Rev. Dr. Leon H. Sullivan 61 years ago, we are moving his established and future-proof formula forward:
1. Work to achieve economic justice and reduce poverty.
2. Transform lives and communities through no-cost skills training.
3. Address the systemic barriers that keep people from fully participating in the modern
4. A reliable recipe for uncertain times.
In more than 20 states around the country, our nearly 50 partners and affiliates take different approaches to this mission, but every strategy ultimately boils down to those three elements. By following our founder’s model, we minimize uncertainty when we future-proof the workforce.
Because getting a job isn’t enough anymore.
A job alone won’t provide a lifelong map toward prosperity—that kind of promise comes only from a transformation in thinking and in opportunity.
Look at construction, where we have an ever-worsening shortage of workers. In just 2025 and 2026, America will need a million new construction workers just to keep up with the pipeline of work. More than four in 10 construction workers are retiring by 2031, and more than a third of construction workers are foreign-born populations whose absence from the U.S. workforce is becoming more acutely felt every day.
Match that shortage with continually increasing demand. Hyper-expensive natural disasters, which require skilled laborers to recover and rebuild from, hit an all-time high in 2023. We have a national housing shortage of 4.5 million homes. Data centers, which require armies of workers to build, experienced a 34 percent year-over-year growth last year, and the power industry needs 510,000 new workers by 2030. The demand is there. And we are helping our community answer the call.
It’s incumbent upon all of us to give kids the skills, interests and networks for family-sustaining careers, and prepare adults for economic opportunities that will provide a pathway to the middle class.
We have to—because we know that amid our ever-changing country, the demand for skills that allow families to enter the middle class is constant. Everyone is looking for a workable path. It’s up to all of us to provide it.
That much is certain.
Courtesy photo
Chrissy M. Thornton serves as president and CEO of Associated Black Charities. This week, she discusses the power of giving.
Louis J. King II
Photo courtesy of Black Press USA
Louis J. King II serves as president and CEO of Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America. This week, he speaks on the importance of creating and maintaining paths to the middle class, even in the midst of economic upheaval.
Courtesy photo
Stacy M. Brown is the senior national correspondent for Black Press USA. This week, he discusses the unfair treatment and misinformation being lodged against America’s immigrant population
approved by Congress to fund benefits during a shutdown.
“The Administration has admitted that reserves are available and could and should have taken steps weeks ago to be ready to use these funds,” Pratt said in a CBPP press release. “Instead, it may choose not to use them in an effort to gain political advantage.”
“I know from experience that the federal government has the authority and the tools it needs during a shutdown to get these SNAP funds to families,” Parrot said. “Even at this late date, the professionals at the Department of Agriculture and in states can make this happen. And, to state the obvious, benefits that are a couple of days delayed are far more help to families than going without any help at all.”
Martha’s Table was founded in 1980 and is now headquartered in Ward 8 in Southeast D.C. According to a spokesperson the organization has served more than 30,000 families in 2025, and has long relied on the strength of the community – even when federal shutdowns occur.
on health and wellness and the needs of our seniors on the belief that strong communities are built by investing in people,” the spokesperson said. “Our doors remain open five days a week for walk-ins at our Lobby Market (located in DC Scholars Public Charter Building in Southeast) and you don’t have to be a resident of D.C. to receive the nutritious food we provide.”
Copeland
Continued from A1
Following significant cuts to the SNAP Program (SNAP) in a bill passed in July 2025, Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., described the legislation as “cruel and callous” and a “betrayal of working-class Americans.”
She emphasized how families would have to make “tough decisions between trying to pay their bills and put food on the table.”
“When Republicans cut nutrition benefits for children, I kept thinking ‘How could you?’... I don’t know how they sleep at night knowing their constituents – children – will go to bed hungry because of these cuts,” said Alsobrooks, in a statement.
appeared in September — and working to increase diversity in the dance world with her namesake foundation, including “Be Bold,” an afterschool program designed for young children of color.
But she decided to dust off the pointe shoes so she could have one last spin on the ABT stage — including as Juliet, one of the most passionate roles in ballet and her personal favorite.
Copeland’s Romeo in the balcony pas de deux was Calvin Royal III, who in 2020 became ABT’s first Black male principal dancer in two decades.
The duo later reappeared for another duet, this time a modern one, in “Wrecka Stow,” by Kyle Abraham. For Copeland’s final performance of the night, she performed Twyla Tharp’s “Sinatra Suite” with another of her favorite partners, Herman Cornejo.
“Since our founding, children have been our first priority, but we have since expanded services and resources, focusing
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore agreed with Alsobrooks, and in an October statement described the shutdown not as “gridlock” or “confusion,” but “cruelty.” He stressed that while the state would do everything it could to fill the gap, “no state can fully fill the gap” created by the federal government’s failure to fund critical benefits. Continued from A1
The night, which also celebrated ABT’s 85th anniversary and was curated in large part by Copeland herself, included speeches and film clips about her career. And her fellow dancers performed excerpts of ballets in her honor. At the end, a beaming Copeland was given a quintessential ballet farewell, as colleagues, teachers, friends and family came out to greet her, one by one, with hugs and bouquets while glittery confetti poured from the rafters.
On to the next stage
Though Copeland has not closed the door on dancing altogether, it’s clear an era is ending.
“It’s been 25 years at ABT, and I think it’s time,” she told The Associated Press in an interview in June, when she announced her retirement. “It’s time for me to move to the next stage.”
She added: “You know, I’ve become the person that I am today, and have all the opportunities I have today, because of ballet, (and) because of American Ballet Theatre. I feel like this is me saying ‘thank you’ to the company. So it’s a farewell. (But) it won’t be the end of me dancing. … Never say never.”
On the carpet Oct. 22 before her performance, she said: “I feel good. I feel ready to take this next step.” She noted that she would be continuing her work promoting diversity: “There’s so much work and effort that has to be continuous.”
Allen told reporters that Copeland had “helped to redefine the face of ballet. She’s inspired millions of people around the world and hopefully, American Ballet Theatre will not wait another 50 years before they have another beautiful Black principal dancer.”
The evening at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater was streamed live to nearby Alice Tully Hall across the plaza, with attendance free to the public — another sign of Copeland’s
unique brand of fame in the dance world.
Copeland was born in Kansas City, Mo., and raised in San Pedro, Calif., where she lived in near poverty and through periods of homelessness as her single mother struggled to support her and five siblings.
For a future professional dancer, she came to ballet relatively late — at 13 — but soon excelled and went on to study at the San Francisco Ballet School and ABT on scholarship opportunities. After a stint in the junior company, Copeland joined ABT as a member of the corps de ballet in April 2001, becoming a soloist six years later.
In June 2015, Copeland was promoted to principal dancer. Unlike other promotions, which are announced quietly, Copeland’s was announced at a news conference — a testament to her celebrity. Only days before, she’d made a triumphant New York debut in “Swan Lake” in the starring role of Odette/Odile, drawing a diverse and enthusiastic crowd to the Metropolitan Opera House.
AP Photo / Charles Sykes, Invision/AP
Dancer Misty Copeland (right) takes a bow during curtain call as her son, Jackson, approaches with a bouquet of flowers to celebrate her retirement performance from American Ballet Theatre at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, Oct. 22, in New York.
Chart courtesy Manna Food Center Montgomery County, Md.’s centralized foodbank, Manna Food Center, served more than 60,000 families in 2024 and with the recent federal shutdown, is now serving an unprecedented number of people, many of whom are federal workers either fired or furloughed.
BALTIMORE-AREA
Md. Public Defender hosts discussion on criminal justice and child well-being
By Tashi McQueen AFRO Staff Writer tmcqueen@afro.com
As complex discussions around youth-involved crimes continue across the state, the Maryland Office of the Public Defender hosted a session titled “In Defense of Us – Championing for Children: Childhood Protected, Rights Respected”on Oct. 21. The event focused on child well-being and criminal justice reform, highlighting strategies to keep children out of the legal system and strengthen communities.
The panel discussion took place at the Baltimore County Public Library in Catonsville and included Dayvon Love, director of public policy for Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle; Erinique King, assistant director of intensive advocacy for the Choice Program at the University of Maryland Baltimore County and Donna D. Brown, project manager for the Citizens Policing Project at Beyond
Youth Organizing.
Maryland Public Defender
Natasha Dartigue said the goal is to move Maryland from a punitive system to one rooted in prevention and care, especially for Black children.
“Black children are five
“We should be creating bridges for children to go from places where they may be struggling or having a difficult time, but instead, what we have created is essentially a trap door,” she continued. “We must always remember as we discuss our
“We should be creating bridges for children to go from places where they may be struggling or having a difficult time, but instead, what we have created is essentially a trap door.”
times more likely to be detained,” said Dartigue.
“Children of color represent 72 percent of all children that are charged as adults, despite only making up 38 percent of the juvenile population.”
children that they are, in fact, children.”
Dartigue said solutions to juvenile crime must be science-based, without youth being automatically charged as adults.
“The science and research
Photo courtesy of Coppin State University Alfred Carter Jr. (left), grandson of Henrietta Lacks and CEO and president of the Henrietta Lacks House of Healing; Dr. Anthony L. Jenkins, president of Coppin State University; and attorney Ben Crump unveil the new name of the Health and Human Services Building. The campus facility was dedicated to Henrietta Lacks, the Baltimore woman whose “HeLa” cells became the first immortal human cell line, on Oct. 15.
has shown us that the human brain does not become fully developed until age 25,” said Dartigue. “We also know that the part of the brain that controls our judgment is the part of the brain that is developed at the slowest pace.”
She highlighted data showing the harm of rushing to charge youth as adults.
Children charged as adults are 34 percent more likely to be re-arrested for violent crimes than those in the juvenile system.
“Children in adult facilities are five times more likely to be sexually assaulted, twice as likely to be beaten by staff, and 36 times more likely to attempt suicide than those who were brought into juvenile facilities,” said Dartigue.
Love emphasized the need for culturally sensitive programming that centralizes “notions of self-love, cultural self-respect,” and gives youth “tools to navigate the world in a way that is more
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Leaders demand accountability after AI surveillance system misidentifies student’s chip bag as gun
By Andrea Stevens AFRO Staff Writer astevens@afro.com
Civil rights and advocacy organizations are demanding accountability and reform after an artificial intelligence (AI) system at Kenwood High School misidentified a chip bag as a gun, leading to a Black student’s detainment on Oct. 20.
After football practice, 16-year-old Taki Allen was sitting in front of his school eating a small bag of Doritos chips. When he finished, he balled up the empty bag and put it in his pocket. The school’s AI detection system allegedly flagged the Doritos bag as a firearm and multiple police vehicles arrived rapidly, leading to Allen being handcuffed at gunpoint.
The Randallstown NAACP Branch and Associated Black Charities (ABC) say the incident is a symptom of broader systemic bias and leadership
failure within Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS). Both organizations say the event highlights the dangers of using untested surveillance technology in schools serving communities of color.
“This is not just a malfunction of technology but a failure of leadership and humanity,” says Dr. Tekemia Dorsey, president of the Randallstown NAACP.
“When a student is treated as a threat because of a flawed algorithm and officials remain silent, our children’s safety and dignity are under assault.”
In a letter to families in the school’s community, the Kenwood High School principal, Kate Smith, describes the sequence of events that led to the police response.
“I am writing to provide information on an incident that occurred last night on school property. At approximately 7 p.m., school administration
Coppin State University names Health and Human Services Building after Henrietta Lacks
By Megan Sayles AFRO Staff Writer msayles@afro.com
Coppin State University’s (CSU) Health and Human Services Building now bears the name of Henrietta Lacks, honoring the Baltimore woman whose cells—taken without her knowledge in 1951— became the first immortal human cell line and revolutionized medical research.
The name of the building was unveiled during an Oct. 15 ceremony that featured remarks from CSU President Anthony L. Jenkins and American civil
rights lawyer Benjamin Crump, who formerly represented the Lacks family in their lawsuits seeking justice and compensation for the unauthorized use of Henrietta Lacks’ cells.
“As an institution dedicated to discovery and service, we are excited to name this building in honor of Henrietta Lacks.
Unsplash/ Michael Fortsch
Black leaders are speaking out in support of Kenwood High School student Taki Allen, 16, who was handcuffed at gunpoint by members of the Baltimore County Police Department after an artificial intelligence surveillance system mistakenly identified his Doritos bag as a gun.
Brianna Nave / Maryland Office of the Public Defender
Erinique King (left), assistant director for the Choice Program at UMBC; Donna D. Brown, project manager for the Citizens Policing Project at Beyond Youth Organizing; Dayvon Love, director of Public Policy for Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle; and Tiara Hawkes, advocate with the Office of the Public Defender of Baltimore County Maryland and moderator speak during a panel on juvenile justice reform and child well-being.
By Megan Sayles AFRO Staff Writer msayles@afro.com
Dermell Brunson, founder and president of Leaders of Tomorrow Youth Center (LTYC), is speaking publicly for the first time since a group of former Baltimore City Public School teachers filed a lawsuit against his organization and the school district earlier this month, alleging unpaid wages.
Brunson said LTYC, a longtime partner of Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools), has struggled in the last 18 months with delayed payments from several partners— a problem he attributes to outdated invoicing systems, limited staffing and shrinking school budgets under the 47th president’s administration.
“When you submit your invoice, you’re already waiting the first 60 days and then if there’s an error on a purchase order, an invoice error, human errors internally from LTYC or something the school made a mistake on in terms of the receipt, it takes way too long to then correct it and get your payment on either side,” said Brunson. “On average, we’re seeing that we’re waiting three and four months to get payment for services that have been rendered months before.”
Brunson said that his team predicted the rise in late payments before the 2024 school year began. In August 2024, he met with the contracted instructors to explain that funding challenges were becoming greater for small nonprofits,
Photos courtesy of Baltimore City Public Schools and Leaders of Tomorrow Youth Center
Baltimore City Public Schools and Dermell Brunson, founder of Leaders of Tomorrow Youth Center, are responding to a lawsuit lodged by eight former teachers, who allege they are missing wages from April, May and June.
Well-being
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responsive and honoring of
Lawsuit
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like LTYC. The delays, he added, have been further compounded by post-COVID 19 credit constraints and cashflow issues, tighter banking requirements— particularly for Black-led nonprofits— and changes under the new presidential administration.
“Once there was a change in the administration in the White House, we saw the bottom fall out. Our ability to go get funding from a grantmaker or funder or to not get high-interest lines of credit or loan options changed,” said Brunson. “We’re now in a season where we can’t go 30 to 60 days or beyond without getting paid. We can maybe hold on for 30 days, but once it gets to 45 days, 60 days or three or four months, there is nothing we can do. We have to wait for the contractual payments.”
Brunson also clarified that though some reports suggested LTYC received a $7.5 million contract from City Schools, the funds are spread across several years and disbursed in installments. Portions of the contract remain unpaid. In general, payments from City Schools—and from other partners— arrive on their own schedule and are not tied directly to when services are rendered.
Brunson said LTYC took steps to mitigate the impact on contractors, including partial payments and emergency support for transportation, groceries, rent and other necessities, as well as consistent communication about expected delays. He also emphasized that the arts instructors doing the work are independent contractors, not employees, who signed agreements containing a discretionary payment
Lacks
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Her immortal HeLa cells catalyze breakthroughs that have advanced the entire medical industry and have saved countless lives around the world. Yet her story also reminds us of the harm caused when research is conducted recklessly, unethically and without equity,” said Jenkins in a statement emailed to the AFRO. “As Baltimore’s leading HBCU in healthcare, by placing her name on our Health and Human Services Building, we are strengthening our commitment to scientific excellence that is inseparable from ethical rigor, respect for individuals and families, and partnership with the communities we serve. May every student, clinician, and researcher who enters these doors be inspired by her legacy: to pursue knowledge with humility, to expand access to its benefits, and to ensure that progress is never separated from justice.”
CSU’s largest academic facility, the Henrietta Lacks Health
and Human Services Building houses the university’s nursing, criminal justice, social work, applied psychology and interdisciplinary studies programs. The building is equipped with a forensic laboratory, 18 smart classrooms, tech-enhanced conference and seminar rooms, nursing simulation labs and an auditorium. It also holds the school’s Community Health Center and community outreach programs.
Last January, CSU launched an initiative to rename several campus facilities, including the Henrietta Lacks Health and Human Services Building. The university encouraged students, alumni, faculty, staff and surrounding community members to submit names that reflected CSU’s mission and values. Other facilities that have been retitled include the Katherine Johnson Science and Technology Building, commemorating the trailblazing NASA scientist, and the Margaret Peters Tennis Complex, recognizing the CSU alumnae who became a dominant force in the American Tennis Association.
Love also stressed the importance of political organizing to change the juvenile justice system.
“We need to engage the political landscape from
clause, which allows LTYC to make payments as funding is received from its partners. In February and March, Brunson gave instructors the opportunity to end their contracts if the delays caused hardship.
While Brunson stressed that LTYC has acted in good faith and has no history of financial mismanagement, the educators involved in the lawsuit say the delayed payments have caused them substantial financial hardship.
On Oct. 10, eight former educators filed a lawsuit against City Schools and Leaders of Tomorrow Youth Center (LTYC), asserting that they’re still waiting to receive pay for April, May and June.
The educators worked for various schools in the district.
Cedric Benning, one of the plaintiffs, told the AFRO the ordeal has cost him his financial stability.
“I’ve faced numerous cut-off notices and threats of repossession. You name it, I’m behind on everything,” said Benning, former media arts and computer science teacher at Booker T. Washington Middle School.
“I’ve had to borrow money from my mom to stay afloat. I’ve had family members chip in and help me out. I’ve had credit cards closed on me. Now, they’re in collections. It’s just been terrible.”
In the complaint, Benning and the other plaintiffs allege that Brunson began missing their monthly paydays in December 2024. However, Brunson says payment problems didn’t begin until the January invoice.
When payments did arrive, plaintiffs say they often only amounted to a portion— sometimes a third or half— of what they were owed. The instructors claimed that this cycle continued through the end of the school year and that they never received
the vantage point of, you’re either going to do what we want you to do or we’re going to hurt you politically,” said Love. “We should not be in the
payments for April, May and June. However, Brunson says every teacher has now been paid up to May 1, with a large portion of the instructors receiving a partial payment for work they did in May.
Benning described the lawsuit as a last resort for him and his colleagues. He asserted that Brunson has not returned his emails, calls and texts.
“It’s been very frustrating. You’re sitting in your home broke not because you didn’t work— you’re broke because you did go to work,” said Benning.
“Imagine how that plays with your mental health,” added Benning. “You’re getting up and going to work every day, feeding yourself, trying to find money for gas to get there because these kids are expecting you there. That’s the main reason why we stayed working. They don’t know anything about finances or repossession. All they know is they want Mr. Benning in class.”
In response to the lawsuit’s allegations, a spokesperson for City Schools clarified the district’s role.
“We are reviewing the matter and will respond appropriately. However, we have been clear that any failure on the part of LTYC to pay their employees is solely the responsibility of LTYC,” said the spokesperson. “City Schools has paid its obligations to LTYC, $600,000 to date, authorized in our purchase order.”
Though Brunson said he bears no animosity toward the school system, he said he is still waiting for invoice payments from last school year. Looking ahead, he said LTYC is pursuing partnerships, new revenue streams and the hiring of its first CEO to strengthen the organization’s financial footing.
business of trying to convince White folks that our kids deserve to be treated like they are human beings. “We need to organize for power.”
Brianna Nave / Maryland Office of the Public Defender
Natasha Dartigue, Maryland Public Defender, speaks on juvenile justice reform and the need for preventionfocused, science-based solutions to support children in the state’s legal system.
their own humanity.”
Photo courtesy of the Maryland State Archives Henrietta Lacks may have died in 1951, but her cells have lived on– giving researchers a way to work on human cells outside of the body as they develop vaccines and cures for a host of conditions.
‘House of Melo’ exhibit shines spotlight on Baltimore resilience
By Chianti Marks AFRO Intern
All photos courtesy of the Baltimore City Office of the Mayor / J.J. McQueen
On Oct. 25, Baltimore native and 10-time NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony celebrated the opening of the “House of Melo” exhibit at the Enoch Pratt Free Library’s Central Branch. The event followed Anthony’s recent induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
The exhibit, open through Dec. 20, 2025, highlights Anthony’s journey from West Baltimore to global stardom while making efforts to serve his community. Beginning in November, free workshops led by local leaders in culinary arts, creative industries and literature will help residents build and sustain their own business ventures.
Outside of the library, the block transformed into a celebration — a basketball court was set up in the street, food trucks lined the curb and a DJ filled the air with music.
The ceremony featured remarks from Enoch Pratt CEO Chad Helton; Sanctuary Collective CEO Sam Brand; award-winning writer and Anthony’s memoir co-author D. Watkins; Anthony’s longtime stylist and creative director Khalilah Beavers; Baltimore City Mayor Brandon M. Scott; Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Anthony himself.
Helton opened the
ceremony by thanking attendees and reflecting on the exhibit’s purpose.
“The House of Melo exhibit brings that spirit to life in a whole new way, celebrating Baltimore pride while reminding us all that greatness starts right here,” he said. Scott spoke candidly about Anthony’s rise from the same West Baltimore streets where he grew up.
“We grew up in Baltimore. For us it was like heaven and hell,” Scott said. “Heaven because you had a community rooting for you to succeed, but it was also hell because we all know what we lived through in the ’80s, ’90s and early 2000s — when systems were designed for us to fail.
It’s a miracle that Carmelo was able to make it to where he is today. Despite being doubted and called every name in the book, he did great things — and more importantly, he never forgot the city that raised him.”
Moore echoed that message, praising Anthony’s resilience and his commitment to giving back.
“He doesn’t have to do this. Carmelo can just as easily say he got his medals, he got his awards, he’s going to shine forever. But he made a very intentional decision to pour into our kids, to make sure he’s not the only one sitting up there,” Moore said.
Moore added that Anthony’s journey stands as a lesson in perseverance and discipline.
“This is a celebration not just of what Carmelo has accomplished or where he came from, but of how much work he put in to get there,” said the governor.
When Anthony took the stage, he reflected on his roots and the meaning behind the exhibit.
“This exhibit does not just represent myself,” he said. “I wanted to bring you guys into the House of Melo. It’s not about wins or losses. It’s not about accolades. I want you to experience the journey of the career.”
Anthony spoke about the ups and downs of his career and the lessons that came with them.
“When you look at a journey, you understand there will be turmoil, doubts and people who are against you,” he said. “But how you stand your ground is how you’ll be
known and appreciated.”
He also emphasized the importance of inspiring Baltimore’s youth.
“We have a sanctuary around the corner, and these kids are amazing,” Anthony said. “This is why I’m doing it — because I want to see the next Melo come from ‘Bmore’. Not New York — we always see people succeed from those big cities. But Baltimore deserves that shine too.”
He closed with a message to his community, explaining why everyone should visit the Central Branch and spend time in the library.
“Tell a friend to tell a friend, bring the kids, bring the schools, bring the streets,” he said. “There’s a lot of history in this building that a lot of people don’t understand or appreciate, and that responsibility is on all of us.”
Award winning author, producer and professor D. Watkins speaks to the crowd. Watkins is co-writer and editor of Carmelo Anthony’s book, “Where Tomorrows Aren’t Promised: A Memoir of Survival and Hope.”
Enoch Pratt CEO Chad Helton speaks to those gathered for the opening of the “House of Melo” exhibit at the Enoch Pratt Free Library’s Central Branch.
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Carmelo “Melo” Anthony speaks to the crowd, inspiring them to visit the exhibit (seen to the right) and utilize the resources of the Enoch Pratt Free Library system.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (left), NBA legend Carmelo “Melo” Anthony and Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott share a moment of celebration during the grand opening of the “House of Melo” exhibit at the Enoch Pratt Free Library’s Central Branch on Oct. 25.
Baltimore City Mayor Brandon M. Scott takes in the new Enoch Pratt Free Library “House of Melo” exhibit on Cathedral Street.
The “House of Melo” exhibit will pay homage to NBA legend Carmelo “Melo” Anthony and Baltimore, where he spent his childhood, through Dec. 20.
Depression is not an inherent part of aging: Here are four common signs in older adults
By Martha Sandova
The American Psychiatric Association defines depression as “a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act,” resulting in, among other symptoms, “feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed.” Mental illnesses should be approached with the same seriousness and urgency as any physical disease. Unfortunately, depression in older adults is frequently misdiagnosed, undertreated or mistaken as a natural sign of a person’s “slowing down” with age or enduring chronic age-related physical ailments, of which an estimated 80 percent of older adults have at least one.
While depression rates among older adults are lower than among younger people, a lack of access to accurate information greatly increases the likelihood that older adults do not understand what is happening to them or how to ask for help. Depression in older people is often tied to cognitive changes, changes in sleep patterns and a general loss of interest, all of which
can contribute to a significantly higher risk of isolation.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most older adults do not report feeling depressed, though living conditions and a person’s degree of social interaction play a major role. While cases of depression among the elderly living within a community range from less than 1 percent to 5 percent, 11.5 percent of hospitalized patients and 13.5 percent of those who receive home health care have reported depressive symptoms.
Most elderly patients suffering from depression do respond to anti-depressive drugs, psychotherapy or a combination thereof. Symptoms are usually different in seniors than in younger adults—they are less likely to develop cognitive-affective symptoms, such as dysphoria, worthlessness or guilt than younger patients, while insomnia, fatigue, psychomotor lethargy, loss of interest in living and hopelessness tend to be more prevalent.
Below are common signs of depression in older adults using information from the National Institute on Aging and other scientific and medical sources. Identifying these
symptoms and seeking timely professional help can significantly improve the quality of life of older adults.
Loss of interest in hobbies and other pleasurable activities
Social withdrawal and a loss of interest in hobbies and other activities previously found pleasurable is called anhedonia, a core symptom of depression. Anhedonia can present as a social or physical symptom; social anhedonia is a progressive disinterest in interpersonal relationships and a lack of comfort in social situations, while physical anhedonia is the inability to feel tangible pleasures such as eating or touching.
Memory and decisionmaking issues
In older adults, the loss of executive functions, memory, and the ability to make decisions can be symptoms of different diseases or just a normal part of the aging process. A health professional must accurately diagnose the patient to discard brain conditions such as dementia, infectious diseases and chronic illnesses before attributing these symptoms to depression.
Sleep irregularity, including waking up too early or sleeping too late
According to the Sleep Foundation: “People with depression may find it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep during the night or experience periods of excessive daytime sleepiness.” The organization states that sleep problems and vice versa can exacerbate depression; sleep problems can bring on depression. Either way, there is an undeniable link between depression and sleeping. The sleeping habits of seniors must be closely supervised to prevent mental and physical health problems.
Change in appetite, especially with unintentional weight gain or loss
It is common for older adults to have less appetite since they have lower energy requirements due to less physical activity. There are several reasons for the elderly to lose their appetite: dental issues, difficulty chewing and swallowing, side effects of prescription medications and depression. A mental health exam is recommended if a senior loses their appetite and
weight for no apparent reason.
On the other hand, if the person starts eating excessively, it might be a sign of stress or anxiety, conditions often linked to depression as well. Additional research by
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Emilia Ruzicka. Story editing by Brian Budzynski. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn. Photo selection by Clarese Moller. This article was originally published by Stacker Studio.
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The American Psychiatric Association defines depression as a serious medical illness that affects how people feel, think and act—yet it often goes unrecognized in older adults.
One in four Americans are physically inactive—here’s how that impacts you as you age.
By Ali Hickerson
In 2024, nearly half (48 percent) of American adults made a New Year’s resolution to improve their fitness, according to a Forbes Health/ OnePoll survey.
It’s a good goal—because Americans aren’t doing it nearly enough.
Nearly 1 in 4 American adults are not getting the suggested two days of muscle training and 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends. According to a study published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health, part of the problem could be that only 1 in 10 adults know how much and what kinds of exercise they should be getting to stave off disease and other health ailments.
Guidelines by the CDC recommend “regular physical activity,” encompassing more than just fitness and exercise. It also includes sports and other physical activities that move your body and expend energy. Physical activity can even include active transportation like walking to work or gardening.
Routine physical activity has more advantages for your health and well-being than just preventing weight gain. Regular movement makes your bones stronger and your cognitive abilities sharper,
helps you sleep more soundly and feel less anxious, and can reduce the risk of chronic diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some types of cancer.
Northwell Health partnered with Stacker to analyze CDC data about Americans’ physical activity levels and how they vary by age.
Americans are becoming less active
Over the past decade, the prevalence of physical inactivity has remained “unacceptably high,” according to a study in The American Journal of Medicine, despite continued efforts to improve fitness at individual and population levels.
Physical inactivity isn’t just an American issue nor limited to the individual. Government policies can help change the infrastructure, environments and resources that support a more active population. However, a World Health Organization report published in 2022 found in a study of 194 countries that progress toward policies that aimed to increase physical activity is slow. Over a quarter of created national policies were not funded or implemented.
Variables like socioeconomic status, regionality, ethnic backgrounds and education correlate with differences in physical inactivity. Technology and how our “built
environments” are structured for walkability and safety all play a part in why Americans don’t move as much as they should—in addition to more personalized reasons, like a lack of time, energy and motivation and fear of injury.
Physical activity doesn’t just prevent chronic conditions; it can help manage them too. Still, like the rest of American adults, people with chronic conditions and disabilities also exercise at lower levels than recommended.
CDC data shows that physical activity levels in adults have dropped and flatlined since 2020 without continued improvement for over a decade. With just an additional 10 minutes of physical activity a day, it is estimated that 110,000 deaths of middle-aged and older adults could be prevented annually, according to research published in JAMA Internal Medicine. Fittingly, CDC data also shows that low physical activity costs the American health care system $117 billion annually.
A 2019 Global Wellness Institute report found that Americans rank #1 for how much consumers spend on physical activity, with $264 billion annually on technology, equipment and apparel. The same report ranks the United States #20 globally for “sports participation,”
measuring people participating in at least one physical activity per month.
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So, have Americans always been this inactive? A 2021 Current Biology study comparing 19th-century to 21st-century Americans found that Americans exercise 27 fewer minutes now.
How age plays a role
According to the CDC, the pattern of inactivity begins early in Americans’ lives, with 77 percent of high school students not getting enough aerobic physical activity.
Evidence shows that moving your body earlier in life has a positive yet small effect on healthy aging down the road. For bone density, building strength in our younger years matters. The body keeps bones strong by replacing “old bones” with new tissue—the rate of which can slow with exercise—but
production of the new tissue ends around age 30.
“Exercise is the best defense and repair strategy that we have to counter different drivers of aging,” Nathan LeBrasseur, professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the Mayo Clinic, told Time magazine. However, only moderate and vigorous physical activity makes a difference in the health of older people.
In addition to the exercise recommendations for adults, people 65 and older should do activities that improve balance.
According to CDC data, American adults move less as they age. Still, according to CDC data, there’s a more significant drop in physical activity for people aged 65 and older than those aged 55-64.
A survey of researchers at the University of Michigan found that COVID-19 restrictions
hurt older adults’ physical functioning and health outcomes after falling. Lead researcher Geoffrey Hoffman told the New York Times that the changes in activity levels for this community during the pandemic led to worsened physical functioning, which corresponded with increased falls and fears of falling. With the median age of the U.S. population higher than ever before, paired with high levels of inactivity, there will be a continued strain on the health system. The CDC’s comprehensive Active People, Healthy Nation initiative aims to motivate 27 million Americans to become more physically active by 2027.
Story editing by Shannon Luders-Manuel. Copy editing by Paris Close. Photo selection by Ania Antecka. Data work by Elena Cox. This article was originally published by Stacker Studio.
Photo courtesy of Stacker Studio
CDC findings show that physical activity declines sharply with age, particularly among adults 65 and older, increasing balance and mobility issues.
Photo courtesy of Stacker Studio
CDC data shows that U.S. adults have grown less active over the past decade, with physical activity rates stagnating since 2020.
Nappy.co/ Nappy Stock
Managing medications for people 65 and over
By Black Health Matters
Medications play a key role in helping many individuals, especially older adults, maintain their quality of life. However, for some, managing medications to achieve the best outcomes can be a challenge.
Why is medication management critical, and who does it affect?
Medication management is a problem for a lot of people, particularly those with several physical or mental conditions. Many of these individuals are older than 65, a population more likely to take multiple medications and more susceptible to side effects, in part due to the physical changes that accompany aging.
In fact, according to the Pew Research Center, people age 65 and older make up just 18 percent of the population. But account for 88.6 percent of all prescription medication use and 30-39 percent percent of all over-the-counter medication use. What typically happens is that an older adult sees different doctors for different conditions, each prescribing
medication separately. As the number of medications increases, so does the risk of side effects and significant interactions, some of which can be serious. Plus, many of these patients are on complicated regimens, which further compounds the situation.
Four tips for managing medications: Whether you’re dealing
with medication management challenges personally or caring for someone who is, there are things you can do to reduce the risk of the medications doing more harm than good. Here are some tips that can help you, or a loved one, manage their medication.
1. Find a healthcare provider. Designate one primary care provider—either a person or a
team—to help manage your entire medication list. Seeing multiple doctors with little communication about what medications they’re each prescribing can increase the chance of side effects and significant interactions between medications. Going to the same primary care provider or team of providers
who are up to date on your medications can help prevent this. Having your primary care provider’s medication list available at all times is essential. It should include over-the-counter medications, vitamins, supplements and herbal remedies, as well as prescriptions. An annual “medication check-up” can eliminate unnecessary medications and ensure all medications are compatible.
2. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Listen carefully when a medication is prescribed and ask questions to find out the name of the drug, its purpose, proper dosing and potential side effects. It’s important to know what’s going on in your body, so don’t be afraid to ask. Take notes and remember prescribed medicines should not be stopped without a provider’s instruction.
3. Simplify your daily medicine routine. Having to take several different medicines a day
More older people are leaving prison and face
housing and health care
American prisons are rapidly graying
By Angela S. Murolo and Lena M. Campagna
Following decades of mass incarceration, exacerbated by the U.S. war on drugs, the proportion of older people in prison has increased since the early 1990s. Nearly a quarter of people behind bars in federal and state prisons are over age 50. That’s five times the proportion of the prison population in 1991.
Upward of 95 percent of incarcerated people will eventually leave prison, either on parole or because they’ve completed their sentence. And the older they are when released, the harder it can be to reintegrate into society.
Older people face greater health, housing and family obstacles after leaving prison than those under 50. As a result, they tend to rely more on parole officers and social service providers to get settled. Yet, our criminology research in New Jersey shows, there simply isn’t enough help out there to meet their needs.
“All my friends are deceased”
Older ex-prisoners typically encounter vast challenges reacclimating to life outside of prison and supporting themselves. Housing is a top priority. For older parolees, staying with family is often not possible. Many have cycled in and out of prison for a long time, straining their family relationships.
The case of Cosmo, who was 56 when he was interviewed in 2021 for our study, is illustrative. With a history of substance abuse and no family in New Jersey, Cosmo found himself homeless after his release from prison in 2021.
“I was assured that parole would provide me with
placement somewhere,” he said. But when he spoke to his parole officer, Cosmo said, “they told me under no uncertain terms” that they couldn’t help with housing.
Ultimately, a local social service agency got him a room at a motel. He could stay there while he found a job and saved enough money to find more permanent housing.
Daniel, a 74-year-old Vietnam veteran we interviewed, was incarcerated for seven years. During that period, his wife died. Most of his friends are gone, too.
“All my friends are deceased except for one,” Daniel said in 2021, saying the two had known each other for 69 years.
“Best friends,” he added. “We met in kindergarten.”
Yet his friend was in no position to help Daniel because he was hospitalized, in failing health.
Alone in New Jersey, Daniel relied on a reentry counselor he met through his church to get his needs met. She signed him up for Medicare and Medicaid and got him a senior citizen card for transportation.
“You’re going to educate an 80-year-old”
The hardships of prison tend to cause accelerated aging. Research shows that imprisoned people age 50 or older are much more likely to have chronic health problems or a disability than other people their age who have not been incarcerated.
That’s why prisons typically designate inmates as “geriatric” at age 50 or 55.
The declining physical and mental health troubles of geriatric parolees exacerbates the already bleak job prospects for people with a criminal record.
Lengthy sentences also create large gaps in their employment
history and all but ensures they have limited – and often dated –skill sets to cite on applications.
All this makes it hard for older people who’ve been released from prison to provide for themselves.
“You’ve been in prison for 30 years, you don’t have the regular skills that you should,” an executive from a New Jersey community-based service provider told us in a 2024 focus group. “You don’t have the reading…other educational things that are there. And then you just don’t have the life skills.”
“So yes,” she concluded, “you’re going to educate an 80-year-old guy and teach him how to read.”
Seniors starting over
The U.S. has no single agency or organization dedicated to supporting the reentry process of geriatric parolees. They must navigate a complex patchwork of government services, nonprofit organizations and private corporations.
Geriatric parolees tend to rely on the parole system to connect them to housing and social services and to provide general guidance. Often, parole officers even teach their older clients digital literacy, so they may file job applications and claim social service benefits online.
Public and nonprofit social service agencies can help formerly incarcerated people sign up for government benefits such
at other times is a challenge. Work with your provider to simplify your medication regimen. They can help create a schedule that doesn’t make taking your medication so taxing, which in turn can improve the effects it has on you. Once-a-day dosing, if possible, is ideal.
4. Fill your prescriptions at the same pharmacy. Having a trusted pharmacy fill all of your prescriptions can be a big help in managing your medications. By going to the same pharmacy, the pharmacist knows all medications you take and can check for duplicates or possible drug interactions, as well as explain any potential side effects. Medication management is an ongoing process, one that needs to be adapted continually, especially with changing physical or mental conditions. The use of medications is not something to be taken lightly. Ensuring they are carried safely is the best way to achieve optimal outcomes.
unmet needs for
as Medicaid or Social Security and find housing. Nationwide, county departments of health and human services provide housing assistance, meals on wheels and other social assistance for all residents in need –regardless of criminal history.
Hundreds of nonprofit organizations offer job training, reentry support, substance abuse counseling and other services.
Daniel and Cosmo got the help they needed to restart their lives in New Jersey.
But are these support systems robust enough to support the state’s growing, graying parolee population? In New Jersey, 22 percent of people behind bars are 50 or older – up from 13 percent a decade ago.
To answer that question, we surveyed over 400 organizations across New Jersey in 2024 and conducted focus groups with those that serve the state’s formerly incarcerated elderly population.
While nonprofits in New York, California and other states have created initiatives designed specifically to house and support older people leaving prison, we found no such programs in New Jersey.
However, our study identified a wide array of community-based groups that are equipped to help formerly incarcerated people ages 55 or older.
Hundreds of organizations work at the intersection of geriatric services and support for the formerly incarcerated, and two-thirds told us they were interested in working with parole and other community-based organizations to support older people leaving prisons. About half expressed willingness to host proven interventions for this population, such as peerbased support groups.
Such groups are rare across the U.S. because parole restricts contact between people with
criminal records. But conversing with others who have experienced similar issues leaving prison provides comfort and encouragement to parolees who have limited social support – a particularly acute need for parolees over 65.
Help wanted
As the U.S. prison population ages, ever more older people will be returning to communities across the nation. They are less likely to reoffend after their release from prison. But they need more help getting back on their feet.
Ronnie, 59, found that help at a New Jersey office of the Community Resource Center, or CRC, in 2021. This national network provides reentry support with group programming to address substance abuse issues, errors in thinking and judgment, and a host of other programs.
“My main concern was housing – where I was going to live at and how I was going to support myself, jobwise,” Ronnie said. He had been approved for $825 a month in social security benefits, but the money wasn’t enough.
“The rent is $700. So, if I’m getting $825 and I’m paying rent $700, I can’t survive on $125 bucks a month,” Ronnie said. His CRC caseworker was working to get him into a much more affordable retirement home.
“$200 or $300, I’ll be able to handle that,” Ronnie said, “with no problem.”
This article was originally published by The Conversation. Angela S. Murolo is an assistant professor of criminal justice and sociology at St. Francis College and Lena M. Campagna is an associate professor of criminal justice and sociology at Caldwell University.
Unsplash/ Nappy
Experts warn that seeing multiple doctors without coordinated care can increase the risk of dangerous drug interactions.
AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli
Experts warn that as the nation’s prison population continues to gray, more robust reentry programs will be essential to ensure dignity and reduce recidivism.
Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs LEON CHRISTOPHER THOMAS, whose address is, 11846 EDMONT PLACE, WALDORF MD 20601 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of ELEASE HALL who died on SEPTEMBER 25, 2024 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance In this proceeding. Objections to such, appointment shall be filed With the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor,
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2025ADM001038 LELIA EVELYN JONES BENNET Name of Decedent HORACE LEE BRADSHAW JR. 1644 6TH STREET NW WASHINGTON, DC 20001 Attorney Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs DANIEL VALENTINE , whose address is, 1199 46TH PL SE, WASHINGTON DC, 20019 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of LEILA EVELYN JONES BENNETT
first publication: OCTOBER 17, 2025 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers LEON CHRISTOPHER THOMAS Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 10/17, 10/24, 10/31/25
DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2025ADM000862 STEPHEN ANTHONY WHATLEY AKA STEPHEN A WHATLEY Name of Decedent ANDREW JACOBSON 1325 G ST NW, SUITE 500 WASHINGTON, DC 20005 Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs
ANNIE PHILLIPS WHATLEY AKA ANNIE P WHATLEY, whose address is 1315 FERN ST NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20012 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of STEPHEN ANTHONY WHATLEY AKA STEPHEN A WHATLEY who died on FEBRUARY 17, 2023 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance In this proceeding. Objections to such, appointment shall be
Submittals are not accepted by email.
The Federal Standard Form (SF) 255 cannot be supplemented with additional pages, or additional information such as graphs, photographs, organization charts, etc. All such information should be incorporated into the appropriate pages. Applications should not be bound; simply stapled in the upper left-hand corner. Cover sheets should not be included. Inclusion
for the project.
Only individual firms (including, for example, individuals, sole proprietorships, corporations, limited liability companies, limited liability partnerships, and general partnerships) or formal Joint Venture (JV) may apply. Two firms may not apply jointly unless they have formed a joint venture.
CERTIFICATION OF PUBLICATION CITY OF BALTIMORE
OFFICE OF BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS PUBLIC NOTICE
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL - PROJECT NO. 1419
PROGRAM MANAGEMENT SERVICES FOR WATER AND WASTEWATER FACILITIES PROJECT DELIVERY SECTION
The City of Baltimore Office of Engineering and Construction (OEC) has been authorized to request the Office of Boards and Commissions (OBC) to advertise Project 1419 for the selected services for the City of Baltimore from qualified Engineering firms. It is the expectation of the City’s that interested firms providing these services, demonstrate and document the following for the City of Baltimore.
The Firms interested in providing these services must demonstrate and show examples of:
• Experience and knowledge in program/project management and coordination of strategic planning, study, design, and construction phases related to the rehabilitation and/or replacement of water and wastewater facilities for multiple ongoing and forecasted projects.
• Experience in conducting specialized technical and quality control revie s of multi-discipline study, design and construction documents.
• Experience with The Comprehensive Water and Wastewater Plan for Baltimore City, Wastewater Flow Capacity Report (WFCR), and Wastewater Capacity Management Plan (WCMP).
• Experience in preparing for Capital Improvement Program (CIP), including business case preparation and prioritizing projects utilizing the Integrated Planning Framework
• Experience in preparing the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) and State Revolving Funds (SRF) applications and supporting documentation to secure Federal and State Funding.
• Experience in preparing supporting documentation for Annual Disclosure Statements for Water and Wastewater Bond Sale Requirements.
• Ability to provide in-house Engineering staff to supplement local staff when required and provide adequate training needed for both City and consultant staff.
• Experience in developing and managing an integrated, multi-disciplined contract team with Minority and Women Business Enterprise firms while meeting MBE/WBE goals.
• Experience in public relations outreach; permitting requirements: coordination and compliance with Federal, State and Local regulations and agencies during all project phases.
Services, as stated above, will include project/program management for review and administration of available information, contract administration, preparation of reports and contract documents, investigation, design reviews, and shop drawing review and consultation during construction phases including cost estimates and potential change orders (PCOs). The City intends to select the services of one (1) firm for a period of three (3) years for $6,000,000, with an option to extend for two (2) years additional term at City’s discretion, for a total fee not to exceed $10,000,000.00 for selected firm. The Office of Engineering and Construction reserves the right to have a second interview with eligible consulting firms.
DPW encourages all contracting firms that have the experience and capacity to work on this scope to submit their proposals. All firms must demonstrate and document their capacity and resources to deliver the required services on time. Projects must comply with the 2006 edition of “The Specifications for Materials, Highways, Bridges, Utilities and Incidental Structures”. City personnel will utilize the City of Baltimore Guidelines for the Performance Evaluation of Design Consultants and Construction Contractors for this contract/project.
Should you have any questions regarding the scope of the project, please contact Mr. Brandon Fobeteh at 410-396-5271 or by email at brandonc.fobeteh@baltimorecity.gov
SUBMITTAL PROCESS
All firms listed in the specific proposal for the Project must be prequalified by the Office of Boards and Commissions, including each discipline prior to submission for this Project. Any firm listed in this proposal to perform work in any existing or related category must also be prequalified. It is the responsibility of the Firm submitting the SF255 verify and include a copy of each of Consultant’s current Prequalification Certificate in the submission package. Information regarding the prequalification process can be obtained by calling the Office of Boards and Commissions on 410.396.6883. Each Firm responding to this Request for Proposal (RFP) for Project 1419 is required to complete and submit an original Standard Federal Form (SF) 255 unless otherwise specified in this RFP. Provide one (1) original submittal, along with five (5) additional copies to the Office of Boards and Commissions at 4 South Frederick Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202 on or prior to the due date by NOON Friday December 19, 2025. Submittals will not be accepted after the due date (NOON). The City Of Baltimore has not adopted SF330, it may not be used, unless specified in the RFP. Submittals are not accepted by email.
The Federal Standard Form (SF) 255 cannot be supplemented with additional pages, or additional information such as graphs, photographs, organization charts, etc. All such information should be incorporated into the appropriate pages. Applications should not be bound; simply stapled in the upper left-hand corner. Cover sheets should not be included. Inclusion and/or submittal of additional material may result in the applicant being disqualified from consideration for this project.
Firms interested in submitting a proposal for this Project, shall address a “Letter of Interest” to the Office of Boards and Commissions, or you may email: OBC.consultants@baltimorecity.gov. Letters of Interest will be utilized to assist small minority and women business enterprises in identifying potential teaming partners and should be submitted within five (5) days of the date of the project’s advertisement. The Letter of Interest must provide the name and number of your firm’s contact person. Failure to submit a “Letter of Interest” will not disqualify a firm submitting a proposal for the project.
Only individual firms (including, for example, individuals, sole proprietorships, corporations, limited liability companies, limited liability partnerships, and general partnerships) or formal Joint Venture (JV) may apply. Two
COSTS OF RFP RESPONSE
There will be no payment or compensation provided to firms’ who desire to participate in any part of the submittal. All related expenses to the preparation of a response, including additional requested information, interviews, and any other necessary information, will be the sole responsibility of the firm. The City, its staff, or its representatives will not be responsible for reimbursing any costs or expenses incurred resulting in providing a submission to this RFP.
Baltimore City reserves the right to waive minor irregularities, to negotiate in any manner necessary to best serve the public interest, and to make a whole award, multiple awards, a partial award, or no award. Baltimore City reserves the right to cancel this RFP, prior to closing date.
MBE/WBE Requirements – Mayor’s Office (SMBA&D)
It is the policy of the City of Baltimore Mayor’s Office of Small and Minority Business Advocacy & Development (SMBA&D) to promote equal business opportunity in the City’s contracting process. Pursuant to Article 5, Subtitle 28 of Baltimore City Code (2000 Edition) – Minority and Women’s Business Program, Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) participation goals apply to this contract.
The MBE goal is _30__%
The WBE goal is _14__%
Both the proposed Minority and Women’s Business Enterprise firms must be named and identified as an MBE or WBE within Item 6 of the Standard Form (SF) 255 in the spaces provided for identifying outside key consultants/associates anticipated for utilization for this project.
Any submittals that do not include the proper MBE/WBE (in some instances DBE) participation will be disapproved for further consideration for this project.
Verifying Certification Each firm submitting a SF 255 for consideration for a project is responsible to verify that all MBEs and WBEs to be utilized on the project are
certified by the SMBA&D prior to submitting the proposal. A directory of certified MBEs and WBEs is available from SMBA&D. Since changes to the directory occur daily, firms submitting SF 255s should call SMBA&D at (410) 396-3818 to verify certification, expiration dates and services that the MBE or WBE is certified to provide.
Non-Affiliation
A firm submitting a proposal may not use an MBE or WBE to meet a contract goal if: The firm has a financial interest in the MBE or WBE. The firm has an interest in the ownership or control of the MBE or WBE. The firm is significantly involved in the operation of the MBE or WBE (Article 5, Subtitle 28-41).
Insurance Requirements
The consultant selected for the award of this project shall provide professional liability, auto liability, and general liability and workers’ compensation insurances as required by the City of Baltimore.
Local Hiring Law
Article 5, Subtitle 27 of the Baltimore City Code, as amended (the “Local Hiring Law”) and its rules and regulations apply to contracts and agreements executed by the City on or after the Local Hiring Law’s effective date of December 23, 2013, which is applicable to all vendors. The Local Hiring Law applies to every contract for more than $300,000 made by the City, or on its behalf, with any person. It also applies to every agreement authorizing assistance valued at more than $5,000,000 to a City-subsidized project. Please visit www.oedworks.com for details on the requirements of the law.
Additional Information
Any firm submitting a SF255 in response to the RFP that fails to comply with the requirements of Article 5, Subtitle 28 of Baltimore City Code when executing a contract is subject to the following penalties: suspension of a contract; withholding of funds; nullification of contract based on material breach; disqualification as a consultant from eligibility to provide services to the City for a period not to exceed 2 years; and payment for damages incurred by the City.
A resume for each person listed as key personnel and/or specialist, including those from MBE and WBE must be shown on the page provided within the application.
Please be advised that for the purpose of reviewing price proposals and invoices, the City of Baltimore defines a principal of a firm as follows: A principal is any individual owning 5% or more of the outstanding stock of an entity, a partner of a partnership, a 5% or more shareholder of a sub-chapter ‘S’ Corporation, or an individual owner.
Out-of-State Corporations must identify their corporate resident agent within the application.
Firms providing a SF255 Submission in response to this RFP who do not follow guidelines within this RFP including being prequalified, meeting SMBA&D goals at the time of the submittal due date will be deemed nonresponsive. Failure to follow the guidelines of this advertisement will cause disqualification of a firm(s) Submission for this project and will disqualify the entire team for further participation in the project.
Deena Joyce, Executive Secretary Chief, Office of Boards and Commissions
Issue of: 11/7/2025
The Afro-American The Baltimore Sun The Baltimore Times The Daily Record eMaryland Marketplace
Procurement Department Attention: Mary Kate Gagliardi, Senior Buyer Tel: (410) 396-3105 mary.gagliardi@habc.org
CITY OF BALTIMORE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC NOTICE
The N. Fremont Avenue Rehabilitation Project spans approximately half mile between Presstman St. and W. Lafayette Avenue in the Upton and Sandtown-Winchester neighborhoods. The project will rehabilitate aging roadway infrastructure, upgrade sidewalks and ADA ramps, enhance lighting and landscaping, and implement traffic-calming measures to improve safety, accessibility, and the overall appearance of the corridor which connects local streets to US-1, US-40, MLK Jr. Boulevard, and Russell Street (MD-295).
TR19304 N Fremont Ave Streetscape Meeting PUBLIC MEETING
Thursday, November 13, 2025 6:00p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Shake & Bake Family Fun Center (Billie Holiday Room) 1601 Pennsylvania Ave Baltimore, Maryland 21217
If you have any questions, comments or need special accommodations, please contact dotengagement@baltimorecity.gov subject line N Fremont Ave Or call 410-396-6802
Accommodation requests should be received by Monday, November 10, 2025
Receive regular updates via Facebook, “X” formerly known as Twitter at @BmoreCityDOT.
Veronica McBeth, DIRECTOR DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Ryan P. Retail Banking Team Manager 11 years with BofA
Bank of America didn’t just recognize my potential. It actively nurtured it. Here I’ve had the chance to take ownership of my career and shape my trajectory thanks to the
WASHINGTON-AREA
Cohen/Capital News Service
Sam
Uncertainty is mounting at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington Dulles International and Baltimore Washington International airports, where passengers are concerned amid a shutdown that marks the second-longest in U.S. history, echoing the 35-day closure that disrupted air travel in 2018–2019.
A ‘gamble’: Washington area airport travelers
worry about shutdown’s impact on flights
By Holliday Woodard and Peter Riccio
Three weeks into the government shutdown, travelers have mixed feelings about flying in and out of the nation’s capital.
Most interviewed by Capital News Service said they worry the ongoing shutdown could make conditions worse, even as they have faced only slight delays so far.
“I think it’s a valid concern,” said Darean Rhodes, who arrived Oct. 22 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport from New York’s LaGuardia Airport.
“I feel like it’s a gamble, it’s just a toss in the air whether you’re going to make the flight, or how the TSA is doing that day.”
Christopher Albert named D.C. Teacher of the Year
By Chianti Marks AFRO Interns
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser recently announced Christopher Albert as the District’s 2026 Teacher of the Year.
Bowser called it one of her favorite annual celebrations.
“It is an incredible experience to hear an auditorium of students erupt in cheers when their teacher is announced and to see the other educators just as excited as the students,” Bowser said, in a statement about the event.
“It is a joyful reminder that we not only have world-class teachers in schools across all eight wards, but that we also have strong school communities filled with love and appreciation.”
The D.C. Teacher of the Year award recognizes exemplary public or charter school educators who demonstrate excellence through leadership, advocacy for the teaching profession and significant student growth.
many are calling out sick or not showing up to work, according to Forbes. Since the shutdown began in the middle of a pay period, air traffic controllers already received reduced paychecks on Oct. 14. On Oct.28, they will not receive any pay.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told reporters on Capitol Hill Oct. 23 that the government shutdown was the Democrats’ responsibility.
“I can’t guarantee you that your flight’s going to be on time,” Duffy said. “I can’t guarantee you that your flight’s not going to be cancelled. It’s going to depend on our air traffic controllers coming in to work every single day… If they do not, we’ll know whose fault it is.”
“It’s my understanding that even before the shutdown, TSA was having problems and I think the chances of a delay are now compounded.”
During Oct. 22 and early Oct. 23, FlightAware reported 3,321 delayed flights and 51 cancellations. Locally, 123 of those delays were at Reagan National Airport (DCA), over 70 at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), and over 70 at Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI).
CNS caught Michael Dill on the Metro’s Yellow Line on his way to Reagan National. He said he had flown months earlier, but this was his first flight since the government shutdown began.
“Honestly, I’m always concerned about delays when I fly, but even more so now. It’s a work trip, so there is not much I can do other than try to go,” Dill said. Air traffic controllers are considered essential workers and are required to work during the shutdown. Due to pay disruptions,
Dill said that is his worry.
“I mean, (the problem is) the potential shortage of workers,” he said. “It’s my understanding that even before the shutdown, TSA was having problems and I think the chances of a delay are now compounded.”
The longest previous government shutdown lasted 35 days, from December 2018 to January 2019, under President Donald Trump’s first term.
“During the 35-day shutdown in 2018-2019, nearly 10 percent of TSA agents called out sick,” according to Forbes.
The current shutdown is now the second-longest in history.
“I did (experience delays) from Tulsa to here when I was flying out,” Oklahoma resident Crystal Stubbs said
Albert is a music educator and the director of performing arts at School Without Walls High School. Under his leadership, the school’s performing arts program has flourished — with 45 percent of students enrolled in music education courses this year, according to information released by Bowser.
Video footage from the announcement captured the excitement in the room — students cheering, teachers applauding and Christopher Albert standing in disbelief as he realized his name had been called.
“When she was talking
about all the things I’ve done in my classroom, I thought, ‘Wait a minute, that’s me.’ Then I thought, ‘No, it can’t be me.’ And then they said, ‘They’re talking about you!’”
Albert said with a laugh. “It was such a surreal, out-ofbody experience.”
“I don’t teach music to create musicians; I teach music to create thinkers, leaders,
From Cam Newton to James Brown, honorees at 10th Annual MMCD Gala assert commitment to diversity, inclusivity in media
By D. Kevin McNeir Special
to the AFRO kmcneir@afro.com
Emmy Award-winning comedian, author and activist
Loni Love delivered a perfect blend of humor and serious insights as the host for the 10th Annual Multicultural Media Correspondents Dinner (MMCD™) Gala Extravaganza, on Oct. 27, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
“Media diversity starts at the top, and it’s time more of us move from talent to ownership to tell our stories our way,” Love said.
The invitation-only event was attended by reporters, editors, policymakers and multicultural media legends whose careers continue to pave the
way for the next generation of those committed to diversity within the media.
David Morgan, co-founder and president, Multicultural Media and Correspondents Association (MMCA), acknowledged those who have helped the organization advance from its initial goal of increasing awareness to its current goal of making an impact on both the nation and the world.
“The MMCD is a central part of our effort to grow and sustain our call to action to address structural barriers and create more opportunities for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) media ownership,” he said. “I am beyond grateful to the MMCA
collaborators and creators,” Albert said.
Earlier in 2025, School Without Walls was ranked the No. 1 high school in Washington, D.C., a testament to the school’s academic and creative excellence.
In her statement, Bowser highlighted not only Albert’s accomplishments but also the broader progress across D.C. schools.
“It’s not just at School Without Walls where our students are thriving. In DCPS and public charter schools across the city, student achievement is up, teacher retention is up, and so is parent satisfaction,” Bowser said. “We know that teachers are a cornerstone of this progress.”
Photo courtesy of Multimedia Media Correspondents Association / Mikestyle Studios Host of BET’s 106 and Sport and former NFL player Cam Newton (left) shares a moment with some of the other honorees at the Multicultural Media Correspondents Association’s 2025 gala, television and radio host Rocsi Diaz, and legendary sportscaster James Brown.
Early educator pay fund faces cuts amid D.C. budget shortfall
By Megan Sayles AFRO Staff Writer msayles@afro.com
Childcare advocates are warning that D.C.’s early learning system could face a major setback after the D.C. Council recently voted to reduce the salary minimums that child care facilities must meet to qualify for the city’s Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund.
The change, made through the Early Childhood Educator Pay Scales Temporary Amendment Act of 2025, reduces the required pay rates for assistant and lead teachers beginning in January 2026. Lawmakers described the move as an emergency measure to preserve the number of educators supported by the fund after Mayor Muriel Bowser declined to allocate additional dollars in the Fiscal Year 2026 budget and proposed eliminating it in Fiscal Year 2027 amid ongoing fiscal challenges.
While the bill does not directly cut wages, early learning advocates say it will reduce take-home pay for teachers.
“The D.C. Council took an important step today to minimize the worst impact of the mayor’s decision to underfund the Pay Equity Fund, but their work is incomplete,” said Ruqiyyah Anbar-Shaheen, director of early childhood for D.C. Action, in an Oct. 21 statement. “We have consistently raised concerns about underfunding the Pay Equity Fund; however, lawmakers have attempted to balance the
MMCD Gala
community and our supporters for fueling our success over the last 10 years. The best is yet to come.”
MMCD honorees who attended the event and shared remarks included: James Brown, host of The NFL Today; Amna Nawaz,
budget on the backs of educators by cutting their pay even as the cost of living increases.”
With most parents of children under six in the workforce, demand for reliable childcare remains high. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2024, 62.6 percent of married-couple families with children under six had both parents employed, along with 68.1 percent of mothers and 85.3 percent of fathers in single-parent households.
Yet, early childhood educators remain among the nation’s lowest-paid workers, earning less than 97 percent of all other occupations, according to the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment. The Pay Equity Fund, created by the D.C. Council in 2021, aims to bring their salaries closer to those of K-12 public school teachers.
Under the council’s emergency legislation, reductions will be staggered— those earning the highest salaries will see the largest percentage cuts and those earning the least will see the smallest.
Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis
George condemned the cuts as a moral failure by city leadership.
“Early educators get no signing bonuses. They get no overtime. They get no hazard pay. They are not the problem. The problem is an unfortunate and unnecessary pattern of executive decision-making that keeps rewarding the loudest voices while short-changing the people who hold this city together,” said
co-managing editor and co-anchor of PBS News Hour; Cam Newton, NFL MVP and founder of Iconic Saga Productions; Rocsi Diaz, the Emmy award-winning television and radio host; Errin Hayes, newly elected NABJ president and 19th News Editor-at-Large; and Juleyka Lantigua, founder of LWC Studios. Brown received a standing ovation as he approached to
accept his award. In his address to the audience, Brown thanked Morgan State University Dean of the School of Global Journalism and Communication, Jaqueline Jones, for her friendship over the decades and for her nomination for the recognition.
“I am not able to fully express how incredibly humbled I am to be the recipient of this Media Icon Award,” Brown said. “I certainly
Lewis George during a Committee of the Whole hearing on Oct. 21. “This is not just about fiscal responsibility— it’s about moral responsibility. We as a city need to decide who we value and whether our budget reflects that plain and simple.”
D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson also noted that the city’s chief financial officer blocked the council from using $243 million in additional revenue identified in June and September. The only way to appropriate the extra funds, he explained, is through a supplemental budget, which must be proposed by the mayor.
“There is a consequence if we do not approve this bill that’s before us, and the consequence is that [the Office of the State of Superintendent
have not thought of myself as such, but I am aware that anyone who is on any kind of platform has the potential to be an influence of some kind. My hope is that I have and continue to model the effectiveness of the word ‘love.’”
Brown also recognized Morgan State University Professor Edward Robinson and the students of Morgan State University. Robinson, who also serves as AFRO Sports Editor, works closely with the next generation of Black journalists via his internship class.
Several members of the Morgan State University were in the room, including student journalists, who listened intently to the words and wisdom the honorees had to share.
Newton, who was presented with the New Media Award, said that even before retiring from professional football, he had begun to think about the future and how to best address current events in his own words and perspective.
of Education] will have to use various policy levers that it has available to close the gap, which is roughly $9 million,” said Mendelson. “Those options are such things as to simply remove facilities from the program or to cut payments that are made to the facilities. If the payments to the facilities are cut, then the facilities are going to have to take some other steps so that they are able to operate.”
“Ultimately, there is no ideal solution for a program designed to grow when there are limited resources available,” Mendelson continued.
The D.C. Council plans to revisit the bill in the Spring when the Fiscal Year 2027 budget is released.
“Media diversity starts at the top, and it’s time more of us move from talent to ownership to tell our stories our way.”
“I have always believed that life is about being undeniably, unapologetically authentic – a commitment to being real which is exactly what I carried from the football field and straight into the world of content creation and media,” he said. “To receive this honor is humbling, because it confirms that my purpose–which is to impact, empower and entertain, is winning the day.”
“This is about using my platform not just to talk, but to own the narrative and ensure our stories are told with the truth and energy they deserve. This is more than a transition; it’s a dedication to the culture,” Newton continued. “I’m truly blessed to be
in this class of honorees, and we’re just getting started.”
Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Jr., president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, commented on the significant role that the press continues to play in the world today.
“Events like this are important because, in many ways, they forecast how we can shape a better future for African Americans and others of color as we remain involved in and committed to our various roles as members of the media,” he said. “Now, more than ever before, the press – the ‘fourth estate’ – is critical to ensuring the health of our democracy and saving our nation.”
Unsplash/ CDC
AFRO Photo / Alexis Taylor
David Morgan, president and cofounder of the Multicultural Media Correspondents Association speaks to those gathered for the 2025 gala.
Howard alumni and students celebrate 101st homecoming
By Mekhi Abbott Special to the AFRO mabbott@afro.com
Howard University marked its 101st homecoming Oct. 24-26, transforming “The Mecca” into a celebration of legacy, culture and community as thousands of students, alumni and visitors traveled to Washington, D.C., for one of the most anticipated events in HBCU culture.
“Howard has often stood alone as one of one—either as the only, the first, or at the top. The theme recognizes the fearlessness with which Howard has pursued truth and service since 1867, the relentlessness with which it pursues it today, and the invention with which it will lead in the future,” said alumni relations via the university’s official website.
The slate of weekend activities commenced Friday, Oct. 24 with a Divine 9 Brunch, which also served as a fundraiser. Friday also marked day one of the university’s storied Yardfest, a free music festival that has featured acts such as The Notorious B.I.G, Jay Z and Drake. Herbert “G Herbo”
Wright III headlined this year’s homecoming.
“This year my favorite moment of homecoming was definitely Yardfest because you get to see the whole Howard ecosystem: professors, students, old classmates and even some of the performers,” said Kyle Fisher, a journalist at CNBC and recent Howard grad.
back to D.C. and connect with your people is a nice escape from everyday life. Obviously you try to keep track of everything your friends and classmates have going on, but it could be difficult once you leave campus. But coming back to Howard is always important to me,” said Ezra Monteiro, an account executive at Oracle.
“I make a conscious effort to make it to homecoming every year since graduating in 2023. Being able to come back to D.C. and connect with your people is a nice escape from everyday life.”
The theme for the 101st rendition of Howard’s homecoming was “One of One,” celebrating the university’s uniqueness, legacy and the pursuit of excellence.
“I make a conscious effort to make it to homecoming every year since graduating in 2023. Being able to come
Day Two of Howard’s homecoming – Oct. 25 –featured FamFest, a free community event for parents and children, and an alumni day party at Blackburn Ballroom. But the highlight of the day was, of course, the homecoming football game.
The Bison faced off
against the Morgan State Bears at 3:30 p.m. EST. The game added to the excitement of the weekend as Howard pulled off a victory in overtime, defeating Morgan State 33-27.
Junior Ja’Shawn Scroggins and senior Tyriq Starks both took snaps and scored two touchdowns at quarterback, but it was Scroggins who helped ultimately lead the Bison to victory. The Las Vegas native led a game-tying drive with 2 minutes and 33 seconds left in regulation to tie the score 27-27. The drive was capped off with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Breylin Smith. Sophomore running back Anthony Reagan Jr. solidified the win for the Bison, scoring a 25-yard touchdown on the first play of
overtime. Reagan led both teams in rushing with 122 yards and two touchdowns. Howard now improves to 4-4 on the season and 1-0 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play. The Bison will stay in D.C. to face off against the North Carolina Central Eagles on Nov. 1.
North Carolina Central holds a record 5-3 but are coming off an upset loss against Delaware State. The Delaware State Hornets went to Durham, N.C., and defeated the Eagles for the first time since Oct. 15, 1977. The Hornets, now coached by former National Football League All-Pro DeSean Jackson, will be playing in a highly touted matchup against Norfolk State, who are coached by Jackson’s former teammate and
quarterback Michael Vick. The university wrapped up the homecoming festivities with A Call to Chapel with Rev. Frederick D. Haynes III, Ph.D. at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26 and the Young Alumni Day Party from 3 to 7 p.m. at Flirt Cocktail Bar and Social Club. While much of the weekend exemplified the nostalgic, celebratory nature of HBCU homecomings, the festivities were marred by a shooting incident on Oct. 24, in which two suspects were arrested and five people were injured, including three male victims, a woman and a juvenile, according to police. It was reported that none of the victims were Howard students but one did attend Morgan State. An investigation is still underway.
AFRO Photo / Patricia McDougall
Lakysha Roberts (left), Mason Martin, Ava Cruz, Jessica Roberts, an HU alumni from 2006, and Madisyn Martin (front, left) enjoy Howard Homecoming activities on the yard.
AFRO Photo / Patricia McDougall
Howard University Alumni and friends took to the stands to enjoy the 2025 Howard University Homecoming Game against Morgan State University.
Howard University alumni Angela Washington (left) of Dallas, Regina Bracey of Clinton, Md., and Darlene Brooks of Accokeek, Md., enjoy the Howard University homecoming 2025 activities.