Maryland

Cal Attorney General Wants FDA Standards for Menthol Cigarettes Finalized

Last year, a version of the ordinance that exempted menthol cigarettes was opposed by Black council members Mark Ridley-Thomas, Marqueece Harris Dawson and Curren Price. They argued that studies have found Black Americans are the racial/ethnic group most likely to use menthol cigarettes and are 25 times more likely than White Americans to do so.

New Report Shows Number of People Killed by Police Skyrocketed in 2020

The new report revealed that at least 28 percent of those killed were African Americans, who make up just 13 percent of the U.S. population. Although this figure is staggering, the Center for American Progress (CAP) noted that it is almost certainly under-represents the actual number of civilians who died while in the custody of the criminal justice system.

‘We Took the Capitol’ Trump Supporters Storm the Chambers of Congress

Gunshots rang out in the hallway near the chambers, and windows were shattered throughout the building. An unidentified woman inside reportedly was shot in the neck. Her condition is currently unclear. The National Guard joined the Secret Service, FBI, Capitol Police, and D.C.’s Metropolitan Police at the scene.

As Clinical Trials Halt, U.S. COVID Cases Surge

The difficulty in producing a vaccine for the deadly virus comes as a new wave of COVID-19 infection has begun. Data provided by Johns Hopkins University in Maryland revealed that the U.S. surpassed 51,000 new daily cases on Oct. 13, marking the first time in over two months that the number exceeded 50,000.

Economy and Race Relations Seen as Growing Concerns Ahead of Election

“It is not surprising that voters overall rate the economy as the most important issue impacting their vote for president this year given the fragile state of the U.S. economy and their tendency historically to prioritize it and other issues such as national security and education,” Gallup pollsters observed.

Wealth gap costs over last two decades: $2.7 trillion in Black income, $16 trillion to U.S. economy

“Yet even today, with all those credentials and as one of the leading executives on Wall Street,” wrote Raymond J. McGuire, Citi’s Vice Chairman and Chair of its Global Banking and Capital Markets, “I am still seen first as a six-foot-four, two-hundred-pound Black man wherever I go — even in my own neighborhood. I could have been George Floyd. And my wife and I are constantly aware that our children could have their innocence snatched away from them at any given moment, simply for the perceived threat of their skin color.”

A Louisiana Girl with California Wine

Darjean Jones is a first-generation winemaker and owner of Darjean Jones Wines. As a student, she researched plants and plant diseases at Southern University and A&M College, University of California – Davis, and the US Department of Agriculture. Her dissertation research focused on Pierce’s Disease of grapevine, requiring her to spend countless hours in California vineyards.

‘Harriet’ My Choice for Movie of the Year

“Harriet” the movie is a portrayal, based on the life of the legendary African American heroine.  It is not, nor is it intended to be a documentary of her remarkable life.  At times during the movie historical facts are noted on the screen.  Harriet Tubman lived for 91 years, this movie covers about 8 to 10 years of her life.  So we know there is much more to her life that we don’t see in the movie.  I pray the movie raises interest in Harriet Tubman, particularly among young people, many of whom had unfortunately never heard of Harriet Tubman. 

Cummings Remembered as ‘Fierce Champion’ at Funeral

Rep. Elijah Cummings was eulogized as a leader with the fiery moral conviction of an Old Testament prophet Friday at a funeral that brought former presidents and ordinary people alike to the Baltimore church where the congressman worshipped for four decades.