Drawing inspiration from a conversation with her “zillennial” granddaughter, AFRO CEO and Publisher Frances “Toni” Draper argues that literacy, critical thinking and effective communication remain essential for success despite rapid technological change. She contends that limiting classroom distractions, strengthening foundational skills and prioritizing education at home and in schools are necessary to ensure that diplomas represent true preparation for work, leadership and civic life.
Category: EDITORIALS
Posted inJuneteeth
Juneteenth, justice and America’s double standard
In a Juneteenth reflection, AFRO CEO and Publisher Dr. Frances “Toni” Draper argues that the holiday serves as a reminder not only of delayed freedom for enslaved Black Americans but also of the nation’s ongoing failure to deliver the equality and justice promised after emancipation. She contends that recent discussions about compensating some participants in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, while reparations for descendants of enslaved people remain stalled, highlight what many view as a persistent double standard in whose suffering receives political attention and urgency.
Posted inEditorial
AFRO CEO reflects on 2025: A year of resilience and relevance in Black journalism
The AFRO, a Black-owned news outlet, has been publishing for 133 years and continues to be a source of truth and self-definition for the Black community, covering a range of topics from public safety to culture and sports, while also honoring the legacy of Black leaders and preserving Black history.
Posted inVeterans
Pride and Sacrifice: The family side of duty
Military families experience both pride and sacrifice when a loved one enlists, and it is important to honor and support them during National Veterans and Military Families Month.
Posted inEditorial
The endgame behind the MLK Files — erase the man, then erase the holiday
The sudden release of FBI files on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a calculated attempt to tarnish his legacy and silence the symbols that inspire progress, and is part of a broader reactionary wave aimed at rewriting history.
Posted inCommentary, EDITORIALS
More Heads Must Roll in Flint, Michigan — Starting with Gov. Rick Snyder.
LaShanti Redmond, 10, of Flint, gets her finger poked to test her blood for lead levels at Freeman Elementary School in Flint, Mich., Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. The Flint Community Schools, the Genesee County Health Department and Molina Healthcare held a family fun night at the school to get children ages 0 to 6-year-olds tested […]
Posted inEditorial, EDITORIALS, OPINION
Boehner, Netanyahu and Israel Have Disrespected Our President
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waves as he step to the podium prior to speaking before a joint meeting of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 3, 2015. Prime Minister Netanyahu is using the address to warn against trusting Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions. House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, left, and […]
Posted inCommentary, Editorial, EDITORIALS
The Republicans Control Congress. Now What?
The third-highest ranking member of the Republican controlled House of Representatives gave a speech before a White supremacist group run by David Duke in 2002. And while Steve Scalise of Louisiana apologized after the information came out late last year and received some mild admonishments from his party, he still has his leadership position. These […]
Posted inCommentary, Editorial, EDITORIALS
Protesting the Protesters
A group of protesters gather at Grand Central Terminal in New York, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015. A number of protests have been staged around the country following recent grand jury decisions not to indict white police officers in New York and Ferguson, Mo., over the deaths of unarmed black men. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle) What is […]
Posted inCommentary, Editorial, EDITORIALS, OPINION
An AFRO Christmas Wish
Christmas Originally published Dec. 23, 1911. In this, the most joyous season of the year, one’s bosom swells as he thinks of the wonderful events of long ago and the music of our soul swings into meter. Oh Muse of Homer, Milton, come; And guide my thoughts beyond the sun: To show me there in […]
Posted inCommentary, Editorial, EDITORIALS, OPINION
The Drama Unfolding Around the Real Bill Cosby
There are so, so, many women. They all tell similar horrifying stories of being drugged and sexually assaulted by Bill Cosby, a man who found fame and fortune playing a Black doctor with an upper class family on television nearly 30 years ago. The man he played—Cliff Huxtable—was a rarity on network television in those […]
Posted inCommentary, Editorial, EDITORIALS, OPINION
The Enormous Blessing of Marion Barry’s Incessant Civil Rights Spirit
Washington D.C., indeed the entire Black community of this country, lost an enormous historical civil rights figure when former Washington D.C. Mayor passed away unexpectedly last week. The AFRO has had a long history of reporting on the many facets of Marion Barry’s life. During the 1960s we wrote about his efforts as a then […]
