Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines across the country.
Maryland
After seven consecutive terms in the Baltimore City Council, Agnes Welch announced that she will retire within the next two weeks ending her term on Dec. 6. The 85-year-old councilwoman has been an advocate for the elderly, the fight against childhood obesity. She was also a member of various boards and committees including the Bon Secours Foundation, Downtown Partnership, and the Urban Affairs and Aging committee. For more than 25 years, Welch was constantly reelected to represent Southwest Baltimore, which is largely poor, specifically neighborhoods such as Rosemont, Poppleton, Harlem Park and Sandtown. “I think there comes a time when you have to evaluate where you are,” she said during an interview with the AFRO newspaper, “and it is time for me to retire.”
Mississippi
An 82-year old woman was held at gunpoint during a trip to Wal-Mart recently. She was also forced into her own vehicle, and ordered to withdraw cash from a nearby bank. The assailants, who were caught and photographed by the bank’s surveillance camera, were African-American females. “The [suspect] escorted her into the bank and stood with her while she withdrew a large sum of money,” Lt. Davy Davis continued, “the victim then fled the scene with her money. “Davis says the victim doesn’t know the two suspects, but police are conducting an investigation using the photographs from surveillance video.
Rhode Island
The Providence Branch of the NAACP recently held it’s 97th Freedom Fund dinner at the Providence Marriott with the theme, “One Nation, One Dream, Working Together.” The dinner was highlighted by remarks from the 18th President of Brown University and recipient of this years’ Thurgood Marshall Award Ruth J. Simmons.
