Community Narratives / A Civil Rights Leader Dies/ Community Health
Community Narratives / A Civil Rights Leader Dies/ Community Health
Our mission is rooted in the Black media tradition.
The Intersection Magazine exists to use narrative journalism to educate, challenge, and uplift. This is our mission. When you the read the Black press — Black media organizations own by Black people — you see that Black people have relied on narrative journalism to inform their varies communities. Such examples can be found in “Reporting Civil Rights Vol. 1: American Journalism 1941-1963 .”
In this book, a variety of authors report on the varied experiences of Black life in America. Their reporting is detailed. With precision, journalists carefully explain situations while also countering misinformation. Their reporting educated readers about current laws, and how officials often subverted state and federal laws to uphold a racialized system. The Intersection will continue this tradition.
Thank you for your support. Thank you for reading and sharing this work. Thank you to our sources. Thank you for helping us grow. I also want to say thank you to the Prince George’s County community members who trust this media outlet.
Prince George’s County Politics
South County Residents Memorializes A Black Man Lynched in 1869
Excerpt: When white people lynched Thomas Juricks in Prince George’s County, they wanted that act of injustice toward the Black community to be justice for their community. Lynching was not only used to mutilate his body, but it also acted as another form of a scarlet letter. In the white-led local newspapers, Juricks would be known as another Black man who was justly killed. Activists, community members, and historians gathered to retell Juricks’ story – to reset the record.
On April 15, members of The Prince George’s County Lynching Memorial Project (PGCLMP) along with the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) Black History Program hosted a homegoing service, a ritual, for Juricks. Homegoing services allow Black people to collectively grieve and celebrate a deceased community member. This ritual entailed singing from Frederick Douglas High School choir, poetry, a dance recital by a Suitland High School student, and a drink libation, a ritual that is used to honor the deceased.
“Mr. Juricks’s life mattered to his wife, his children, and friends,” said Mary Craft, a civil rights activist, and volunteer at the PGCLMP. “In [Black] culture, when a person dies we have a wake, and a funeral, recognizing the humanity of that person. For people who were lynched, that did not happen. So our service… is about commemorating his life.”
Ivey’s First Bill, Treasurer Davis Speaks Out, Municipal Elections
Excerpt: Maryland’s District 4 Rep. Glenn Ivey (D) introduced his first bill this week — HR2870, also known as The Raise the Age Act, which seeks to limit the access to long guns for Americans under the age of 21. As of April 26, he had 61 co-sponsors.
“I will be introducing my first bill in the 118th Congress,” Ivey said. “It will raise the age for young folks to buy center-fire cartridge semi-auto rifles from age 18 to age 21. The tragedies in Uvalde, Buffalo and Newtown were all caused by recently turned 18-year-old shooters, imagine if they had to wait until they were 21; the number of lives which would have been saved. Immature brains have time to develop, and emotional ups and downs may be more manageable for people, especially young men, just three years later.”
Prince George’s Police to See Potential $23M Boost for FY24
Excerpt: The police department specifically would see $395M of the general fund for an increase of $23.2M, up 6.2% from the previous year. Beyond operational costs, recruitment initiatives are a major priority with additional funding for 4 new recruiting classes and an earmark of $640,000 in incentives and bonuses for new officers. Funding also bumps up to cover continuing implementation costs associated with the Police Accountability Act of 2021, specifically more money for body-worn cameras and mental health assessments.
In Prince George’s Co., not a food fight — a fight over healthy foods
Excerpt: Leaders in Prince George’s County aren’t arguing that the county welcomes, and needs, restaurants offering healthy options. But there is heated debated over promoting, and even offering favorable loans and incentives to restaurants that do.
Council Vice Chair Wala Blegay is pushing a bill that would have the county not just promote healthy restaurants, but also make interest-free loans available to them, along with other incentives. At a committee hearing Thursday afternoon, the bill got lots of support from some restaurateurs and other healthy food advocates.
Lawmakers find agreement to add Prince George’s County seat to Maryland Stadium Authority
Excerpt: Legislators struck a deal Saturday morning to create two more slots on the Maryland Stadium Authority board — a new seat for Prince George’s County and another pick for the governor — breaking a quiet deadlock that threatened a Senate floor fight Monday.
Under a plan worked out among lawmakers and administration and county officials, a bill now being held in the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee would be amended first thing Monday — the final day of the 90-day legislative session — to increase the size of the board so that Prince George’s County would have a vote.
“We have a solution…. We have something that everybody is good with,” said Sen. Guy Guzzone (D-Howard), chair of Budget and Taxation. “We’re going to add two people on Monday morning. I’ll pull the committee together again, and we’ll leave the one on there for Prince George’s, and we’ll add another.”
‘A collaborative leader’: Prince George’s Co. community members list requirements for new schools CEO during forum
Excerpt: Parents shared concerns around the impact the pandemic has had on learning, the need for more technology advancements and school closures.
Edwin Green, who shared his concerns around stability within the school district, said that PGCPS should have a “courageous, innovative, a collaborative leader.” His comments echoed the responses from an online survey shared by Alsobrooks last week that drew more than 5,400 responses.
“I hope our next superintendent will be dedicated,” said Stephanie McLeod, the county’s high school mathematics supervisor, adding that she hopes to see someone selected who is knowledgeable about the disparities within the county and understands the need for a level playing field among students.“The feedback that you’ve given is really important to us and we will use it to help guide our decisions throughout this process,” said Alsobrooks.
Cannabis commission finale comes as recreational expansion looms on the horizon
Excerpt: A commission that has guided the state through its first wobbly steps into legalized access to marijuana had what is likely its final meeting.
Members of the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission said their goodbyes Wednesday. The panel, which has changed over the last five years, goes away as the state enters a new era of access to cannabis for recreational purposes.
“I think this has been an incredible journey,” said Dr. C. Obi Onyewu, chair of the commission. “And I think the state of Maryland, the medical commission has gotten it right in terms of how we’ve done business over the last several years in bringing this to the public and to patients.”
Taking stock of the first 100 days of the Moore-Miller administration
Excerpt:On their 100th day in office on Friday, barrier-breaking Gov. Wes Moore (D) and Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller (D) will be where they have been a lot so far in their terms — on the road.
Between the two of them, the Moore-Miller team has been to every county in the state at least once since their inauguration on Jan. 18 (and Miller will have personally been to all 24 jurisdictions herself by the end of the day Friday, her staff said).
Moore has traveled as far out as Lonaconing, in Allegany County, marking the first time since 1996 that a sitting governor had visited the town.
“When I said we were going to represent the State of Maryland from the sandy beaches of the Eastern Shore to the rolling hills of Western Maryland, I meant it,” Moore said after the visit. “Our administration is going to raise the voices of all Marylanders, with the goal of creating a more competitive and equitable home for all.”
Civil Rights Actist Dies
Entertainment Icon, Human Rights Activist Harry Belafonte Dies at 96
Excerpt: Renowned singer, actor, producer, and legendary civil rights trailblazer, Harry Belafonte died at the age of 96 on Tuesday, April 25, 2023. His publicist confirmed that the beloved icon died of congestive heart failure at his home in New York. In addition to his children: Adrienne Belafonte Biesemeyer, Shari Belafonte, Gina Belafonte, David Belafonte and two stepchildren Sarah Frank and Lindsey Frank. Belafonte leaves behind eight grandchildren: Rachel Blue Biesemeyer, Brian Biesemeyer, Maria Belafonte McCray, Sarafina Belafonte, Amadeus Belafonte, Mateo Frank, Olive Scanga and Zoe Frank.
Known globally for both for his artistic ingenuity and humanitarian ideals, Belafonte became an early, vocal supporter of the Civil Rights Movement, a confidant of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and financial backer of countless historic political and social causes and events, including the anti-Apartheid Movement, equal rights for women, juvenile justice, climate change and the decolonization of Africa.
Health
Maryland Department of Health announces new COVID-19 website and long-term commitment to reporting
Excerpt: The Maryland Department of Health today announced changes to how it will continue providing COVID-19 information as the federal Public Health Emergency ends in May. The department has launched a set of new COVID-19 webpages where information on vaccines, testing, treatment, data and other resources may be found long-term.
“These changes reflect the new phase of COVID-19 that we are in today,” said Maryland Department of Health Secretary Laura Herrera Scott. “We will continue to actively monitor trends related to COVID-19 and offer robust information about COVID-19 on our new webpages.”
The information provided through the current websites, covidLINK.maryland.gov and coronavirus.maryland.gov, will be migrated to the new page starting Friday, April 28. After this time, they will not be accessible. Visitors to these sites will be directed to the appropriate location. The department will continue to provide relevant information on COVID-19 as the federal response changes and as necessary for public health.
Could getting Covid raise cholesterol?
Excerpt: “Covid may increase the risk for high cholesterol for up to a year after infection, two recent studies suggest, prompting some doctors to take a closer look at the apparent trend.
"It's something that we need to pay more attention to," said Dr. Ashish Sarraju, a cardiologist with the Preventive Cardiology and Rehabilitation section at the Cleveland Clinic, adding that the latest research is "provocative."
One study, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinologyearlier this month, found that people with a prior Covid infection had a 24% increased risk for high cholesterol levels.”
A new COVID variant called Arcturus is linked to pink eye. Here's what you need to know.
Excerpt: About 1 in 10 cases of COVID-19 nationwide is caused by an emerging coronavirus strain, XBB.1.16.
The World Health Organization has elevated this strain of omicron to one of two "circulating variants of interest." The variant, which has been called Arcturus, is responsible for a growing share of coronavirus cases in the United States.
As of April 22, it caused 9.6% of COVID-19 infections nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Arcturus was first reported in January and has spread rapidly in other nations such as India and Indonesia.
This Grassroots Organization Touts a Different Approach to Gun Violence
Excerpt: Each year, the committee mark-up portion of the D.C. Council’s budget review process becomes a test of council members’ alignment with the mayor on certain issues.
It’s no different this year, especially when it comes to whether to stop the gradual removal of school resource officers (SROs).
The D.C. Council’s Committee on Public Safety and Judiciary, led by Council member Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2), recently expressed support for a portion of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s fiscal year 2024 budget proposal that keeps SROs in city schools.
Black Children Experiencing Brunt of Child Abuse Crisis
Excerpt: A Houston mother beats her 4-month-old daughter because the baby’s father no longer wanted a relationship with her.
A 7-year-old boy was found dead in a washing machine where his adoptive parents reportedly stuffed him after he was beaten, suffocated and possibly drowned – all because the boy stole the father’s snacks.
Two teen siblings who made a daring escape from a Cypress home, revealed unimaginable abuse and horror at the hands of their own mother and her younger boyfriend. The 16-year-olds were “severely malnourished” and had lacerations on their wrists consistent with being restrained with handcuffs.