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COMMENTARY: What Andrew Young Reminded Me About Baltimore

THE AFRO — When former Mayor Young shared that Baltimore’s Inner Harbor helped inspire Underground Atlanta’s redevelopment in the 1980s, it was a reminder that Baltimore has made bold moves before and that those moves have reached farther than we sometimes acknowledge.
The post COMMENTARY: What Andrew Young Reminded Me About Baltimore appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Published

2 months ago

June 7, 2026

Oakland Post

By Mark A. Thomas | The AFRO

Civil rights icon Andrew Young recently came to Baltimore as a guest of the Baltimore Orioles and the South Baltimore Gateway Partnership to help celebrate the establishment of the Baltimore Black Sox memorial and lift up another remarkable chapter in Baltimore’s history.

As America approaches its 250th anniversary, Baltimore’s story runs through so many chapters of the nation’s story: industry, culture, civil rights, labor, education, neighborhood life and baseball. The Black Sox are part of that inheritance. Their story reminds us that Baltimore’s history is not a backdrop. It is a source of identity, pride and possibility for what this city and region can still become.

Like many people, I knew Ambassador Young as a civil rights icon, former U.N. Ambassador, and former Mayor of Atlanta. What I did not realize until his visit was that he once served as Chairman of the Metro Atlanta Chamber, effectively the GBC of my hometown.

Ambassador Young understood the work from both sides: as a civil rights leader and as a business-civic leader helping shape one of the country’s most influential regional economies.

When former Mayor Young shared that Baltimore’s Inner Harbor helped inspire Underground Atlanta’s redevelopment in the 1980s, it was a reminder that Baltimore has made bold moves before, and that those moves have reached farther than we sometimes acknowledge.

At the time, Baltimore was one of the larger and more influential markets on the East Coast and across much of the Southeast. The Inner Harbor represented a city thinking boldly about its future and organizing public, private, and civic leadership around that vision.

Atlanta went on to make major long-term bets on itself. Investments in transportation, higher education, downtown revitalization, sports and talent reshaped the trajectory of the city and state. One of them was the HOPE Scholarship, arguably one of Georgia’s most important talent investments and a major policy effort former Mayor Young reminded me the Chamber championed. It changed the lives of countless young people, including mine.

Baltimore has made major civic investments before. The work now is to make that level of ambition show up in the issues people feel every day: jobs, housing, public safety, neighborhood reinvestment and access to opportunity.

Three years ago, the Greater Baltimore Committee began a different kind of work.

Not simply merging organizations or announcing a new agenda, but rebuilding the region’s business-civic table for a moment that demanded more alignment, more ambition and more follow-through.

Baltimore had plenty of voices describing its challenges. What the region needed was stronger connective tissue: a place where leaders could organize around economic growth and investment, and the region’s long-term future.

Over the last three years, GBC and our partners have helped build more of that civic infrastructure, including:

The Baltimore Region’s first 10-year economic opportunity plan, All In | 2035, giving the region a clearer framework for long-term growth.

The region’s first economic brand, BOLD MOVES, which City Nation Place selected as the top U.S. place brand in 2025.

The federal Tech Hub designation and the Regional Innovation Office, strengthening the region’s ability to compete for innovation-focused federal investment.

The region’s first economic investment scorecard, giving us stronger tools to track capital flows, understand investment momentum and market the Baltimore Region for jobs and growth opportunities.

Baltimore’s Transit Future, Downtown RISE, transit-oriented development, and industrial infrastructure priorities tied to Sparrows Point, Curtis Bay, freight, logistics, and the Port of Baltimore.

Maryland Tough Baltimore Strong, BPD recruitment and retention support, and one of Baltimore’s generational vacant housing and neighborhood redevelopment efforts, including the partnership with Enterprise Community Partners announced at Rockefeller’s Big Bets for America convening.

UpSurge Baltimore, BLocal, and the Baltimore Social Responsibility Group, strengthening the region’s capacity around innovation, entrepreneurship, local hiring, procurement, and corporate philanthropy.

We are grateful for the partners across business, government, philanthropy, neighborhoods and civic life who have stepped into this work with us. The progress of the last three years reflects their commitment as much as ours. What GBC has tried to do is help organize that energy around a clearer agenda for economic growth, investment and long-term opportunity.

Re-celebrating the Baltimore Black Sox was a reminder that Baltimore’s history is deeper, richer and more consequential than we often tell ourselves.

But it also reflected something larger in former Mayor Young himself: an understanding that sports, culture, civic leadership and economic opportunity are all connected to how a city sees itself and where it believes it can go next.

That was the dual message of his visit: honor the history that made Baltimore matter, and do the work required to make its next chapter matter just as much.

In these first three years, I hope we have honored that responsibility.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the AFRO.

Originally published by Afro-American – Washington — https://www.afro.com.

The post COMMENTARY: What Andrew Young Reminded Me About Baltimore appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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Jovita Moore Mural Still Has Not Been Repainted in Grant Park

ATLANTA VOICE — A mural depicting late journalist Jovita Moore, painted on the exterior wall of a building now occupied by Bellwood Coffee in Grant Park, was painted over in April. Moore passed away in 2021 after decades of working in Atlanta television news. Bellwood Coffee owners stated in May they were unaware of Moore’s identity or significance to the community before painting over the mural.
The post Jovita Moore Mural Still Has Not Been Repainted in Grant Park appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Published

2 weeks ago

July 8, 2026

Oakland Post

At the corner of Boulevard, SE. and Rosalia St., SE., directly across the street from an abandoned home and a Methodist Church, is Bellwood Coffee. One of hundreds of coffee shops in Atlanta, this place of business would not be worth a solitary discussion if not for the way its exterior walls are currently painted. There was once a mural depicting the late Jovita Moore, a beloved journalist who worked in Atlanta for decades. Moore, who passed away in 2021, mentored many of the people you see on television newscasts today. Though her legacy will never be forgotten, it was the mural of her image that was erased.

In April, members of the Grant Park community voiced their disgust at the mural, which graced a side wall of the building now occupied by Bellwood Coffee’s Grant Park location, before it was painted over. In its place are the words “Bellwood Coffee; Cocktails, Biscuits, Dry Goods, Air Conditioning. *Heat Too”. In May, the business owners responded to the community pushback on social media by acknowledging they did not know who Moore was before painting over her image. And later admitted that they did not attempt to find out what she meant to the community.

On May 21, the Bellwood Coffee Instagram account had a post about being “in close contact with Jovita’s family and are actively working on next steps in this process.” Two months later, the mural has not been replaced, repainted, or repositioned on the property. Nothing has been done. Black history is often erased, most recently by the current Presidential administration, but oftentimes on a smaller, quieter scale. The mural was originally painted by muralist Tommy Bronx, who had been in contact with the business owners about repainting it. As of July 6, Tommy Bronx had responded to a direct message via his Instagram account from The Atlanta Voice about any updates on his plans to repaint the mural.

“We’re currently working on it. You should see some movement in the weeks to come,” he wrote in a response.

On Monday, July 6, the business had several patrons inside and was running smoothly with three employees manning the counter. The Atlanta Voice dropped by Bellwood Coffee to get a look at the exterior wall where the mural once stood as a memorial to a journalist and mother who lost her life to brain cancer at the young age of 54. Moore’s image added some color to the block. The grey wall in its place does not.

A direct message was sent to the Bellwood Coffee Instagram account, and there hasn’t been a response as of 7 p.m. on Monday.

The post Jovita Moore Mural Still Has Not Been Repainted in Grant Park appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.

Based on reporting by Atlanta Voice.

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‘Proud to Hang Her from a Tree’: Man Arrested for Threatening Black Senator

ATLANTA DAILY WORLD — A New York man faces felony hate crime charges for allegedly posting a threat against New York State Senator Lea Webb. James A. Crosby, 49, of Binghamton, was arrested by New York State Police after investigators determined he posted a threatening comment on a social media news post about a Juneteenth celebration.
The post ‘Proud to Hang Her from a Tree’: Man Arrested for Threatening Black Senator appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Published

2 weeks ago

July 8, 2026

Oakland Post

A New York man is facing felony hate crime charges after allegedly posting that he’d be “proud to hang” New York State Senator Lea Webb from a tree in response to a news story about a Juneteenth celebration.

James A. Crosby, 49, of Binghamton, was arrested June 23 by New York State Police after investigators determined he posted a threatening comment on a WBNG 12 News Facebook post. “I’d be proud to hang her from a tree,” Crosby wrote, according to WBNG.

Crosby was charged with making a terroristic threat as a hate crime, a class C felony, per the New York State Police. He is currently being held at Broome County Jail.

During the subsequent investigation, state police found Crosby was in illegal possession of firearms despite being prohibited from owning them due to a prior felony conviction. Investigators recovered a rifle, a large-capacity ammunition feeding device, and a firearm suppressor — all prohibited under New York state law, per the NYSP.

Crosby was charged with four additional counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, all class D felonies.

Webb, who represents New York’s 52nd Senate District, had been a featured speaker at a Juneteenth flag-raising ceremony at Binghamton City Hall, where the celebration included prayers and the singing of the Black national anthem.

Police said Crosby’s comment was posted in response to a WBNG news story covering the event.

The day before his arrest, Crosby posted a Facebook apology claiming the comment “was not intended to be racial in any way” and was made in reference to what he described as a “criminal,” citing criticism of Webb over her use of nonprofit legal aid in a foreclosure case — a matter state watchdogs said created an appearance of a conflict of interest, per the Ithaca Voice. He was arrested the following day.

Webb issued a public statement June 25 condemning the threat.

“It was extremely disappointing and hurtful to see the now-deleted threat and attacks on my life in response to a story about Juneteenth, a national holiday that recognizes the ending of slavery in America,” she said. “Feedback and thoughts on policy are one thing, but to make a public call for lethal violence is absolutely unacceptable and dangerous. We must recognize our shared humanity and reject violence in all forms.”

She thanked Gov. Kathy Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and law enforcement for their “swift response.”

Following Crosby’s comments, social media users called for a boycott of his contracting business, Crosby Home Improvements.

The Binghamton City Democratic Committee also called for an investigation into the incident before his arrest.

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The post ‘Proud to hang her from a tree’: Man arrested for threatening Black Senator appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

Based on reporting by Atlanta Daily World.

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CARICOM: Strengthen Integration for Future Generations

NEW YORK CARIB NEWS — Outgoing CARICOM Chairman Terrance Drew called on regional leaders to build a stronger and more effective Caribbean Community that benefits future generations. Speaking at the 51st Regular Meeting, Drew urged modernization of governance structures and improved implementation of Community decisions to make CARICOM safer and more prosperous.
The post CARICOM: Strengthen Integration for Future Generations appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Published

2 weeks ago

July 8, 2026

Oakland Post

Speaking Sunday at the opening of the 51st Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in Saint Lucia, Dr. Terrance Drew said the region must modernize its governance structures, improve the implementation of Community decisions, and ensure CARICOM becomes safer, more prosperous, and more relevant to the lives of its citizens.

The meeting, being held under the theme “CARICOM: From Resilience to Renewal in a Changing World,” coincides with the Community’s 53rd anniversary. During the ceremony, Dr. Drew formally handed over the rotating CARICOM chairmanship to Saint Lucia’s Prime Minister, Philip J. Pierre.

Reflecting on his six-month tenure as chairman, Drew praised fellow regional leaders for maintaining their commitment to democracy, good governance, unity, and the rule of law despite mounting global economic and geopolitical challenges.

“Throughout these challenges, CARICOM chose engagement over isolation. Together, we reaffirmed our commitment to a fair and rules-based international trading system and ensured that the interests of small developing states continued to be heard.”
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He highlighted progress made in strengthening the CARICOM Single Market and Economy, including deeper trade cooperation, expanded labour mobility, and efforts to lay the foundation for long-term economic growth. Drew also noted the Community’s growing partnerships beyond the Caribbean, particularly with the African Union, while stressing that every international partnership should advance the interests of all parties involved.

The outgoing chairman also expressed appreciation to Dr. Carla Barnett and the CARICOM Secretariat for their professionalism and unwavering support during his tenure.

“Whenever I called, you answered. Whenever support was required, you and your team responded with diligence, competence, and excellence.”

Dr. Drew urged the Secretariat to continue preserving its impartiality while faithfully implementing decisions made by Heads of Government, saying that balance has helped strengthen the regional integration movement.

The conference continues in Saint Lucia with regional leaders expected to deliberate on key issues including regional security, climate resilience, trade, economic integration, food security, Haiti, reparations, and strengthening the CSME.

Based on reporting by New York Carib News.

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