Volume 133 No. 23
Volume 123 No. 20–22
January 4, 2025 - January 10, 2025 The Afro-American A5 THE BLACKwww.afro.com MEDIA AUTHORITY • AFRO.COM $2.00 $1.00
JANUARY 4, 2025 - JANUARY 10, 2025
Senator Angela D. Alsobrooks: 2024 AFRO Person of the Year
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
The AFRO is proud to announce Senator Angela D. Alsobrooks as the 2024 AFRO Person of the Year. This honor comes as she begins serving the country as the first Black person ever to represent the state of Maryland in the U.S. Senate. By Aria Brent AFRO Staff Writer abrent@afro.com
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In honor of her unwavering dedication to public service and transformative leadership, Senator Angela D. Alsobrooks has been named the 2024 AFRO Person of the Year. Alsobrooks, a visionary with a commitment to equity, officially became the first Black person to represent the state of Maryland in the U.S. Senate on Jan. 3. “I’m honored to be named AFRO Person of the Year. As the daughter of two working class parents, I was
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taught to care for others and to fight for the American Dream. I have dedicated my life’s work to Maryland families, and I’m proud to continue serving on their behalf,” said Alsobrooks. The swearing in is the latest milestone in a career defined by firsts. In 2010, Alsobrooks became the first woman to serve as state’s attorney for Prince George’s County, where she prioritized victim advocacy and community-based crime prevention. Her election as county executive in 2018 further cemented her status as a pioneering figure in Maryland politics. She’s ready to
make change via her seat in the U.S. Senate and colleagues, community members and fellow elected officials are overjoyed to see what she has in store for the state of Maryland and the nation at large. Del. Malcolm Ruff (D-Md.- 41) believes Alsobrooks’ election into the U.S. Senate is a reflection of the work she’s been doing for nearly three decades. “I’m incredibly proud of Senator Angela Alsobrooks for making history as the first Black U.S. Senator from Maryland. This accomplishment is not just a personal victory for Senator Alsobrooks, but a monu-
mental moment for our entire state and country,” said Ruff. “Her rise to this office is a testament to her hard work, integrity and unwavering commitment to serving the people of Maryland.” There is much to be anticipated from Alsobrooks. Her ability to connect with diverse audiences and her problem-solving skills have made her a sought-after leader. Earlier this year, Alsobrooks spoke with the AFRO while on the campaign trail and noted that education, affordable housing and reproductive rights are at the top of her agenda. “The first piece of legislation
that I will co-sponsor is the Women’s Health Protection Act, because I believe that we should codify in federal law the right to access abortion care and the right to offer it,” Alsobrooks told the AFRO. “This is a fight that I think we have to take on, because it is not just abortion care, reproductive rights and freedoms– we’re talking about contraception that is now under attack by this Republican Party.” The journey ahead of Alsobrooks is one that both she and her supporters are certain she can handle. Her results-oriented record speaks for itContinued on A5
Jimmy Carter, 39th U.S. president and Nobel winner, dies at 100 By Bill Barrow The Associated Press
AP Photo/John McConnico
Former President and Nobel Peace laureate Jimmy Carter, shown here Dec. 13, 2002, is remembered as a president with a heart for the people. Carter died on Dec. 29 at the age of 100 years old.
Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who tried to restore virtue to the White House after the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, then rebounded from a landslide defeat to become a global advocate of human rights and democracy, has died. He was 100 years old. The Carter Center said the 39th president died late Dec. 29, more than a year after entering hospice care at his home in Plains, Ga., where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died in November 2023, lived most of their lives. The center said he died peacefully, surrounded by his family. A moderate Democrat, Carter ran for president in 1976 as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad grin, effusive Baptist faith and technocratic plans for efficient government. His promise to never deceive the American people resonated after Richard Nixon’s disgrace and U.S. defeat in southeast Asia. “If I ever lie to you, if I ever make a misleading statement, don’t vote for me. I would not deserve to be your president,” Carter said. Carter’s victory over Republican Gerald
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Ford, whose fortunes fell after pardoning Nixon, came amid Cold War pressures, turbulent oil markets and social upheaval over race, women’s rights and America’s role in the world. His achievements included brokering Mideast peace by keeping Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at Camp David for 13 days in 1978. But his coalition splintered under doubledigit inflation and the 444-day hostage crisis in Iran. His negotiations ultimately brought all the hostages home alive, but in a final insult, Iran didn’t release them until the inauguration of Ronald Reagan, who had trounced him in the 1980 election. Humbled and back home in Georgia, Carter said his faith demanded that he keep doing whatever he could, for as long as he could, to try to make a difference. He and Rosalynn cofounded The Carter Center in 1982 and spent the next 40 years traveling the world as peacemakers, human rights advocates and champions of democracy and public health. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, Carter helped ease nuclear tensions in North Continued on A3