October 22, 2022 - October 28, 2022 The Afro-American A5
Volume 123 No. 20–22 Volume 132 No. 41
$2.00 $1.00
THE BLACKwww.afro.com MEDIA AUTHORITY • AFRO.COM
MAY 11, 2024 - MAY 17, 2024
AFRO Ballot The AFRO American Newspapers is proud to present a list of endorsements ahead of Primary Election Day on May 14. Make sure you have this week’s edition of the AFRO in hand for easy reference when you make your way to the polls!
President and Vice President
RJoe Biden and Kamala Harris U.S. Senate
Commencement season 2024:
College seniors speak on graduating in tumultuous times
RAngela Alsobrooks U.S. House of Representatives R2nd District - John Olszewski R3rd District - Mike Rogers R7th District - Kweisi Mfume
BALTIMORE CITY Mayor
Courtesy photos
This commencement season is full of triumphs and challenges as students across the nation step out into the real world. While some commencement ceremonies have been carried out successfully, others have been canceled altogether as protests against the Israel-Hamas war and calls for a ceasefire increase. This week, the AFRO spoke with graduating seniors like Ericka Alston Buck (left) and Kairee Hunter, both members of the graduating class of 2024 at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and Penn State, respectively, about matriculating during a global pandemic and graduating in a season of protest. By Aria Brent AFRO Staff Writer abrent@afro.com As commencement season begins, the AFRO spoke with Black graduates from colleges and universities near and far about receiving their degree during a time of protests related to the Israel-Hamas war and the right to freedom of speech. Many students in the class of 2024 also either graduated high school or started college during the 2019- 2020 school year, which was derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. For high school students, the contagious illness made it nearly impossible to socialize in group settings–making the cancellation of traditional events like prom and graduation nonnegotiable. For college freshman, the first year experience was curtailed as coronavirus spread from city to city, ultimately making numerous laps around the globe as different strains emerged. Ja’Miyah Stokes, a recent graduate of Jackson State University, was a high school senior when the pandemic abruptly halted her day-to-today life. “Not having an actual graduation ceremony was hard,” she said. “I was mad for a while because I had worked hard and had
been through so much during my high school experience, so I was looking forward to my big moment.” Kairee Hunter, 22, a native of West Baltimore, graduated from Penn State with a degree in animal science on May 4. He started at Penn State’s Harrisburg campus in the Fall of 2019, thinking he would have a full freshman year like so many students before him. Instead, he went home for spring break in 2020 and didn’t return again for more than a year. “It was kind of weird because we didn’t even finish the first year,” Hunter told the AFRO. “We were on spring break and they told us not to come back.” Once the campus reopened with the option to return in his sophomore year, Hunter decided to remain at home with his family. But it was no easy feat. Hunter was trying to matriculate at a university in a degree program that was heavy with lab work for future veterinarians. “It was weird transitioning and picking up where we left off –trying to act like nothing would be affected. It was weird in terms of the comfortability levels in the classroom. Some went back, but I stayed virtual from Fall 2020 through Spring 2021,” he said. Throughout two years at Penn State’s Harrisburg campus, Continued on A5
afro.com
“I don’t think that schools are responding in the appropriate way by calling the police, tearing down the camps and taking away the graduations. This is our Constitutional right. It’s very backwards.”
21
7
47105 21847
2
Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump leads class action against Geico, alleging discriminatory practices By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire On May 7 plaintiffs in a sizable class action lawsuit against insurance giant Geico joined prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump at a press conference in the nation’s capital. The lawsuit, alleging contractual breaches regarding policy renewal commissions and accusations of unjust enrichment, represents a coalition of minority business owners formerly associated with the company. At the heart of the allegations is the contention that Geico, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, systematically deprived minority Geico Field Representatives (GFRs) of critical business opportunities through what Crump termed as “unfair and unlawful” practices. “It is important to note that Geico had quality reports that detailed Geico field representative’s metrics. These reports were downright discriminatory for the Hispanics, and Asians who
Photo courtesy of NNPA Newswire
Ben Crump is representing plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Geico, alleging contractual breaches regarding policy renewal commissions and accusations of unjust enrichment. Crump has filed the lawsuit on behalf of a coalition of minority business owners formerly associated with the company.
RBrandon Scott President, City Council
RNick Mosby Comptroller
RBill Henry City Council Representatives R1st District R2nd District - Danielle McCray R3rd District - Margo Bruner Settles R4th District - Mark Conway R5th District - Issac Schneider R6th District - Sharon Green Middleton R7th District - James Torrence R8th District - Bilal Ali R9th District - John T. Bullock R10th District - Phylicia Porter R11th District - Eric Costello R12th District - Robert Stokes Sr. R13th District - Antonio Glover R14th District - Odette Ramos
BALTIMORE COUNTY
Circuit Court Judges
RJudge Michael S. Barranco RJudge Patricia M. DeMaio RJudge Marc A. DeSimone RJudge James L. Rhodes worked for Geico,” Crump declared, noting that the names of the reports were themselves steeped in racial bias. “Geico, you are better than this.” The news conference spotlighted several key revelations: 1. Disproportionate Termination: In an unprecedented move in March 2023, Geico terminated agents across the United States, with a staggering 67% of those affected being minorities. 2. Exploitation of GFRs’ Labor: Plaintiffs assert that Geico reaped the rewards of GFRs’ hard work, retaining commissions generated from the business portfolios they painstakingly built. Moreover, Geico’s purported control over various aspects of GFRs’ operations allegedly left many questioning their professional futures post-termination. 3. Representative Testimonies: Present at the conference were four terminated GFRs, all from minority backgrounds: Continued on A5
Copyright © 2024 by the Afro-American Company