Volume 134 No. 4
THE BLACK MEDIA AUTHORITY • AFRO.COM
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AUGUST 23, 2025 - AUGUST 29, 2025
D.C. residents ‘make good trouble’ in push back against federal takeover of nation’s capital Sheila Carson (left) and Rev. Graylan Scott Hagler protest the federal takeover of Washington, D.C. at an Aug. 16 rally and march to the White House. By Alexis Taylor AFRO Managing Editor D.C. residents are continuing to speak out against the 47th president’s decision to bring National Guard troops
to the streets of D.C. On Aug. 11, in the name of fighting crime, Trump used an executive order and Section 740 of the Home Rule Act of 1973 to usurp control of the Metropolitan
Police Department (MPD) and assign thousands of U.S. soldiers to the nation’s capital. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has been clear that “crime levels are not only down from 2023, but from before
the pandemic,” citing a 52 percent drop in violent crime since 2023, and a 35 percent drop from 2019 levels. Still, on Aug. 14, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi sought to replace Metropolitan Police
Department (MPD) Chief Pamela Smith with an “emergency police commissioner,” Terry Cole, who currently oversees the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Ultimately, Judge Ana C.
Reyes disagreed with Bondi and on Aug. 15. she ordered that Chief Pamela Smith retain her role as MPD commissioner. Bondi followed Continued on A2
You cannot whitewash history: Why the African American Museum must be protected By Dr. Frances Murphy Draper AFRO Publisher and CEO
afro.com
America cannot afford to whitewash its past. Yet that is exactly what is at stake in the current review of the National
Museum of African American History and Culture. To question whether slavery and racism belong in the story of this nation is not only dangerous—it is racist and, quite frankly, ridiculous. The Smithsonian Institution’s internal review of its museums and exhibitions, prompted by a March executive order, has been described by the White House as a “constructive and collaborative effort” rooted in respect for the
Institution’s mission. But let’s be honest about what this really is: an attempt to sanitize history. When politicians decide which stories can be told, truth becomes the first casualty. The National Museum of African American History and Culture has, since its opening in 2016, drawn millions of visitors from across the United States and around the world. It is the only national museum dedicated solely
to preserving and telling the African American story, which means it preserves the American story itself. Its exhibits are not decorative displays; they are America’s receipts—proof of what was bought, built and broken on the backs of enslaved people. Just as the Holocaust is remembered in all its brutality, so must America reckon with the truth of Continued on A2
Photo courtesy of John Hopkins University / Will Kirk
Dr. Frances Murphy Draper serves as publisher and CEO of the AFRO-American Newspapers. This week she warns against the whitewashing of American history.
Marching forward: Commemorating the March on Washington on Wall Street By Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. NNPA President and CEO
Courtesy photo
Dr. Benjamin Chavis, president and CEO of National Newspaper Publishers Association, will help lead churches and the Black Press in a march on Wall Street Aug 28. Demonstrators will use the march to demand equity and opportunity for marginalized communities.
On Aug. 28, in solemn commemoration of the historic 1963 March on Washington, a united coalition of churches and the Black Press led by Dr. Boise Kimber, Bishop J. Drew Sheard, Dr. Samuel C. Tolbert, Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr, president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA): The Black Press of America, will join Civil Rights icon Rev. Al Sharpton, founder of the National Action Network, to
lead a protest march on Wall Street in New York City, the epicenter of economic power and privilege. The march will feature prominent religious and Civil Rights leaders and activists, who will speak and much more. As our communities face a mounting economic crisis disproportionately devastating African Americans and the marginalized, we declare that now is the time for the faith community to rise and speak with moral clarity. Just as Dr. King before us, today’s religious leaders must carry the mandate and
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mantle to fight for social and economic justice for all people. The march not only honors the legacy of those who came before us but also confronts the urgent injustices of today. Economic disparity is not just a political issue; it is a moral one. We will not be silent. We will not yield to systems or policies that rob our people of opportunity, dignity, and basic human rights. This is more than a moment; this is a movement. Together, we will stand. Together, we will march. Together, we will speak. Together, we will rise.