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Your vote counts! Remember to vote Democrat Nov. 5!

October 12, 2024 - October 18, 2024 The Afro-American A5

Volume 123 No. 20–22 Volume 133 No. 11

THE BLACKwww.afro.com MEDIA AUTHORITY • AFRO.COM

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OCTOBER 12, 2024 - OCTOBER 18, 2024

AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

AP Photo/Erin Hooley

The AFRO is proud to endorse Vice Kamala Harris (left) for president and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks for U.S. Senate in the upcoming general election.

The AFRO endorses Harris, Alsobrooks ahead of Election Day 2024

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The AFRO is pleased to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president of the United States and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks for the U.S. Senate in the 2024 general election. These two women have consistently demonstrated their dedication not only to the Black community but to all constituents, regardless of their leadership roles. Harris announced her candidacy for the presidency on July 27. She is seeking to become commander in chief with Tim Walz, the current governor of Minnesota, as her running mate. A Howard University alumna and proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Harris has a long history of public service. She joined the California Bar Association in 1990 and began her career as a deputy district attorney in Al-

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ameda County. From there, she advanced to become the first woman elected as San Francisco district attorney, then served as California’s attorney general from 2011 to 2016. Elected to the U.S. Senate in 2017, she represented California until joining the Biden administration as vice president. During her time as vice president, Harris has been an influential advocate on issues such as reproductive rights and voting rights protections. She was instrumental in passing the Emmett Till AntiLynching Act and securing $16 billion in support for historically Black colleges and universities. Her advocacy extends to Black farmers, small business owners, and initiatives to reduce Black unemployment and increase generational wealth among Black entrepreneurs. Similarly, Alsobrooks, a Mary-

land Democrat and distinguished member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., is poised to make history. A win for Harris would make her the first woman president of the U.S., and a victory for Alsobrooks would mark Maryland’s first Black woman senator. Alsobrooks faces former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, a Republican, in the race to succeed retiring Sen. Ben Cardin. The AFRO endorsed Alsobrooks as the Democratic nominee in the Maryland primary and joins other prominent Maryland leaders, such as House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones and Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott, in supporting her. Former President Barack Obama also recently endorsed her, highlighting her record on public safety. The AFRO is proud to be in the number of supporters for Also-

brooks, which at one time included former Gov. Larry Hogan. In a 2022 live stream, still available on verified Youtube and Meta (Facebook) pages for the former state official, then Gov. Larry Hogan praised Alsobrooks for her “incredible leadership,” and even though his own father held the office of Prince George’s County executive from Dec. 1978 to Dec. 19, 1982, Hogan said “I can’t remember a better county executive than Angela Alsobrooks.” The outcome of this race could impact which party controls the U.S. Senate. Currently, Democrats hold 48 seats, and two independents caucus with them, while Republicans have 50 seats. Harris, as vice president, has the power to cast tiebreaking votes, giving Democrats a slim majority. Maryland Governor Wes Moore,

who endorsed Alsobrooks last October, praised her efforts to build schools and attract jobs to Prince George’s County. “In our Maryland, we have lowered homicides, made historic investments in education, brought record-low unemployment to the state, and signed some of the strongest laws in America to protect reproductive freedoms. Angela Alsobrooks has been a partner every step of the way,” Moore said. Alsobrooks has supported economic development in her county and was instrumental in securing the new FBI headquarters bid last year. For these reasons, the AFRO is proud to endorse both Kamala Harris for president and Angela Alsobrooks for the U.S. Senate. Remember to register to vote by Oct. 15 and plan to cast your ballot on Nov. 5.

A time to help: Red Cross weighs in on how to aid Southeastern communities recovering from back-to-back hurricanes By Megan Sayles AFRO Business Writer msayles@afro.com Hurricane Helene touched down in Florida on Sept. 26 as a Category 4 storm that devastated communities across Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service deemed it among the most powerful storms to hit the United States with days of torrential rainfall and powerful winds. Then came Hurricane Milton. With winds of more than 120 miles an hour, the Category 3 storm slammed into popular cities in Florida, such as Tampa and Orlando. An estimated 500,000 people lost power and roads quickly flooded. More than 200 people died as a result of Hurricane Helene, making it the deadliest hurricane to hit the country since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Now, Florida is grappling with recovery from another catastrophic storm, Hurricane Milton, which made landfall on Oct. 9. With homes washed away, persisting power outages and impassable roadways from consecutive hurricanes, organizations are racing to deploy help to those who were in the path of first, Helene, and then, Milton. Continued on A3

AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell

A boat sunk by Hurricane Helene rests against a bridge as Hurricane Milton, another category four storm, arrives in Florida. A state of emergency was declared in the state as the hurricane created catastrophic flooding and winds.