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Volume 134 No. 17

THE BLACK MEDIA AUTHORITY • AFRO.COM

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NOVEMBER 22, 2025 - NOVEMBER 28, 2025

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Photo courtesy of NNPA Newswire

First lady Dawn Moore is the 69th person to be inducted into the University of Maryland Alumni Hall of Fame. The 1997 graduate is seen here with her husband, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.

Dr. Benjamin Chavis, who is currently the president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, has been influential in bringing attention to environmental racism—a term he coined decades ago. Today, Chavis still urges global action on climate and environmental justice, and was recently honored for his work. Chavis is calling on COP30 leaders to “cop in” to the fight against escalating worldwide climate inequities.

First lady Moore inducted into the University of Maryland Alumni Hall of Fame By Brandon Henry AFRO Intern

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Maryland first lady Dawn Moore is now a member of the University of Maryland’s Alumni Hall of Fame. In a Nov. 14 ceremony in College Park, Moore was inducted for her many years of experience and service to the community. Moore, a 1997 graduate, spoke about how her time at UMD kickstarted her passion to serve her community. “The University of Maryland changed my life. It taught me that service is not about stature or status — but it’s about doing the right thing for the good of our communities. This guiding principle has carried me more than two decades of public service,” said Moore, in a statement. “As First Lady, my work has focused on building

“The University of Maryland changed my life. It taught me that service is not about stature or status but it’s about doing the right thing for the good of our communities.” bigger tables and inviting Marylanders to claim their seat around them. I look forward to being part of this distinguished group of alumni members — and supporting the next generation of Marylanders who are bold, fearless and committed to creating change in their communities.” Moore was accompanied at this ceremony by her husband, Gov. Wes Moore, as well as family members, university officials and supporters. University of Maryland President Darryll J. Pines

spoke on how university officials came to the decision to honor Moore. “The First Lady has dedicated her life to public service, connecting communities, creating opportunities for people to succeed and thrive, and inspiring Marylanders with her commitment to leadership, community and family,” said Pines. “She embodies what it means to be a Terp, acting fearlessly and leading with purpose, and we are delighted to recognize her with this honor.”

How Dr. Ben Chavis defined environmental racism in America By Willy Blackmore Word in Black In 1978, just a year after the Environmental Protection Agency began to ban polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 30,000 gallons of oil containing the widely used chemical additives were secretly dumped—or sprayed, rather—in North Carolina. For three months, a pair of brothers drove during the night across 14 counties, spraying the side of the road with the oil. It was a last-ditch solution to a failed scheme to corner the market for PCBs after their domestic production was banned. The illegal

disposal of the chemicals was soon discovered, and North Carolina authorities had to figure out how to clean it all up. Their solution? Remove the dirt that was illegally contaminated with the carcinogenic chemicals and legally dump all 10,000 truckloads in a new landfill in Warren County, where the population was 60 percent percent Black. The plan did not go over well with local Black residents, to say the very least. There was a groundswell of organizing against the landfill, and in 1982, a host of civil rights leaders came to Warren County to bolster their efforts. One of

them was Dr. Ben Chavis, a member of the Wilmington 10 who in 1971 had been wrongfully accused and convicted of fire bombing a White-owned grocery store. Eight years later, Chavis was freed from his decades-long sentence after the group’s prosecution was revealed to be a racist sham. In Warren County, Chavis was arrested again, for allegedly driving too slowly on a county road. As he was put into a cell, he said something that crystallized what was at the root of the state’s PCB dumping plan, and the opposition that had risen up Continued on A3

OPINION

The shutdown has ended, but we must move quickly to avoid a health care crisis By Rep. Kweisi Mfume Now that the Republican sponsored shutdown is over and federal employees are returning to work, I am angered, like many of you, that the legislation passed by the United States Senate failed to address the looming health care crisis that will immediately develop when enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies expire at the end of this year. The consequences of allowing these credits to expire will

be staggering, and Congress must act immediately to extend them and keep health care affordable for working families. Here in Baltimore and across the United States, millions of Americans are enrolled in health care plans through the Affordable Care Act (the ACA, often called Obamacare). Of the 24 million enrollees, roughly 90 percent are recipients of enhanced subsidies that Continued on A3

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Rep. Kweisi Mfume represents Maryland’s 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. This week, he speaks for the Marylanders who are facing a projected 35–50 percent premium hike for 2026 without Congressional action on the extension of Affordable Care Act credits.