(BALTIMORE – September 20, 2026) – A woman called me out on Facebook, and I will be honest: She pissed me off. She challenged me over my support for David Bramble, the West Baltimore native and co-founder of MCB Real Estate whose company acquired Harborplace and is involved in major development along West North Avenue. She questioned why people conflate MCB’s interests with those of Baltimore’s Black residents. She pointed out that MCB is not an MBE. She questioned the relationship between Bramble and Mayor Brandon Scott. She even compared Bramble to Ronald Lipscomb. Then she wrote, “Come on, Doni.…

(BALTIMORE – September 18, 2026) — Jacqui Cummings is at it again. For nearly two decades, Cummings and her NMConnects.org team have worked to transform West 25th Street into a thriving corridor for Black-owned businesses. Her influence stretches from Charles Street toward Howard Street, with much of her work centered near 25th and Maryland Avenue. Twice each year, weather permitting, that commitment comes alive through the Black Wall Street Expo—an outdoor marketplace featuring several blocks of Black vendors, food, art, music, and community fellowship. The next Black Wall Street Expo will be held Saturday, September 26, 2026, from noon to…

(BALTIMORE – September 16, 2026) — Tarase Whetstone, founder of T Whetstone Connects, will be honored with a Joe Manns Black Wall Street Award at Black Wall Street COLIN’S. Whetstone is a Baltimore-based event host, master of ceremonies, community connector, and entrepreneur who has built her brand around bringing people together. Through T Whetstone Connects, she has supported live entertainment, community initiatives, nonprofit programs, conferences, fundraisers, weddings, and small-business events. Whether she is commanding a stage, coordinating an event, or connecting people with valuable resources and opportunities, Whetstone brings energy, professionalism, and a genuine love for community. Known for her…

The city has the institutions, talent and emerging leadership to become a world-class technology and business hub—but only if Baltimore improves efficiency, celebrates enterprise and moves Black businesses from participation to power (BALTIMORE – September 16, 2026)—A decade ago, the operative term was “biotech.” Today, researchers, entrepreneurs and investors are talking about algorithms, artificial intelligence, wearable technology and quantum computing. “Data centers” is the new topic du jour at the water fountain. The language has changed because the economy is changing. Baltimore has an opportunity to become a major technology and business hub. We already have many of the ingredients.…

First-ever print edition expected by September 24 as BMORENews.com launches its premium section with interviews featuring KSAL Empire and Nicole Earle (BALTIMORE – September 16, 2025) — We are proud—and deeply grateful—to announce two historic milestones for BMORENews.com. Our inaugural print edition is officially on the way. Today is September 16. Within eight days—by Thursday, September 24—we expect to hold the first-ever print edition of BMORENews.com in our hands. After 24 years of publishing THE NEWS BEFORE THE NEWS, BMORENews.com is moving from the screen to the streets. This inaugural newspaper will let us put our journalism directly into the…

(BALTIMORE – September 15, 2026) – Hard-working. Conscientious. Fearless. Productive. The latest cohort of Joe Manns Black Wall Street honorees represents some of the excellence that continues to emerge from the City of Baltimore. Catherine B. Orange, Timmeeka Pettus, Joan Pratt, Nicole Earle, Simon Edwards, E. R. Shipp, and Tarase Whetstone will be honored on Wednesday, Sept. 30, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Black Wall Street COLIN’S. Each is a leader in their own right. They understand the need to support Black media and why Black media is still necessary. They understand the importance of telling our stories, documenting…

(BALTIMORE – September 15, 2026) – Our next honoree needs little introduction, especially if you come from the world of journalism, literature, or higher education. E. R. Shipp is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, scholar, and professor whose career has taken her into some of the most respected newsrooms in America. Today, she helps prepare the next generation of storytellers at Morgan State University’s School of Global Journalism and Communication. Professor Shipp will be honored with a Joe Manns Black Wall Street Award on Wednesday, Sept. 30, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Black Wall Street COLIN’S. Born in Conyers, Georgia,…

(BALTIMORE – September 15, 2026) – Miss Catherine B. Orange is a living angel. She was a teacher, mentor, and mother figure to generations of students blessed to enter her classroom. I know I would not be where I am today without her. What made Miss Orange different was that she genuinely cared about us. We knew she cared about our education. We knew she was pushing us toward excellence, but she did it with a gentle spirit. She appreciated us and treated us as if we were her own children. She still treats us that way today. I was…

(BALTIMORE – September 15, 2026) – Cornell Tilghman. Jackie Green. Leroy Wilson. Denise Sims. Catherine B. Orange has been far more than a teacher to me. She has been a mentor, a friend, and someone I could always talk to. Truthfully, she is like a mother. Ms. Orange was patient with me. She believed in me and helped shape the person I would become. I first met her when she taught me seventh- and eighth-grade English at William Hugo Lemmel Junior High School. Lemmel had a tough reputation. It was the kind of school where you had to know how…

(BALTIMORE – September 14, 2026) — Timmeeka Pettus, a longtime Baltimore City Public Schools employee, labor leader, and community advocate, will be honored at the Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at COLIN’S Seafood & Grill. A Baltimore native, devoted mother, and woman of faith, Pettus has built a life defined by resilience, perseverance, and service. Pettus became a mother at 16. Despite the challenges she faced as a teenage parent, she remained determined to raise her sons, provide for her family, and build a meaningful career serving Baltimore. In 2008, Pettus began working for…