(BALTIMORE – September 26, 2026) – The best advice I can give a young person today is this: find what you love to do, something you’d almost do for nothing because you love it that much and you’re good at it. Remember: what Jamal does most, Jamal does best. So find your craft, whatever it may be. If God gave you the notion, the gift, the talent, the skill, and the desire, then pursue it with everything you’ve got. Every expert was once a beginner. And let me tell you something else: talent is great, but you know what beats…

(BALTIMORE – September 25, 2026) – Before Easterwood Park became our playground, somebody had to fight for Black children to use it. The park existed long before Curtis Dunham, Kevin Morgan, and I came along. The Maryland Center for History and Culture has a photograph of Easterwood Park from the summer of 1930. But in 1950, segregation still governed access to recreation in Baltimore. That July, Earl Koger challenged the Park Board’s policy at Easterwood. In September, Earl and Linwood Koger proposed integrating two city parks. In November, the board voted to open Easterwood Park to Black children beginning December…

(BALTIMORE – September 25, 2026) – I was minding my own business when I got word about the leadership of Baltimore’s two historically Black high schools. I had to stop and ask myself: Does the leadership of Baltimore City Public Schools know where it is? Frederick Douglass and Paul Laurence Dunbar high schools carry the history of Black Baltimore. Before our children could walk through the doors of any high school they chose, these were institutions that educated them. Families fought for that education. Black educators poured themselves into those students. We cannot discuss who leads these schools as though that…

(BALTIMORE – September 23, 2026) – I have often said that if you get one true friend in this world, you are rich. Omega Psi Phi Fraternity expresses it this way: “Friendship is essential to the soul.” When I look at the photograph taken after Wednesday’s BMORENews.com press conference, that message comes alive. I see my godbrother, Bishop Kevia Fernando Elliott; my dear friend Renny Bass; Symbolie; and Jacqui Cummings. Their friendship has stood the test of time. They are true blue—A1 from day one. They have supported BMORENews.com in ways that go beyond words. They have supported us through action.…

(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 20, 2026) – We talk a lot about the skills required for success, but not nearly enough about the character required to sustain it. Character is not a glamorous subject. It speaks to our values—the principles we hope are first instilled at home. We study our disciplines, practice our crafts and sharpen our skills. Yet none of that determines what we will do when doing the right thing comes at a cost. That is when character takes over. It is not a glamorous topic. It speaks to values—the ones we hope are first taught at home. We…

A business-school assignment sent me around the world examining artificial intelligence, quantum computing, semiconductors, and data centers. It brought me home convinced that Maryland—and the University of Maryland—can help America build a smarter, more inclusive, and environmentally responsible technological future. (COLLEGE PARK, MD – September 19, 2026) – It began as a homework assignment. In Leading with a Strategic Mindset at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, Professor Paulo Prochno assigned the Harvard Business School case Building Innovation at VINCI. The case examines how a massive, decentralized global corporation encourages innovation and converts new ideas into business…

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.…

(BALTIMORE – September 15, 2026) – Recently, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Morgan State University professor E.R. Shipp invited me to speak with a class of undergraduate media students in the School of Global Journalism and Communication. This was not her first time inviting me to speak with Morgan students. Whenever I have an opportunity to share something with young people, I try to be there. Anything for the young people. I came bearing a message that I believe every journalism student needs to hear: Prepare yourself for the media industry as it exists today—not as it existed 20 or 30…

(COLLEGE PARK, MD – September 14, 2026) – Long before artificial intelligence became a part of our daily conversations, The Jetsons gave us a glimpse into the 21st century. The animated television series premiered in 1962 and introduced Americans to a futuristic world filled with flying cars, video calls, moving sidewalks, push-button meals, and robots that handled household chores. Rosie the Robot was practically a member of the Jetson family. For many of us, The Jetsons planted the first seed of what the future might look like. Technology would make life easier. Machines would do the work while humans enjoyed the…