Andrea K. McDaniels

I started at The Sun as a small step above a cub reporter in my 20s and have had the privilege of chronicling life in Baltimore and Maryland, but after two decades I am leaving for a new adventure.

The petite, fireball of a gymnast is giving other female athletes a lesson in fearlessly resisting the status quo, but with grace and dignity. I hope it inspires other women to speak their minds as well.

I think all universities and public school systems should do an evaluation of their building names. What message are we sending to students if we allow them to become educated in facilities honoring those who would not have honored them?

Black Americans are nearly three times more likely to be killed by police and with each death the mental health of the community left behind is harmed.

A debate has erupted in the Rockland Ridge gated community in Baltimore County over a policy that prohibits basketball hoops and other recreational activity.

The disparities in COVID-19 vaccination are real in Maryland, and we all need to keep talking about it until they are not.

Since the term “novel coronavirus” surfaced over a year ago, Baltimore Sun journalists have worked overtime to understand and explain the virus’ unpredictable path across Maryland’s economy, the government, education, your family, your lifestyle and, most importantly, your health.

Even as police brutality and COVID-19 have forced the country to face structural racism and inequities built into the very fabric of the country, there is a backlash on portraying an accurate depiction of American history and the ugly treatment of African Americans over time.

In Mr. Trump’s warped mind, he probably thinks he is sticking it to the Bidens by not attending the inauguration. I say it’s the best thing he could have done for the country.

These New Year's resolutions probably won’t land me on any list of most successful people, but they are meaningful just the same.

I want to protect myself and others from a disease that is killing African Americans at disproportionate rates.

Baltimore has more than it's fair share of critics. Sadly, these folks have a one-dimensional view of the city, which has much to celebrate. Here's a list of Baltimore attributes to be thankful for.

I know that racism exists and have personally experienced it more times than I care. But it still stings a little as an African American woman to know that so many white Americans are willing to vote for a president that exploits race and openly supports racist acts.

The pandemic has only served to heighten the inequalities that still exist between even the most enlightened men and women.

Entertainers have every right to give their political views, but that doesn't mean we have to listen to them.

Most women have probably found themselves at some point in the place that Sen. Kamala Harris and USA Today Editor Susan Page did during Wednesday night’s vice-presidential debate – interrupted and dismissed by a man.

I feel like a broken record, writing time and time again about the death of Black people at the hands of law enforcement. Weariness fills my heart because it seems like no matter how loud we as African Americans shout, little changes. The problem is we can’t afford not to speak out.

I have thought about my mother-in-law, and her role in desegregating Southern High School in Baltimore, a lot this week at the start of another school year that has laid bare the disparities that still exist when it comes to education in this country.

The shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha Wisconsin shows again the low value put on the life of Black men by some people in this country.

Kamala Harris' elevation to vice presidential candidate is something that didn't come easy and without sacrifice from others who have toiled for years for equity in this country’s political process. Generations of Black women in particular set up the foundation for the right for others who look like them to hold higher office and for once not to be told “it’s not your turn.”

Gov. Larry Hogan's new memoir takes liberties when it comes to his role in the unrest after the death of Freddie Gray, and is the latest in his attacks on Baltimore.

A talk with Colin Byrd, who as a student at the University of Maryland five years ago, was at the center of pushing to change the name of the football stadium so that it no longer honored a segregationist.

Companies across the country are proclaiming their support for Black Lives Matter with carefully worded public statements. But what about the actions behind the words?

The senseless death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis officer by a nearly 9-minute knee to the neck has raised a long-needed consciousness in people. But all the protesting and calls for action will prove nil if something isn’t done to hold bad cops as accountable as average citizens accused of committing crimes.

This is not the election to take your vote and civic duty for granted. The stakes are too high and the election too close.

The killing of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery while running in Georgia yet again reflects the lack of value on black life that still exists in this country.

Attending church in-person is not worth the risk of spreading COVID-19, but there are other ways to seek religion during these tough times.

The U.S. has always had wealth gaps, but with the coronavirus pandemic, those inequalities are smacking us right in the face.

I don't want my elected officials to be honorary black men or woman. I want them to adopt policies that benefit the African American community, no matter their race.

It is long overdue, but Congress has voted to make the brutal, racist act of lynching a hate crime.

We know about Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglas, but what about all the other African American trailblazers from Maryland?

What if Thiru Vignarajah had been a poor black kid in West Baltimore who was stopped with no lights on? Would he have been given the same benefit of the doubt and allowed to banter with the Baltimore police officer as the mayoral candidate did. We’ll never for sure, but there are plenty of examples across the country where it didn’t turn out so well for African Americans who dared to do what Mr. Vignarajah did.

Baltimore's violence doesn't make me afraid, but instead creates a deep sadness because every time I hear about a new homicide, I know that it is likely to be a black face that is the victim; somebody who looks like my nephew, niece or cousin.

African Americans were some of the loudest defenders of Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson after he was criticized for giving Rolex watches to teammates, because they know all too well the unfair scrutiny black people face when they do well in life.

Reports that actress Gabrielle Union's hair was deemed 'too black' by producers of America's Got Talent have renewed talks about hair discrimination and standards of beauty.

Gov. Larry Hogan's appointment of an emergency commission to redraw Maryland 6th Congressional District undercuts Attorney General Frosh's court appeal.

Johns Hopkins researchers are spearheading efforts to raise awareness and learn more about a sexually transmitted disease few people know about but scientists believe makes people infertile.

New guidelines tell parents what they need to know if their children suffer a traumatic brain injury falling or playing sports.

The only difference between today's immigrant caravan and the European immigrants from the 18th and 19th century is skin color.

The hands-off approach raises questions about how much Johns Hopkins and other American businesses and nonprofits are obligated to speak out against less desirable and inhumane practices in the countries they choose to operate.

The rate of Maryland babies born prematurely jumped from 10.5 percent in 2017 from 10.1 percent the year before, according to a report released by the March of Dimes Thursday.

A federal labor board has ruled in favor of nurses at Johns Hopkins Hospital who said officials were trying to intimidate them out of forming a union.

Baltimore doctors say that they are starting to see many injuries from the popular Bird and Lime electric scooters.

The University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore has received its biggest donation ever, $25 million, from Len Stoler and his wife, to go toward a new cancer treatment building.

Ask the Expert on flu

Maryland health officials expect a more than 5 percent increase in the number of people who enroll in health plan under Obamacare because of a reinsurance plan that will lower premiums.

At least 129 people have been sickened with hand, food and mouth disease at Johns Hopkins. It's a highly contagious disease caused by a group of viruses also responsible for polio.

Public health officials are ringing the alarm about AFM, a polio-like condition that afflicts 1 in a million, but can cause paralysis and even death. Doctors know little about it.

What is acute flaccid myelitis or AFM?

Teens who scored well on a survey in 1960 with questions about academics, health and future aspirations are less likely to have developed Alzheimer's and other memory problems now that they are in their 70s.