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The Official Newsletter of The University of Maryland's Black Student Newspaper
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April 23, 2026 | Volume 1 | Issue 10
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You're probably wondering, 'Nina, why are you still sending the newsletter?' And to that, I answer: I'll be publishing the newsletter for the rest of the semester, which is kind of awkward because two out of the three stories are by me!
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This week, we have a news article on Sen. Angela Alsobrooks' teaching course at UMD, the police department's new mental health support companion and lastly a farewell letter from me as EIC.
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Along with that, read to the end to see how to tune in to our news radio show on WMUC-FM.
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-Nina Wilson, 2026 Layout Editor
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2025-2026 Editor-in-Chief
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Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) teaches students the different ways to be leaders in a University of Maryland spring 2026 semester government and politics course.
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“What’s leadership got to do with it” is co-taught by government and politics department Chair Antoine Banks and is held in person once a week. This is the first time that the university has had an active senator teach a course.
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“The hope is that the students that we develop here at the University of Maryland will opt to stay here, to live here, to contribute to our communities [and] to eventually serve in leadership in various roles, including elective leadership,” Alsobrooks, the former Prince George’s County executive, told The Black Explosion.
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Students hear from guest speakers from all different kinds of fields, including Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Sen. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Baltimore Ravens President Sashi Brown, according to students in the course.
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🔗: Read more here
✍️, 📸: Nina Wilson
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Dear Black Explosion Readers,
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I screamed as I read the beginning lines of an email I got while driving for work.
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“We hope this email finds you well. After careful consideration, we would like to congratulate and extend an official offer to serve as The Black Explosion 2025 to 2026 editor-in-chief,” the email read.
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I started with The Black Explosion Newspaper fall 2024 as a staff writer. I had no actual journalism experience and came into my first meeting knowing nothing. I pitched a story that I heard moments prior without knowing anything about it—the Black Student Union Freshman Council.
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The Editor-in-Chief, Mario Morais, told me that the freshman council wasn’t happening until later that month and suggested I write a feature story on the new BSU president. After it was published, I remember the message from Mario vividly, “Congrats on your first article with The Black Explosion.”
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🔗: Read more of the farewell here
✍️: Nina Wilson
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The University of Maryland Police Department introduced its new facility dog, Sammy, on April 10, in hopes to support the effort to promote on campus mental health.
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The 2-year-old golden retriever-Labrador mix was trained in partnership with Canine Companions, a non-profit organization that trains puppies to become facility dogs who work with adults, children and people with disabilities. He is handled by Corporal Bart Brady and will serve as a campus-wide resource focused on student engagement and mental health support.
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“He has the drive to be around a lot of people,” Brady said.
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Sammy has already been introduced to large campus settings, including a men’s basketball game, where Brady said the dog handled crowds and noise well.
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The Black Explosion Newspaper is now live on the radio for The AfterShock Live. Join us every week for news recaps and interviews with Black UMD students. Listen live on the radio at 90.5 FM or tune in digitally here.
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That's all for this week. See you next Thursday!
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