AFRO publisher weighs in on ‘Lady in the Lake,’ challenges still facing women in the workplace

Persia Nicole (left) leads a panel discussion on the new series “Lady in the Lake,” with panelists Dr. Vonnya Pettigrew, CEO and founder of Baltimore-based Root Branch Media Group, and Dr. Frances “Toni” Draper, current publisher of the AFRO-American Newspapers– the only publication to extensively follow the life and death of Shirley Parker in 1969. (AFRO Photo / Patricia McDougall) by D. Kevin McNeir Fact and fiction collide in the new series “Lady in the Lake,” now streaming on Apple TV+. The dramatic mystery once again casts scrutiny on two deaths that took place in the city of Baltimore, captivating residents so many years ago. Shirley Parker was just 33-years-old when she disappeared on April 23, 1969. While the details surrounding her death are still unclear, one thing is for sure- on June 2, 1969 her body was discovered in the fountain of the Druid Hill Park Lake. Months later, another case– that of Esther Lebowitz– garnered even more attention. The young girl, only 11 at the time of her brutal death, was found deceased in West Baltimore, just days after she went missing in September.& While the new “Lady in the Lake” series shines light on both cases equally,...