
Virginia colleges pivot post-affirmative action decision
Colleges and universities in Virginia are adjusting in the wake of a supreme Court decision last week that ended affirmative action in higher education.

Chaos and violence
Mass shootings claim lives at gatherings over July Fourth holiday
Mass shootings broke out at festivals, block parties and other gatherings in a handful of cities this week as the U.S. celebrated the Fourth of July. Gun violence that flared in Washington, D.C, Louisiana, Florida, Philadelphia, Texas and Baltimore left more than a dozen dead and almost 60 wounded — including children as young as 2 years old.

RRHA approves developer’s plans for Jackson Ward hotel
$35M project among largest awarded to a Black-owned firm
Michael A. “Mike” Hopkins is on track to achieve his 20-year-old dream of developing a hotel in Richmond.

Personality: Joye B. Moore
2023 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the Mid-Atlantic Region 2023 winner for Best Peach Pie in the Country by American Pie Council
Joye B. Moore’s recipe for sweet potato pie was handed down from the women in her family going back to her great-great-great grandmother, Susan Mae Howell.

Faith and fate of affirmative action
It’s a different colorblindness than the one envisioned in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to reject the race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina comes in a year of 60th anniversaries in American civil rights history.

Weathering the storm
Lady Tomahawk’s promising start fizzles in weekend downpour
The RVA Lady Tomahawks were rolling along and enjoying a football season of mostly sunshine and blue skies. And then the storm hit, literally and figuratively.

Virginia Folklife event presents Afro-Puerto Rican band Kadencia
Kadencia, a play on the word “cadence” in Spanish, is an 11-member band led by father-son duo Maurice Sanabria-Ortiz and Maurice “Tito” Sanabria, 43.

City residents’ delinquent taxes pile up
Thousands of Richmond residents are ignoring City Hall tax bills on cars, trucks, boats, trailer homes, recreational vehicles and other such personal property.

Richmond casino gets boost
Richmond advocates for a casino gained a boost when talks between house and senate negotiators over an amended state budget collapsed last week, although public school and mental health advocates were left disappointed.

General Assembly likely to have record number of Black members
Now that primary results are in, the battle for control of the legislature begins in earnest ahead of the Nov. 7 general election.

RHHD offers immunizations, physicals
Families in Richmond and Henrico County are encouraged to take advantage of free school-required immunizations and physicals throughout the summer, courtesy of the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts.

Girls For A Change launches ambassador program at Meadowbrook High School
Girls For A Change will launch its Girl Ambassador Program, a four-year, tiered approach to workforce development, at Meadowbrook High School.

JWC Foundation announces academy for Black entrepreneurs
The JWC Foundation, home of the Jackson Ward Collective and BLCK Street Conference, will launch its 3rd Cohort for the Community Business Academy, a 12-week course featuring hands-on training to teach business fundamentals.

City residents’ utility bills increase
Effective with the July bills, Richmond residents will be charged at least $8.70 more per month for public utilities, including water, sewer service, natural gas and stormwater controls.

Color struck court
For many of us, the joys of summer involve spending time in our gardens, toiling intently until a chorus of red, white, blue or purple flora reveal a luminous rainbow to be admired by anyone in sight. Yet, too often, the tranquility of such artistry is shaken by a sudden sting or bite from other earthly inhabitants known as mosquitoes, hornets and snakes. Once attacked, we may recoil from spending so much time outside, reminded that although humans need many of those unwieldy creatures for survival, their venom can be deadly. Which leads us to compare our multi-legged and winged outdoor companions to our far right two-legged friends who spend much of their time sitting inside the U.S. Supreme Court.

Holistic approach an alternative to affirmative action, by Clarence Page
Reading about the Supreme Court’s unsurprising affirmative action ruling, I was reminded of Sen. Hubert Humphrey’s defense of the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act.

‘Our country has never been colorblind’, by Dr. E. Faye Williams
Elections always have consequences and this week we experienced Part Two of the Pro-Republican/Pro-Conservative Supreme Court. When we connect the dots, we realize the connection between Donald Trump and three of the six justices who voted to terminate Rowe AND eliminate affirmative action in college admissions.

The aftermath of mass shootings infiltrates every corner of survivors’ lives
More than a year after 11-year-old Mayah Zamora was airlifted out of Uvalde, Texas, where she was critically injured in the Robb Elementary school shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers, the family is still reeling.

VUU Athletic Hall of Fame announces 2023 inductees
Soon it will be time to dust off the old scrapbook at Virginia Union University. Reliving past greatness will be the theme Sept. 22 when Virginia Union University celebrates its Hall of Fame Class for 2023.