Charley Taylor, NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver, dies at 80
Charley Taylor, among the first Black stars to play for the Washington NFL team, died Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022.
Baseball Hall of Famer Ray Dandridge to be immortalized with bobblehead
Ray Dandridge, arguably the greatest baseball player to ever come out of Richmond, is back in the news. The Hall of Fame third baseman is one of 13 Negro Leagues standouts being honored with bobbleheads. The project is a partnership of the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame Museum in Milwaukee and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City. Other former Negro Leaguers getting bobbleheads are Rube Foster, Buck Leonard, Martin Dihigo, Buck O’Neil, Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston, Judy Johnson, Pop Lloyd, Leon Day, Cool Papa Bell and Bob Motley. Ray Dandridge was born in 1913 in Richmond’s Church Hill. He died in 1994 in Florida at the age of 80. Known as “Hooks,” he is considered among the greatest defensive third basemen in baseball history and was a three-time Negro Leagues All-Star. Some of his best years came with the Newark Eagles (1936-1944). Dandridge is wearing an Eagles’ uniform in his bobblehead. Because of his race, Dandridge never got a chance to play in the mainstream major leagues. By the time Jackie Robinson broke the color line in 1947, Dandridge was considered too old. Still he hit .362 with the AAA Minne- apolis Millers (New York Giants affiliate) in 1949 and batted .360 with the Millers in his final season in 1955. Dandridge was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987 by the Veterans’ Committee. He also is in the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. The bobbleheads are $35 or $400 for the full set of 13
Adonis Lattimore wins wrestling championship
Adonis Lattimore is the State Class 6 wrestling champion. He’s also a champion of the phrase “no excuses.”
Record $104M gift to boost VCU research and treatment of liver diseases
Virginia Commonwealth University has received a record $104 million gift that is to be used to expand research and treatment options for liver and liver-related diseases, it was announced Tuesday.
2nd Richmond casino referendum not a done deal
So far, the General Assembly has sided with a Richmond plan to hold a second referendum in a bid to win approval for a gambling casino and resort in South side.
Majority of families in public housing are behind on rent
More than half of the renters in Richmond’s public housing communities — 55 percent — are now behind on rent, according to a report provided Monday to City Council.
Presidents Day schedule
In observance of the Presidents Day holiday on Monday, Feb. 21, please note the following:
Va. adopts plan to end school mask mandates March 1
The Virginia General Assembly moved swiftly Wednesday to put the final legislative touches on a bill that bans local school systems from imposing mask mandates on students.
State NAACP executive director resigns citing hail of allegations
The executive director of the Virginia State Conference NAACP has abruptly quit after 14 months.
Naima Burrs hopes to play to Petersburg Symphony Orchestra’s strengths in new role
Petersburg Symphony Orchestra musicians are gearing up for a new season without the presence of a familiar face—Ulysses Kirksey, their former music director for more than 30 years.
VUU Panthers ready for CIAA Tournament in Baltimore
The Virginia Union University Panthers have taken care of important basketball business in Pennsylvania. The next stops on the team’s planned hoops itinerary are North Carolina, then Maryland and then, perhaps, the NCAA Tournament at points now unknown. Following a crucial 79- 71 victory last Saturday at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, Coach Jay Butler’s squad has taken the pole position, steering into next week’s CIAA Tourna- ment in Baltimore. VUU will finish the regular season Saturday, Feb. 19, at Shaw University in Raleigh, N.C., before heading for the tournament in Baltimore, which starts Tuesday, Feb. 22. If the Panthers can hold on to the top spot in the CIAA Northern Division, their likely quarter final tournament opener would be Thursday, Feb. 24, at Royal Farms Arena. The CIAA Tournament finals are set for Saturday, Feb. 26. ESPN-Plus and ESPN-U will provide TV coverage throughout the week. VUU’s victory at Lincoln University put distance between the Panthers and the runner- up Lincoln Lions for the Northern Division top seed. VUU forward Robert Osborne received no mention in the preseason All-CIAA voting. But he’s due for much more recognition when the more important postseason All-CIAA team is announced next week. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound junior powerhouse out of Hermitage High School in Henrico County was at his burly best at Lincoln, hitting 12 of 20 field goals and scoring 26 points. Jordan Peebles, the pogo-stick senior for- ward from Emporia, added 19 points and nine rebounds at Lincoln and is always a best-bet for the highlight reels. In only 20.5 minutes per game, Osborne leads the balanced Panthers in scoring (12.6 points per game), field goal percentage (.573)
Black Muslim life honored in new online portrait exhibit
A new online exhibit featuring portraits of Black Muslims was launched earlier this month by Sapelo Square, a Black Muslim education and media collective.
Personality: Michelle Evans-Oliver
Spotlight on president of Richmond, Virginia Branch of ASALH
In the midst of a pandemic marked by death, large-scale action and change for African-Americans, Michelle Evans-Oliver is working to ensure the stories of Black people in Richmond are preserved and promoted.
Ezell Royal Lee, ‘Fashion King of Hull Sreet, dies at 66
Hull Street became the runway where Ezell Royal Lee would display his personal clothing creations while walking his dog, Miss Cleo.
The moral arc of the universe bends
Re Editorial “Biden must select a justice for all,” Free Press Feb. 3-5 edition:
Teaching Black history can help end racism
Black history matters for the same reasons Black lives matter.
'Long, dirty toenails’, by Dr. Gregg Suzanne Ferguson
Death humbles us all, and death comes for us all. For that reason, in every culture speaking ill of the dead is taboo, if not amoral. When the deceased is an innocent victim, speaking ill of them is especially abominable.
GOP bows to insurrectionists, by Ben Jealous
The Republican National Committee is officially letting Americans know that it is more committed to former President Trump than to democracy, the rule of law and the truth.
Overcoming NFL’s shameful history, by Marc H. Morial
“More than half the players in the NFL are Black, and most coaches have played the game at some level. That would seem to be the perfect recipe for Black coaches to find success. But most NFL owners have been white men, and they have seldom been willing to let African Americans or Latinos call plays — either on the field or from the sidelines. This is no different from when franchises presumed that Black players weren’t smart enough to play quarterback and lacked leadership skills to command men. The league’s paltry record of hiring minority head coaches comes from the same mindset. And its primary effort to address the problem has been a failure, because a policy can’t compensate for ignorance.”— Jemele Hill
