
Actress and film festival co-founder Ja’Net DuBois succumbs at 74
Ja’Net DuBois, who played the vivacious neighbor Willona Woods on the 1970s sitcom “Good Times,” composed and sang the theme song for television’s “The Jeffersons” and was one of the founders of the largest black film festival in the United States, has died.

Restaurateur, model B. Smith dies at 70 from early onset Alzheimer’s
Barbara “B.” Smith, one of the nation’s top African-American models who went on to open restaurants, launch a successful home products line and write cookbooks, has died at her Long Island home at age 70 after battling early onset Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. Levy M. Armwood Jr., retired pastor, music teacher, dies at 79
Dr. Levy Mack Armwood Jr., retired pastor of historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Jackson Ward and a 32-year music teacher for Richmond Public Schools, has died.

Personality: Quanda Lashun Baker
Spotlight on local president of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women
Almost five years ago, Quanda Lashun Baker was among the charter members of the Richmond Metropolitan Area Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, establishing a branch of the women’s nonprofit organization dedicated to making a difference in the community.

Local architects receive top industry recognition
Two African-American architects are among five Virginians who have been named to receive the top honor of the American Institute of Architects — induction into the AIA’s College of Fellows, the equivalent of its hall of fame.

Panels to explore UR's history with race
The University of Richmond is set to grapple with its history with race next week with two panels that will coincide with the institution’s 180th Founders Day on Wednesday, March 4.

Judge dismisses $30M lawsuit stemming from traffic stop
A judge has thrown out a Richmond woman’s $30 million lawsuit claiming civil rights violations by a Richmond Police officer and the city government after she was handcuffed during a traffic stop.

St. Luke Building ready for tenants
The historic 117-year-old office building in which Richmond business great Maggie L. Walker launched a bank and led a crusade for African-American economic independence has been renovated into an apartment building that is ready to welcome its first tenants.

Gray candidacy announcement set for Sunday; another mayoral challenger expected
Richmond City Councilwoman Kim B. Gray plans to formally announce her challenge to Mayor Levar M. Stoney this weekend.

School Board sends $436M budget to Mayor Stoney
Richmond Public Schools is calling on City Hall and taxpayers to boost spending on public education by $21 million during the next school year in a bid to advance its strategic plan for educational improvement.

Polls open on Super Tuesday March 3 for Democratic presidential primary contest
Voters in Virginia are getting their chance to help select the Democratic contender to face President Trump in the fall election.

Katherine G. Johnson, trailblazing NASA mathematician immortalized in the film 'Hidden Figures,' dies at 101
Katherine G. Johnson, the mathematical genius whose calculations took her from a behind-the-scenes job in a segregated NASA as portrayed in the film “Hidden Figures” to a key role in sending humans to the moon, died on Monday, Feb. 24, 2020, at her residence at an assisted living facility in Newport News.

Black History Month program to focus on civil rights icons Oliver W. Hill Sr. and Spottswood W. Robinson III
Noted Richmond civil rights attorneys Oliver W. Hill Sr. and Spottswood W. Robinson III and their role in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision that legally ended school segregation is the focus of a program, “Racial Segregation: Then and Now,” to be presented by the Chesterfield County Public Library.

Ditch the fear by Dr. E. Faye Williams
With all the fear-mongering, the unjust firings, transfers, name-calling, the profanity-laced rantings, the lying, the mean-spirited actions, the early negative predictions about the Democratic Party and its candidates, one could just give up and ask, “What’s the use of trying to make a difference about anything?”

Trump's budget reveals his priorities by Julianne Malveaux
If you tell me how you spend your money, I can tell you what your values are. You say you are a Christian, but neither tithe nor have a church home. You say you support civil rights, but have no connection to a civil rights organization. You say you love your alma mater, but never contribute to the place.

Recommitting to a 'fair and equitable' society by Congressman A. Donald McEachin
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all are created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

Election Day holiday
We are bolstered by the recent passage of bills in the House of Delegates and state Senate to eliminate the shameful and insulting Lee-Jackson Day and replace it with a state holiday on Election Day in November.

Cathy's Camp
The Bible tells us, “The poor will always be with you.” But Richmond has got to find a better way to help people in need. Latest case in point: The people living in the Cathy’s Camp tent city.

Celebrity Drag Bingo Feb. 20 at Diversity Richmond
Diversity Richmond is hosting Celebrity Drag Bingo at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20, at the Diversity Richmond Event Hall, 1407 Sherwood Ave.

AKAs present 16 debutantes
Sixteen young women were presented at the Debutante Presentation and Ball hosted by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s Upsilon Omega Chapter.