New research reconsiders writings of enslaved Muslim scholar
He was from Senegal, wrote in Arabic and was enslaved. Or was he an Arab prince? He was a scholar who memorized vast passages of the Quran and mastered numerous Islamic texts. Or were his writings unintelligible? He was a devout Muslim. Or did he convert to Christianity? These are just some of the conflicting narratives about Omar ibn Said (or more correctly Sayyid), a black Muslim scholar captured in Senegal in 1807 and taken by boat to Charleston, S.C.
Dr. Aaron L. Dixon, former principal at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, dies at 62
“Impact children’s lives today for tomorrow.” That slogan shaped the career of Dr. Aaron Lorenzo Dixon, his family said.
Longtime area photographer Waverly L. Williams Sr. succumbs at 76
Have camera, will travel. That was the motto of photographer Waverly Lee Williams Sr., who was always on the go to capture images of people, places and events, mostly in the Richmond area.
Personality: Robert M. Lester
Spotlight on president of Club 533
An invitation from a friend and fraternity brother brought Robert M. Lester to Club 533 in 2012, offering him the opportunity to meet and listen to members from across decades. That night sparked Mr. Lester’s interest and desire to be a part of the club, now 64 years old, that still brings together men of accomplishment dedicated to improving the social and civic welfare of the community.
Legal help offers children healthier futures
One silver lining for a parent with a child being treated at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at Virginia Commonwealth University is access to free legal services.
RPS gets break on $3.32M city stormwater bill
Tear up that bill. That’s what Mayor Levar M. Stoney told the Richmond School Board to do with a $3.32 million bill for unpaid stormwater fees that has accumulated over 10 years.
Free GRTC bus service being eyed
Free rides on GRTC buses? That idea has begun to percolate as a proposal by Richmond Delegate Delores L. McQuinn to create a regional transportation authority to provide new funding for roads and public transit moves through the General Assembly.
VUU surprised by $1M announcement on Founders Day
Virginia Union University President Hakim J. Lucas stood before an audience of more than 350 students, faculty, alumni, trustees and dignitaries last Friday to remember the past and mark the path to the future at the university’s 155th Anniversary Founders Day Convocation.
Confederate statues in State Capitol remain unaddressed
As the General Assembly wrestles over whether to give localities the right to control their Confederate monuments, their debate is being waged in the State Capitol — a virtual shrine to the Confederacy.
Investigation reopened into murder of Malcolm X
Who really killed Malcolm X? Nearly 55 years since his assassination on Feb. 21, 1965, in the Audubon Ballroom in New York, the human rights activist’s murder will be reinvestigated in the wake of new information uncovered in a Netflix documentary, prosecutors in New York said on Tuesday.
Lt. Gov. Fairfax's defamation suit against CBS News dismissed by federal judge
A federal judge on Tuesday tossed out a libel lawsuit filed by Lt. Gov. Justin E. Fairfax against a television network he accused of slanted reporting on sexual assault allegations against him.
Begin Again
City Council majority strikes $1.5B Coliseum and Downtown development project, urging the administration to start over with public inclusion
Start over — and this time include the public. That’s the cry from the five members of Richmond City Council who followed through Monday night in eliminating the $1.5 billion Coliseum replacement and Downtown redevelopment plan, just as they said they would do when the nine-member governing body met last week as a committee.
Trump expands immigration ban to 4 African nations, 2 others
The Trump administration announced last Friday that it is curbing legal immigration from six additional countries that officials said did not meet security standards, as part of an election-year push to further restrict immigration.
Commitment needed to solutions for homelessness and recidivism
With the Democratic primary season kicking into gear and the general election right around the corner, the stage is set for an impassioned battle of ideas and policy initiatives that could shape our country for the next decade.
Prison gerrymandering hurts black poliical power by Marc H. Morial
“When districts with prisons receive enhanced representation, every other district in the state without a prison sees its votes diluted. And this vote dilution is even larger in the districts with the highest incarceration rates. Thus, the communities that bear the most direct costs of crime are therefore the communities that are the biggest victims of prison-based gerrymandering. The Census Bureau’s decision to count incarcerated people in the wrong place interferes with equal representation in virtually every state.” — Prison Policy Initiative, The Prison Gerrymandering Project
Toppling the Trump kingdom by Dr. Barbara Reynolds
So now with the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate’s rush to acquit President Trump in this rigged impeachment trial, he will soon be free to continue using foreign countries or committing any other illegal acts to ensure his re-election in 2020.
A real sickness
Forget the coronavirus. Would somebody please quarantine President Trump before he makes the nation sicker?
Marking time and history
Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granting women the right to vote, the Virginia Museum of History & Culture selected 20 women to re-create a 1915 photograph of suffragists taken at the State Capitol in Downtown. Like the women in the old photograph, the contemporary group is made up of individuals “fighting to break barriers for women, to improve their communities and to make Virginia a more equitable and just society,” according to museum officials.
'Virginians You Need to Know' lectures Feb. 8, March 21 at Main Library
Researcher, author and lecturer Elvatrice Belsches will speak about “Virginians You Need to Know” at a two-part lecture series at the Main Branch of the Richmond Public Li- brary, 101 E. Franklin St.
Soulidifly to launch free TV streaming service Feb. 14
Richmond-based Soulidifly Productions is jumping into TV streaming. Already turning out movies, children’s books and a monthly magazine, the black-owned company will launch an array of largely original programming on its own service, SoulVision.
