
United Methodist Church keeps ban on gay clergy, same-sex marriage
“We’re in this to the end,” sang LGBTQ United Methodists and their allies.

Devotional guide marks 400 years since the arrival of Africans in Virginia
A Christian anti-hunger group has released a devotional guide to mark the 400th anniversary of the arrival of enslaved Africans in Jamestown.

Breakdancing an Olympic sport?
Breakdancing, an art form started by African-American teenagers that has spread all over the world, may break into the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris as a new sport.

VCU in place to win A-10 Tournament
Since joining the Atlantic 10 Conference, VCU has compiled the conference’s best basketball record while being shut out for two prestigious individual awards.

VUU men’s team still one to watch next season
You can make a case for Virginia Union University being the team to beat next CIAA basketball season.

VSU Trojans, VUU Lady Panthers win CIAA; next stop NCAA regionals
The powerful engine that is Virginia State University basketball barely tapped its brakes rumbling through Charlotte, N.C., and the CIAA Tournament championship last weekend.

No repeat for John Marshall H.S.
John Marshall High School’s standout basketball season ended Tuesday night.

2nd Annual Richmond Children’s Business Fair Saturday
Young entrepreneurs who have created a product or service will show off their wares at the 2nd Annual Richmond Children’s Business Fair 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 9, at the Children’s Museum of Richmond, 2626 W. Broad St.

Due process for Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax
Speaking on behalf of thousands of voters who voted for Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax in 2017, we urge Mr. Fairfax not to resign.

Selma can be a beacon
Political leaders from across the country gathered last weekend in Selma, Ala., to commemorate “Bloody Sunday,” the 1965 march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge where peaceful demonstrators, attempting to cross the bridge, were violently driven back by Alabama State Troopers, Dallas County sheriff’s deputies and a horse-mounted posse wielding billy clubs and water hoses to savage the crowd.

Think F.A.S.T. when it comes to strokes
The idea of a stroke can be frightening because it comes without warning and can change your life forever.

Herring and blackface
We listened to Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring’s radio interview Monday on the Kojo Nnamdi Show on WAMU in Washington.

Personality: Kimberly Battle
Spotlight on Richmond Branch president of the National Association of University Women
A small, low-key group of women is working hard to address education issues in the United States and abroad by working with women, youths and the disadvantaged in local communities and in developing countries. “We are small … but mighty,” says Kimberly Battle, president of the Richmond Branch of the National Association of University Women.

Making moves
Legal battle to remove Parker Agelasto from City Council ramps up
The legal fight to remove 5th District City Councilman Parker C. Agelasto from office as the result of his move to the 1st District last year is gaining new energy.

Blackface dehumanizes African-Americans
Gov. Ralph S. Northam’s past actions are inexcusable and his current behavior is awful. Explicit, intentional racism is condemned in much of America, but we’re still failing to eliminate implicit racism caused by ignorance, status quo and apathy. Regardless of Gov. Northam’s intentions, he has failed to empathize with African-Americans.

Dismantle racist systems and start anew
The culture of white supremacy is the foundation upon which this nation was built. It has dominated every system of power in this country for the past 400 years.

Accountability, not disrespect
I could not help but notice the African-American politicians, religious and community leaders who have chosen to side with Gov. Ralph S. Northam. Either they have forgotten or just overlooked his nickname, “Coonman.” Of all the people they could have put their trust in, they chose the “Coonman.” And that is not a nickname you are given by accident.

Slavery, history and warped games
According to some historians, Afrodescendants first entered these United States in 1619 off the coast of Virginia. If we believe that narrative, Afrodescendents have been in this country for 400 years. If the people who were kidnapped and brought here had to tell the story, would they tell the same one?

Smollett and real hate crimes
Last week, the Southern Poverty Law Center announced that the number of hate groups in the United States continued to rise for the fourth consecutive year in 2018.