Personality: Shelia S. Fitzgerald
Spotlight on board president of Big Brothers Big Sisters
Shelia Scott Fitzgerald is president of the board of directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters, which serves Greater Richmond, the Tri-Cities, the Peninsula and Hampton Roads. The Richmond native became involved with BBBS nine years ago because its mission resonated with her.
National NAACP board suspends Henrico Branch president for 2 years
Frank J. Thornton, former president of the Henrico Branch NAACP, has had his membership in the civil rights group suspended for two years. The national NAACP imposed the suspension on Feb. 16 during its quarterly board meeting in New York.
School Board defers vote on cutting 49 jobs
The Richmond School Board postponed voting Tuesday night on Superintendent Jason Kamras’ proposed $300 million operating budget after the board became mired in confusion and chaos.
Black history program Feb. 28 at MLK Middle School
Students and staff of Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School will host a public Black History Month program 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, it has been announced.
VCU to host panel on blackface and racism Feb. 25
Blackface and racism will be the focus of a panel discussion at Virginia Commonwealth University from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 25, it has been announced.
‘March on the Mansion’ slated for Saturday at Capitol
Five state and national groups will host a public rally and march this weekend to continue to press Gov. Ralph S. Northam to resign in the wake of his blackface scandal.
SNAP benefits to be available March 1
All food stamp recipients in Richmond and across the state will receive March benefits on March 1, the state Department of Social Services has announced.
Judges continuing family tradition on local courts
Judge Randall G. Johnson Jr. is going to become a circuit court judge like his late father. And Brice E. Lambert also is headed to the bench where he will continue a family tradition of judicial service.
Duncan chosen to lead RRHA
The board of the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority on Wednesday tapped Damon E. Duncan as the new chief executive officer as the agency continues to struggle to keep the heat on in a small portion of its nearly 4,000 public housing units.
City’s financial forecast projects deficits — even without a new Coliseum
Prospects that Mayor Levar M. Stoney will advance his grand plan to replace the now closed Richmond Coliseum to City Council appear to be dimming. Since November, the plan has remained in limbo, and City Hall remains mum on the plan’s future.
Va. NAACP facing takeover by national?
Is the national NAACP about to take control of the Virginia State Conference of the civil rights group based on member complaints? So far, the national office has declined to comment on any action concerning the Virginia NAACP that was authorized at the Feb. 16 national board meeting in New York.
Superintendent Jason Kamras reviews his first year on job
When Jason Kamras placed his hand on his late grandfather’s Torah and was sworn in as Richmond’s new public schools superintendent on Feb. 1, 2018, he was not totally aware of the depth of challenges ahead of him.
Who should investigate allegations against Fairfax?
Lt. Gov. Justin E. Fairfax continues to preside over the state Senate despite the continuing ferment over decades-old sexual assault claims two women have publicly leveled against him.
Case closed on Richmond 34
Criminal records from the Feb. 22, 1960, arrests of 34 VUU students protesting racial segregation at a Downtown department store will be expunged Friday, 59 years later
The students from Virginia Union University walked enthusiastically with pride, determination, respect and self confidence. Block by block down Lombardy Street to Broad Street they walked — young men dressed in shirts and ties and young ladies wearing dresses and heels.
No holiday for justice as protesters hold March of Reckoning
Banks and schools may have been closed Monday, but around 50 political activists descended on Bank Street and went to work protesting against Gov. Ralph S. Northam and other elected officials.
Gore, Barber decry environmental racism in Va.
Former Vice President Al Gore urged residents of a historic African-American community in Buckingham County on Tuesday to continue their fight against a plan to build a natural gas pipeline compressor station in their community.
Panthers pounce all over Trojans
The rafters of Virginia Union University’s historic Barco-Stevens Hall are adorned with retired jerseys.
Black community divided over whether Northam should resign
To condemn or to forgive? The Rev. Al Sharpton took center stage on the condemnation front Feb. 7 as he took part in a Virginia Union University program titled “Reflections on Faith, Community and Racial Reconciliation in the Commonwealth.”
RRHA poised to name Duncan as new CEO
Damon E. Duncan, a public and affordable housing veteran with 26 years of experience, is to be named the next chief executive officer of the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority, the Free Press has learned.
Virginia expresses ‘profound regret’ for history of lynchings
Outlining a “dark and shameful chapter of American history,” state legislators unanimously passed resolutions to “acknowledge with profound regret the existence and acceptance of lynching” in Virginia, where more than 80 people — mostly African-American men — were killed by mobs in the decades after the Civil War.
