Gentrification: The ‘Negro Removal’ program displacing black people, culture
Gentrification has emerged as a major threat to black communities that have been centers for black business and economic development, cultural and civic life for generations.
Councilwoman to seek state help on Agelasto residency issue
Parker C. Agelasto’s future as the 5th District representative on City Council apparently will depend on whether the General Assembly or another state entity gets involved.
National NAACP suspends Frank J. Thornton, Henrico Branch president
In an extraordinary action, national NAACP President Derrick Johnson has suspended for a year the membership of Frank J. Thornton, president of the Henrico Branch NAACP and son of Frank Thornton, chairman of the Henrico County Board of Supervisors.
$ for schools
Mayor Levar M. Stoney announces $800M plan to fully fund school construction over next 20 years
The mayor announced a plan on Dec. 20 to provide the $800 million that Richmond Public Schools wants to improve and modernize schools, a majority of which are 60 or more years old and seven of which are 100 years old.
Justice Ginsburg recovering from surgery to remove cancerous growths
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is recovering after surgery to remove two malignant growths in her left lung.
Criminal justice reform bill signed into law
The widespread unhappiness across the nation over President Trump’s partial federal government shutdown at Christmas may have all but overshadowed the guarded praise surrounding a bipartisan victory for Congress and the president.
Senate passes major criminal justice reform package
The U.S. Senate voted 87-12 Tuesday to usher in the most substantial change to the 1990s tough-on-crime sentencing laws that have ballooned the federal prison population and created a criminal justice system that is seen as costly and unfair.
‘Young, gifted and dead’
The gregarious 9-year-old Alabama girl was just that, a girl, a little girl, a brown-skinned baby girl with braids or, in one picture, a side ponytail. Her family described her as “bubbly,” but bubbles burst, sometimes in the worst way.
Rep. Karen Bass new CBC chair
In January, the most ethnically and culturally diverse Congress in United States history will be seated. Among the historic “firsts,” the Congressional Black Caucus will exceed 50 members for the first time in its 47-year history and Rep. Karen Bass of California has been elected its chair.
What the world needs now
May all of us remember that God sent his son to show us how to make the world a better place.
City Councilman Michael J. Jones responds
The Free Press included in an article regarding City Councilman Parker C. Agelasto an implication that I might own residential property outside the city of Richmond.
Navy Hill-Coliseum project: Subsidized gentrification?
I applaud Richmond City Council for approving the creation of a committee to review the Navy Hill-Coliseum proposal. The project has been hailed by the city administration as a game-changing economic empowerment project, one that is immune from the potential, yet familiar, negative consequences of costly development projects. But this is simply too good to be true.
28th Annual Capital City Kwanzaa Festival slated for Dec. 29
James Small, a former professor at the City University of New York who is an expert on African and African-American world history and politics, will be the keynote speaker at the 28th Annual Capital City Kwanzaa Festival on Saturday, Dec. 29.
Deshauna Barber, Miss USA 2016 and VSU alumna, keeps it real for VSU fall graduates
Miss USA 2016 Deshauna Barber, a Virginia State University alumna and captain in the U.S. Army Reserve, provided some valuable life lessons during VSU’s fall commencement, which was held last Saturday at the school’s Multi-Purpose Center.
Most cherished holiday memories
The memories we create during the holidays with family, friends and loved ones stick with us. The generous spirit of love and compassion gives us hope for our collective future.
Cedric ‘C.J’ Wiggins returns to area to help VSU Trojans
Home is where the heart is. With just one college basketball season left, Cedric “C.J.” Wiggins has moved closer to his roots, in part to accommodate parents, grandparents and friends.
Larry Doby on track for Congressional Gold Medal
Larry Doby, the first African-American to play baseball in the American League, is on track to receive the Congressional Gold Medal. The U.S. Senate has passed legislation to honor the former Cleveland Indians centerfielder.
Claflin Coach Ricky Jackson unafraid to outmaneuver his alma mater, VUU
Ricky Jackson said he is “proud to be a Unionite.” But that didn’t stop him from dealing his alma mater a recent basketball beating.
N.C. A&T wins Celebration Bowl
The crown for black college football will rest with North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, N.C., at least until December 2019. It’s becoming a tradition.
