Strange fruit?
Critic: Oak evokes lynching image at Walker statue site
The fight over the tree in the planned Maggie L. Walker plaza isn’t over. Gary L. Flowers, a Richmond native and national political and civil rights operative living in Jackson Ward, has jumped into the fray with a petition drive opposing the live oak that now dominates the gateway into Jackson Ward where the monument to the great lady is to stand.
City election officials called on the carpet
The Virginia Department of Elections has a software upgrade that could have prevented voters in precincts split into two or more election districts from receiving the wrong ballots, the Free Press has learned. The finding comes at the same time the state Board of Elections, which oversees the department, has asked City of Richmond election officials to appear Jan. 8 before the state board to explain a series of problems that cropped up during the Nov. 3 election.
‘A Mad Hatter’s Party’
Colorful, creatively decorated hats fill the banquet room at a Downtown hotel for The Mad Hatter’s Party. The event, held Dec. 6, was organized by the Richmond Chapter of The Links, which invited other Richmond area Links chapters to join in the Fifth Annual Friendship Tea.
Women should not serve in combat roles
In another epic fail of the Obama administration, it was announced that women now will be given combat duty, as well as included in the draft, should one be reinstituted.
Why let anyone come to your country?
There’s a right way to enter the kingdom door. The thorns fall among the plants, choking them.
Black children overwhelmingly hurt by not modernizing schools
Ten years ago, I developed a plan for then Mayor L. Douglas Wilder to modernize Richmond’s public schools. At the time, City Council President Bill Pantele got it enacted into law.
The biggest threats are the lawmakers
Too many lawmakers do not want to listen to concerns of their constituents. Rather, they want to tell us what our concerns should be. Listening to us might cause them to have to hear about problems they have caused by bad laws they have passed.
Eloquence and arrogance
On the same day that President Obama gave a stirring and historically grounded commemoration regarding the 150th anniversary of the passage of the 13th Amendment that “abolished” slavery, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia chose to disregard tenets of equality and opportunity from the bench during the Fisher v. University of Texas hearing when he suggested that African-American students would benefit more if they went to “lesser track” schools. His verbatim comments:
The politics of courage
If Donald Trump can thrive politically by throwing meat to the American id, what else is possible? How about the opposite? Mr. Trump’s most recent attempt to reclaim poll supremacy — his call for “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our representatives can figure out what’s going on” — is not simply reckless and dangerous, but also starkly clarifying. America’s bully billionaire is channeling old-time American racism, as mean and ugly and self-righteous as it has ever been. Jim Crow is still with us. “The only good Indian is a dead Indian” is still with us. Americans — at least a certain percentage of them — like their racism straight up, untampered with code language, unmodified by counter-values. Come on! An enemy’s an enemy. A scapegoat’s a scapegoat. Don’t we have the freedom in this country to dehumanize and persecute whomever we want?
New leaf in the new year
In two weeks, we will celebrate a new year. In four weeks, the Virginia General Assembly will start its 2016 legislative session. Their actions will determine whether the state springs forward with progress and uplift for all, or will be mired in a bog of callous self-interests and regressive politics.
Capital City Kwanzaa Festival at Altria Theater Dec. 26
The main stage will reverberate with the sounds of African music, dance and spoken word. The African Market will offer African-inspired cuisine, thought-provoking books, finely handcrafted and imported items, colorful clothing, jewelry and more.
Spike Lee’s ‘Chi-Raq’ grosses $2.1M in 10 days
Director Spike Lee hopes his latest film “Chi-Raq,” an adaptation of ancient Greek play “Lysistrata” looking at Chicago’s gun violence, will help make a difference in tackling the problem. Based on Aristophanes’ play in which the titular character rouses women to stop the Peloponnesian War by going on a sex strike, the movie sees Lysistrata try to persuade rival gangs to lay down their guns by using the same technique.
2016 NAACP Image Awards nominees announced
“Empire” leads the television nominees for the 2016 NAACP Image Awards. The scintillating drama is up for 12 trophies at the ceremony honoring diversity in the arts, including acting nominations for Terrence Howard, Taraji P. Henson, Bryshere Y. Gray, Jussie Smollett and Grace Gealey.
Serena Williams named Sportsperson of the Year
Serena Williams, who held all four of tennis’ grand slam titles for the second time in her career and won 53 of 56 matches in 2015, was named Sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated magazine Monday.
Springers bring home the crown
Instead of Highland Springs High School, perhaps it should be Highlight Springs. Forget the slow but sure approach. Coach Loren Johnson’s Springers were fast and sure in sprinting to the State Division 5 football title last Saturday at the University of Virginia’s Scott Stadium in Charlottesville.
VUU’s Shawheem Dowdy wins coveted Lanier Award
Willie Lanier starred for Morgan State University. But until now, no athlete from a historically black college or university had won the Touchdown Club of Richmond’s Lanier Award. The drought ended Dec. 9 when Virginia Union University quarterback Shawheem Dowdy won the Lanier Award. The trophy was presented to Dowdy by Lanier, a Richmond native, at a Henrico County hotel. The Lanier Award, dating to 2004, goes to Virginia’s top performer in the NCAA Division II or III or the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
Miguel Ojeda new manager of Flying Squirrels
For the second straight season, the parent San Francisco Giants have turned to a Latino to manage the Class AA Richmond Flying Squirrels.
John Marshall’s ‘Baby-faced Bomber’ morphs into ‘J-Rock’
It seems fitting Jeremy Carter-Sheppard goes by two surnames. That’s because he’s about twice as hard to guard as most teenagers. John Marshall High School’s hyphenated hero can wow you in so many ways. John Marshall Coach Ty White was asked if his senior star was most effective popping from outside, driving to the basket or dishing to teammates. Coach White’s quick reply: “All of the above.”
Golden State’s winning streak halted by Milwaukee
No one is contesting the Golden State Warriors’ status as the NBA’s best team last year and thus far this season. But are the Warriors the best of all time? Led by Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, the Oakland franchise is on pace to achieve the top winning record since the NBA was founded in 1946.
Faith leaders, elected officials call for calm, respect for Muslims
Imam Ammar Amonette said he and the 2,000 members of his congregation at the Islamic Center of Virginia in Bon Air have seen the ugly face of hate in the wake of the recent terror attacks by Muslim extremists in San Bernadino, Calif., and Paris.
