Countering MAGA movement with nonviolent extremism, by David W. Marshall
Between 1941 and 1945 some 6 million Jews were systematically murdered across German-occupied Europe during World War II. As part of a state-sponsored genocide, two-thirds of Europe’s Jewish population was executed. As a result, those of Jewish faith made it a point to never allow future generations to forget or become desensitized to what happened to the European Jews at the hands of the Nazi regime.
If you’re truly pro-life, you should be anti-gun, by Tony Campolo
June is National Gun Violence Awareness Month, a good time to consider America’s relationship with guns.
In 2022, 48,204 Americans were killed by guns, which are now the leading cause of death among children and teens. Our gun deaths have come to define us in the eyes of the world. You might even say that guns are as American as apple pie.
Former VUU star Dillon nominated for College Football Hall of Fame
Former Virginia Union University defensive stalwart William “Dil” Dillon is among the nominees for the College Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2025.
VUU ranked 14th in Lindy’s preseason Division II poll
Virginia Union University has earned a national football reputation. Looking ahead, it plans to polish that status this coming season.
Celebration Bowl moved up a week to avoid TV conflicts
Anyone planning to travel to Atlanta for the Celebration Bowl will need to arrive a week earlier than expected.
CIAA shakes up football’s closing act, moves title game to Durham
Some changes are coming to CIAA football.
Celebration of Freedom continues
Throughout June, a variety of public events will commemorate the fourth national Juneteenth holiday. These events aim to recognize and celebrate this important occasion in different ways.
Conservative Coalition selects Will Archer as chairman
The Virginia Faith & Freedom Coalition recently announced that Will Archer, a pastor with over 30 years of experience, has been elected as their new chairman. VAFFC is the Commonwealth of Virginia’s affiliate with the Faith & Freedom Coalition, a national conservative political advocacy non-profit.
Free community testing for COVID-19 continues
For the week ending Saturday, June 8, confirmed hospital admissions for COVID-19 in Virginia rose 14.6% from the previous week. No deaths associated with COVID-19 were reported statewide during that timeframe. COVID-19 wastewater levels in Central Virginia remain below detection.
NAACP sues Shenandoah over Confederate names
The Virginia NAACP on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the Shenandoah County School Board for what it called “reaffirming discrimination,” after the school system voted to rebrand schools with Confederate names in May.
Rewinding a Reckoning
When police officers murdered Minneapolis resident George Floyd in 2020, and America went through what some people called a “racial reckoning,” a portion of the population seemed ready to have that “talk” about power and privilege that they had been avoiding. As fleeting at this moment was, it did create a cultural shift in business as usual that would’ve been unlikely years before.
City Council votes 8-1 to increase their salaries
City Council members awarded themselves substantial pay raises Monday night in a near-unanimous vote, the first salary increase for the elected officials in more than two decades.
Gay pastor wants to help Black churches become as welcoming as his own
It was daunting when the Rev. Brandon Thomas Crowley, at age 22, replaced a beloved pastor who had ministered to one of suburban Boston’s most famed Black churches for 24 years. It was more daunting — at times agonizing — to reach the decision six years later, in 2015, that God wanted him to tell his congregation that he was gay.
Reparations program accused of being discriminatory, by Clarence Page
News that a conservative non-profit legal group is challenging Evanston, Ill.’s groundbreaking reparations program got me thinking about the many attempts to redress the wrongs of systemic racism through monetary compensation.
Juneteenth events highlight freedom, heritage
In recognition of the fourth official Juneteenth celebration Wednesday, June 19, the following events are being held throughout the month to recognize and celebrate the holiday in a variety of ways.
CO2 pipelines a bad deal — follow the money, by Ben Jealous
“Isn’t it sad that money controls everything?”
Oklahoma Supreme Court dismisses lawsuit of last Tulsa Race Massacre survivors seeking reparations
The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit by survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, dampening the hope of advocates for racial justice that the city would make financial amends for one of the worst single acts of violence against Black people in U.S. history that left as many as 300 people dead and a once-thriving district in smoldering ruins. The nine-member court upheld the decision made by a district court judge in Tulsa last year, ruling that the plaintiff’s grievances about the destruction of the Greenwood district, although legitimate, did not fall within the scope of the state’s public nuisance statute.
Hermitage grad Journette named HBCU National Player of Year
Justin Journette’s baseball reputation has gone national.
New supportive housing complex opens in East End
A new supportive housing community celebrated its grand opening this week in Richmond’s East End. The Cool Lane Commons complex features 86 affordable apartments along with on-site services and amenities for residents. Developed by the non-profit Virginia Supportive Housing, the $24 million project provides permanent housing for individuals and families who have experienced homelessness or housing instability. Units are reserved for those with incomes at or below 50% of the area median income.
Rev. James Lawson Jr., original Freedom Rider and apostle of nonviolence, dies at 95
Rev. James M. Lawson Jr., a foundational figure in the Civil Rights Movement and an original Freedom Rider, passed away at 95, his family announced on Monday. Lawson, who dedicated his life to advocating nonviolent protest, died Sunday, June 9, 2024, in Los Angeles following a short illness.
