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Faith

Holy Rosary celebrates 50th year for Knights of Columbus 6457

Holy Rosary Catholic Church, the oldest African-American Catholic congregation in Richmond, will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Father Charles G. O’Leary Knights of Columbus Council 6457 on Saturday, April 29, beginning at 4 p.m. with a meet and greet, …

Swansboro Baptist partners with nonprofit to offer free meals

For Kevin Alston and dozens of other hungry South Side residents struggling with food costs, Swansboro Baptist Church is now the place to go for a free hot lunch.

How Black clergy are reframing approach on abortion with congregations

For the Rev. Irene Prince, discussions around reproductive choice start in Bible study.

Margaret Elizabeth Cooper Osei remembered for her selfless roles in civic, social and church organizations

For more than 30 years, Margaret Elizabeth Cooper Osei helped root out discrimination against employees in Virginia government offices as an Equal Employment Opportunity investigator for the state Department of Human Resources Management. But Ms. Osei was better known for …

From Senate subcommittee to Easter sermon: Raphael Warnock on life as a pastor-politician

Raphael Warnock, U.S. senator and Baptist pastor, was wrapping up his time on Capitol Hill before heading back to his native Georgia in time for what is perhaps the busiest week of the year for Christian clergy.

Richmond’s Randall Robinson reshaped American’s foreign policy, forced change in South Africa

Seared by the segregation he grew up with in Richmond, Randall Maurice Robinson championed change in American policies toward African and the Caribbean nations that he considered unjust and undergirded by racial bias.

Former record store owner remembered

William F. “Bill” Kennedy, founder and owner of BK Music, a record store in Richmond’s South Side, died Tuesday, March 14, 2023, after a bout with pneumonia. Mr. Kennedy, who was 70, had decades of experience in the music industry …

Helen Harris, a leading voice for Henrico County’s Black residents, remembered

Thanks to Helen Virginia Epps Harris, Henrico County annually celebrates the holiday in honor of civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and also has dramatically increased its hiring of Black employees. Her impact on public policy is just …

Rev. Clifford B. Chambliss Jr. dies at 81

The Rev. Clifford Boss Chambliss Jr. was just 25 when he was tapped to lead a new job training initiative that more senior Black min- isters were organizing to help people find work and escape poverty.

Virginia Hayes remembered for her creative teaching

As a kindergarten and first grade teacher at Blackwell Elementary School, Virginia Hayes was concerned that too many children arrived with little knowledge of numbers, counting and the concepts of adding and subtracting. Ms. Hayes set out to change that …

Malinda S. Jones, who worked to spread faith, dies at 88

For 24 years, Malinda Smith Jones organized weekly revivals in Richmond in church parking lots and other open spaces from June through August.

Bettye Jean Branch Bragg, former Head Start aide, dies at age 80

Bettye Jean Branch Bragg touched the lives of hundreds of Richmond children during her 34 years as a teacher’s aide in Head Start, a program to prepare 3 and 4-year-olds for kindergarten and higher grades.

A brief history of the Black church’s diversity, and its vital role in American political history, by Jason Evans

With religious affiliation on the decline, continuing racism and increasing income inequality, some scholars and activists are soul-searching about the Black church’s role in today’s United States.

Karl E. Bren, housing advocate, dies at 78

Tennessee transplant Karl Ellis Bren is being remembered for his influence and impact on affordable housing, environmental policy and homelessness during his 38 years in Richmond.

Leroy Mason, a voice for prison reform, dies at age 83

Leroy Mason is being remembered for helping to change the Virginia prison system where he spent most of his adult life and for helping other prisoners make a successful transition after their release.