Month of madness
For years, I was immune to the siren sound of rubber soles on plywood, bouncing balls and the screams of underclassmen that permeate this time of year, dubbed “March Madness.” I gracefully bowed out of sports discussions that turned to …
If it walks like a tax, it’s a tax, by Marc H. Morial
“You can’t really run a campaign where you’re like: I want to cut taxes for rich people and raise them on the poor. So instead, it’s all of this smoke-and-mirrors distraction about how foreigners are tak- ing advantage of us …
Donald Trump’s labeling dilemma, by Clarence Page
Amid the blizzard of breaking news, a familiar irritation poked through: ethnic labeling.
Empowering school boards for a stronger educational future, by Ethan Ashley
As our education system becomes increasingly destabilized, it is more important than ever that our local elected leaders have the knowledge, skills, resources and capacity to fill in the gap should federal structures, guidelines and oversight disappear.
New amphitheater must answer to climate and culture
A few weeks ago, a Richmond Free Press letter writer questioned the need for a new amphitheater in the city. In case you weren’t aware, the Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront is a 7,500-capacity outdoor Downtown concert venue set to open …
How Bloody Sunday shocked America into action, by Marc H. Morial
“At times history and fate meet at a single time in a single place to shape a turning point that is man’s unending search for freedom. So it was at Lexington and Concord. So it was a century ago at …
When grandstanding falls flat, by Clarence Page
My advice to congressional Democrats: If you’re going to embrace performative politics, be sure you give a good performance.
Pentagon purge targets Tuskegee Airmen photos in DEI crackdown, by Ben Jealous
My grandfather’s first cousin was Lt. Col. Howard Lee Baugh. Cousin Howard was part of the 99th Pursuit Squadron, the first unit of the Tuskegee Airmen. This month marks the 84th anniversary of the activation of the squadron at Chanute …
Citizens group calls for halt to Fall Line Trail
The Fall Line Trail will be a major construction project and a permanent addition to the city. It should be built only after thorough study and consideration of the cost, safety, environmental, traffic and neighborhood impacts.
Clemency for a cop
We believe the dying words of Timothy McCree Johnson. We don’t think he was reaching for anything when he was shot by a “fearful” Fairfax County police officer as he ran away from him on a March evening in 2023. …
Roberta Flack’s music and message, by Marc H. Morial
“I’m deeply saddened that many of the songs I recorded 50 years ago about civil rights, equal rights, poverty, hunger, and suffering in our society are still relevant in 2020. I hope that people will hear these songs in a …
Don’t ‘reverse’ our national progress, by Clarence Page
Marlean Ames of Akron, Ohio, is not gay or a member of a racial minority. But, please, she points out, don’t hold that against her, as she alleges her employers have, as she takes her “reverse discrimination” case all the …
Virginia’s public workers deserve a voice — it’s time to act, by Felicia Boney
Last year, my City of Richmond co-workers and I came together to make history and negotiate one of the first-ever union contracts for front line City workers. Now, we need to expand the freedom to collectively bargain to all public …
Time to recognize Pauli Murray’s legacy in Richmond
Thank you for your recent Personality feature on Russell W. Scott, current president of the Howard University Alumni Club of Richmond. It’s vital to highlight the achievements, both local and universal, of HBCU alumni, not only during Black History Month, …
Judge recalled as ‘legend’
Former judge Willard H. Douglas Jr. was a legend among men. He was the type of person who could hold a conversation with a layman, governor or any other dignitary. I knew him very well from working next door to …
