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Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute offers sense of empowerment to program participants
Richmonder Karla Almendarez-Ramos says her professional and personal life have been enhanced by the empowerment of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute.
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Pelosi’s legacy is ‘iron fist in a velvet glove’, by Marc H. Morial
“History will note she is the most consequential Speaker of the House of Representatives in our history. There are countless examples of how she embod- ies the obligation of elected officials to uphold their oath to God and country to ensure our democracy delivers and remains a beacon to the world. In everything she does, she reflects a dignity in her actions and a dignity she sees in the lives of the people of this nation.”—President Biden
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Maryland artist will create Capitol statue of Barbara Johns
Steven Weitzman, a leading figure American public art, has already sculpted abolitionist Frederick Douglass and former Washington Mayor Marion S. Barry Jr. Now the 71-year-old Maryland-based artist has been chosen to immortalize Black teenage activist Barbara Rose Jones in a bronze statue in the U.S. Capitol.
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Wind farm planned off Va. coast blows away federal agency, gains OK
A power company’s plans for an enormous offshore wind farm off Virginia’s coast gained key federal approval Tuesday after the Biden administration evaluated the project’s potential impact on the environment.
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The G.I. Bill’s effect on Black veterans, by David W. Marshall
Each year our nation recognizes Veterans Day, celebrated last Saturday on Nov. 11, by honoring America’s service men and women for their courage, honor, patriotism and sacrifice each year.
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Concerns about RPS mold, safety issues continue to spread
Complaints about mold in several Richmond Public Schools have persisted since the beginning of the current school year.
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SVB bank failure isn’t about being ‘woke’, by Julianne Malveaux
The Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), the 16th largest bank in the United States, failed because its leaders used poor judgment in making ill-advised investments.
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A Black woman’s unequal cost of protesting, by Julianne Malveaux
The 45th president is in the news again, facing indictments in New York and Georgia for criminal behavior regarding illegally paying a porn star (New York) and election tampering (Georgia).
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Fani Willis should have known better, by Clarence Page
It doesn’t take a law degree to know that the appearance of impropriety can be just as damaging as the real thing. Sometimes worse.
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State of Black America 2024, by Marc H. Morial
“We’re building an America where we recognize the inherent dignity of every single person, and where every American has the chance to live a life of purpose and meaning. This is my vision for the future.” — President Biden, 2024 State of Black America
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Baseball on the Boulevard? Mayor says ‘No’
Should baseball remain on the Boulevard? For Mayor Dwight C. Jones, the answer is a ringing “No,” not if Richmond wants a bigger return from the prime property that The Diamond baseball stadium occupies. It needs to go, he believes.
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Stand up to corporate polluters
As Earth Day is upon us, we have a perfect opportunity to reflect on the important issue of climate change and what it means to the faith community. As people of faith and as people sharing this planet, it is clearly our moral obligation to address this growing and potentially catastrophic problem. Climate change affects all of us, including our children, our children’s children, and especially those in the poorest and most vulnerable communities among us. If we are truly our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, we cannot ignore and leave them helpless to this public health threat.
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City Council greenlights Maggie Walker statue at triangle
Forget Monument Avenue and Abner Clay Park. The future statue of Richmond’s great lady, Maggie L. Walker, will stand at the intersection of Brook Road and Broad and Adams streets, the gateway to historic Jackson Ward where Mrs. Walker lived and won acclaim for her entrepreneurial spirit. Richmond City Council voted 6-1, with two abstentions, Monday night to reconfirm that decision for the third time in 15 years, clearing the way for the project.
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Schools to stay open during bike races
Richmond Public Schools is not going to shut down during the international bike races that will engulf much of the city next month. Assistant Superintendent Tommy Kranz told the School Board on Monday night that he is anticipating “business as usual” during the upcoming 2015 UCI Road World Championships, scheduled to run from Saturday, Sept. 19, through Sunday, Sept. 27.
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VSU hit in state auditor’s draft report
Virginia State University is facing unexpected financial challenges as a result of sloppy management during the tenure of former President Keith T. Miller, according to a draft of a state audit of the school’s spending during the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2014.
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‘Racial delusions’ fuel Obamacare opponents
Surely, President Obama’s greatest legacy is the Affordable Care Act. More than 20 million people have received health care coverage under the act, largely from the extension of Medicaid to cover lower-wage workers and their families. Insurance companies have not only been required to deal fairly with those afflicted with ailments, they also have been forced by law to limit what they rake off in administration and profits. This is a big deal.
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Operation Streets founder calls recreation programs the key to ending youth violence
On the campaign trail, Richmond Mayor Levar M. Stoney promised to beef up after-school programs and recreational opportunities for youths.
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Raymond D. Patterson, former state official and manager of community affairs for Sports Backers, dies at 69
Raymond D. Patterson received a second chance and made the most of it. After pleading guilty to felony misuse of public funds as a state official in the early 1990s, Mr. Patterson rebounded to become a key figure in staging big sporting events in the city, including the fall Anthem Richmond Marathon and the spring Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10K.
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Trump: The GOP’s Frankenstein
President Obama has seen this horror movie before. His political opponents not only distorted his positions when he first ran for president, but deliberately lied about his place of birth, asserting that because he — according to their fiction — was not a U.S. citizen, he was not qualified to be president.
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Voting rights
When voters across the nation head to the polls in November to cast ballots, it will be the first presidential election in 50 years without the full protection of the federal Voting Rights Act. In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 to strike down critical provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that required 16 mostly Southern states — including Virginia — to get pre-clearance from the U.S. Justice Department before making any changes affecting voting because of their history of discrimination against African-Americans and other minorities.
