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To be equal: ‘Tennessee Three’ fiasco, by Marc H. Morial
“We won’t be bent, we won’t be bowed, and we won’t be ordered to ignore the hearts and minds of the people who elected us, demanding commonsense gun safety in a state that has nearly none. The GOP of the Tennessee House of Representatives attempted to obstruct me and my colleagues from these goals and to shred our democracy. Instead, Republicans have only fanned the flames of hope that illuminate our movement, helping it to grow more powerful and glow more brightly.” – Tennessee State Rep. Justin J. Pearson
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‘Best gift ever’
Henrico mother receives the gift of life – a liver transplant – from 21-year-old son
Thanks to receiving from her oldest son what she calls “the best gift ever,” Tashawn D. Jones, 41, is enjoying an especially bright holiday season.
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Why Virginia Republicans will lose in November
One needs to look no further than last year’s presidential election results in Virginia to understand why Republican Glenn Youngkin will lose the gubernatorial race this No- vember.
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City council members Jones, Lambert eye House seats
Two members of City Council will be seeking Richmond seats in the House of Delegates in the upcoming 2023 election cycle in which the 100 seats in the lower chamber as well as the 40 seats in the state Senate will be in play.
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How I found my voice as a Black student, by Etana Williams
I was excitedly talking with my friends about our high school plans when one of my eighth-grade teachers stopped me in the hallway and asked which school I got into.
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Wythe junior Maliek White is spark plug for Bulldogs
Maliek White’s goals are twofold — returning Richmond’s George Wythe High School to past glory and adding his own name to the school’s glowing list of career standouts.
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Actress Viola Davis makes Emmy history
After 67 years, an African-American woman has won the honor for best lead actress in a drama series at the Emmy Awards. Viola Davis notched the historic win Sunday night before a mostly white audience at the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards. She won for her role as a tough criminal defense lawyer in ABC’s drama series “How to Get Away with Murder.”
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Adversity and accountability
The pressure of adversity is the most powerful sustainer of accountability, so it has been said. And the Richmond School Board certainly is feeling the pressure.
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City school administration draws fire for reopening of Summer Hill Elementary
The failure of Richmond Schools Superintendent Dana T. Bedden and his administration to provide advance notice to the Richmond School Board and parents about plans to re-open Summer Hill Elementary School drew strong criticism during Monday’s board meeting.
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Recommitting to a 'fair and equitable' society by Congressman A. Donald McEachin
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all are created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
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Actress and film festival co-founder Ja’Net DuBois succumbs at 74
Ja’Net DuBois, who played the vivacious neighbor Willona Woods on the 1970s sitcom “Good Times,” composed and sang the theme song for television’s “The Jeffersons” and was one of the founders of the largest black film festival in the United States, has died.
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VSU’s Blair has eye on Olympic trials
It will take a Herculean effort for anyone to upset the apple cart in the long-established, track and field events in the CIAA.
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Young writer has winning way with words
After reading Margot Lee Shetterly’s book, “Hidden Figures,” about African-American women mathematicians at NASA who did many of the calculations to put astronauts in space, 11-year-old Isla Rodriguez of Richmond now wants to be an astronaut.
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National Geographic acknowledges racism in coverage
National Geographic acknowledged last week that it covered the world through a racist lens for generations, with its magazine portrayals of bare-breasted women and naive brown-skinned tribesmen as savage, unsophisticated and unintelligent.
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No game
Where is LeBron James when we need him? This week, while Mr. James was in Ohio announcing the opening of his new, multimillion-dollar I PROMISE School in conjunction with the Akron Public Schools, Richmond Public Schools officials were busy dissecting the cheating scandal at Carver Elementary School and trying to prevent the sad turn of affairs from becoming a national public relations nightmare.
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Richmond barber helping rebuild lives, homes in Haiti
Kenneth Barney makes his living cutting hair. But in his spare time, the longtime Richmond barber is on a mission to build solid, safe houses in a community in Haiti where thousands make their homes in tiny ramshackle spaces.
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Richmond Christian Center to be sold
Will it remain a church, but under a different name? Or will it be sold for development? These questions will soon be answered about the property in the 200 block of Cowardin Avenue in South Side where the Richmond Christian Center has made its home for 32 years.
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Parney puts the ‘pro’ in promoter for EL All-Star Game
With the theme “The Next Big Thing,” the Eastern League All-Star Game lived up to the hype — and then some. Everything seemed big, bigger, biggest. Even the event’s star promoter, Todd “Parney” Parnell, “grew” for the special occasion.
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MLB’s men of color are a big hit in big league
As big league baseball reaches midseason, here are a few story lines regarding the national pastime’s men of color. Minority matters: You can’t help but notice Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
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Boston, Black men in basketball go hand in hand
If anyone can do the impossible — make the Boston Celtics fans forget about the likes of legends such as Larry Bird — Jayson Tatum might be the guy, at least among younger rooters.