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The Black Press celebrates 195 years of pleading the cause of African descendants everywhere, by Stacy M. Brown
On March 16, 1827, the Rev. Samuel E. Cornish and John B. Russwurm founded Freedom’s Journal, the first Black-owned newspaper in the United States.
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How adults can avoid the summer slide
Most people are familiar with the summer slide, a term researchers use to describe what happens when grade-school students lose significant knowledge in reading and math over the summer break.
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Appreciation: Bill Russell lived a life like very few others
Bill Russell hated autographs. Saw no point to them. If he was out din- ing and got approached by someone asking for his signature, Mr. Russell’s usual response was to instead ask the person to join him at the table to have
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Who’s manning Richmond City Jail?
For several weeks the Richmond Free Press has reported ongoing violence at Richmond’s City Jail.
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Like Black families, HBCUs are financially short-changed
As college students settle into campus life, many Black Americans remember the multigenerational sacrifices that have established higher education as a bridge to a better life.
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Hip-hop comes to the Hippodrome
Celebrating art form’s 50 years as a ‘culture-defining superpower’
Local rapper Ant the Symbol remembers when he first connected to the sound of hip-hop. He was 2 years old when he heard “Bonita Applebaum,” a song by New York-based rap group A Tribe Called Quest.
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Curbing gun violence demands focus on stronger laws, helping those who’ve been hurt, by Thomas P. Kapsidelis
When Republicans in the Tennessee House were challenged on gun control after three 9-year-old children and three adults were slain at a Christian elementary school in Nashville, Tenn., they responded by expelling two Black representatives who led a protest on the chamber’s floor. A white legislator survived the outrageous ouster.
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Moving on up
Creighton Court developer’s $300M plan may cost $410,400 per unit
The most expensive housing development in Richmond is headed to a neighborhood in the East End that has ranked high in poverty.
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Primary victories put several Black candidates in position to win
Black influence in Virginia politics appears to be growing.
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Linwood D. Ross, scoutmaster and deacon, dies at 91
Linwood Dixon Ross taught hundreds of Richmond boys to be prepared while building their confidence and helping to shaping their character.
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The DNA of a Black woman, by Chuck Richardson
There is something magical about a fearless, intelligent, incorruptible Black woman — a woman willing to sacrifice and face any obstacle she must for a greater cause than herself. Black women have been, and continue to be, the crucible of fortitude. Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells, Mary McLeod Bethune, Fannie Lou Hamer and thousands of others have been the bedrock of African-American progress.
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Councilwoman Trammell takes steps toward 2nd referendum on city casino
Richmond’s plans to allow a private company to create a gambling mecca in South Side collapsed in November when voters opposed to a casino narrowly defeated it by just under 1,500 votes. Now one of the biggest supporters of the project, 8th District City Councilwoman Reva M. Trammell, wants a do-over.
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A vote may soon come on George Wythe High School contract design
The Richmond School Board is poised to award a design contract for a new 1,600-student building to replace aging George Wythe High School in South Side, the Free Press has learned.
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Can Coach Deion Sanders help restore the HBCU-to-NFL pipeline?
An impressive total of 33 HBCU alumni have been inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. But will there ever be another? Or even another first round draft choice? Or All-Pro?
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Jason Mott, Tiya Miles win National Book Awards
Jason Mott’s “Hell of a Book,” a surreal meta-narrative about an author’s promotional tour and his haunted past and present, has won the National Book Award for fiction—a plot twist Mr. Mott did not imagine for himself.
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Bailey’s VSU performance sparkles with speed
Scoring touchdowns is “no problem, mon” for Upton Bailey.
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Too close to call
Casino outcome hinges on voter turnout
Will Richmond voters approve a resort and casino project? That’s the biggest question on the city ballot —– a repeat of 2021 when the proposal narrowly lost.
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Armed guards in the Richmond Public Library?
Frightening incidents spark the possibility
Are armed security guards needed in Richmond’s public libraries? Two recent unsettling incidents at the North Avenue Branch have convinced Richmond City Councilman Chris A. Hilbert that having an unarmed security guard is not enough at that branch to ensure that people “have a sense of safety and are safe.” On Oct. 28, a man with a rifle slung over his shoulder and a long knife strapped to his leg walked into the library as little children were engaged in a storytelling program, setting off alarms among the staff.
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Longtime John Marshall coach Frank Threatts Jr., 78, dies
Though he stood just 5-foot-5, Frank Threatts Jr. cast a powerful shadow over area high school basketball for the better part of a half century.
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VSU reigns over VUU
In the longtime backyard basketball rivalry between Virginia Union and Virginia State universities, two thoughts emerge: Virginia Union owns the past.
