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Housing is a vaccine for poverty, by Mayor Levar Stoney
When I was growing up in Hampton Roads, we lived paycheck to paycheck. My father regularly stated we were just one missed paycheck, one missed rent payment from potentially losing our home.
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Flexibility for whom?, by Julianne Malveaux
I had not planned to have a policy conversation when I boarded my connecting flight from Detroit to D.C.
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Pop, jazz and soul artist N’Kenge performs with Richmond Symphony
‘I want everyone to leave inspired, enlightened and wanting to party’
Singer N’Kenge has a lot of ground to cover when she performs with the Richmond Symphony later on May 13.
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‘Unforgettable’ Grammy winner Natalie Cole mourned at 65
Grammy Award-winning singer Natalie Cole, whose biggest hit came in a virtual duet with her late father, the legendary Nat King Cole, of his decades-old hit “Unforgettable,” has died. Ms. Cole, who was 65, died Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015, at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles from “ongoing health issues,” her family said.
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Non-discrimination protections are critical
“This place isn’t available anymore,” is one of the phrases I’m tired of hearing.
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Dr. King’s legacy exploited
It is incredibly sad to watch how the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose life and legacy inspired and changed the lives of millions, is being used to hawk trucks. The ad during the recent Super Bowl for Dodge Ram Trucks used words from one of his most inspiring speeches, “The Drum Major Instinct,” which he delivered on Feb. 4, 1968.
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Micah Thomas finding success at VUU
Micah Thomas arrived late — but fortunately not too late — to make an impact on Virginia Union University basketball.
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Personality: Myra Goodman Smith
Spotlight on board chair of the Annabella R. Jenkins Foundation
With the rise of the omicron variant of COVID-19, focus again is being directed toward the systemic issues surrounding health care and health care delivery systems. These types of issues have been a lifelong focus for Myra Goodman Smith.
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Personality: Kisha Beaner Howcott
Spotlight on founder and CEO of Clothed by Love Mentoring
The new school year brings all kinds of concerns for students, even without the threat of an ongoing pandemic. And while some concerns require specific solutions, the need for clothing is being met thanks to a mobile boutique, courtesy of Kisha Beaner How- cott and her group, Clothed by Love Mentoring.
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Personality: Darryl A. Stuckey Sr.
Spotlight on Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity’s Beta Gamma Lambda Education Foundation vice chair
When a young boy sought to escape the bullying he routinely endured in school, Darryl A. Stuckey Sr. stepped in to help the youth gain not only a sense of purpose, but a stronger sense of self.
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Personality: Chris R. Hairston-White
Spotlight on ART 180 Board of Trustees president
Growing up, Chris Hairston-White had limited exposure to art instruction or education. Thus, she honed her natural skills and creativity without much help or outside influences, resulting in what she describes as “a creative who often creates in isolation.”
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Personality: Anthony Bryant
Spotlight on Downtown Neighborhood Association president
As Richmond’s growth spurt continues to attract new businesses and residents, Anthony Bryant wants to guarantee that the community’s interests aren’t left behind.
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Personality: Brandy W. Stoney
Spotlight on Robinson Theater Community Arts Center board president
The Robinson Theater Community Arts Center is a Church Hill institution that opened in 1937 as the first theater for African-Americans in the area. After closing in the 1980s, it reopened as an event space for children and adults in 2009. For Brandy W. Stoney, the current president of the Robinson Center board, the building is “now like home to me,” and an East End legacy that she enjoys helping to guide and sustain.
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Personality: AnnMarie Gilbert
Spotlight on the Big House Gaines Coach of the Year
Virginia Union University women’s basketball Coach AnnMarie Gilbert continues to add hardware to her already crowded trophy case following a record-breaking season on Lombardy Street. The first-year Lady Panthers head coach, who guided the team to a historic 28-win season and a berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament’s Elite Eight, just received the latest acknowledgment for her coaching excellence. On Monday, Coach Gilbert was named the 2015-16 Big House Gaines College Basketball Coach of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. “We are pleased to recognize Coach Gilbert for the outstanding job she did this season,” stated NSMA Executive Director Dave Goren in a news release. “Her team had a historic season and (she) truly deserves this award.”
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Personality: Maureen S. Patterson
Spotlight on the new president of the Midlothian Rotary Club
When Maureen S. Patterson is installed next Wednesday as president of the Midlothian Rotary Club, she will be become the club’s first African-American woman president. She will preside over a club that has only one other African-American member.
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Personality: Brenda A. Campbell
Spotlight on founder of The Enhancement Foundation
For Brenda A. Campbell, founding executive director of The Enhancement Foundation, “Christmas: A Season of Celebration, A Lupus Fundraising Event” is an opportunity for her nonprofit organization to reach out to women across the city and inform them about an illness that affects women by a large margin.
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Personality: Dr. Lester D. Frye
Spotlight on president of the Baptist Ministers’ Conference of Richmond and Vicinity
In a time of adjustment and reinvention for communities as a whole, Lester Frye is working to guide both toward a better future.
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Personality: Dr. Sesha Joi Moon
Spotlight on co-creator of The JXN Project
The 150th anniversary of Jackson Ward’s creation is close, and Dr. Sesha Joi Moon is intent on seeing that the full history of the district in Downtown is recognized and celebrated.
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Personality: Martha Jones-Carter
Spotlight on co-founder of Kuumba Afrikan American Quilters Guild of Richmond
If art tells a story, then Martha Jones-Carter has helped weave a multitude of personal and community-built narratives over the course of her life.
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Foremost wishes for the new year
With the start of 2023, the Richmond Free Press invited select local officials to share their foremost wishes for the new year. Here are their responses:
With the start of 2023, the Richmond Free Press invited select local officials to share their foremost wishes for the new year.
