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How Jesus became white – and why it’s time to cancel that
The first time the Rev. Lettie Moses Carr saw Jesus depicted as Black, she was in her 20s. It felt “weird,” Rev. Carr said. Until that moment, she’d always thought Jesus was white.
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Love Stories
The Free Press proudly presents its annual Valentine’s Day feature sharing the Love Stories of four Richmond area couples.
Neither of us attended graduate school with the intentions of finding a soulmate, but that’s the thing about love — it doesn’t much care about your plans.
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Democrat, Republican and independent candidates looking to fill open Henrico sheriff position
Three candidates are vying to be- come Henrico County’s next sheriff, succeeding longtime GOP Sheriff Mike Wade, who is stepping down after serving in the position since January 2000.
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Superintendent Jason Kamras reviews his first year on job
When Jason Kamras placed his hand on his late grandfather’s Torah and was sworn in as Richmond’s new public schools superintendent on Feb. 1, 2018, he was not totally aware of the depth of challenges ahead of him.
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Friends, family say goodbye to Aretha Franklin in marathon funeral
The “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin was remembered and celebrated in a star-studded marathon funeral service last Friday that drew laughter, tears and, as with any large family gathering, controversy.
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Personality: Marc Cheatham
Spotlight on The Cheats Movement hip-hop enthusiast
Marc Wesley Cheatham, founder of The Cheats Movement blog and podcast, says Democrat Tim Kaine’s 2009 appointment as chairman of the Democratic National Committee was a catalyst for the evolution of a platform for local hip-hop.
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Personality: LaToya Gray Sparks
Spotlight on the winner of ESRI’s 2020 Educational Map Contest
LaToya Gray Sparks’ digital story map of how Richmond’s first master plan impacted Black residents contains a wealth of information.
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U.S. Colored Troops re-enactors to march into Richmond for 150th anniversary events
A four-day commemoration in Richmond organized by a coalition of organizations called The Future of Richmond’s Past will mark the 150th anniversary of the liberation of Richmond, ending its role as the epicenter of the slave trade. A major highlight will be the “Blue Coats Parade,” starting 9:30 a.m. Saturday, April 4. It is a commemorative procession along East Main and Bank streets from Rockett’s Landing to the State Capitol to follow the route of the United States Colored Troops who led the Union Army in liberating Confederate-held Richmond. Re-enactors will march west along East Main Street, follow 14th Street to Bank Street and enter Capitol Square along 9th Street between 10:30 and 11 a.m. Contemporary military units will join the procession.
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NY Yankees legend Derek Jeter ends stellar career on high note
Derek Jeter stepped to bat for the final time in his magnificent 20-year career Sunday.
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White House dismantling HBCUs
Not so long ago, Historically Black Colleges and Universities were just a thorn in the side of the Obama Administration. We soon will long for those days because signs of the administration shift from disregard to attempts at dismantling HBCUs are growing in frequency and impact.
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Havoc blown by U.Va.
Havoc has been dealt a black eye, and now another tough customer packing a punch is headed this way.
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Preston, Jones vie for 63rd House seat
Joseph E. Preston is a step closer to realizing his 21-year-old dream of representing the Petersburg area in the General Assembly.
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Solange Knowles marries former Richmonder
Sunday’s wedding of Solange Knowles, Beyoncé’s younger sister, and Richmond native Alan G. Ferguson will go down in “The Big Easy” as one for the ages.
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VSU ends season in chilly NCAA match
Virginia State University’s epic football season ended last Saturday with a 35-14 loss to Bloomsburg State University in northeast Pennsylvania, in arctic-like conditions with temperatures never hitting 30.
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Pastor Anthony Franklin Sr. sees his mission as giving back where a community has needs
For years, Pastor Anthony Franklin Sr. struggled to pay the rent and keep the lights on for the small non-denominational Richmond church he founded called Truth Ministries.
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If white supremacy is poison, ethnic studies is the antidote, by Julianne Malveaux
President Biden was uncharacteristically, but appropriately, angry and firm when he described white supremacy as “poison.” He spoke from Buffalo days after a putrid young white man, Payton S. Gendron, shot 13 people, killing ten. All but two of those he shot were Black, and all of those massacred were Black.
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Uncertain future
Richmond man says he’s being evicted after a lifetime of working and paying his bills
Phillip E. Brown Sr. is packing up his belongings as he faces being homeless.
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Signs of the times
University of Richmond campus buildings honoring slaveholders and segregationists are getting new names after years of pushing Board of Trustees to make changes
Six buildings on the University of Richmond’s campus are being cleansed of the names of slaveholders and champions of segregation, including a building named in honor of the university’s founding president, the Rev. Robert Ryland.
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Lawyer who successfully argued Loving case legalizing interracial marriage dies
Bernard S. Cohen, who won a landmark case that led to the U.S. Supreme Court’s rejection of laws forbidding interracial marriage and later went on to a successful political career as a state legislator, has died. He was 86.
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Juneteenth events offer exhibits, music, storytelling and more
From storytelling to festivals and fireworks, a bevy of Richmond-area activities are planned to mark Juneteenth, the national holiday celebrating the end of slavery.
