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Philanthropy steps up during the COVID-19 crisis
The rapid spread of COVID-19 has created a statewide and global health and economic crisis that is testing the fabric of people and communities and area charities as needs expand.
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Death sentence?
Virginia inmate files federal class action lawsuit to make Hepatitis C treatment available to prisoners
Terry A. Riggleman went to prison as a convicted robber. But 11 years into his 20-year sentence, he is working to change an alleged state practice of withholding life-saving medicine from Virginia prison inmates like him who are afflicted with the liver-destroying viral infection known as Hepatitis C.
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Personality: William F. ‘Bill’ McGee
Spotlight on president of Richmond Chapter, Southern Christian Leadership Conference
William F. “Bill” McGee’s life has been closely connected to the fight for civil rights.
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5 takeaways from The Associated Press series on health disparities impacting Black Americans
The Associated Press spent a year examining how racial health disparities have harmed generations of Black Americans.
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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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Shattered wings
City cuts bird-safe glass from new community centers
As plans for three new community centers in Richmond took shape, an internal City Hall review committee recommended that the windows and glazing on the buildings be designed in a way that would reduce the risk of birds being killed by smashing into them. However, without any explanation, Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s administration rejected the modest change that the Urban Design Committee (UDC) sought.
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Celebrating ‘the voice of Black America’, by Marc H. Morial
“Show me a person who is full of prejudice, and I will show you a sick, unhappy, fearful individual who is not going anywhere and who is not growing. People don’t shut other people out; they fence themselves in.” – Whitney M. Young Jr.
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America: Is it what we say we are?
Recently we learned of boys in Baraboo, Wis., throwing Nazi salutes and flashing white power signs. This is disturbing. Who taught them to do this? Did they learn it at home or school? Did they pick it up from the chaos in our nation?
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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Fifty years after the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, the world honors his legacy and leadership in civil rights activism to bring freedom, equality and justice to all people.
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Personality: Dr. Rodney P. Gaines
Most college professors start their spring semesters re-energized from the holiday break with memories of family gatherings and stories of whirlwind vacations. Dr. Rodney Perry Gaines is heading back to Hampton University with something quite unique under his belt: The titles of Mr. Universe won in December during the American Natural Bodybuilding Federation’s Natural Universe Championship in Key West, Fla.
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Two-night MLK symposium to feature community leaders panel
A two-night, virtual public symposium on the topic “Strength- ening the Black Community: Where Do We Go From Here?” will be held 6:30 to 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 25, and Tuesday, Jan. 26, it has been announced.
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Deadline to Register to vote in Nov. Election:
Monday Oct 17
Less than a month remains before Election Day. To vote on Tuesday, Nov. 8, for president, congressional representatives, Richmond mayor, City Council and School Board, you must be registered.
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Henrico schools hosts Family Learning series summit April 28
Henrico County Public Schools is hosting a Family Learning Series Summit, featuring workshops and activities on topics such as parenting, literacy, diversity, study skills, mental health and exceptional education. The summit is free and will be held 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 28, at Hermitage High School, 8301 Hungary Spring Road.
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City Democratic Committee to hold reorganizing caucus July 20
The Virginia Democratic Party apparently is seeking to limit participation as it begins the process of reorganizing the Richmond City Democratic Committee.
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Deadline to Register to Vote in June Primary Elections
Monday, May 20
The deadline to register to vote in Virginia’s June 11 primary elections is Monday, May 20.
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BLCK Street sessions inspire entrepreneurs
A common thread throughout the inaugural BLCK Street Conference earlier this week was encouragement and advice on everything from organizing finances to mentoring.
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No charges for officer who pepper-sprayed Army lieutenant
A former police officer in Virginia should not be criminally charged but should be investigated for potential civil rights violations after he pepper-sprayed, struck and handcuffed a Black U.S. Army lieutenant during a 2020 traffic stop, a special prosecutor has determined.
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Sheila K. Mandt, fundraising consultant and wife of former Councilman Chris A. Hilbert, succumbs at 55
Sheila Kavanagh Mandt, wife and political adviser to former 3rd District City Councilman Chris A. Hilbert and a fundraising guru for nonprofits, has died.
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Suggestions welcomed until Nov. 27 for replacement of Lee statue in U.S. Capitol
NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson; John Mercer Langston, a law professor and Virginia’s first African- American representative in Congress; and Ona Judge, a woman enslaved by George and Martha Washington who escaped to freedom in 1796 are among the latest nominations to replace the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in the U.S. Capitol.
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’Breathing Places’ exhibit opens May 5 at The Valentine
Did you know that Capitol Square, the popular green space that surrounds the State Capitol building, was developed by the City of Richmond in 1804 as its first park?