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Michelle Obama still a role model
As First Lady, Mrs. Obama earned a singular place in American history as the first black woman to hold the title. But it was her dignity and grace, her compassion and her commitment to uplifting the American people that truly defined her era in the East Wing of the White House.
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Sisterhood still connects poet Nikki Giovanni
Poet, scholar and activist Nikki Giovanni feels the loss everyday of her best friend Toni Morrison.
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Muslims in U.S. working toward greener Ramadan with less waste
Religion News Service Neekta Hamidi usually gets a few strange looks when she sits down for an iftar, the evening meal that breaks the Ramadan fast, at her mosque in Boston.
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First Baptist Chesterfield project lacks black participation
First Baptist Church of South Richmond has poured nearly $6 million into buying land and developing its long-planned satellite sanctuary in Chesterfield County.
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RRHA ‘missed a golden opportunity’ to help people become homeowners
Re “Prospect of home ownership escapes 70-year-old Randolph resident,” Free Press June 29-July 1 edition: I was appalled reading the Free Press front page story about Charlene Harris, the 70-year-old Randolph resident. Is the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s management becoming aloof and unfeeling towards the residents they serve? To think that the RRHA would move a 70-year-old lady from a house she has lived in and called home for 49 years and relocate her into a less desirable house and neighborhood is inconceivable.
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RRHA, Club 533 seek rezoning for new development
The old saying, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,” appears to be at work in Jackson Ward. Six years after the collapse of a plan to build an eight-story hotel on North 3rd Street next to the interstate, a new effort is being mounted to make it happen.
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Guilty
Former Minneapolis police officer faces decades in prison after a jury convicts him of three counts in the heinous kill of George Floyd; tears of joy and relief flood the nation
MINNEAPOLIS Black Americans and others from Missouri to Florida to Minnesota cheered, marched, hugged, waved signs and sang jubilantly in the streets Tuesday after a Minneapolis jury found former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murder in the death of George Floyd.
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Vanderbilt launches James Lawson Institute or the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements
Vanderbilt University announced the launch of the James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements, honoring the 92-year-old influential activist who taught nonviolence to protesters during the civil rights struggles last century.
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GRTC officials seek to limit ridership to essential trips
Teens and younger children might have a harder time taking advantage of free rides on GRTC. On Tuesday, the bus company announced that unaccompanied minors no longer can ride the public transit buses unless they are dressed in work uniforms or can show proof of employment, such as a badge.
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Personality: Lawrence D. ‘Larry’ Wilder Jr.
Spotlight on board chair of the Southside Community Development and Housing Corp.
Lawrence D. “Larry” Wilder Jr.’s focus and passion these days is revitalization. The 55-year-old son of former Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder and retiring Richmond Treasurer Eunice M. Wilder loves his volunteer work as board chairman of the Southside Community Development and Housing Corp., a nonprofit that helps first-time buyers achieve their dream of home ownership.
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VLBC outlines legislative priorities for new General Assembly session
Buoyed by two legislative sessions last year that ushered in huge reforms in voting and criminal justice, the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus is vowing to keep pressing for more change.
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After upsetting Shaw, VSU eyes homecoming win
Virginia State University has momentum and rising star Jordan Davis on its side heading into homecoming weekend.
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National clergy group outraged over attempts to block court appointment
Black clergy from across the country are expressing outrage about the Republican-led U.S. Senate’s vow to block any nominee President Obama picks to fill a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court, saying it reflects racism and disrespect.
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Anguish of a nation
From memorial services to protests, numerous questions arise after senseless killings
“Can we all get along? Can we get along? Can we stop making it, making it horrible …?” The late Rodney King spoke those memorable words as he called for calm in 1992 after the acquittal of four white police officers who were videotaped savagely beating him triggered riots in Los Angeles.
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Public hearings set to rename school named for a Confederate
The Richmond School Board wants public input in changing the name of J.E.B. Stuart Elementary School, the only school in the city named for a Confederate.
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President Obama’s farewell speech
It’s good to be home. My fellow Americans, Michelle and I have been so touched by all the well-wishes we’ve received over the past few weeks. But tonight it’s my turn to say thanks. Whether we’ve seen eye to eye or rarely agreed at all, my conversations with you, the American people — in living rooms and schools; at farms and on factory floors; at diners and on distant outposts — are what have kept me honest, kept me inspired, and kept me going. Every day, I learned from you. You made me a better president, and you made me a better man.
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School Board eyeing reallocating $10M for school repairs
Richmond Public Schools officials want to reallocate $10.1 million to make acute emergency repairs to school buildings across the city.
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City plans to purchase Mayo Island
Richmond is moving rapidly to complete the purchase of Mayo Island, which a 2012 city plan described as the “green jewel” of the Downtown riverfront.
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Agency questions city’s plan to destroy historic warehouse
The fate of a landmark warehouse in the East End that was supposed to be transformed into Stone Brewing’s destination bistro and beer garden remains in limbo.
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Ezibu Muntu to host 4th annual fundraising gala May 4
Richmond’s longest running African dance company is shortening its name as it prepares to mark its 46th year with its fourth annual fundraising dinner-dance on Saturday, May 4, it has been announced.