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Confederate statues in State Capitol remain unaddressed
As the General Assembly wrestles over whether to give localities the right to control their Confederate monuments, their debate is being waged in the State Capitol — a virtual shrine to the Confederacy.
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Tribute to Rep. Elijah E. Cummings
by Marc H. Morial
It’s hard to express how great a loss the death of Congressman Elijah E. Cummings represents for the civil rights community.
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RPS rezoning plans with pairings criticized as too costly
Parents and community members voiced opposition to several proposals to rezone Richmond Public Schools attendance districts, saying the plans are too costly and diversity in schools can be achieved in other ways.
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The new Poor People’s Campaign
Recently, comedian Chris Rock made a good point when he said that U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell has represented the state of Kentucky for more than 30 years and he’s one of the nation’s most powerful and richest senators.
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Gun tragedies and inaction
We woke up the morning after the Florida high school tragedy hearing that 95 percent of the American people support stronger background checks before someone can buy a gun. That sounds like a no-brainer because only 4 percent of the people oppose these checks
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Obamacare ruling a ‘political hand grenade’
After two long years of fruitlessly trying to kill Obamacare, the Republican Party and President Trump have been given a political hand grenade by a federal judge in Texas to get the job done.
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Deshauna Barber, Miss USA 2016 and VSU alumna, keeps it real for VSU fall graduates
Miss USA 2016 Deshauna Barber, a Virginia State University alumna and captain in the U.S. Army Reserve, provided some valuable life lessons during VSU’s fall commencement, which was held last Saturday at the school’s Multi-Purpose Center.
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Taxes, gambling to lead debate in 2019 General Assembly
Virginia’s 2019 legislative session kicked off Wednesday, with lawmakers set to debate tax policy, gambling and a host of other issues.
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The shutdown and collateral damage
As I write this, our federal government has been shut down for more than a month. At first, it seemed like a gamesmanship joke, like who was going to blink first.
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State executioner who turned against the death penalty dies at 67
For 17 years, Jerry Bronson Givens carried out death sentences as Virginia’s chief executioner. The Richmond native then spent the rest of his life crusading against the death penalty.
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Making sense of the 2020 Census, by Logan James
We know all lives matter, but are all lives being counted?
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Court may wind up redrawing lines for House of Delegates districts
Federal judges could end up redrawing the boundaries of 11 districts in the House of Delegates — including four in the Richmond-Petersburg area and seven in Hampton Roads — that were found to be illegally overloaded with black voters.
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Shine the light of racial reconciliation
A light shines in Prince Edward County atop the courthouse where a decision was made 59 years ago to shut down public schools rather than integrate. Classrooms were locked for five years in Massive Resistance to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision. Wounds in the African-American community were cavernous.
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Kazoos, chants drown out church’s message of hate
Anti-gay demonstrators from the controversial Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas were met by Randy Blythe of Richmond’s heavy metal band Lamb of God at the Virginia State Capitol on Monday with an unlikely weapon — kazoos.
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GOP holds 51-49 edge over Dems in House after election certification
Democrat Joshua Cole fell just 82 votes short of becoming the first African-American delegate to represent Stafford County and end outright Republican control of the House of Delegates, according to the state Board of Elections.
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Lady Luck to decide House race
Control of the House of Delegates is now in the hands of Lady Luck and several judges. The luck of the draw is scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 4.
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No blind eye
The 2016 film “Birth of a Nation” was released in a storm of controversy unrelated to the film itself. Whatever your opinion of the film or its maker, one cannot deny the relevance of the film as a medium of historical instruction and a study of human behavior.
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Nellie H. McLeod, former Chesterfield civil rights activist, dies at 90
Nellie Jane Hinderman McLeod earned honors for leading the Civil Rights Movement in Chesterfield County that helped end segregation of public schools in the county and for her work for equal treatment for African-Americans. Through protests and lawsuits, she forced the county to open all-white schools to African-American students, including her son.
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Bell the cat
Editorials
It was clear from the first 60 minutes of testimony by former special counsel Robert S. Mueller on Wednesday morning before the House Judiciary Committee that he was not going to give the Democrats what they were seeking: A dramatic recitation of the evidence against President Trump for a clear and quick takedown.
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U.S. Supreme Court upholds Virginia’s redrawn House of Delegates districts
Virginia voters and candidates now can have full confidence in the boundaries of the redrawn House of Delegate districts ahead of the Nov. 5 general election to fill the 100 seats.