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From left, Jonathan Johnson, Eugene Harden and Edward Hamlin, past presidents of the Astoria Beneficial Club, place a wreath at the statue of Bill “Bojangles” Robinson in Jackson Ward last Saturday during the organization’s 46th annual commemoration of the Richmond native and entertainer. In 1933, Mr. Robinson used his own money to purchase a traffic light for the intersection of Leigh and Adams streets after witnessing the dangers young African-Americans faced in trying to cross the busy street. The Astorians placed the statue in his honor at the intersection 46 years ago. (Ava Reaves)

From left, Jonathan Johnson, Eugene Harden and Edward Hamlin, past presidents of the Astoria Beneficial Club, place a wreath at the statue of Bill “Bojangles” …

Published on July 4, 2019

Black Pride RVA/ Pride in the Park Tailgate Party, the final event of the 2nd Annual Black Pride RVA, was held last Saturday. The four-day festival was designed to promote the health and wellness of the black LGBTQ community through celebration, education and empowerment. Despite the heat, many people turned out for the cookout at Bryan Park, where attendees slowed down with a game of Spades. Playing from left, are Crystal Suber, Anthony Johnson, Dante Payton and Sierra Brown. (Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press)

Black Pride RVA/ Pride in the Park Tailgate Party, the final event of the 2nd Annual Black Pride RVA, was held last Saturday. The four-day …

Published on July 26, 2019

Stew fest: With the temperatures dropping last weekend, it was the perfect time for a cup of warm Brunswick stew. Bobby Johnson Sr., left, his son, Bobby Jr., and Denise Richards sample some of the tasty stews made from scratch on site at the Brunswick Stew & Stout Festival last Saturday at the 17th Street Farmers’ Market in Shockoe Bottom. Stew crews from across the region spent hours getting ready to serve up their special recipes in the competition. The winning stew was prepared by Clyde Eacho and the Clubhouse Grill in Lawrenceville. (Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press)

Stew fest: With the temperatures dropping last weekend, it was the perfect time for a cup of warm Brunswick stew. Bobby Johnson Sr., left, his …

Published on November 3, 2018

Stew fest: With the temperatures dropping last weekend, it was the perfect time for a cup of warm Brunswick stew. Bobby Johnson Sr., left, his son, Bobby Jr., and Denise Richards sample some of the tasty stews made from scratch on site at the Brunswick Stew & Stout Festival last Saturday at the 17th Street Farmers’ Market in Shockoe Bottom. Stew crews from across the region spent hours getting ready to serve up their special recipes in the competition. The winning stew was prepared by Clyde Eacho and the Clubhouse Grill in Lawrenceville. (Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press)

Stew fest: With the temperatures dropping last weekend, it was the perfect time for a cup of warm Brunswick stew. Bobby Johnson Sr., left, his …

Published on November 3, 2018

Cityscape: Slices of life and scenes in Richmond/Dominic Baah is one of thousands of Virginia Commonwealth University students who spent Saturday moving into campus dorm rooms. The transfer student from Leesburg had the moral support of his 3-year-old brother, Todd Johnson, as he set up his belongings in his new residence hall on West Grace Street. The student move-in at VCU mirrored similar activity this month at Virginia Union University and the University of Richmond as new and continuing students prepared for the start of classes. (Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press)

Cityscape: Slices of life and scenes in Richmond/Dominic Baah is one of thousands of Virginia Commonwealth University students who spent Saturday moving into campus dorm …

Published on August 23, 2019

Helping hands/Londyn Pair, 2, gets assistance from her uncle, Jason Johnson, as she tries on her new backpack, one of the giveaways at last Saturday’s CAHN Block Party at the Manchester Medical Center in South Side. The event, sponsored by the Capital Area Health Network, or CAHN, was in celebration of National Health Center Week and featured health and wellness vendors providing information and resources to the community. CAHN, a nonprofit, operates seven low-cost health clinics in the Richmond area, including one in the medical building at 101 Cowardin Ave. (photo: Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press)

Helping hands/Londyn Pair, 2, gets assistance from her uncle, Jason Johnson, as she tries on her new backpack, one of the giveaways at last Saturday’s …

Published on August 19, 2021

Senior Judge Damon J. Keith, seated left, of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Detroit hosts his annual Independence Day picnic in Hanover County, where he honored Judge Roger Gregory, seated second from right, named the new chief judge of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond. With them, standing from left, are U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson of Norfolk and Senior U.S. District Judge Sterling Johnson Jr. of New York, and, seated from left, Elaine Jones, former president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder.

Senior Judge Damon J. Keith, seated left, of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Detroit hosts his annual Independence Day picnic in Hanover …

Published on July 8, 2016

Thanksgiving 2020 was a different sort of holiday, with community events geared toward carry-out meals rather than a communal, sit-down dinner because of the pandemic. Above, at Diversity Richmond in North Side, volunteer Perone Johnson, left, hands a packaged hot Thanksgiving dinner to Luise “Cheezi” Farmer, Diversity Richmond’s board chair, who in turn will hand it to motorists in drive-thru set up in the parking lot. BlackPrideRVA partnered with Diversity Richmond and Ms. Girlee’s Kitchen to provide 200 hot meals on Thanksgiving to all who wanted them. Last year’s inaugural event was a family-style dinner for 150 people.

Thanksgiving 2020 was a different sort of holiday, with community events geared toward carry-out meals rather than a communal, sit-down dinner because of the pandemic. …

Published on December 3, 2020

Jane Cooper Johnson (formerly Daisy Jane Cooper) stands in front of Richmond’s newest sculpture “Strides” during its unveiling at the corner of Libbie and Patterson Avenues on Jan. 30. The statue was commissioned by Bon Secours and Thalhimer Realty Partners, and designed by local artists Matt Lively and Tim Harper to commemorate the racial integration of Westhampton School at the corner of Libbie and Patterson. The inscription on the statue behind her reads: “On September 5, 1961 Daisy Jane Cooper was the first African American Student to integrate Richmond City’s Westhampton Junior High School under a U.S. Desegregation Court Order. The following year, September 1962, she was the first African American student to integrate Thomas Jefferson High School.”

Jane Cooper Johnson (formerly Daisy Jane Cooper) stands in front of Richmond’s newest sculpture “Strides” during its unveiling at the corner of Libbie and Patterson …

Published on February 1, 2024

Links host history makers at VUU // Members of the James River Valley Chapter of The Links Inc. pose with their distinguished guests, seated from left, Kym Grinnage, vice president and general manager of WWBT/NBC12; Dr. Louis W. Sullivan, founding dean of the Morehouse School of Medicine and a former U.S. secretary of health and human services under President George H.W. Bush; former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, the nation’s first African-American elected governor; and Dr. Joseph F. Johnson, acting president of Virginia Union University. The women’s service organization hosted a community forum Oct. 10 at VUU featuring Dr. Sullivan and Gov. Wilder. The two talked about their latest books, with 200 copies purchased and donated for distribution to local high school and college students.

Links host history makers at VUU // Members of the James River Valley Chapter of The Links Inc. pose with their distinguished guests, seated from …

Published on October 22, 2016

First ladies stumping for education // Virginia first ladies join Pam Northam, center, wife of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ralph S. Northam, in a roundtable discussion about education opportunity and policy last Friday in Richmond. The event, held at 6PIC in Highland Park, was an opportunity to highlight the Democratic candidate’s education platform. Joining Mrs. Northam, an elementary school science teacher, are, from left, Princess R. Moss, a Louisa County music teacher and secretary-treasurer of the National Education Association; former First Lady Lynda Johnson Robb, wife of former Gov. Chuck Robb; First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe, wife of Gov. Terry McAuliffe; and former First Lady Anne Holton, former state secretary of education and wife of former governor and current U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine.

First ladies stumping for education // Virginia first ladies join Pam Northam, center, wife of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ralph S. Northam, in a roundtable discussion …

Published on September 15, 2017

At 100, every day is a celebration, but it’s even better when the community recognizes your longevity. Eleven Richmonders were honored Sept. 21 at the 7th Annual Mayor’s Centenarian Celebration to publicly recognize city residents who turned 100 or older during 2019. Nine of the honorees attending the luncheon event held at a Downtown hotel are, seated from left, Lillie Etta Corbin Berry, 101; Josephine Johnson Bigger, 102; Virginia Price White, 103; Hattie Smith Carter, 99; Juliette Stephens Hamilton, 101; and Marguerite Williams Price, 99. Honorees in the back row, from left, are Norbert Robert Kopecko, 100; Shirley Craze Wiegand, 100; and Henry Cesly, 102. (Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press)

At 100, every day is a celebration, but it’s even better when the community recognizes your longevity. Eleven Richmonders were honored Sept. 21 at the …

Published on October 11, 2019

Isaiah “Prince Trombone” Robinson serenades passing motorists as fellow musician, Robert Johnson III, accompanies him on an electric drum outside The National in the 700 block of East Broad Street. The venue currently is closed because of the coronavirus. The two 23- year-old musicians began their impromptu concerts after they were laid off from their full-time gigs. Their goal: To deliver some upbeat sounds to counter the pandemic’s gloom and to possibly earn some spare change from the few pedestrians in Downtown. Other in Richmond musicians have been sharing their talents on their porches or in parks. One example is saxophonist James “Plunky” Branch, who regularly turns his porch into a solo concert platform for those within earshot in his West End neighborhood.

Isaiah “Prince Trombone” Robinson serenades passing motorists as fellow musician, Robert Johnson III, accompanies him on an electric drum outside The National in the 700 …

Published on May 7, 2020

Checkmate! It was a race against the clock – and each other – during the Bright Minds RVA Chess Tournament, where a room full of area students matched wits last Friday, Aug. 27, at the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia. The tournament was the culmination of two weeks of classes taught by Fleming E. Samuels, a retired Richmond Public Schools administrator, and Dr. Theodore Andrews of Hampton University in a pilot program set up by the Bernice E. Travers Foundation. The inspiring group of 13- to 16-year-olds showed off the skills they learned during the tournament in which 14 students participated. Binford Middle School student Jacory Oliver-Ray, 13, contemplates his next move. Clinching the top three spots and prizes were Denzel Johnson; Jonathan Keel, 15, a student at Richmond Community High School; and Ptah Ahmed. (photo by Clement Britt)

Checkmate! It was a race against the clock – and each other – during the Bright Minds RVA Chess Tournament, where a room full of …

Published on September 2, 2021

Inaugural VIA Hall of Fame class // Numerous athletes and coaches, including several with Richmond area ties, were among those inducted into the Virginia Interscholastic Association (VIA) Hall of Fame’s inaugural class. Under the leadership of VIA Heritage Association Chair- man Jimmy Hollins, the ceremony, held June 20, drew a full house at a Charlottesville hotel. The VIA served as the organizing body for Virginia’s public schools serving black students during segregation, from 1954 to 1969. Pictured here are Hall of Fame inductees or their rep- resentatives. They are, front row, left to right: Thaddeus Madden Jr., Lauren Puryear, Dennis Harvey, Louvenia Johnson, Loucious Edwards, the Rev. Jean R. Casey, Su- zette Quarles, Kim Lennon, Betty Jones, Dr. Vivian Pinn and Fannie Harris. Middle row, left to right: James Hayes, Ernest Shaw, Milton Jacox, Walter Bowser, Donald Ross, Roger Hailstork, George Lancaster and Ian Jefferson. Back row, left to right: Joseph Buggs, Raymond Pollard, Bryant Stith, Arthur Gardener Jr., Earl Lloyd Jr., William Lawson III and Charles Stukes.

Inaugural VIA Hall of Fame class // Numerous athletes and coaches, including several with Richmond area ties, were among those inducted into the Virginia Interscholastic …

Published on July 8, 2016

Friendships were renewed and new acquaintances were made last weekend at the 50th reunion of the Armstrong High School Class of 1965 at a Sandston hotel. Attendees celebrated the stellar careers and notable contributions of class members. Among those enjoying the camaraderie are, above, from left: David L. Temple Jr., deputy secretary of education under former Gov. Gerald Baliles; Thomas “TC” Cannon Jr., a mentor with the Richmond nonprofit Concerned Black Men of Richmond; class president Joyce Bailey DeBerry, a financial services business owner; and Judge Charles N. Clevert Jr., a senior judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Middle: Sharing a laugh are Dr. Ruby Morton Gourdine, a professor of social work at Howard University, and Floyd T. Johnson, who was the first African-American county administrator of Broward County, Fla., and the first African-American city manager of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Right: Also attending are, from left, Miss Armstrong 1965 Sharletta Branch Richardson, who worked more than 30 years in secondary education; the Rev. Patricia Gould-Champ, pastor at Faith Community Baptist Church in the East End; and class valedictorian Dennis Stevens, an economist with the U.S. Postal Service.

Friendships were renewed and new acquaintances were made last weekend at the 50th reunion of the Armstrong High School Class of 1965 at a Sandston …

Published on August 20, 2015

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