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Personality: Reginald E. Gordon
Spotlight on Richmond Memorial Health Foundation board chairman
Inside and outside the walls of City Hall, Reginald E. (for Equilla) Gordon is working to build a more equitable, racially inclusive Richmond.
3 for 3
Americans sweep top 3 places at the World championships for 3rd time
Men wearing the red, white and blue have harvested gold, silver and bronze at the World Athletics Championships.
No longer spinning their wheels
Richmond nonprofit uses circles to break cycles of poverty
For millions of Americans, living at or near the federal poverty line means barely getting by is a constant struggle. Census Bureau estimates show more than 20 percent of Richmond’s residents are living in poverty — a figure nearly 50 percent higher than the national average. Many of these residents work, and many feel as though they’ll never get ahead. Such was the case for Sherrell Thompson, 43, a resident of Churc Hill and Richmond native. Two years ago, the single mother and grandmother worked as a certified community health Wworker for Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority. Everyday she helped others in her job, but she also knew she needed help herself. “I really felt stuck where I was financially and I just didn’t know what steps to take next,” Ms. Thompson said by phone recently. One day, she took a deeper look at Circles RVA — a lo- cal organization she’d referred clients looking to better their financial circumstances to before. Ms. Thompson decided to put in her own application and was accepted to the program in August 2020. In that same cohort was Barbara Yates, 67, a mother, grand- mother and great-grandmother, who was born in Baltimore but moved to Richmond as a child. Both were drawn by Circles RVA’s vision “that everyone has enough money, meaning and friends to thrive.” In a recent phone interview, Circles RVA co-president Valena Dixon and coach Debbie Williams highlighted how the organiza- tion works alongside program participants — known as leaders — to help them realize that vision of financial stability, purpose and support in their lives. “Allies and volunteers create a circle of support around lead- ers and intentionally create relationships,” Ms. Dixon explained. “These relationships expand their networks and introduce them to resources that can reduce the barriers that hinder their rising out of poverty.” “You’re building communities by building intentional rela- tionships,” Ms. Williams added. “These relationships make all the difference and give leaders the support they need to move from surviving to thriving.” Circles RVA began with volunteers who were looking for ways to address Richmond’s poverty issue at the community level. It became a registered nonprofit in June 2017, modeled after Circles USA which sees circles, or the personal and professional networks each person has, as resources that can be shared. With Circles RVA, leaders undertake a 12-week educational program during which they are matched with allies and work to create SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) goals for themselves. Over the next 18 months, leaders and allies meet weekly to ensure that leaders continue to progress toward their goals. As Ms. Dixon puts is, “Plan the work, work the plan.” And plans are working. Circles RVA graduated its fourth cohort in June, and its latest newsletter highlights the achievements of its 15 leaders who so far have completed the program. Many show average increases of about $1,200 in monthly income and $2,000 in total assets. Ms. Thompson and Mrs. Yates graduated in the June 2022 cohort and have seen the benefits. With her allies’ help, Miss Thompson revamped her résumé and secured a new, higher paying job with her employer as a resident services coordinator. She has used the extra income to reduce her debt and boost her credit score by more than 100 points. “I never thought I’d be able to do that,” Ms. Thompson said. “Circles RVA helped me so much. I was so happy I just cried through my whole graduation.” Learning to better manage her budget also helped Mrs. Yates. “Before I was an Amazon addict, but not anymore,” Mrs. Yates said, noting that she frequently made purchases from the online retailer. “Writing (down) where all of (my) money was going made it easy to see where you could bring your expenses down.” Mrs. Yates has started saving some of what she used to spend. She has a “rainy day fund” and is continuing to save toward another goal — travel. “I really enjoyed the program. You are constantly learning something every week,” Mrs. Yates said. “My allies were very supportive and encouraging. Whenever I was struggling, they helped me think like that little train, ‘I think I can. I think I can.’” Mrs. Yates and Ms. Thompson plan to stay connected with the friends they made through Circles RVA. Ms. Thompson even wants to apply to rejoin the program — this time as an ally. “I have benefitted so much that I need to pass that on.” To learn more about Circles RVA and its next cohort of lead- ers, visit https://circlesrva.org/
‘Being underestimated ... that’s my superpower’
Democratic House Minority Leader Don Scott Jr. ready to energize base
These days Delegate Don L. Scott Jr. doesn’t spend as much time in the courtroom as he used to.
VUU announces new appointments
Virginia Union University has appointed four new vice presidents at the 1500 N. Lombardy St. campus.
U.S. labor shortage provides opportunity for ex-prisoners
When Antonio McGowan left the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman after serving 17 years, he was free for the first time since he was 15. But as an adult finally out from behind bars, he immediately found himself confined to menial labor.
Squirrels’ Kyle Harrison competes in upcoming All-Star games
The Richmond Flying Squirrels have one of the nation’s most promising prospects and his skills will be on full display this weekend in Los Angeles.
Use economic tools to stop gun violence, by Julianne Malveaux
There have been at least 214 mass shootings in the United States so far this year, the most recent being the killings during a July 4 gathering in Highland Park, Ill. This year, we have also been both riveted and horrified by the massacre of 21 people, 19 of them children, in Uvalde, Texas. A crazed racist killed 10 Black people and wounded at least three others when he shot up a Tops grocery store in Buffalo, N.Y. In 2022, there have been more shootings than days; the shootings have become commonplace.
Ketanji Brown Jackson sworn in, becomes 1st Black woman on Supreme Court
Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in to the Supreme Court on Thursday, June 30, shattering a glass ceiling as the first Black woman on the nation’s highest court.
Personality: Dr. Hollee Freeman
Spotlight on co-founder and co-curator of City Bees RVA
Dr. Hollee Freeman is helping to keep a vital community of workers buzzing — all 90,000 of them.
VSU renews president’s contract for five more years
Dr. Makola M. Abdullah will lead Virginia State University for the rest of the decade, the university has announced.
A survivor of the migrant trailer: ‘They couldn’t breathe’
Simple advice from a friend to stay near the door may have saved Yenifer Yulisa Cardona Tomás from the deadly fate that befell 53 other migrants when they were abandoned trapped in a sweltering semi-trailer last week on the edge of San Antonio.
Like father and a lot like son
Druw Jones’ baseball skills echo those of his dad
Richmond baseball fans may recall Andruw Jones as arguably the most talented player to ever suit up at The Diamond.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision and what it means for Virginia
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that had provided a constitutional right to abortion. The June 24 ruling is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states, although the timing of those laws taking effect varies.
Ketanji Jackson to be sworn in
Nearly three months after she won confirmation to the Supreme Court, Ketanji Brown Jackson is officially becoming a justice. Judge Jackson, 51, will be sworn as the court’s 116th justice Thursday, just as the man she is replacing, Justice Stephen Breyer, retires.
Pastor Dorothy L. Hughes, a business owner and gospel musician, dies
Pastor Dorothy Lee Lynch Hughes, founder and leader of Victory Christian Center RVA in Richmond and owner of two residential homes for the disabled, has died. Pastor Hughes, who, according to her family, also won acclaim for her gospel musical “How I Got Over,” passed away Monday, June 20, 2022. She was 83.
Caleb Swanigan dies at age 25
Caleb Swanigan’s basketball star shined bright but not nearly long enough.
Former RRHA manager James W. ‘Dick’ Harris Sr. dies
For more than three decades, James Willard “Dick” Harris Sr. was a familiar face to public housing residents in Richmond.
Now that Roe is gone, what’s next?. by Clarence Page
Now that the Supreme Court has overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide in 1973, could same-sex marriage be next? Or even interracial marriage?
