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Racism is stupidity

There has been a lot in the news this past year about racism and hate crimes. But to me, racism is the stupidest kind of stupidity there is. I just cannot fathom hating someone because of the color of their skin.

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High blood pressure plagues many Black Americans

Combined with COVID, it’s catastrophic

Charles Thomas was unwell but he had no time for rest. He was on the cusp of a management promotion and a move to Florida to begin a new chapter that would alter his family’s financial future and break the cycle of generational poverty. Yet, as his family’s prospects improved, concerns about his health grew.

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Judge defends record

Embattled Judge Birdie Hairston Jamison defended her record on the Richmond General District Court and urged skeptical legislators to re-elect her to a new term.

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Kudos to Bethune-Cookman grads

I could not be more proud of the students at Bethune-Cookman University than if I had raised them myself.  Responding to the university’s very late selection of U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos (hereafter referred to as DeVoid, as she is devoid of good sense, history, literacy and even courtesy) for the commencement speaker, graduating seniors chose to turn their back on a woman who described HBCUs as “pioneers of school choice.” 

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Serena wins 20th major trophy at French Open

Nothing, absolutely nothing, could stop Serena Williams from winning her 20th grand slam singles title. She joyously bounced around in delight as she hoisted the glistening French Open trophy last Saturday.

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Love Stories

The Free Press proudly presents its annual Valentine’s Day feature. It shares the Love Stories of five Richmond-area couples.

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Blackface: An insulting mask of privilege

As a black student in overwhelmingly white schools in Louisiana, I faced my share of racial insults and slights. But one of the more memorable incidents was not even a deliberate slight directed at me. The offenders probably didn’t even think of me. But when a group of my classmates contemptuously affected exaggerated accents mocking black people as part of a school production, I walked out.

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Pinkett Smith talks hair loss ‘shame,’ outcome of Oscars slap

Jada Pinkett Smith turned her husband’s Oscar-night blowup into a teachable moment about alopecia areata, the hair loss disorder affecting her and millions of others that, in some cases, can impact a person’s sense of identity.

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‘Golden girls’

U.S. women bring home top medals from the Olympics

Red, white and blue added up to a treasure chest of gold at the Tokyo Olympics. Let’s meet the “Golden girls.”

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School Board’s Dawn Page not running for re-election; board considers training

In a statement sent to the Free Press, the Richmond School Board’s 8th District representative Dawn Page announced that she will not run for re-election.

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Family of woman found hanged in Texas jail calls for federal probe

Was Sandra Bland murdered? That’s what distraught family and friends of the 28-year-old woman are asking after she was discovered hanging by a plastic garbage bag in a Texas jail cell three days after she was arrested during a routine traffic stop that turned confrontational.

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A record number of Americans can’t afford rent

Single mom Caitlyn Colbert watched as rent for her two-bedroom apartment doubled, then tripled and then quadrupled over a decade in Denver — to $3,374 from $750 last year.

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VCU grad starts STEAM conference for girls

Dozens of middle school girls from across the Richmond area will troop into Virginia Commonwealth University’s daVinci Center for Innovation on Friday, July 21.

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The evolution of Malcolm X

“You may be shocked by these words coming from me. But on this pilgrimage, what I have seen, and experienced, has forced me to rearrange much of my thought patterns previously held, and to toss aside some of my previous conclusions. This was not too difficult for me. Despite my firm convictions, I have always been a man who tries to face facts, and to accept the reality of life as new experience and new knowledge unfolds it.” ~ Malcolm X, Letter from Mecca, April 1964 Perhaps no American civil rights leader has generated as many divergent opinions as Malcolm X. As we near the 50th anniversary of his assassination on Feb. 21, 1965, our nation will scrutinize his life, his work and his lasting impact on our country and our continuous struggle to address racial inequality and its heinous consequences.

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Efforts grow to preserve history of Saint Paul’s College

“Challenge by choice” was the motto of Saint Paul’s College, which closed in 2013 because of financial problems and declining student enrollment. Now the citizens of Lawrenceville are living up to that motto — by taking up the challenge of collecting and preserving artifacts documenting the 125-year history of the historically black college.

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‘Put our children first’ when it comes to education

As a native of Prince Edward County, I think the number of folks using the Brown v. Board of Education decision to perpetuate their respective narratives regarding the state of our public schools, specifically Richmond Public Schools, is appalling.

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Shock, grief and mourning for 3 Georgia-based U.S. soldiers killed in Middle East drone strike

Described by their parents as bubbly and constantly laughing, Spc. Kennedy Sanders and Spc. Breonna Moffett became close friends soon after enlisting in the Army Reserve five years ago. Sgt. William Jerome Rivers served a tour in Iraq before joining the same company of Army engineers.

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Bond blocks eviction appeal

Janice Wiggins was eager to appeal to Richmond Circuit Court when a General District Court judge sided with her landlord and approved her eviction for nonpayment of December’s rent. Ms. Wiggins believed she could win her case if another judge heard it. She said she had presented a receipt, acknowledged by the landlord, that showed she had paid the rent and late fees before the Jan. 21 court hearing. She wanted a chance to prove Judge Barbara J. Gaden was in error when she ruled the payment was for January’s rent, rather than for the missing December rent.

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s bombshell interview stirs racial introspection among Brits

Explosive allegations by Meghan Markle, the duchess of Sussex, that she faced racist attitudes from both the royal palace and the media in the United Kingdom have sent ripples of shock around the world. But they came as no surprise to many Black Britons.

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Jamestown interpreter tells the story of 'Angela,' one of the first Africans in Virginia; her faith is a mystery

Wearing a yellow head wrap, gray skirt and soiled apron, a woman who says she is “called by the name of Angela” stood by the James River and told her story, one of faith and courage, darkness and hope.