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Veterans Administration revises policy on religious displays
In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision permitting a cross to remain on a public highway, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has revised its policies on religious symbols in displays at VA facilities.
John Marshall Justices poised to win another state basketball crown
Most high school basketball teams feel fortunate to have one or two stars. Richmond’s John Marshall High School features a galaxy.
Huguenot senior hurdles to state champion
Huguenot High School senior Shaunté Harris has a passion for fashion. But if there’s one thing she relishes more than a sporty, chic look, it’s running the high hurdles — an event famous for its thrills — and also its spills. Therefore, don’t be surprised to see Harris wearing distressed denims to school, rather than a trendy shirtdress. “My legs aren’t the nicest,” she says with a wide smile. “I’ve taken plenty of spills, lots of hard falls. My legs have cuts and scratches. It kind of never stops.”
Baltimore hosts 2023 CIAA Men's & Women's Basketball Tournament
Whether you’re a basketball fanatic or not, this is an ideal week to be in Baltimore.
NFL’s race problem and Robert F. Smith, by Benjamin Chavis Jr.
Even before former Miami Dolphins Coach Brian Flores filed a class action lawsuit against the NFL claiming the league discriminated against Black coaches in their hiring practices, it was pretty clear that professional football has a race issue. The Insti- tute for Diver- sity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Flor- ida recently found that, in 2021, around 71 percent of the players in the NFL were people of color, while only a quarter were white. Yet of the league’s 32 teams, only three head coaches are people of color. And only two team own- ers are non-white—Jacksonville Jaguars’ owner Shahid Kahn is a Pakistani-American, and Kim Pegula, a Korean American, is a co-owner of the Buffalo Bills. In a league whose players are overwhelmingly Black, there needs to be more representation in the front office of people who look like the athletes that take the gridiron each Sunday. With the Denver Broncos expected to hit the market sometime this offseason, now is probably the best time in the 101-year history of the NFL for the league to have its first Black team owner and to begin to change the plantation mentality that has plagued professional football for decades. When considering potential buyers of the team, one name continually rises above the rest— Robert F. Smith. Mr. Smith is the 59-year-old founder of private equity firm Vista Equity Partners whose net worth is estimated to be around $6.7 billion. He may not have the star power that other potential buyers do, i.e., former Broncos quarterbacks Peyton Manning and John Elway or Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. But what he does have Benjamin Chavis Jr. is a long track record of success in the largely white world of investment. The Broncos could certainly use some of Mr. Smith’s magic given that the team hasn’t had a winning record since the 2015-16 season when they won the Super Bowl. Putting aside Mr. Smith’s investing acumen and ability to grow emerging businesses, his up-from-the-bootstraps story and expansive philanthropic work in the Black community would go a long way in changing the make-up of a NFL ownership from its traditional purview of stodgy, old white men. For one, Mr. Smith is a Denver native whose curiosity, intelligence and drive led him to a job with Bell Laboratories when he was just in high school. From there, he went on to Cornell and Columbia universities and jobs with Goodyear, Kraft and Goldman Sachs before founding Vista Equity in 2000. What his resume shows is that Mr. Smith is not afraid of break- ing down walls and inserting himself into traditional bastions of whiteness like the Ivy Leagues and private equity. If there is any Black man in America who could take on the lily-white structure of NFL ownership, it’s Robert F. Smith. If the NFL is serious about changing not just its image, but its relationships with its players and fan base, then Mr. Smith also would be an ideal partner for the league. He not only talks a big game about racial equity, but he backs it up by putting money where his mouth is. In 2019, Mr. Smith spent $34 million of his own money to settle the loan debt for the nearly 400 students who graduated that spring from Morehouse College. He also donated $20 million to the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington—the largest by an individual donor to the museum at the time—and he helped found and donated $50 million to the Student Freedom Initiative, which aims to relieve the financial burdens on minority college students. Through Vista, Mr. Smith also has spearheaded the Southern Communities Initiative, a con- sortium of companies working to address problems facing communities of color in the South, where almost 60 per- cent of all Black Americans live. Through the SCI, he hopes to tackle pressing issues like substandard education and work- force development opportunities, housing and healthcare inequali- ties, the digital divide, limited access to capital and physical infrastructure failures in these communities. In an argument about integrat- ing professional football, Black athlete, activist and journalist Halley Harding wrote in the Los Angeles Tribune in 1941 that “most persons, corporations or businesses almost always forget the people or incidents that made them big.” Mr. Harding added: “This story is about a great American sport (football) that took all the aid the colored American could give and then as soon as it became ‘big league,’ promptly put a bar up against the very backbone of its existence.” These words could just as aptly be applied to the NFL today as they did in the 1940s. But now, as America once again re-examines its turbulent past when it comes to race, the NFL probably has its best chance in years to right a glaring gap in its leadership when it comes to the Broncos. And if there is anyone who can fill that gap, it’s Robert F. Smith. The writer is president and chief executive officer of the National Newspaper Publishers Association.
Minority-owned companies waited months for federal COVID-19 relief loans
Thousands of minority-owned small businesses were at the end of the line in the government’s coronavirus relief program as many struggled to find banks that would accept their applications or were disadvantaged by the terms of the program.
Denied their chance
Racism and segregation wouldn’t allow young African-Americans in Richmond to use whites-only pool for life-saving swimming merit badge in quest to become Eagle Scouts
J. Maurice Hopkins never wanted this story written.
Making an impact
Dr. Lillie R. Bennett has been caring for Richmond children in her medical practice for nearly 50 years
Joyce Carter happily drives 40 miles from Caroline County to Richmond so her three adopted children can see one doctor.
People to see, places to go!
Looking for something to do or new experiences in the weeks ahead? Here are just a few of the upcoming fun events and adventures:
Trump changes course
President-elect Donald Trump vowed on Wednesday to step back from running his global business empire to avoid conflicts of interest, as concern over his dual role mounts ahead of the Republican’s inauguration on Jan. 20.
Booted out
After days of protests and videos of police tear-gassing and pepper-spraying peaceful crowds, Richmond Police Chief Will Smith was asked to resign Tuesday by Mayor Levar M. Stoney
A year ago, new Richmond Police Chief Will Smith was extolled as the best thing since sliced bread when it came to leading 754 sworn officers in the fight against crime.
Advocates rally for prison reform bills at State Capitol
Activists, family members and supporters rallied last Saturday at the Bell Tower in Capitol Square to support prison reform bills filed recently in the General Assembly, including measures such as parole, record expungement and incentives for good behavior.
80¢ cigarette tax goes up in smoke at City Council
Richmond smokers will not have to pay an extra 80 cents for a pack of cigarette. After hearing from more than 50 speakers and nearly an hour of debate, Richmond City Council, with a 6-3 vote, killed a proposal to impose a city tax on cigarettes that Councilman Parker C. Agelasto, 5th District, had spearheaded.
City center vision
NH Foundation looks to new coliseum to spur major redevelopment in Downtown
How do you build a $220 million coliseum for Richmond without putting up any money?
Personality: Margie R. Booker
Spotlight on chair of Top Lady Clubbers’ 20th Anniversary Banquet
Golf is considered a metaphor for life. It challenges you to be the best you can be as you work daily on your personal skills. This is how Margie Booker, a member and parliamentarian for the Top Lady Clubbers, approaches the game and her life.
VSU Trojans, VUU Lady Panthers win CIAA; next stop NCAA regionals
The powerful engine that is Virginia State University basketball barely tapped its brakes rumbling through Charlotte, N.C., and the CIAA Tournament championship last weekend.
City receives excellent credit ratings from Standard & Poor’s
S&P Global Ratings, Moody’s Investors Service, and Fitch Ratings have affirmed the City of Richmond’s ratings at AA+, Aa1, and AA+, respectively, according to City officials. The rating agencies commended Richmond for its very strong economic growth, attention to increasing reserves, and sound and conservative financial management and policies.
Black head coaches rare at top tier of college basketball
Jeff Capel carries a measure of gratitude with him every time he paces the sideline at Petersen Events Center.
Personality: Camilla Tramuel
Spotlight on chair of 50th anniversary commemoration of historic New Kent school case
In the shadows of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a little known Virginia school desegregation case was instrumental in changing the lives and education of schoolchildren across the commonwealth as well as the country.
