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City Council acts to reduce ‘drama’ during annual school funding debates
Richmond Public Schools each year would receive at least 55.4 percent of all real estate tax revenue City Hall collects under a policy unanimously approved Monday night by Richmond City Council.
Saying goodbye
More than 1,000 people from across Metro Richmond came out to honor the life of 9-year-old Markiya Dickson, the Chesterfield County third-grader who was shot and killed at Carter Jones Park in South Side during the Memorial Day Weekend.
Raising the minimum wage
It is unfathomable that the federal minimum wage has not been increased in more than a decade, since 2007. It is also unfathomable that the minimum wage, at $7.25 per hour, has remained flat through recession and recovery, through extremely high unemployment rates and much lower ones.
Local talent to shine in “Minerva Times Change,” an original opera
“It’s a dream come true.” That’s how veteran Richmond actor, dancer and performer Keydron Dunn describes his first opportunity to sing opera.
Lonnie G. Bunch III named to head entire Smithsonian Institution
When Lonnie G. Bunch III started working on the Smithsonian’s first African-American museum, he had no collection, no building and one employee.
Neo-Confederates to return for second Richmond rally
A neo-Confederate group plans to return to Richmond next month for a second “Heritage Not Hate” rally on Monument Avenue, despite new state regulations restricting firearms and the number of people allowed at rallies at the Gen. Robert E. Lee monument. CSA II: The New Confederate States of America, a Tennessee-based group, “will hold their rally on Richmond City property outside of the traffic circle surrounding the Lee monument in the same location of the Sept. 16 rally,” Thomas Crompton, a rally organizer, told the Free Press on Wednesday.
City voters overwhelmingly approve schools referendum
“The people have spoken. Now we can only hope that City Hall and the Richmond delegation to the General Assembly were listening.”
Show the world a new Richmond
I was fortunate to come of age as the Civil Rights Movement was coming to a climax in the 1960s. As an observer and participant, and later an amateur historian, I was witness to the destruction of Jim Crow. I know why local officials put the statues on Monument Avenue and what they still represent.
Bankruptcy trustee recommends RCC sale to another church
And the apparent winner is United Nations Church International. Aiming to keep the Richmond Christian Center a place of worship, a court-appointed trustee is recommending a sale of the church’s 5-acre property in South Side to Richmond-based UNCI for $2.9 million.
Gov. Northam praises removal of Confederate honor at Fort Monroe
Gov. Ralph S. Northam praised the state’s removal of Confederate president Jefferson Davis’ name from an archway at the site where the first enslaved Africans arrived in Virginia 400 years ago.
Jawad Abdu, co-founder of RVA League for Safer Streets, dies at 48
Jawad Abdu, co-founder of RVA League for Safer Streets, a basketball and mentorship program designed to help reduce crime and violence and elevate young men in Richmond’s public housing communities, died Friday, July 12, 2019, of a heart attack.
Virginia lawmakers spar on reported Trump visit to Jamestown
Virginia lawmakers are sparring after an as yet unconfirmed report that President Trump will attend the 400th anniversary celebration on Tuesday, July 30, of the first meeting of the state’s legislative body in Jamestown.
Virginia fined $3.8M for food stamp application errors
The federal government has slapped Virginia with a $3.8 million penalty because of mistakes made processing almost one in 10 food stamp applications last year.
RPS basketball alumni showdown Saturday at Ashe Center
Richmond Public Schools is turning back the clock on basketball. Players from bygone decades will be dusting off their jump shots in the inaugural RPS Alumni Showdown on Saturday, Aug. 3, at the Arthur Ashe Jr. Athletic Center, 3001 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd.
End blockade of funds for HBCUs
Columnists
Each year as families beam with pride at seeing a son, daughter or another relative graduate from college, that achievement is nearly always the result of a family’s commitment to higher education. And when these institutions are among more than 100 Historically Black Colleges and Universities, that pride is magnified by the history of how our forefathers overcame what once seemed to be insurmountable challenges.
Police chief out amid protests of teen’s murder in Chicago
Chicago’s police chief was ousted on Tuesday following days of unrest over video footage showing the police shooting of a black teenager and the subsequent filing of murder charges against a white police officer in the young man’s death. The white officer, Jason Van Dyke, was charged Nov. 24 with first-degree murder in the killing of Laquan McDonald, 17, who was shot 16 times. The video of the killing was released on the day the former officer was charged.
Rev. Wright: Faith traditions give hope for life’s journey
His voice didn’t reach the thunderous crescendo for which he is well known. Nor did he use the fiery cadences with which he has stirringly moved worshippers and other audiences for more than four decades.
City attorney: City Council has no authority to remove Confederate statues
Does Richmond City Council have the legal authority to remove or relocate the Confederate statues from Monument Avenue?
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/
