NBA, HBCU legend Sam Jones dies at 88
HBCU and Boston Celtics legend Sam Jones died Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021, at his home in Florida. Mr. Jones was 88.
Twist of fate
Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia to get Confederate statues removed from Monument Avenue
What do you do when you don’t want to make a difficult decision? Let someone else make it.
bell hooks, writer and groundbreaking feminist thinker, dies at 69
NEW YORK bell hooks, the ground- breaking author, educator and activist whose explorations of how race, gender, economics and politics intertwined helped shape academic and popular debates over the past 40 years, died Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021.
Herring sues Town of Windsor, alleging discriminatory policing
The police department in Windsor, a small southeastern Virginia town located in Isle of Wight County, has operated in a way that led to discrimination against African-Americans and violated their constitutional rights, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring alleged in a lawsuit filed last week.
Foremost wishes for 2022:
With the start of 2022, the Richmond Free Press invited select officials to share their foremost wishes for the new year. Here are their responses:
City utility field technicians miffed about exclusion from city bonuses
Field technicians from the Richmond Department of Public Utilities are upset that City Hall failed to include them among the first responders, such as police officers and firefighters, who received pandemic bonuses of up to $3,000 each during the holidays.
Artists Dustin Klein and Alex Criqui, whose projections on the Lee monument gained national attention, receive grant for new works
Richmond lighting artists Dustin Klein and Alex Criqui drew national attention 18 months ago in projecting the faces of Black thinkers, activists and victims of police violence nightly on the pedestal of the Lee monument on Monument Avenue.
Capitol Square offices to be named for Dr. William Ferguson ‘Fergie’ Reid
Dr. William Ferguson “Fergie” Reid, a Richmond surgeon and activist for voting rights, made history in 1967 when he won election to the House of Delegates. He was the first Black person to break through the legislature’s whites-only ranks in more than 76 years.
Sen. Kaine, Delegate Aird among thousands of motorists stuck in I-95 catastrophe
“I’m frustrated, but not in serious trouble.”
City Council expected to provide $300,000 ‘seed money’ for planned slavery museum in Shockoe Bottom
Richmond is poised to pour $300,000 into a new attempt to create a national slavery museum.
RPS set to reopen Thursday after weather delay and early run on COVID-19 test kits
As school districts across the country consider postponing reopening following the holiday break or instituting remote instruction because of the new wave of COVID-19 infections, Richmond Public Schools stands fast in promoting vaccinations and testing to keep their doors open for in-person instruction.
Democratic AGs continue fight seeking recognition of ERA
Three Democratic attorneys general on Monday sought to persuade a federal appeals court to revive a lawsuit to force the federal government to recognize Virginia’s 2020 vote to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment and add it to the Constitution.
2021 Year in Photos
The year 2021 was a tug of war between the life changes precipitated by the COVID-19-related shutdowns of 2020 and efforts to return to a pre-COVID way of life.
Richmond, meet the Church Hill Academy Phantoms
Introductions are long overdue. It’s time for Richmond’s high school basketball fans to meet the Phantoms.
Wanda Young, member of Motown’s The Marvelettes, dies at 78
Wanda Young, a member of Motown’s chart-topping The Marvelettes, died Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021, in suburban De- troit. She was 78.
Can Coach Deion Sanders help restore the HBCU-to-NFL pipeline?
An impressive total of 33 HBCU alumni have been inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. But will there ever be another? Or even another first round draft choice? Or All-Pro?
Kwanzaa 2021: Celebration or lamentation?, by James Clingman
For 50 years, Black people in the United States have celebrated the seven principles of Kwanzaa.
Wishing for governance ‘devoid of biases’, by Dr. E. Faye Williams
When you read this, we will be in the year 2022 or almost there. I hope the new year will hold the realization of your most cherished hopes and dreams.
Recovery or crisis?, by Julianne Malveaux
According to MasterCard’s spending reports, consumers spent more than 10 percent more than they did in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Inflation rose by 6 percent each month in October and November (don’t add it up – it’s monthly, not annual).
