Following directions
Dear Reader, This edition of the Richmond Free Press begins our 28th year of publishing. Our first edition — January 16-18,1992 — hit the streets with no internet, no smart phones and very few media outlets that populate today’s media landscape.
Rooted in history: Haitian influence on NOLA cuisine
Ricardo Jean-Baptiste was born in Haiti. In the United States, he became a chef. He moved to New Orleans in 2015 for a job at a large hotel that caters to tourists and conventioneers.
Niecy Nash, 'Pose' cast and others to be honored by Essence
Emmy winner Niecy Nash, the groundbreaking cast of the hit television series “Pose,” Grammy-winning music video director Melina Matsoukas and “Captain Marvel” actress Lashana Lynch will be honored at the 2020 Black Women in Hollywood Awards.
National Day of Racial Healing events to be held next week
Richmond will join in marking the National Day of Racial Healing next week with a series of events that will extend beyond the actual day, Tuesday, Jan. 21.
Exhibit focusing on the enslaved at Monticello to open Jan. 18 at Black History Museum
An exhibit exploring the lives of the enslaved community at Monticello and owned by Thomas Jefferson is opening Saturday, Jan. 18, at the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia in Jackson Ward.
Area events to commemorate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luher King Jr.
The life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the “Drum Major for Justice,” will be celebrated across the Metro Richmond area. While the national holiday honoring the slain civil rights leader is Monday, Jan. 20, area events will be held on several days surrounding the official holiday.
VCU breaks silence on retirement of Charles 'Jabo' Wilkins' jersey
Virginia Commonwealth University officials are offering two reasons that the No. 40 jersey of the late Charles “Jabo” Wilkins likely will never hang from the rafters of the Siegel Center, the Rams’ home court.
John Marshall basketball team aiming for another state championship
You can make a convincing case for John Marshall High School be- ing the area basketball “Team of the Decade” — the 2010s.
Diversity lip service only?
Bieniemy gets the brushoff, even under 'Rooney Rule'
Eric Bieniemy interviewed for three NFL head coaching positions this month and received the same answer from all three places — thanks, but no thanks.
NFL conference championships on Sunday
Of the four NFL teams in contention for the conference championship, only the Tennessee Titans have never won a Super Bowl. The Titans reached a pinnacle game in 1999, losing to the St. Louis Rams 23-16.
Court documents show pastor targeted by government for officiating at immigrant weddings
New documents unearthed in an ongoing federal lawsuit indicate the U.S. government surveilled and investigated a New York pastor and immigrant rights activist over allegations that she committed marriage fraud by officiating immigrant weddings along the U.S.-Mexico border.
First female Muslim chaplain commissioned by the U.S. military
The U.S. Air Force commissioned its first Muslim woman chaplain candidate last month, marking the first time the U.S. military will have a female chaplain of the Islamic faith.
Byron E. Howlett Sr., former head of Richmond Heritage Federal Credit Union, dies at 73
Byron E. Howlett Sr. led the modernization of the Richmond Heritage Federal Credit Union during his 19 years as the second president and chief execu- tive officer of the oldest African-American financial institution still in operation in Richmond.
Mary F. Conyers, former RPS teacher, dies at 87
Mary Foster Conyers never forgot a promise she made to her father when she got married — that she would complete her college degree.
Longtime political cartoonist Ron Rogers dies at 65
Ron Rogers, a longtime political cartoonist whose start began in 1980 for the former Richmond Afro-American and Planet, died Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020, after a sudden illness.
Personality: Edward G. Hamlin Jr.
Spotlight on 2019 Astorian of the Year
An award from one of Richmond’s oldest African-American organizations would be an extraordinary honor for just about anyone. For Edward Ganon Hamlin Jr., his award reaffirms his close connection to a group that has helped him “define what a man should contribute to a community organization.”
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.
Hanover NAACP lawsuit to change names of Confederate schools continues in federal court
A federal lawsuit launched by the Hanover County Branch NAACP against the Hanover County School Board to force the board to eliminate the Confederate names of two schools is still alive following a hearing Tuesday afternoon in a Richmond federal court.
$200M loss spurs City Council to revise real estate tax abatement program
For at least two decades, Richmond has primed the redevelopment pump by allowing individuals and companies that improve aging houses, apartment buildings and commercial properties to pay reduced property taxes over 10 years without any restrictions.
Nonprofit regional partnership works to tackle housing affordability issues
Soaring housing costs are leaving tens of thousands of families across the Richmond region hard-pressed to pay the rent or purchase a residence.
