Pointing the finger in school shootings
Re “Walkout: City students join Wednesday’s national demonstration for tougher gun laws on one-month anniversary of Florida high school massacre,” Free Press March 15-17 edition:
Va. can choose better path on carbon pollution
At a recent public hearing held by the state Department of Environmental Quality, one concerned citizen said the following about acting on climate: “We have been kicking this can down the road so long that we have run out of road.”
RPS problems remain no matter who’s in office
In 2008, I ran for the Richmond School Board. I had this crazy idea that I could fix the decades-long problems with Richmond Public Schools.

Obama leadership still matters
Former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama did not go into seclusion and act like the rest of the world did not exist or impact them. They have made very important appearances on issues and on occasions that really matter.

From rally to power
Who would have thought that in less than 15 days, I would have to coordinate and manage 1,000 young black student leaders from more than 24 cities on 17 buses in the name of gun reform and safety? The reality is sometimes the work chooses you.
Our wish
Our Wish

MLK Middle School cheerleaders win national competition
That’s the new title for the cheerleaders at Richmond’s Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School. The team captured first place in their division in the National Stomp-N-Shake Cheer & Dance Championships on March 17 at North Carolina A&T State University.

Easter festivals this weekend in Richmond
After a long winter, cherry blossoms are making their seasonal debut as the days slowly get warmer. Easter activities are just a hop away.

Stage play ‘Malcolm, Martin, Medgar’ to be presented Saturday at VUU
A production of “Malcolm, Martin, Medgar” will be staged at Virginia Union University’s Coburn Hall at 4 p.m. Saturday, March 31, in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

1951 Armstrong High time capsule to be opened Saturday
The Armstrong High School Alumni Coalition will open a time capsule that was found during the demolition of the former school building on 31st Street in the East End.

Loyola Ramblers like ‘The Little Engine that Could’ in NCAA Final Four
This year’s NCAA Final Four could be billed “Three powerful locomotives and The Little Engine that Could.” Kansas, Villanova and Michigan are Final Four regulars, while Loyola University -Chicago seems misplaced, like it has arrived at this idyllic destination by accident after somehow taking a fortunate wrong train on the “L.” Kansas, Villanova and Michigan feature big-time recruits, many of whom figure to soon cash in on NBA stardom.

VUU’s Linnette has game, but looks to call games, too
Shontel Linnette excels at any location on the softball diamond – pitching, catching, infield, outfield, and certainly in the right-handed batter’s box.

Robinson works to get Armstrong on track
As a teenage athlete, Valentino Robinson ranked with top high hurdlers in Virginia. Now as coach, he faces a different type of hurdle.

Holy Week underway; Passover begins Friday
Christians around the world are marking Holy Week, the solemn time retracing the story of the crucifixion of Jesus and his resurrection three days later on Easter Sunday.

Gospel music stars shine at 33rd Stellar Awards ceremony
Gospel singer, composer and choir director James “JJ” Hairston was the top winner last weekend at the 33rd Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards, winning six awards.

Annie Giles, community activist, dies at 81
As a minister’s daughter, Annie Marie Turner Giles felt driven to help others overcome problems and challenges in the Whitcomb Court public housing community in the city’s East End.

Journalist Les Payne, a founder of NABJ, dies at 76
Les Payne, an intrepid Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who helped pave the way for another generation of African-American journalists as one of the founders and a former president of the National Association of Black Journalists, died on Monday, March 19, 2018. He was 76.

Personality: Frances K. Scott
Spotlight on chair of The Charmettes’ annual prayer brunch
Cancer does not discriminate. Age, race, ethnicity and economic background don’t matter, Frances K. Scott has learned.

VUU president seeks dismissal of fraud lawsuit
Virginia Union University President Hakim J. Lucas is fighting back against an explosive lawsuit from his former employer, Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Fla.

U.S. Census Bureau: City population continues to grow
Richmond’s population has jumped above 227,000 people for the first time in at least 40 years, and current trends suggest the capital city’s population should easily exceed 230,000 residents when the mandatory 10-year census is taken in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.