19-year-old Soto called up to play forA royal wedding to remember
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wed in ceremony marked by new traditions, global audience
Prince Harry and his American actress bride Meghan Markle married on Saturday in a dazzling ceremony that blended ancient English ritual with African-American culture, infusing the 1,000-year-old British monarchy with a blast of blackness and modernity.
Punked
Unrealistic assumptions and overly rosy income forecasts. Those were among the shaky financial footings on which the Leigh Street training camp for the Washington NFL team was built, according a new report from the office of City Auditor Louis G. Lassiter.
When Rihanna dressed as the pope
Rihanna came as a burlesque pope. Cardi B was a vaguely medieval madonna. Madonna, meanwhile, as a queen draped in black, was strikingly sedate. At the Met Gala on May 7, Catholicism was beyond chic.
Jobs and Justice Act new urban Marshall Plan
The Main Street Marshall Plan, the National Urban League’s comprehensive blueprint for addressing lack of opportunity and economic inequality in America’s urban communities, has been introduced as federal legislation by members of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Graduation, with more hurdles to clear
Chadwick Boseman, the Black Panther, graduated from Howard University in 2000. His writing partner is also an HU graduate. Mr. Bozeman came back to his alma mater to address the Class of 2018 and to receive an honorary degree. The Howard University graduation on Saturday is one of more than 100 HBCU graduations, and more than 4,000 graduations around the country.
Smoking and public housing
Like many public housing residents, we were surprised to learn that smoking will be prohibited in all public housing apartments in Richmond beginning Aug. 1. The smoking ban was put in place nationally by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and will affect more than 1.2 million households, including 4,000 families living in Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority properties in the city.
Honor victims with action
“From 1986 to 1996, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sponsored high-quality, peer-reviewed research into the underlying causes of gun violence. People who kept guns in their homes did not — despite their hopes — gain protection … Instead, residents in homes with a gun faced a 2.7-fold greater risk of homicide and a 4.8-fold greater risk of suicide. The National Rifle Association moved to suppress the dissemination of these results and to block funding of future government research into the causes of firearm injuries. … As a consequence, U.S. scientists cannot answer the most basic question: What works to prevent firearm injuries?” — Mark Rosenberg, former director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the CDC and former U.S. Rep. Jay Dickey, an Arkansas Republican who sponsored (to his later regret) the amendment that blocks the CDC from funding gun injury prevention research. The April 22 tragedy at a Nashville area Waffle House brings the nation’s gun death toll to 4,422 in 2018 and the number of mass shooting victims to 69. The relentless pace of gun violence in America threatens to dull our outrage and focus on the perpetrators threatens to bury the memory of the victims and the heroism of those who showed grace under pressure. The Nashville shooter snuffed out the lives of four young people: Taurean Sanderlin, 29; Joe Perez, 20; DeEbony Groves, 21; and Akilah DaSilva, 23.
How do you mend a broken heart?
I used to love me some Bill Cosby, not only because he was America’s Dad, but also because he was fun and funny. Most of the times that I was around him, I felt lifted. He had that deep, “Heh, heh, heh,” laugh and that sweet smile. And then he loved some HBCUs, so what could you say?
May Day and pay inequities
Rallies and marches took place on Tuesday across the United States and the globe to highlight the rights of workers and labor issues.
Personal drama overshadows elected service
We were gravely disappointed by news of the arrest yet again of Henrico School Board member Roscoe D. Cooper III. The 43-year-old Mr. Cooper has given a lot to the community in terms of service. He has been pastor of Rising Mount Zion Baptist Church since 2003, serves on the board of the Capital Area Health Network and was elected to represent the people of the Fairfield District on the Henrico School Board.
Dirty clothes become golden opportunity for local businessman
For many, washing clothes is a chore. But what many people may view as drudgery is Devon Chester’s doorway to opportunity.
Richmond Power to End Stroke Jazz Night May 31
And the American Stroke Association’s Power to End Stroke campaign and Bon Secours Richmond Neurosciences Services are hosting the 5th Annual Richmond Power to End Stroke Jazz Night.
Drewry’s Bluff commemoration May 19-20
Artillery drills, guided tours and Civil War re-enactor camps will be part of the National Park Service’s commemoration of the Battle of Drewry’s Bluff this weekend.
‘Integrity is what you do when no one is watching,’ actress tells VUU grads
Virginia Union University graduates were encouraged to focus on a life of substance, and not one of superficiality, during the school’s 119th commencement last Saturday at Hovey Field on the campus.
Lt. Gov. Justin E. Fairfax and U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner encourage VSU graduates at dual commencement ceremonies
Lt. Gov. Justin E. Fairfax urged Virginia State University graduates to use the strengths of the past to build a brighter future.
‘There’s no success without failure,’ actor and alum Boris Kodjoe tells VCU grads
Actor Boris Kodjoe inspired Virginia Commonwealth University graduates to find the courage to see failure as a friend, instead of something to be feared along the road to success.
‘Black Panther’ star returns to alma mater to inspire Howard students at graduation
Actor Chadwick Boseman, a Howard University alumnus who starred in the blockbuster film, “Black Panther,” lauded Howard University students for their recent successful campus protests, saying their efforts to spark change will help them as they enter the workforce.
Hampton University alumna, Hollywood costume designer urges students to be innovators, leaders
Ruth E. Carter challenged Hampton University students to be brave, to be innovators, to be bridge builders and leaders. At the university’s 148th commencement on Sunday, the Hampton alumna and acclaimed Hollywood costume designer for the box office hit “Black Panther” told graduates, “When King T’Challa said, ‘Let’s build bridges not barriers,’ I say good thing Hampton’s got good engineering and architectural programs so they can build bridges that need building once all y’all break barriers in the world with your education.”
TJ’s Trey Fleming swings with a bat and drumsticks
Two of the Thomas Jefferson High School senior’s prized possessions are his bat and his drumsticks. He’s right on time with both.
VSU’s Blair has eye on Olympic trials
It will take a Herculean effort for anyone to upset the apple cart in the long-established, track and field events in the CIAA.
