Maggie Small to dance in ‘Portrait of Billie’
Maggie Small is excited and honored to be portraying Billie Holiday in next week’s opening show of the Richmond Ballet’s new season.
4 bands to host hurricane relief benefit
Four Richmond bands will host a musical party this weekend to raise money for hurricane relief, it has been announced.
Afrikana Independent Film Festival starts Friday
Forty films from four continents over three days, all featuring black artistic expression. That’s what will be on hand at the 2nd Annual Afrikana Independent Film Festival.
Jazz exhibition opens Sept.19 at The Valentine
Nearly three dozen Virginia-based musicians who made national and international contributions to the development of jazz will be showcased in an exhibit opening next week at The Valentine.
Sloane Stephens wins U.S. Open title
It’s unlikely for two African-American women to match strokes in the final of the U.S. Open tennis tournament. It’s far more unlikely for neither to be named Williams.
Cook, Johnson lead VSU to big win over Johnson C. Smith
Trying to find just one man to replace quarterback Tarian Ayres would be difficult. So Virginia State University has located two for the assignment. Cordelral Cook and Niko Johnson have taken turns directing the Trojans to a 2-0 start heading into its Saturday, Sept. 16, bye week.
Thomas Jefferson Vikings want the victories
Thomas Jefferson High School is altering its football strategy — and the plan seems to be working. Among Richmond’s beleaguered football programs, Thomas Jefferson is most determined to schedule opponents more in line with its own size and capabilities.
African-American NFL quarterbacks working to turn ripple into wave
Cleveland Browns rookie DeShone Kizer burst onto the national spotlight while passing a football on Virginia soil. Now the former University of Notre Dame quarterback is the latest addition to the NFL’s select club of African-American starting quarterbacks.
Congregation to vote on pastor’s request to stay
Dr. Morris G. Henderson announced his retirement in late May, but now he is seeking to stay on as pastor of Thirty-first Street Baptist Church.
Washington National Cathedral to remove windows of Confederates
Following “considerable prayer and discussion” prompted by last month’s white supremacist protest in Charlottesville, the Washington National Cathedral has decided to remove stained-glass windows honoring two Confederate generals. A statement released Sept. 6 read that “after considerable prayer and discussion,” the cathedral’s board, or chapter, voted a day earlier “to immediately remove the windows.”
Personality: Joshua Ryan ‘Josh’ Epperson
Spotlight on co-founder of FeastRVA
Josh Epperson, co-founder of FeastRVA, lives each day by a quote by Howard Thurman: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
18 out of 44
That’s how many city public schools are fully accredited
The good news: 18 of Richmond’s 44 public schools — 41 percent — are fully accredited based on relatively high student pass rates on state Standards of Learning tests. That’s an increase from last year’s 17 accredited schools, according to the Virginia Department of Education. The bad news: Richmond has 19 schools that have been denied accreditation because of low student pass rates on SOL tests.
Candidates address education, Confederate statues at NAACP forum
The major party candidates seeking to become Virginia’s next governor offered different visions for Virginia’s public education system at a candidates’ forum hosted Sept. 7 by several state NAACP branches. At the forum held at Virginia Union University, Democratic Lt. Gov. Ralph S. Northam and Republican Ed Gillespie said they want Virginia’s schools to be top notch, but differ slightly on how to make it so.
Black History Museum board calls for Confederate statue removal
The Confederate statues on Richmond’s Monument Avenue should go. That sentiment was expressed by the board of directors of the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia in a letter submitted last week to the Free Press.
Will Richmond be the next Charlottesville?
In defiance of Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s ban on demonstrations at the Robert E. Lee statue on Monument Avenue, a little known Tennessee-based group of Confederate sympathizers is going ahead with a rally to promote protection of the statue.
DACA program also impacts black immigrants
The Black Alliance for Just Immigration, the nation’s largest black-led organization championing racial justice and immigrant rights, blasted the Trump administration for rescinding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that has allowed 800,000 immigrant youths to live in the United States without fear of deportation.
Bloodshed
Gilpin Court becomes a lightning rod for tragedy and possible change
Every day since Sunday, Takeila Knight has held her own personal vigil outside the Gilpin Court apartment of her stepbrother, Marvin Christopher “Pee Wee” Eley, 26, one of the four people killed early Sunday morning in a horrific spate of violence in the public housing community.
Tall grass can net fine in Richmond
Richmond City Hall is imposing a $50 fine on any property owner who lets his or her grass reach 12 inches or taller. The fines can reach a hefty $200 for those who let it happen again, and ultimately could lead to court action for those who fail to break out the mower.
GRTC rerouting buses along Broad Street
Alert to bus riders: GRTC has started rerouting buses off nearly a 1-mile stretch of Broad Street in Downtown during construction of stations for Pulse, the bus rapid transit system.
McEachin, Kaine host info session
Congressman A. Donald McEachin and U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine are co-hosting a Service Academy Day information session for high school students and their parents.
