VSU receives award for preserving building
Virginia State University received the first Outstanding State Stewardship Award from Gov. Terry McAuliffe for preserving Summerseat, a historic house built in 1860 located near the Ettrick campus.
HOME explains role in RRHA housing issue
Re “Prospect of home ownership escapes 70-year-old Randolph resident,” Free Press June 29-July 1 edition: The role of Housing Opportunities Made Equal in the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s scattered site process was to provide education and counseling. HOME is not a lender and does not provide financing.
Grammy winner, Prince tour manager credits ‘Tiger Tom’ Mitchell with his start
Re “Broadcast legend ‘Tiger Tom’ Mitchell dies,” Free Press July 13-15 edition: When my family moved to Richmond from up North in 1959, I was a somewhat naïve, pimply-faced kid at a segregated, all-white junior high school, with a budding affection for black music.
Action in the face of abuse
After 12 historic years leading the North Carolina NAACP, the Rev. William J. Barber II is stepping down from his post and stepping up to the challenge posed by the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. nearly five decades ago to unite the
Obamacare wins again
After Republicans spectacularly failed to gather enough votes to repeal and replace Obamacare, President Trump should consider changing his slogan from “Make America Great Again” to “Hey, We Tried.”
Health care fight
Republican efforts to dismantle health care in this nation are not over, despite the setback handed to the GOP leadership earlier this week. On Monday, a handful of their own U.S. Senate colleagues refused to go along with a vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.
Maggie Walker’s awesomeness
We are still filled with pride and exuberance from the Maggie L. Walker statue dedication last Saturday in Downtown. There was a gloriousness about the day that Richmond rarely sees.
Ph.D. rapper bringing hip-hop to U.Va. classroom
A.D. Carson isn’t concerned about those who don’t think hip-hop is a valid area of study in academia. Nor does the rapper who just earned his Ph.D. in May from Clemson University by presenting his dissertation as an album want people to think he’s the first to pursue hip-hop as an academic subject.
VCU grad starts STEAM conference for girls
Dozens of middle school girls from across the Richmond area will troop into Virginia Commonwealth University’s daVinci Center for Innovation on Friday, July 21.
‘Drums in the Garden’ to highlight healthy food, eating
A new Richmond festival will celebrate urban farming and healthy eating to the rhythms of African drums. “Drums in the Garden,” a free public event, will be 2 to 8 p.m. Saturday, July 22, at 2208 Bainbridge St., site of the Fifth District Mini-Farm.
U.S. appeals court strikes down prayer practice before government meeting
Government officials who lead Christian prayers to open meetings are violating the U.S. Constitution, a divided federal appeals court in Richmond has ruled.
Clergy members arrested at D.C. protest
Hoping to steer national politics in a different direction, African-American clergy members from several denominations came together this week for the first “African American Clergy Advocacy Day” on Capitol Hill to protest federal budget cuts proposed by the Trump administration.
AME bishops seek NAACP overhaul
Bishops of the African Methodist Episcopal Church are urging an overhaul of the NAACP, while acknowledging both historic black organizations need to find modern ways to build their influence.
Isiah Henderson, former owner of beauty shops and cosmetology school, dies at 79
Isiah “Sonny” Henderson loved creating hairstyles for women. And for nearly 50 years, Richmond women responded by putting their hair in his hands and those of the stylists he trained. For decades, the beautician operated a small chain of beauty shops under his Celebrity brand, as well as a private cosmetology school.
Personality: Antonio ‘Toby’ Mendez
Spotlight on sculptor of the Maggie L. Walker statue
Antonio “Toby” Mendez did not know much about Maggie L. Walker when he first began working on the statue that now stands at Adams and Broad streets in Downtown Richmond. But as the process of making the statue progressed, he learned more about her life and works.
Poor conditions at George Mason Elementary fire up School Board
After an unusual, tense public exchange between members Monday night, the Richmond School Board voted to hold a public hearing on Monday, July 31, to discuss the condition of George Mason Elementary School and what to do about it. Although George Mason boasts prominent alumni, including former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder and former state Sen. Henry L. Marsh III, several officials said the school building at 813 N. 28th St. is easily among the city school district’s worst facilities.
Wells Fargo to give $4M to HOME to expand black home ownership
Five years ago, banking giant Wells Fargo paid more than $200 million to settle documented government allegations that it deliberately charged African-American borrowers higher fees and interest rates on home loans.
City Hall’s most feared man is out
For 11 years, he was considered the most feared man at Richmond City Hall as he led a staff of 14 in ferreting out waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayers’ dollars. But that time is over for City Auditor Umesh Dalal.
Wilder-Morrissey case to be heard by judge July 24
The heavyweight legal fight between former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder and former Delegate Joseph D. Morrissey is set to resume Monday, July 24.
