Inequality persists 50 years after landmark Kerner Commission report
Barriers to equality are posing threats to democracy in the United States as the country remains segregated along racial lines and child poverty worsens, according to a study examining the nation 50 years after the release of the landmark 1968 Kerner Report.
‘Becoming Kareem’ coming to a city near you
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has been a best-selling author, civil rights activist, actor, historian and one of the greatest basketball players who ever lived.
City apparently losing money on vehicle registration fees
Last year, the City of Richmond charged city vehicle owners a $33 annual registration fee for each of their cars, a $38 fee for each pickup or heavy-duty truck and $18 for each motorcycle.
Dance club sold to VCU for $3.5M
For years, Nathaniel Dance III battled Virginia Commonwealth University to keep the popular dance club he established at 534 N. Harrison St.
Application deadline March 18 for Governor’s Fellows Program
College and graduate students have a little less than a month to apply to the Governor’s Fellows Program, an opportunity to learn firsthand about the workings of Virginia state government.
Va. MLK Commission kicks off community meetings March 1 at VUU
The state’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Commission will observe the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination through 12 “Community Conversations” beginning in March, each one at a location the Rev. King visited in Virginia.
Where does it end?
Here we go again with this gun violence. Another 17 young lives lost and 15 injured in the high school shooting in Parkland, Fla. There were 26 people killed in the church in Texas, nine people in the church in South Carolina, 25 children in Sandy Hook, 32 at Virginia Tech, 19 people at Columbine, 58 people in Las Vegas.
Passing along history
February is Black History Month, with plays, programs and famous songs sung like “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” As black Americans, we are free to do wonderful things to make contributions to our community and our world.
U.S. lawmakers part of dream or nightmare?
I, too, am a dreamer. I dream of a time when we have a government that works for the average American — and not just for corporate America — without working at the expense of the average American. Most of our politicians on both sides of the aisle are continuing to give us a steady diet of nightmares while pretending to care about us.
New idea for old schools problem
Re “Feeding schools’ budget: City Council approves 1.5% meals tax hike for schools construction,” Free Press Feb. 15-17 edition:
Gun tragedies and inaction
We woke up the morning after the Florida high school tragedy hearing that 95 percent of the American people support stronger background checks before someone can buy a gun. That sounds like a no-brainer because only 4 percent of the people oppose these checks
‘Black Panther’ claws away racism
“The film serves as a breath of fresh intellectual air, especially amid today’s sociopolitical climate.
A child shall lead them
We are transfixed by the passion and activism of the students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, Fla.
‘Black Panther’ pounces on box office
“Black Panther,” the Disney and Marvel Studios’ epic superhero film featuring a largely African-American cast and director, is blowing away audiences and box offices, raking in record amounts from its opening weekend while gaining praise from former First Lady Michelle Obama.
Looking back, looking forward
New photo exhibition at Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia shares stories from a bygone era
A sense of dignity emanates from the faces peering out of the searing, black and white photos mounted in the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia’s upstairs exhibition space.
‘Pocahontas’ comes to Va.
More than 400 years after Pocahontas’ burial at St. George’s Church in Gravesend, England, near the mouth of the River Thames, the Pocahontas Project will honor and tell her real life story.
Russell Wilson to play pro football and baseball?
Deion Sanders, Bo Jackson and Brian Jordan juggled playing in the NFL and baseball at the same time. Now former Richmonder Russell Wilson, best known as the star quarterback for the NFL Seattle Seahawks, is considering double duty, too.
‘The Biscuit Man’ kneads track ambition at Huguenot
At the Bojangles restaurant where he has a part-time job, Tailey Tofoi good-naturedly refers to himself as “The Biscuit Man.”
VUU football Coach Alvin Parker hits ground running
Virginia Union University’s new football coach has hit Lombardy Street running. Since being introduced as the Panthers’ coach on Dec. 18, Alvin Parker has completed his coaching staff, signed his first recruiting class, arranged the spring football schedule and, perhaps best of all, averted the kind of player mutiny often associated with a coaching change.
Martin Luther King III brings message of hope to VCU
Be guided by your dreams, not distracted by your fears. This was the message that Martin Luther King III offered to students, faculty and the community during his talk Sunday evening at Virginia Commonwealth University.
