Receptions, other events mark Mayor Stoney’s public inauguration
Congratulations and handshakes were the hallmarks of Richmond Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s ceremonial public installation into the city’s chief executive post.
Police chief: We can’t do it alone
Crime is on the rise in Richmond, according to 2016 figures. And city Police Chief Alfred Durham reiterated his call for more citizen involvement to reverse that trend. “We are doing everything we can as your police department, but we can’t do it alone,” Chief Durham said during a year-end presentation last week at police headquarters in Downtown.
Personality: LaShara Smith
Spotlight on president of Richmond Professionals Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers
The engineering profession needs more African-Americans, including women. That’s the word from LaShara Smith, president of the Richmond Professionals Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers.
Trump’s photo op mocks Dr. King’s legacy, work
President-elect Donald Trump’s political photo op with Martin Luther King III on Monday spread a distorted image around the globe to manipulate the 24-hour news cycle about Rep. John Lewis of Georgia questioning the legitimacy of his election.
Prayer for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
Lord God, who is the champion of kindness, justice and equity in our world, As we gather this morning to remember and honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., help us to understand and rededicate ourselves to the demands that Dr. King’s legacy continues to make of us.
Creative disruption in the age of Trump
When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. envisioned the Poor People’s Campaign in 1968, he envisioned all kinds of people descending on our nation’s capital, bringing demands to federal agencies. He envisioned people pushing for affordable housing, for quality education, for better health care, for minority business development programs and more.
Signs of things to come
GOP senators, conservative bloggers and legal shills have launched a charm campaign to paint U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama as a guy who has been misunderstood.
Our place in history
On Friday, Jan. 20, a new president will be inaugurated. Donald J. Trump, the billionaire businessman who has never held elective office and is so guided by impulse that he rarely holds his tongue, will become the 45th president. As President Obama, an intelligent, grounded and measured man, turns over the reins of power and leadership during official ceremonies outside the U.S. Capitol, we will watch as the nation’s first African-American president heads off into history.
Thousands join March on Monument for message of equality, unity
More than 2,000 people turned out last weekend in Richmond to promote equality, justice, inclusion, unity and action ahead of Friday’s inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.
Alpha Kappa Alpha chapter presents 20 debutantes
Twenty young women were presented by the Upsilon Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority at its 2016 Debutante Presentation and Ball.
Obama names 3 national monuments honoring civil rights
The Obama administration has designated three new national monuments honoring civil rights history. The designations were announced Thursday, Jan. 12, just eight days before the nation’s first African-American president leaves office.
Face of Lady Liberty is African-American for first time on U.S. coin
The U.S. Mint has unveiled a $100 gold coin featuring an African-American woman as the face of Lady Liberty for the first time in the history of U.S. currency.
VSU beats VUU in Freedom Classic
It seems fitting that in the 22nd Annual Freedom Classic, Trey Brown wiggled free from second fiddle status. The 6-foot-3 Virginia State University back-up junior guard began the Sunday, Jan. 15, Freedom Classic as the Trojans’ sixth-leading scorer, just another back-up sound in the orchestra.
CIAA Hall of Fame taps VUU, VSU standouts for 2017
Virginia Union University’s Terry Davis and Derrick Johnson, and Virginia State University’s Dr. DeWayne Jeter are among those named to the John McLendon Jr. CIAA Hall of Fame.
George Wythe Bulldogs lining up for repeat championship
The George Wythe High School Bulldogs might be nicknamed “The Quintuplets” this season. All five starters on the Richmond school’s basketball team are nearly the same height — not too short, not too tall — with similar skill sets.
Standout Justin Tillman chose VCU twice
Among the most talented basketball players recruited to Virginia Commonwealth University by former Coach Shaka Smart was Justin Tillman.
Controversial Bishop Eddie L. Long dies at 63
During a 30-year tenure, Bishop Eddie Lee Long transformed the once tiny New Birth Missionary Baptist Church near Atlanta into a megachurch that peaked at 25,000 members before he became embroiled in a sex scandal. A controversial figure who lived a lavish lifestyle and earned millions of dollars from real estate investments and book royalties while pastor, Bishop Long died Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017. His church attributed his death to an aggressive form of cancer.
Clarence L. Townes Jr., longtime business, civic leader, dies at 88
Clarence Lee Townes Jr. left his fingerprints on Richmond over the course of six decades of involvement in civic affairs. A bulldog of a man, with a gruff voice and a penchant for straight talk, he was a key player in creating landmarks that people take for granted — from the Greater Richmond Convention Center and Marriott Hotel to the Canal Walk by the riverfront.
State office building to be named for Barbara Johns
Gov. Terry McAuliffe is naming the newly renovated state office building at 9th and Grace streets for civil rights trailblazer Barbara Johns, who as a teenager led the 1950s attack on government-enforced racial segregation of public schools in Virginia.
