Elegba Folklore to hold weekend programs
The Elegba Folklore Society will offer a weekend of dance theater and interactive workshops. On Saturday, Sept. 24, Elegba Folklore dancers will perform an original dance program, “African
Washington Wizards to practice in Richmond
The Washington Wizards, a pro basketball franchise with old ties to Richmond, are coming to Virginia Commonwealth University’s Siegel Center.
Coach Lancaster returns home for next chapter in legendary career
George Lancaster says there is one aspect of coaching he’s looking forward to even more than the home court advantage.
VUU beats CIAA defending champ Winston-Salem State
The clouds have parted, as least for now. After two deflating losses, the Virginia Union University Panthers are heading to Fayetteville State University this Saturday, Sept. 24, with a victory under their belts and a smile on their faces. Coach Mark James’ squad is 1-2 after a rousing 37-14 win last Saturday against its longtime nemesis, Winston-Salem State University.
VSU wins Kentucky matchup; meets Winston-Salem State on Saturday
Kavon Bellamy is listed as a running back, but battering ram might better describe his role for the Virginia State University Trojans. He pounds and pounds until he gets where he wants to go. The senior from Hampton leads the CIAA in rushing and, not coincidentally, the Trojans are off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 1997.
‘Lovable Losers’ get push this season from black players
The Chicago Cubs — that’s right, the Chicago Cubs! — are baseball’s very best team, at least for now. Nicknamed the “Lovable Losers,” the Cubbies haven’t won a World Series since 1908, which was eight years before they moved into quaint Wrigley Field on Chicago’s North Side.
Study puts monetary value on good works done by U.S. religious organizations
Religion News Service Religion is worth $1.2 trillion a year to the American economy, according to the first comprehensive study of the question. “In perspective, that would make religion the 15th largest national economy in the world, ahead of 180 other countries in terms of value,” according to the study’s author, Brian J. Grim, president of the Religious Freedom and Business Foundation and an associate scholar at Georgetown University’s Religious Freedom Project. “That would also make American religion larger than the global revenues of the top 10 tech companies, including Apple, Amazon and Google, or the combined annual revenue of the six largest American oil companies,” Dr. Grim said as he released the study Sept. 14 in a speech at the National Press Club in Washington. Dr. Grim understands why the religious and nonreligious alike might look upon the exercise of valuing religion’s contribution to the economy skeptically. To put a value on the work of the nation’s 344,000 religious congregations representing all faiths, Dr. Grim looked at the schools, the soup kitchens, the addiction recovery programs and other activities they run and the programs’ impacts on local economies. He found that congregations and religiously oriented charity groups are responsible for 130,000 alcohol and drug abuse recovery programs; 94,000 programs to support veterans and their families; 26,000 programs to prevent HIV/AIDS and to support people living with the disease; and 121,000 programs to train and support the unemployed. They also operate more than 50,000 schools. He also determined that churches, synagogues, mosques and other houses of worship employ hundreds of thousands of people and buy everything from flowers to computers to snow removal services. He believes the $1.2 trillion figure he came up with is a “conservative” valuation of the annual work of religious organizations in American society. Why crunch the numbers? Dr. Grim believes it is good to know the impact religion has on the nation. Dr. Grim also wants congregations and clergy — and the society that benefits from the charitable work— to appreciate the size of the contribution. In a country where people often hear much more about the evils committed by religious people — from sex abuse scandals to genocide — it’s time for some “balance,” Dr. Grim said. Even clergy often downplay the value of their work, said Ram Cnaan, director of the Program for Religion and Social Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Cnaan, who attended the National Press Club presentation to help Dr. Grim unveil his work, said the study would allow the religious to take pride in their contributions. “This is a new day for the people who study congregations,” he said of Dr. Grim’s work, “The Socio-economic Contribution of Religion to American Society: An Empirical Analysis.” “This is the beginning of a national debate — not if religion is important but how much it is important,” Dr. Cnaan said. Dr. Grim said that secular organizations like the Red Cross and the Cancer Society and the host of other nonprofits certainly contribute generously to the social health of the nation. Indeed, he said if the work of the religiously motivated did not exist, “I don’t think we would see all the good of society disappearing. However, I think it would be significantly less.” William A. Galston, a Brookings Institution scholar and a former Clinton administration domestic policy adviser who writes on religion and society, called Dr. Grim’s estimate of $1.2 trillion “a sensible number.” Dr. Grim’s paper, Dr. Galston said, can be used by religious organizations as “a credible calling card to get in the door” of policymakers who have too long undervalued their importance to society.
Judge suggests Gov. Pence’s Syrian refugee ban rooted in religious bias
“Wait, wait,” Judge Frank H. Easterbrook said, taking a tone of dry incredulity. “The governor of Indiana knows more about the status of Syrian refugees than the U.S. State Department does?” On Sept. 14, a panel of three judges of the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals lashed into Indiana Gov. Mike Pence’s attempted ban of Syrian refugees resettling in the state.
Andrew ‘Bo’ Hobbs, longtime TJ coach, dies at 57
Andrew Nicholas “Bo” Hobbs Jr., former athlete and basketball coach at Richmond’s Thomas Jefferson High School, died Monday, Sept. 19, 2016.
Winningest HU coach dies at 70
A memorial service for Henry “Hank” Ford, the most successful basketball coach in Hampton University history, will be held Saturday, Sept. 24, at Dickerson A.M.E. Church in Georgetown, S.C. Burial will follow in Santee, S.C.
Personality: Dr. Cheryl Ivey Green
Spotlight on new president of the Baptist Ministers’ Conference of Richmond and Vicinity
Dr. Cheryl Ivey Green wears many hats. She is the senior assistant to Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones. She is the executive minister of ministries at First Baptist Church of South Richmond. And she now is the new president of the Baptist Ministers’ Conference of Richmond and Vicinity. Elected to the post in May, Dr. Ivey Green was installed as president in an evening ceremony last Sunday at First Baptist.
New D.C. museum opens with links to local people, history
When the National Museum of African American History and Culture opens this weekend with fanfare, a dedication ceremony Saturday with President Obama and other dignitaries and an anticipated crowd of thousands, a 130-year-old bell shipped to the museum from Williamsburg will ring — and acknowledge history.
State seeks improvement in RPS special ed
The Virginia Department of Education is not satisfied with the state of special education in Richmond Public Schools, according to a report delivered Monday night to the Richmond School Board — the first meeting of the academic year.
Va. Supreme Court rejects contempt charge for governor
Gov. Terry McAuliffe is now free to keep restoring the voting rights of felons who have served their time — a relief to more than 18,000 people whose rights he has restored since Aug. 22. The Virginia Supreme Court refused to wade further into this increasingly partisan battle and threw out another Republican attempt to restrict the governor’s constitutional authority to restore voting rights.
Richmond Crusade for Voters endorses Morrissey
Joseph D. “Joe” Morrissey picked up his first significant endorsement this week in the race for Richmond’s mayor, winning the backing of the Richmond Crusade for Voters.
President Obama motivates voters at Congressional Black Caucus dinner
President Obama had barely begun his remarks Saturday night before shouts of “I love you!” came from the audience, tributes to his final speech to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Phoenix Awards Dinner.
Family of Sandra Bland reaches $1.9M settlement in her Texas death
The family of an African-American motorist found hanged in her Texas jail cell after being held in police custody following a traffic stop has reached a $1.9 million settlement in a wrongful death suit against law enforcement, their lawyer said last week.
Trouble doubles
Petersburg’s creditors lining up, suing to get paid
Dironna Moore Belton is counting on a flood of money pouring into Petersburg’s treasury in coming days from residents paying their first quarter property tax bills.
Gary L. Flowers fills in Jack Gravely’s time slot with new talk show on WREJ radio
Richmond native and activist Gary L. Flowers hit the airwaves this week as a new voice on Rejoice Radio.
Gov. McAuliffe’s lawyers take aim at GOP contempt claim
Attorneys for Gov. Terry McAuliffe are urging the state Supreme Court to throw out a Republican request that he be held in contempt for his new effort to restore the voting rights of felons. Led by Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring, the legal team argues that the unprecedented contempt request from Republican House Speaker William J. Howell and Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment is “baseless.”
