A small step toward justice
On Tuesday, President Obama did something I thought he should have started in 2010 when he signed the Fair Sentencing Act — he commuted the sentences of 46 people in federal prison on drug offenses.
Eye opening
There is no question that the Confederate battle flag stands for white supremacy, intolerance and oppression. The Stars and Bars, as the flag is known, was birthed in the days when Virginia and other Southern states separated from the United States and created a country built on the perpetual right to buy and sell human beings into slavery. Our bloody Civil War secured our union and abolished human bondage while uplifting millions of people to the rights of citizenship. The Confederate flag then was reborn as the symbol of the Ku Klux Klan and other hate groups whose missions are to ensure black people forever submit to third class status.
Crusade meeting to feature state cabinet secretary
Virginia Secretary of the Commonwealth Levar Stoney is scheduled to speak at the Richmond Crusade for Voters meeting Tuesday, July 21.
Housing workshop set for July 25
The Better Housing Coalition is offering a free workshop on renovation lending and historic tax credits from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, July 25.
50 Cent out of dollars?
Rapper and actor 50 Cent filed for federal bankruptcy protection Monday, days after a jury ordered him to pay $5 million in an invasion-of-privacy lawsuit.
Players of color star in MLB All-Star game
Baseball, the American pastime, is becoming more and more international, with a growing concentration of players of color.
16-year old from Georgia sets world record
Candace Hill has grabbed world attention with her breathtaking speed. The 16-year-old Georgian set the world youth record (age 17 and under) for the 100-meter dash last month with a historic 10.98 seconds.
Former NSU hoopster headed to N.Y. Knicks
Former Norfolk State University basketball star Kyle O’Quinn is heading to his hometown of New York to continue his NBA career.
Raiders lose to Columbus in PIFL championship
History keeps repeating itself, which is unfortunate for the Richmond Raiders. For the third time in four seasons, the Raiders came up one game short of a championship in the Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL).
Personality: Michael R. Pearson Sr.
Spotlight on creator of nonprofit Friends Helping Friends
Michael Ray Pearson Sr. is on speed dial to help others in need. For the past eight years, his Richmond-based nonprofit — Friends Helping Friends — has put on a free summer basketball camp at Armstrong High School in the East End for underprivileged children. His group also has hosted a similar camp in Petersburg that is directed by former Virginia State University women’s basketball Coach Leon Bey.
Mildred Fountain Weekes, 93, former teacher
Richmond native Mildred Elizabeth Fountain Weekes was a renaissance woman.
Vacation Bible School to go to Washington
New Life Deliverance Tabernacle on South Side is holding its Vacation Bible School from Tuesday, July 21, through Friday, July 24, the church has announced.
Gospel Explosion Aug.1 at South Side church
The Rev. Luther Barnes is headlining the “Gospel Explosion” concert at Second Baptist Church on South Side at 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, the church has announced.
Jesus has left the building
This mural of Jesus on the side of the former Richmond Outreach Center at 6255 Old Warwick Road was photographed in 2005. Today, the building has been whitewashed, awaiting a new mural as workers transform the former South Side church property into a city park and community center. The city purchased the 17.7-acre property in August 2014 for $1.7 million.
Kind acts commemorate pastor’s 10th anniversary
“Don’t Go to Church, Be the Church.” That was the theme of a day of community service by members at Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church in Jackson Ward on July 5.
President calls for criminal justice reforms at NAACP convention
“Mass incarceration makes our country worse off, and we need to do something about it,” President Obama told 3,000 cheering people at the 106th annual NAACP National Convention in Philadelphia this week.
City real estate reassessments swing wildly
Homeowners in the Museum District west of the Boulevard should be bracing for big increases in their real estate tax bills.
Federal appeals court upholds former governor’s conviction
When will former Gov. Bob McDonnell go to prison? That appears to be the only unanswered question in the case of the once powerful and now disgraced Virginia Republican.
