VUU police chief: Report the ‘bad apples’
As news spread across the nation of white South Carolina police officer Michael T. Slager killing unarmed African-American Walter L. Scott in cold blood, Virginia Union University Police Chief Carlton Edwards was leading a public safety forum Tuesday between Richmond area law enforcement officials and about 40 students on the VUU campus.
Governor ‘bans the box’ for state job applications
A small change that Gov. Terry McAuliffe just made in the state’s job application form could have a big impact on thousands of job seekers like Genevieve Carter of Richmond. As a result of the governor’s executive order, Ms. Carter no longer will have to disclose she has been convicted of a crime in filling out an application for a state position.
Michigan woman now world’s oldest at 115
Detroit Free Press The front door flew open as a reporter approached a brick ranch house in suburban Detroit, Mich., and a voice called out, “C’mon in — I’ve got Time magazine on the phone.” The speaker stood last week over Jeralean Talley, a placid figure dressed in a pale pink nightgown. Mrs. Talley, a bright-eyed elderly woman in spectacles who, despite her profound hearing loss, was fully aware, relatives said, that she’d just been declared by gerontology experts to be the oldest person in the world.
Police brutality : ‘I will not tolerate it’
Chief talks tough on expectations of officer conduct
Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham minced no words about how he won’t tolerate brutality and excessive use of force by officers under his command. “I’m going to tell it like it is. If there is riffraff in my department and you’re wearing a gun and a badge, you’re gone,” he told an audience of about 50 people at a public forum Tuesday night at Richmond’s Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School. “I will not tolerate it.” At this second “Peeps and Police Community Conversations” attended by mostly elderly and middle-aged adults, Chief Durham said that “several officers were disciplined” recently after they mishandled a situation inside a resident’s home. He did not elaborate.
Danville’s Claiborne among NCAA ‘pioneers’
In 1966, Duke University advanced to the NCAA basketball Final Four with an all-white roster. Waiting anxiously in the wings, however, was Claudius B. Claiborne, the Blue Devils’ first black athlete. From segregated John Langston High School in Danville, the 6-foot-3 Claiborne played on Duke’s freshman team in 1966, then moved to varsity for the 1966-67 season and became a three-year letterman under Coach Vic Bubas.
‘Shaka watch’: Is VCU coach staying or going?
Will Shaka Smart remain a Richmonder? Or will he be shopping for a Stetson and cowboy boots in the near future? Kidding aside, Smart was still very much the basketball coach at Virginia Commonwealth University at Free Press press time on Wednesday. It was widely reported that Smart — with a 163-56 record in six seasons at VCU — was in talks earlier this week with University of Texas Athletic Director Steve Patterson. Multiple reports indicate Texas is offering Smart a five-year deal worth $14 million in base salary with possible incentives.
Women swimmers make history
It was history pure and simple. Three African-American women swimmers swept the 100-yard freestyle event at the Women’s Division I NCAA Championship held March 19-21 in Greensboro, N.C. Freshman Simone Manuel of Stanford University set an NCAA, American, U.S. Open, Championship and Pool record when she clocked a time of 46.09 seconds, capturing the title.
Personality: Kimberley L. Martin
Spotlight on founder of nonprofit helping students buy textbooks
Kimberley L. Martin recalls how difficult it was for her to pay for textbooks when she attended college more than two decades ago. “I got student loans. And after I had finished paying for my room, board and tuition, I couldn’t always cover the cost of my textbooks,” says Mrs. Martin. “I had to scramble to figure out how to pay for them.” Mrs. Martin earned a bachelor’s degree in business information systems from Virginia State University in 1990 and a master’s degree in human resources from Central Michigan University in 1998.
Reality TV star: ‘I’m not the drama queen’
Reality TV is a breeding ground for drama and squabbles. But one star, Lisa Nicole Cloud of Bravo’s “Married to Medicine,” is focused on being positive. “I wanted to see a different portrayal of African-American women on TV,” said Ms. Cloud, an entrepreneur and cast member on the Atlanta-based reality show about the lives of women doctors and women married to doctors. Ms. Cloud talked with the Free Press during her recent trip to Richmond, where she was a keynote speaker at a business conference.
Faith led pastor through challenging times
Pastor Donald Coleman has a resurrection message he likes to share with young people who are mired in tough circumstances. “I tell them I once was where they are, and if I can overcome it with God’s help, they can, too,” said Pastor Coleman. He is the lead pastor at East End Fellowship, a multiethnic Christian congregation of about 100 people whose mission is spiritual empowerment and racial reconciliation in Church Hill. He also has served on the Richmond School Board since 2008 and is in his second term as board chairman.
When Freedom Came, Part 2
The Free Press presents a series chronicling the black experience during the liberation of Richmond in April 1865 and the end of the Civil War.
VUU’s history linked to city’s emancipation
In 150 years, Virginia Union University has risen like a phoenix from the ruins of Lumpkin’s Jail — where hundreds of thousands of enslaved black people were bought and sold like cattle — to become an educational training ground for local, state, national and international leaders. “For Virginia Union, starting out at a place that had been used as a slave jail to become a place of enlightenment that has produced outstanding citizens in America, it’s been miraculous,” university President Claude G. Perkins proudly declared. Dr. Perkins made his remarks on the eve of the city’s sesquicentennial celebration this weekend of Richmond’s liberation by Union troops from a Confederate government built on keeping black people in bondage.
A clash of freedoms in Indiana
Neither side in the uproar over Indiana’s “religious freedom restoration” law has been totally candid about its benefits or its dangers. That often happens in politics, an arena in which it often seems that no statement is too good to be overstated. For example, defenders of the controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which Indiana Gov. Mike Pence signed last week, are technically correct when they say the law is not a “license to discriminate” against gays and lesbians as critics claim.
Young, gifted, black and abused
In the course of one week, we witnessed the burden of being young, gifted and black. First, the Little League baseball phenom Mo’ne Davis was insulted by a white college baseball player who called the abundantly talented young girl a ‘slut’ in a tweet in response to news that Disney was planning to make a movie about her incredible rise to fame. The player, Joey Casselberry, quickly retracted the tweet in the face of a wave of criticism in cyberspace and was promptly dismissed by the Bloomsburg University team.
Hatred in disguise
Shame on the governors and legislatures of Indiana and Arkansas for supporting their states’ so-called “religious freedom” bills that essentially would allow business owners to refuse to serve people they dislike. Members of the gay and lesbian community — and people of conscience — have loudly fought against these measures as vehicles to legally discriminate against gay couples and individuals.
Time to share
When health-threatening mold was found in Elkhardt Middle School, Richmond Schools Superintendent Dana T. Bedden and his staff took action. They ultimately closed the building and moved the teachers, students and staff to the reopened Clark Springs Elementary School building in the West End for the rest of the school year. But some parents and teachers remain unconvinced that the health threat at the South Richmond school building was just discovered earlier this year. They think that the adults and children at the school might have been exposed far longer, possibly exacerbating health issues or creating ones that may manifest in the future.
Call to action
Do you believe black lives matter? Here’s one good way to show it: Turn out for the “Blue Coats Parade” on Saturday, April 4, to show support for the U.S. Colored Troops who led the Union army in liberating Richmond and emancipating people from slavery 150 years ago.
President Obama to host Pope Francis at White House
President Obama will welcome Pope Francis to the White House during the pontiff’s U.S. visit in September to “continue the dialogue … on their shared values and commitments on a wide range of issues,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest has announced.
Ministers host Maundy Thursday, Good Friday services
The Baptist Ministers’ Conference of Richmond and Vicinity is presenting Maundy Thursday and Good Friday worship services leading up to Easter weekend. The Rev. Vernon J. Hurte, pastor of New Light Baptist Church, will preach at noon Thursday, April 2, for the Maundy Thursday service that will be held at New Light Baptist, 2000 E. Broad St.
Jackson Ward church to present Easter drama
Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church in Jackson Ward is presenting its Easter drama, “The Whip, The Hammer and The Cross,” this weekend, the church has announced. The production depicts parts of the life of Jesus and his crucifixion, according to the church’s pastor, the Rev. Tyrone Nelson.
