Federal appeals court gives workers greater protection against racial harassment
A Maryland waitress who was fired after reporting that a manager twice called her “a porch monkey” has become a key figure in bolstering protections for workers who face racial harassment and abuse on the job. A federal appeals court in Richmond is using the civil rights lawsuit that Reya C. Boyer-Liberto filed against the resort hotel where she worked in 2010 to bolster efforts of workers who seek legal redress for a hostile workplace — even when their complaint involves only one or two incidents.
Henrico hires Petersburg deputies
Henrico County Sheriff Michael L. Wade spotted a personnel opportunity when he learned that Petersburg was closing its jail.
5th Street traffic detour expected through mid-August
A portion of North 5th Street was closed Wednesday to start the second phase of work on the bridges beside the Richmond Coliseum.
Kaine, McClenney speaking at Sunday services
A U.S. senator and a newly elected Richmond General District Court judge are scheduled to speak at separate Richmond church services Sunday, May 17.
Not just another hip-hop show
The crowd at Jackson Ward’s Gallery 5 was treated to more than a hip-hop concert last Friday as The Cheats Movement presented “Lights, Camera, Action: A Celebration of Hip-Hop Film and Music.” It was an evening for the senses, starting with local artists Goldin, O_Bey and others performing their own independently produced music as clips from classic hip-hop movies streamed along a gallery wall. Later, a panel of experts, including hip-hop legend Queen Lisa Lee of the Zulu Nation, who starred in the classic hip-hop films “Wild Style” and “Beat Street” in the early 1980s, and Emmy Award-winning director Jesse Vaughan, talked about the current state of the hip-hop film industry and the opportunities available for aspiring hip-hop artists to produce independent films.
New city CAO gets $5,700 raise before job start
Selena Cuffee-Glenn just received a $5,700 salary bump — from $203,000 a year to $208,700 — though she will not start work as the city’s top administrator until Monday, May 18.
VCU’s Graham invited to NBA’s pre-draft event
Virginia Commonwealth University’s Treveon Graham is under the spotlight this week. The 6-foot-6, All-Atlantic 10 forward from Temple Hills, Md., was invited to participate in the NBA’s Pre-Draft Combine May 14 through16 in Chicago.
Mobile homes must meet city code
Re “Mobile home residents allege city’s actions discriminatory in HUD complaint,” May 7-9 edition:
Fallen Angels event remembered loved ones in Highland Park
Celebrating with joy and not grief, the neighborhood of Highland Park remembered the untimely deaths of loved ones in the local community. The Fallen Angels event included area residents and friends gathered at Ann Hardy Plaza on First Avenue in North Side.
GRTC should change provider of CARE van service
Re “Spotty CARE van service leaves riders in limbo,” April 30-May 2 edition:
The criminalization of poverty
The recent U.S. Department of Justice report on police and court practices in Ferguson, Mo., put a much needed spotlight on how a predatory system of enforcement of minor misdemeanors and compounding fines can trap low-income people in a never-ending cycle of debt, poverty and jail. This included outrageous fines for minor infractions, such as failing to show proof of insurance and letting grass and weeds in a yard get too high. In one case, a woman who parked her car illegally in 2007 and couldn’t pay the initial $151 fee has since been arrested twice, spent six days in jail, paid $550 to a city court and, as of 2014, still owed the city $541 in fines, all as a result of the unpaid parking ticket. The Department of Justice found each year Ferguson set targets for the police and courts to generate more and more money from municipal fines. And Ferguson isn’t alone. The criminalization of poverty is a growing trend in states and localities across the country.
First Lady tells Tuskegee to ‘rise above’
I hope people who attended Tuskegee University’s commencement May 9 got First Lady Michelle Obama’s message. I hope they paid more attention to what she said than how some news media organizations portrayed the First Lady’s speech to graduates of the historically black Alabama school. I don’t want them to think People magazine got it right when it ran as the headline her dismay over being pictured as a fist-pumping Black Panther on a cover of The New Yorker in 2008. It didn’t. And neither did CNN, which put this headline on its report of that speech: “Michelle Obama says she was held to different standard in ’08 campaign due to her race.” What she told Tuskegee’s graduates was much more profound.
First Lady connects
First Lady Michelle Obama delivered an authentic, unfeigned and inspiring message to graduates at Tuskegee University’s commencement on May 9. Here are excerpts:
Four students in RRHA housing win $2,000 scholarships
Four college-bound students from Richmond’s public housing communities have won $2,000 scholarships from the Virginia Association of Housing and Community Development Officials, it has been announced.
Gov. tells VCU grads to go for the gusto
Gov. Terry McAuliffe delivered a three-pronged recipe for success to the more than 5,000 graduates at Virginia Commonwealth University’s commencement Saturday at the Richmond Coliseum. “Think big. Always take chances and never be afraid to fail,” the governor said in his address. He cited his failed attempt to win the Virginia governorship in 2009 as an example. “I said (to the voters), ‘If you don’t like my big ideas, don’t vote for me,’ ’’ he recalled. “And you didn’t,” he said to laughter and applause.
Judge Spencer to VUU grads: Don’t let others deter you
“Make your haters your motivators.” That was the message Judge James R. Spencer delivered to 320 graduates at Virginia Union University’s commencement Saturday at Hovey Field. Judge Spencer, a senior U.S. District Court judge who presided over the recent corruption trials of former Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, spoke of his own tribulations of overcoming low expectations from others to reach his position on the bench.
Black people have stronger ties to religion than white people
Several studies and surveys reveal black Americans retain remarkably strong levels of religious beliefs and practices. And that spiritual core has an impact on community life in areas from health to economic empowerment. That’s according to a study measuring racial differences on moral behaviors.
Henrico Ministers Conference to host community service Saturday, May 16
The Henrico Ministers Conference is holding a community worship and appreciation service to “recognize the faithful service of the pastors and to appreciate the service of several past presidents,” it has announced.
President calls on religious groups to speak out on poverty
The African-American boy who grew up with an absent father, who started his work life as a community organizer on the payroll of a Catholic agency and who later became U.S. president had plenty to say about poverty in our “winner-take-all” economy. President Obama spoke Tuesday of “ladders of opportunity” once denied to black people and now being dismantled for poor white people as their difficult lives get that much more difficult: “It’s hard being poor. It’s time-consuming. It’s stressful.”
Lewis Hamilton has right formula to win
Lewis Hamilton stands out among the ranks of Formula One drivers. He’s the lone black driver in the sport, and his talent and success have propelled him into the ranks of the greats of F1 — the top class of world single-seat auto racing.
