Power of questions
Sometimes the right questions can be influential. We started asking questions when we learned that Mayor Dwight C. Jones was planning to hold an invitation-only reception to honor the five Richmonders who formed the first African-American majority on City Council.
The evolution of Malcolm X
“You may be shocked by these words coming from me. But on this pilgrimage, what I have seen, and experienced, has forced me to rearrange much of my thought patterns previously held, and to toss aside some of my previous conclusions. This was not too difficult for me. Despite my firm convictions, I have always been a man who tries to face facts, and to accept the reality of life as new experience and new knowledge unfolds it.” ~ Malcolm X, Letter from Mecca, April 1964 Perhaps no American civil rights leader has generated as many divergent opinions as Malcolm X. As we near the 50th anniversary of his assassination on Feb. 21, 1965, our nation will scrutinize his life, his work and his lasting impact on our country and our continuous struggle to address racial inequality and its heinous consequences.
Wronged
Retired factory worker Leonard Mc Millian had his home invaded by a police squad and spent more than an hour in handcuffs when police responded to calls about crimes at his home that proved bogus. Actor and songwriter Jerome Arrington spent a miserable seven weeks in jail after Richmond police arrested him for a street robbery he did not commit. Both men are African-American. Neither has received an apology for their ordeals, which appear to be relatively rare in a city where officers respond daily to dozens of calls. Still, their stories suggest that things can go dismayingly wrong even when police and prosecutors believe they are going by the book.
Clean air, but at what price
On the surface, accepting the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan sounds like a great idea — reduced carbon emissions and pollution, ideally leading to cleaner air. Yes, this is a great idea. But at what cost? This is just another example of the federal government get- ting involved in state matters and proposing regulations that create catastrophic consequences. I’ve learned that Virginia is held to a higher clean air/carbon standard than our neighbors (Virginia is required to reduce almost twice as much carbon emission as West Virginia and Kentucky), and it will cost us billions to shut down the power stations that have been operating fine for decades.
Lent offers time to reflect on health
Wednesday, Feb. 18, marked the beginning of Lent, the 40-day period before Easter when many Christians abstain from animal foods in remembrance of Jesus’ 40 days of fasting in the desert before launching his ministry. But meat-free Lent is much more than a symbol of religious devotion to Christ. It helps reduce the risk of chronic disease, environmental degradation and animal abuse. Dozens of medical reports have linked consumption of animal products with elevated risk of heart failure, stroke, cancer and other killer diseases. A 2007 U.N. report named meat production as the largest source of greenhouse gases and water pollution. Undercover investigations have documented farm animals being beaten, caged, crowded, deprived, mutilated and shocked.
Where do we go from here?
FBI Director James B. Comey took a giant step for law enforcement last week in acknowledging “hard truths” about racial bias infiltrating police agencies across the nation. The bias isn’t new, said Mr. Comey, a descendant of Irish immigrants to America, who talked about how law enforcement’s biased views of the Irish a century ago are part of the lexicon today for the vehicles police use to transport prisoners, “paddy wagons.”
Bagby portrays ‘Godfather of Soul’
James Brown, “The Godfather of Soul,” is coming to Unity of Richmond Church in the West End. Well, at least Joseph Bagby, who impersonates the late iconic performer, will perform 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27, at the church at 800 Blanton Ave.
‘Saviours’ Day’ broadcast live this Sunday
Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan is to deliver a keynote address via satellite to a global audience Sunday, Feb. 22. The occasion: Saviours’ Day 2015.
Church to host forum on police-community issues
Third Street Bethel A.M.E. Church in Jackson Ward is host- ing a forum to raise awareness of incidents of police brutality nationwide and to discuss ways the community, Richmond Police and other law enforcement agencies can work together to prevent future incidents, the church’s pastor, the Rev. Reuben J. Boyd Jr., has announced.
Female beauty focus of Pine Camp art exhibit
Above, Darryl Wingo, center, discusses his photograph, “Naturally Free,” with art enthusiasts, from left, Patricia Burrell, Arnetha Carter, Michelle Crump and Fay Logan. Artist Unicia Buster, right, chats about her quilt, “Field of Afros,” with LaTika
Valentine gala benefits scholarships
Alga and Earlene Evans, left, join other couples in dancing to a love song at the 16th Annual Valentine Gala of the Virginia Area Chapter of Pi Lambda Theta. The highlight of the educational honor society’s dinner-dance Saturday night in Downtown: The presentation of college scholarships to future teachers.
2-day conference to raise awareness, uplift community
It’s called “R.I.S.E. Up Weekend 2015, Awakening Your Inner Giant.” And it’s scheduled for Friday, Feb. 27, and Saturday, Feb. 28, in room 1201 in the Monroe Campus Academic Learning Commons at Virginia Commonwealth University, 1000 Floyd Ave. The theme of the two-day conference, designed in conjunction with Black History Month, is based on the African proverb: “If you want to go far, go together. If you want to go fast, go alone.”
Elizabeth ‘Beth’ Randolph, 90, granddaughter of Maggie L. Walker
Elizabeth “Beth” Walker Mickens Randolph loved spending time with her trailblazing grandmother, Maggie L. Walker, the first black female founder and president of a bank in America. Mrs. Walker chartered the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank in Jackson Ward in 1903. “My mother grew up one block from her grandmother,” said Mrs. Randolph’s son, Johnny Mickens III, of the family’s neighboring homes in Jackson Ward.
McEva R. Bowser, former Richmond School Board member
Those who knew her best describe McEva Roach Bowser as kind and gentle. “But she was also demanding,” said her younger sister, Martha R. Lancaster. “She always demanded that we do the right thing, whatever we were doing.” Mrs. Bowser shared that uncompromising passion as a wife, mother, educator, Richmond School Board member and community servant.
Personality: Mary Alice Nesbitt
Mary Alice Nesbitt purposefully walks from the kitchen to the fellowship hall, then back to the kitchen at Centenary United Methodist Church in Downtown. The 84-year-old North Side resident is on a love-driven mission to help feed the city’s hungry. She has volunteered for the past 30 years to help prepare and serve meals at the Grace Street church led by the Rev. Matt Bates.
Barksdale a ‘first’ as NBA All-Star
The 1951 and 1952 All-Star games were all white, although the league had admitted four African-Americans in 1950 — Chuck Cooper, Earl Lloyd, Sweetwater Clifton and Hank DeZone. Another Barksdale “first:” He was the first African-American to play basketball against the University of Kentucky in Lexington. In 1948, Barksdale played for the AAU Phillips 66ers in an outdoor exhibition in Lexington against Coach Adolph Rupp’s Kentucky Wildcats. Rupp, coach of the 1948 Olympic team, was so impressed with Barksdale that he selected him for the U.S. team. Later in life, Barksdale became a popular disc jockey and was the first African- American to host a TV show in the San Francisco Bay area on KRON-TV with Sepia Review. Don Barksdale died in 1993 at age 69.
VSU to go all the way in CIAA tournament?
Flip a coin. That may be as good a way as any to predict the winner for the 70th CIAA men’s basketball tournament that commences Feb. 24 in Charlotte, N.C. There is no clear dominant team this winter and Time Warner Cable Arena has proven to be an equal opportunity venue since the tournament set up shop there in 2006.
3 VUU legends to be inducted into CIAA Hall of Fame
Three Virginia Union University luminaries will be inducted into the CIAA John B. McLen- don Jr. Hall of Fame. They are Dr. Allix B. James, president emeritus of VUU; James Battle, former VUU athletic director; and former Panthers basketball star Ben Wallace. They will be inducted into the Hall of Fame along with six others during the CIAA Tournament in Charlotte during a ceremony 9 a.m. Friday, Feb. 27, at the Charlotte Convention Center.
Former Va. first lady learns her fate Friday
Will Maureen G. McDonnell be the first former first lady of Virginia to be sentenced to prison? U.S. District Court Judge James R. Spencer will determine that Friday, Feb. 20, when Mrs. McDonnell appears before him for sentencing in the federal corruption case that has gained the national spotlight.
Historic City Council celebration at Hippodrome
African-Americans took control of the levers of city political power almost 38 years ago and changed Richmond. It was 1977, and for the first time in the city’s history, five of the nine members of City Council were African-Americans. And as a result, the new majority was able to elect one member, Henry L. Marsh III, as Richmond’s first African-American mayor since the city’s founding in 1782.
