Dr. Levy M. Armwood Jr., retired pastor, music teacher, dies at 79
Dr. Levy Mack Armwood Jr., retired pastor of historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Jackson Ward and a 32-year music teacher for Richmond Public Schools, has died.
Restaurateur, model B. Smith dies at 70 from early onset Alzheimer’s
Barbara “B.” Smith, one of the nation’s top African-American models who went on to open restaurants, launch a successful home products line and write cookbooks, has died at her Long Island home at age 70 after battling early onset Alzheimer’s …
Actress and film festival co-founder Ja’Net DuBois succumbs at 74
Ja’Net DuBois, who played the vivacious neighbor Willona Woods on the 1970s sitcom “Good Times,” composed and sang the theme song for television’s “The Jeffersons” and was one of the founders of the largest black film festival in the United …
Thousands fill the Staples Center for Kobe Bryant’s ‘Celebration of Life’
A gallery of basketball legends joined thousands of Kobe Bryant fans in Los Angeles on Monday to pay tribute to the transcendent NBA star, his daughter and seven others who died in a helicopter crash last month that shocked the …
Thelma M. Robinston, longtime Richmond educator, dies at 99
Fueled by a love of education, Thelma Mealy Robinson rose from teacher to principal to assistant superintendent during a career largely with Richmond Public Schools that spanned more than 40 years.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo founder Joseph Shabalala dies
The founder of the South African multi-Grammy Award-winning music group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Joseph Shabalala, has died at age 78, the group and the government have announced.
Emmy-nominated actress Paula Kelly has died at 77
Actress, singer and dancer Paula Kelly, who earned an Emmy Award nomination on the sitcom “Night Court” and co-starred with Chita Rivera and Shirley MacLaine in the film “Sweet Charity,” has died. She was 77.
Catholic Diocese of Richmond launches new victims compensation process
The Catholic Diocese of Richmond wants to ensure that people who were victims of sexual abuse by priests and deacons are compensated as part of its efforts “to assist in the healing.”
New Air Force rules allow turbans, hijabs and beards
Muslim and Sikh advocacy groups are welcoming new guidelines issued by the U.S. Air Force allowing personnel to request a waiver to wear religious apparel, including turbans and hijabs, and to have unshorn hair or beards for religious reasons.
Graham vows to continue UK tour despite controversy
The Rev. Franklin Graham said he will seek alternative venues for a United Kingdom tour this spring after all eight venues reneged on plans to host the evangelist, saying his views on homosexuality are incompatible with the values of the …
Longtime area photographer Waverly L. Williams Sr. succumbs at 76
Have camera, will travel. That was the motto of photographer Waverly Lee Williams Sr., who was always on the go to capture images of people, places and events, mostly in the Richmond area.
Dr. Aaron L. Dixon, former principal at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, dies at 62
“Impact children’s lives today for tomorrow.” That slogan shaped the career of Dr. Aaron Lorenzo Dixon, his family said.
New research reconsiders writings of enslaved Muslim scholar
He was from Senegal, wrote in Arabic and was enslaved. Or was he an Arab prince? He was a scholar who memorized vast passages of the Quran and mastered numerous Islamic texts. Or were his writings unintelligible? He was a …
National religious leaders, scholars expected for symposium Feb. 19-21
Scholars from across the country are expected to attend a national symposium in Richmond exploring the politics of black religion through the legacy of Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker, a civil rights icon, theologian and key aide to Dr. Martin Luther …
Frank Tunstall III, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1220, dies at 70
Frank Tunstall III, the veteran president and business agent for GRTC’s unionized bus drivers, has died.
