Richmond Flying Squirrels manager José Alguacil enthusiastically greets Bryce Hendriksen, a member of the Tomahawk Creek Middle School Boys Choir at The Diamond as other choir members look on. The team then took the field Wednesday to play the Altoona Curve on “Jackie Robinson Day,” its annual tribute to the trailblazing infielder who broke the color barrier by becoming the first African-American to play for a major league team. Mr. Robinson suited up for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. Please turn to B10 for additional coverage.

Richmond firefighters from Engine and Truck Company No. 1 take advantage of the spring weather to train in rescue methods last Saturday. Location: Chim- borazo Park in the city’s East End near the fire station at 308 N. 24th St. The firefighters practiced what is called a Stokes Basket Evolution, using the park’s steep, hilly terrain to train in retrieving victims from hard-to-reach locations.

Quanaisha Smith swabs her cheek Wednesday at a drive for potential bone marrow donors held at Virginia Union University. The event was organized by the James River Valley Chapter of The Links Inc. to widen the diversity among the pool of potential donors on the national registry. Bone marrow transplants are used to treat sickle cell anemia, aplastic anemia and certain cancers, including lymphoma and leukemia. According to the Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation, many African-Americans die unnecessarily because of the lack of donors. The foundation says the best chance of finding a match is with someone of similar race or ethnicity. Widening diversity in the registry is crucial to finding matches for all patients in need, particularly patients of color.

Patch of phlox blooms

Virginia Union University joyously celebrated its 150th anniversary last Friday with citywide ceremonies at historic sites related to the university’s founding. Above, the VUU Marching Band and dancers lead a procession of university faculty, staff, students and community members to the university on Lombardy Street after a prayer meeting,

Ebenezer Baptist Church in Jackson Ward. That’s where the first classes were held for Hartshorn Memorial College, a school for African-American women that merged with VUU in 1932.

VUU President Claude G. Perkins and the Rev. W. Franklyn Richardson, chairman of the VUU Board of Trustees, conduct a libation ceremony honoring the university’s forebearers.

marching band members entertain the audience. The commemoration began at the site of the former slave-holding pen known as Lumpkin’s Jail in Shockoe Bottom, where VUU traces its origins. The American Baptist Home Mission Society began classes in 1865 to educate freed slaves. Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who spoke at the Shockoe Slip ceremony, urged the audience there to “build upon what happened 150 years ago.”