Jasmine Howell and her son, Aiden Howell, 4, relax and listen to speakers after participating in the Unity Walk through the Museum District last Friday to commemorate the 57th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Speakers at the event, organized by Coming to the Table, recited excerpts from Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech that was delivered at the 1963 march. The walk also marked the 65th anniversary of the lynching of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old from Chicago who was brutally murdered in Money, Miss., in 1955 for allegedly whistling at a white woman. His lynching, and a photo of his disfigured body lying in a casket that was published by JET magazine, drew widespread public attention to the brutality Black people faced, particularly in the South, and helped mobilize the Civil Rights Movement.

A giant symbol of the times now adorns the facade of the Science Museum of Virginia as it prepares to reopen to the public 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 5. The museum, at 2500 W. Broad St. near Downtown, has been closed to visitors for months because of the pandemic. The giant mask is a reminder that visitors will need to wear one to get in. The museum is one of many cultural spaces that are putting new requirements in place in moving from virtual events to actually welcoming visitors. In addition to the mask requirement, the museum will have visitors buy timed admission tickets in advance. It also will limit the number of people entering during operating hours. The museum currently is hosting the state Senate during the General Assembly’s special session.

Hibiscus in Downtown