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Lives well lived in service to others
Let us pay tribute to two remarkable women who left their mark on the world: New Jersey Lt. Gov. Sheila Y. Oliver and educator and perennial Richmond volunteer Dr. Cora S. Salzberg.
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Honoring true trailblazers
Engine Company No. 9 & Associates celebrated the 71 anniversary of the hiring of the first professional Black firefighters in Virginia.
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VUU concludes its 150th celebration
Virginia Union University honored its past and celebrated its future with the unveiling Wednesday of a monument symbolizing 150 years of academic excellence at the institution. The monument was designed by renowned sculptor Ed Dwight of Denver, and is displayed on the Lombardy Street campus between the Belgian Building and Ellison Hall.
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Two new women’s groups chartered
Two national women’s organizations chartered local chapters in luncheon ceremonies last weekend. Above, 40 women were installed into the Richmond Metropolitan Area Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Inc. The 33-year-old organization’s mission is to develop leaders and empower African-American women.
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Clarence McGill and ‘Syracuse 8’ to speak Oct. 6 at lcoal school
Athletes like Colin Kaepernick and Marshawn Lynch are well known today for using their platforms as athletes to protest against injustice.
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Organization of ministers’ wives, widows hosts conference
The Virginia Association of Ministers’ Wives and Ministers’ Widows will host a conference to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the organization’s international association.
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New children's library to open Feb. 20 at Whitcomb Court
Whitcomb Court is getting a new children’s library from the Fountain of Youth Foundation.
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Bishop Curry to speak at royal wedding
The Most Rev. Michael Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States, will speak at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Kensington Palace has announced.
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‘Get Lit’ program to feature local authors April 7
More than a dozen local authors, playwrights, poets and spoken word artists will be the special guests this weekend at “Get Lit,” a program sponsored by the Richmond Public Library’s Black Male Emergent Readers Literacy Program.
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Richmond Crusade for Voters hosting candidates’ luncheon and voter registration drive
The Richmond Crusade for Voters is hosting a candidates’ luncheon and a major voter registration drive this month to help voters get ready for the June primary and November general elections. The candidates’ luncheon will be held noon to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 11, at the Cedar Street Baptist Church Banquet Hall, 700 N. 23rd St.
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Foundation to host summit for student athletes Aug. 23
A foundation that seeks to aid Richmond high school student athletes to consider their futures after they graduate will host its third annual summit for boys in sports this weekend.
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Jack J. Pollard, “The Peanut Man,” succumbs at 71
He was known throughout the community as “The Peanut Man.” But to those who knew and loved him best, Jack J. Pollard Jr. was much more.
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William U. Booker Sr., entrepreneur, civic and spiritual leader, dies at age 95
Hard-working, honest, wise, industrious, caring’ were his trademarks
William Ulysses Booker Sr. sought to seize the opportunities that came his way.
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Bus Rapid Transit would cost $3.6M annually to operate
GRTC would need a larger city subsidy to keep the proposed Bus Rapid Transit service called Pulse in operation, but perhaps not as big as some critics have suggested, according to the company. In a report released Sunday, Greater Richmond Transit Co. estimates that Richmond taxpayers would need to provide between $345,000 to $775,000 a year to cover the city’s share of BRT operations. The actual amount depends on whether BRT is a hit with commuters and attracts additional daily riders.
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Hospital Street burial ground gets support as new historic district
Lenora C. McQueen’s three-year crusade to gain recognition for the long forgotten and largely destroyed Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground at 5th and Hospital streets in Richmond is starting to secure results.
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Small North Side congregation works hard to keep doors open
John S. “Johnny” Walker is on a mission to save All Souls Presbyterian Church as a center of faith and tolerance in North Side. Despite a shrinking congregation that has fallen to 40 contributing congregants, the 64-year-old Richmond native still sees a future.
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VSU, other colleges dealing with changes because of COVID-19
Virginia State University officials announced this week that campus housing will not be reopened and all courses will remain online this fall to avoid the spread of COVID-19 — a prime example of the upheaval students, parents and schools are facing now that classes have begun.
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Need for socialization, enrichment leads families to create education pods for children
Adam and T.Q. Evans thought the best way for their two young sons to learn during the COVID-19 pandemic was through an education pod.
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Retiring HU president offers advice to graduates
Hampton University’s 152nd annual commencement celebrated graduates as well as the 44-year tenure of HU President William R. “Bill” Harvey, who is retiring on June 30. Dr. Harvey, 81, served as the keynote speaker for the commencement, which was held on Mother’s Day at the Hampton University Convocation Center on campus. Dr. Harvey highlighted a long list of accomplishments made by the university under his stewardship, such as the creation of the Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute to treat cancer and increasing the university’s endowment from $29 million to more than $400 million today. Dr. Harvey told the graduates, “Don’t settle with being the employee; I want you to be the employer. Don’t settle with representing the firm or corporation; I want you to own the firm or corporation. See the horizon as not a limit, but an invitation….” He offered grandfatherly advice to graduates, ranging from the financial -- “Pay yourself first. Save something from every single paycheck. Buy some property”– to the social – “Stay away from drugs and drug dealers. They will destroy your life or make it miserable.” Dr. Harvey went on to tell graduates to “fight racism every time it arises” and to “be positive role models. Be somebody.” He closed out his address by telling graduates to support Hampton University with their money. During the ceremony, Rashida Jones, who became the first Black woman to lead a cable news network when she was named president of MSNBC in February 2021, received the Outstanding 20-Year Alumna Award. The Henrico High School graduate earned a bachelor’s degree in mass media arts from Hampton University in 2002. Earlier this year, she launched the Rashida Jones Scholarship Fund for journalism students at the university. Thomas Hasty III, senior executive vice president and chief regulatory risk officer of TowneBank, received the Outstanding Alumnus-at-Large Award. He graduated from HU in 1977 with a degree in business. Honorary degrees were awarded to former Virginia Supreme Court Justice John Charles Thomas, who was the first Black named to the state’s highest court in 1983, and Christopher Newport University President Paul S. Trible Jr., who represented Virginia in the U.S. Senate from 1983 to 1989.
