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Funeral traditions changed – maybe permanently – by COVID-19
John E. Thomasson was a hero in his hometown. As a member of the Louisa County Board of Supervisors, he was the first African-American elected to public office in the county. Across 98 years, he built a successful realty company, helped to save mortgages, paid for college scholarships and owned the local funeral home for 53 years, where he oversaw the burials of thousands of Virginians. When he died of an age-related illness on July 22, there was hardly anyone in Louisa County who had not been touched by his life. Other than his wife of more than 65 years, the Rev. Christine Thomasson, there is likely no one who knows his impact better than his successor, D.D. Watson Jr., who was handpicked by Mr. Thomasson to purchase and take over his funeral home business in 2004. And yet upon the death of Mr. Thomasson—a businessman, philanthropist, politician and public servant whose life and work was recognized this year in a proclamation from the Virginia Senate—the largest single gathering in his honor held barely 12 people. That’s because of government-imposed safety restrictions on public gatherings because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘I’m tired of fighting people who look like me’
Lt. Gov.-elect Winsome Sears rails against criticism she said is leveled against her by the Black community
Just days before Winsome Sears’ historic swearing in Saturday, Jan. 15, as Virginia’s first female lieutenant governor and the first African-American woman elected to statewide office in the Commonwealth, she sounds more like a woman under siege than someone poised to enter the history books.
U.S. Black Chambers launches ‘Buy-Black, Bank-Black’ initiative
It is the No.1 reason that black-owned businesses fail: Not enough money and not enough places to get it.
Variety of scams targeting all people of color, by Charlene Crowell
Just as the annual holiday season of shopping and celebrating nears, a major federal financial regulator released new research detailing how communities of color not only are targeted by well-known types of predatory lenders, but new forms of fraud seek to exploit consumers in the throes of the COVID- 19 pandemic.
China’s new policy threatening recycling in U.S.
At least half the cans, bottles, plastics and paper collected for recycling used to end up in one place — China. Now China has decided to stop accepting most of the recycled materials that it once purchased. And that decision is having huge ripple effects on recycling programs in Richmond, as well as other communities in this country and overseas.
Can Richmond afford 4 planned new schools?
One unanswered question hovers as the Richmond School Board and schools Superintendent Jason Kamras push the city to seek bids for new buildings to replace four aging schools: Can the city afford them?
Denying our humanity
It has been more than 400 years since the first Black people arrived in Virginia on the shores of what would become the United States of America. And more than 400 years later, we are still fighting for recognition of our humanity.
Rejected casino group threats legal challenge to city selection process
Dennis Cotto has spent much of his adult life fighting legal battles.
COVID-19 pandemic has brought the inequities faced by Black students into sharp focus
While the world has been focused on the growing numbers of COVID-19 causalities, the media has somewhat ignored the long-term educational and economic impacts of the pandemic, especially for Black students.
Officials stress equitable access for Blacks, Latinos to COVID-19 vaccine
Virginia is preparing for its first supply of COVID-19 vaccine to arrive in the next week or so, with 480,000 doses now expected with the first wave.
Free community testing for COVID-19 continues
The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following locations:
Free community testing for COVID-19 continues
The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following locations:
Praise, doubt as Facebook rolls out new prayer tool
Facebook already asks for your thoughts. Now it wants your prayers.
Information is knowledge, near and far
Virginia State University is one of six Black universities that will participate in a $2.5 million research and design project to build a framework for digital learning at HBCUs.
Free community testing for COVID-19 continues
The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following locations:
Free community testing for COVID-19 continues
The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following locations:
