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Misinformation ‘devastating’ to African-American community
Journalist, author and lecturer A. Peter Bailey does not count himself among the fans of the popular, award-winning movie “Straight Outta Compton,” which chronicles the rise and fall of the legendary gangster rap group N.W.A. “I refuse to go see it,” he told about 40 people at the 4th Annual State of Black America Address for Central Virginia on Saturday at Thirty-first Street Baptist Church in the East End.
Trump: The GOP’s Frankenstein
President Obama has seen this horror movie before. His political opponents not only distorted his positions when he first ran for president, but deliberately lied about his place of birth, asserting that because he — according to their fiction — was not a U.S. citizen, he was not qualified to be president.
Gov. Northam acknowledges his own uncomfortable truths
Nearly a year after public revelations of racist photos published on his medical school yearbook page, Gov. Ralph S. Northam offered a mea culpa at Virginia Union University’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Community Leaders Breakfast and acknowledged the lessons he has learned confronting some of his own painful truths.
RPS students, families celebrate at ‘different’ graduation ceremonies
There was no glitz and glamour or boisterous cheering typical at graduations, but students in the Class of 2020 at two Richmond high schools had the adoration and cheers of family Tuesday when they accepted their diplomas during ceremonies that practiced social distancing.
School Board adopts new rezoning plan without pairing schools
After more than five hours and some heated discussions, the Richmond School Board voted 5-4 on Monday to accept a rezoning plan that would redraw school attendance boundaries in all parts of Richmond, along with other recommendations.
Richmond delegates expected to have greater clout in upcoming General Assembly
At least four Richmond area delegates to the Virginia General Assembly are poised to gain increased clout when the new Democratic majority takes control of both the House of Delegates and the state Senate when the 2020 legislative session opens in January.
A young girl’s hair loss inspires children’s book
Taylor Ellis never missed a day as a student at Carver Elementary School, and when she graduated from the Richmond Public School three weeks ago, she did so with a 3.9 grade point average, the highest in her class.
Renewed Poor People’s Campaign starts first of several national actions
The renewed version of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s campaign to lift poor people held its first national mobilization, with actions and events Monday in 32 states and the nation’s capital.
Billions for Boeing; pennies for people, by Julianne Malveaux
The development of the $2.2 trillion stimulus package was extremely flawed.
New Capitol Square monument honors Virginia’s native tribes
Leaders of Virginia’s Native American tribes joined Gov. Ralph S. Northam, members of the Virginia Indian Commemorative Commission, state legislators, dignitaries and state residents Tuesday morning to dedicate a new monument in Capitol Square honoring Virginia’s first inhabitants.
Saying goodbye
More than 1,000 people from across Metro Richmond came out to honor the life of 9-year-old Markiya Dickson, the Chesterfield County third-grader who was shot and killed at Carter Jones Park in South Side during the Memorial Day Weekend.
VUU homecoming promises football, fun next week
“Panthers: Wild with Pride” is the theme for Virginia Union University’s 2017 homecoming festivities that begin Wednesday, Oct. 25. The five-day event promises something for everyone, including a Motown costume party, Chicago-style step dancing and a salute to the university’s “Golden Class of 1967.”
Sportscaster Herm Edwards named head coach at Arizona State
Herm Edwards is taking his football expertise from the broadcast booth back to the sidelines. An ESPN personality on NFL Live since 2009, Edwards was named head coach at Arizona State University. “I’m here to build a program on top of the foundation that’s already been built here,” he said in his introductory news conference on Dec. 4 in Tempe, Ariz. “We’re here to be relevant in the Pacific 12.”
Rep. A. Donald McEachin energizes crowd at Community Leaders Breakfast
Congressman A. Donald McEachin got serious — and spiritual — very quickly last Friday as he launched his keynote address at Virginia Union University’s 40th Annual Community Leaders Breakfast.
Justice groups press for independent police oversight panel
A coalition of justice groups is calling for the Richmond Police Department to create a civilian review board with the authority to investigate complaints against police officers.
Recount expected in 3 House of Delegates races
Democrats remain two seats short of taking control of the 100-member Virginia House of Delegates based on official local counts completed Tuesday.
College presidents on antisemitism, by Annie Ma
Over five hours at a con- gressional hearing, lawmakers pressed the presidents of Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and MIT on the topic of anti- semitism. In some instances, they were unable to say whether calls for the genocide of Jews would violate their schools’ conduct policies. The backlash started almost immediately. Penn’s leader stepped down within days. Har- vard’s presi- dent was on the hot seat for nearly a week before a university gov- erning board announced she would stay on the job. R e p u b l i - cans and Dem- ocrats alike criticized responses the presidents gave at the Dec. 5 hearing of a U.S. House committee on antisemitism on college campuses. In particular, the uproar centered on a line of questioning from Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who repeatedly asked how each university’s code of conduct would handle calls for the genocide of Jews. Early in the questioning, Rep. Stefanik asked the presi- dents about chants for “intifada,” an Arabic word for “uprising” or “resistance.” Rep. Stefanik equated calls for an intifada as a call for a global Jewish genocide. Here is a look at the testimony given by Claudine Gay, of Har- vard, Liz Magill of Penn, and Sally Kornbluth of MIT. Liz Magill of PENN During the hearing, Rep. Ste- fanik asked Ms. Magill, “Does calling for the genocide of Jews violate Penn’s rules or code of conduct? Yes or no?” Ms. Magill repeatedly de- clined to give a yes or no answer. She emphasized the university’s policies considered whether “speech turns into conduct,” in which case it would be consid- ered harassment. Rep. Stefanik continued to demand a definitive answer. Ms. Magill responded that if speech were “directed and severe, pervasive, it is harassment,” and that whether a student would be punished is “a context-dependent decision.” That answer became a flash- point of the criticism of Ms. Magill. The day after the hearing, Ms. Magill said in a video statement released by the university that a call for the genocide of Jewish people would be considered harassment or intimidation. Still, Penn alumni and donors increased pressure on the board for Ms. Magill to resign, a cam- paign that dated to earlier in the fall, when the university allowed a Palestinian literary festival to take place on campus despite allegations that some speakers had shown antisemitism in other comments. Amid growing pressure from donors who said they would pull money from the university, Ms. Magill and board chairman Scott Bok resigned. Claudine Gay of Harvard Dr. Gay, the first Black woman president of the 400-year-old university, also was asked by Rep. Stefanik whether similar speech would violate Harvard’s policies. She gave a similar response to Ms. Magill, emphasizing that context and whether the speech turned into conduct would factor into any disciplinary decisions. “Antisemitic rhetoric, when it crosses into conduct, that amounts to bullying, harassment, intimidation. That is actionable conduct, and we do take action,” Dr. Gay said. “So the answer is yes. That calling for the genocide of Jews violates Harvard’s Code of Con- duct. Correct?” Rep. Stefanik asked. Dr. Gay reiterated that it depended on the context. “It does not does not depend on the context,” Rep. Stefanik responded. “The answer is yes, and this is why you should resign.” A day after the hearing, Dr. Gay condemned calls for violence against Jewish students in a state- ment posted by the university to X, formerly Twitter. Sally Kornbluth of MIT Dr. Kornbluth also was ques- tioned by Rep. Stefanik about policies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She responded by saying speech targeted at individuals, not public statements, would be considered a violation of bullying and harass- ment policies. Rep. Stefanik then asked, “Yes or no: Calling for the genocide of Jews does not constitute bullying and harassment?” Dr. Kornbluth responded that she had not “heard calling for the genocide of Jews on our campus.” Rep. Stefanik then asked Dr. Kornbluth whether she had heard demonstrators calling for an intifada. Palestinians have launched two intifadas against Israel — one in the late 1980s and one in the early 2000s. Both were to protest Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and both involved violence. But since Hamas’ massacre in Israel in October, some Jews have interpreted calls for globalizing the intifada as a call for broader attacks against Jews. “I’ve heard chants which can be antisemitic, depending on the context when calling for the elimination of the Jewish people,” Rep. Kornbluth said. Speech would be investigated as harassment if it were “pervasive and severe,” she said. In a written note to the MIT community two days after the hearing, the chair of the MIT Corporation signaled the execu- tive committee’s support for Rep. Kornbluth, who is Jewish. “She has done excellent work in lead- ing our community, including in addressing antisemitism, Islamo- phobia, and other forms of hate, all of which we reject utterly at MIT,” the statement said. The writer covers education, race and ethnicity for the Associ-
‘Silence is violence’
Pastor and author Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil talks about racial justice and faith
Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil has been on stages, in classrooms and pulpits, preaching for decades about bridging racial divides. In her new book, “Becoming Brave — Finding the Courage to Pursue Racial Justice Now,” the associate professor of reconciliation at Seattle Pacific University said there is no more time to wait.
Dick Gregory: What is seen and unseen
The celebration of the life of Dick Gregory on Sept. 16 at the City of Praise Family Ministries in Landover, Md., was more than seven hours of eclectic diversity, from a serenade by Native Americans to a musical tribute by Ayanna Gregory, Mr. Gregory’s daughter, and Stevie Wonder, to speakers MSNBC’s Lawrence O’ Donnell and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, to the fiery Rep. Maxine Waters, who vowed to help impeach that “thing” in the White House.
