Tuesday, March 31
Bishop T.D. Jakes uplifts Richmond audience
Bishop T.D. Jakes strutted, danced, shouted and spoke in hushed tones Saturday, adding a thunderous exclamation mark to the 2015 Transformation Expo, an annual faith gathering hosted by Radio One. Time and again, fiery exhortations by the 57-year-old, best-selling author and filmmaker who leads the 30,000-member Potter’s House church in Dallas drew the enthusiastic audience of about 4,500 people to its feet. They applauded and shouted approval during his moving one-hour message. The event, at the Richmond Coliseum, also featured about a dozen gospel artists.
Thursday, March 26
Song by local music minister up for Stellar Awards
James Johnson was aboard a plane last spring bound for a recording session with the Arkansas Gospel Mass Choir when inspiration struck. “I was looking out at the clouds, at his creation, and I was thinking about just how great God is,” he recalled. At that moment, Mr. Johnson, the minister of music at Richmond’s Cedar Street Baptist Church of God, wrote the verses and the end of the song, “You Alone.”
C’evon Jones wins NCAA track title
For years, C’evon Jones trained for a moment like this. And when the moment arrived, she was ready. The Virginia Union University sprinter won the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field title in the 60-meters competition March 14 in Birmingham, Ala. The junior from Pompano Beach, Fla., was timed at 7.35 seconds. Taking second place was Winston-Salem State University’s Raven Covington with 7.42 seconds.
Kind acts should be recognized
There are many acts of kindness in the Richmond community that I think go unrecognized and deserve more attention. I’d like to point out three that I know of: Eight-year-old Marty Cobb was killed last May trying to protect his 12-year-old sister from a sexual assault. He made the greatest sacrifice: He gave his life for his sister.
Racism is stupidity
There has been a lot in the news this past year about racism and hate crimes. But to me, racism is the stupidest kind of stupidity there is. I just cannot fathom hating someone because of the color of their skin.
Fight with ballots, not bullets
It’s time for another Revolutionary War. Not a violent conflict like the one that brought this country into existence, but instead one that should be fought with ballots, not bullets. The necessity for this new war of American liberation became clear to me just days after President Obama led a 50th anniversary march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., to celebrate the event that sparked Congress to pass the 1965 Voting Rights Act. That legislation opened the way for millions of disenfranchised voters — mostly black and Hispanic — to exercise this democracy’s most basic freedom. It provided federal protections to ensure that state and local governments did not create barriers to voting for black people and other minorities.
Black vote must count in Ferguson
Ferguson, Mo., will hold municipal elections April 7. The mayor and five of the six city council members are white. Three are up for re-election. Since Michael Brown was gunned down by former Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson on Aug. 9, the one loud refrain has been how could a city where African-Americans make up the overwhelming majority of the population be policed by a nearly all-white police force, and governed by a nearly all-white city administration? The thought was that the Brown slaying angered and engaged so many thousands that it was almost a done deal that the first chance black residents got they’d jam the polls and totally revamp city government in Ferguson.
Missed opportunity
Talk about a missed opportunity to put Richmond in the spotlight. We are talking about the celebration next week of the liberation of our city from the grip of slave power and the human oppression that was taken for granted since the nation’s founding. This should be a huge event. After all, Richmond was at the epicenter of a dramatic struggle for the soul of America. For four terrible years, the question of whether a flawed democratic nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all people are created equal was debated in blood and cannon fire.
Grayland’s pastor to preach his retirement sermon
The Rev. Clifton Whitaker Jr. says he is eternally grateful to the members of Grayland Baptist Church for allowing him to be their pastor. “They took a chance when they hired me,” he told the Free Press. “I was still a student in the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University. I had never pastored anywhere else before.” Now, 33 years later, it’s apparent the spiritual marriage between Rev. Whitaker and the congregation at 2301 Third Ave. on North Side was a match made in heaven.
U.S. Colored Troops re-enactors to march into Richmond for 150th anniversary events
A four-day commemoration in Richmond organized by a coalition of organizations called The Future of Richmond’s Past will mark the 150th anniversary of the liberation of Richmond, ending its role as the epicenter of the slave trade. A major highlight will be the “Blue Coats Parade,” starting 9:30 a.m. Saturday, April 4. It is a commemorative procession along East Main and Bank streets from Rockett’s Landing to the State Capitol to follow the route of the United States Colored Troops who led the Union Army in liberating Confederate-held Richmond. Re-enactors will march west along East Main Street, follow 14th Street to Bank Street and enter Capitol Square along 9th Street between 10:30 and 11 a.m. Contemporary military units will join the procession.
Personality: Coach R. Vance Harmon
Spotlight on the Henrico High Warriors’ winning coach
As a basketball player at Virginia Union University, R. Vance Harmon drew attention for his shooting, his passing, his passion for the sport … and, oh yes, for the color of his skin. One of only two Caucasians ever to suit up for the historically black university, Coach Harmon played for the Panthers from 1990 to 1993, and was a member of VUU’s 1992 NCAA Division II national championship team.
VCU falls in nail-biting overtime to Ohio State
Working overtime in the everyday world helps pay the bills. By contrast, working overtime in college basketball carries no guarantees and can often break your heart. For the second straight year, Virginia Commonwealth University trekked across the country only to lose its first-round NCAA Tournament game — in overtime — to an under-seeded foe. This time, it was to Ohio State University, 75-72, in Portland, Ore.
Hampton Pirates defeated in NCAA second round
Confronted by superior forces, Hampton University refused to surrender. The MEAC champions put forth a valiant effort — albeit in defeat — against intimidating, undefeated, top-ranked University of Kentucky March 19 in the NCAA Tournament’s second round. The HU Pirates actually led briefly in the early going, and played the Wildcats nearly even following intermission before bowing 79-56. The Pirates faced long odds and long players.
VSU receives big money gifts at Founder’s Day
Virginia State University has received a $100,000 gift from an alumnus to create an endowed scholarship honoring his late wife, Annase Wilks Hill. Charlie W. Hill, a 1966 graduate now living in Hampton, is the donor for the scholarship that will benefit young women seeking a career involving STEM fields — science, math, engineering and technology. The gift was announced March 18 during VSU’s Founder’s Day celebrating the 133rd anniversary of the university’s founding in 1882.
Aird to seek 63rd House District seat
A protégé of state Sen. Rosalyn R. Dance has jumped into the race for the 63rd House of Delegates District seat. Lashrecse Aird, 28, announced that she would compete with three other announced candidates for the Petersburg area seat that Sen. Dance previously held. The current delegate, Joseph E. Preston, is giving up the seat to challenge Sen. Dance in the June 9 Democratic primary.
Three candidates vying for 74th House District nomination
A three-way race is shaping up to replace former Henrico Delegate Joseph D. “Joe” Morrissey in the General Assembly. David Lambert, son of the late Benjamin J. Lambert, a former state senator, officially became a candidate this week. He announced Tuesday that he would challenge two other contenders — Henrico School Board member Lamont Bagby and the Rev. Leonidas B. “Lee” Young II.
Morrissey announces Senate bid as G.A. officials close his House office
Joseph D. “Joe” Morrissey once again is injecting drama into staid Virginia politics. In a fresh twist to his political career, the combative legislator quit the House of Delegates this week to begin his quest to replace incumbent Rosalyn R. Dance of Petersburg in the state Senate. His move comes barely two months after he defied Democratic and Republican House leaders and won a special election as an independent to keep his seat in the 74th House District after being convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a misdemeanor. That conviction forced him to commute to the legislature from jail on work release, the first Virginia delegate ever to do so.
Urban garden’s reach grows deeper into city’s ‘food deserts’
An urban garden that started out selling fresh produce and fruit at discount to two Richmond convenience stores will grow to serve 13 stores by this summer. But Tricycle Gardens wants to be more than a fresh food provider for Richmond’s food desert pockets. The nonprofit farm wants to be a magnet for grocery stores and farms in those pockets by highlighting the demand for fresh foods. “We want to show there’s a vibrant food community,” said Tricycle Gardens project manager Claire Sadeghzadeh.
Wednesday, March 25
Petersburg jail closing April 1
The Petersburg City Jail will be closing April 1. A final attempt by City Council foes to reverse the decision failed on a 4-3 vote Tuesday night.
Tuesday, March 24
Candidates lining up for June 9 primary
Three candidates have jumped into the race to replace Delegate Joseph E. Preston in the 63rd House District now that he is running for the state Senate. The Rev. Larry D. Brown Sr. of Dinwiddie County, Petersburg School Board member Atiba Muse and Petersburg businesswoman Gerry Rawlinson all have announced bids.
Friday, March 20
Hampton takes on No.1 Kentucky in NCAA
Hampton University is in position to make basketball history. After triumphantly clinching the MEAC title and winning its first-round game in the NCAA Tournament, the Pirates will play undefeated and No. 1 overall seed University of Kentucky on Thursday, March 19, in Louisville, Ky. Hampton is the 68th and last seed overall in the NCAA tournament. CBS will televise the game about 9:40 p.m. Thursday, March 19.
‘Living Legends Concert’ brings together decades of gospel talent
Maggie Ingram wore an angelic smile, her hands tightly clasped prayer-style as she sang. She was performing with Maggie Ingram and the Ingramettes, the gospel group she founded more than six decades ago. This was the “Living Legends Concert,” and the engaged audience of about 200 people at Thirty-first Street Baptist Church was most appreciative.
Bedden pushes back
Mayor Jones’ call to close schools met with resistance
Superintendent Dana T. Bedden is politely rebuffing Mayor Dwight C. Jones’ call for closing more schools and squeezing students into the remaining buildings. Instead, Dr. Bedden and his staff are telling the School Board that the only way to close existing buildings is for the city to invest tens of millions of dollars more in new buildings that could accommodate larger numbers of students.
Thursday, March 19
Warriors capture second state crown
Henrico High School has steered into basketball’s fast lane and shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. Coach Vance Harmon’s heavy-on-the-pedal Warriors sped to their second state title in three years March 14, blitzing Norview High School of Norfolk, 78-64, for the Virginia High School League’s 5A crown. Henrico High has reached three straight state finals and boasts arguably the commonwealth’s top college prospect in junior Monte Buckingham. With the one-sided win over Norview, Henrico finished the season 28-1.
Rams win Atlantic 10; head to NCAA West
The Virginia Commonwealth University Rams regained their rhythm in New York, winning four games in four days for their first Atlantic 10 Tournament title. Now the Rams must hope their “reward,” a cross-country trip to the NCAA, won’t throw them out of sync again. VCU, 26-9, is seeded seventh. They play Big 10 Conference member Ohio State University on Thursday, March 19, in the NCAA West Region game in Portland, Ore. Ohio State, 23-10, is the 10th seed.
Move may force Morrissey to lose House seat
Henrico Delegate Joseph D. “Joe” Morrissey might have to give up his current seat in the General Assembly. A provision of the Virginia Constitution would force Delegate Morrissey to resign from the House of Delegates if he proceeds, as anticipated, to challenge freshman Petersburg Sen. Rosalyn R. Dance in the 16th Senate District. It would be a startling outcome after the fight he waged to remain a delegate. He gained pariah status in the legislature because of his criminal conviction for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The conviction left him serving in the last General Assembly session on work release from a Henrico jail.
Public safety on front burner in mayor’s budget plan
Mayor Dwight C. Jones is proposing to pour millions of dollars into wage increases for city employees, most notably police officers and firefighters. He also wants to equip the police with body cameras and modernize the 911 emergency communications system at a cost of more $50 million.
School Board gives green light to charter school
Can Richmond Public Schools afford a pricey new charter school when it already claims to need tens of millions of dollars in additional spending to renovate, maintain and equip its 44 existing schools? Schools Superintendent Dana T. Bedden doesn’t think so. His leadership team recommended against approving the Metropolitan Preparatory Academy because the charter school’s supporters have not found a building to house it. Nor have they raised substantial funds to pay for a facility.
Controversial call shoots down victory for Lady Justices in semifinals
Seven was indeed a lucky number this winter for John Marshall High School girls’ basketball, and a most unlucky number for the Justices’ foes. Quality trumped quantity for the school on Richmond’s North Side. With a bare bones roster of seven, the Justices came within a referee’s controversial call of reaching the State 3A final. “We were seven strong,” said Coach Travis Richardson, Class of 1998. “Our motto was ‘Seven deep, no sleep.’ “We were determined not to rest until we achieved our goals.”
Former VCU basketball star Lamont ‘Monty’ Knight, 54
Richmond’s Thomas Jefferson High School and Virginia Commonwealth University basketball fans remember Lamont C. “Monty” Knight as the silky smooth guard who lit up the scoreboard with his high-hanging jump shot. He also could light up a room with his warm smile. Mr. Knight was an All-Metro player under Coach Dave Robbins at Thomas Jefferson High.
VUU’s Ruth C. Harris celebrated among 2015 Virginia Women in History
Dr. Ruth Coles Harris was the first African-American woman in Virginia to be certified as a public accountant. The great-granddaughter of slaves, she passed the two-day CPA examination in 1962, when fewer than 100 African-Americans across the nation were CPAs. Dr. Harris also taught in the Commerce Department at Virginia Union University for nearly 48 years and was the first director of the Sydney Lewis School of Business.
Personality: Coach Willard J. Coker
Spotlight on the Bulldogs’ inspiring championship leader
When people get slapped down, they have two basic options. They can accept their sad fate, throw a pity party, curse at the world and stay on their backsides. Or they can bounce back. George Wythe High School Coach Willard J. Coker is a bouncer.
George Wythe wins championship
Maliek White wore George Wythe High School basketball jersey No. 1 and Brandon Holley wore No. 2. Together, they formed a knockout combination that lifted the South Richmond team to its first state championship in the school’s 55-year history.
True winners
Congratulations to the city’s and region’s scholar-athletes and their coaches who already have made February-into-March Madness a basketball season to remember! Their hours of practice and discipline on the court have translated into victories in state and conference championships that have thrilled basketball fans across Virginia and beyond.
Bedden trouble?
Dr. Dana T. Bedden, Richmond’s public schools superintendent, is probably out of here. No, it’s not because he was a runner-up and not the winner of the Boston public school system’s top job. It’s because of the latest actions by possibly the two biggest burrs under his saddle — Mayor Dwight C. Jones and the Richmond School Board. Last Friday, Mayor Jones announced a $2.8 billion budget plan for the city for the next two years. His plan includes little more for the city’s public school system than it currently receives — roughly $136 million annually for operations.
Lynch confirmation needed now
On Nov. 8, 2014, President Obama nominated an outstanding prosecutor from the Eastern District of New York to be our nation’s next attorney general. It now has been more than four months since Loretta Lynch was nominated to lead the U.S. Department of Justice — a period longer than any attorney general nominee in the last three decades.
Level the education playing field
I am saddened and frustrated every time I hear about the academic achievement gulf that exists between black students and their white classmates in our nation’s public schools. I am saddened because I know that, without a quality education, the future for these children is bleak. I am frustrated because if we don’t do something now, we will continue to fail these children in a way that will cause irreparable harm to them, their families — both current and future — our communities and the world.
Power in the word
Performing spoken word helps 15-year-old Leslie Reyes deal with the gruesome death she witnessed at age 9 of a 16-year-old friend. With a steady voice, Leslie tells a packed audience of more than 100 people that she watched her best friend die from gunshot wounds in El Salvador. She tells the room of mostly strangers about the “blood-covered gauze and stitched up holes on his shoulder and leg.”
‘Do Something’ awards presented this weekend
Twenty-one people will be honored this weekend for their impact on the Richmond community. The honorees will be presented with the first “Do Something” awards from two nonprofits, The Disciples Journey and The Dream Makers Academy. The goal of the awards is “to create an awareness of organizations and people who are making a difference and to move others to take action,” said Ervin Johnson, founder and director of the two organizations.
Broadway returns to Richmond this fall
The Grand Ballroom of Richmond’s Altria Theater was turned into a mini musical last week with a preview of the 2015-16 “Broadway in Richmond” season. About 100 subscribers to the series and media representatives were treated to lively performances by talented cast members from three of the five upcoming shows that will run from November through May at the Altria Theater. The performances had the audience dancing in their seats.
Local input sought on Shockoe Bottom
Wanted: Community involvement in creating a new development plan for Shockoe Bottom. An activist group is seeking public input now that Mayor Dwight C. Jones’ plan for a new baseball stadium in Shockoe Bottom appears to be going nowhere. The mayor’s combo baseball-development plan has been on hold for 10 months after failing to win City Council support. The Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality, which battled the mayor’s plan as an effort to erase the history of slavery in Richmond, announced it would hold several brainstorming sessions in the next few days to solicit public suggestions for the historical and commercial development of Shockoe Bottom, an epicenter of the slave trade before the Civil War.
Transformation Expo at Coliseum
Renowned preacher, author, filmmaker and entrepreneur Bishop T.D. Jakes is coming to Richmond this weekend. The 57-year-old pastor at the 30,000-member The Potter’s House church in Dallas is scheduled to speak at the annual 2015 Transformation Expo 4 p.m. Saturday, March 21, at the Richmond Coliseum in Downtown. Doors open at 11 a.m. for the expo, which is scheduled from noon to 5 p.m. Organizer Radio One describes it as “a day of empowerment, education and entertainment.”
‘The Gong Show’ dancer succumbs
Eugene Patton, the stagehand who earned fame as “Gene Gene The Dancing Machine” on NBC’s quirky television talent program “The Gong Show,” has died, his family announced. He died Monday, March 9, 2015, in Pasadena, Calif., after suffering from diabetes, his family said. He was 82. The show, hosted by creator and producer Chuck Barris, featured acts by amateurs who auditioned for three celebrity judges. The judges would bang a gong onstage to send the bad acts packing. The show aired from 1976 to 1978.
Rovenia Vaughan, former president of Virginia NAACP
Rovenia Vaughan was a trailblazing member of the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP. In 1999, she was the first woman to be elected president of the state’s largest civil rights organization. The state branch was started in the 1930s. “Once the ballots were counted, I felt the delegates had spoken and my past service to the organization was the reason I was elected,” she said when featured as the Free Press Personality in the Nov. 11-13, 1999, edition.
Saturday, March 14
VUU women’s coach resigns; men’s coach under evaluation
Barvenia Wooten-Cherry has resigned after five seasons as Virginia Union University women’s basketball coach. Her Lady Panthers were 9-18 overall this past season, 4-12 in the CIAA and advanced to the second round of the recent conference tournament in Charlotte, N.C. In accepting Coach Wooten-Cherry’s resignation, VUU Athletic Director Joe Taylor applauded her for her efforts, but noted that college coaching is a bottom-line occupation. “Off the court, Coach Wooten-Cherry did a lot to assure it was a good experience for her players,” said Taylor. “But at this level, it’s about wins and losses.”
Friday, March 13
High court’s war on President Obama
U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts was lambasted as a turncoat, traitor and betrayer by conservatives when he cast the deciding fifth vote in 2012 upholding the constitutional soundness of the Affordable Care Act. This allowed states and the federal government to put in an array of measures to fully implement the act. That didn’t end the matter. Conservatives dug deep and found a provision buried in the law that purports that only states and not the federal government can set up insurance exchanges. The case is King vs. Burwell. If the court upholds the challenge, it would nullify the subsidies in the form of IRS approved tax credits that the millions of people who signed up for coverage in those states receive.
Thursday, March 12
George Wythe High driving toward state championship
In 1975, Willard Coker was an up-tempo, high-energy guard who led Winston-Salem’s R.J. Reynolds High School to the state championship in North Carolina. Now, 40 years later, Coach Coker — still brimming with energy — is close to winning another high school state title state, this time as coach. Coach Coker’s fast-breaking George Wythe High School Bulldogs were playing unbeaten Spotswood High School of Rockingham County in the State 3A finals at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Siegel Center at press time for the Free Press on Wednesday, March 11. The Wythe Bulldogs improved to 25-4 on Tuesday, March 10, by cruising past Northside High School near Roanoke, 78-57. Coach Coker “let the Dogs out” at just the right time for peak perfection.
Prospects dim on third city charter school
Plenty of words are expected to be spilled next week when supporters and foes of a proposed boys-only charter school appear before the Richmond School Board to speak about the combination middle-high school. But the public hearing that the Richmond School Board has scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, March 16, could be an exercise in futility for charter school organizers such as Tunya Bingham, a corporate tax expert who has spent three years trying to get the Metropolitan Preparatory Academy open.
Selma march inspires Richmonder
Rita Willis said she was overcome with emotion when she reached the top of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., late Sunday afternoon. “I just broke down and cried,” the 65-year-old Henrico County resident said. Ms. Willis was among the tens of thousands of people from across the nation — including President Obama, his family, dignitaries and foot soldiers from the time — who assembled in Selma last weekend to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the “Bloody
Preston to challenge Dance for Senate seat
In a surprise move, Joseph E. Preston announced this week he would give up the seat he recently won in the House of Delegates and challenge freshman Sen. Rosalyn R. Dance in the16th Senate District that stretches from Richmond’s East End to the Petersburg area. Delegate Preston’s decision comes barely two months after he replaced Sen. Dance as the representative for the 63rd House District. It also appears fueled, in part, by a dispute he and Sen. Dance have over the choice of the first African-American judge for the Petersburg Circuit Court.
Dreams deferred
Hopewell brothers jailed 72 days until charges dropped
At first, the story seems all too familiar. Two Hopewell teenagers rob two pedestrians at gunpoint near a private school, but are quickly caught when responding police officers scour the area and arrest them a few minutes later as they are buying sodas and pastries at a nearby convenience store. With police boasting about having strong evidence, the teenage brothers are kept in jail for two and a half months — twice refused bond because they are charged with a crime of violence involving a weapon. But just as suddenly, the case evaporates. The evidence does not stand up, and the brothers are freed to resume their lives.
Movie screening to raise money for Sudan refugees
Virginia Commonwealth University is hosting a screening of the movie “The Good Lie” 4 p.m. Saturday, March 21, at the VCU Commons Theater. The goal is to raise money to aid Sudanese refugees living in camps across the Sudan border in Gambela, Ethiopia, according to Manyang Reath Kher, founder and CEO of the Henrico County-based Humanity Helping Sudan Project. The group is organizing the fundraiser. An estimated 200,000 Sudanese now live in such refugee camps, Mr. Kher said.
Sen. McEachin to speak at Garland Ave. Men’s Day
Fresh from serving as chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus in the recently adjourned Virginia General Assembly’s 2015 legislative session, Sen. A. Donald McEachin, D-Henrico County, will wear his ministerial hat at a North Side church’s Men’s Day celebration this weekend.
Personality: Samantha Thompson
Spotlight on founder and president of Esteem Teens
Samantha Thompson tries to pass along to youngsters one of the most valuable lessons she learned growing up in the Fairfield Court public housing community in Richmond’s East End. That lesson: “It doesn’t matter where you come from. Anyone can overcome those obstacles to succeed.” She founded Esteem Teens, a nonprofit mentoring group, in 2008 to impart that uplifting message to youths living in disadvantaged communities in the city. “We share our stories with the kids to do and be more than their physical address,” says Ms. Thompson, who serves as president of the organization.
Ferguson’s double message
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder’s Ferguson investigation offers plenty for both sides of this dispute to hate. Seven months after the shooting of unarmed black teen Michael Brown by former white Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson sparked national protests and a #BlackLivesMatter movement, U.S. Justice Department sleuths found enough evidence to let the cop off the hook but indicted the criminal justice system in which he worked. That’s enraging to Michael Brown’s family and many protesters nationwide who wanted to see Mr. Wilson prosecuted. But the evidence kept pointing the other way, said Mr. Holder, who would hardly be called an apologist for police abuse or racial profilers.
The Arena brings back memories
Re “Hoop Dreams: Playing at The Arena was ‘big time,’” Feb. 26-28 edition: Kudos to the Richmond Free Press for its article by Fred Jeter. It was a jewel!
Little similarity seen in today’s immigrants
The executive action President Obama was pressured into last fall was nothing short of a third amnesty for illegal immigrants. Ordinarily, it wouldn’t be a sound policy, but it was politically savvy for advocates to compare the unjust treatment against black Americans to help elevate public interest.
Selma
Excerpts from President Obama’s speech at the 50th anniversary of the Selma marches
There are places and moments in America where this nation’s destiny has been decided. Selma is such a place. In one afternoon 50 years ago, so much of our turbulent history — the stain of slavery and anguish of civil war; the yoke of segregation and tyranny of Jim Crow; the death of four little girls in Birmingham; and the dream of a Baptist preacher — all that history met on this bridge. It was not a clash of armies, but a clash of wills; a contest to determine the true meaning of America. And because of men and women like John Lewis, Joseph Lowery, Hosea Williams, Amelia Boynton, Diane Nash, Ralph Abernathy, C.T. Vivian, Andrew Young, Fred Shuttlesworth, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and so many others, the idea of a just America and a fair America, an inclusive America, and a generous America — that idea ultimately triumphed.
Horace Fisher III, 66, longtime music teacher
Horace Fisher III was raised with an abiding love of music. “He told me his mother, Gertrude Anderson Fisher, would play music as she cleaned the house on Saturdays and they would sing to the music,” said his wife, Brenda C. Fisher. “And his father, Horace Fisher Jr., liked classical music.” Her husband, Mrs. Fisher said, also loved old musicals. Drawing from his deep affection for music, Mr. Fisher taught band and chorus in Richmond Public Schools for 35 years. He also acted locally and nationally in theater productions for three decades.
Activist to speak on faith, politics
Activist and author the Rev. Osagyefo Uhuru Sekou will share his experience protesting in Ferguson, Mo., and the role of faith in political activism 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 19, at Good Shepherd Baptist Church, 1127 N. 28th St. in Richmond. Rev. Sekou, a 2014 visiting scholar at the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University, is the author of “urbansouls,” a collection of essays about at-risk youths in St. Louis, and “God, Gays, and Guns: Essays on Religion and the Future of Democracy.”
CIAA teams face tough competition in NCAA play
The CIAA men’s and women’s basketball champions have drawn daunting assignments for their NCAA Division II first round games in the Atlantic Region. Virginia State University’s women’s basketball team is seeded eighth — and last — and will play at first seed California University of Pennsylvania on Friday, March 13. Livingstone College’s men’s basketball team, also seeded eighth, will play Saturday, March 14, at top seed West Liberty University in Wheeling, W.Va.
Churches battling Selma’s ongoing problem — poverty
The world’s eyes were again on this small Alabama city, the epicenter of the voting rights battle 50 years ago. However, the crippling poverty that faith and community leaders grapple with daily was largely overlooked amid the commemoration of the long ago fight to end the exclusion of black people from the ballot box. For those who live here, the big march and the powerful words of President Obama were a passing moment with little impact on conditions. As Pastor Reginald Wells put it in considering the spotlight that Selma has been in, “We’re not benefiting. Oprah (Winfrey) was just here. They just filmed the movie ‘Selma’ here and the world is enjoying Selma” this weekend.
Concert kicks off church’s centennial
Founded in 1915, Thirty-first Street Baptist Church is kicking off its centennial celebration with a “Living Legends Concert.” The evening of music is scheduled for 5 p.m. Saturday, March 14, at the church at 823 N. 31st St. in the East End, the church’s pastor, Dr. Morris Henderson, has announced.
Male choruses perform this weekend
Soul-stirring gospel music will fill the air at Hood Temple A.M.E. Zion Church in Jackson Ward this weekend. The church, led by the Rev. Tony D. Henderson, will celebrate the 57th anniversary of the Hood Temple Male Chorus 4 p.m. Sunday, March 15, with performances by the church’s and other visiting choruses.
Varina church hosts men’s conference
A Virginia state senator, a former field director for the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr.’s Rainbow PUSH Coalition and a former executive director at the Virginia State Conference NAACP are among a diverse array of speakers slated for Antioch Baptist Church’s men’s conference this weekend. The conference is free. Sessions will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, March 13; 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 14; and 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 15.
NCCU favored in MEAC tourney
North Carolina Central University is the heavy favorite to repeat as the MEAC basketball champion Saturday at the Norfolk Scope. The final game of the 13-school event is set for 1 p.m., with live ESPN2 coverage.
VCU opens March 12 in Atlantic 10 Tournament
The chase is on as Virginia Commonwealth University heads to Brooklyn, N.Y. VCU is trying to run down its first Atlantic 10 basketball title, while Rams senior Treveon Graham remains in pursuit of the university’s all-time scoring record. The more the Rams win, the greater Graham’s chances. VCU, 22-9, opens A-10 tournament play 2:30 p.m. Thursday, March 12, against the play-in survivor between George Mason and Fordham universities.
Wednesday, March 11
Morrissey to endorse ex-mayor for delegate
Delegate Joseph D. “Joe” Morrissey is once again a free man, and he’s busy with political plans. The first Virginia legislator to serve while in jail, he turned in his ankle bracelet and ended his term at the Henrico County Jail-East in New Kent County at 6 a.m. Tuesday, according to Sheriff Michael Wade. He had been serving a six-month sentence on his misdemeanor conviction of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, but jail rules cut that to 90 days. He spent his nights in jails, but was able to serve at the General Assembly and practice law during the day while on work release.
Tuesday, March 10
3 receive scholarships in Jail-VCU program
Three current and former inmates at the Richmond Justice Center have won the first scholarships awarded through the city jail’s unique college programs. Christian Brackett, Pinetta Fleming and William “Billy” Scruggs were awarded scholarships for a class at Virginia Commonwealth University, which partners with the jail in a college-level program called Open Minds.
RRHA reviewing new sites to relocate Fay Towers
The Frederic A. Fay Towers once again seem to be upholding the city housing authority’s reputation for slow-moving development projects. Instead of breaking ground last summer as promised, the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority is still struggling to determine the site where it will build a replacement for the aging high-rise in Gilpin Court, just north of Downtown.
$3M plus to former inmate
Stefan Woodson nearly died from a heat stroke in July 2012 while serving time in the old Richmond City Jail. Left mentally and physically disabled, the former Marine has agreed to accept more than $3 million from the City of Richmond and Richmond Sheriff C.T. Woody Jr. to settle his federal lawsuit that charged the damage he suffered resulted from inadequate care that amounted to “cruel and unusual punishment.” The settlement disclosed by Mr. Woodson’s attorneys ranks among the largest ever in a Virginia case involving inmate health issues. The city has not issued any comment, nor has the Sheriff’s Office.
FOIA request filed, possibly leading to Elkhardt suit
Did Richmond Public Schools officials ignore potential health dangers from mold at Elkhardt Middle School long before the South Side school was shut down and the students transferred to the former Clark Springs Elementary School? That’s what attorneys for a group of parents, teachers and staff members want to find out in laying the groundwork for a possible lawsuit.
Bagby to seek 74th House seat
Lamont Bagby is giving up his seat on the Henrico School Board to run for the Virginia House of Delegates. Mr. Bagby, 38, announced Wednesday he will again seek the Democratic nomination for the 74th House District, the district that Delegate Joe Morrissey now represents. The district includes a sliver of Richmond, the eastern part of Henrico County and all of Charles City County.
Hicks to become city judge July 1
It’s official. David M. Hicks, Mayor Dwight C. Jones’ senior policy adviser, is going to be a judge in Richmond. The General Assembly elected him Feb. 25 to the Richmond General District Court bench, effective July 1, for a six-year term.
Thursday, March 5
Bedden to stay in Richmond
“Everyone should check your emails,” Richmond School Board member Jeffrey M. Bourne eagerly alerted his colleagues late Tuesday afternoon prior to a hastily called board budget meeting. The six other board members in attendance then quickly turned to their hand-held electronic devices and scrolled to an email sent to them by Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Dana T. Bedden at 5:07 p.m.
Home sweet home?
Trailer park under pressure for repairs
Is the city on a code enforcement witch hunt to force vulnerable Latino citizens and other poor people to move from their mobile homes, which are for many a residence of last resort? Or are code enforcement officers merely fulfilling their duties by issuing a plethora of violations to residents at selected mobile home parks they deem hazardous to ensure they upgrade their homes for safe habitation? The answer depends on whom you ask. This week, officers from the city’s Bureau of Permits and Inspections began trailer-by-trailer inspections at the 106-unit Mobile Towne Mobile Home Park off Old Midlothian Turnpike. Mobile Towne, like many of the city’s eight other mobile home parks, has a large Latino population.
Ferguson police created ‘toxic environment’
Federal probe reveals racial bias, injustices aimed at African-Americans; cop cleared in death of Michael Brown
WASHINGTON A U.S. Justice Department investigation found sweeping patterns of racial bias within the Ferguson, Mo., police department that targeted African-Americans and created a “toxic environment,” with officers routinely using excessive force, issuing petty citations and making baseless traffic stops against them. But even in the face of a plethora of problems, the federal probe cleared a former white police officer in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager there, Attorney General Eric Holder said Wednesday.
VSU women bring home CIAA crown
Virginia State University’s women’s basketball team picked the right time and right place for its best basketball of the season. The Trojans not only won their first CIAA tournament since 2002, they won in a blowout, routing Lincoln University 73-49 at Charlotte’s Time Warner Cable Arena. In the semifinals, VSU drubbed Shaw University 69-47, denying the Bears a shot at a fifth consecutive crown. Now VSU will carry an overall 20-9 record into the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Tournament. Pairings will be announced March 8.
City betting millions on brewery
In its California hometown, Stone Brewery is a standout in San Diego’s burgeoning craft beer market, with Stone’s two beer gardens ranking as important tourist lures. The company boasts that only the renowned San Diego Zoo and the LEGOLAND amusement park attract more visitors to the Navy port city with 4 million people in the metropolitan area or four times the population of metro Richmond.
Crutcher hailed as new UR president
The historic nature of the appointment of Dr.Ronald A. Crutcher as the next president of the University of Richmond was not lost on people attending last Friday’s public ceremony at the Robins Center to welcome him to campus. Dr. Crutcher, accompanied by his wife, Dr. Betty Neal Crutcher, and their adult daughter, Sara, received a standing ovation from the audience of about 1,500. The Cincinnati native, renowned classical cellist and president emeritus of Wheaton College in Massachusetts is the 10th president and the first African-American selected to lead the private, liberal arts university, which was founded in 1830. He will succeed current President Edward L. Ayers on July 1.
NSU has hometown advantage
If any team seems capable of derailing the rumbling freight train that is North Carolina Central University, it might be Norfolk State University. At least the NSU Spartans will have the hometown advantage March 9 through 14 for the MEAC Tournament at the Norfolk Scope. NSU (18-11, 11-3 starting the week) has confidence from hold- ing juggernaut NCCU to a nervous 60-56 on Jan. 17 at NSU’s Echols Hall. The Eagles from Durham, N.C., started this week 21-6 overall and 13-0 in MEAC. During the last three seasons, North Carolina Central is a commanding 43-2 against its league foes.
Report shows solutions to end child poverty
It is a national moral disgrace that there are 14.7 million poor children, including 6.5 million extremely poor children, in the United States of America — one of the world’s richest nations. It also is unnecessary, costly and the greatest threat to our future national, economic and military security. Ending Child Poverty Now, a new report released by The Children’s Defense Fund, calls for an end to child poverty with a 60 percent reduction immediately. It shows solutions to end child poverty in our nation already exist.
State legislature bent to Dominion’s pressure
According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Richmond ranks No. 1 among the 100 most challenging places to live with asthma in the United States. But you’d never know that by the way the Virginia General Assembly deals with legislation sought by Dominion Virginia Power.
Dems need winning formula
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel just got spanked. Despite a campaign war chest of more than $15 million and the support of President Obama, the former congressman and White House chief of staff could not avoid a runoff in the non-partisan election. Garnering 45 percent of the vote to runner-up Jesus “Chuy” Garcia’s 34 percent, he did not clear the 50 percent bar for victory. Mr. Emanuel, the darling of the mainstream Democratic Party, has earned the dubious distinction of being in the first Chicago mayoral runoff in nearly 20 years. He also runs the risk of being the first incumbent mayor ousted since Harold Washington beat Jane Byrne in 1983.
The GOP’s acting-the-fool dynamic
Among the formal definitions for “acting the fool” is: One who is deficient in judgment, sense or understanding. Perhaps the dictionaries should add a new one: Today’s Republican Party. February was a great month for those who think the GOP has become a dustbin of ideological extremists with no commitment to actually getting things done in Washington, elected officials easily led into ethically questionable dealings, and office-holding crackpots with bizarre beliefs about some of the most important issues of the day.
To the quiet heroes
Our thoughts turn to Earl Lloyd, the Virginia native who, in October 1950, became the first African-American to play in the NBA. Mr. Lloyd died last week at age 86. Growing up in Alexandria, he played basketball in the run-down facilities of a segregated high school that had no gymnasium. Basketball was played in the auditorium. In college at West Virginia State, he played in the CIAA, helping his team to championships in 1948 and 1949.
Whipping up war, disrespect
If we needed further proof of the Republican disrespect shown to President Obama, the nation witnessed the latest insult Tuesday with the visit of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington, where he addressed a joint session of Congress. His appearance was at the invitation of House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican who flouted protocol and decency by neither consulting nor informing the White House first.
Postage stamp to honor poet Maya Angelou
The U.S. Postal Service will honor Maya Angelou, the beloved late poet, author, educator and champion of equality, with a Forever Stamp. “Maya Angelou inspired our nation through a life of advocacy and through her many contributions to the written and spoken word,” said Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan. “Her wide-ranging achievements as a playwright, poet, memoirist, educator and advocate for justice and equality enhanced our culture.”
Royal fashion show at VSU
Virginia State University will host a Spring Fling “Royals” Fashion Show, a royalty-themed event, from 6 to 9 p.m. March 15 at Daniel Gymnasium on campus. Six local designers and 33 student models will show off clothing inspired by the prestige and glamour of kings and queens, said program coordinator Jairamie King. Trendy styles, ranging from graphic T-shirts and hoodies to floor- length gowns, will be showcased.
Virginia native Earl Lloyd integrated the NBA
Earl Lloyd, a Virginia native who was among the early stars of the annual CIAA tournament and the first African-American to play in the NBA, has died. Mr. Lloyd, 86, was living in Crossville, Tenn., with his wife, Charlita, at the time of his death Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015. Mr. Lloyd became the first African-American to play in an NBA game on Oct. 31, 1950, when he took the floor for the Washington Capitols.
Baptist Ministers’ Conference to host 4-day citywide revival
The Baptist Ministers’ Conference of Richmond and Vicinity is hosting its annual citywide revival. The Metro Revival will be Monday, March 9, through Thursday, March 12, at Cedar Street Baptist Church of God, 2301 Cedar St. in Church Hill.
Federal appeals court upholds ban on prison ‘religion’
Freedom of religion goes only so far in prison — particularly when safety and security are involved. That’s why a Virginia prison inmate has lost a federal court battle to force prison officials to recognize Nation of Gods and Earths as a religion rather than as a gang. In a decision released Feb. 27, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond rejected Infinite Allah’s suit to overturn prison barriers to NGE as a violation of the federal religious freedom law covering prisoners. Instead, the appeals court upheld a lower court decision that the Virginia prison ban on NGE represents the “least restrictive means of furthering” the compelling government interest in preventing the prison disruption that NGE could cause.
General Assembly ends with stronger ethics law
Virginia’s 2015 legislative session is over. Lawmakers adjourned last Friday after passing legislation at the last minute aimed at tightening the state’s ethics rules for public officials and curbing sexual assaults on Virginia’s college campuses. The ethics reform proposal puts a $100 cap on gifts lawmakers can accept — including meals, entertainment and travel — from lobbyists and their clients, or others seeking to do business with the state. Lawmakers were spurred to reform the state’s ethics rules following the conviction last year of former Gov. Bob McDonnell on federal corruption charges.
Personality: Dana A. Kuhn
Spotlight on founder of nonprofit that helps ill afford medications
Dr. Dana A. Kuhn understands the terrible toll expensive chronic illnesses can take on families and their loved ones. “While providing counseling for families, I observed their emotional, psychological and financial struggles,” the Midlothian resident says. “One family I counseled was forced to live off of one income because one parent had to become their child’s primary caretaker. “They had to sell their home and eventually divorced so their child, whose condition continued to worsen, could qualify for health care under Medicaid. Not only did they lose their child, they were financially ruined. No family should experience that.”
VCU Rams on the road at Davidson
Not so long ago, Virginia Commonwealth University basketball was sailing along smoothly. Now the Rams have hit choppy waters. Agonizing, back-to-back losses at the University of Richmond (67-63 in double overtime) and at home against the University of Dayton (59-55) have knocked the Rams out of the national poll and the Atlantic 10 Conference lead. VCU enters its Thursday, March 5, date at Davidson College in a must-win situation regarding the league’s regular season title and with a first-round A-10 Conference tournament bye in question. Only the top four institutions receive byes into the tournament quarterfinals.
Livingstone wins CIAA men’s championship
For decades, Livingstone College’s Blue Bears were little more than commoners in CIAA basketball. Today, they’re kings. In fact, the Blue Bears now have a second crown to wear atop their first one. The jump shooters from Salisbury, N.C., are back-to-back tournament champs after blitzing Winston-Salem State University 106-91 in last Saturday’s CIAA title game at Charlotte’s Time Warner Cable Arena.
