Tribute planned for civil rights leader Maggie L. Walker
The National Park Service will honor Maggie Lena Walker’s 160th birthday with a two-week celebration featuring events across Richmond highlighting the Black banking pioneer’s legacy.
July 4 holiday closings
n observance of the Independence Day holiday on Thursday, July 4, please note the following:
Historic former hospital site of Community History Fair
A part of Richmond’s past returns next weekend as the site of the former Richmond Community Hospital hosts a Community History Fair to commemorate its 90th anniversary. The event, set for Sunday, July 7, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., aims to celebrate the institution’s history and raise awareness about its uncertain future.
Richmond Battlefield Park to shutter Tredegar Station, boost river programs
Richmond National Battlefield Park is set to close its visitor contact station at the historic Tredegar Iron Works on July 5. The National Park Service (NPS) has maintained a presence at Tredegar for several years, occupying a small leased space near the entrance to the American Civil War Museum. With the lease expiring this year, park officials are planning to expand their community outreach.
Survivors of Tulsa Race Massacre challenge Oklahoma high court decision
Attorneys for the last two remaining survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre asked the Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday to reconsider the case they dismissed last month and called on the Biden administration to help the two women seek justice.
Black farmers’ association calls for Tractor Supply CEO’s resignation after company cuts DEI efforts
The National Black Farmers Association called on Tractor Supply’s president and CEO Tuesday to step down after the rural retailer announced that it would drop most of its corporate diversity and climate advocacy efforts.
Local BBQ restaurant crowned ‘Best Chef’ at Chicago barbecue competition
The Original Ronnie’s BBQ from Henrico County won the “Best Chef” title at the Six in the City Southern BBQ Experience event in Chicago last month. The competition featured pitmasters and chefs from six southern cities known for their barbecue.
Despite debate performance, support for Biden remains strong among Black leaders, by Tamil R. Harris
President Joe Biden and the first lady spent Sunday at Camp David with their grandchildren after his debate performance. At the same time, the media and a growing chorus of Democrats speculate on the 81-year-old leader’s future.
Environmental justice for Cumberland County, by Benjamin Chavis Jr.
Cumberland County stands on the edge of an environmental catastrophe. An hour west of Richmond, the historic town of Cumberland is set to become the site of the proposed Green Ridge Disposal and Recycling Facility. This 1,200 - acre mega-landfill plans to operate nearly 24/7, releasing harmful pollutants into the air, contaminating the community’s drinking water and depreciating the surrounding residential land value each day.
Richmond basketball bolsters staff: Dollar named assistant coach
Darian Dollar, who served as video coordinator for the University of Richmond’s men’s basketball program last season, has been promoted to assistant coach/director of basketball operations and recruiting, Head Coach Chris Mooney announced last week.
Colonial Downs prepares for 2024 racing season
Colonial Downs Racetrack is gearing up for its 2024 thoroughbred racing season, set to begin July 11. The track announced last week that more than 100 horses have already arrived, with approximately 700 expected during the nine-week season.
HBCU All-Stars complete historic first international tour in France
The 10-member HBCU All-Star basketball squad successfully completed its first-ever international tour in France last week after competing in the QUIA 54 International Tournament and a series of exhibition games.
Former Ram Owusu Sekyere returns to VCU
VCU Women’s Soccer Head Coach Lindsey Martin recently announced the hiring of Owusu Sekyere as assistant coach. Sekyere returns to VCU after spending the past season as an assistant coach at George Mason. He previously served as a volunteer assistant under Martin for two seasons from 2021-2022.
NFL Players Choir set for Essence festival performance
The Players Choir, a group composed of current and former NFL players, is scheduled to perform at the 30th Anniversary Essence Festival of Culture on Sunday, July 7.
Local drag performers crowned with ‘Virginia Pride’ titles
Drag royalty was celebrated at the annual Virginia Pride Pageant last Sunday.
Election to reshape Richmond School Board with nine seats up for grabs
Richmond’s highest education authority is set for a significant political shift with the upcoming general elections for the Richmond School Board in November. Sixteen candidates are seeking the public’s approval for the nine representative district seats of the Richmond Public Schools system, with four candidates running unopposed. The candidates bring a wide array of experiences and perspectives to the table, including educators, parents, business leaders and community activists.
West Virginia couple used adopted Black children as ‘slaves,’ judge says
A couple arrested after some of their adopted children were found locked in a shed at their West Virginia home are set for trial later this year on charges that a judge said involved their use as “slaves.”
Anti-war protesters sentenced to jail after blocking I-95
Almost all of those involved in the blocking of Interstate 95 months ago as part of a protest of the war in Gaza were sentenced to five days in jail earlier this week.
Extreme heat a wake-up call, by Ben Jealous
As I write these words, the mercury is soaring. The world is reeling from the deadly impact of extreme heat and weather events. This is climate change in action. We are living it. And the thermometer-busting temperatures are just the tip of the (melting) iceberg.
Poor people are the new swing vote, By William J. Barber II
If you’re an ordinary American who goes to work to pay the bills or takes care of a loved one most days, it’s easy to feel down when you see the headlines about the 2024 election. Donald Trump has been convicted of 34 felonies for falsifying business records to cover up hush money he paid to bury an alleged affair with a porn star during the 2016 campaign, and the Republican Party continues to think he’s their best candidate. At the same time, President Biden is struggling to hold together his Democratic base as images of devastation in Gaza continue to dominate the news. Stories of good news in politics seem few and far between. But as a preacher, I learned a long time ago that you don’t get to the good news by looking away from problems; the good news is most often found right amid trouble. Yes, politics is a mess in 2024. But, at the same time, several popular movements of everyday people struggling for economic justice have emerged that have the potential to reshape our politics. Against the backdrop of decades of rising inequality, low-wage worker movements have made huge strides since the pandemic, insisting that living wages are a moral issue for “essential workers” and seeing the largest increase in real wages in decades. Young people who’ve watched education and healthcare costs soar have come together to form effective coalitions for debt relief and won billions in loan forgiveness. Leveraging worker power, unions have waged effective strikes and negotiated new contracts while expanding to include new workers, especially in the South. Though they’re rarely in the headlines, these movements made up of millions of low-income workers have the potential to reframe political debates for people who are weary of the status quo. The good news in 2024 is that poor and working people are the new swing vote in US politics. A report from Lake Research Partners demonstrates just how powerful this untapped coalition of low-income voters could be. Looking back at the past three presidential elections, they found that in the seven states that will likely decide the 2024 election— Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada and Pennsylvania— low-income voter participation was an average of 12 percentage points lower than that of their higher-income voters. Using past averages to project 2024 turnout, this study measured the difference between the margin of victory in the last Trump-Biden matchup and the number of eligible low-income voters who are likely not to vote. In Georgia, for example, Biden won by almost 12,000 votes in 2020. In North Carolina, he lost by 74,000. But in both states, more than a million eligible low-income voters will likely not vote in 2024 if past trends continue. That’s a huge potential swing vote, and the proportions are similar across the seven swing states in the study. Since the 2024 presidential race will likely be a rematch of 2020, this study used exit poll data from 2020 to ask who unlikely low-income voters would vote for if they did turn out in 2024. Of the 1.3 million likely nonvoters in Georgia, 746,000 would likely be Biden voters. Of the 1.1 million in North Carolina, some 594,000 would likely go for Biden. In short, Biden and other Democrats have a huge advantage among this demographic when they are able and willing to vote. The overwhelming takeaway of this study is that a relatively small increase in low-income voter turnout in any of these seven states would dramatically increase Biden’s chances of winning a second term in the White House. The millions of low-income people who’ve risen as leaders in movements for economic justice over the past few years have the power to decide the outcome of the 2024 election. Celinda Lake and her research partners are consultants for the Biden campaign, and there is a focus on the potential for his candidacy in 2024, but the potential power of this swing vote is much larger than one election or even one political party. Both Democrats and Republicans have ignored low-income voters for decades precisely because they are unlikely voters. But when the nonpartisan Poor People’s Campaign, which I serve as a co-chair, surveyed poor people to ask why they don’t vote, the number one reason they gave was, “No one speaks to us.” This is why our campaign has committed to holding a Mass Poor People’s and Low-Wage Worker’s Assembly in Washington, D.C., on June 29. We are bringing the everyday people who’ve demanded better wages from their bosses to Washington and insist that Republicans, Democrats, and Independents make clear what they will do to address the needs of 135 million Americans who are living on the edge in the richest nation in the history of the world. And we are committing to go home to our communities and reach 15 million of the unlikely low-income voters with the message that they have power in 2024. If they show up, especially in seven key states, their votes will decide the outcome in 2024. When they do, they will be able to help shape the reconstruction of an American democracy that works for all of us. The writer is the president of Repairers of the Breach and author of “White Poverty: How Exposing Myths About Race and Class Can Reconstruct American Democracy.
