Ruth E. Carter exhibition extended at Jamestown Settlement
The special exhibition “Ruth E. Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design” at Jamestown Settlement has been extended through Jan. 5, 2025. The exhibit, which showcases the work of two-time Academy Award-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter, has drawn significant attention since its debut in May.
Late surge falls short as Trojans fall to Spartans
The Virginia State University Trojans’ hopes of avenging last year’s loss to Norfolk State University fell short, as the Spartans held on for a 28-23 thriller on their home turf.
Free community testing for COVID-19 continues
For the week ending on Saturday, Sept. 7, confirmed hospital admissions for COVID-19 in Virginia dropped 10.9% from the previous week, and new admissions remain low. No deaths associated with COVID-19 were reported within the same timeframe. Updated data on COVID-19 wastewater levels in the Greater Richmond area showed plateaus starting Sept.1.
Richmond City Council approves resolution to improve internet access
Richmond City Council unanimously approved a resolution aimed at bridging the digital divide across the city. The “Digital Equity Implementation Plan,” passed on Monday evening, declares high-speed gigabit internet a “public necessity for all residents” and outlines steps to improve access citywide.
ICA at VCU’s ‘Dear Mazie’ spotlights the work of Amaza Lee Meredith
Amaza Lee Meredith had no formal training in art or architecture due to the harsh reality of life under the Jim Crow era as a Black woman. Nevertheless, Meredith left her legacy as an art educator at Virginia State University, the first known Black woman to work as an architect and an accomplished artist.
Library exhibition showcases lives rebuilt after prison
Multiple voices, once silenced behind prison walls, now echo through the halls of Richmond’s Main Library. The newly opened exhibition “Virginia Needs a Second Chance” turns the spotlight on prison justice advocates and the former inmates who’ve defied societal expectations, rebuilding their lives and giving back to their communities in profound ways.
Panthers’ Byers rushes for 105 yards but Hampton holds on
Virginia Union University running back Jada Byers rushed for 105 yards and two touch- downs, but Hampton University outlasted the Panthers 33-21 last Saturday. Hampton running back Elijah Burris was the difference-maker, breaking loose for 135 yards and two scores to lead the Pirates (1-1) to victory in front of 6,308 fans at Armstrong Stadium. “We played four quarters tonight,” said Hampton Coach Trent Boykin. “We played with a lot of energy and intensity. I was really proud of the way we played on both sides of the ball.” Burris, the second-leading rusher in the Coastal Athletic Association last season, was held to just 43 yards in Hamp- ton’s season opener against Morgan State. But the senior found his stride against Virginia Union (1-1), scoring two fourth- quarter touchdowns to seal the win for the Pirates. VUU quarterback RJ Ro- sales completed 3-of-6 passes for 114 yards and a touchdown, while Shamar Graham recorded a career-high 17 tackles, includ- ing 10 in the first quarter alone, for the Panthers. “We didn’t finish,” said VUU Coach Alvin Parker. “It’s something we teach our guys every day in practice, but today we just didn’t finish the game. You have to play four quarters, and we didn’t accomplish that today.” At halftime, Hampton hon- ored its 1994 and 2004 national championship football teams, both coached by the legendary Joe Taylor. Virginia Union (1-1) will have a bye week next weekend before traveling to Charlotte, N.C., to face Johnson C. Smith University on Sept. 21. Hamp- ton (1-1) will visit Norfolk State on Sept. 14.
Mayoral candidates announce forum and debate schedule
In a joint press release issued this week, the candidates for Richmond’s mayoral race announced a series of upcoming forums, town halls and debates, providing residents with numerous opportunities to hear directly from those vying for the city’s top office.
National Baptist Convention elects new president amid controversy
After an unusual election that gave voters the choice on the ballot of a name or a “no,” members of the National Baptist Convention, USA, lined up behind a new president, the Rev. Boise Kimber, senior pastor of First Calvary Baptist Church in New Haven, Conn.
Flying Squirrels announce 2024 team awards
The Richmond Flying Squirrels held their annual team awards ceremony last Thursday night at The Diamond, celebrating standout performances from the 2024 season. Several players were recognized for their contributions both on and off the field.
The long game
Let’s give it up for the Flying Squirrels organization. They’ve stuck by Richmond, even though the city didn’t seem to appreciate the team in the early days, as they were ridiculed for their unusual moniker.
Cardinal Elementary reopens after lightning strike
For the second time this school year, kids at Cardinal Elementary walked through the doors for another “first” day of school. After a lightning strike forced the school to close shortly after the year had begun, students returned Tuesday ready to resume their routines.
Pioneering VSU Historian Lucious Edwards Jr. dies at 80
Virginia State University lost a luminary figure last week with the death of VSU archivist and professor Lucious Edwards Jr. at the age of 80 on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024. His death marked the end of decades of work at the college and elsewhere.
Personality: Jerome Legions Jr.
Spotlight on the Moore Street School Foundation board president
Since the 1990s, gentrification has targeted inner city neighborhoods, particularly those with lower income populations. This trend isn’t limited to major U.S. cities; Richmond also has experienced its impact, where new development often takes precedence over preservation.
Old normal
For many of us, things have returned to a sense of normalcy since the onset of the pandemic in 2020.
Mahomes, Chiefs fast forward to season opener
The Kansas City Chiefs insist they are not thinking about last year’s opener against Detroit, when they celebrated their latest Super Bowl triumph with a flag-raising ceremony and were promptly beaten by the Lions.
Mayoral candidates share ideas for gun violence prevention, housing during RISC forum
The future of Richmond’s approach to gun violence and housing became clearer last Thursday evening, as the five mayoral candidates shared their vision for both during a forum at Second Baptist Church Southside.
Dems embrace ‘positive masculinity’, by Clarence Page
In case you somehow haven’t noticed, manhood is on the ballot. Even before President Biden stepped aside to let Vice Presi- dent Kamala Harris step up to be the Democrats’ presiden- tial nominee, insiders from both parties were calling this the “boys versus girls election.” And even before the Republican National Con- vention opened in Milwaukee in July, spokespeople for Team Trump were telling reporters they hoped to contrast “weak versus strong” as their social media message — and present a stage show as testosterone- fueled as a Super Bowl. In that spirit, my most lasting memory from the GOP’s Milwaukee fest is Hulk Hogan’s ruddy red chest exploding across my television screen as he ripped off his T-shirt. The message? It’s OK to feel comfortable in your own skin, even if not in your own T-shirt, as you try to win the hearts of those manly man vot- ers who are already captivated and contained in the MAGA world. Then, hard on the heels of Donald Trump’s MAGAs, along came the Democrats in Chicago to challenge the GOP’s hyper masculine chest thumping with their own Hollywood star- studded post-Biden challenge to the polling gender gap. Their message: reproductive rights- dominated inclusivity across all racial and gender lines. Rarely has an election campaign been so sharply and unashamedly defined by the gender gap. Of course, considering how the last time the race was so sharply defined by the gender gap may have been 2016, when Hillary Clinton lost to Trump, it was prudent of Harris to pick Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate. In contrast to the famously bombastic style of Trump, Walz presents what feminists have called “positive masculinity.” He’s also been predictably slammed by attack campaigns, to limited effect. Walz spent 24 years in the Army National Guard, having joined at age 17. However, he never served in an active combat zone. Nevertheless, at a public meeting about gun violence in 2018, he said, “We can make sure that those weapons of war that I carried in war is the only place where those weapons are at.” His use of the phrase “in war” on this one occasion was seized on by Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, a Marine veteran who served in Iraq — although not in combat. The Harris-Walz campaign responded that Walz “mis- spoke.” Frankly, as a Vietnam War veteran who also missed com- bat, I honor both men for serving their country. That service, too, offers an example of positive manhood. Positive masculinity is an assortment of attitudes and behaviors that build on the qualities positively associated with traditional masculinity while avoiding its negative aspects, which include thought- less aggression, domination and violence — behaviors that too often victimize women and girls. One particularly striking an- ecdote from Walz’s past might well have sealed the deal in his favor. When he was asked in 1999 to be faculty adviser for his Southern Minnesota high school’s first gay-straight alliance club, Walz, then a geography teacher and football coach, agreed to do it — much to the relief of then-student Jacob Reitan, now 42. “It was important to have a person who was so well liked on campus, a football coach who had served in the military,” Reitan said in an interview with The New York Times. “Having Tim Walz as the adviser of the gay-straight alliance made me feel safe coming to school.” Indeed, by doing his duty as an educator in this instance, Walz set an example that may not grab as much attention as, say, ripping his shirt off in front of a national television audi- ence. But as lessons for life go, it’s a lot more valuable. The meaning and value of manhood are endlessly de- bated topics, as they should be. They should not be endlessly exploited. Honor, courage, leadership, honesty, integrity and fairness are just a few of the quali- ties we should associate with positive manhood. It’s easy to think of more. Unfortunately, it can be a lot harder to live up to them. The writer is a columnist for the Chicago Tribune.
Building memories and literacy with your grandchildren, by Kristen J. Amundson
It has been 40 years since I last read Dr. Seuss’ “The Foot Book” aloud, but I can still recite it, nearly word for word. That’s because I read it an estimated 83,492 times during my daughter’s earliest years.
