Eugene A. Mason Jr., who served on the Richmond School Board and City Council, dies at 78
From the roof of J.L. Francis Elementary School to City Council chambers at City Hall, Eugene A. Mason Jr. was a constant force in improving public education in Richmond.
Churches mobilize to help families impacted by immigration raids
The children of Sacred Heart Catholic Church streamed out into Mississippi’s blistering heat last Sunday afternoon, carrying what they said was a message of opposition against immigration raids their parents could not.
Muslim initiative raises thousands to release detained migrant parents
Led by two of the country’s most prominent imams, hundreds of U.S. Muslims have raised more than $81,000 to bail out detained migrant parents.
Montgomery's churches part of city's 200-year history of slavery, civil rights
Connections between Christianity, Confederacy and civil rights — and the history of slavery — are in plain sight in Alabama’s capital.
Toni Morrison, who transformed American literature to win Nobel and Pulitzer prizes, dies at 88
Nobel laureate Toni Morrison, a pioneer and reigning giant of modern literature whose imaginative power in “Beloved,” “Song of Solomon” and other works transformed American letters by dramatizing the pursuit of freedom within the boundaries of race, has died at …
Jamestown interpreter tells the story of 'Angela,' one of the first Africans in Virginia; her faith is a mystery
Wearing a yellow head wrap, gray skirt and soiled apron, a woman who says she is “called by the name of Angela” stood by the James River and told her story, one of faith and courage, darkness and hope.
Daniel 'Sonny Strong' Gordon Jr., karate instructor at YMCA, dies at 79
Karate Grandmaster Daniel Gordon Jr., nicknamed “Sonny Strong,” died Thursday, July 11, in Richmond. Mr. Gordon was 79 and had taught martial arts at the Downtown YMCA for more than 40 years. His pupils over the decades ranged in age …
Cliff Branch, former NFL receiver, dies at 71
Cliff Branch, one of the premier deep receiver threats in NFL history, died Saturday, Aug. 3, at age 71.
Dr. Harrison B. Wilson Jr., longtime president of NSU, dies at 94
Dr. Harrison B. Wilson Jr., who served as president of Nor- folk State University for 22 years and whose grandson, Russell Wilson, is the superstar quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks, died Sunday, July 28, 2019. He was 94.
Joan B. Winston, executive director of the former Gold Bowl, dies at 88
Joan Loretta Banks Winston was often considered the “glue” that held organizations together.
Church merger leads to new roles for Rev. Whitehead, Dr. Cardwell
After 25 years at the helm of New Canaan International Church that he founded in Eastern Henrico County, minister and educator Dr. Owen C. Cardwell, 72, has passed the pastoral baton to a younger protégé, the Rev. Dwayne E. Whitehead.
Jury finds Katy Perry stole Christian rapper’s beat
A jury on Monday found that Katy Perry’s 2013 hit, “Dark Horse,” improperly copied a 2009 Christian rap song. The unanimous decision represented a rare takedown of a pop superstar and her elite producer by a relatively unknown artist.
Art Neville, one of the legendary musical Neville Brothers, dies at 81
Art Neville, a member of a storied New Orleans musical family who performed with his siblings in The Neville Brothers band and founded the groundbreaking funk group The Meters, died Monday, July 22, 2019, at his home
Dr. Edith Irby Jones, first female president of the National Medical Association, dies at 91
Dr. Edith Irby Jones, one of the first African-American students to enroll at an all-white medical school in the South and later the first female president of the National Medical Association, has died.
Elijah ‘Pumpsie’ Green, first black player for the Boston Red Sox, dies at 85
Elijah “Pumpsie” Green, who became the first African-American player for the Boston Red Sox in 1959, died Wednesday, July 17, 2019, in El Cerrito, Calif.
