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WEDNESDAYS • Dec. 27, 2017
INSIDE Virginia in limbo over single vote - 2 Inspired to engage communities - 10 Judge blocks Trump’s BC change - 15 Omarosa vs blacks & WH jobs - 17
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Straight from the chief them why we stopped them,“ he said, giving an example of a type of minor conduct violation that generates complaints. The big decrease may also be part of his pivot to cover the changing role of the police. “We’ve trained almost 85 percent of our officers to be what we call crisis intervention teams. We’re teaching de-escalation,” he said, referring to the increasing role police play in responding to people with mental health issues, juveniles in school systems, and even just someone having a bad day.
DAVID STREEVER RVA MAG - Between an epidemic of shooting deaths and fears of a Charlottesville-like riot, 2017 was a tough year for the city, and posed a unique challenge for Police Chief Alfred Durham. As of Dec. 1, 57 Richmonders have lost their lives to gun violence, and the city spent $570,000 to respond to the tiny rally organized by a ragtag group of promonument activists from Georgia and Florida. Other challenges included controversy around both a parking policy aimed at curbing crime in city housing projects, and a statement linking marijuana to the homicide rate. Our political director, Landon Shroder, and I sat down with Durham to hear his take, in a candid, far-ranging discussion in his office at police headquarters. In person, Durham was as blunt and straightforward as he is at the podium. “I’m just a straight shooter. I’ve always been,” he said, describing it as part of the job. “You have to be direct, and you have to tell the truth. My integrity is all I have. If people don’t have trust in the chief, the department is going to fail.” Durham seeks to build integrity and trust through a dual approach of increasing community policing initiatives, and systemic reform targeting misconduct. The latter was a top concern before he agreed to take the position back in 2015. Policing reforms “I was adamant about [addressing misconduct] coming in,” Durham said. He describes the shooting of Michael Brown as a catalyst for necessary reforms. “August 9th changed the way policing is done in the United States. That was the incident that woke the sleeping dragon.” I made it clear we’re going to treat people with fairness and respect. We work for them. His approach started with a focus on transparency and outlining a clear vision for the department. “I made it clear, we’re going to treat people with fairness and respect. We work for them, they don’t work for us,” he said. One of the first policy changes he implemented was a requirement that employees report any policy violations they are aware of before clocking out. Requiring everyone from dispatchers to officers to file reports helped, but he had to convince citizens to complain, too. “When I go to meetings, I ask folks, ‘you say this happened, why didn’t you file a complaint?’” The response he kept getting was cynical. “[They say] ‘well, you’re not going to do anything anyway.’” When he asked people why they wouldn’t
RVA PD Chief Alfred Durham give him, a new chief, a chance to address the complaints, it came down to the difficult filing process that required the complainant to drive to a precinct and sit around waiting to give a statement. He enacted a new policy immediately. “If you feel that you’ve been mistreated by a police officer or did not receive the service you deserved, you call a supervisor to the scene right there.” He credits the new policy with a reduction in citizen complaints, from 99 incidents under investigation in 2014, to only 37 as of Nov. 15 in 2017. It was data that first suggested the issue. When Durham reviewed the 2014 numbers from internal affairs, he said he “saw a disparity in the number of citizen complaints versus the internal [reports]. Internal [reports are] recognizing that there has been some type of violation or misconduct.” When internal reports are low and citizen complaints are high, it can be an indicator that misconduct isn’t being addressed, he said. “Today, our numbers have flipped,” he said, pointing to metrics that suggest the policy changes worked. “Almost 75-80 percent of the time, the situation was resolved [on the scene],” he said, referring back to the policy of calling a supervisor at the scene when a citizen has a complaint. In a city with 200,000 or more calls for service per year, 37 seems like a low number, but Durham said there was still work to do. “We don’t always get it right because even when we stop somebody in a contact or even on a traffic stop we have to tell
Community policing and youth outreach For some crime, he thinks an arrest may cause more problems. “For a minor offense, you have somebody who has a job, not making a lot of money, and then they can’t go to work, they’re going to be fired. It impacts society because if they’re not working, people still have to survive. They’re going to do whatever they have to do to survive.” He’s already tackled the arrest problem with students, motivated by a Center for Public Integrity report released shortly after he took this job, in April 2015. The report documented the school to prison pipeline, when students end up in chronic imprisonment after minor infractions in classrooms. “When I got that report I called my school staff and I said, how many kids have we locked up since Sept. 2014 to the day of that report? It was over 150-something kids,” he said. “They weren’t violent offenders, either. We were locking kids up for not sitting down in class, using profanity, and being disruptive. We were doing administrative duties for the school. That’s not our job, but we were put right in the middle.” He acted quickly and came up with 14 categories of minor crimes that students can’t be arrested for. He says he might not be where he is today if police arrested students for the categories he’s identified. “I wasn’t sitting down in class. I was a knucklehead, but I didn’t get arrested.” They try to help teenagers who routinely get referred to them with a nine-week program. “We teach everything from social skills, the use of social media, conflict resolution,” he said, listing components of the latest iteration of the program. It wasn’t always successful; they found that for many, the schedule conflicted with school and family needs, and transportation was an issue. Now they pick kids up and bring them in on Saturday morning to prevent conflicts with school
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The LEGACY
2 • Dec. 27, 2017
News
Single vote puts the Va. House balance of power in limbo STAFF & WIRE A single ballot has put the control of the Virginia House chamber back in limbo for the second time in one week, and next Wednesday morning, the balance of power will be settled in a random drawing. In the latest twist in the state's 94th House District race, a threejudge panel in charge of certifying a recount ruled that a ballot had initially been marked for Democrat Shelly Simonds, but the voter then crossed it out and marked it for Republican Del. David Yancey. Simonds appeared to have defeated her Republican opponent by one vote last week — a remarkably razor thin margin that would have prevented Republicans from controlling the House, giving Democrats an equal amount of seats. A copy of the ballot was obtained by media, showing that a fine slash mark was written through the bubble marking Simonds.
Virginia Democrats are meeting later this week with their attorneys to discuss what legal options they have available to challenge the court’s ruling that Virginia House of Delegates race 94 should be a tie, according to a Democratic official with direct knowledge of Simonds’ campaign plans. How it started In the initial count, Yancey won by 10 votes, but the Simonds campaign filed a request for a recount. According to Virginia recount law, “only an apparent losing candidate can ask for a recount, and only if the difference between the apparent winning candidate and that apparent losing candidate is not more than one percent (1%) of the total votes cast for those two candidates.” A loss by 10 votes qualified for the recount and on Tuesday, Simonds emerged as the winner by a single vote — a determination that was yet to
be certified by the three-judge panel. What’s next The panel’s decision has left the race tied at 11,608 votes for each candidate. According to state law, the winner will be determined by sheer luck — a drawing out of film canisters — that takes place today. Virginia law says that in the event of a tie, the election board will determine the winner “by lot,” after which point Republicans believe the loser can petition for another recount; however, there is some disagreement among Virginia election experts as to how the law should be applied in this case. “While it appeared yesterday that Shelly Simonds was elected, it’s obvious now that the result will remain unclear for a while longer,” Virginia House Republican leadership said in a statement last week. Marc Elias, the attorney for the Virginia House Democrats, also last
week, issued a statement criticizing the panel’s decision. “T[his] decision by the court was wrong, and Delegate-elect Shelly Simonds should have been certified the winner,” Elias’ statement read. “We are currently assessing all legal options before us as we fight for a just result.” The big picture If Simonds were to win, Democrats will be sharing power with Republicans in the state’s lower chamber (50-50). This would be the latest defeat for Republicans on the East Coast after they lost key races in Virginia and New Jersey last month. Democrat Ralph Northam defeated Republican Ed Gillespie in the governor’s race in Virginia. Democrats also made gains in the Virginia legislature, unseating more than a dozen Republicans and putting the control of the House in play.
Warm wishes to you and your family this holiday season! From The Legacy News!
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Dec. 27, 2017 • 3
DMV to Va. : “Drive sober or get pulled over”
All Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) customer service centers will be closed closed Monday, Jan. 1 and Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2018 for the New Year’s holiday. DMV notes that customers can avoid service delays after the holiday closure – and perhaps save a few dollars – by taking advantage of more than 40 transactions available online. For example, a customer can renew his vehicle registration online over the holiday and avoid a last-minute trip to DMV and a $5 in-
person fee. DMV is also urging Virginians to “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” during the holiday season – and every day. Law enforcement officers across the country – and Virginia – will be out in full force now through the New Year actively searching for drunk drivers as part of the semiannual crackdown on impaired driving. “The math is simple. Spending $10 on public transportation to get home safely is much cheaper than
Over-the-year employment growth Virginia’s nonfarm payroll employment is 33,700 jobs higher when compared to November of 2016, according to a Friday statement from Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s office. Over-the-year employment growth in Virginia has been positive for 44 consecutive months. In November, Virginia’s over-the-year growth was 0.9 percent. Nationally, total nonfarm employment was up 1.4 percent from a year ago. Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was up a slight 0.1 percentage point in November to 3.7 percent, but was down 0.4 percentage point from a year ago. Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate continues to be below the national rate, which was unchanged in November at 4.1 percent. “When I took office, Virginia’s unemployment rate was 5.4 percent and, today, that rate has dropped to 3.7 percent – a rate not seen in the Commonwealth since April 2008,” said Governor McAuliffe. “Paired with yesterday’s announcement of decreased unemployment tax rates for 2018, we are moving the needle in the new Virginia economy, instituting the right creative and innovative policies and initiatives to bring more high-paying jobs to Virginians.” Virginia, along with Arkansas, has the fourth lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate among the Southeast states. In addition, Virginia has the fourth lowest unemployment rate, along with
Indiana, among major U.S. states behind Tennessee, Florida, and Massachusetts. Since the beginning of the McAuliffe Administration, average hourly earnings and personal income in Virginia have increased by a total of 7.8 percent and 12.3 percent, respectively, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Additionally, average weekly wages and total wages and salaries for the private sector have increased 9.0 percent and 11.5 percent year to date, according to the Virginia Employment Commission. “This year, we’ve seen unemployment rates declining across the Commonwealth, a clear sign of the realization of the new Virginia economy,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Todd Haymore. “The economic rebound can be seen in all parts of Virginia, with every locality seeing its unemployment rate drop and more Virginians receiving the resources and tools they need for high-paying jobs of the 21st century. Indeed, Virginia’s economy has improved significantly since January 2014, and I am hopeful that this trend continues.” In November, the private sector recorded an over-the-year gain of 35,900 jobs, while the public sector recorded an over-the-year loss of 2,200 jobs. Compared to a year ago, on a seasonally adjusted basis, eight of the eleven major industry divisions experienced employment gains.
spending $10,000 on a DUI,” said DMV Commissioner Richard D. Holcomb, the Governor’s Highway Safety representative. “Virginia law enforcement officers are well trained to detect drunk drivers so don’t put them to the test. They’ll be working on New Year’s. They’ll miss holiday celebrations with families and friends to keep our roads safe for everyone.” More than 200 crashes in Virginia between Christmas Eve 2016 and New Year’s Day 2017 involved
alcohol. Eight people were killed in these crashes and 135 were injured. “Most drunk drivers who cause a fatal crash don’t go out thinking they’re going to kill someone that night. But, by getting behind the wheel while intoxicated, you’re making a conscious choice to put your life and the lives of many others at risk,” said Holcomb. “Be smart and stay safe by planning ahead and selecting a sober ride home before you start drinking.”
The LEGACY
4 • Dec. 27, 2017
Harold Clarke reappointed as director of Virginia DOC Harold W. Clarke, head of the Virginia Department of Corrections, has been re-appointed by Gov.-elect Ralph Northam to lead the agency for a third term. Northam thanked Clarke at an event at Fire Station #17 in Richmond, for his service while announcing the re-appointment. “As governor, the safety of all Virginians will always be my number one priority,” said Northam. For the second year in a row, Virginia’s re-incarceration rate is the lowest in the country, at 22.4 percent. Among the 45 states that report three-year incarceration rates for felons, no other state correctional system reports a lower rate. The Virginia’s recidivism rate has fallen a full percentage point since last year. “I am honored by Gov.-elect Northam’s actions..., and I look forward to a fruitful partnership with his administration as we work together to focus our energy on offenders’ successful re-entry into our communities,” said Clarke.
Clarke became the Virginia Department of Corrections’ leader in November 2010 after appointment by then-Gov. Bob McDonnell, a Republican. Clarke was then reappointed by Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat in 2014. Clarke began his corrections career in Nebraska after graduating from Doane College, rising through the ranks to become Nebraska’s director of Corrections in 1990. In 2005, he became the secretary of the Washington State Department of Corrections, and in 2007, he became Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Corrections. Clarke was inducted as a National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) Fellow in November, 2016. His recent awards include the E.R. Cass Correctional Achievement Award from the American Correctional Association in August 2014, the William H. Hastie Award from the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice in July 2014, the Visionary Leadership
Harold Clarke Award from the Muslim Chaplain Services of Virginia in 2013, and the Reentry Champion Award from Offender Aid Restoration Inc. in 2012. In August 2010, he completed a two-year term as president of the
American Correctional Association. Clarke has also served as president of the Association of State Correctional Administrators and served on the Board of Trustees of Doane College.
Dec. 27, 2017 • 5
www.LEGACYnewspaper.com schedules. They follow-up at home and postgraduation. “I’ve hired a caseworker, and now we have all these service providers. We sit down with the parents. What do you need? And after they leave [the program] we keep tracking. We bring them in, we make them interns,” he said. They use social media to reach youth, something they were praised for by the International Association of Chiefs of Police back in 2012. For Durham, it’s all part of community policing. Officers use social media apps like Nextdoor to talk directly to residents, and broadcast notices over Facebook and Twitter. They used the latter app as a primary point of contact during the neoConfederate rally last September. The Neo-Confederate eally Neighbors initially praised the response, but recoiled a little from sticker shock when the roughly $570,000 price tag was revealed. Durham stands by the cost as necessary. “It was worth every dime spent,” he said, identifying the event as uniquely challenging to plan for. The problem was the unknown. “Right after Charlottesville, we knew that the next event was going to be here,” he said, but police had no idea who or how many. “Nobody applied for a permit. We were in conversations with these folks, trying to [figure out the scope].” The conversation leads him back to his time in D.C., where he worked for most of his career, including eight years as an assistant chief for the Metropolitan Police Department. “Every day there was a protest, [from] one person standing in front of the White House with a sign to hundreds of thousands,” he said. He supplemented his experience with research of similar recent rallies. One thing stood out to him right away. “In all those other jurisdictions — Charlottesville, Boston, and Berkeley — they were in public parks. We were talking about a residential neighborhood. Monument Avenue. Million dollar homes,” he said, highlighting the unique venue in Richmond. One of the key lessons he took from videos was that banning armor, helmets, melee weapons, and pepper spray could reduce injuries. It was a move that led to some criticism from activists, especially at the pre-rally public safety meeting, where neighbors and residents asked how they could defend themselves. “My response was, ‘it’s our job to defend you’,” he said, recalling the debate. Part of defending the citizens meant dealing with a lack of equipment and training in a city that doesn’t have the level of protests D.C. has. $84,280.85 went toward 75 body cameras. Nearly $25,000 went to in-ear communicators, necessary for keeping officers in contact over the half-mile zone that most of the activities would happen in. Roughly $250,000 went to officer overtime for the 678-person police force, which has shrunk due to budget cuts. They needed training for protest situations, and, in the second consecutive year of a high homicide rate, officers available during the protest to handle regular crime. “I think it’s unfair to criticize police departments if this is the first time that they’ve experienced this,” he said, noting that these protests aren’t common in smaller jurisdictions. “It’s on the job training.” While Charlottesville is still handling the aftermath of an event that claimed three lives and is the subject of multiple lawsuits, Richmond had
a fairly calm event that dispersed peacefully, with no injuries and only a few arrests, primarily for wearing masks in public. “You plan for the worst, and the best happened,” Durham said. The rally captivated headlines, but pales in comparison to the 57 murders committed with firearms this year. It’s a slight dip from the 61 murders last year, the highest in a decade, and seems to be following a national trend. Durham still identified marijuana as the major cause. Richmond’s homicide rate “Marijuana is the nexus,” he said, offering dozens of evidence photos showing scoped AR-15s, tactical shotguns, body armor, and in nearly every photo, bags and bags of weed. “That’s what’s driving our violent crimes, not heroin.” Like his assessments on protests and community policing, he goes to the data. It’s less Reefer Madness, more The Wire, focused on the economics and policies behind crime. That data shows that police seized over 180,000 grams of marijuana in 2016, a four-fold increase over 2015, and twenty-times the amount of heroin, cocaine, meth, and hallucinogens combined. “A lot of folks are being shot and murdered, because either one, they are going to purchase marijuana and they’re being shot and killed, or [two] they are are looking to rip off drug dealers. So, it’s a lose-lose situation for those folks,” he said. Suspect statements and text message records from cell phones recovered at crime scenes support his claim. He wouldn’t offer an opinion on legalization. “That’s above my pay grade,” he said, before he shifted to decriminalization. “I think we have to look at the possession piece, because a lot of our young folks, that’s what we’re locking them up for. That has a disproportionate impact on people.” He touched back on his concerns around criminal records. “We have young African-Americans smoking marijuana, then they get arrested for it. In DC, they decriminalized it. That will reduce the number of folks that we’re giving criminal records.” The impact of drug-related violence has hit some communities harder than others. The six public housing properties administered by the Richmond housing authority, known as “courts” (Gilpin, Whitcomb, etc), are where most of the murders are perpetrated. One of the proposals to address the problem, the controversial parking decal policy that would limit parking at the courts by requiring residents to apply for a limited number of decals, has been implemented in other cities. The plan, a collaboration between police and the housing
authority, has been suspended by the new chair of that authority. “The drug dealers come and set up shop in the public housing community for two or three days. You have these vehicles that come in and stay there, residents can’t even park, they’ve got to park blocks away from their home, and folks said, ‘we’re tired of this’,” Durham said, talking about the process. The other factor behind the plan was support from the tenant councils, bodies of elected residents meant to represent their community. Durham was supportive of his partners in the effort, but acknowledged that the process didn’t bring in enough stakeholders, and expressed sympathy for the critics. “The messaging was not there, and when you just throw this up on people, hell yeah they’re going to be mad.” Durham’s efforts against violence have a personal basis, too; he lost his younger brother to a senseless shooting in 2005. He’s fluent in the language of grief and tragedy, and has expanded departmental work with families of victims, even when the victim was a perpetrator shot by an officer. “I do things that are unconventional. Whenever we have a use of force, I bring the families in, and I offer my condolences. Even the day of,” he said, talking about what sets the department apart. “If we have video [from a] body armor camera, I show it to them. Good, bad, or indifferent. I have compassion, I have empathy, and we’re not the same police department you see everywhere else.” The department organizes dinners, social gettogethers, and field trips for families of victims; all part of the community policing initiatives that began back in 2005 under his mentor, then-Chief of Police Rodney Monroe. Durham served under Monroe as Assistant Chief from 2005 to 2007. Monroe’s policies were credited with reducing a high homicide rate, and Durham’s five-year plan, with a focus on community policing, seems to be working too. “One of the things I’ve committed to is walking beats,” he said, referring to the neighborhood resource officers program, which placed its first round of neighborhood-specific walking beat officers in July. “Crime has gone down because of that.” The numbers suggest his plan is working, but it’s little solace to Durham when talking about human lives. “Even today, our crime is down 2 percent, but that means nothing,” he said, noting that the homicide rate would be lower except for a few multiple-victim cases. “Last year, we had a 16 percent increase, now we’re negative 2, but that means nothing to those 50 families of those 55 victims, or those 255 folks that have been shot.” Research suggests that national trends and income inequality are prime drivers of crime, making it unlikely that any police chief can prevent murders. Durham realizes this, but he knows he can still make a difference for the families of victims. “When [you lose someone], everybody’s there for you at first, for the funeral service, for a couple days after, they call you, [ask] how you doing. But after that, you’re not getting those calls. You’re still living it.” He often cited numbers but, by the end of the interview, it’s clear that what really drives Durham is a deep sense of compassion for his neighbors, and a desire to be there for them on what might be the worst day of their lives.
6 • Dec. 27, 2017
Op/Ed & Letters
The LEGACY
She never ate her lunch at school, here’s why BERNITA BRADLEY She was quiet, completed all of her work on time, and followed the rules daily. Occasionally she laughed when the other children were being silly but at playtime she kept to herself. A pleasure to have in any classroom, teachers would love to duplicate her attitude towards learning. One day during summer camp I realized that she never ate her entire lunch. She would eat the warm veggies on the side or maybe the peaches that came as a desert but the sandwich and prepackaged foods she'd take off her tray and leave to the side. I had seen her do this often but this day I watched her closely. Her tray was always empty when she dumped it in the trash so what did she do with the food? No wrappers were there, just the tray and empty containers from the hot foods she ate. The next day I paid even closer attention as she took the food again off the tray. She looked around the room when it was time for her table to dump their trash. She quickly went over to her cubby, opened her book bag, and put a sandwich and orange inside. An entire week went by and I began to notice just how strategic this little young lady was. She took the longest time collecting her things from her desk at the end of the day. The LEGACY NEWSPAPER Vol. 3 No. 52 Mailing Address 409 E. Main Street 4 Office Address 105 1/2 E. Clay St. Richmond, VA 23219 Call 804-644-1550 Online www.legacynewspaper.com
With any papers she needed to take home was a pop tart or breakfast bar she had saved from the morning. The teacher made it a point to offer the students the classroom leftovers. The girl would raise her hand with a number of other students and take whatever was there on the sink in the snack bowl. None of them were allowed to pick over food they knew they weren’t going to eat. Mrs. H reminded them often to not take it if they don’t want it. The children complied. I approached Mrs. H. after she walked the third grade students to the front door for pickup. Have you noticed that lil C. always saves her food and takes it home? She nodded, said no words, but just nodded as if she was waiting to see my response. The school had rules that breakfast and lunches not eaten were supposed The LEGACY welcomes all signed letters and all respectful opinions. Letter writers and columnists opinions are their own and endorsements of their views by The LEGACY should be inferred. The LEGACY assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material. Annual Subscription Rates Virginia - $50 U.S. states - $75 Outside U.S.- $100 The Virginia Legacy © 2016
to be returned to the cafeteria. Our parent committee had addressed this issue with food service workers two years prior. Daily trash bags full of lunches were being thrown away and children who were hungry, denied the opportunity to eat. (That’s another story which I will share later) For safety reason the school had made extra food available for kids to have seconds but whatever was left still needed to be sent back. I shared with the teacher a brief reminder of how we fought to allow children to access extra food and for universal lunch. She relaxed and began to share with me how she knew which students needed food in her class. To make sure the other children weren’t aware of it she offered leftovers to everyone. She explained that lil C. had a younger sister and she always takes food home for her as well. She also shared that every Friday the school announced a meeting called the backpack club an half an hour before school ends. I had heard this announcement but thought it to be a reading club. No, it was a group of students that teachers identified who needed additional help with food. Weekly they were given a backpack full of food to take home that was donated by teachers and staff. Backpacks were used to camouflage the food so the students needs were kept
confidential. The backpacks were returned on Monday morning to the office. My heart was so pleased, I was also happy for the students. To think, a third grader strategically looking out for her family. I was outdone. I never said anything else about it but in every classroom I assisted in I made a point to follow Mrs. H’s lead. I reminded students not to take food they knew they wouldn’t eat and offered them leftovers. The next school year we began hosting monthly food drives and gave away food to anyone in the neighborhood. No questions asked. The school partnered with a fresh fruits and vegetables organization that brought prepackaged food cleaned and cut in individual bags both students and staff loved them. I often think about this little girl and how sweet she was even more so how strategic. It prompts me to never be wasteful and that others are in need. Bradley is a mother of two, a 24-yearold son and 12-year-old daughter. She is a long-time advocate for Detroit parents and students. Her passion is ensuring that the whole child is catered to in every village and that parents have a voice in the ever changing education landscape of the city.
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Dec. 27, 2017 • 7
P.T. Hoffsteader, Esq.
Present to big banks Corrupt. That’s a pretty tough word. Tough, but how else does anyone explain what the Republicans just did. In a vote on the Senate floor in the dead of night, the Republicans delivered a giant, gift-wrapped present to big banks like Wells Fargo, giant corporations, and billionaires. And who will pay for this present? Millions of working families. Most Americans see this bill for what it is: A giveaway to the rich and powerful. But Republicans in Congress didn’t care what working Americans thought. They proved that they’re not here to work for the people. They’re here to work for the donors who fund their campaigns and Super PACs. It’s bad enough that the Republicans are handing over billions in giveaways to the rich, but the American people will be paying for generations to come. We’ve been fighting our hearts out all year to resist and persist -and our work has been powerfully important. But here's the harsh reality: When Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the White House, billionaire megadonors who
fund the Paul Ryans and Mitch McConnells of the world will call the shots. That means a tax bill that is a payoff to those donors can breeze through Congress and rig the system even more for the rich and powerful. So what’s next? The answer: We fight back. We fight back and we take back control. We’re eleven months away from Election Day -- our biggest opportunity to stop the GOP agenda dead in its tracks. I’m in this fight all the way, but I can’t do it alone. We’re angry. We’re frustrated. We’re disgusted. But we will not lose hope. The best way to stop Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan and turn this country around is to fight back. And that is exactly what we will do. We might not have billionaire megadonors in our back pocket -- but we don’t need them. We have you -and if we stand together, today and every day, we will fight, and we will win. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren
‘Robbing’ the poor The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act recently passed on a nearly straight party line Republican vote in the U.S. Senate is, like the House-passed bill, a moral abomination. Their enactment would be the death of America’s dream for tens of millions of children. The House and Senate bills favor the wealthiest Americans and most powerful corporations over poor and moderate-income children and families—billionaires over poor
babies and powerful corporations over poor children. They are evil. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. warned that “America is going to hell if we can’t use her vast resources to end poverty and make it possible for all of God’s children to have the basic necessities of life.” With both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives now having passed extremely unjust tax bills, I must ask—how can 278 political leaders, 51 Senators and 227 House members, act against the best interests of so many in their states and across our nation to line the overstuffed pockets of powerful special interests with government money? What religious texts do these Members of Congress and those who lobby them read? How did they miss the clear warnings of the prophets and gospels and tenets of every great faith to care for the poor, the sick, the lame and the orphan? Where did they learn that acting as Robin Hood in reverse by denying the poor and powerless child the basic survival needs of food and shelter to give to the wealthy and powerful is acceptable? There are 565 billionaires in the United States—the 400 richest of whom have a combined net worth of $2.7 trillion. More than 13.2 million children—1 in 5—live in poverty in America. Their families of four make less than $24,563 a year. More than six million children live in deep poverty, at less than half the poverty level. A majority of both houses
of Congress and the Trump Administration seek policies to reward millionaires and billionaires and non-needy corporations and add nearly $1.5 trillion—around $150 billion a year for the next ten years— to our national deficit to do so. And to pay for it, they will deny poor and moderate-income children and families healthcare, food, housing, child care and other survival assistance or help parents get needed jobs at livable wages to support their families. Marian Wright Edelman
‘Historic gift’ President Trump and Republicans in Congress gave Americans an historic gift for Christmas: the biggest tax cut for the working class in a generation. Thanks to Congressional Republicans and President Trump for keeping their promise to the American people by passing historic tax relief, easing the tax burden, and letting Americans keep more of their hard earned money. All of this without any support from Democrats. Meanwhile, Americans have already begun to see the benefits of the tax legislation with announcements this week from major U.S. companies publicizing tax savings to their workers. Democrats will be held accountable next November when their constituents realize they voted against more money in their paychecks. RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel
The LEGACY
8 • Dec. 27, 2017
Faith & Religion
Churches, partners find different ways to give food to the hungry SOFIA LIMA & AUSTIN TARASEVICH CNS - A little more than a year ago, Jennifer Shaw, a Richmond native, had a job and a home. Now Shaw sits on a bench on East Broad Street next to two bags containing her belongings. She is one of the many homeless people in Richmond that depend on community non-profits for food on a regular basis. “Some help, some complain, some of them just look, some of them just walk by,” Shaw said. “So you just go day by day trying to make it, that’s all.” Shaw is not alone. According to FeedMore, the Central Virginia Food Bank, one in seven Virginians are suffering from hunger. Shaw said she had no relatives or friends that she could ask for help after she lost her job. Now homeless, she goes to local churches for food. Shaw said she visits a different church in the area each day for food. Churches alone do not have enough for her to get by, she said, but serve as a supplement to other sources. The churches Shaw goes to provide two meals per day, but at the same time. No groceries are provided. “I mean, it helps, but it’s at a point where you want to consider just using them for help,” said Shaw. “It’s just sort of a... you know, maybe I’ll go here one time.” Volunteers at churches such as those at the Woodland Heights Baptist Church on 611 W. 31 Street often see the same people relying on their Food Closet Ministry for food, sometimes for years, said Cathy Kennedy, a volunteer there. “Some people come in just one time and only come back a year later,” Kennedy said. “But we have lots of returning cases.” Kennedy said she noticed an increase in the number of homeless people over the years, but that the church community donations also grew to keep up with the situation. The Food Closet Ministry’s records show that it served 157 adults and children for the month of October. “I think it’s a bad situation,” said Jerry Freeman, another volunteer at the church’s food ministry. “They get caught in this circle in their lives, and sometimes it’s just hard for them to get out of it. I think a few people do become dependent on it instead of doing what they should do for themselves.” Freeman, who has volunteered at the Woodland Heights for around a decade, said he has noticed
St. Peter Church in Richmond. PHOTO: Shannon Kane a trend in the number of people donating to their food ministry over the last few years. Even so, they are looking for ways to improve the ministry to better serve the hungry for next year, such as through partnering with a nearby church to be able to provide more than just staple food items. “There’s a lot of need, but unfortunately just like one of the ladies told us that helped us grow: ‘You got to get through the greedy to get to the needy.’ That’s the way it is,” Freeman said. Organizations such as FeedMore and its partners try to alleviate hunger in Central Virginia, distributing more than 52,000 meals each day in the region, according to Jessica Howe, FeedMore’s marketing and communications director. The partner agency network includes church food pantries, homeless shelters, and emergency shelters. Annie Andrews, FeedMore operations manager, said not only is the food meant to be supplemental, it’s hard for people to take advantage of their system. This is because FeedMore does not have the capacity to fill someone’s refrigerator in the same way that an average family can fill keep their food stocked by spending an average of $100 on food
each week, Andrews said. “There is a lot of food in Richmond, but it’s not all getting directed where it needs to go,” Andrews said. One of the major reasons for this problem is the locations of grocery stores throughout the city. “Richmond also happens to be one of the largest grocery store markets in the country when it comes to the volume of grocery stores per capita,” Andrews said, “(but) we still have a lot of food deserts in Richmond. There's a little bit of dissonance between where the need is and then where grocery stores are located.” “Rodeo” Joe, a former rodeo clown who doesn’t tell anyone his last name, holds a sign to collect money from people each day near East Main Street downtown so that he can afford to pay $20 for a place to sleep during the colder times of the year instead of using it for food. Having become homeless eight years ago, he attends churches and occasionally food pantries for food in the metro Richmond area. “There’s churches and stuff to feed and everything like that, but it’s just really rough,” he said. “It’s really tough.”
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Dec. 27, 2017 • 9
Church groups band together for feeding & assistance programs ANDREW GEHA RYAN HARFORD & SHANNON KANE CNS - Regina made a delighted grunt as she bit in her blue sugar cookie. “These meals are always so delicious,” she said while eating her pasta. Regina takes part in the Downtown Community Ministry’s weekly program to help combat hunger in downtown Richmond. The Downtown Community Ministry consists of five churches: Second Presbyterian Church, St. Paul Episcopal, Third Street Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, St. Peter Catholic Church,and Centenary United Methodist Church. Lisa Miles, the associate director of the University of Richmond’s Common Ground program, said there is a lot of hunger and need in many areas of the city. “Hunger is much more prevalent than a lot of us think it is,” Miles said. The churches recognized this problem and the different difficult circumstances of their neighbors. They decided to open their doors to the community together as a ministry. This ministry formed 34 years ago in response to the high poverty level in the city of Richmond. The five churches have rotated days to provide meals for struggling Richmond residents over the years. They convene around six to eight times a year to assess the ministry’s progress in fighting hunger in the city in the name of God. “God guides [the program]. Whatever you do to the least you do to God,” said the Rev. Gino Rossi, pastor of St. Peter Catholic Church, when discussing the ministry’s purpose. Each church takes a different approach to feeding the hungry. St. Peter provides bagged lunches on
Tuesdays. “The lunches are very popular. We usually get around 100 people around to start the month, and the number only grows throughout the month. We’ve gotten up to 187 people before,” said Barbara Simmons, a church volunteer. St. Peter started a dinner program on Wednesdays in 2016 with other Catholic churches in the area. “The dinner program started with only 30 people last year and has grown to about 100 people now through word of mouth,” Simmons said. St. Paul Church works with FeedMore, a local food bank, to feed the hungry every Thursday afternoon. FeedMore and other local grocery stores provide the food every Wednesday. Their cook, Ulli Robinson then creates the menu and prepares the meals with other volunteers from the community to serve over 100 people each week. Hana Yun, the parish outreach and volunteer coordinator, said their work is guided by the biblical story of the road to Emmaus, which teaches to welcome the stranger. “We really embrace this, and have opened our doors to anyone who is hungry. We don’t discriminate who comes to us for food. We try and fill the stomachs and hearts of the people who come each week,” Yun said. St. Paul also helps connects people to services they might need to help their situation. They partner with Richmond Department of Social Services, Richmond Behavioral Health Authority, the Daily Planet,and the Veterans Affairs every week. Centenary United Methodist Church also offers breakfast and hot lunches to the less fortunate every Friday. The church’s senior pastor, the Rev. Matthew Bates, said between 150 and 200 people are fed each week week. Some of the church’s staff help
A volunteer gets ready to get the preparation process going at Centenary church. PHOTO: Shannon Kane serve the meals but the majority of the assistance comes from volunteers from the other churches in the Downtown Community Ministry as well as other United Methodist Churches in the Richmond area. FeedMore, Food Lion,and Panera Bread donate are the primary food
donors. “Our volunteers go and pick up the food in these huge boxes. I mean huge boxes. They come in on Wednesdays and Thursdays,” said Mandy Porter, the church’s administrative assistant.
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10 • Dec. 27, 2017
The LEGACY
Course inspires personal engagement with local communities MAGGIE TINSLEY VCU - Not many first-year college students would eagerly attend a local school board meeting — especially not one that lasts more than five hours. But Jack Wilson, a political science major from Mechanicsville, Virginia, recently did just that. “He told me that his interest in education and Richmond Public Schools is a direct result of his work with the community this semester,” said Amanda Hall, assistant director of service learning in VCU’s Division of Community Engagement and Wilson’s instructor for Honors 160: Introduction to Community Engagement. The required course, developed by the Honors College in partnership with the Division of Community Engagement, guides entering freshmen to consider their roles in society and serves as a foundation for the contributions they will make as honors students and as citizens. Honors 160 is not only helping honors students. The course is now available online as an open access curriculum for use by university and high school faculty. “Our honors community is comprised of students who have the capacity to do exceptionally well, but perhaps more importantly, every honors student has the capacity to do good,” said Jacqueline SmithMason, associate dean and director of academic affairs for The Honors College. “Through this course, our students use an interdisciplinary approach to analyze and actively engage in principles and practices of community engagement through a local lens.” While the course asks students to demonstrate participation in at least five off-campus activities, Wilson honed in on one: Carver Promise, which provides weekly mentoring and educational support for 350 low-income students at G.W. Carver Elementary School not far from VCU’s Monroe Park Campus. VCU has worked in partnership with the nearby school since 1996 — before the current first-year students were born. Carver was named a
Carroll Ellis Jr., educator at the Math Science Innovation Center, tells an Honors 160 student group about Northside Richmond's Battery Park. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education in 2016 for its exceptional Virginia Standards of Learning performance. Amanda Hall, assistant director of service learning in VCU’s Division of Community Engagement, and Jack Wilson, student in the VCU Honors College. Amanda Hall, assistant director of service learning in VCU’s Division of Community Engagement, and Jack Wilson, student in the VCU Honors College. Wilson learned that “elementary education is extremely important in creating a better future for students; however, in Richmond's case, not all kids have access to quality resources to flourish during their elementary years.” Wilson mentors “D,” whom he calls “an insanely bright boy, with a
great future — if he had the proper resources.” In fact, Wilson’s devotion to D and his school prompted him to organize a supply drive to support the students’ academic futures. Wilson’s efforts raised more than $500 in a matter of weeks. He purchased items of need in bulk from Amazon with the funds. “When I shared with Jack that the VCU Police Department was collecting stocking stuffers for Carver,” Hall said, “he was excited to take his remaining funds and purchase items for the stockings!” “Engagement means working toward real change through sustained involvement, not just onetime volunteering.” Wilson is one of many students making meaningful community connections. Honors student Christine Huynh’s five-hour tour of
five Richmond arts spaces, offered in collaboration with VCU’s Institute for Contemporary Art, showed her “how people can use art to bring awareness to different social issues,” she said. Huynh, who is also vice president of the newly-founded Photography Club, helped organize a volunteer event where club photographers made images for Lobs and Lessons, a program of the Mary and Frances Youth Center. The center provides life lessons and tennis practice for underserved children. “I’ve learned about ways that are available to help,” Huynh said. “Engagement means working toward real change through sustained involvement, not just one-time volunteering.” Huynh ended the semester with
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Ask Alma
Flamboyant co-worker gets on my nerves Dear Alma, I come to you as humbly as I know how, because I’m really at an interesting professional intersection. I currently work at a summer camp teaching kids how to cook and my co-teacher is tawdry. We will call this person “Calvin.” Calvin has been cooking for a while and has a lot of life experiences that add life and joy to our program. If something goes wrong, Calvin is normally the first to help find a solution to keep the integrity of the lesson going. My biggest issue with Calvin is that he is the “King of Change.” I feel like he’s changing things, just to be included. If we are doing an experiment and we hand the worksheets out first then go outside, Calvin will suggest we go outside first, then hand out the worksheets. It almost feels intentional. Recently, we were making waffles and we had the students measuring the ingredients. After lunch, Calvin starts pouring unmeasured ingredients in the bowl. I told him I wanted the kids to do that, so they get the chance to be included in the lesson. He said, “Oh, well we can have them do the cinnamon.” Then he asked me if he could lead the lesson. Now, this wouldn’t normally be a problem, but he had already led the majority of lessons during this camp. He was already in my face and the students are in the classroom, so there wasn’t really a chance to resolve the issue without it turning into something else, so, I decided to take break and come back at the end of the group’s class period. With every person you meet,
Dec. 27, 2017 • 11 Calvin tries to figure out if they know someone there and it feels disingenuous. Sometimes, Calvin talks loud on his cell phone during class lessons, and comes to work with a bonnet on his head; sometimes he’ll leave a roller in his hair for part of the day. Calvin just turned 50. What can I do or say to Calvin? He is a great person, but I’m not sure, if he’s open to constructive criticism. How do I go about telling him how I feel with love and tact? Can’t Wait ‘Til Friday Dear Friday, I was working this thing out in my brain and I thought I was on the right track, until I got to this sentence: Calvin just turned 50. Hit the brakes. Hol’ up, hol’ up, this changes everything. Your story about Calvin reminds of that overthe-top character from the “Martin” sitcom: “I said, Jerome’s in the house, watch yo’ mouth! Who you talking ‘bout, an old school playa from the Himalayas?” Calvin has been doing his thing for a long, long time. Take a seat young one, watch and unlearn. This is summer camp, so you’re only in it for a minute, on your way to bigger and better things. You say Calvin is tawdry, I say Calvin’s non-swag is none of your business. Okay, he likes to wear a roller or an earring every now and again. What if Beyoncé did it, you’d call it a trend. I have a feeling you are always slammed, glammed and got it going on—on the regular. That’s a wonderful thing, this world requires all kinds, but that’s not Calvin. Does that mean he can’t do his job? No. Does that mean he won’t ever be the boss? Yes and that’s all right with him. Calvin sounds like he won’t be wearing any skinny jeans any time soon. I ain’t mad at him and you’ve got bigger fish to fry, you are clearly passing through. On those tough “I don’t think I can make it days,” those kids, potential foodies, chefs, restaurant entrepreneurs will remember your directions, professionalism and ability to make it look good while you’re doing it. I commend you for that. On those “this is too hard, I’m gonna quit days,” they’ll think about Calvin and say to themselves, if he can do it, I can do it too, face washed, teeth brushed, without a roller in their hair.
Day of Racial Healing celebrates common humanity in song, stories and shared experiences Concerts, museum events, storytelling and public proclamations are all planned as hundreds of W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) grantees, partners and communities across the United States mark the second annual National Day of Racial Healing (#NDORH) on Jan. 16, 2018. “Racial healing is a process we can undertake as individuals, in communities and across society,” said Kellogg Foundation President and CEO La June Montgomery Tabron. “At the Kellogg Foundation, we are committed to racial healing in order to create vibrant futures for children. The National Day of Racial Healing is a powerful platform for highlighting the healing work already underway and widening the circle of leaders committed to transforming their communities through this essential work.” WKKF established the National Day of Racial Healing in January 2017 as an extension of its ongoing Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) efforts. Through a wide range of events, discussions and activities, groups brought together by civic, community, government and private organizations will focus on healing the wounds created by conscious and
unconscious bias (racial, ethnic and religious). “In healing, we acknowledge the truth of past wrongs and the authentic narratives of people across communities,” said Tabron. “The National Day of Racial Healing is a call to action for people to come together and begin the dialogue. Honest responses to questions that ask ‘Do you remember the moment when you first felt affirmed as a human being?’ and ‘When were you first made aware of differences in people? are the first steps in helping us craft a new narrative and national discourse - one dedicated to building equitable communities for our children.” NDORH is an opportunity for initiating collective action that builds upon Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) groundwork in 2017 - in particular in 14 TRHT places. A few highlights of planned events for Jan. 16, 2018 include: In the Greater Richmond Virginia TRHT will launch TRHT365 - a year round process of collecting and curating short stories of narrative change, relationship building and transformation in Richmond. While TRHT365 will mark NDORH, it also underscores that to change hearts, minds and communities, racial healing must be ongoing work.
(from page 10) as the Cannon Creek Greenway, a van tour through Richmond’s Northside neighborhood, an area rich in history yet burdened by economic disparity. Hollee Freeman, Huynh’s Honors 160 instructor and executive director of Richmond’s MathScience Innovation Center, invited Partnership for Families executive director Veronica Fleming to serve as a guide for the Northside tour. Fleming and the students visited the Gilpin Court subsidized housing community, where 78 percent of the 2,900 residents live below the poverty line with a median annual income of $9,300; as well
a reclaimed trash dump that now offers cycling and walking trails. They saw new revitalization projects like the Six Points Innovation Center and the conversion of the former Highland Park High School into senior residences. Carroll Ellis III, educator at the MSiC and long-time resident of Barton Heights, also led a tour. As the students stood overlooking Battery Park, co-instructor Tyren Frazier, Richmond executive director of Higher Achievement, reminded them, “You have a narrative for our community. Now it is up to you to continue your engagement.”
12 • Dec. 27, 2017
The LEGACY
7th annual STEM Essay Contest is underway The Virginia Council on Women is now accepting entries for its 7th Annual STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Essay Contest for high school junior and senior women. The Council will award at least five $5,000 scholarships to young women, in their junior and senior years in high school, who will be pursuing a STEM career at an institution of higher education. One scholarship will be awarded in each of five geographic regions across the state. Additional scholarships may be awarded at the discretion of the Council. “Growing the new Virginia economy depends on our ability to prepare young people to succeed in the workforce of the 21st century,” said
Gov. Terry McAuliffe. “This essay contest is a great way to encourage our female students to pursue careers in the science, math, engineering and technology fields that will set the course for the global economy in the years to come. I want to thank the Virginia Council on Women for hosting this STEM essay contest and encourage Virginia’s young women to put their best ideas forward this year.” The STEM Essay Contest was launched in 2012 with 170 young women from across the Commonwealth submitting essays focusing on their vision for a future STEM education or career. In its first year, the Council raised $10,000 and made three scholarship awards. Now, in its 7th year, the Council
has awarded more than $150,000 in scholarships. The Council partners with the Math Science Innovation Center, which, since its establishment in 1966, has served as a regional math and science center, to administer the contest. “I am honored to be a part of the this year’s Virginia Council on Women STEM essay contest,” said Gov.-elect Ralph Northam. “Encouraging young women to pursue careers in high demand fields like science, technology, engineering and math is critical to making sure Virginia’s economy is strong and 21st century ready. I want to thank the Virginia Council on Women for their dedication to helping young women explore their passions and pursue
careers in STEM fields.” Last year, the Council received more than 500 essay submissions and, thanks to the generosity of sponsors, awarded $35,000 in scholarships to high school women. To be eligible, one must be a female or identify as a female, reside in Virginia, be a junior or senior in high school and hold at least a 2.5 GPA. Applications and guidelines are available online. Entries must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 8, 2018. Essays will be judged by a panel of Council members and individuals who represent STEM fields. Winners will be notified by March 23, 2018. The scholarship awards will be presented at a reception at the Executive Mansion in Richmond, in April 2018.
Spring 2018 marks the 12th year of Project Plant It! since the program launched in 2007. This year, to further engage children about trees in the ecosystem, a new lesson plan about conservation of natural resources has been added to the Educator’s Guide on the website. The Guide now includes 12 lesson plans that support thirdgrade learning standards for math, science, language arts and social
studies. All of the lesson plans can be downloaded at no charge from www. projectplantit.com, and they can be adapted easily to grade levels from preschool through college. In addition to the lesson plans, the website features free instructional tools such as interactive games and educational videos about trees, along with a variety of outdoor activities that families can enjoy together.
Project Plant It! now open for e-enrollment Online enrollment for Project Plant It!, the free environmental education program created by Dominion Energy to teach children about the important role of trees in the ecosystem, is now open across regions served by the company. The program is available for children of all ages and grade levels, including those in schools, scout troops, civic and church groups, environmental clubs and other entities that work with youth. A hallmark of the program is the distribution of free tree seedlings to all enrolled participants in honor of Arbor Day. “Project Plant It! is one of the many ways Dominion Energy supports education and invests in local communities,” said Hunter A. Applewhite, president of the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Dominion Energy. “When it’s time to celebrate Arbor Day on April 27,
2018, Dominion Energy will have distributed 500,000 tree seedlings to participants since 2007 – an exciting milestone. This innovative tree-planting program for children aligns with our mission to promote environmental stewardship in a fun, meaningful and memorable way.” The program will distribute 60,000 redbud tree seedlings in 2018, a 20 percent increase over the amount in 2017, in the states served by Dominion Energy. Educators, group leaders and parents who are interested in participating can register by going to www. projectplantit.com and clicking on “Request Your Free Tree Seedlings” from the home page. If the zip code is confirmed as being in an eligible area, free redbud tree seedlings can be requested. Seedlings will be shipped to arrive in time for Arbor Day. The deadline to register is February 19, 2018 or while supplies last.
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Dec. 27, 2017 • 13
W&M scholarship offers new path for low-income transfers A new scholarship established by William & Mary and Richard Bland College will ease transfer from Richard Bland while making entry to William & Mary more affordable for high-ability, low-income students. Beginning in the spring of 2018, the two schools, each of which is governed by William & Mary’s Board of Visitors, have agreed to establish the Promise Scholars program. The new transfer program was announced today by the presidents of both institutions at an event at Richard Bland College. “This initiative has real potential,” said William & Mary President Taylor Reveley. “The Promise Scholars program provides an opportunity for a very able cohort of students to begin their William & Mary education while enrolled at Richard Bland.” The program will provide William & Mary courses and faculty at Richard Bland, scholarship funds, guaranteed housing, peer-to-peer support and mentorship to highachieving, low-income students who have committed to transferring to W&M. “Partnerships that create pathways to high-demand baccalaureate degrees are central to fulfilling Richard Bland’s mission,” said Richard Bland President Debbie Sydow. “This new pathway to William & Mary is going to be a game changer for deserving Richard Bland students.” This spring, Richard Bland will select and provide merit-based scholarships to the inaugural cohort of up to 15 first-year, in-state students who are eligible for federal Pell Grants. Promise Scholars will receive a $2,000 merit scholarship in their second year at Richard Bland and receive guaranteed housing designated for Promise Scholars to foster community and peer-to-peer support. Beginning next fall, Richard Bland also will begin awarding a new scholarship of the same amount to first-year students selected for the program. William & Mary will select two faculty members as Promise Fellows who will travel to the Richard Bland campus to teach a general education
W. Taylor Reveley, W&M president and Debbie L. Sydow, Richard Bland College of William & Mary president. course, beginning in the 2018-2019 academic year, to give the students selected as Promise Scholars the opportunity to experience William & Mary while at Richard Bland. In partnership with Richard Bland Learner Mentors, the William & Mary Faculty Fellows will serve as academic advisors to the Richard Bland students, continuing to provide support to each cohort after they transfer to William & Mary. “What excites me about the Promise Scholars program is that it will give talented Richard Bland students a more affordable path to a William & Mary education,” said Virginia Del. Kirk Cox, an alumnus of Richard Bland College and speaker-designee for the House of Delegates, the first public school teacher to ascend to that position. Once the scholars transfer to William & Mary, they will receive annual $3,500 scholarships to offset student loans during their last two years. The scholarships will be in addition to any financial aid for which the students qualify, which will equate to a no-loan, all-grant financial aid package, enabling these students to finish their degrees at
William & Mary without student debt. The Scholars also will be guaranteed on-campus housing their junior year. The Promise Scholars program comes in addition to guaranteed admission and co-enrollment tracks, two longstanding transfer agreements between Richard Bland and William & Mary, but it aims specifically to facilitate higher rates of transfer for high-ability, lowincome students. “The fact that Richard Bland and William & Mary share a Board of Visitors makes this level of collaboration easier,” said John Littel, chair of the Richard Bland Committee of the William & Mary Board of Visitors. “We hope this can be a model program for others, and we believe that giving talented Richard Bland students a direct academic experience with William & Mary before they formally matriculate will improve their success.” Promoting an economically diverse undergraduate student body is one of William & Mary’s goals. In addition to year-over-year increases in Pell Grant-eligible students, by 2020 William & Mary aims to increase by
50 percent the number of admitted in-state students from families with annual incomes of $60,000 or less. This fall, William & Mary saw a 20 percent increase in Pell-eligible new students — both freshmen and transfers — as compared to last year, and a 30 percent increase compared to three years ago. There was also an 11 percent increase in firstgeneration college students in the new class. While the progress indicates that William & Mary is doing a better job in communicating its affordability to high school seniors, Littel said it’s just as important to make sure that Virginia’s junior and community college students recognize the opportunity and affordability the university offers. William & Mary was recognized by the New York Times in 2017 as being among the nation’s leading colleges and universities in commitment to access and affordability for low- and middle-income students, and the No. 1 public university in Virginia. The Times’ report considered the percentage of students qualifying for Pell Grants, graduation rates and the net price for low- and middle-income students.
14 • Dec. 27, 2017
The LEGACY
Alzheimer’s and dementia threat looms for aging Va. JESSE ADCOCK CNS - Over the next eight years, the number of Virginians with Alzheimer’s disease will swell by nearly 36 percent, to about 190,000, according to the Alzheimer's Association. It’s part of a global trend: The World Health Organization projects that the number of people living with dementia will triple – from 50 million to 152 million – by 2050. Why the increase? Because the Baby Boomer generation, born between 1946 and 1964, will be advancing into the age range when Alzheimer's is more common. This is compounded by the fact that the birth rate during the Baby Boomer years was higher than any other generation since. The result: In the coming years, the U.S. will face an unprecedentedly large elderly population – people more prone to dementia-related diseases. “By 2020, they’ll be 70. Typically, we'll see Alzheimer's emerge in your 70s,” said Harald Sontheimer, executive director of the School of Neuroscience at Virginia Tech. “It’s not that the likelihood has changed." On average, over the course of about four to eight years, Alzheimer’s causes the brain to deteriorate, impairing memory and cognition. “Particularly, the cortex gets thinner and thinner as more brain cells die,” Sontheimer said. “It really begins with when it impairs the independent ability to live.” Alzheimer's is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and causes between 60 and 80 percent of all dementia cases. According to the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, near half a million caregivers in Virginia provide assistance for a family member with dementia. At a projected 519 million hours of care in 2015, this was equivalent to $220 billion in unpaid caregiving that year. The cost of nursing homes to care for people with dementia can be staggering – between $4,000 and $8,000 per month. So three years
ago, the state’s aging-services agency launched a program called Family Access to Memory Impairment and Loss Information, Engagement and Supports, or FAMILIES. FAMILIES provides counseling and education resources to those with family members suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia. “Caregivers aren’t getting the information they need,” said Devin Bowers, dementia services coordinator for the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services. “The FAMILIES program helps build a support network. It’s meant to delay putting a family member in an institution.” The FAMILIES program has reached more than 250 caregivers in Virginia over the past three years. Among other benefits, it lowers the incidence of depression among caregivers, according to a survey of families with a loved one suffering from dementia. “My major concern is that people in the industry are well trained,” said Tina Thomas, director of programs and services for the Greater Richmond chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. “People need to know what sort of care is available in their area.” A Medicare rule put into effect last year allows primary care doctors to bill Medicare for Alzheimer’s and dementia testing. Currently, only 45 percent of doctors regularly test aging people for such disorders. Hopefully, Thomas said, the new rule will make testing more frequent, as early diagnosis and planning are key to financial planning. “It’s great to have these conversations early on,” Thomas said. “It really comes down to drafting a road map of care.” Researchers are not certain what causes Alzheimer’s. The most popular theory is that a protein called amyloid plaque builds up on brain cells and causes the disease. However, researchers don’t know whether the amyloid itself causes the disease or if the proteins are a biomarker of another process occurring. A research trial is underway in
Colombia with the hope of better understanding Alzheimer’s. Near the city of Medellin, a family carries a mutation that causes some members to develop Alzheimer’s between 45 and 50. They are being given drugs that inhibit the buildup of amyloid plaque, to determine whether the protein is to blame. According to the World Health Organization, the global costs of dementia total more than $800 billion annually. That is why WHO has launched the Global Dementia Observatory, an online platform to track services for people with
dementia and their caregivers. “Nearly 10 million people develop dementia each year – 6 million of them in low- and middle-income countries,” Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of WHO, said in a recent press release. “The suffering that results is enormous. This is an alarm call: We must pay greater attention to this growing challenge and ensure that all people living with dementia, wherever they live, get the care that they need.”
Dec. 27, 2017 • 15
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Second federal judge halts Trump’s birth control rule
Virginia and its partner states, California, Delaware, Maryland and New Yor, have won a nationwide injunction blocking President Donald Trump’s efforts to rollback contraception coverage rules. The court found that Virginia and its fellow plaintiff states are likely to succeed in showing that Trump’s unilateral rollback of contraception was unlawful, and that the states and their citizens would be harmed unless the court blocked rollback efforts. The contraception coverage rule created by the Affordable Care Act has allowed 1.6 million women in Virginia to access contraception without a co-pay, saving an average of $255 per year. “This is a really important win for Virginia women, and it’s an important reminder to President Trump and his administration that they cannot rule by whim and command,” said Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring. “Women have the right to make their own health care decisions and should not have to seek permission from their boss or the government to do so, especially on a decision as personal as reproductive health. I’m proud to have worked alongside my colleagues around the country to secure this injunction, and will continue to oppose the Trump administration’s dangerous, discriminatory, and unlawful infringement on women’s rights.” On Oct. 6, the Trump administration issued unlawful Interim Final Rules (IFRs) that would allow any employer to deny contraception coverage to its employees. Herring and his fellow state attorneys general filed suit in federal court challenging Trump’s move to roll back the contraception coverage mandate. In issuing last week’s injunction, the court found that “for a substantial number of women, the 2017 IFRs transform contraceptive coverage from a legal entitlement to an essentially gratuitous benefit wholly subject to their employer’s discretion. The impact on the rules governing the health insurance coverage of Plaintiffs’ citizens-and the stability of that coverage-was immediate...” The court also noted that “Plaintiffs
Women protest lack of access to contraceptive coverage. face potentially dire public health and fiscal consequences as a result of a process as to which they had no input.” And finally, the court stated that the previous contraception coverage rule that was in place prior to President Trump’s rollback in October “did not impose a substantial burden on religious exercise.” For millions of women the contraception coverage rule has reduced their healthcare costs, helped address medical conditions, and allowed them to make their own decisions about when and if to have children. Before the contraception coverage rule, birth control accounted for 30-44 percent of a woman’s out-of-pocket health care costs. Now, 62 million women across the country, including 1.6 million women in Virginia, have access to contraception without a co-pay, saving an average of $255 per year for oral pill contraceptives, and the percentage of women who have a copay for contraception has fallen from more than 20 percent to less than 4 percent. Herring previously filed a lawsuit in the Northern District of California opposing the Trump administration’s decision to rollback the requirement under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for employers to include birth
control coverage in their health insurance plans. He joined 19
attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in a similar suit.
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The British invasion has begun! The public is invited to join Richmond National Battlefield Park and Historic St. John’s Church for a first-of-its kind event interpreting the capture of Richmond by British Brigadier General Benedict Arnold on Jan. 5, 1781. Dozens of reenactors from New Hampshire to North Carolina will take the field in Church Hill to bring the sounds, smells, and colors of America’s 18thcentury history to life. From 9 a.m. to noon visitors can see British and American Revolutionary War camps on the grounds of the Chimborazo Medical Museum (3215 E Broad St.). At 10 a.m. join National Park Service Ranger Nathan Hall in the Chimborazo Medical Museum Theater for a talk about Chimborazo’s evolution from 18thcentury battlefield to Civil War hospital to neighborhood, then hear Benedict Arnold describe his role in the American Revolution. At 11 a.m. reenactors will conduct a weapons demonstration on the Chimborazo Medical Museum grounds before marching to Historic St. John’s Church (2401 E Broad St), where they will encamp on the grounds from 1 – 4 p.m. The church will hold an open house during those hours. For more information, contact Historic St. John’s Church at 804690-5619 or the Richmond National Battlefield Park at 804-226-1981.
The LEGACY
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES & EVENTS
Fairfield constituent meeting Henrico County Board of Supervisors Vice Chairman and Fairfield District Supervisor Frank J. Thornton will hold a constituent meeting Monday, Jan. 8 to discuss transportation improvements that are underway, including the construction of the Pulse bus rapid transit line. Thornton will be joined by Barbara Nelson, of the Richmond Regional Planning District Commission, and Carrie Rose Pace, of the GRTC Transit System. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the Eastern Henrico Recreation Center, 1440 N. Laburnum Ave. For information, call 804-501-4208.
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The Keep Henrico Beautiful Committee and Henrico County Department of Public Utilities will accept Christmas trees for recycling into mulch through Sunday, Jan. 7. The free service, which the county notes preserves landfill space and protects the environment, is available to Henrico residents only. Trees will be accepted at the following locations: •Henrico Government Center, 4301 E. Parham Rd., in the lower parking lot; •Eastern Government Center, 3820 Nine Mile Rd., in the front parking lot; •Springfield Road Public Use Area, 10600 Fords Country Ln., near Nuckols Road and Interstate 295; and; • Charles City Road Public Use Area, 2075 Charles City Rd. Trees can be dropped off anytime at the Henrico Government Center and Eastern Government Center and from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily at the Springfield Road and Charles City Road public use areas. Trees must be free of tinsel, lights, ornaments, tree stands and water bowls. Free mulch is available to Henrico residents at the public use areas. For information, go to henrico.us/ services/free-mulch or call 804-5017277.
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Black Republicans say Omarosa blocked them from jobs TEWIRE - Black Republicans claim Omarosa Manigault blocked them from jobs in order to maintain her status as the “only African-American woman... senior staff and assistant to the president” as she described herself on ABC recently. Her actual White House title, a position she is leaving, has been assistant to the president and director of communications in the White House Office of Public Liaison. But her actual job description appears not to have been clearly defined. In interviews with the Trice Edney News Wire Black Republicans blame her for blocking Black job applicants from the Trump administration - including Republican stalwart Kay Coles James, who was appointed Dec. 19 as the first black and first woman president of the conservative Heritage Foundation. “I was blocked personally. Essentially, my file was pulled and I wasn’t deemed pro-Trump enough,æ said Eugene Craig. “The official excuse was that I wasn’t pro-Trump enough although I was the sitting chair of the Maryland Republican Party.” Sources said because of President Donald Trump’s need for loyalty, that attribute - loyalty - was among the top considerations for key White House positions. Craig admits that he was a “never Trumper all the way", but that was during the campaign. Craig says he noticed that when the time came for consideration for jobs and the broad banner of Republicanism, White neverTrumpers were given consideration where African-Americans were not. “The flood gates were opened, but Omarosa held all of us to a different standard. She had say over a lot of the black resumes. I know for a fact from promises that she made us directly.” Craig said a January conference call with the Republican National Committee and Trump transition team was held “specifically for African-American activists and party loyalists.” He said, “During the middle of the call, she jumped on and bogarted on. And she came in and she made us these promises that this would be the most diverse administration in history. And
Omarosa Manigault she’ll help us with whatever we need and wherever we wanted to go into government and to shoot our resumes over to her and she gave us her official transition email. She said this administration has a goal of having 25 percent minority hiring. They wanted 25 percent of the work force to be black and Hispanic...So she positioned herself as the end all be all for black things; for black people in the administration,” said Craig. Ayshia Connors, a former deputy director of African-American engagement at the Republican National Committee, now a senior advisor to Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), agreed. She described an initiative by The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and Insight America, an organization headed by former Republican Congressman J. C. Watts: “There were hundreds, probably thousands of resumes of qualified individuals in the black community that were ready and prepared to go into any administration no matter who won the election. And when Trump got elected, all of those names were submitted and Omarosa literally trashed those names. Nobody got a call back. Nobody got an interview. Nobody was ever heard about again. People tried to go in. People were eager and willing to serve the president, willing to serve our country. But Omarosa, she didn’t want other black Republicans there. She wanted to be the big shot. She wanted to be the only one. And so, everybody kind of just decided it wasn’t worth our times to keep dealing with it. And so, by February,
Kay Coles James people had just moved on from Omarosa and dealing with the White House and decided to start working with Congress and dealing some other policy matters.” Connors added that Kay Coles James, former Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources under Virginia Republican Gov. George Allen and director for the United States Office of Personnel Management under President George W. Bush, received the same treatment. “She was willing and prepared to go back into the government and to help the administration. But Omarosa was such a distraction and created so much drama and confusion that Ms. James just decided not to engage it anymore. So that’s what ended up happening. That’s why you only saw Omarosa as a senior black Republican in the White House.” In a brief interview with James upon her appointment as president of the Heritage Foundation, James was clear about why she did not go to work in the Trump White House. “When Donald Trump said that he wanted to improve the urban areas and that he wanted to make the lives of minorities in this country better, I said, wow, if he wants to do that, I genuinely want to be a part of that and I was excited and hopeful the opportunity to come in,” she said. “But that opportunity never really afforded itself. I am told that I was blocked...I don’t have specifics about how that happened, but I was extremely disappointed that I didn’t have the opportunity to serve there.” Connors said the clearest evidence that Omarosa was not going to work with other black Republicans came
in February when Omarosa was in charge of pulling together the Black History Month program for Trump. “During Black History Month, these credible Republicans such as Kay Coles James and J. C. Watts and Elroy Sailor, they tried to engage Omarosa.” Instead, Omarosa put an event together that included her personal picks of blacks, including Democrats, Connors said. “She didn’t invite any of the prominent black Republicans. In fact, we had folks calling us from the White House calling and saying, ‘Why aren’t your names on the list for this event’' It was very evident from the beginning that she wasn’t going to work with us and that she was just going to do her own thing.” Connors cited another event for Vice President Pence that was planned by black Republicans to be held at West Point. “That was another example of Omarosa using her position in the White House to block that event as well. And that was actually the turning point for black Republicans. We decided she was just too distracting too disruptive and we decided to focus our efforts elsewhere.” On the record sources willing to speak in defense of Omarosa were difficult to find. But, high placed Republican sources say it is not possible that Omarosa could have made such powerful decisions without oversight in the White House - most likely the president himself. Other high Republican sources said James was offered positions, but Omarosa fought against any black staff appointment that would be above her own. Yet another rationale for why some black Republicans seeking employment were rejected may have been because they had left the Republican National Committee headquarters in protest against treatment by then RNC Chairman Reince Priebus nearing the end of the presidential campaign. Priebus then became Trump’s first chief of staff and was likely adverse to hiring the same staffers who had left the RNC, one source said.
The LEGACY
18 • Dec. 27, 2017
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SEIBERT’S is now accepting vehicles on consignment! Reasonable Seller’s Fees.
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01-18: An application of 3106 SLR LLC for a Certificate of Zoning Compliance (CZC) to permit parking area use and expansion to serve with changes _____________________________ an existingOk restaurant use andXexpansion located at 602 and 604 North Belmont Avenue at 3106 PATTERSON AVENUE. 02-18: An application of Roger Levasseur for a building permit to REMINDER: Deadline is Fridays @ 5 p.m. construct a single-family detached dwelling at 1312 NOTTOWAY AVENUE. Copies of all cases are available for inspection between 8 AM and 5 PM in Room 110, City Hall, 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23219. Support or opposition may be offered at or before the hearing.
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Will hold a Public Hearing in the 5th Floor Conference Room, City Hall, Please proof, make anyVAneeded changes and return by fax 900 Eastreview Broadthe Street, Richmond, on January 3, 2018, to consider the following under Chapter 30 of the Zoning Code: If your response is not received by deadline, your ad may not be
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PROC 01-156-002-03600/1221 HAMPTON SOLICITATION
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The Director of Finance or his designated representative will accept written responses in the Procurement Office, 1 Franklin Street, 3rd floor, Suite 345, Hampton, VA on behalf of the Entity listed below until the date and local time specified.
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HAMPTON CITY Tuesday, January 23, 2018 4:00 p.m. EST RFP 18-35/EA Substance Abuse Counselor Tuesday, January 30, 2018 3:00 p.m. EST Proposed Improvements of Bridge on ITB 18-34/CLP Route 143 (Settlers Landing Road) Over Hampton River. City Project No: 16-013. VDOT Project No: 0060-114-R01, P101, M501, B618 (UPC 107348) This is a state funded project with an MBE goal of 4.34% and WBE goal of 3.82%.
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A Mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 9, 2018 at 3:00 p.m. ET in the Public Works Conference Room, 22 Lincoln Street, 4th Floor, Hampton, VA 23669.
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For additional information, see our web page at http://www.hampton.gov/bids-contracts. A withdrawal of bid due to error shall be in accordance with Section 2.2-4330 of the Code of Virginia. All forms relating to these solicitations may be obtained from the above listed address or for further information call (757) 727-2200. The City of Hampton reserves the right to reject any and all responses, to make awards in whole or in part, and to waive any informality in submittals. Minority-Owned, Woman-Owned and Veteran Businesses are encouraged to participate. Karl Daughtrey, Director of Finance
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