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Desegregating blood
A civil rights struggle to remember THOMAS A. GUGLIELMO In December 1941, a few days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the U.S. entry into World War II, a Detroit mother named Sylvia Tucker visited her local Red Cross donor center to give blood. Having heard the “soul-stirring” appeals for blood donors on her radio, she was determined to do her part. But when she arrived at the center, the supervisor turned her away. “Orders from the National Offices,” he explained, “barred Negro blood donors at this time.” “Shocked” and “grieved,” Tucker left in tears, later penning a letter of protest about the whole ordeal to first lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Today, this discriminatory blood program and African-Americans’ determined opposition to it are long forgotten, despite the fact Charles Drew that a few scholars, (1904-1950) Howard including Spencie University. MoorlandLove, Susan E. Spingarn Research Center. Lederer, Sarah E. Chinn, and myself, have explored the topic. This history is worth remembering. It provides an antidote to facile, feel-good stories about the “Good War,” stories that scholars such as Michael C.C. Adams and Kenneth D. Rose have long refuted but that live on in museum exhibits, blockbuster films, best-selling books and war memorials. The story of how blood got desegregated also reminds Americans that, as novelist Ralph Ellison wrote nearly a half-century ago, “The black American … puts pressure upon the nation to live up to its ideals.” Historian Robin D.G. Kelley puts it more broadly: “The marginal and excluded have done the most to make democracy work in America.”
In an age of resurgent racism, Ellison’s and Kelley’s words are especially important and timely. ‘A tremendous thing’ The Red Cross Blood Donor Program began in early 1941 – and went on to collect blood from millions of Americans that the military shipped to soldiers fighting overseas. “If I could reach all America,” asserted General Dwight D. Eisenhower at the end of the war, “there is one thing I would like to do – thank them for blood plasma and whole blood. It has been a tremendous thing.” Tremendous indeed: The blood program saved many lives. But it also initially excluded AfricanAmerican donors like Sylvia Tucker. When it did accept them, in January 1942, it did so on a segregated basis.
Never mind that scientists saw no relationship between race and blood and that one of the world’s leading authorities on blood banking at the time, and the director of the Red Cross’s pilot blood program, was an African-American scientist named Dr. Charles Drew. Never mind that Nazi Germany had its own Aryan-only blood policy or that America’s principal rhetorical war aims concerned democracy and freedom. To what extent military commanders segregated blood in the field was, during the war and afterwards, a matter of some debate. Officially, at least, the distinction between bloods remained in place for years. It was not until 1950 that the Red Cross stopped requiring the segregation of so-called Negro blood. And it was not until the late 1960s and early 1970s that Southern states
(continued on page 3)
The LEGACY
2 • Feb. 14, 2018
News
Teachers, education researchers look towards future JOSH MANDELL University of Virginia faculty and local school teachers recently spoke about the present shortcomings of public education, and shared ideas for changing the status quo. They spoke at the second Future of Learning Forum, held last week in Charlotteville and organized by the Darden Education Club, the Education Council at University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education and ReinventED Lab, a Charlottesville nonprofit that promotes innovation in local public schools. The event featured seven presentations, each less than 10 minutes in length. “It’s exciting that we are able to hear from a variety of stakeholders by having them package their insights in that condensed format,” said Keaton Wadzinski, executive director of ReinventED Lab. Wadzinski founded ReinventED Lab in 2015 while a UVa undergraduate. After graduating in spring 2017 with a bachelor’s degree
in youth and social innovation, Wadzinski has continued to lead the organization while working parttime as a student entrepreneurship coordinator for Albemarle County Public Schools. Matt Haas, Albemarle’s deputy superintendent, spoke about the school division’s efforts to redesign its high school programming. “Today, academic content really takes the lion’s share of a student’s time,” said Haas, who will replace Pam Moran as superintendent on July 1. “Students are either pursuing transcript they need to get into an elite college, or they are being remediated and recycled through classes because they haven’t learned the content.” Albemarle’s ongoing High School 2022 initiative is influenced by the Virginia Department of Education’s Profile of a Virginia Graduate, which recommended new high school graduation requirements applicable to freshmen beginning this fall. “Virginia is rethinking the traditional transcript approach ...
Joanna Lee Williams spoke about the importance of diversity in public education. PHOTO: Andrew Shurtleff/DP and beginning to look at students in a more holistic way,” Haas said. However, Haas said some of
Albemarle’s desired programmatic changes have required the county to seek exemption from state regulations.
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NN furthers Smart City initiatives with workshop The city of Newport News recently hosted a Smart Cities Readiness Workshop to create a strategy to develop smart infrastructure to benefit the region. The workshop was delivered by the Smart Cities Council as part of its Readiness Program, which helps communities craft action plans to further innovation, inclusion and investment. “This workshop is about sharing ideas, concepts and solutions to take this region to new heights and I am excited about the possibilities,” said Newport News Mayor McKinley Price. “It will also help to solidify the Hampton Roads region as a hub for technology and innovation.” More than 125 people participated in the workshop, including former Virginia State Secretary of Technology Karen Jackson, Newport News Mayor McKinley Price and Director of IT Andy Stein, as well as city officials, city and county department heads, technology innovators, local business leaders, university representatives and community stakeholders. Several key areas were explored,
(from page 1) such as Arkansas and Louisiana overturned similar requirements. A forgotten civil rights struggle In one internal memorandum, the Red Cross called its donor program democratic, since “the point of view of the majority … ” – which its leaders assumed demanded blood segregation – “must be taken into account in a democracy.” But many blacks and their allies had a very different idea about democracy, one that required all citizens be treated equally and without regard to race. They fought tirelessly throughout the war years to make that idea a reality, not simply in the military, in the workplace and in Hollywood films but also in the blood program. These many battles constituted a nascent, surging, and, today, toooften-overlooked civil rights struggle that helped pave the way for the more famous movement of the postwar years. Nearly all the major civil rights organizations of the day, including the National Association for the
including open data, public/ private partnerships, smart utilities, emergency management, transportation and public safety. In particular, workshop participants explored initiatives such as: - Converting all of its street lights to energy-efficient LEDs to have better access to usage trends as a tool to promote conservation. - Improving public safety by aggregating video from various sources and providing it to first responders as they arrive on the
scene as well as using GIS tools to provide indoor maps of buildings to help guide responders to incidents faster. - Enabling access to open data to help citizens make better choices and providing free Wi-Fi to those who do not have access at home. “The Readiness Program is all about helping cities craft a vision and action plan to deliver results for the entire community,” said Smart Cities Council Managing Director Philip Bane. “The Council will continue to work with Newport News to build upon this foundation to help the city become more livable, workable and sustainable.” Gannett Fleming and Sensus, a Xylem brand, both sponsored the workshop. Each company has partnered with the Smart Cities Council to help communities make informed decisions when implementing smart technologies. “Gannett Fleming has a more than 100-year-long track record of using our engineering and infrastructure expertise to improve the quality of life in the communities
we serve,” said Jessica Hou, PE, BCEE, ENV SP, vice president of Gannett Fleming. “We look forward to partnering with Newport News – whose commitment was evident by the robust participation in this workshop – to address the unique challenges and opportunities that come with building a smart city.” “At Sensus, our customers are on the front line of building smart cities,” said Vice President of Communications Solutions Marketing Randolph Wheatley of Sensus. “More than 2,000 communities have connected over 37 million smart devices for water, gas, electricity and lighting applications with the Sensus FlexNet® communication network.” The city of Newport News was a finalist for Smart Cities Council’s 2017 Readiness Challenge Grants, which helped the winning cities of Austin, Indianapolis, Miami, Orlando and Philadelphia advance key initiatives such as improving transportation, developing smart growth plans and reducing racial inequality.
Advancement of Colored People, the March on Washington Movement and even the upstart Committee (later, Congress) of Racial Equality, made changing blood policy a top priority. One statement from a group of the nation’s most prominent black leaders put it this way: “In justice to what we know to be the practically unanimous sentiment among Negroes in America, we affirm the need for alteration of the segregated blood plasma policy.” Black newspapers, enormously popular and important at time, also protested blood segregation and exclusion, regularly featuring frontpage stories, boldface headlines and blistering editorials on the subject. In January 1942, for example, the African-American weekly the Cleveland Call and Post published an “editorial in rhyme”: “The cross of Red, that burned so bright In fire, storm and flood Is now the crooked Nazi sign That spurns a Negro blood!” Wide-ranging activists Activism on this issue extended well beyond these traditional places. Labor unions, Christian and Jewish groups, local interracial committees,
scientific organizations and the New Jersey State Legislature all spoke out against blood segregation. The Communist Party of Cuyahoga County in Ohio held a rally of 3,500 people, condemning blood policy as “Barbarian Hitlerism.” An interracial group of precocious junior high schoolers at Harlem’s Public School 43 tested (with the help of their science teachers) the blood of a black student and of a white student. Finding no difference, they wrote an article in the school paper, made and distributed hundreds of posters, and held a public meeting – all in opposition to the Red Cross policy. The most widespread form of protest, however, came from thousands of ordinary AfricanAmericans who refused to donate blood and money to the Red Cross. While roughly 10 percent of the U.S. population at the time, blacks made up less than 1 percent of all blood donors. African-Americans contributed generously to the Treasury Department’s Defense Bonds: It is not a lack of patriotism that explains their halfhearted response to blood drives. The reason was a determined
opposition to race-based exclusion and segregation. Expressing these feelings best was a high school student from Cleveland named Geraldyne Ghess. Her poem appeared in the local black nespaper: Had I wealth, I’d burn it all; Not one cent for the Red Cross call. Our money is good … our blood is bad. But, still that shouldn’t make us mad. Are they afraid they’ll all turn black? Is that why our blood they lack? Their skins are white as snow … it’s well. Their souls are tarnished, black as hell. In the end, this wide-ranging activism may have failed to democratize the blood program fully – at least during the war. But African-Americans did – in the end – force the Red Cross to include them as donors. Full-fledged integration, which took a few more years, owed everything to their work.
Philip Bane
Editor’s note: This is an updated version of a story originally published Feb. 12, 2015.
The LEGACY
4 • Feb. 14, 2018
MOU seeks to cultivate female entrepreneurship Walker’s Legacy, a leading platform for the multicultural woman in business and entrepreneurship, has partnered with Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) to professionally support women college students at TMCF memberinstitutions TMCF, the nation’s largest organization exclusively representing the black college community, and Walker’s Legacy note that the partnership will help cultivate professional and entrepreneurial women campus leaders. Through the signing of a joint Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreement., the organizations will focus on cultivating the more than 61 percent percent of women who attend Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) nationwide and engage the next generation of women business leaders by providing opportunities for leadership, entrepreneurship, professional development, and career advancement to the 47 TMCF member-schools. More specifically, Walker’s Legacy will produce Young Women’s Leadership and Career Development retreats, provide internship opportunities, and expand its collegiate contributor program
to provide more opportunities, trainings, and mentorship for a new generation of business journalists of color. “We are honored to work with an organization who serves as a pillar of education in our community and shares a mutual understanding of the importance of providing entrepreneurship education, professional development, and career opportunities to our futures leaders,” said Natalie Madeira
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Cofield, founder and CEO, Walker’s Legacy. “Our joint commitment to the success of students of color is essential to achieving economic
parity, opportunity, and stability for communities of color. “With the majority of our HBCU students being women, coupled with black women being the fastest growing group of female entrepreneurs, “It is important for us to do all that we can to develop, encourage and support them through partnerships with organizations like Walker’s Legacy…” M. Scott Lilly, president, OFC and chief programs officer, TMCF, said it is important for the organization to do all that’s possible to develop, encourage and support students through partnerships with organizations like Walker’s Legacy and TMCF’s Opportunity Funding Corporation (OFC). We hope this MOU will produce programming that will be beneficial to our talented female HBCU students across our 47 memberschools,” he said.
VSU establishes a Diversity and Inclusion Initiative Virginia State University (VSU) has established its first universitywide diversity and inclusion initiative. It will serve as a blueprint for creating a more inclusive campus culture, noted VSU President Dr. Makola M. Abdullah, who has assembled his Advisory Board for Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer/Questioning Intersex Ally+ (LGBTQIA+) Inclusion to investigate ways for the institution to be a more affirming learning environment for all students, faculty and staff within the LGBTQIA+ community. A LGBTQIA+ Diversity and Inclusion Working Group has been established to develop a comprehensive living document for VSU. The group is comprised of students, faculty, staff and community leaders. The University’s diversity and inclusion efforts include the following: · Creating a diversity and inclusion map of all safe zone areas and gender inclusive bathrooms; · Installing gender inclusive restrooms; · Improving the University’s campus pride index rating;
Dr. Makola M. Abdullah · LGBTQIA+ 101 and safe zone training for all faculty and staff; and · Creating a review process of all university documents to ensure LGBTQIA+ culturally competent language. “The University understands the importance of generating a diverse and inclusive campus atmosphere for all students, faculty and staff,” said Dr. Letizia Gambrell-Boone, vice president of Student Success and Engagement. “Our mission is to foster a campus where all Trojans are granted the pursuit of a quality education in a safe learning environment.”
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Op/Ed & Letters
The LEGACY
Community power talk ED BAINE For generations, the power company has had a fairly simple relationship with the communities it serves. Customers expected a few basic things to happen: Keep the lights on. Restore power as quickly as possible after an outage. Provide affordable rates. For Dominion Energy Virginia, this is at the heart of what we do every day, and we believe we have done a good job of meeting these expectations. But for 21st century customers in a swiftly changing technological landscape, there are new and urgent needs — needs that require a transformation of the electric grid. That is why the Virginia General Assembly is now considering an important piece of legislation, the Grid Transformation & Security Act of 2018. Customers now expect an energy grid that gives them flexibility and more control. They want new tools and better information to help manage energy usage and keep monthly bills affordable. They might even want to produce their own energy from a rooftop or other ways. They certainly want a grid that offers advanced protections against the very real threats posed by cyber and physical attacks. Since even the shortest disruptions can affect their ability to work, communicate,
The LEGACY NEWSPAPER Vol. 4 No. 7 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
reliable, and efficient grid. And its goals are consistent with those of our customers: In a survey conducted
and operate their homes and businesses, they expect a system that holds outages to a minimum and accelerates restoration. Addressing these challenges and opportunities is no small task. And transformational change is never easy, but the benefits far outweigh the risk. Backed by members from both parties, along with a wide variety of stakeholders, the legislation offers Virginians a new way forward. This comprehensive proposal seeks to transform the electric grid, promoting the development of renewable resources and enabling the system to better handle the power they generate. The legislation would pave the way for a more secure,
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last year, more than 80 percent of participants endorsed modernizing the electric distribution system to support efficiency, reliability, security, and renewable energy. This legislation provides a solution, authorizing energy providers to file detailed grid improvement plans for review and approval by the State Corporation Commission. The commission would provide oversight to monitor progress and confirm that objectives are met. And the program would promote continued rate stability for homes and businesses, with the ability to use existing rates to pay for grid upgrades and renewable energy development. Bill credits and rate reductions, totaling more than $1 billion over eight years, are also included in the legislative proposal. Customers will begin seeing these benefits this year, beginning with a one-time customer credit of at least $175 million. This ensures that the price of electricity remains affordable and reasonable for Virginia customers. The Grid Transformation & Security Act authorizes a continuation of the expansion of the popular energy assistance program, EnergyShare, through 2028. The statewide program has helped more
than 800,000 low income families, elderly and disabled and military veterans since 1982. Since the program was expanded in September 2015, EnergyShare has provided more than $12 million in power bill payment assistance to more than 38,000 Virginia families, and helped make energy efficiency and weatherization improvements to nearly 21,000 homes. Additionally, the legislation restores the SCC’s power to review energy company base rates, and lifts the rate freeze imposed by the General Assembly in 2015. Backed by the Grid Transformation & Security Act, Dominion Energy believes we would have the tools we need to launch and maintain a stronger, more resilient, more renewable energy-friendly distribution system — a system that meets the legitimate demands and expectations of our customers. We strongly support the legislation. And we urge the Assembly to approve it — a step that would bring a stronger, smarter, and greener energy grid a step closer to reality for communities all across Virginia. For more information on grid transformation in Virginia, visit www.dominionenergy.com/next. Baine is senior vice president – Power Delivery, at Dominion Energy.
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Feb. 14, 2018 • 7
P.T. Hoffsteader, Esq.
*****
Raising the threshold
Editor’s note: Gov. Ralph Northam, Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Kirk Cox, and Sen. Mark Obenshain last week announced a bipartisan compromise to raise the felony larceny threshold and adopt into law legislation to ensure that crime victims are paid the restitution duly owed to them. The General Assembly will pass and the governor will support and sign a package of five bills, including legislation introduced by Del. Les Adams (R-Pittsylvania) and Sen. David Suetterlein (R-Roanoke) to raise the felony larceny threshold to $500; two bills (HB484) introduced by Del. Rob Bell (R-Albemarle) and Sen. Obenshain (R-Rockingham) to ensure that restitution ordered by the courts is collected from defendants, and two bills (HB483) to ensure that that restitution that has been collected is finally delivered to crime victims. Below are comments supporting the bills: This compromise is a key breakthrough for commonsense criminal justice reform. Raising the felony larceny threshold will maintain Virginia’s tough position on criminal theft, while modernizing our law so that one mistake does not define a person’s entire life. I want to thank members of my team and leaders on both sides for proving yet again that Virginia is a place where we come together to get things done. Gov. Ralph Northam
After several years of work to ensure crime victims are paid the restitution owed to them, I am thrilled that Governor Northam has agreed to sign this important legislation. Over the last several weeks, Chairman Rob Bell negotiated with Secretary Brian Moran at my direction to include this strong public safety measure in a compromise that increases the larceny threshold to $500. We appreciate Governor Northam’s commitment to support and sign these important bills. I also want to thank Chairman Bell, Secretary Moran, and Senator Obenshain for their hard work on this agreement. Del. Kirk Cox HB 1550, introduced by Del. Adams and SB 105, introduced by Sen. Suetterlein will raise the felony larceny threshold to $500. HB 484 (Bell) will require probation officers to monitor payment of restitution and will require courts to review restitution before releasing a defendant from probation supervision or court oversight. In the event the defendant has not complied with the court’s restitution order, the court may impose punishment, schedule additional reviews, and take other steps to ensure that the restitution is paid. Northam will send down a bill for the Senate to consider on the issue of restitution. A bill number and patron will be announced soon. HB 483 (Bell) and ensures that all restitution that is collected shall be delivered to the victim by requiring Clerks of Court to annually transmit any restitution where the victim cannot be found, to the Victim Compensation Fund. The bill then provides the fund with two personnel
who will work to locate victims and help them obtain their money. A Crime Commission study found that there was over $230 million in restitution owed to victims across the Commonwealth, but was unpaid and overdue. More recently, WRIC8 reporter Kerri O’Brien found and research confirmed that $8 million in restitution was collected from defendants, but never delivered to the crime victims. We were shocked when we learned how much outstanding restitution was owed to crime victims. This is money that crime victims need to pay their bills and rebuild their lives. They have to come to court, testify under oath, and many have to describe the most frightening moment of their life to strangers, only to be cross examined and scrutinized in the media. The least we can do is ensure that they receive the restitution that the justice system promises to them. Rob Bell At $200, Virginia’s current felony larceny threshold is the most severe in the nation. By raising it, we are sending a clear message that theft is a serious crime, but stealing one phone or pair of boots should not ruin a person’s life. Joe Lindsey ***** I am pleased with this package, as it incorporates two critical policy goals. The victims of crime don’t have a large lobbying firm advocating on their behalf. By ensuring they will receive the restitution they deserve, including the millions collected that have gone unclaimed, we’re standing up for their interests. With the felony for threshold having been last modified in 1980, raising
it nearly 40 years later is the right thing to do. Mark D. Obenshain When this session began, Gov. Northam asked the General Assembly to step away from partisan battles and work together to solve real problems. This bipartisan compromise is a huge step in that important direction. Senate Democrats look forward to continuing our work on criminal justice reform and many other issues that will make life better for Virginians. Sen. Janet Howell Having worked on this issue for the last three sessions, I am thrilled that Virginia is taking this step forward and happy that my bill will be included in this reform. Taxpayers are not well-served when a young person who steals $200 sneakers becomes permanently labeled as a convicted felon. When Governor Northam reaffirmed his commitment to raising the threshold, I enthusiastically applauded. I’m clapping today, too, because these changes make Virginia better. Sen. David R. Suetterlein ***** I am honored that the governor asked me to work with members of both parties to negotiate a compromise that will accomplish a goal that many of us have been working on for decades. This legislation properly balances the need to keep Virginians safe with our responsibility to ensure that punishments match the crime. Brian Moran Virginia Secretary of Public Safety & Homeland Security
The LEGACY
8 • Feb. 14, 2018
Faith & Religion
Attendees at the annual session of the National Baptist Convention in 2016. PHOTO: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
5 facts about the religious lives of black Americans DAVID MASCI Religion, particularly Christianity, has played an outsize role in African American history. While most Africans brought to the New World to be slaves were not Christians when they arrived, many of them and their descendants embraced Christianity, finding comfort in the Biblical message of spiritual equality and deliverance. In post-Civil War America, a burgeoning black church played a key role strengthening African American communities and in providing key support to the civil rights movement. For Black History Month, here are five facts about the religious lives of African Americans. 1- Roughly eight-in-ten (79 percent) African Americans self-identify as Christian, as do seven-in-10 whites and 77 percent of Latinos, according to Pew Research Center’s 2014
Religious Landscape Study. Most black Christians and about half of all African Americans (53 percent) are associated with historically black Protestant churches, according to the study. Smaller shares of African Americans identify with evangelical Protestantism (14 percent), Catholicism (5 percent), mainline Protestantism (4 percent) and Islam (2 percent).
2- The first predominantly black denominations in the U.S. were founded in the late 18th century, some by free black people. Today, the largest historically black church in the U.S. is the National Baptist Convention U.S.A. Inc. Other large historically black churches include the Church of God in Christ, the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), and two other Baptist churches – the National Baptist Convention of America and the Progressive National Baptist
Association Inc. 3- African Americans are more religious than whites and Latinos by many measures of religious commitment. For instance, threequarters of black Americans say religion is very important in their lives, compared with smaller shares of whites (49 percent) and Hispanics (59 percent); African Americans also are more likely to attend services at least once a week and to pray regularly. Black Americans (83 percent) are more likely to say they believe in God with absolute certainty than whites (61 percent) and Latinos (59 percent). 4- The share of African Americans who identify as religiously unaffiliated has increased in recent years, mirroring national trends. In 2007, when the first Religious Landscape Study was conducted, only 12 percent of black Americans said they were religiously unaffiliated —
that is, atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular.” By the time the 2014 Landscape Study was conducted, that number had grown to 18 percent. As with the general population, younger African American adults are more likely than older African Americans to be unaffiliated. Three-in-10 (29 percent) African Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 say they are unaffiliated compared with only 7 percent of black adults 65 and older who say this. 5- Older African Americans are more likely than younger black adults to be associated with historically black Protestant churches. While 63 percent of the Silent Generation (born between 1928 and 1945) say they identify with historically black denominations, only 41 percent of black Millennials say the same. (When the survey was conducted in 2014, Millennials included those born between 1981 and 1996.)
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10 • Feb. 14, 2018
The LEGACY
Meet Virginia’s 4 Winter Olympics athletes
CNS - While most of Virginia shuts down at the threat of snow, Ashley Caldwell thrives in it. Caldwell, 24, started practicing gymnastics at 4, and after watching the freestyle skiers in the 2006 Winter Olympics, she was inspired to take her talents to the snow. Now, Caldwell is competing in her third Olympic Games. An Ashburn native, Caldwell and her parents quickly realized suburban Northern Virginia was not the best place to start a career in skiing. So at 14, she moved to Lake Placid to train with the U.S National Development team. Two years later, Caldwell was the youngest American to compete in the 2010 Vancouver Games. “We’ve been together from the beginning, through all the new tricks, hard workouts, crashes, injuries and victories,” Caldwell said. “It’s an honor to be competing alongside my teammates knowing that they are my friends and that we all are genuinely cheering each other on.” Among five freestyle skiing events in the Winter Olympics — moguls, aerials, ski halfpipe, ski cross, and ski slopestyle — Caldwell competes in ladies’ aerials, in which she skis off a 2- to 4-meter jump and attempts tricks such as flips and twists. Caldwell is best known for her trick — the full, full, full — which involves three somersaults while twisting her body. This trick is traditionally performed by men; at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Caldwell was the only female to attempt the trick, and she completed it. “I’ve said over the years that when I started this sport, I always wanted to ‘jump like the boys,’ but I don’t believe that anymore,” Caldwell said. “I don’t like qualifying my goals with a gender expectation. I want to jump my best, regardless of gender. I want to be treated like Ashley. I’m proud of being a female, but I don’t want to let that define my expectations as an athlete.”
Caldwell’s career stalled in December 2011 when she tore the ACL in her right knee and a year later when she tore her ACL in her left knee. Those injuries didn’t stop her from skiing, though: In 2014, she competed in the Sochi Games. “One of my biggest struggles in preparing for this Olympics has been injury and doubt,” Caldwell told Capital News Service. “I push myself very hard, and that motivation has led to several heartbreaking injuries over the years, but also mild injuries that can make it so much harder to compete your best.” Caldwell’s most recent triumph was at the 2017 Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships in Spain, where she took first place. Caldwell’s first appearance in Pyeongchang was Thursday in the ladies’ aerials qualification. She said she was looking forward to the event. “I’m prepared to be unprepared. I’m ready for anything that comes at me during this Games,” Caldwell said. Powhatan Bobsledder represents Team USA Hakeem Abdul-Saboor will compete for Team USA in South Korea in about a week. But before he could call himself an Olympic bobsledder, the 2005 Powhatan High School graduate was a triple-threat athlete and bodybuilder. He served as captain of the track and field team, played basketball and excelled at football, leading his team to a career record of 36–3. He went on to accept a scholarship to play Division II football for the University of Virginia at Wise. “Hakeem is probably the best allaround athlete I have ever coached,” UVa-Wise head coach Dewey Lusk said on Abdul-Saboor’s website. Abdul-Saboor played running back for Wise until 2009 when he tore his ACL four games into his senior season. He said that injury ended both his college and potential professional football career.
In an interview with NBC Olympics, Abdul-Saboor said he stayed on campus and focused on the gym. A friend told him he should consider entering a bodybuilder contest. His first competition was the 2012 Bodybuilding.com FIT USA Event in Boise, Idaho. “I think they picked 16 or 20 of us from the nation,” Abdul-Saboor told NBC Olympics. “I ended up winning the people’s choice award. So that was everybody over the nation voting for which contestant they liked, their physique best.” Abdul-Saboor was invited to compete in bigger shows but didn’t have the money. He moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, where he worked for Performance Training Inc. as a personal trainer and speedagility quickness coach. In 2014, a Facebook video of Abdul-Saboor got the attention of Dr. Brad DeWeese, a professor at Eastern Tennessee State University and former head of physiology for the U.S. Olympic Committee. “Having coached a large portion of Olympians in the sport, it was obvious that Hakeem had the power and physical build to be successful in bobsled,” DeWeese told NBC Olympics. DeWeese invited Abdul-Saboor to Johnson City, Tennessee, for a dryland bobsled combine. He performed flawlessly on each event. DeWeese went on to coach AbdulSaboor to three national team designations and finally to the U.S. Olympic team. Abdul-Saboor’s bobsledding career launched in 2015 when he competed in the Minor League North American Cup. By January 2016, he had competed in three World Cups. In December, Abdul-Saboor and two-time Olympian Nick Cunningham placed fifth in the twoman bobsled at the World Cup in Austria — the best finish for any U.S. sled at an international event this season. On Jan. 15, Abdul-Saboor shared via Instagram that he would continue
to represent the United States — but this time at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. “I am honored to announce that I was named to the 2018 Olympic bobsled team and will be representing Team USA in February,” Abdul-Saboor said. “I’m still at a loss for words right now but am excited to continue to grind it out and work hard to be my best at the Olympic Games.” Abdul-Saboor, 30, will compete in the two-man and four-man bobsledding events, which began Feb. 19. Reston teen skates her way to Winter Games Eighteen-year-old Maame Biney of Reston is breaking ice, and records, as the first African-American woman to qualify for the U.S. Olympic shorttrack speedskating team after two 500-meter victories at her December trials. Born in Ghana, Biney came to the U.S. when she was five to visit her father, Kweku, and never left. It didn’t take long before Biney was drawn to an ice rink, after her father pointed out a sign that advertised figure skating classes. “We were driving down this street right here — Sunset Hills Road,” Kweku Biney told The Washington Post. “I saw the sign in front of the rink. It said, ‘Learn to skate.’ I asked her, ‘Maame, you want to try this?’” Biney jumped at the opportunity. She was so fast the instructor suggested she try speedskating. Biney started in Kids on Ice, a beginner speedskating program in Washington. That meant the Bineys had to wake up at 5 a.m. to make it to the Fort Dupont Ice Arena by 6 a.m. The practices were led by threetime Olympian Nathaniel Mills, who said he was in awe of Maame Biney’s dedication. “She wasn’t deterred by the fact that she was taking up a difficult
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Feb. 14, 2018 • 11
Highlighting blacks with disabilities in honor of BHM LAUREN APPELBAUM RespectAbility recently recognized the contributions made and the important presence of African Americans to the United States. This includes more than 5.6 million African Americans living with a disability in the U.S., 3.4 million of which are working-age African Americans with disabilities, accordxing to RespectAbility, an organization that helps those with disabilities. The group urges the general public to reflect on the realities and challenges that continue to shape the lives of African Americans with disabilities. Consider this: Only 28.7 percent of working-age African Americans with disabilities are employed in the U.S. compared to 72 percent of workingage African Americans without disabilities. This is in line with the rest of the country, with fully one-infive Americans having a disability and just 30 percent of those who are working-age being employed, despite polls showing that most of them want to work. This leads to approximately 40 percent of African Americans with disabilities living in poverty compared to 22 percent of African Americans without disabilities. Deafblind lawyer Haben Girma advocates for inclusion in both
Harriet Tubman
Ask Alma
education and Hollywood. For many of the 1,199,743 black students (K-12) with disabilities in America today, the deck is stacked against them, according to RespectAbility. Frequently “invisible disabilities” such as ADHD are not diagnosed and students do not get the supports they need to achieve. Frustrated, they can act out and become suspended. African American students with disabilities are disproportionately impacted by suspension in schools, with more than one in four boys of color with
We need more space, but my husband won’t move Dear Alma,
Haben Girma disabilities — and nearly one in five girls of color with disabilities — receiving an out-of-school suspension. Studies show that when students miss too many days, either for being truant or just being absent, they get so far behind in class that it can lead to them dropping out of school. As documented by the Center for American Progress, these issues are “an early warning sign for educational failure… [and] one mechanism that propels the schoolto-prison pipeline.” Today there are more than 750,000 people with disabilities behind bars in America. Many of them do not have high school diplomas, are functionally illiterate and are people of color. Overall, only 65 percent of students with disabilities graduate high school compared to 84 percent of students without disabilities. However, only
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I read your column every week and could really use your advice. I want to move, but my husband won’t budge. No, it’s not what you’re thinking. We have money; both of us are gainfully employed making over $100,000 a year. We have a substantial savings account. We also have three children; two girls, a four year-old and seven year-old and a 10 yearold son. My husband purchased a beautiful condo before we got married and it’s in a very high-end neighborhood. Yes, it is lovely, but we need more space for our family. We have gone over this a million times and he will not move. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to end my marriage, I love my husband very much and we have a wonderful family. Do you have any suggestions that will work for all of us and keep everyone happy? Signed, Ready to Move On Dear Ready, I could be wrong, although I doubt it, but it sounds to me that he doesn’t love you or his kids with
is whole heart. Because when you do, the life, comfort and well-being of your loved ones supersedes everything and everyone. I know this is a tough pill to swallow in regards to your loving home life, but lets’ back it up a minute and review the circumstances. You and your husband are financially stable, making enough money for your family to be more than comfortable, but he chooses to live in a constricted, unconditional, and may I say unhealthy lack of space for no reason other than, he purchased a property before you married and he doesn’t want to let the property go. Ummm, okay, I can understand the investment prospect of this, but ummm, I’m still confused. When one person in the kingdom makes all the decisions for the family and the land; that’s called a tyrant, a ruler of the domain. I say, not here, not today! Didn’t you see the Woman’s March on Washington? As the pink powder puff parent, you’ve got to make this stop! We are no longer fanning this foolishness. Go find a house or apartment to rent, sign the lease, return home and prepare a celebration dinner. Immediate family members currently living in your condo are invited to the dinner and, said immediate family members should prepare to move to your new home. If your husband isn’t interested in relocating, you two can discuss the terms for him deciding to sleep away from his family on another day at another time. Maybe it’s just me, but in my mind, since finances are not an issue, this is not a problem. There are agencies that will rent your property for you for a small fee. There’s the answer to what he sees as “his problem.” This is a happenstance your husband has high-jacked long enough. Your children need space to grow, stretch and learn. There’s no need for everyone to be within ear and eyeshot of each other every day. Children should not be made to witness every fuss and fart that festers between their mom and dad. This matter is for mama to fix; get on it. This unnecessary disaster of indignity has dragged on long enough. Don’t waste another minute, up your game, march girl, march!
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The LEGACY
U of R professors receive Fulbright awards University of Richmond biology professor Jory Brinkerhoff and history professor Manuella Meyer have received Fulbright awards to support their research projects. Jory Brinkerhoff, a disease ecologist who studies parasites, will collaborate with colleagues at Nihon University in Japan to study Bartonella, a genus of diseasecausing bacterial species that can spill over from animals to humans, often by way of lice, fleas and flies. His Fulbright award will support a six-month trip to Japan for a project to assess risk to humans by analyzing Bartonella parasites found in Japanese macaques, a type of monkey. “So far we know very little about how common this disease is in these monkeys, how it is transmitted and if there is a risk to human health,” Brinkerhoff said. “Tourists can get quite close to these animals, so there are public health motivations for this project. There also are basic science questions about relationships among
different bacterial species and groups in macaque parasites collected from different sites.” Manuella Meyer is a historian who examines the socio-political and medical terrain of mental illness in Rio de Janeiro. Her research includes areas related to public health, the history of welfare, gender and race discourse. Her Fulbright award will support a trip to Rio de Janeiro for her second book project, “Making Brazilian Children: Child Welfare and the Psychiatry of Childhood, 1922-1954.” “This research focuses on how mental health professionals viewed children as the means through which to create ideal citizens and a strong nation-state,” Meyer said. “It also examines narratives of madness and concepts of mental illness articulated by psychiatrists during a time of rapid cultural transformation.” The Fulbright program, which aims to increase mutual understanding between people of the U.S and people
Support for Medicaid expansion A new survey of Virginia voters by the Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University suggests that a compromise may be possible on expanding Virginians’ access to Medicaid, an issue that has vexed the General Assembly for five years. “While a majority of voters support a full expansion of Medicaid, Republican voters oppose it, and Republicans are still in charge in the General Assembly,” said Dr. Quentin Kidd, director of the Wason Center. “However, a partial expansion has the support of Republican voters, which may open a path to compromise this session.” Here are some of the other findings in the Wason Center’s annual issues survey: - Virginians support decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana, making it punishable by fines rather than jail. - Voters support raising the $7.25 minimum wage to $10.10 by 2020. - Two-thirds of voters know someone who has taken prescription opioid painkillers, and they support treatment rather than prison for opioid abusers.
Dr. Quentin Kidd - Voters would prohibit sending or reading e-mails while driving, but they would not ban all cell phone use while driving. Texting is already illegal. - A majority of voters support amending Virginia’s Constitution to put a non-partisan commission in charge of drawing new political districts, rather than continue to allow members of the legislature to draw their own districts in the oncea-decade redistricting process. The Wason Center conducted 870 interviews of registered Virginia voters, including 372 on landline and 498 on cell phone, Jan. 14-Feb. 4. The survey’s margin of error is +/3.6 percent.
Jory Brinkerhoff of other countries, is overseen by the U.S. Department of State. Grants are made possible by funds appropriated
Manuella Meyer annually by Congress along with contributions from partner countries and the private sector.
(from page 11) week, this campaign is shining the 57 percent of black students with disabilities graduate high school compared to 74.6 percent of black students without disabilities. Some celebrities and business leaders are using their voice to share their stories, educating people about both visible and invisible disabilities. They are defying the statistics and have remained highly successful with their disabilities. RespectAbility calls them ‘role models” and contends that they make a big difference in setting high expectations for youth with disabilities. People with disabilities of all backgrounds can be amongst the highest achievers on earth. Harriet Tubman had epilepsy, actress Halle Berry lives with diabetes and hearing loss, business leader and “Shark Tank” star Daymond John is dyslexic and Stevie Wonder is blind. “Each of them is a positive role model for success,” noted RespectAbility. “They are perfect candidates for RespectAbility’s #RespectTheAbility campaign, which is shining a light on individuals with disabilities who are succeeding in their chosen careers. For the first
spotlight on black individuals with disabilities who are entertainment celebrities or who are leaders in the work in Hollywood inclusion. “Our nation’s economy is strongest when it is inclusive of the value that diverse talent brings to the workplace. These celebrities are making a difference in how audiences perceive disability. However, companies including Amazon, Starbucks, Pepsi, J.P. MorganChase, Walmart and others exemplify these values and have specific programs to hire, cultivate and promote people with disabilities. What these businesses have found is that employees with disabilities are loyal, successful and help them make more money. “The celebrities mentioned above are especially important to acknowledge during Black History Month. However, their work should be valued and appreciated year-round. RespectAbility will be highlighting additional African American celebrities, as well as those who have made important policy advancements, with disabilities throughout the entire month.”
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Feb. 14, 2018 • 13
Solmaz Sharif wins Levis Reading Prize for ‘Look’ Solmaz Sharif has been named the winner of the 2017 Levis Reading Prize for her poetry collection “Look.” The prize is awarded annually for the best first or second book of poetry published in the previous calendar year, and is presented by the Department of English and its MFA in Creative Writing program in the College of Humanities and Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University. The prize honors the late poet Larry Levis, who served on the VCU faculty at the time of his death in
House passes bill to reduce maximum length of long-term suspensions CNS - In a major step toward dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline, the House recently passed Delegate Jeff Bourne’s bill to cut the maximum length of school suspensions from 364 to 45 days, with certain exceptions. The bill passed the House with bipartisan support on a 84-15 vote. Highlighting how long-term suspensions disproportionately harm students of color and students with disabilities, said Bourne, “AfricanAmerican students are 3.6 times more likely to be suspended, students with disabilities were 2.4 times more likely to be suspended, and an African-American male student with a disability was 20 times more likely to get suspended than a white female student with no disability. We have to do better by Virginia students of color and students with disabilities. “The bottom line is, we cannot keep using access, or the lack thereof to education, as a punishment and continue to expect positive results. We will never be able to close the achievement gap if we continue down this path of disparate expulsion. This bill will allow us to drastically reform the way we treat our students with disciplinary issues and get them the help they need and on the track to success.” Bourne built coalitions among stakeholders and worked across the aisle to make sure the measure passed. The bill has advanced to the Senate.
Solmaz Sharif 1996. Sharif will receive an award of $5,000 and will read from her prizewinning work March 29 at 7 p.m. at James Branch Cabell Library in
Richmond, followed by a reception in her honor. Sharif’s poems have appeared in The New Republic, Poetry, The Kenyon Review, jubilat, Gulf Coast, Boston Review, Witness, and other publications. The former managing director of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop, Sharif has been recognized with a “Discovery”/Boston Review Poetry Prize, a scholarship from the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, a winter fellowship at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Massachusetts, an NEA fellowship, a Wallace Stegner Fellowship, a 2014 Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award, and a Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship. She is the winner of a 2017 Literary Award in poetry from the PEN Center USA. Sharif is currently a lecturer at Stanford University. “Look” is
her first poetry collection, published by Graywolf Press in 2016. The collection was named a finalist for a National Book Award. Reviewers for the Levis Prize note that “Look” has garnered significant critical acclaim, offering readers a contemporary rendering of life during wartime. Notably, Sharif’s book lifts words and phrases taken from the Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms to expose the dangers of euphemisms designed to sterilize and manipulate language. Her poems, reviewers said, artfully reveal how governments and their militaries use distorted phrasing to conceal human suffering and thereby contribute to a legacy of violence and injustice everywhere. For Sharif, whose uncle was killed in the IranIraq War, this legacy is deeply personal.
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The LEGACY
Drugs, alcohol and suicides contributing to alarming drop in life expectancy, physician argues Drugs, alcohol and suicides are contributing to an alarming drop in U.S. life expectancy, particularly among middle-aged white Americans and those living in rural communities, according to an editorial co-authored by Steven Woolf, M.D., director of the Center on Society and Health at Virginia Commonwealth University. The editorial, titled “Failing Health of the United States,” was published in the
British Medical Journal on Feb. 7. “States are finding the biggest increases in death rates from drug overdoses, alcoholism and suicides are in rural counties, where residents have often struggled for years with stagnant wages, unemployment and poverty,” Woolf said. “The social fabric of these communities is coming apart.” Woolf co-authored the editorial with Urban Institute senior fellow
(from page 10) sport,” Mills told Capital News Service. “She came to the rink every Saturday morning eager to learn.” Mills, who now runs D.C. Inner City Excellence, a year-round skating-based youth development program, said Biney’s passion and perseverance distinguish her from other skaters. “She’s more explosive of a skater than many of her peers in the United States, and her tenacity as a competitor also sets her apart,” Mills said. “Her own drive, her father’s sacrifices and her love of skating and competing are the three biggest factors to any athlete’s success — and Maame’s got all three.” Mills said Biney’s father played a significant role in his daughter’s success, putting “every penny he made into her career and into her opportunities.” Biney is the youngest woman on the U.S. short-track team. At this year’s games, she is up against competitors who have the home turf advantage: 21 of South Korea’s 26 winter gold medals have come from short-track speedskating. Biney will compete in the 500- and 1,500-meter races. She has an upper hand at the shorter distance since setting a personal record at the Olympic trials of 43.161 seconds in the 500-meter race. This is just the beginning for Biney, Mills said. “I think the confidence that came with her performance at the trials, coupled with the experience she’s going to get at these games, will lead to her being among the favorites in the next Olympics in Beijing, China,” Mills said. “She’ll be one of the marquee athletes because her personality is real and her talent is
Hakeem Abdul-Saboor next level.” Biney has garnered fans across the country and even the world. It’s because she’s so relatable, Mills said. “I know who she is and what she’s doing means a lot to a whole lot of people that identify themselves by their nation’s state of Ghana, or by being a woman, or because of her skin color, or being from Northern Virginia,” Mills said. “Maame’s pretty easy to root for.” According to her profile on the Team USA website, Biney is wrapping up her senior year of high school through online courses and plans to study chemical engineering in college. At South Lakes High School in Reston, Biney is best known for her happy-go-lucky demeanor. “She is so funny and takes everything so positively,” Biney’s former classmate Kriti Shukla said. “She is the most open and happy person in the class.” Hockey player has chance for own ‘miracle on ice’ When the NHL closed the door on its players competing in the
Laudan Aron. The researchers argue that the ideal of the American dream is increasingly out of reach as social mobility declines and fewer children face a better future than their parents. Woolf and Aron support their argument with timely evidence, including a National Research Council and Institute of Medicine study they led, which demonstrated that Americans have shorter lives and live in poorer health than people in other high-income countries. Their editorial notes that life expectancy in the U.S. has decreased for the second year in a row, while it continues to rise in other developed countries. Between 2000 and 2014, the rate of fatal drug overdoses in the U.S. rose by 137 percent, a crisis fueled by the
opioid addiction epidemic. U.S. death rates from alcohol abuse and suicides also have been increasing. Between 1999 and 2014, the U.S. suicide rate increased by 24 percent. “Our health relative to our peers in other countries has been deteriorating since the 1980s, and the problem has only grown worse,” Woolf said. “Our country may have the best hospitals and scientists, but we have shorter lives and poorer health.” In the editorial, Woolf and Aron trace the problem to challenging life conditions and the policies behind them. Woolf directs VCU’s Center on Society and Health, which raises awareness about social and environmental conditions that affect population health.
Winter Olympics, it opened a door for Virginia native Garrett Roe to represent the U.S. on the men’s ice hockey team in the sport’s biggest international event. In April, the NHL announced that it would not participate in the Winter Games in South Korea. “The overwhelming majority of our clubs are adamantly opposed to disrupting the 2017–18 NHL season for purposes of accommodating Olympic participation by some NHL players,” the league said. So the U.S. hockey team turned to Americans who weren’t playing for the NHL — like Roe, a 5-foot-9 center for the team EV Zug in the Swiss national hockey league. Roe, who is from the Northern Virginia town of Vienna, is the team’s leading scorer. In December, Roe woke up in his apartment in Zug to a missed phone call from USA Hockey general manager Jim Johnson. Johnson was prepared to ask Roe to do something many top athletes can only dream of — to represent his country in the Olympics. Roe and Johnson eventually connected — and that’s how Roe now finds himself in South Korea ready to face off against players from Russia in the U.S. team’s first game on Feb. 17. Roe was born into a hockey family. His father, Larry, played and coached hockey; his two older brothers played the sport, too. “When we first started coaching him, you could tell he had that extra little sense for the game,” Larry Roe told The Washington Post. “Some players have a sense for the game. Some players are talented. Some players have both, and that’s Garrett.” After high school, Roe played for the Indiana Ice of the United States
Hockey League, the country’s top junior ice hockey league. Then he attended and played NCAA hockey for St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. When he graduated in 2011, he was the school’s all-time leader in assists and third all-time in points scored. After college, Roe played for the Adirondack Phantoms in the American Hockey League, which serves as the primary developmental league for the NHL. Two years later, Roe signed with EC Salzburg of the Austrian elite league EBEL for the 2013–14 campaign. Since then, he has played for pro teams in Germany, Sweden and now Switzerland. Looking back, Roe, now 29, wonders if his decision to abandon the American minor leagues and play overseas was rash. It effectively ended any chance he had of making the NHL, his boyhood dream. “If I could do it all over again, I’d probably make a different decision,” Roe said in an interview with The Washington Times. “I’d try to stay at home and try to better myself and believe in myself.” In his biography on the national team’s website, Roe said his favorite moment in USA Hockey history is the “TJ Oshie shootout and the Miracle on Ice.” At the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, in 2014, Oshie scored on a penalty shot after overtime as the Americans beat the Russian team, 3–2. This week, Team USA will face the Russians again. Roe has high hopes. “I like the team we have; I think we have a lot of blue-collar-type guys,” he told radio station WTOP. We’re going to be a team that’s extremely hard to play against and hopefully extremely hard to beat. That’s the goal.”
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Online lender to provide consumer restitution and debt forgiveness totaling more than $2.35 million More than $2.7 million in relief will be provided to Virginia consumers who took out loans with Internet lender MoneyLion of Virginia LLC-an affiliate of New York based Internet lender MoneyLion, Inc. Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring’s settlement with MoneyLion will provide refunds and debt forgiveness to 3,800 consumers as a result of the company’s alleged violations of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. Since creating a Predatory Lending Unit in his Consumer Protection Section, Attorney General Herring’s Office has recovered more than $25 million in restitution and debt forgiveness for Virginia consumers from online lenders. “As more Virginians turn to online lenders for small loans, they need to understand that these loans can be just as risky and predatory as a payday loan or auto title loan they might get at a brick-and-mortar store,” said Herring. “My Predatory Lending Unit is working every day to protect Virginia borrowers from deceptive and unlawful practices, but it's just as important that consumers really take the time to consider all their options and any terms and conditions before
taking out one of these loans. This settlement with MoneyLion is going to save Virginia borrowers nearly $3 million and send a strong message to online lenders that we are watching them closely. Herring’s complaint alleges that: From January 2017 through July 2017, MoneyLion offered closed-end, installment loans over the internet and falsely claimed that it was licensed in Virginia to do so; MoneyLion’s loan agreements falsely stated that MoneyLion was licensed by Virginia’s Bureau of Financial Institutions; MoneyLion charged Virginia consumers annual interest rates as high as 359 percent APR, but was never licensed by BFI and did not qualify for any exception to Virginia’s 12 percenr interest cap; and MoneyLion charged Virginians an unlawful “$15 check processing fee” for payments made by check on closed-end, installment loans. The settlement includes the following key terms relating to loans made by MoneyLion during the period in question: MoneyLion agrees to provide $359,811.50 in refunds to 1,161 Virginia consumers who paid more than their loan principal plus 12
percent APR; MoneyLion agrees to give up the collection of $2,354,097.05 in illegal interest it charged on loans with 2,639 Virginia consumers; A payment to Virginia of $10,000 as a civil penalty for MoneyLion’s alleged violations of the VCPA; A payment to Virginia of $20,000 for its costs and fees in investigating MoneyLion’s alleged violations of the VCPA; Permanent injunctions preventing MoneyLion from misrepresenting its license status, allowable interest rates, and allowable fees. The Office of the Attorney General will be monitoring MoneyLion’s
compliance with the settlement to make sure it is being administered properly. Consumers who have questions about the settlement may contact MoneyLion directly at 800310-9440. The settlement is in the form of an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance which was filed for approval with the Circuit Court of the City of Richmond on Feb. 5. For more information, contact Herring’s Consumer Protection Section by phone at 800- 552-9963. This unit includes a focus on predatory lending in addition to deceptive conduct, anti-trust matters, charitable solicitation, and more.
PROC 01-156-002-03600/0209 HAMPTON SOLICITATION The Director of Finance or his designated representative will accept written responses in the Procurement Office, 1 Franklin Street, Suite 345, Hampton, VA 23669 on behalf of the Entity listed below until the date and local time specified. HAMPTON CITY HAMPTON CITY SCHOOLS Thursday, March 1, 2018 2:00 p.m. ET – ITB 18-180936/TM Catalog Discount for Art Supplies on an as needed basis. 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 2.24330 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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Calendar 2.15, 7 p.m.
VCU Libraries will host its 16th annual Black History Month Lecture with a talk by historian and author Ibram X. Kendi, who will discuss his book “Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America,” for which he won the National Book Award for Nonfiction in 2016. Kendi’s lecture will be followed by a Q&A, book signing and reception. The event is free and open to the public, though attendees are asked to register at www.support.vcu.edu/ event/blackhistorymonth18.
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The keynote event for the 20172018 One Book, One Richmond selection will feature “The Faithful Scribe” author and University of Richmond assistant professor of journalism, Shahan Mufti as the speaker. Mufti’s book was the first faculty publication to be chosen for the One Book, One Richmond common reading program. The purpose of this effort, led by the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement, is to encourage a campus-wide involvement in reading and discussing the same book about relevant social issues. The event will take place in the Camp Concert Hall of the Modlin Center for the Arts. The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required.
2.17, 9 a.m. Newport News Public Schools and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity’s Zeta Lambda Education Foundation are collaborating to conduct a oneday program that encourages and prepares students to attend college. MegaGenesis is being hosted at Woodside High School, 13450 Woodside Lane until 3:30 p.m. The free program is open to middle and high school students, parents, teachers, and youth group leader across Hampton Roads. The event features Rhodes Scholar and Season 4 winner of The Apprentice Dr. Randal D. Pinkett as the motivational keynote speaker.
The LEGACY
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES & EVENTS
“Literary Saturdays” presents: Ronnie N. Sidney, II, LCSW Ronnie Sidney was raised in Tappahannock, where he spent several years in special education after being diagnosed with a learning disability. Although the stigmatization of special education created a lack of interest in school, he graduated from Essex High School in 2001, but with a 1.8 GPA. With limited options regarding four-year colleges, he decided to enroll in J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College then the following year, he transferred to Old Dominion University, where he received a bachelor of science degree in human services in 2006. In 2015, his first book was published. “Nelson Beats The Odds”, is an inspiring graphic novel that celebrates friendship, resilience and empowerment. Nelson, the books’ main character, overcomes his learning disability and ADHD diagnosis with the help of his parents and special education teacher. Since releasing Nelson Beats the Odds, Sidney has been featured on Fox and Friends Weekend, MichaeLA, NPR, Understood.org, and NBC 12 News. “Rest in Peace RaShawn” completes a trinity of quality young adult literature by Sidney, including his second book “Tameka’s New Dress”. All three books in the “Nelson Beats the Odds” series inspire confidence in children and encourage a fondness for reading and a heightened level of social awareness; Sidney’s stories equip kids with a broader understanding of America’s culture and climate. Join The Black History Museum on Feb. 24, from 2 p.m. for a reading and book signing with Ronnie Sidney as he shares this and other stories of triumph over trial of African American youth. Fun for all ages! Free, registration requested at: LiterarySaturdays/RonnieSidney
2.21, 5:30 p.m.
University of Richmond will host Carmen Agra Deedy, an awardwinning children’s author, to speak about common challenges of achieving childhood literacy. This event will be held Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 5:30 p.m. in Tyler Haynes Commons, Alice Haynes Room. “Words Hard Won,” will explore the variety of challenges that can limit a child’s ability to become literate as well as celebrate the ways that these challenges can be overcome. Deedy is the author of 11 children’s books, which have won numerous awards, and is the host of the Emmywinning children’s program, “Love That Book!” Deedy’s narratives, which first appeared on NPR’s program, “All Things Considered,” are drawn from her childhood experiences as a Cuban refugee living in an Atlanta suburb. Deedy has given lectures at TED and TEDx conferences, The Library of Congress and The National Book Festival. This event is part of the Graduate Education Speaker Series, which aims to address topics of interest to current and prospective teachers, school administrators, community leaders and others engaged in the field of education. More information and future events can be found on the SPCS website. This event is hosted by Boatwright Memorial Library, the Office of International Education, the School of Arts and Sciences and SPCS Graduation Education Program. A reception and book signing will follow the lecture. The event is free and open to the public.
Submit your calendar events by email to: editor@ legacynewspaper.com. Include who, what, where, when & contact information that can be printed. Submission deadline is Friday.
Feb. 14, 2018 • 17
www.LEGACYnewspaper.com
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The LEGACY
18 • Feb. 14, 2018
Classifieds
LEGAL, EMPLOYMENT, ANNOUNCEMENTS, FOR SALE, SERVICES
DENTAL INSURANCE
MISCELLANEOUS
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Resource Information Help for the Disadvantaged and Disenfranchised (RIHD) P.O. Box 55 Highland Springs, Virginia 23075 (804) 426-4426 NEW Email: rihd23075@gmail.com Website: http://www.rihd.org/ Twitter: @rihd
EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY NOTICE We are pledged to the letter and spirit of Virginia's policy for achieving equal housing opportunity throughout the commonwealth. We encourage and support advertising and marketing programs in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap.
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For more information or to file a housing complaint, call the Virginia Housing Office (804) 367-8530 or (888) 551-3247. For the hearingimpaired, call (804) 367-9753 or e-mail fairhousing@dpor.virginia.gov.
Thank you for your interest in applying for opportunities with The City of Richmond. To see what opportunities are available, please refer to our website at www.richmondgov.com. EOE M/F/D/V Did you know... One of the strong benefits of newspaper advertising is that newspapers offer a variety of ways to target a particular audience. Whether it’s zoning inserts by zip code or using a niche publication to target a certain ethnic group or behaviorally targeting a certain group on a newspaper website, newspaper products offer a wide range of products to target any audience an advertiser is looking to reach. Talk to us for more information. PRINT & DIGITAL AD SALES EXECUTIVE
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The LEGACY is looking for a reliable, highly-motivated, goal-driven sales professional to join our team selling print and digital advertising in the Richmond and Hampton Roads areas. Duties include: Building and maintaining relationships with new/existing clients Meeting and exceeding monthly sales goals Cold calling new prospects over the phone to promote print and online advertising space
Qualifications: Proven experience with print (newspaper) and/or digital (website) advertising sales; Phone and one-on-one sales experience; Effective verbal and written communication skills, professional image and; Familiarity with Richmond and/or Hampton Roads areas. Compensation depends on experience and includes a base pay as well as commission. TheLEGACYisanAfrican-American-orientedweekly newspaper, circulation 25,000, with a website featuring local and national news and advertising. E-mail resume and letter of interest to ads@ legacynewspaper.com detailing your past sales experience. No phone calls please.
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Feb. 14, 2018 • 19
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