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EGACY Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow.

WEDNESDAYS • May 3, 2017

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INSIDE

Feds probe housing developer - 4 No time for contented slavery - 6 Dr. Beatrice Motley Cole honor - 8 Virginians protest climate change - 17

Richmond & Hampton Roads

LEGACYNEWSPAPER.COM • FREE

Expelled for assault, young men are filing more lawsuits to clear their names Grant Neal, 21, was suspended from Colorado State University-Pueblo following a 2015 incident involving alleged sexual misconduct. He is suing the university and the federal government in an effort to overturn the disciplinary action and clear his record. (Keyser Images Photography)

A rising number of young men who were kicked out of college for sexual misconduct are suing those schools, alleging they were treated unfairly as their cases were investigated and decided, legal data show.

Many are securing settlements that clear the discipline from their record, lawyers and advocacy groups say. Some even are being allowed to return to campus.

The legal pushback from these men has emerged in response to a wave of campus activism in recent years and a shift in federal enforcement of Title IX, the anti-discrimination law that led to more reports of sexual assault and major changes in how colleges resolve those complaints.

Title IX has become a rallying point for assault survivors who want colleges to pay more attention to the problem of sexual violence. But now more men are using the 1972 law to defend themselves.

Since 2011, more than 150 Title

IX lawsuits have been filed against colleges and universities involving claims of due process violations during the course of investigations and proceedings related to sex assault allegations, according to a database kept by a group called Title IX For All. In the two decades before that year, the group found, only 15 such lawsuits were filed against universities.

For the young men who file the suits, the civil courts offer a last chance for justice and an opportunity to clear their names.

“One day all of your dreams are in front of you and you’re on a path and a trajectory for you to achieve those dreams — only then for it to be yanked from you, totally out of your control,” Grant Neal said.

Now 21, Neal was a sophomore football standout at Colorado State University-Pueblo when a night of sexual intimacy, and dueling views afterward about what happened,

resulted in a multiyear suspension.

He has sued the university and the U.S. Education Department, contending that his due process rights after the 2015 incident were violated.

Some data suggests that suits such as Neal’s are getting results.

SAVE Services, a Maryland-based group that seeks to highlight what it calls “rape hoaxes” and protect the rights of the accused in sexual assault cases, found in a survey that about 70 percent of these types of lawsuits filed against colleges from 1993 to 2015 ended in settlements or rulings that at least partially benefited the plaintiffs.

For survivors of sexual assault, these legal battles can amount to emotional torture, gashing open wounds that they had thought were healing after a perpetrator was suspended or expelled.

“It was blindsiding” said a 26-yearold woman who reported that she

was sexually assaulted in 2013 on the night before she graduated from a public university in New York. The Washington Post generally does not identify sexual assault victims. The woman said that the perpetrator has been tried twice and expelled twice through the university’s adjudication process, but is still fighting the findings in court.

“Throughout this process it’s been about his rights that are important, but I have to fight tooth and nail for my rights,” she said. His lawsuit, she said, is an attempt “over and over again to try and get a different result, but his actions will never change. He’s just trying to find some crazy loophole to get out of what he did instead of taking responsibility for it.”

Victim advocates say that the lawsuits are an attempt to circumvent a system designed

(continued on page 2)

The LEGACY

2 • May 3, 2017

News ‘I feel vindicated’: Former Gov. McDonnell speaks

The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously overturned former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s 2014 corruption conviction in June 2016, however Chief Justice John Roberts described McDonnell’s case as “tawdry tales.”

McDonnell discussed the case that cost the former Republican politician his reputation and $27 million in legal fees in a “60 Minutes” interview Sunday.

McDonnell and his wife accepted $177,000 worth of gifts and loans from Virginia businessman Jonnie Williams.

“At this point, I feel vindicated,” McDonnell told “60 Minutes.”

Gov. McDonnell “My job was just

to connect people with government and I considered it a routine part of what I did — for job creation, and just regular constituent service.”

“Is that what it takes to get the attention of you guys — somebody coughing up that kind of money,” asked CBS correspondent Bill Whittaker.

“No,” said McDonnell. “That is an everyday action in America and I know it to be true from years in

politics.”

But when asked if the issue fit the churchgoer’s moral code, McDonnell replied, “If I’d do it over again, I was governor, I wouldn’t take any gifts. I didn’t need them.”

According to the program, McDonnell’s case is being used by other politicians to fight bribery convictions in New York, Pennsylvania, Utah and Louisiana.

(from page 1)

director of policy research at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. “That doesn’t do a better job of getting to the truth, and that’s where the problem is.”

In the years since, the number of lawsuits filed against universities for due process violations has increased dramatically. Andrew Miltenberg, a lawyer who has represented Neal and other male clients in such cases, said the federal guidance tilted the disciplinary process against the accused.

“It has almost created a new class of victims, and those victims are young men who essentially have been railroaded,” Miltenberg said.

But many plaintiffs are finding success in court with arguments that internal college investigations were flawed or biased.

“Now judges are digging deeper,” said Brett Sokolow, a lawyer who is president of the National Center for Higher Education Risk Management.

“They are losing trust in the good faith that colleges had when addressing these situations. And that’s a very dangerous position for colleges.”

Miltenberg said a crucial juncture in the suits comes when judges are asked to rule on university motions to dismiss the plaintiff’s complaint.

Often judges side with colleges. But a growing number of suits, Miltenberg said, are surviving the dismissal motion. That means the cases move to the fact-finding phase known as discovery.

Anxious to avoid that phase, many

universities then choose to settle out of court. Often, the terms of the settlement call for the administration to rehear the original sex assault allegation with a new focus on protecting the accused student’s due process rights.

The agreements can award a modest sum of money, expunge the suspension or expulsion from a student’s record and even offer immediate reinstatement.

“Getting over the hurdle of the motion to dismiss is a victory in itself,” Miltenberg said, noting that colleges then opt to settle “because they don’t want to get into discovery or open their books so to speak.”

Justin Dillon, another lawyer who has represented male clients in actions against universities, said that recent court decisions have given renewed optimism to attorneys who work in the field. He said there is also hope that the Trump administration will usher in an enforcement environment less hostile toward the accused.

“People are fighting back,” Dillon said. “What they want is their reputation back. . . . And when they win, they think fighting back is not futile.”

For universities, the lawsuits are expensive to fight in court and can result in costly settlements.

Last year, a University of Montana football player was awarded $245,000 after he was expelled for sexual misconduct in a case highlighted in Jon Krakauer’s 2015 best-selling book “Missoula.”

Joseph Storch, an associate counsel in the Albany office of the State University of New York system, said that parents now more than ever are threatening colleges with lawsuits for all types of disciplinary infractions involving their children, from noise violations to sexual violence allegations.

“They say, ‘My son is going to be a member of Congress,’ or, ‘My daughter is going to be a United States senator,’ ” Storch said.

“There’s a feeling that if my child gets this mark on their record, as it were, then they won’t be able to be a secretary of state. And it causes parents to go well beyond what parents in prior generations have done.”

Dunn, the survivors’ advocate, said lawyers for accused or punished students often send a “demand letter” informing a university of an intent to sue along with a draft of the complaint. The threat of litigation is sometimes enough to persuade universities to settle, she said.

Among plaintiffs, Neal is unusual: He is going public with his story.

He said he has found the aftermath of the allegation, investigation and suspension “hard to cope with” as he seeks to clear his name. “Basically, every day is a struggle to continue to go on and go forward,” he said.

But Neal said he is resolved to continue. “I’m willing to fight to the end and do whatever it takes to seek justice,” he said. “I have nothing to hide. I have no shame.”

to keep colleges safe. It is not uncommon for cases to end with settlements that expunge expulsions from a student’s academic record, which advocates say could allow a violent predator to transfer undetected and endanger another campus.

“Does that put other students at risk? Yes, very possibly,” said Laura Dunn, founder of SurvJustice, a group that advises sexual assault survivors.

For universities, the lawsuits are the latest complicating factor in one of the most challenging issues on campuses. Most schools are focused on preventing assaults through education programs and events such as the annual Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April. Schools also have been forced to respond to guidance on Title IX issued during the Obama administration.

In April 2011, the Education Department told universities they should weigh sexual violence cases using a standard of proof called “preponderance of the evidence.”

Common in civil law, this standard is less demanding than the “clear and convincing evidence” threshold that some schools had used in disciplinary proceedings and the “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard that would be required for conviction in a criminal court. The federal guidance on this point has been controversial.

“It made it easier to find a student guilty whether or not they are guilty,” said Samantha Harris,

- WaPo

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

May 3, 2017 • 3

Grant to connect student testing with 21st century skills A $1.1 million grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation will support the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) and Virginia schools in an effort to align student testing with the skills and experienced needed for success in the new Virginia economy.

These performance-based assessments are an innovative measure that allow students to demonstrate their knowledge through hands-on experience while employing critical thinking and communication skills across one or more subject areas.

“Early in my administration, we eliminated 5 SOL tests for elementary and middle schools, giving educators the freedom to use alternative assessments with their students,” said Gov. Terry McAuliffe.

“This grant supports that effort by providing technical assistance to teachers and administrators as they develop tools and resources to assess their student’s abilities to think critically and solve problems – skills that will ultimately help those students succeed in the new Virginia economy.”

Over the next two years, the

irresponsible for the Department of Education to roll them back.”

Republicans in the Virginia House of Delegates rejected legislation earlier this year to protect Virginia student loan borrowers, defeating the Borrowers’ Bill of Rights proposed by Gov. Terry McAuliffe, State Sen. Janet Howell and Del. Marcus Simon. Legislators insisted Virginians should turn to the federal government for help with their student loans.

“Republicans in Richmond hung Virginia student borrowers out to dry, rejecting a basic Borrowers’ Bill of Rights even as student loan servicing complaints spiked to record levels,” said Progress Virginia executive director Anna Scholl.

“Meanwhile, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos rolled back protections for over one million Virginia borrowers, leaving them more vulnerable than ever. Republicans in the legislature should be following in Attorney General Mark Herring’s footsteps to help support student loan borrowers

who have worked hard and are playing by the rules rather than letting unscrupulous corporations prey on Virginians’ financial futures.”

At $1.4 trillion, student loan debt represents the U.S.’s second largest debt market behind mortgages.

More than 44 million student loan borrowers rely on the companies servicing their loans to manage all aspects of repayment, including providing borrowers with available repayment options when they are struggling to repay their loans. The CFPB, charged with looking out for American consumers, operates a complaint line for individuals who encounter issues with their loan servicer. In January, the CFPB filed suit against Navient, the largest servicer of student loans, alleging they had “systematically and illegally [failed] borrowers at every stage of repayment.” Borrowers who encounter questions or concerns with their loan or servicer can file a complaint with the CFPB by calling 855-411-2372.

Gov. Terry McAuliiffe grant will provide regional and statewide professional development opportunities for school division leaders, teachers and administrators.

It will also support the development of research-backed tools and templates that school divisions can use to create their own performance assessments.

“Over the past three and a half years, we have been focused on ensuring public education is relevant for the 21st century,” said Secretary of Education Dietra Trent. “Through this grant, we will better align how we measure student knowledge

Virginia student loan complaints spike as borrower protections are rolled back As Virginians mark the 5th anniversary of total student debt exceeding $1 trillion, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced this week that Virginia student loan related complaints to the agency jumped 240 percent.

The massive spike in consumer complaints underscores how Education Secretary Betsy Devos put Virginia student loan borrowers at risk by revoking Obama Administration borrower protections.

Over one million Americans default on their student loans annually, due in large part to predatory practices by large corporations that damage graduates’ financial futures.

Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring stood up for Virginia borrowers earlier this week, joining Attorneys General from 21 states to

and skills with the needs of higher education and businesses.”

“This grant represents an opportunity for Virginia to become a national leader in the creation of balanced assessments systems that include performance-based assessments,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Steven Staples. “Performance assessments are another means to challenge students to think creatively, collaborate and solve problems as they acquire a deeper understanding of course content. These are skills that are important for successful

transition to employment, the military or higher education.”

The initiative includes two private sector partners: Jobs for the Future (JFF), a national nonprofit focused on broadening educational and economic opportunity; and the Stanford Center for Assessment, Language and Equity (SCALE), an affiliate of Stanford University that provides consulting services on the design and implementation of performancebased assessments.

“JFF is pleased to partner with the Virginia Department of Education and our partners at SCALE to grow the work we showcased last spring at the statewide summit on performance-based assessment,” said Rebecca E. Wolfe, senior director of Jobs for the Future’s Students at the Center initiative. “We admire the hard work and creativity of the Commonwealth’s teachers and administrators, and we look forward to partnering to ensure assessments support students and prepare them for college and the workplace.”

JFF is the grant recipient, and SCALE – in collaboration with VDOE – with develop the training, tools and templates.

Anna Scholl protest Secretary DeVos’s revocation of federal student loan borrower protections. Speaking to the letter, Herring told the Washington Post, “These critical reforms had been put in place to protect our students and their families, and it’s downright

The LEGACY

4 • May 3, 2017

NOTICE OF ELECTION CITY OF RICHMOND THE PRIMARY ELECTIONS LISTED BELOW WILL BE HELD ON:

TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 2017

The purpose of these elections is to nominate political party candidates to be on the ballot in the November general election for the offices shown.

Democratic Republican Party Party Primary Primary Governor Lieutenant Governor Member, House of Delegates, 68th District Member, House of Delegates, 70th District Sheriff Treasurer

Governor Lieutenant Governor

VOTERS MAY PARTICIPATE IN EITHER THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY PRIMARY OR THE REPUBLICAN PARTY PRIMARY, BUT MAY NOT PARTICIPATE IN BOTH PRIMARIES. Visit www.richmondgov.com to view sample ballots for these elections.

THE DEADLINE TO REGISTER TO VOTE IS

MONDAY, MAY 22, 2017

Persons with DMV issued ID can register to vote, update their registration or apply for an absentee ballot online and paperlessly at www.elections.virginia.gov.

Register in person in room 105, City Hall, 900 East Broad Street between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday, except holidays.

Applications are also in all city post offices, libraries, and DMV. The Office of the General Registrar will mail applications upon request. Voter registration applications must either be postmarked or in the Office of the General Registrar by 5 PM on the deadline date.

The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot through the mail for this election is Tuesday June 6, 2017. The deadline to apply for and vote an absentee ballot in person is 5:00 PM, Saturday, June 10, 2017, except in the case of certain emergencies. The Office of the General Registrar will be open for absentee voting during regular business hours, and from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Saturday, June 10, 2017.

Call (804) 646-5950 for more information.

Feds probe Virginia developer SANDY HAUSMAN NPR -- Critics say the federal government has spent too little to maintain public housing over the years. Now many of those apartments and town homes are in bad shape, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development is experimenting with a controversial new approach to improvements.

Sandy Hausman has details.

Shanell and Shantell Brown say their mother had a heart condition and couldn't handle the stairs to the second-floor apartment she was assigned. They blame the landlord -- Community Housing Partners -- for her death.

When the federal government decided to tear down public housing in Hopewell, south of Richmond, it partnered with a non-profit company to construct and manage new, federally-subsidized town homes.

Shantell Brown’s mother had a heart condition that made in risky for her to climb stairs, but Community Housing Partners put her on the second floor of a new building.

“She died. They found her on the bathroom floor dead,” she said.

That was just one of many complaints received by the Legal Aid Justice Center where Kim Rolla is a staff attorney.

“We obtained copies of a number of notices that told tenants at this newly redeveloped property – the Summit at Hopewell – that their kids couldn’t take the trash out, or they would be charged a fee,” said Rolla. “If their children were left in their apartment without an adult – someone over 18 supervising – that they would call child protective services. That they would receive eviction notices and their vouchers – which make housing affordable – would be taken away if their children played outside without adult supervision.”

Katrina Jones said Community Housing Partners paid her $30,000 to leave federally-subsidized housing when she complained her apartment was not suitable for her wheelchairbound daughter.

And Katrina Jones, whose daughter was disabled by a random gun shot fired into her back yard, said the place she was assigned didn’t work for someone in a wheelchair.

Shanell and Shantell Brown say their mother had a heart condition and couldn't handle the stairs to the second-floor apartment she was assigned.

They blame the landlord -- Community Housing Partners -- for her death.

Community Housing Partners offered her $30,000 to move out. Jones accepted the deal but now finds her rent has risen from $400 a month to $1,400 – and her job at Walmart barely covers her costs.

"I’m about my kids and family, and the people who are building these homes, they’re just about making money. They don’t care anything about what the family is going through. Nothing!” Jones concludes.

Community Housing Partners, which built the Summit at Hopewell in exchange for tax credits, said it’s investigated those claims and found most to be false. There was no evidence, for example, that the woman with heart trouble asked for a first-floor unit, although one was available. Andy Hall is chief administrative officer of the Christiansburg company.

Attorney Kim Rolla said her group -- The Legal Aid Justice Center -- and Housing Opportunities Made Equal complained to the federal government, which is now investigating Community Housing Partners.

“We launched an internal investigation to which we assigned senior management, said Hall. “That investigation entailed interviews with 10-12 current or former emplooyees. We reviewed every single resident file. We even shipped

the property computer off site to have it scanned and tried to rebuild any files or traces of files or anything that we could uncover.”

Community Housing Partners did find evidence of certain policies that were not kid-friendly.

“House rules had gotten to the point where we did need to change them a little bit,” said Hall. “We worked with legal aid and we did that by February first. If residents had contacted us, we absolutely would have put a stop to it.”

Hall said his organization is mission driven and has developed a number of programs designed to help low-income children succeed.

“We invested 1.2 million dollars, and those services typically do revolve around kids: after school programming, food security programs in the afternoons, are key to our mission, and we know they’re the future of our communities.”

But the Legal Aid Justice Center pressed ahead, filing a number of complaints with federal agencies.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development is now investigating, and its findings could prove important to about 13,000 people who rent from Community Housing Partners in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, Kentucky and Florida.

May 3, 2017 • 5

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6 • May 3, 2017

Op/Ed & Letters

The LEGACY

Un-making a contented slave ANGELO C. LOUW “I have observed this in my experience of slavery, — that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only increased my desire to be free, and set me to thinking of plans to gain my freedom.”

—Frederick Douglass, “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” Most people would agree that, Obama’s presidency was neither a major victory for African-Americans nor a complete failure; but, one thing is certain: a number of major events took place (from the federal lawsuits against major banks that discriminated against black and brown homebuyers, to the shooting deaths of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Tamir Rice; to the water crisis in Flint, Mich.) that unearthed a deeper need for law enforcement reform and the dire need to address the socio-economic challenges that many young people of color face today.

Civil rights activists and scholars have questioned why living conditions for black people barely improved under the leadership of our nation’s first black president whose campaign slogan “Yes, We Can” rang as a promise of it—encouraging Americans to take up the task themselves, to roll up their sleeves, and to be “the change that we seek.”

During Obama’s presidency, a mountain of research emerged demonstrating the nuances of inequality between black and white Americans, including a racial wealth The LEGACY NEWSPAPER Vol. 3 No. 18 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

gap that persists despite educational attainment. Black students who do make it to college often carry twice the level of student loan debt and higher default rates on their loans.

Black college graduates not only face higher unemployment rates than white college graduates, blacks with college degrees have less wealth than white high school dropouts.

Researchers also said that in order to close the wealth gap between blacks and whites the average black household would have to save 100 percent of its income for three consecutive years.

In “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness,” Ohio State University law professor Michelle Alexander detailed how prisons have become the latest form of economic and social disenfranchisement for blacks. Ava DuVernay’s documentary, “13th,” sought to explain how a racially-biased legal system literally condemned black youth to modern-day slavery; stripping them of their civil rights and labeling them “other” for the rest 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.

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of their lives.

DuVernay’s documentary also explored how private companies targeted the prison-industrial complex in search of new business.

However, the for-profit prison industry is not the only one cashing in on a black community divided by class, and one lacking the unified investment in a common theme of economic empowerment.

“I have found that, to make a contented slave, it is necessary to make a thoughtless one. It is necessary to darken his moral and mental vision, and, as far as possible, to annihilate the power of reason.”

—Frederick Douglass, “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” In Miami, Fla., last July, OneUnited Bank CEO Teri Williams said African-Americans spend 1.2 trillion dollars annually, but blackowned businesses only see about two percent of that.

According to a USA Today article published earlier this year, “In 2007, prior to the recession, there were 41 banks with majority AfricanAmerican ownership. There were 44 in 1986, the year Congress passed a law designating February as National Black History Month.

Today, the number of blackowned banks has fallen to just 23 institutions.”

The article also noted that more than half of blacks are “either unbanked or underbanked, meaning they supplement their bank account with alternatives such as check

cashers.”

During a phone interview with the “FADER,” Williams said that the reality is that black banks, like OneUnited and all of the blackowned banks that came before, “were created out of the Civil Rights Movement when the majority of the banks were not accepting us as customers.”

Williams added, “Since then, integration has happened and people may think now we don’t ‘need Black banks,’ but it’s actually the opposite.”

In the same interview, Williams agreed when the FADER reporter noted that, in some ways, economic autonomy is just as important as the protests against police violence in the Black Lives Matter movement.

“It goes back to changing our mindset. It’s important for us to do business with each other and work with each other,” said Williams. “To trust each other is a leap we ‘have’ to take. There’s no other way around it.”

There will always be pressure to “look the part,” and wear a Rolex, but surely there is a line to be drawn between looking the part and looking the part to achieve some level of whiteness or some false sense of freedom, while sacrificing real freedom and economic independence.

To be the change that we seek, black people have to do more than just look the part; we have to “bank black” and “buy black” and invest in our communities.

(continued on page 7)

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

May 3, 2017 • 7

P.T. Hoffsteader, Esq.

The 1st 100

During President Trump’s first 100 days in office, he has talked often about improving the lives of people who “work hard and play by the rules.” But rhetoric does not equal action.

During his first 100 days, Donald Trump has rolled back worker protections and outlined a fiscal year 2018 budget that would dramatically cut funding for the agencies that safeguard workers’ rights, wages, and safety.

The EPI Policy Center isn’t waiting for the President or Congress to introduce policies that raise the wages of working people. We’re working directly with our champions in Washington to enact an agenda that addresses decades of wage stagnation and supports working families.

Now, Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Patty Murray (D-WA) (and their colleagues in the House, Representatives Bobby Scott (DVA) and Keith Ellison (D-MN)) are preparing to introduce the Raise the Wage Act of 2017, which raises the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 by 2024.

Write your senators today and tell them to become an original cosponsor of the Raise the Wage Act. All told, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2024 would directly and indirectly lift the wages of 41.5 million working people, 29.2 percent of the wage-earning workforce. This bill gives working people an opportunity to support themselves and their families.

This will generate $144 billion in

additional income for families who need it most, just in the next 7 years alone including 23.1 million women and 4.5 million single parents.

Write your senators today and tell them to support working families by becoming a co-sponsor of the Raise the Wage Act. More than half of low-wage workers who will be affected by this bill are of prime-working-age between 25 and 54 including 40.1 percent of black workers and 33.5 percent of Hispanic workers.

Since 1968, when the minimum wage was at its strongest, it has lost 25 percent of its value. Today’s low-wage workers earn less per hour than their counterparts did 50 years ago, but productivity since has nearly doubled. The Raise the Wage Act is a bold proposal that would help erase decades of growing inequality.

To stop this erosion over time, Sanders’s and Murray’s bill indexes the minimum wage to keep pace with rising median wages. Plus, it gradually increases the subminimum wage for tipped workers (which has been stuck at $2.13 an hour since 1991) until it matches the federal minimum wage eventually phasing out the subminimum wage altogether.

Because of policymakers’ failure to preserve the minimum wage’s basic labor standard, a parent earning today’s federal minimum wage does not earn enough through full-time work to be above the federal poverty line. The Raise the Wage Act would fix that.

Heidi Shierholz Economic Policy Institute Policy Center

Protect ‘identity’

This is how it starts. Members of the Charlottesville City Council have already said that they are coming after statues of Thomas Jefferson next. First it’s Lee. Then it’s Jefferson. Then it spreads to Richmond, then Alexandria, then Williamsburg. Then, before you know it, all the symbols of Virginia’s history and heritage are gone forever.

And we lose our identity.

This is why I have made protecting Virginia’s heritage and history a central theme of my campaign. This is why, as governor, I will require Charlottesville to buy it back, and put it back.

Corey Stewart

Conquerors

America is uninformed concerning an Islamic threat to our country through their “Civilization Jihad” plan. But America is equally uninformed about Islamic Jihad history and plan to conquer the world.

The Webster Dictionary describes “Jihad” as “Moslem holy war against unbelievers.”

Because America has always been a great Christian nation, it should not surprise anyone, that we are considered the “Prime target.”

Neither should we be surprised that Jihadist are streaming into America, by whatever means they can devise.

Yes folks, they are here!

They have been here all along as evidenced by the 9-11 attack, and others such as, Fort hood, Boston, San Bernardino, and Orlando, FL. There have been many other

incidences and some were probably never reported.

A March 2017 Judicial Watch Article titled, “Jihadists Train, Plan Attack On U.S. From Mexico” can be easily accessed by a search on Google. Unfortunately, the same thing is probably being done here in America too at some of their isolated large area ranches it is said they own.

But, because the Islamic religion early incorporated a conquer everybody else by force mentality, it ceased to be a peaceful religion.

God’s commandments and statues, by which the whole world, including themselves, will be judged, doesn’t mean a thing to them. The Word of God, God’s plan for salvation, and God’s gift of eternal life, they threw out.

It is tragic, indeed, because for some 1400 years, they have been going against God’s word, on a path to Hell, not Heaven! They rebelled against the living God. America too is rebelling against God and his commandments.

Americans too will pay for their rebellion.

Manuel Ybarra, Jr.

Louw is the advocacy officer at Studies in Poverty and Inequality Institute (SPII) and former HIV prevention campaigner at loveLife, South Africa’s largest youth HIV intervention. He is currently a Fulbright/Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow based at the University of Maryland. He writes in his personal capacity.

The LEGACY

8 • May 3, 2017

Faith & Religion

More education means less religious commitment ... Unless you’re Christian RNS - It’s a popular belief: The more educated a person is, the less religious he or she likely will be.

And it’s mostly right, according to a new analysis of Pew Research Center surveys released last week.

“It’s certainly our sense that, if anything, that might be the conventional wisdom that higher levels of educational attainment are linked with religiosity. That said, I am aware there are scholars, sociologists, who in recent years have begun to call that into question,” said Gregory Smith, associate director for research at the Pew Research Center.

“This is our attempt to weigh in with data from the Religious Landscape Study.”

Americans adults with higher levels of education do report lower levels of religious commitment by most measures, according to Pew’s analysis.

“I think the answer is, ‘Well, it’s complicated.’ On the one hand, if you just look at the public as a whole, there’s no question people with the highest levels of educational attainment tend to be less religious than those with lower levels of educational attainment,” Smith said.

Fewer than half of college graduates, or 46 percent, say religion is “very important” in their lives, compared with 53 percent of those who have completed some college and 58 percent of those with no more than a high school education, according to Pew. College grads also are less likely to say they believe in God “with absolute certainty” and pray daily.

But there are exceptions.

The “big however,” Smith said, is that Christians — the majority (71 percent) of American adults — don’t seem to fit the pattern at all.

Christians with higher levels of education (70 percent, combining all measures) appear to be just as religious as those with less schooling (73 percent of those with some college and 71 percent with some high school), according to the analysis.

They are almost equally likely at all education levels to pray daily, attend worship services weekly and say they believe in God with absolute certainty.

In fact, highly educated Christians are most likely (52 percent) to say they are weekly churchgoers, compared with 45 percent of those with some college and 46 percent with at least some high school, according to Pew. Christians with higher levels of education (70 percent, combining all measures) appear to be just as religious as those with less schooling (73 percent of those with some

Pine Camp work to remember the Pine Camp Hospital in tribute to Dr. Beatrice Motley Cole “This is the 60th anniversary observance of the Pine Camp Tuberculosis Hospital closing and its rebirth as the art center. The staff sees this celebration as an opportunity to demonstrate how creativity helps people work through trauma and live healthy lives.”

On Friday, May 12, Pine Camp Cultural Arts and Community Center will host Origin Stories: A Tribute to Dr. Beatrice Motley Cole.

Cole will be reading from her new book. “I Am A Living Testimony” recently released. Cole, who celebrated her 89th birthday in March, will talk about her life as a Richmond resident and her astonishing stay and recovery at the Pine Camp Tuberculosis Hospital more than 70 years ago. The

Pine Camp tuberculosis hospital opened in 1910 and closed in 1957. The building later re-opened as Pine Camp Community Center and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

Cole is known primarily in Virginia for her work as a theologian and bible educator in Church of God In Christ. She is a leader in COGIC Women’s Convention and other Christian National meetings. Because of her work through Virginia Union University School of Theology in Christian Education, Richmond Virginia Seminary and the

college and 71 percent with some high school), according to the analysis.

They are almost equally likely at all education levels to pray daily, attend worship services weekly and say they believe in God with absolute certainty.

In fact, highly educated Christians are most likely (52 percent) to say they are weekly churchgoers, compared with 45 percent of those with some college and 46 percent with at least some high school, according to Pew. While none of the numbers are huge, they are statistically significant, he said. Most of the data analyzed comes from Pew’s 2014 U.S. Religious Landscape Survey of more than 35,000 Americans reached on randomly dialed cellphones and landlines. The margin of error for results based on the full sample in that survey is plus or minus 0.6 percentage points.

C.H. Madison Bible College, she is renowned as a respected bible teacher and authority on Christian Education. However, all of her presentations start with her recounting her ordeal with tuberculosis, a disease that was a death sentence in the 1940’s and 1950’s.

TB disease was once a leading cause of death in the United States, particularly for African Americans. It was called “the death sentence” and was considered a lot like AIDS in the 1990s. She is one of the few survivors of tuberculosis in this area - perhaps the only one still living that was a patient at Pine Camp, now a national landmark.

The miracle of her survival is outlined in her book, a tale of faith and resilience all should read. Her story is of profound interest to the church and medical communities.

Cole and her children would like to celebrate not only her life but to remember the lives of so many who did not survive the disease. Along with members of the medical community, local teen organizations will be present to interview Cole and learn more about the history of their community.

The program will be held in the Pine Camp Theatre from 6 – 8 p.m.. A reception will follow, which is free to the public.

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

May 3, 2017 • 9

Va. mourns trailblazer Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on the recent passing of Madam Annie B. Daniels: “I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of my longtime friend and supporter Madam Annie B. Daniels. A treasured citizen of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Madam Daniels will be remembered for her entrepreneurial work and civic engagement.

“Madam Daniels was perhaps most famous for her work as a beloved hair stylist and founder of the Madam Daniels School of Beauty and Culture, a fixture of the southeast

community in Newport News. But outside of her success as a local entrepreneur, she was an important advocate for civil rights and social justice in Virginia, and had been recognized by the City of Newport News, the NAACP, Hampton University, the Urban League of Hampton Roads, and the Virginia General Assembly.

“Madam Daniels played a vital role in the start of my career in public service and that of many other local community leaders. Since my first term in the House of Delegates and throughout my service in Congress, I often sought her advice and counsel.

“Our community was privileged to have the benefit of knowing and learning from such a highly respected

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trailblazer like Madam Daniels. My condolences to the family and many friends of Madam Annie B. Daniels.”

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10 • May 3, 2017

The LEGACY

Richmond Ballet returns to The Joyce Theater with four New York premiere-preview performances in Richmond Richmond Ballet returns to The Joyce Theater for the first time since 2010 to perform four New York premieres from the more than 75 works commissioned by the Company since its inception. Under the 37year leadership of founding Artistic Director Stoner Winslett – one of the longest tenured artistic directors of a major American ballet company and one of the few women in this position – Richmond Ballet has grown into one of the most respected ballet companies, presenting its body of works around the world. For their 2017 New York season, the Company has selected pieces by four gifted choreographers, including Chinese-born Ma Cong, Warsaw-born and New York-resident Katarzyna

Skarpetowska, San Francisco-based Val Camiparoli, and Richmond Ballet Artistic Associate, Malcolm Burn.

“Richmond Ballet is proud to continue its tradition of bringing new works and new artists to the New York stage,” says Artistic Director Stoner Winslett. “Our Joyce season will feature exceptionally talented dancers in an eclectic program of works – each demonstrating the amazing range of choreographers and dancers today.” These performances will mark the Company’s fourth visit to The Joyce Theater, and its fifth visit to New York City. Richmond Ballet debuted at The Joyce in 2005, and returned to perform a selection of contemporary works in both 2007

VCU School of the Arts presents ‘Runway 2017’, an annual fashion show Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts Department of Fashion Design and Merchandising presents “Runway 2017: LAUNCH,” to be held at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, May 10 at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 200 N. Boulevard.

This annual juried event allows attendees the chance to view fashion from VCUarts’ rising designers. Attendees will experience a professional runway show, with segments organized into “Knitwear,” “Dresses,” “Collections from VCUarts Qatar,” “Menswear,” “Denim,” and the highlight of the event, the “Senior Collections.” Following each segment, select garments will be recognized as critics’ choices.

The team responsible for producing “Runway 2017: LAUNCH” consists of 11 hand-selected juniors and seniors who have participated in this year’s Advanced Show Production class.

The students work in committees on different aspects of the show,

from model selection and training to backstage operations. They work both in and outside of the classroom producing a variety of public and private events leading up to the main runway show. LAUNCH is a collaboration between the student producers, design students, fashion faculty and sponsors.

“What is the future of fashion and retail as we have known it? Even now it is breaking apart and reforming itself in the era of the millennial customer and the evolving digital age,” said Patricia Brown, chair of Fashion Design and Merchandising.

“As fashion reinvents itself, how do we best help our students launch their careers in such a fast-changing environment? This event is the result of a journey of exploration and discovery, and the launching of our graduating designers and merchandisers into the new fashion space.”

and 2010.

The May program features four pieces originally premiered by Richmond Ballet. Choreographic standout Katarzyna Skarpetowska created her cosmically inspired Polaris (2015) from “Pillars of Creation,” the compelling photograph of the Eagle Nebula (the birthplace of many stars) taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. With music by Mexican electronica musician, Murcof, the work was a highlight of Richmond Ballet’s celebrated New Works Festival. Ma Cong’s Lift The Fallen (2014), with music by Max Richter, is a stunning tribute to his mother, which includes beautiful nuanced nods to the choreographer’s own Chinese culture.

Val Caniparoli’s Swipe (2011), set to music by Gabriel Prokofiev, is a syncopated mash-up of classical ballet with an urban flair, bursting with the artist’s trademark silky grace and angular pulse. And, Pas Glazunov (1991) is an enchanting divertissement set to the music of Alexander Glazunov and created by Malcolm Burn, who celebrates his 30th anniversary with the Company this season.

Brett Bonda, Managing Director invites you to “Join us at the New York City Joyce Preview shows here

in the RVA or at the Joyce Tour shows in NYC – what better way to support your state ballet company?

Wish them a bon voyage farewell here in Richmond, VA at our Studio Theatre or experience the excitement right there with them in the Big Apple.” Additionally, this will be your last chance to enjoy the magnificent trio of retiring artists Valerie Tellmann-Henning, Kirk Henning, and Thomas Ragland. Together these dedicated dancers have put in over 37 years of performances representing Richmond Ballet on stages around the world. Their final curtain call in the RVA will be in the New York City Preview performances, May 2-5, and their final farewell performances with the Company will be at The Joyce Theater in New York City, May 9-14. As we celebrate the illustrious careers of these dancers in the Joyce performances, we will be honoring the path they have helped pave for future generations of Richmond Ballet, while sharing our mission and vision in the dance capital of America.

New York City Joyce Preview Performances May 2-5, 2017 | Richmond Ballet Studio Theatre 407 E. Canal Street, Richmond

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May 3, 2017 • 11

12 • May 3, 2017

The LEGACY

McAuliffe restores more voting rights than any governor in American history In a ceremony in Norfolk, Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced he has individually restored the rights of 156,000 Virginians – more than any governor in American history. His restoration efforts have surpassed former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist’s administration, which had restored the rights of about 155,000 individuals through a clemency board, according to the governor’s office.

“Expanding democracy in Virginia has been my proudest achievement during my time as governor,” said McAuliffe. “Over the course of the last year, I have had the privilege to meet with many of the men

and women affected by this order, and their stories inspired us as we continued this fight against the hostile opponents of progress.

The Virginians whose rights we have restored are our friends and neighbors. They are living in our communities, raising families, paying taxes, and sending their children to our schools. Restoring their voting rights once they have served their time does not pardon their crimes or restore their firearm rights, but it provides them with a meaningful second chance through full citizenship.”

On April 22, 2016, McAuliffe signed

a criteria-based order restoring voting and civil rights to eligible Virginians, estimated to be more than 200,000 individuals. In spite of several constitutional scholars declaring the order an appropriate use of executive authority, the Virginia Supreme Court struck down the order on July 22, 2016. The court, in a sharply divided decision, ruled the governor did not have authority for a blanket order. On Aug. 22, 2016, McAuliffe announced a new individualized process that was upheld by the court and remains in use today.

Leading up to last year’s historic order, the McAuliffe administration had taken several systematic steps to end voter disenfranchisement.

That process began with reducing the waiting period for more serious offenders from five years to three, classifying all drugrelated convictions as non-violent, shortening the application for more serious offenders from 13 pages to one page, removing a requirement

that individuals pay their court costs before they can have their rights restored, and establishing a process so that a notation can be included in an individual’s criminal record indicating that his or her rights have been restored.

The governor’s previous measures had restored the rights of 18,000 individuals, more than the past seven governors combined over their full four-year terms.

The governor has previously noted that the system he has implemented puts Virginia in line with 40 other states. However, in order to fully realize automatic restoration, Virginia will need a constitutional amendment. An amendment would require the consent of the Virginia General Assembly, where previous efforts have repeatedly failed.

Until such action takes place, Virginia’s next governor will have the discretion to decide whether to continue McAuliffe’s commonsense restoration process that expands access to democracy.

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

May 3, 2017 • 13

Olympic gold medalist and health advocate Dominique Dawes to participate in Movement Makers Summit Dominique Dawes, Olympic gold medalist and former co-chair of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition, will be a featured speaker at Movement Makers: The National Active Living Summit to be held in Richmond, on May 17-19. She will participate in a conversation with eight-time Emmy Award winner James Blue of the PBS NewsHour during the Summit.

“We are excited to bring Dominique Dawes and James Blue to Richmond for a featured conversation about active living. Dominique’s athletic history has served as a great foundation for her inspiring messages on leadership, personal drive, and the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. And over the course of his career, James has won every major broadcast journalism award in the industry,” said Jeff McIntyre, director of Active RVA for Sports Backers. “We look forward to a conversation that will inform and inspire everyone to make physical activity a part of their lives.”

Dawes, a three-time Olympian, mom and motivational speaker, is the only American gymnast to medal at three different Olympic Games in the team competition and the first African-American gymnast to win an Olympic gold medal. She paved the way for other young AfricanAmerican gymnasts to strive for Olympic glory, including the past two Olympic All-Around Gold Medalists Simone Biles (2016) and Gabrielle Douglas (2012). At the 1996 Atlanta Games, Dawes was part of the famed ‘Magnificent Seven’ gold-medal winning U.S. team and became the first female African-American gymnast to win an individual medal, capturing bronze with her floor exercise performance, helping solidify her place in the United States Olympic Committee Hall of Fame.

Appointed by former President Barack Obama, Dawes served as the co-chair of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition alongside NFL quarterback Drew Brees. Through this program, she worked closely with former first lady, Michelle Obama to help promote the Let’s Move! initiative, educating children on fitness and nutrition while motivating them to get moving.

She’ll bring her message to

Movement Makers takes place in the lead up to Dominion Riverrock.

Dominion Riverrock, organized

by Venture Richmond and Sports Backers, is the nation’s largest outdoor sports and music festival, bringing athletes, spectators, musicians, and even dogs to Brown’s Island for a three-day festival against the backdrop of downtown Richmond’s urban riverfront. The festival features a variety of outdoor sports including trail running, kayaking, biking, bouldering, slacklining, stand up paddleboarding, and dog jumping. Registration for the summit is available online at movementmakers.com.

Movement Makers to emphasize the importance of creating daily physical activity opportunities and engage with summit attendees on best practices for active living.

Movement Makers: The National Active Living Summit provides individuals and organizations an opportunity to learn how to encourage and support physical activity initiatives in their communities. Movement Makers will address all sectors involved in promoting physical activity to positively impact the health of local communities. Participants will engage in strategies for creating options for physical activity in schools, workplaces, parks, neighborhoods, businesses, and more. Individual health, community health, and economic health will come together at Movement Makers to create more active communities across the nation.

The Movement Makers summit brings together experts and leaders from a variety of fields, including bike/pedestrian infrastructure, health equity, workplace wellness, public health, and obesity prevention.

With nationally recognized keynote speakers, special breakout sessions, activity tours, and how-to demonstrations, Movement Makers supports active living practitioners as they learn how to make their communities more active and thus healthier.

Birth control app offers free birth control to Va. women Nurx, makers of a birth control app , are offering new users up to two months of free birth control with the promo code ‘VIRGINIA’ until May 31. The telemedicine start-up and mobile health platform makes birth control and PrEP (HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis) more accessible to everyone through an app.

New users will receive a $30 credit, which equates to up to two months of free birth control with the code.

After choosing their birth control type and brand, users answer a few questions and enter their shipping and insurance information for a licensed physician to review.

Once the review is complete, the doctor will issue and fill the prescription, which will be delivered to their home at no additional cost.

The promo code ‘VIRGINIA’ can be entered during checkout through May 31, 2017.

“Research shows that the easier and more affordable birth control is, the more women will use it,” said Dr. Edvard Engesaeth, co-founder and COO of Nurx.

“Individuals should not have to jump through unnecessary hoops in

order to access care. With Nurx, we are changing the way birth control is issued and accessed by allowing women to get the care they need on their own terms.”

The app works for both new and existing birth control users and the service and shipping are often free to anyone with health care coverage.

For uninsured patients, Nurx waives the consultation fee, the delivery is still free, and Nurx can connect the user with some brands for as low as $15 per month.

“Nurx bridges the gap many face by providing discreet, low-cost, effective contraception care for those who need it, regardless of where they live or how much money they make,” said Dr. Jessica Knox, the medical director at Nurx.

Overwhelming evidence has proven that abstinence only programs have done nothing to reduce teen and unplanned pregnancy rates; however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently credited increased access to lowcost reproductive health services as a contributing factor to the overall decline in teen and unintended pregnancy rates nationwide.

Nurx co-founder and CEO Hans Gangeskar said, “Despite the gains made by the Affordable Care Act, contraception is still not accessible for many people with low-incomes and in rural communities. Our app is changing this.”

14 • May 3, 2017

The LEGACY

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Report: Dominion’s Atlantic Coast Pipeline would require extensive mountaintop removal New research claims to expose how Dominion’s proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline would decapitate 38 miles of ridgelines in Virginia and West Virginia. It claims evidence will show project is opposite of “environmentally friendly” and notes that states must reject it A briefing paper released last week details how Dominion Resources intends to blast away, excavate, and partially remove entire mountaintops along 38 miles of Appalachian ridgelines as part of the construction of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.

Engineering and policy experts have examined documents submitted by Dominion to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and, using GIS mapping software, found that Dominion would require mountaintops to be “reduced” by 10 to 60 feet along the proposed route of the pipeline. For perspective, the height equivalent of a five-story building would be erased in places from fully forested and ancient mountains.

Furthermore, Dominion has yet to reveal how it intends to dispose of at least 247,000 dump-truck-loads of excess rock and soil—known as “overburden”—that would accumulate from the construction along just these 38 miles of ridgetops.

“In light of the discovery that the Atlantic Coast Pipeline will cause 10 to 60 feet of mountaintops to be removed from 38 miles of Appalachian ridges, there is nothing left to debate,” said Mike Tidwell, executive director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “Dominion's pipeline will cause irrevocable harm to the region’s environmental resources. With Clean Water Act certifications pending in both Virginia and West Virginia, we call on Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice to reject this destructive pipeline.”

Dominion has submitted a proposal to FERC to build a 42-inch diameter pipeline that would transport natural gas from West Virginia into Virginia and North Carolina. Dominion has

attempted to paint the Atlantic Coast Pipeline as an “environmentallyfriendly” project. However, its proposed construction method and route selection across and along steep mountains is unprecedented for the region—if not the country—and is viewed as extreme and radical by landowners, conservationists, and engineers. Similar impacts – although not yet fully inventoried – could come from the construction of a second pipeline to the south: the Mountain Valley Pipeline led by the company EQT Midstream Partners, LP. “The Atlantic Coast Pipeline could easily prove itself deadly,” said Joyce Burton, Board Member of Friends of Nelson. “Many of the slopes along the right of way are significantly steeper than a black diamond ski slope. Both FERC and Dominion concede that constructing pipelines on these steep slopes can increase the potential for landslides, yet they still have not demonstrated how they propose to protect us from this risk. With all of this, it is clear that this pipeline is a recipe for disaster.”

The briefing paper was prepared by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network in coordination with the Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance, Friends of Nelson, Appalachian Mountain Advocates, and the Dominion Pipeline Monitoring Coalition. It cites data from the Draft Environmental Impact Statement prepared by the Federal Energy Regulatory Council (FERC) as well as information supplied to FERC

by Dominion. It also compiles information from GIS (Geographic Information System) mapping software and independent reports prepared by engineers and soil scientists.

Key findings include: - Approximately 38 miles of mountains in West Virginia and Virginia will see 10 feet or more of their ridgetops removed in order to build the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.

- This figure includes 19 miles in West Virginia and 19 miles in

Pipeline construction Virginia.

- The majority of these mountains would be flattened by 10 to 20 feet, with some places along the route requiring the removal of 60 feet or more of ridgetop.

- Building the ACP on top of these mountains will result in a tremendous quantity of excess material, known to those familiar with mountaintop removal as “overburden.”

- Dominion would likely need to dispose of 2.47 million cubic yards of overburden, from just these 38 miles alone.

- Standard-size, fully loaded dump trucks would need to take at least 247,000 trips to haul this material away from the construction site.

“It is astounding that FERC has not required Dominion to produce a plan for dealing with the millions of cubic yards of excess spoil that will result from cutting down miles of ridgetop for the pipeline,” said Ben Luckett, staff attorney at Appalachian Mountain Advocates.

“We know from experience with mountaintop removal coal mining that the disposal of this material

has devastating impacts on the headwater streams that are the lifeblood our rivers and lakes.

FERC and Dominion’s complete failure to address this issue creates a significant risk that the excess material will ultimately end up in our waterways, smothering aquatic life and otherwise degrading water quality.

“Without an in-depth analysis of exactly how much spoil will be created and how it can be safely disposed of, the states cannot possibly certify that this pipeline project will comply with the Clean Water Act.” “Even with Dominion’s refusal to provide the public with adequate information, the situation is clear: The proposed construction plan will have massive impacts to scenic vistas, terrestrial and aquatic habitats, and potentially to worker and resident safety,” said Dan Shaffer, spatial analyst with the Dominion Pipeline Monitoring Coalition. “There is no way around it. It's a bad route, a bad plan, and should never have been seriously considered.”

16 • May 3, 2017

Calendar

The LEGACY

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

5.4, 6:30 p.m.

5.10

Participants in a free workshop offered by Virginia Credit Union will learn helpful tips for managing their checking accounts with suggestions for tracking expenses, using online services, avoiding ATM fees and obtaining ATM fee rebates.

The workshop will be held Thursday, May 4 from at Virginia Credit Union, 7500 Boulder View Drive in the Boulders Office Park in Richmond. To register, call 804-323-6800 or visit www.vacu. org/Learning_Planning/Financial_ Education/Seminars_Workshops/ Detail/SID/13.aspx

The Virginia Recreation and Park Society produces the Virginia Senior Games (VSG), an annual athletic event offering competition in over 21 sports over the course of four days for participants aged 50 and older.

The first Virginia Senior Games were held in 1978; the Games move around the state and are typically hosted in the same locality for four years before moving on. Athletes can compete in upwards of 21 sports, ranging from archery to volleyball and most everything in between.

In addition, the Virginia Senior Games is a qualifying competition for the National Senior Games, which take place every other year.

VSG is also an open event, so that no scores or times are required for entry and out-of-state sportspersons are welcome.

For everything you need to know, including links to event information, social media, and online registration, visit virginiaseniorgames.org. You may also call the athlete hotline 804652-1411 or email at vsg@henrico.us.

5.5

The 13th Annual Stone Soul Music and Food Festival is set for June 10 at the Classic Amphitheater at the Richmond Raceway Complex, 600 East Laburnum Ave. from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.. Now in its 13th year, and dubbed by presenters as Richmond’s premiere R & B and Urban Contemporary Music Festival, Stone Soul’s line up for 2017 promises to be a day of fun and excitement like no other.

This year appearing on the Main Stage, Actor, Rapper, Grammy Award Winning artist Ludacris performing his hit single “Vitamin D” along with many of his other classic hits, also hitting the stage will be performances by Fat Joe and Remy Ma, rapper Meek Mill and R&B legend Ginuwine but wait…. there’s more. Radio One Richmond will be make a second round of huge artist announcements on Friday, May 5.

“Each year our goal at Radio One is to give the residents and guests of the city of Richmond the biggest and best experiences in Music and Food as they kick off the summer season. Our Stone Soul 2017 line up will continue with that tradition.

Be prepared for a party like no other,” said Marsha P. Landess, vice president and general manager of Radio One Richmond.

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Virginians amass at the people’s climate march Thousands of Virginians went to Washington D.C. over the weekend to join the People's Climate March and encircle the White House to demand climate justice on Donald Trump’s 100th day in office. The Virginia delegation represents a variety of voices from across the commonwealth, with large crowds joining “frontlines” communities leading the march lineup, as well as the “fossil fuel resistance” contingent.

Virginia is home to plentiful renewable resources that make the state both uniquely vulnerable to environmental degradation and wellsuited to act on climate. Coalitions from different parts of the state reflect this, including representation of communities affected by pipeline development in the west and sealevel rise in the east.

“We have a responsibility as humankind to take care of our environment,” Rev. Paul Wilson of the Union Hill Baptist Church in Buckingham County said. “We need to take every venue, every path to protect what the good Lord has given us. We are in a struggle with government and big business doing things for profit at the expense of the ordinary man and taking advantage of people. In my experience, 95 percent of my community or more are against the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, but they feel like their voices aren’t being heard.”

The Union Hill Baptist Church is a church in the historically black Union Hill community in Buckingham County. The congregation has joined several lawsuits against the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and the Buckingham County Compressor Station, which will be built in their community’s immediate area. Members of the faith community from throughout the commonwealth joined together with environmentalists and concerned citizens at the march.

“How we relate to our world reflects on our relationship with God, and climate care is social justice,“ Lee Williams, a Richmond bus captain and a member of the Richmond Interfaith Climate Justice League, said. “Sea level rise, access to clean water, water-borne and mosquitoborne diseases and extreme weather events are immediate threats to millions.”

Williams led 55 Richmond residents to the march on a bus sponsored by

the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter.

The People’s Climate Movement organized the first People’s Climate March in September of 2014. The march was organized by over 50 environmental, community, service and labor organizations.

“I’m marching because I believe as a union member, we cannot continue to overlook the atrocities occurring in frontline communities that affect the health of working class families both on the job and off,” Djawa Hall, an organizer with Service Employees International Union Virginia 512, said. “Now is the time to resist and we are the ones who will build a clean energy economy, with better jobs and a sustainable environment, because future generations depend on it.”

University-based environmental organizations were essential in organizing large groups of students to get to the march.

“We’ve been organizing locally to stop the rollbacks on policies that helped address climate change and environmental justice,” said Drew Shannon, an organizer with the Virginia Student Environmental Coalition. “Now that the federal government is producing a dreary and divisive vision of the future, local and state-level action is the only way forward. I and my fellow young people will have to deal with the consequences of our elected leader’s actions in the long-term.”

The Virginia Student Environmental Coalition is working on divestment campaigns at universities around the state.

State-level groups have been assisting heavily in getting citizens to the march to demonstrate. The Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter sponsored 27 buses to the march from different regions throughout the state.

“We worked with local community activists and partners across Virginia to ensure anyone who wanted to get to the march could,” said Kate Addleson, director of the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter. “We are delighted that thousands of Virginians are joining the climate movement to demand stronger leadership from all levels of government at this pivotal moment.”

The People’s Climate March is a collective response to the Trump administration’s “aggressive” rollbacks on climate and

environmental protections. These rollbacks constitute an all-out assault on Americans’ air, water and land, as well as marginalized and working communities, noted

protestors. This is a solution-oriented mobilization asking leaders at the national, state and local levels to take action to protect citizens from the threats of climate change.

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