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(from page 1) right to remove them — especially since the stairs have become a makeshift memorial, with people leaving flowers next to the names. “These are important marks; these are important statements and we need to leave them there,” Dupree said. “It’s just an important conversation that can’t be washed away anymore. And literally, that’s what would happen. We would have to scrub this away or wash it away and take a lot of effort to get rid of this conversation. And so I think it’s really important that these names, these people are on our steps that we have to walk by, and that people have to see every single day. And that message of ‘I can’t breathe’ –
we want everybody to be able to breathe.” The theme of breath – and the loss of it – even worked its way into Dupree’s sermon for Pentecost, which “directly connects the idea of breath – the breath of Pentecost, which gives new life – to the idea of ‘I can’t breathe,’ and life being taken away from some people.” Dupree said most parishioners that he’s heard from have been supportive of the decision to leave the graffiti for now. There are no plans to remove it for the foreseeable future, he said. Meanwhile, in Richmond and in the church, Confederate symbols continue to come down. On July 1, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney ordered the immediate removal of city-owned Confederate statues,
although the most prominent one – a monument to Robert E. Lee – is still standing. It is on state land and a judge has temporarily blocked Gov. Ralph Northam from removing it. And St. Paul’s has re-examined the ways in which Confederate symbols still appear in the church. On June 14, the vestry voted to remove seven plaques “associated with the Lost Cause era and ideology” and rededicate the stained-glass windows that were installed as memorials to Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis. Although the windows and plaques do not contain battle flags or other obvious Confederate imagery, they are memorials to Davis, Lee and their families. “We are living in a unique time in history that invites us to continue
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the self-examination of St. Paul’s racial history, and the intentional process of uncovering the suppressed realities of our past – not to erase history, but to learn from it,” the vestry wrote to the parish. Lee and Davis “were explicit in glorifying the racial regime behind the Confederacy, and the subsequent society that perpetuated its racial views. It is these memorials that were created specifically to perpetuate the Lost Cause ideologies that we have decided to remove.” Dupree hopes it will be another step in the parish’s journey away from being the “Cathedral of the Confederacy.” “Considering the church’s history, we’re really trying to change that narrative,” he said.
Hampton, Newport News boost Census responses during Mayors’ Challenge; Hampton gets the win In late May, Newport News and Hampton joined forces to encourage people to respond to the 2020 Census. The Mayors’ Challenge, a friendly competition to see which city could get more residents to fill out their Census forms, ended in a close race and wins for both cities. Each city increased the number of Census responses by 1.3 percent during the challenge. Since Hampton was ahead at the beginning of the competition, Mayor Donnie Tuck takes the title and is the winner of juicy James River oysters, courtesy of Mayor McKinley Price. The Hampton blue crabs Mayor Tuck wagered are spared. To date, 64 percent of Hampton’s residents have filled out their Census forms versus 61.9 percent in Newport News. “I want to thank the Hampton team and residents who enabled us to finish ahead of Newport News in our Census Challenge,” said Mayor Tuck. “Hampton has a history of rising to meet challenges, and therefore, I knew my having to relinquish a dozen of our finest
crabs to Mayor Price was never in doubt. Now I am hopeful that both cities can sustain our momentum as we strive for a ‘Complete Census Count.’” While Hampton was the overall winner, Newport News is a larger city and more of their residents responded to the Census during the challenge period. Newport News saw 2,330 additional households complete the Census, while Hampton
increased their number by 1,748. “Congratulations to Hampton and Mayor Tuck for winning our 2020 Census Challenge,” said Mayor McKinley L. Price. “While it’s never fun to admit defeat, I will gladly give up oysters if it means our cities are counted in the Census. Thanks to the Newport News residents who responded and helped us lead in the number of households that completed the Census during the
Challenge. Let’s keep pushing forward to shape the future of our great cities – respond to the Census and be counted!” The entire area gets a boost from this friendly competition. The Census count determines the official population, which plays a large part in the distribution of federal dollars for the next 10 years. For every resident, cities can get up to $2,000 per year (or $20,000 over the decade) in federal spending for such things as programs for children, education, and seniors, among others. Also included is funding for roads, an area everyone in the region will enjoy. Since the two cities added more than 4,000 people into the official count, that gets everyone on the road to being counted. If you haven’t filled out your form, it’s not too late. To respond, visit www.my2020census. gov, call 1-844-330-2020, or return the Census envelope that came in the mail. To learn more about the Census, Newport News residents can call 757-933-2311 and Hampton residents can contact 757-727-8311.
