NJG | Vol. 124, No. 21 - May 23, 2024

NEWJOURNAL & GUIDE NEW JOURNAL & GUIDE

Virginia State University Removed From 2024 Presidential Debate List

By Rosaland Tyler Associate Editor New Journal and Guide

The announcement was made on May 15, the same day news reports announced details for a new debate schedule between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.

The new debate schedule appears to freeze out not just VSU but two previously chosen universities in Texas and Utah.

A Sept. 16 debate was scheduled at Texas State University in San Marcos, as well as an Oct. 9 debate at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

According to news reports, CNN has already selected anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash to moderate the first presidential debate. The June 27 debate on CNN, which will be broadcast live, will take place at CNN’s Atlanta studios and won’t feature a studio audience.

PANEL AT HAMPTON UNIVERSITY DISCUSSES 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF BROWN DECISION

CHESAPEAKE NAACP TURNS FOCUS TO ENDING AT-LARGE VOTING

New Journal and Guide Staff

CHESAPEAKE

The Chesapeake NAACP is shoring up its efforts to put forth a referendum to bring single member district voting to the city. An informational town hall meeting on May 23 will be followed by group attendance at the Chesapeake City Council meetings on May 28 and June 11, both at 6 p.m.

President Dr. Shirley Auguste said in announcing the town hall, “It is time for another election and some of our communities will not have any representation on the City Council or School Board. We want to support all areas and people by ensuring everyone has proper representation on the City Council and School Board.

“As a result, we are taking a stand and will be demanding that the Chesapeake City Council put a referendum forward to go to ‘A Single Member District.’ Norfolk and Virginia Beach have already adopted this system and it is working.”

Dr. Shirley Auguste

The Chesapeake NAACP plans to be present at City Council on Tuesday, May 28, at 6 p.m. to speak out on support for the referendum for Single Member Districts. This will be the first of two City Council meetings. The second is on Tuesday, June 11, 6 p.m. when they plan to return.

Single Member Districts are also known as the ward system, as in Norfolk which has seven wards representing the city’s citizens and the mayor is elected at-large.

Dr. Auguste noted that Chesapeake is the Commonwealth’s second-

We want to support all areas and people by ensuring everyone has proper representation on the City Council and School Board.”

– Dr. Shirley Auguste, President, Chesapeake NAACP

most-populous city with 255,173 residents.According to worldpopulationreview. com, the demographics are: White: 57.28 percent; Black or African-American: 29.29 percent; Two or more races: 7.13 percent; Asian: 3.68 percent; Other race: 2.4 percent; Native American: 0.17 percent; Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.06 percent Chesapeake has 353

square miles of land mass and the following communities/ districts: Deep Creek, Western Branch, Cavalier, Southern Chesapeake, Rivercrest, South Norfolk, Indian River, Greenbrier, and Great Bridge. The Town Hall on May 23rd will be held at 7 p.m. at New Galilee Missionary Baptist Church, 1765 S. Military Hwy., Chesapeake.

WHO SAYS BLACK VOTERS WON’T TURN OUT IN NOVEMBER? THIS WEEKEND:

By Rosaland Tyler

Associate Editor New Journal and Guide

Rumors abound that more Blacks will either vote for Trump in 2024, or refuse to turn out in massive numbers to vote in the November 2024 presidential election.

But historians will tell the real story as they have told for years about 1966 in Selma, Ala.

Blacks in Selma voted for the first time in 1966, defeating Selma Sheriff Jim G. Clark Jr., a strict segregationist who famously wore a “Never” button and frequently used cattle prods and billy clubs to stop Black voting-rights protesters, including civil rights leader C.T. Vivian. Before Selma’s historic 1966 election was held, about 1 percent of Blacks in Selma were registered to vote. According to rumors, Black voters would not turn out to vote. Turns out, it only took a small percentage of Black voters to stop Clark from serving another term as Selma’s sheriff.

In other words, Selma’s

Have You Heard The Rumors About Black Voters And Trump?

historic 1966 election brings the past and the present sharply into focus. “You can keep the club in your hand, but you cannot beat down justice,” Vivian told reporters after Clark punched him in the mouth at a February 1965 voting rights protest, which was held on the steps of the Dallas County courthouse. Clark also blocked Vivian’s path into the building and turned his back. But Vivian said, “You can turn your back on me, but you cannot turn your back upon the idea of justice. We will register to vote, because as citizens of these United States we have the right to do it.” see Voters, page 8A

President Biden’s Speech At Morehouse Proceeds Without Predicted Protest

By Stacy M. Brown Senior National Correspondent

@StacyBrownMedia

NNPA NEWSWIRE

Before President Joe Biden’s commencement address at Morehouse College, an of fi cial told the Black Press that the White House was “very nervous,” primarily due to the ongoing protests Israel’s war in Palestine that have swept campuses around the country. The of fi cial, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, noted that a group of alumni from Morehouse, Clark Atlanta, and Spelman had objected to the president’s appearance. Despite these objections, the school con fi rmed its invitation for Biden to address the 2024 graduating class and to bestow upon him an honorary degree, leading the White House and the president to agree to proceed with the address. This decision was particularly important as the BidenHarris campaign continued to court Black voters. “It’s one of those things,” the of fi cial stated. see Morehouse, page 8A

President Joe Biden

Instead of holding the Presidential debates on college campuses, debate organizers now say they will debate twice, first on June 27 at CNN studios in Atlanta. see VSU, page 7A

Photo: Courtesy

HAMPTON Former Governor of Virginia and member of Virginians for Reconciliation, Bob McDonnell partnered with Hampton University for his group’s first forum to enlarge the community conversation about race. This forum featured four prominent panelists who discussed public school education since Brown. (L-R) Former Gov, McDonnell, Dr. Jeremy Railey, Chief , Department of Education, Sen. Mamie Locke,, Dr. Richard Mason, Chairman of the Hampton School District, and Paul Harris, former state Delegate. ...see Story, inside page 5A

Photo: Courtesy

Beach NAACP Responds To Racial Charges Against Kempsville Baseball Team

By Rosaland Tyler

Associate Editor New Journal and Guide

VIRGINIA BEACH

Dr. Eric Majette, Virginia Beach NAACP president, and the Rev. Gary McCollum said they are investigating and monitoring bullying and racism allegations made against the Kempsville High School baseball team Both leaders said it is unclear if they will seek more information at the next school board meeting at the end of the month but the allegations have led to the cancellation of the team’s games for the rest of the season.

According to WTKR-

Dr.

Eric Majette

TV, the allegations date back to discriminatory claims that a local mother said her son experienced. He experienced racial slurs from his teammates, including the n-word.

“This was not just one incident,” said McCollum.

Wealth Inequality of Never-Married Black Women Is “Eye-Opener”

(TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM)

A late March update of the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank’s ongoing research on wealth inequalities offers several eye-opening data points:

• Overall, women had only 68 cents in wealth for every dollar held by their male peers;

• When data was filtered by race/ethnicity, nevermarried Black women and never-married Hispanic women had 8 cents and 14 cents, respectively, of the wealth of white males;

• Never-married Black women, never-married Hispanic women and nevermarried mothers of any race or ethnicity were the most financially stressed. They had very low levels of wealth to fall back on in an emergency, or to invest in financial stability and mobility; and

• Each of the never-married groups is in the bottom third of the wealth distribution for U.S. households.

An Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) report highlighted the inequities in full-time workers’ pay.

“Equal pay for equal work has been the law of the land for more than a half-century, yet women still cannot get fair treatment when it comes to employment and earnings,” noted Jamila K. Taylor, IWPR President and CEO. “And it’s worse for women of color, who face rampant racial discrimination in the workforce in addition to

ongoing pay inequities.”

Excerpt from article by Charlene Crowell, senior fellow with the Center for Responsible Lending.

May 23, 1959

Edition of the Guide

Plot To Arrest Roy Wilkins Uncovered

By John Herbers UPI

JACKSON, MS NAACP leader Roy Wilkins apparently was unaware he barely escaped arrest here for “Advocating overthrow of Mississippi segregation laws.”

Hinds County deputies had warrants to arrest Wilkins, Executive Secretary of the NAACP and State Field Secretary Medgar Eves at a rally in observance of the Supreme Court’s desegregation decision. Wilkins was the main speaker.

The warrants were based on an affidavit filed in a Justice of the Peace Court here by Citizen’s Council leader Elmo Graves

They based the arrest of Wilkins and Evers under a law making it a “violation to conspire to overthrow or violate segregation laws of the state by “force, violence threats, intimidations or otherwise.”

Several plainclothes deputies converged on the meeting attended by more than 1,200 persons to serve the warrants immediately after it ended.

However, other officials of the city and state heard about the warrants and persuaded the deputies to leave when reporters and photographers gathered to witness the arrests.

One source said officials who were responsible for the warrants were afraid Wilkins’ arrest would “stir up too much trouble when Mississippi already has enough at Poplarville, where FBI agents are investigating the lynching of Mack Charles Parker.

May 23, 1964

Edition of the Guide

Norfolk State College Students Complain About Rules

NORFOLK

Despite a threat by groups of students that “we will demonstrate, we will strike, and we will withdraw if necessary” the campus at Norfolk

“This was a pattern of things that happened at the school. From what we’re hearing now is that there are others in the community who’ve experienced this same kind of treatment.”

Some incidents were joking while others were not, the local mother said.

An official national study on soccer titled Kick It Out reported it received a record number of claims of discriminatory behavior during the 2022/23 soccer season. Baseball researchers, however, have not yet compiled comprehensive discriminatory studies.

Specifically, the most recent Kick It Out (soccer) study, which began in 1993, reported a 65 percent increase compared to the previous year and includes discriminatory incidents from the professional game, social media and grassroots soccer.

“I don’t think anyone should make any kind of racial jokes against anyone,” said Majette.

McCollum told WTKRTV, “At the end of the day, it’s bullying. That’s what it is. It’s racial hate.”

From The Guide’s Archives

Archives taken from the pages of the (New) Journal and Guide

Division of Virginia State College was quiet Monday afternoon.

A spokesman for the college said that the administration, headed by Dr. Lyman B. Brooks, provost, gave consideration to a number of grievances embodied in a statement presented to him.

The spokesman said that the complaints were issued by an independent student group and did not represent the student government.

Among the grievances listed by one student who declined to reveal his name were the following:

Compulsory attendance at chapel and at religious Emphases Week programs.

A regulation requiring students to stay out of business places with alcoholic beverages before 5 p.m.

A rule relating to “Undue Familiarity.”

Failure of the Committee on Student-Faculty Relations to submit to the Student Senate and Assembly copies on ruling on welfare of students.

Students appeared to be aroused particularly over alleged administration interference with student government candidates for president.

This was followed by the withdrawal of all candidates for student office and cancellation of the election.

Friday was marked by disagreement among various student factions attending a rally on the athletic field.

Norcom High Names Top Raking Honor Graduates

PORTSMOUTH

Brenda A. Johnson, Yvone V. Myrick and Joseph A. Mills are ranking students among the 15 honor graduates among I.C. Norcom’s class of 256 who will receive diplomas during the June 1964 Commencement exercises.

Other honor graduates are Hayes E. Willis, Brenda A. Thompson, Alva E. Myrick, Shirley B. Williams, Yolanda T. Peterson, Paula C. Owens, Rodney V. Looney, Gertrude G. Dessaw, Charles D. Yancey, Rebecca E. Copeland, Doris J. Thorne and Lallie

M. Banks Jr.

May 18-24 1994

Edition of the Guide

School Desegregation Under Attack 40 Years After Brown Decision

By Leonard E. Colvin Chief Reporter

It has been 40 years since the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its historic decision on a collection of cases which made up the Brown vs. Topeka, Kansas Board of Education decision.

African-Americans of varying persuasions are now making assessments of its impact on its ability to empower their community, not only in terms of adequate public education, but economically because of subsequent federal laws regarding employment and housing.

(The Late Associate Justice) Thurgood Marshall and a group of civil rights lawyers from the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund fought before the Supreme Court against a ruling from the 1890s: Plessy Vs. Ferguson. It invoked the “Separate, but Equal” doctrine creating separate public accommodations based on race including schools.

The court held the segregated educational facilities, specifically deprived AfricanAmerican children of equal protections under the law and that “separate, but equal’ was inherently unequal.

Rev. Curtis Harris was sitting in a multi-racial meeting with education and civic leaders in Hopewell on May 17, 1954.

The meeting was intended to devise a plan to persuade Hopewell school officials to ease restrictions on Black enrollment in allwhite schools and white teachers who wanted to teach in all-Black schools.

Harris, head of the Virginia SCLC, said “someone behind me started talking in my ear.”

“They told me that the Supreme Court had handed down its decision on the Brown cases,” said Harris.

He then announced the fact to the gathering which responded with glee.

“It was the most remarkable time for us ... Black and white, “said Harris. “We had hope. But we knew there would be some resistance.”

Editorial Still Inherently Inferior PUBLISHER’S TOPIC

By Brenda H. Andrews

With the observance of the 40th anniversary of the Brown Decision calling for the desegregation of public schools, it is past time to get serious about doing just that.

Since May 17, 1954, we have seen reluctant compliance of school districts with the law of the land through the most disruptive and destructive ways envisioned to keep desegregation from working; beginning with racist defiance called “Massive resistance” to the gradual physical and cultural assimilation of Black children into previously all-White schools.

We have today under socalled school desegregation plans seen the evolution of a generation of Black children, particularly boys, with hostile attitudes, high rates of suspension, and dropout rates, low academic expectation, poor test performance and scores, disproportionately placing Black children in classes that mark them slow, retarded, disruptive and aggressive.

The poor consequences of 40 years of unworkable approaches to desegregation has led many people, including increasing numbers of Africans Americans, to say the price we had to pay for desegregation has been too great.

Many are expressing the belief that the concept of integrated schools has failed because a significant number of Whites have abandoned the public schools, particularly in urban areas, to Black children. And if White children are absent how can schools be integrated?

Seatack To Get Improved Center

By Leonard E. Colvin

VIRGINIA BEACH Rosa Norman remembers the day when the Seatack Community Center opened in the mid-70s. It was ramshackled and had been abandoned by the STOP Organization where it had housed its education and Day Care program. The community she said pitched in and converted it into a community center and youth recreational outlet which exists today.

In 1984 Virginia Beach built a replacement for the makeshift facility.

But even then, Norman and the rest of the predominately Black community, realized the facility was inadequate.

“It was like a big gym without bleachers,” she said. “And they left out a lot of stuff we had requested. The kitchen was small and there was no recreation facility for the kids.”

Since then, Norman, with the help of the local NAACP, has waged a frustrating war of words with the city council to have the current facility expanded.

There has been some movement. The council was pressured to develop an expansion plan for the facility which cost an estimated $1.9 million two years ago. The city council has not voted to approve the money for construction despite a threat by the NAACP to sue the city and bring in federal officials to help in the fight. The NAACP even had problems getting a sitting councilperson to sponsor the project before the panel for its consideration.

When it came before council May 10, members voted 7-4 against the expansion claiming as one council person put it, “it would show favoritism for one particular neighborhood.”

But lobbying by Mayor Meyera E. Oborndorf has caused a change of administrative heart. Two Councilpersons, Nancy Parker and John D. Moss changed their votes.

“I really do not want to get my hopes up,” Norman said. “We have been disappointed so many times in the past.”

PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF SOCIOLOGY VIRGINIA TECH

CARR

TOON By Walt Carr BROWN V. BOARD –PART 2

By Wornie Reed, Ph.D.

This month, we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Brown v. Board U.S. Supreme Court decision. That bitter aftertaste in our mouths might be the unacknowledged effects of that monumental case.

Responding to the brief of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the Court stated that segregated schools stamp a badge of inferiority in the hearts and minds of Black kids and retard their education.

The psychological effect of school segregation implies that Black children need integration to learn correctly. As the legal scholar Derek Bell put it, the Brown decision “hinged Black people’s rights upon being situated next to white people.”

Implementing Brown eventually led to busing.

In the Swann v. CharlotteMecklenburg County decision in 1971, the U.S. Supreme Court addressed the question of how districts should comply with their obligation to begin immediately operating unitary school districts in residential segregation. The answer was busing.

Since the leading view is that de facto segregated schools cannot be equal, cross-town integration is an objective, and busing is the means to accomplish that. This usually meant that Black kids would be bused across town to the so-called white schools.

In 1973, as the NAACP was pursuing busing in cities across the country, the Atlanta chapter developed a different approach. They negotiated a deal with local white leaders that rejected large-scale busing in exchange for AfricanAmerican administrative control of the school

As the legal scholar Derek Bell put it, the Brown decision “hinged Black people’s rights upon being situated next to white people.”

system. This could have been accomplished since Atlanta had become a majority-Black city.

For some of us, that was a great deal. Blacks, looking out for their interests, could arrange for the equitable distribution of the available resources. Therefore, they could serve all Black children in the district comparable to white children.

However, the national NAACP was very displeased with this Atlanta deal. In response, they removed the local NAACP president, who led this Atlanta compromise.

The response of the national NAACP to the Atlanta plan is the logical result of the belief – and policy –that if a school received their representative portion of the resources but happened to be all Black – because of residential segregation –it was inherently unequal. That is a problematic viewpoint and policy.

It took over a decade for many states to start the integration process. However, when it did start, there were some negative consequences. Some of these consequences resulted from the Brown conclusion that Black schools were “inherently unequal.”

Many Black schools were closed, and thousands of Black teachers were fired. I do not call these consequences “unforeseen” because Marshall and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund did realize that many teachers

TO BE EQUAL

would lose their jobs. So, they solicited funds from foundations for lawsuits to defend these teachers before the Brown case went to the Court.

In 1954, there were about 82,000 Black teachers in the United States. By 1964, nearly half, more than 38,000 Black teachers had been fired by white school leaders. Please note that this was not necessarily the result of the poor qualifications of the Black teachers.

Before Brown, the average years of college for Black teachers in Alabama exceeded that of white teachers. That was logical as the places Blacks in the South could apply that education were severely limited.

As Leslie Fenwick, the dean emerita and a professor at the Howard University School of Education, put it, “Black teachers with superior credentials were purged from the system, and by and large in the 17 states [that had segregated school systems], were replaced by white teachers who had less academic credentials, lower levers of professional licensure – no licensure in some cases.” In 2022, she published a book about the displacement of Black educators, titled Jim Crow’s Pink Slip: The Untold Story of Black Principal and Teacher Leadership.

The bottom line: as W.E.B. DuBois put it in 1935, “Negro children need neither segregated schools nor mixed schools. What they need is education. ”

No New Police Bills Without Oversight and Accountability

By Marc H. Morial CEO National Urban League

(TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM)

“If there’s no criminal accountability of police for criminal behavior, then the fox is guarding the henhouse, and we’re the hens, and we’re living in a country that’s becoming a police state.” – Maya Wiley

Since 1994, Congress has appropriated more than $20 billion for the Community Oriented Policing Services grant program, commonly known as COPS. Has this program made communities safer? We don’t know, because in its entire 30-year existence, it has operated without any oversight, transparency, or accountability measures.

Last month’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing was the first full committee meeting ever on oversight of the COPS Program.

Yet a bill to pump another $3.25 billion into the program over the next five years – again, without adding oversight, transparency, or accountability measures –has bipartisan support and is poised to sail through Congress.

As election season approaches, lawmakers appear desperate to stoke fears of a non-existent crime wave and paint their rivals as “soft on crime.”

In fact, the measures proposed to respond to the fantasy of rising crime would harm vulnerable communities of color and undermine public safety and community trust. Furthermore, the cynical timing of these proposals by those who continue to downplay the January 6 attack on law enforcement makes a mockery of National Police Week, an annual convening to honor, remember and support law enforcement and officers lost in the line of duty. To much fanfare and posturing, the Republicancontrolled House of Representatives last week passed a bill that would

DAISY BATES: FROM LITTLE ROCK TO THE U. S. CAPITOL

By Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq. (Ret.) (TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM)

A few weeks ago you might have read about my family reunion and being a former teacher, I like to teach the little ones something about our history. To be honest the young teens were busy sharing their latest dance and cheerleading steps; however, to my pleasant surprise, my 6-year-old nephew, Francis, came to the lecture while others did whatever young teens like to do. In the class, I offered two subjects. One was gun security in the home. The other was African-American History. Imagine my great surprise when the 6-yearold Francis told me he already knew about gun security because he learned that from his parents, but a greater surprise was the interest he showed in Black History. I put on the table a deck of Black History cards. He went through the stack and picked out the ones he wanted me to talk about.

The first one was Daisy Bates. The reason that was such a pleasant surprise was the fact that around the time we were talking, a memorial to Daisy Bates was being installed in the U.S. Capitol. In 2009, the organization for which I served as National President, installed

Sojourner Truth. My friend, former First Lady Michelle Obama, delivered the main address about Sojourner. Another friend, Cicely Tyson – a Delta –performed the “Ain’t I A Woman” speech. Now here we are finally with the fourth Black woman being installed with a memorial, led by two people from Arkansas whose families, no doubt, were even more strongly opposed to the part Daisy Bates played in our history: Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Senator Tom Cotton! Did they finally see the light about equal justice or were they just there due to their positions in government? You may decide. Daisy Bates is my Soror in Delta Sigma Theta. While I am proud of her for that reason, there is more. Tragically as a 3-yearold child, her mother was killed by a white man, and naturally, that had a lasting

... she was forced to withstand economic, legal and physical intimidation. She didn’t let that stop her.

negative impact on her. It caused her to go to foster care. After foster care, she was married young and moved to Little Rock, Arkansas. She became a journalist and built a newspaper through which she dedicated her life to ending racial injustice. That was very dangerous, but she did it anyway. When the Supreme Court ruled segregation in schools to be unconstitutional, she went about finding students to enroll in white schools, but they were often blocked. She used her newspaper to publicize schools not following the federal law. Because of the work she did, she was forced to withstand economic, legal and physical intimidation. She didn’t let that stop her. She even defended soldiers who faced police brutality. She served as President of the Arkansas NAACP. see Bates, page 5A

POOR AND LOW INCOME PEOPLE NEED TO VOTE

By Julianne Malveaux (TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM)

It is indefensible that Congress continues to introduce bills that will increase the number of police officers and police-focused funding ... despite ... comprehensive police reform.

“eviscerate due process” for immigrants accused of assaulting a police officer. Contrary to the misleading rhetoric surrounding the bill and its inflammatory title, the “Detain and Deport Illegal Aliens Who Assault Cops Act” immigrants already are subject to deportation upon conviction of violent crimes. This bill would subject immigrants merely accused of assault to mandatory, indefinite jailing. In some states, immigrants accused of offenses that did not even involve physical contact could be jailed indefinitely. see Morial, page 6A

“There were fifteen Presidential debates in 2020,” thunders the Rev. William Barber, the cochair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for a Moral Revival (www. poorpeoplescampaign. org). I’ve heard him make this point many times, and sometimes the exclusion so rankles him that he shifts from conversational mode to preacher mode, with all the thunder that comes with the shift.

According to Barber, not thirty minutes was devoted to poverty in any of the fifteen debates. No wonder poor folks don’t vote – few talk to or hear them. So they stay home. Politicians might pay more attention to their issues if more poor folks voted. Instead, many Republicans consider poverty some kind of a moral failure. And while Democrats tend to promulgate policies that provide some assistance at the bottom, they often couch them in terms that do not appeal to people experiencing poverty. For example, I recently talked to a young brother who says he will not vote. He says neither Democrats nor Republicans appeal to him.

When I spoke to him about some things the Biden-Harris Administration has done to

benefit the Black community – including infrastructure spending, HBCU assistance, and more. The young man said he doesn’t go to college and doesn’t plan to. “Politicians don’t care about poor people, just the middle class.”

Nothing I said could convince the young man that voting made a difference. He described voting as a “trick bag” and made vaguely insulting comments about “old Black civil rights people” (was he talking about me?) who put too much faith in the system. I didn’t have the energy to argue with the young brother. I have little faith in the system, but, as I told him, you can’t win if you don’t play, and Black folks have to play the politics game. You do, I don’t, he said. I guess that was the last word.

Rev. Barber hopes to ignite this young man and the many others who stay home. He says that a third of the electorate

Those who die because they are poor

could be working or contributing to society.

(85 million people) are poor and low-income and comprise between 34 and 46 percent of voters in battleground states and more than 20 percent in all but five states. That means, in a 2020 election, where the victor won by fewer than 100,000 votes in three key states, poor people may hold elections in their hands. Their failure to vote reminds me of the Biblical “dry bones” that turn to flesh. Today’s dry bones are uncast votes that might make a difference in the 2024 election. The Poor People’s Campaign, co-led by Rev. Barber and Rev. Liz Theoharris, Director of the Kairos Center at Union Theological Seminary, will convene the Mass Poor People’s and Low Wage Workers’ Assembly and Moral March on Washington on June 29, 2024. Barber tells me this is not just a march but a movement to drive people to the polls. He avoids endorsing candidates, preferring to drive voters to the issues. see Vote, page 5A

Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq. (Ret.)

Julianne Malveaux

Marc H. Morial

Panel At HU Discusses 70th Anniversary of Historic School Desegregation Ruling

New Journal and Guide Staff HAMPTON

Former Governor of Virginia and member of Virginians for Reconciliation, Bob McDonnell partnered with Hampton University for his group’s first forum to enlarge the community conversation about race. McDonnell said over the upcoming year, he plans 12 or 13 such gatherings. The next is planned for Regent University of Law in Virginia Beach.

Hampton University

President Darrell K. Williams hosted this first forum on May 16 on the university campus with a panel discussion led by McDonnell to mark the 70th Anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Decision that ended racial segregation in public schools in America.

The free and open to the public forum was planned also in partnership with Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, and Congressman Bobby Scott.

The Brown v. Board of Education ruling on May 17, 1954 declared state laws establishing separate public schools for Black and white students to be unconstitutional.

Prince Edward County, Virginia was one of the five pivotal partners in the legal case that resulted in the landmark Supreme Court decision.

In introducing the forum to the room full of guests, McDonnell, who moderated the panel of four, said the discussion on school desegregation in Virginia would be threefold; History, Legacy, and Next.

On the panel were Virginia Sen. Mamie

Locke, Dr. Jeremy Railey, Chief of the Virginia Department of Education, Dr. Richard Mason, Chairman of the Hampton School District, and Paul Harris of Richmond, a former state Delegate.

The four conducted a lively discussion on the state’s history in public school education which they agreed has undoubtedly changed since the 1954 decision that ended “separate but equal” schools.

And yet, Mason and Locke said, much work remains to bring equity to the state’s public schools.

Sen. Locke noted there are more resources and funding today coming from the state’s budget for education, but also the focus on teaching history and civics has been checked. “All history is not being taught and certain history eradicated,” she said emphatically.

When discussing solutions, they mentioned the necessity of early intervention and developing early reading

Also, they suggested HBCUs should become more of a partner in the community, getting involved, for example, in holding classes and programs for parents to help them in keeping their children engaged in learning.

skills. Dr. Mason noted that when states plan the future needs of prison populations, the reading ability of children as young as 2nd or 3rd graders forms the basis to project who will be imprisoned and how many prison beds needed for them.

The panel agreed on the importance of getting parents engaged and involved in the schools and their children.

However, Dr. Mason cautioned that in the present political climate, parent involvement must not be driven by politics.

Other solutions to improve public schools included enlarging support staffs to assist teachers; developing public-private partnerships between businesses and schools that offer students real-life experiences; recruiting the best talent in teachers and giving deserved value and salaries to those already in the profession.

Finally, three of the panel members being graduates of Historically Black Colleges and

Bates

Continued from page 4A

Many may remember her for struggling to integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Gov. Faubus sent in the National Guard to keep Black students out of the school, but President Dwight Eisenhower then ordered the 101st Airborne Division into Little Rock to ensure the “Little Rock Nine” students would be able to attend school. He reminded Gov. Faubus that as President, it was his duty to defend federal

Vote

Continued from page 4A

One of the critical issues is the lives we lose to poverty. University of California Riverside public policy professor David Brady said that 183,000 people die annually because of poverty, the fourth leading cause of death. Heart disease, cancer, and smoking take more lives – obesity, diabetes, drug overdoses, suicides, firearms, and homicide take fewer.

These lives lost represent an economic drain on our nation.

Those who die because they are poor could be working or contributing to society. Additionally, the resources we spend on their end-of-life care could be used more productively.

Poverty is a scourge for our nation, but it is not a priority for our nation’s politicians.

Universities – Locke, Mason and Harris – circled the discussion to the role of HBCUs in enhancing public schools and education. In addition to preparing teachers through departments of education, they suggested HBCUs would undertake a role to assess what is missing in public education today. Also, they suggested HBCUs should become more of a partner in the community, getting involved, for example, in holding classes and programs for parents to help them in keeping their children engaged in learning.

In sharing his insight for planning the forum, McDonnell said, “I believe people will learn the important lessons of history, understand the progress and challenges of the last 70 years in making the ruling a reality, and address the all important question of what next for all of us to educate all of our children better to keep the country, strong and united.”

laws and required to give full cooperation to the U.S. District Court. Those were the days in which Republicans were told they were required to follow Federal laws, and to ensure that others did the same. We give thanks to Daisy Bates’ courage. Soror Sarah Davidson who was a teen-aged civil rights mentee of Daisy Bates, was fortunate to attend the unveiling ceremony. She said “Mrs. Bates did in death what many could not do in life. She brought Republicans and Democrats together with civility – something that is unusual today.” Dr. E. Faye Williams is President of TheDickGregorySociety.com

“The curse of poverty has no justification in our age. It is socially as cruel and blind as the practice of cannibalism at the dawn of civilization when men ate each other because they had not yet learned to take food from the soil or to consume the abundant animal life around them,” said Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Predatory capitalism is cannibalism. It is taking more than is needed for selfish gain, to exploit those who are at the bottom of the totem pole, and to demonize them.

Dr. King’s War on Poverty attempted to address poverty and get poor and low-income people involved in their destinies. Rev. William Barber is a worthy successor to Dr. King. We can all support his activism by showing up in DC for the March on Washington on June 29.

Dr. Julianne Malveaux is an economist and author based in Washington, DC. juliannemalveaux.com

HU President Darrell K. Williams

Photo: Courtesy

(L-R): Dr. Jeremy Railey, Chief , Department of Education, Sen. Mamie Locke,, Dr. Richard Mason, Chairman of the Hampton School District, and Paul Harris, former state Delegate.

Photo: Courtesy

Military Recruitment & Memorial Day: More DEI Needed

By John L. Horton

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It has been observed on the last Monday of May, since 1972. In order to maintain its place as the leader of the Free World and guardian of our national interests, America has to recruit and support a sufficient number of quality men and women for its fighting forces (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Space Force).

Meanwhile, it is being reported by the Associated Press, “Mixed results in military recruiting,” that military authorities and national defense experts are having to confront and resolve the (ongoing) military’s recruit woes, which are causing a national security crisis ... The article was written by the AP’s Lolita C. Baldor, Friday, April 19, 2024.

Morial

Continued from page 4A

The House also passed the DC Crimes Act, an attempt to override D.C. home rule by prohibiting D.C. from ever changing its sentencing laws without Congressional approval, notably restricting the D.C. courts from offering alternative sentencing for people under 25 years old.

“This provision, which does not define the term ‘criminal liability sentence’ is as poorly drafted as it is offensive,: D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton said, urging the House to vote it down. “The nearly 700,000 D.C. residents, a majority of whom are Black and Brown, are worthy and capable of self-government.”

Meanwhile, violent crime

As a retired Marine sergeant major, 100 percent disabled, Vietnam combat veteran of 30 years, and the father of a son who served 10 years in the Navy, including several combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, I am led to ask: Do most Americans truly care about what is going on with our military’s recruiting shortfalls?

Today’s media is reporting that some branches of the military are experiencing recruitment shortfalls, especially among its enlisted

in D.C. has dropped by 26 percent so far this year. It is indefensible that Congress continues to introduce bills that will increase the number of police officers and police-focused funding in our communities, despite years of public outcry for comprehensive police reform like the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. The National Urban League has urged citizens to take action by sending letters of opposition to the Senate Judiciary Committee and U.S. House of Representatives. We must continue to loudly voice our concern and disapproval of this type of legislation and refocus the conversation on police transparency, accountability and community-centered public safety that decreases citizen encounters with law enforcement and the criminal justice system.

When it comes to “military recruitment and service,” we all have a stake in our national security, especially if we want to maintain our role as the world’s leader.

ranks. In particular, the Navy is struggling to recruit “qualified” personnel, and it is having to lower some requirements in an attempt to reach its overall recruitment goals.

Normally, the bar to get into the military is somewhat high: approximately only 25 percent of the nation’s youth can meet certain standards as high school/equivalent diploma, reasonable high standardized test scores, good physical fitness, weight/body size, no major drug record, no major criminal/arrest record, emotional and mental stability, and the like.

Now to overcome its recruitment shortfalls, the Navy is beginning to waiver requirements for a high school or GED diploma. Moreover, the Navy is beginning to accept some recruits who score minimally on the Armed Services Qualification Test (ASQT). Due to the increasing difficulty of recruiting qualified young people, the other military services are beginning to look at some of these personnel waivers and options, and the

like.

The last time the Navy and other service branches recruited personnel without standard education credentials was 2,000. Then, as now, the military struggled to compete with the private, governmental and corporate job markets for the most highly qualified personnel. Moreover, the “civilian” workforce is considered more secure and safer than a “military” workforce with fears of being injured and/or killed while serving.

Additionally, there is a growing sense of political division that is probably diminishing many people’s faith in America. This is probably one of the primary reasons why fewer than half of Americans now say they have lost some degree of faith in the military, overall. This “trust” is down from approximately 70 percent just a little over five years ago.

Meanwhile, the media have been reporting on some of the recent drawbacks of serving in the military: recruiting, retention, disciplinary, medical, stress, suicide,

psychiatric, morale, marital issues, spousal abuse, sexual harassment, alcohol-drug abuse, and other personnel issues which are, and can be, detrimental to its overall mission and future utility.

Overall, less than 1 percent of all Americans (approximately 340 million) serve in today’s military. As of 2023, there were approximately 1.4 million active duty service members.

When it comes to “military recruitment and service,” we all have a stake in our national security, especially if we want to maintain our role as the world’s leader. Such matters are more critical and relevant than ever in today’s sometimes chaotic and confrontational world, particularly with the unresolved wars against terrorism and the fight against nuclear proliferation throughout the globe.

What all this eventually boils down to is: Are we willing to enlist and/or allow our children to “enlist for the cause.” Should America’s armed forces be more “diverse and representative” of its overall populace?

Presently, America’s military fighting force is represented disproportionately (socio-economically) by the lower 30 percent of White Americans for that ethnic group and the upper 20 percent of Black Americans for that ethnic group. When it comes to the defense of

America, there needs to be a better “diversification, equity and inclusion” of America’s populace. In my opinion, that is why the Navy and other military branches are struggling to recruit and retain more “qualified” personnel ... across the board. For instance, during the last fiscal year, which ended September 30, 2023, all the military branches (Navy, Army and Air Force), with the exception of the Marine Corps and Space Force, failed to reach their recruitment goals. Meanwhile, the Navy and other military branches are having to upgrade, improve and increase “comfort, casual and convenience” services, standards and procedures to recruit and retain service members.

Some of these “new” features are: off base/ship housing, Wi-Fi for barracks/ ships, options to choose first duty station, increased enlistment bonuses, U.S. citizenship after completion of basic training, better access to quality food, and the like. All of this is meant to improve the overall morale and welfare of military members. It will prove interesting to see how this recruitment dilemma eventually resolves itself ... hopefully for the betterment of America’s national defense and world leadership role(s) ... John L. Horton is a retired Marine and lives in Norfolk.

Milwaukee’s 51st Juneteenth Event Highlights Drug Overdose Education

MILWAUKEE, WI

To combat the overdose crisis in the Milwaukee area, the grassroots harm reduction and recovery organization Samad’s House, the City of Milwaukee Office of African-American Affairs, and Clean Slate Milwaukee, with support from public health organization Vital Strategies, will be offering overdose prevention education throughout the city’s upcoming Juneteenth parade. At Milwaukee’s 51st annual Juneteenth Celebration, these organizations will share information on

opioids, overdose, and how to access naloxone (commonly known by the brand name Narcan) and, importantly, how to access harm reduction resources in Milwaukee.

“The Juneteenth event is an opportunity to reduce the stigma of addiction by educating festivalgoers on recognizing the signs of an opioid overdose, reversing its effects using Narcan nasal spray, and using fentanyl testing strips,” said Tahira Malik, the Founder and Chief Operations Officer of Samad’s House.

“We are committed to continually normalizing the conversation on addiction and harm reduction practices.” From 2001 to 2021, fatal overdose for Black Wisconsinites increased ninefold. In 2021, the overdose mortality rate in Wisconsin for Black individuals was more than double the national rate. The Juneteenth event is supported by Vital Strategies Overdose Prevention Program, which is working to further support and strengthen evidence-based overdose prevention initiatives and promote racial equity in harm reduction.

John L. Horton

Richmond’s 2024 Juneteenth Celebration Features Black Book Expo, June 7-9

RICHMOND

Elegba Folklore Society, Richmond’s Cultural Ambassador, presents Juneteenth 2024, A Freedom Celebration featuring the Black Book Expo in Richmond, Virginia, June 7-9.

On Friday, June 7, 5-9 p.m., and Saturday, June 8, 2-7 p.m., the public is invited to the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, 428 N Arthur Ashe Blvd. for a vast display of literature featuring topics including Black history, social justice, science, health, African Diasporic culture, African spirituality, personal development, novels and children’s books. There will also be live performances plus the Freedom Market filled with unique finds, tasty food and beverages on both days.

On Friday, science writer, editor and ethicist, Harriet Washington, will present from her book, Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black

Americans from Colonial Times to the Present – a National Book Critics Circle Award Winner. This book chronicles the first full history of Black America’s shocking mistreatment as unwilling and unwitting experimental subjects at the hands of the medical establishment. No one concerned with is- sues of public health and racial justice can afford not to read this masterful book. Medical Apartheid reveals the hidden underbelly of scientific research and makes possible, for the first time, an understanding of the roots of the AfricanAmerican health deficit.

Elegba Folklore Society’s performers will also appear and present excerpts from The Talking Drum. This lively delivery of African and AfricanAmerican folktales and narratives combine with vocal and instrumental music to celebrate the drum as a legendary communications tool.

On Saturday, short talks by independent

authors and book signings punctuate the day. A highlight is the Get Woke Youth Summit with lessons in freedom and Heritage Crafts in complement to this conscious literary festival in observance of Juneteenth.

On Sunday, the observance continues from 2-7 p.m. beginning at the Manchester Dock, 1308 Brander St. Here, the program starts with riverside meditative community rituals for Ancestral homage. Attendees are asked to wear white, and they may bring ancestral offerings

such as flowers, water or fruit.

Then, A Tribute to the Ancestors, Along the Trail of Enslaved Africans immerses attendees in narratives, the historical record and music. It is a sacred, poignant pilgrimage of acknowledgement and recognition.

There will be short walks to interpretive sites from the Manchester Dock, a point of entry of Africans into America to be sold into lifelong bondage, through Shockoe Bottom, a geographical and economic center of the trade of enslaved Africans in Virginia, to the Shockoe Bottom African Burial Ground, reclaimed as a site of memory. Participants will have the chance to ponder the impact of enslavement on the enslaved as shared in their own words and from their own view.

Along the Trail, there are some places to sit along the way, including at the African Burial Ground. Buses will return attendees to their cars at the program’s conclusion. Food and water will be available.

Tickets for Friday are $10, general admission, $8, seniors, 65 and above, and for students 12-18. Children under 12 come free, in advance and at the door. Friday offers a Happy Hour from 5-6 p.m. where ticket buyers can enjoy a bonus BoGo, buy one and get one for 1/2 price, $10 for one and $15 for two. BoGo tickets are available at the door only.

For tickets or more information visit www. efsinc.org

Continued from page 1A

The second debate is scheduled for Sept. 10 at a to-be-determined location that will be broadcast on ABC. ABC has yet to announce moderators for the September debate.

“We will continue to work closely with the Commission on Presidential Debates and other stakeholders as we assess this situation,” Virginia State University spokesperson Gwen Williams Dandridge said in a recent statement. “VSU will continue to provide updates and further details as they become available.”

According to USA TODAY, Jen O’Malley Dillion, campaign chair for the Biden-Harris Campaign, sent a recent letter to the commission to “provide notice that the President will not be participating in the Commission on Presidential Debates’ announced debates in 2024.” Instead, Biden would take part in debates hosted by news organizations.

While the letter argued that the commission’s debate schedule was “out of step with changes in the structure of our elections and the interest of voters,” recent news reports suggest the Republican National Committee may have sparked the change in debate sites.

According to USA TODAY, “The Republican National Committee had voted to withdraw its participation from the Commission on Presidential Debates in 2022, after Trump railed against the commission for its selection of moderators for the 2020 presidential debates and for muting each candidate’s microphone during the final 2020 debate.”

In November 2023, Virginia State University became the first HBCU ever selected to host a General Election U.S. Presidential Debate.

In any event, after the change was announced, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, said in a post on the socialplatform X, formerly known as Twitter, “Virginia State made history as the first HBCU to ever be selected to hold a presidential debate. Biden and Trump should stick to the plan and head to Virginia for a debate.”

Meanwhile, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine wrote on X, “Now that Biden and Trump are discussing debates, one thing is clear. The first ever Presidential debate at an HBCU, Virginia State University, should go forward as planned.”

Rep. Jennifer McClellan said the debate at Virginia State should proceed, in a recent statement. “I hope the ongoing negotiations between the campaigns result in a Presidential debate at VSU.”

In November 2023, Virginia State became the first HBCU ever selected to host a General Election U.S. Presidential Debate. It has already hosted preliminary debate events such as a 2024 Black History Month event that featured Dr. Meldon Hollis, who served in President Jimmy Carter’s and Barack Obama’s administrations. Hollis spoke on Feb. 28, on Zoom, at 6 p.m. on U.S. presidential policies regarding HBCUs.

Harriet Washington

Elegba Folklore Society Performs the Talking Dru

Photo: Courtesy

W&M Student Commencement

Speaker: The Power of Service

WILLIAMSBURG

Correnthia Randolph did not expect to walk toward the podium and deliver the student keynote address at The College of William and Mary’s 2024 commencement at Zable Stadium on Friday, May 17, when she enrolled in the university’s master’s degree program for clinical mental health, many months ago.

Randolph, age 51, is a small business owner and the mother of four. She was among 2,818 graduates –1,733 undergraduates and 1,085 graduate students who recently received degrees at the College of William and Mary. Randolph is an ordained pastor and owns Center of Life, a “therapy center for those struggling with the many facets of life,” according to its website.

Randolph said her commencement speech marked “beautiful memories of my time here at William & Mary.” She will continue to work as a mental health counselor under supervision, grow her practice, and enroll in the university’s doctoral program.

Morehouse

Continued from page 1A

He noted that Stephen Benjamin, Director of the White House Of fi ce of Public Engagement, traveled ahead of Biden to Morehouse to help smooth the path for the president and broker peace.

During the ceremony, Mel Foster, Associate Provost of Student Success, addressed the audience. “We also ask that you respect the dignity and reputation of excellence at Morehouse College,” Foster asserted. “Although we respect everyone’s right to free speech, Morehouse has provided guidelines to ensure we are in full compliance with the law.”

Voters

Continued from page 1A

Vivian, who was arrested multiple times and suffered several brutal beatings at the hands of officers throughout the South, received the 2013 Presidential Medal of Freedom, before he died at age 93 in 2020.

Vivian said in a NPR interview the same year that he won the award, “Do what you can do and do it well,” he said.

If Clark, the bigoted Selma sheriff, puts a human face on Trump and also symbolizes the leverage that Black voters not only held during Selma’s 1966 election but will also wield during the November 2024 election-- disregard today’s rumors. This is what Black voters can do well right now, in other words. Black voters can recall past triumphs and Clark is one example.

Clark, the Selma sheriff, not only lost his 1966 reelection bid. He became a mobile home salesman. In 1978, he and six others were indicted by a federal grand jury in Montgomery on charges of conspiring to smuggle marijuana. Clark was convicted and spent about nine months in prison, The Associated Press reported. He died at age 84 in 2007, in a nursing home, in Elba, Ala, after suffering a heart attack and a stroke that decreased his mobility to the point that he needed a motorized wheelchair to get about and had little energy. It was tough for him to walk a few steps by himself.

Still, Clark said he never regretted his actions. He said in a 2006 interview with the Montgomery Advertiser. “Basically, I’d do the same thing today if I had to do it all over again.” Clark, who served as sheriff of Selma from 1955 to 1966, added, “I did what I thought was right to uphold the law.” What can Blacks do well right now?

I want people to know that no matter who they are, I am showing up for them.

I want to be a part of their story, helping them to rewrite their narrative and helping them to navigate this journey called life.’’

“I want people to know who I am and what I bring to the table,” she said in a recent statement. “I am a woman who lives to serve.

I am a woman who lives to serve. I want people to know that no matter who they are, I am showing up for them.”

Randolph said she will continue to focus on service, friendship and leadership, themes that led her to earn a master’s degree in clinical mental health, at the College of William and Mary. “Here we are at

The best thing Black voters can do now is reflect on Trump’s real legacy.

Trump is being tried as a defendant in numerous election interference trials nationwide. Trump is also hosting political rallies that are growing increasingly hostile and are filled with profanity.

Trump recently addressed a group of major GOP donors at Mar-a-Lago. During his 90-minute “profanity-laced speech” that compared the Biden administration to Nazi Germany, according to CNN, “He cursed while criticizing special counsel Jack Smith and other prosecutors who have charged him with committing crimes.”

The best thing Black voters can do now is reflect on Trump’s real and demonstrated legacy.

We can remember how Trump deliberately insulted Myeshia Johnson in 2017. You may recall she was the Black grieving widow who was on her way to the airport to collect the remains of her husband, Army Sgt. La David Johnson, when she received an insulting phone call from the White House. Trump told the widow, “Well, I guess he knew what he was getting into.”

The slain soldier’s mother, Cowanda Jones-Johnson, later told reporters, “President Trump did disrespect my son and my daughter and also me and my husband.”

Worse, in 2018, Trump referred to Haiti and African nations as “sh-thole countries” during a meeting with a bipartisan group of senators.

One year later, in 2019, Trump said four Congresswomen of color should “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.”

Most recently, Trump said at a campaign rally, “The Black people like me for my felony charges.”

Jasmine Harris, director of Black media for BidenHarris, told the Grio in a February 2024 interview,

“Donald Trump has been showing Black Americans his true colors for years: An incompetent, anti-Black tyrant who holds us to such low regard that he publicly dined with white nationalists a week after declaring his 2024 candidacy.”

Right now, the best thing Blacks can do well, is, well, recall how Black voters determined the outcome of Clark’s failed reelection bid for sheriff of Selma in

the end of that tunnel,” she said. “The tunnel has come to an end and the light is shining brightly.”

1966. Black voters can also recall how they went to the polls and helped Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden win the presidency.

Black voters, in other words, are a muscular political force and one of the most intensely courted constituencies, due to the fact that this voting bloc continues to leverage election outcomes.

While rumors suggest more Black voters will either vote for Trump or they will not turn out in large numbers in November to vote for Trump or Biden, history will make the final call.

The event featured several references to the global con fl ict, with some students and at least one faculty member wearing Palestinian scarves. In his opening prayer, Rev. Claybon Lea Jr., a pastor from California, alluded to the plight of Palestinians. Valedictorian DeAngelo Fletcher also addressed the issue, calling for a ceasefi re in the Middle East.

“It is important to recognize that both sides have suffered heavy casualties in the wake of October 7,” he said. “It is my sense as a Morehouse man, nay, as a human being, to call for an immediate and a permanent cease- fi re in the Gaza Strip.”

Biden’s speech highlighted historic investments in historically Black colleges and universities like Morehouse and underscored the diversity he has implemented at the highest levels of government. He cited Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a Morehouse graduate whose bust sits in the Oval Of fi ce, as a key inspiration for his political career.

Biden also sought to contrast himself with the

twice-impeached and four-times indicted former president Donald Trump, his likely opponent in November’s election, asserting that Trump and other Republicans would dismantle the progress Black Americans have made in the past three years. During Biden’s keynote speech, a handful of students and faculty members turned their backs on him, silently protesting his support of Israel’s war in Gaza during a spring that saw protests sweep across the country’s college campuses. At one point, as many as six students were seen seated with their backs to Biden, fi sts raised in the air, with at least one faculty member joining the demonstration. Biden acknowledged the protests, stating, “Let me be clear: I support peaceful, nonviolent protest. Your voices should be heard, and I promise I hear them.” He also addressed the Middle East con fl ict, calling it a humanitarian crisis. “What’s happening in Gaza and Israel is heartbreaking,” he said. “It’s a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. That’s why I’ve called for an immediate cease- fi re to stop the fi ghting. Bring the hostages home.”

Biden subtly hinted at his hopes for the political future of his vice president and running mate, saying he was ”proud to put in the fi rst Black woman on the United States Supreme Court,” and added, “I have no doubt one day a Morehouse man will be on that court as well., just after an AKA from Howard,” referencing Vice President Kamala Harris’s membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha, a historically Black sorority, during her time at Howard University. Biden is the third U.S. President to receive an honorary degree from Morehouse, following Barack Obama in 2013 and Jimmy Carter in 1975 before he became president.

Randolph with her children, Xzavier (left) and Katalia (right), at the Wren Building.

Photo: StephenSalpukas

– Correnthia Randolph

Appreciation For Mt. Olive/Lindenwood Food Pantry Workers

NORFOLK

Throughout

Memorial Day

May 27, 2024

NJG remembers our fallen patriots who served our country, so that we can live today in a land of the free.

(L-R) Rev. David Avery (Chaplain), Mrs. Doris Williams, Mr. Gerald Parker, Ms.Vickie Lawrence, Mr. William Cobb, Mrs. Cynthia Winborne, Mrs. Leshia Nelson (Supervisor), and Mr. Leonard E. Colvin.

Photo: ErnestLowery

Call Them The Doctors Alexander

Photo: Courtesy

WASHINGTON, D.C.

New York Times

bestselling author, educator, and producer Kwame Alexander (left) displays his Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters Degree awarded him recently as part of this year’s Commencement Ceremony at American University in Washington, D.C. Dr. Kwame Alexander, who delivered the keynote address, shares a proud moment with his father Dr. E. Curtis Alexander of Chesapeake, educator and historian who himself has authored numerous award-awardwinning books on African American history.

June 8: “Experience Ghana”

With Entertainment, Foods

HAMPTON ROADS

The 7th Annual “Experience Ghana!” event will be held on Saturday, June 8th, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., at Mount Lebanon Baptist Church, 1141 Campostella Rd., Norfolk, VA 23523.

Guests are encouraged to wear their Ghanian fashion. Ticket prices for this event are as follows: $25 per Adult (NonMember), $20 per Adult (Member), and $10 per Child.

For more information and to purchase tickets, go to norfolksistercities.org

Sponsored by the Tema, Ghana Committee of the Norfolk Sister City Association, this family-friendly event will display the culture of Ghana, featuring drumming by local artist Baba Silkie, dancing by Rita Cohen of Tidewater African Cultural Alliance, and a display of original Ghanian artifacts. A food tasting prepared by Abena Aforo of Yendidi Restaurant, and a video presentation of Ghana today are also among the day’s activities.

AKAS HOST EVENT AT CHRYSLER MUSEUM

NORFOLK

In a heartening display of community engagement and dedication to social justice, Mayor Kenneth Cooper Alexander, Ph.D., recently took part in an event at the Chrysler Museum of Art, hosted by the Upsilon Omicron Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. The occasion was marked by expressions of gratitude and a mutual commitment to improving the local community. Mayor Alexander addressed the members

of the sorority, expressing his gratitude for their steadfast efforts in promoting social justice and uplifting the Norfolk community. His presence underscored the importance of collaboration between local government and community organizations in effecting positive change.

Dr. Ingrid Watson Miller, president of the Upsilon Omicron Omega Chapter, presented Mayor Alexander with a token of appreciation, acknowledging

his dedication to public service and his willingness to engage with grassroots organizations working towards social equity. The gesture symbolized the mutual respect and partnership between the city administration and the sorority in their shared goal of fostering a more just and inclusive society.

As the day concluded, attendees left inspired and energized, ready to continue their work towards a more equitable and inclusive Norfolk.

FOR

BLOOD DRIVE EVENT

NORFOLK ALUMNAE SIGMA CHAPTER PREPARES

NORFOLK

The ladies of Delta Beta Sigma, Norfolk Alumnae Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. and the Norfolk SECEP Center are partnering with the American Red Cross for a Blood Drive on June 6, 2024 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. It will be held at The Norfolk SECEP Center, Norfolk, VA 23504.

This event will provide essential support to those who depend on blood transfusions for survival. For African-

Americans, this is especially crucial for those who suffer from sickle cell disease.

African-Americans are at a higher risk for sickle cell disease, a condition that affects the red blood cells’ ability to carry oxygen throughout the body. Donating blood could provide a lifeline to someone battling this illness or other medical conditions.

Every drop of blood donated has the potential to save lives, and your contribution can

truly make a difference. In addition to the immeasurable impact on those in need, The American Red Cross want to express their gratitude to all donors by offering a token of appreciation. As a thank you for your generosity, each donor will receive a $20 e-gift card from Amazon. Please sign up and support this cause. Use the link to register: https:// www.redcrossblood.org/ give.html/drive-results?zipS ponsor=deltabetasigma

Hello and welcome to The Bridge Corner.

In our last session, we discussed promoting winners in a No Trump contract. Now, let’s take a look at promoting winners in a suit contract. Here is a quick review: PROMOTION is one technique for developing additional tricks in order to make your contract: playing high cards to drive out the opponents’ higher-ranking cards until your lower ranking cards become sure tricks. Promotion involves giving up the lead to the opponents. This is a useful technique as long as you have enough sure winning tricks in other suits to regain the lead before the opponents can take enough tricks to defeat the contract.

Examine this hand. Do you agree or disagree with the statements made about this hand?

Dealer: East

1) East is the dealer and opens the bidding with 1 N/T. East is the describer and West is the responder and the captain.

2) With East showing at least 15 points (a No Trump opening bid show 15 to 17 High Card Points) and West having an 8 High Card

Point + 2 distributional point hand, the contract should be in game. The strain is Spades. West’s bid is 4 Spades.

3) West’s bid of 4 Spades is a sign-off bid and the opener should pass. The contract is 4 Spades and West is the declarer.

4) North makes the opening lead with the Q Club.

5) Declarer needs ten tricks but only has four sure tricks. Declarer can develop the extra tricks in Spades (four) and Hearts (two).

6) Declarer should play the Spades fi rst because that is the trump suit. If declarer plays the other suits fi rst, declarer’s winners may be ruffed by the opponents.

7) Declarer should make his 4 Spade contract. In our next session, we will play the hand using the

IMPEACH JUSTICE ALITO

By Shedrick Byrd

When I turned on the news the other morning a panel of news pundits were discussing a photo of an upside-down fl ag fl ying at Associate Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s house. My fi rst inclination was “What happened?” Is he OK? My understanding after 20 years in the military is when the U.S. fl ag is fl own upsidedown that means that an American is in distress and needs assistance. As I listened further, there was conversation about him refusing to recuse himself from cases related to the 2020 January 6 insurrection. So far, he has refused to recuse himself from any of the cases related to the insurrection.

They said when Alito was asked why the American fl ag was fl ying up-side down in his yard he fi rst declared innocence saying he never knew it was there. He then said his wife put it there. When asked why he didn’t have her to take it down, he said he asked her to but she refused to take it down.

I feel impeachment procedures should be started against Alito. The American fl ag means too much to the country to have a supreme court judge allow his wife to post an up-side American fl ag on their lawn. Alito sits on the court as if nothing happened.

I don’t care how much the Democrat and Republican legislators hate each other personally or politically, they should all have serious concern and come together on this issue. This is an American issue and any one of our legislators who don’t take this issue serious should not be in of fi ce. They should band together to reprimand justice Alito for his disrespect for the American fl ag. This is such an egregious act it needs special attention. When I was in the military we had to salute the fl ag sometimes four times a day, in the morning at reveille, taps at night and every time we passed a fl ag during the day. If you were caught not saluting the fl ag you would be punished.

Yolaine Williams & Randy Singleton Exchange Vows At Renaissance

PORTSMOUTH

Before their friends and relatives, Yolaine Williams and Randy Singleton were joined together in Holy Matrimony at The Renaissance Hotel Portsmouth on May 18, 2024. Rev. James A. Williams, Jr., served as the Officiating Minister. The bride and groom were attended by their wedding party coordinated by Desmone’ Jones (niece). Matrons of Honor were Ms. Cynthia D. Smith (sister) and Ms. Arleta Herring (friend); and Bridemaids were Ms. Rozzalin Muhammad, Ms. Sheila Wiliams, Ms. Cassandra Bennett, Ms. Sharon Ruffin, and Ms. Loretta Stills. The Best Man was Mr. James Davis and Groomsmen were Mr. Frank Hodges, Mr. Fred

Courtesy

Mr. And Mrs. Randy Singleton

C. Williams, Jr., Mr. Von Banks, Mr. Van Hodges, Mr. Marc Johnson and Mr. Cary Johnson. Youth attendants were Madison Davis, Jaime King, Tristian Griffin and NaVell Sears. Providing musical

entertainment were George Sears & Company Band, Mrs. Amelia Sears Goodman, Dr. Luther Barnes, Montique Simmons, Frankie Davis, and Violinist Eric Taylor. Others in the wedding

party were Dr. Brenda S. Boone-Smith (bride’s aunt), Mrs. Nawatha Williams (bride’s mother), and Mr. Darryl K. Williams (bride’s brother); Ushers William Robertson, III, and Algie Hill, Jr.; Hostesses Kenitra Williams, Eartha Garrett, Arsenia Snow, Kim Roberson; and Ms. Michelle B. Grasper, Floral Arrangements. Recording the event for posterity were Photographers Gregory Coats and Robert Randall, and Videographer Jordan Hodges. Mrs. Dequashia Johnson was the hair stylist. The reception followed the elegant and wellattended ceremony in an adjoining room. Mr. And Mrs. Singleton will make their home in Suffolk.

Asst. Principal In Chesapeake Wins Award

By Rosaland Tyler Associate Editor New Journal and Guide

You may have been given non-Judicial punishment depending how many times you may have been caught. Disrespecting the American fl ag could also have caused you to be sentenced to the brig or even dismissed from the service. Why should a Supreme Court Justice be allowed to disrespect the American fl ag and no punishment is done to him?

Both Alito and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas should be impeached and thrown out of the Supreme Court because they both are unlawful and cannot be trusted to rule for fair justice for the American people. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the land and must have judges on the bench who are there to service the American people and not take advantage of being on the court to serve themselves.

The Supreme Court is presently a self-serving organization and has no rules to monitor the unlawful behavior of the Justices.

I’M CALLING FOR IMPEACHMENT OF JUDGE ALITO!

Shedrick Byrd lives in Norfolk and is a contributor to the New Journal and Guide.

Judges sorted through about 40 applications before deciding to chose Al Alexander, the assistant principal at Chesapeake’s Western Branch High School, as the recipient of this year’s National Education Association’s H. Councill Trenholm Memorial Award.

The award honors an educator’s “outstanding work to help eliminate inequities based on race or ethnicity from public education.”

This year’s winner, Alexander, in addition to performing his professional duties as assistant principal, is a busy volunteer mentor. However he does not restrict

his mentoring activities to the students of Western Branch High. He also chairs the New Chesapeake Men for Progress Educational Foundation, which was founded by Dr. William E. Ward, one of his mentors, who served as the first Black

mayor of Chesapeake from 1990 to 2004 before he died in 2018. This year during the foundation’s recent annual Scholarship breakfast, the members awarded twentyone $1,000 scholarships to graduating Black male students in the Chesapeake division’s seven high schools.

“We like to put a spotlight on the students that are doing wonderful things,” Alexander said of the foundation, which he has been involved with since it was founded in 2010.

Alexander is also a mentor with the Chesapeake Redevelopment and Housing Authority. He has helped some students earn their GED diplomas, and taken young males on fishing trips and to athletic events.

Alexander has also attended

LOCAL VOICES

truancy hearings. He said he sees too many young Black males in the court system but believes mentoring redirects young Black males. Alexander received an award that is named after Harper Councill Trenholm. He was a 1920 Morehouse graduate, as well as a 1921 University of Chicago grad, who served as president of Alabama State College from 1925 to 1960. The award’s namesake, Trenholm, was a member of several education associations, as well as a friend of Dr. Carter G. Woodson who founded the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Trenholm served as the secretary/treasurer of the organization.

VAST WEB OF OPTIONS

By Sean C. Bowers

With access to all the world’s known information and accumulated knowledge at our fi ngertips, via the internet, ENTER NUTS. The good thing is now everyone can become an information origination broadcast point-thereby giving a voice to all. Unfortunately, that is also the downside, as not everyone is a ready-forprime-time player, or even a reliable, trustworthy, accurate source for digital information creation/ dissemination.

In fact, in the same way phones were and are subject to phony scams, that is similar to the way arti fi cial intelligence will allow “DEEP FAKES” that are creations of synthesized and algorithmically created fake audio and video. This becomes problematic as the real world blurs into the digital world of 1’s and 0’s. Many people feared we would be overtaken by robots and “AI,” here in the real world.

Maybe the “Tron” movies had it right all along. As we become more and more dependent on (addicted to) the technology crutch,

we become more lazy, vulnerable, and much more distracted.

How could we not be distracted with the constant rivers of informational bombardment overload coming at us. Through all the frequency’s of the digital and analog broadcast spectrums, we are constantly receiving signals in and though our bodies. Most are imperceptible and go unnoticed, or are unreceived without the proper receiver ampli fi cation equipment.

Between television, radio, billboards, movies, internet, streaming, cell phones, Walk Man’s and speaker stereo systems, just fi nding quiet peaceful silence may become the last unattainable hurdle on our way to a winning lasting peace of mind.

As our species slips closer to the digital world, our one true challenge will always remain a constant battle; not losing our humanity, or our empathy, understanding of the traits we humans share.

In the earlier world’s history, our oceans served as barriers. Now we have shortened the remotecontrol death distances with giant fl oating deathstar aircraft carriers.

Our isolationism is no longer possible because it is based in the HATES: racism, sexism, classism, bullying, anti-semitism, and religious persecution, all wrapped in the American (self-perceived) exceptionalism and superior-ism.

Our bandwidth (attention span) through put (big pipe digital access connectivity) are all interwoven parts of our digital dilemma we currently face. The bigger the pipe (access throughput) the more we rely on “AI” and the more digitally distracted we become. This cycle picks up speed and strength though cultural, habitual, and numerical numbers of existing and new end-users. Similar to the way babies are born vulnerable to their mother’s eating habits, rest, and prenatal care; digital technology additional over-use patterns are being established on-the-hour, family-by-family, around the world. We are handing off the raising of our youth and caring for our seniors to machines and technology. Our nuclear family is riding in vehicles listening, not to each other, but to four different digital feeds.

Technology is the big bad wolf in grandma’s gown. Our future ability to continue to evolve depends on our fi nding and creating the right balance between digital process convenience and individual peace of mind. Over-saturation of even our favorite programming ( fi ll in the blank) becomes our downfall when left unchecked, unmonitored or fully understood. Otherwise, we weave ourselves into a tangled web of … Sean C. Bowers has written the last 27 years for The New Journal and Guide, CHAMPIONING overcoming racism, sexism, classism, and religious persecution. More of his work can found by searching “Sean C. Bowers” on the NJ&G website, on social media at Linkedin.com or by email V1ZUAL1ZE@aol. com NNPA 2019 Publisher of the Year, Brenda H. Andrews (NJ&G 37 years) has always been his publisher.

Sean C. Bowers

Al Alexander

Shedrick Byrd

Photo:

By Rev. Dr. Archie L. Edwards, Sr.

BOASTING ONLY IN THE CROSS MOMENTS of MEDITATION

“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Galatians 6:14

The letter to the Galatians has been described as Paul’s “thunderbolt of faith.” Now that we have examined its contents, we can understand this description. Like a thunderbolt, it is brief, intense and directed to a specific target. As free people, believers should live in true freedom and not allow themselves to be drawn back to the bondage of legalism (5:1-12).

At the same time, we should recognize the reality of the old nature and its desires and submit ourselves to the indwelling Holy Spirit so that we may experience the fruit of the spirit in our lives (5:13-26). This means that we will live unselfishly, seeking to benefit other people, especially believers, by our actions (6:1-10).

PAUL’S PENMANSHIP. Galatians

6:11 has been the subject of scholarly debate on several counts. Does the phrase, “large letters,” refer to the length of the

epistle (i.e., a long letter), or does it refer to the size of the letters with which Paul himself now writes?

The view accepted by most expositors is that Paul wrote these closing sentences in large letters in order to call attention to them, as we might have a printer set an important statement in boldface type. Paul condenses the entire message of this letter into the verses that follow this one, and he wants to be sure that the Galatians do not fail to heed what he says. Thus, the “large letters.”

BOASTING ABOUT THE FLESH. For the last time, Paul refers to the Judaizers, those who claim to be Christians but who insist that a Christian must conform to Judaistic law and custom, including circumcision. He offers three motivations for this effort by the Judaizers.

The first is that they want to look good to other people (see v. 12a). The second reason for their insistence on circumcision is also a self-centered one: they want to escape the stigma that comes from being associated with the crucified Christ. The

Cross became for them am unacceptable burden, for it symbolizes man’s inability to same himself and his total reliance on the grace of God. By insisting that Gentile Christians be circumcised, the Judaizers are trying “to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ” (v. 12b).

The third factor that motivates the Judaizers in their desire to boast about having converted these Galatians to their brand of Judaism, which would be evidenced by the Galatians undergoing circumcision. This is what Paul means by their “boast about your flesh” (v. 13).

BOASTING IN THE CROSS. There is a legitimate ground for boasting on the part of a Christian, but it has nothing to do with external appearance, personal achievement, or selfsatisfaction. A Christian can boast only in “the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (v. 14a).

To Paul, Jesus’ crucifixion was not simply a fact of history, but a living reality that had revolutionized his life and outlook. When the risen Lord accosted him on the road to Damascus, Paul did a complete “about face” in his attitude toward the world (v. 14b).

Prior to that event, he, like the Judaizers, had taken great pride in himself and had placed great confidence in the flesh. But when he met Christ, that whole “world” died to him, and he died to its power over him. This, in turn, meant that the matter of circumcision was meaningless (v.

15). This ancient ritual, whatever hygienic value it might have, no longer had any significance as a religious symbol or mark of a special relationship to God. The only thing that really mattered was whether or not one had been “born again” (to use Jesus’ phrase) and was “a new creation” through faith in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Jewish people and Gentiles alike needed to put the circumcision issue behind them, Paul’s saying, and concentrate on the faith issue. On those who follow this rule, Paul pronounces God’s peace and mercy (Galatians 6:16). In the last part of verse 16, Paul uses the interesting phrase, “the Israel of God.” By this he seems to be differentiating between those who consider themselves Israelites because of their Human lineage and those whom God counts as Israelites because of their spiritual kinship with Abraham, the man of faith.

BRANDED BY FAITH. As Paul brings his letter to a close, he asks that the believers at Galatia not trouble him by succumbing to the persuasions of the legalists (v. 17a). This request is certainly not addressed to the legalists themselves, for he could expect them to continue their campaign. But he hoped that his “thunderbolt” would awaken the Galatian believers to the issues so that they would no longer be tempted to turn to a different gospel.

Paul’s reference to “the marks of Jesus” on

his body (v. 17b) is his way of saying that quite apart from the marks of circumcision, which are meaningless, he can show some physical scars that identify him with the crucified Jesus. Paul’s letter to the Galatians ends with a brief but heartfelt benediction, committing the church to God’s grace (v. 18). The currents of human thought ebb and flow, but God’s truth remains unchanged. Let us be sure that, in our own changing times, our loyalty to Christ and the Good News of salvation through His blood remains unaltered by the currents of human opinion that flow around us.

RICHMOND

Wegmans Food Markets Inc. recently awarded a $300,000 grant to Virginia Union University in Richmond.

Regarding its recent $300,000 grant to Virginia Union, officials at Wegmans said in a statement, “This donation will aid in reducing the financial burden through tuition assistance. In addition, we plan to expand our partnership with VUU by providing students, not just scholarship recipients, with externship opportunities so they can continue to learn and ultimately build a successful career.”

CHURCH ADs & DIRECTORY

Dr. Hakim J. Lucas, president & CEO of Virginia Union University, applauded the partnership between Wegmans and Virginia Union.”This significant investment will pave the way for students to pursue their educational goals and make meaningful contributions as they prepare for the global workforce,” Lucas said in a statement on the school’s website.

“We are grateful to Wegmans for their generous contribution to support student scholarships. Together, we are shaping a brighter future for our students and communities.”

Photo: Courtesy

We Remember You On Memorial Day

BY DELORES DUDLEY HAMPTON ROADS ʼ POET,

Listen now and listen well, researchers give 1866 here let me tell that the federal government said that we set aside an extremely special day when we as Americans would remember our fallen dead:

those who had been members of our personal families and most definitely those who had been and still are members of THE US ARMED FORCES MILITARY,

And why do we need to give them honor and praise? Because they are the men and women who fought or are fighting our enemies, so that our lives we could or can save,

And, Thanks be to GOD for their strength and dedication, and on this Memorial Day to them, we bring a GREAT CELEBRATION!

So, let there be beautiful flowery sprays,and let there be patriotic songs, and let there be memorial parades as various military teams march along,

As we wave our flag that does symbolize liberty today and in our dreams for tomorrow!

For veterans were and are sisters and brothers who had and have to often face horror and sorrow,

But because they have been trained to set a goal and to never give into defeat,

Every veteran is both skilled and unique and physically and mentally hard to beat,

For these veterans are the posterity of THE WORLD WAR II GREATEST GENERATION

who had been drafted into the war situation; yet they rose to the challenge, most without reservation.

And they had come through the fire and the rain: THE GREAT DEPRESSION that cost lost of jobs, lost of homes, food, and loving brothers and sisters and had suffered great and most horrible pain,

But still they left to all veterans who are still active and to those who did retire, this note: And that is, with all of her faults, America is worth fighting for whenever the task of war is dire.

So though Memorial Day at times brings moments a tad sad, remember that we are pausing to Say, “Thank you EVERY MILITARY MEMBER who has passed or is still here.”

For you helped us at home

to have to shed one less of a terrifying tear.

Thank you sister, and thank you brother for your selfless sacrifice, for you have made better many a civilian life,and in closing, Let me say:

MAY GOD BLESS YOU in Spirit ON THIS MEMORIAL DAY!

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS # CRHA 24-R-003

The Chesapeake Redevelopment and Housing Authority is soliciting proposals from qualified and licensed companies to provide Office Cleaning Services for CRHA Offices. RFP document Pick-Up and Submittal Return: Central Office, 1468 South Military Highway, Chesapeake, VA 23320. RFP documents will be ready for pick up Friday May 17, 2024. The proposal submittal must be received in-hand and time-stamped in the CRHA Central Office no later than Friday June 21, 2024, 2:00 p.m. prevailing local time. CRHA contact person: Art Harbin, Procurement Officer, 757-233-6412 fax: 757-523-1601, email; (art_harbin@crhava. org). Minority and/ or women-owned businesses are encouraged to submit proposals. The solicitation may be downloaded in PDF format at; “http://www.crhava.org/about_crha/procurement/proposals.php”.

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

FALL LINE TRAIL

SOUTHERN SECTION

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is seeking Statements of Qualifications for the Fall Line Trail Southern Section design-build project from qualified and experienced respondents with design and construction experience. The Fall Line Trail Southern Section includes the design and construction of the southernmost segments (Segments 1A through 2B) of the Fall Line Trail, extending approximately 9.5 miles from Patton Park in the City of Petersburg, through the City of Colonial Heights, and to the southern end of Chester Linear Park in Chesterfield County at West Hundred Road. The project will construct a new asphalt shared-use path, and will include new bridges, crosswalks, signage, and associated drainage.

Questions/clarifications regarding the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) should be submitted to Marshall Eichfeld, P.E., Assoc. DBIA (marshall.eichfeld@vdot.virginia.gov).

Copies of the RFQ and additional submittal requirements can be found on Bid Express (bidexpress.com).

The Department assures compliance with Title VI requirements of nondiscrimination in all activities pursuant to this advertisement.

Delores Dudley