Richmond Free Press April 18-20, 2024 edition

By George Copeland Jr.

The City of Richmond has instituted an 11 p.m. curfew for all juveniles as part of an early start to its Operation Safe Summer initiative. The curfew, which starts tomorrow on April 19, comes in the wake of multiple deaths and injuries due to gun violence in recent weeks. City leaders, education and law enforcement officials gath-

Crime briefing

Richmond Police Department Chief Rick Edwards will discuss the city’s recent violence during a 1 p.m. briefing today at RPD Headquarters, 200 W. Grace St. The start date for Operation Safe Summer initiative also will be announced during the briefing, along with suggestions about how Richmonders can help reduce crime.

ered at City Hall Monday afternoon to detail their response to ongoing instances of gun violence, and to stress the need for a concentrated, collaborative effort to end the violence.

“We are throwing the entire kitchen sink at this ongoing problem,” Mayor Stoney said. “We’re gonna use everything in our Human Services Division, the trauma-informed network, all of it to ensure that we reduce the amount of these incidents occurring in our neighborhoods.”

According to Richmond Police Department Chief Rick

Edwards, the last two weeks have seen eight deaths in the city from guns, with four victims being juveniles. Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras also said that Bellevue Elementary School, Chimborazo Elementary, Martin Luther King Middle School, Armstrong High School, Thomas Jefferson High and Richmond Alternative School have been impacted by the recent shootings.

Jonathan Young resigns from RPS School Board

By Darlene M. Johnson

Jonathan Young resigned from the Richmond Public School Board April 12 after it was revealed that a December 2023 incident between him and a 15-year-old female student resulted in the student filing a harassment complaint against him.

“Few experiences have been as rewarding as for eight years,

fighting for Richmond’s teachers and students and though I can brag on some success, it’s no secret that at Richmond Public Schools, we are coming up short,” said Mr. Young, who joined the School Board in 2016 and represented the 4th District.

“What our stakeholders need to know is why and whom to blame. In three words, the School Board.”

Virginia lawmakers agree to extend timeline of budget negotiations

By Sarah Rankin The Associated Press Leaders of the Democratic-

controlled Virginia

General

Assembly said Wednesday that they reached an 11th-hour compromise with Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin to extend negotiations over the state budget in an attempt to avert gridlock. The move marks a change in course from what had been expected as recently as Tuesday and was made in an effort to reduce tensions surrounding the budget negotiations, top leaders said. Gov. Youngkin and Assembly Democrats, at odds over tax policy and other provisions of the next two-year spending plan, have spent the weeks since the regular session ended launching partisan attacks at one another and seemed headed toward a protracted standoff, which would threaten a government shutdown unless they could strike a deal by the end of June.

“Everybody’s had their posturing. We’ve got to get this done,” House Republican Leader Todd Gilbert said. Members of the part-time

O.J. Simpson has been cremated, estate attorney in Las Vegas says

After Mr. Young’s resignation, the Free Press requested statements from all remaining School Board officials, including Superintendent Jason Kamras. No one responded.

In a statement to WRIC, 3rd District RPS school board member Kenya Gibson said, “My heart goes out to this student and their family. Coming forward with a complaint against a board member is not easy. I hope this resignation provides some closure.”

On a field trip for the Girls Mean Business Summit, an event sponsored by the Metro Business League, Mr. Young interacted with the student in a way that made her uncomfortable, according to a report by the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

During the event, Mr. Young approached the student multiple times and at some point, took a selfie with her that he posted online. Mr. Young has often taken selfies with students and posted them to his social media. This includes students from Virginia State University,

will be given to Mr. Simpson’s children “to do with as they please, according to the wishes of their father.”

No public memorial was planned, the

and that account has since been banned, an Uber spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement. “Our hearts continue to be with Loletha’s loved ones as they grieve.”

William J. Brock was indicted Monday on charges of murder, felonious assault and kidnapping for Hall’s death. Messages seeking comment were left Wednesday for him and for his lawyer,

Assembly, who reconvened Wednesday for a short session to consider Gov. Youngkin’s vetoes and proposed amendments to legislation, voted to use a procedural maneuver to effectively scrap the current budget bill so they can start anew.

Mr. Young

Students to compete in History Day at VMHC

Free Press staff report

Virginia students in grades 4-12 are preparing to compete at the 50th annual Virginia History Day competition at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture April 27-28.

Virginia History Day is the state affiliate of the National History Day program. Students choose a historical topic, conduct primary and secondary source research, then present their findings in one of five presentation categories: paper, documentary, website, performance or exhibit.

To celebrate the event’s 50th anniversary, this year’s National History Day theme is “Turning Points in History: People, Places, Ideas.” The theme allows students in each category to consider an idea, event or action that directly, or sometimes indirectly, caused change.

The National History Day contest is similar to a science fair but for history. Dr. David Van Tassel, a Case Western Reserve University professor who was concerned about lagging history education, founded the contest in 1974 to inspire students to conduct original historical research. The contest has since grown into an international competition with more than 500,000 participants and thousands of dollars in scholarship awards and prizes annually.

After months of research and success in local and regional competitions, more than 400 students will present historical research projects at VMHC to secure their spot at the National History Day contest in June. This year’s state competition will be the largest state contest the museum has hosted. This year’s local district contests also saw participation from 1,200 students, a 20% increase from last year and the highest number of students to ever participate statewide.

For more information, please visit VirginiaHistory.org/VirginiaHistoryDay.

Virginia NAACP files lawsuit against governor

Free Press staff report

The NAACP Virginia State Conference filed a lawsuit with the Circuit Court for the City of Richmond on Monday against Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Office for violating the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.

The Virginia NAACP’s lawsuit details what it said is Gov. Youngkin’s failure to produce any records responsive to the group’s request for public information sent on August 31, 2023.

VUU works to retain accreditation status

By George Copeland Jr.

Virginia Union University is continuing to address financial issues months after receiving probation that, if not resolved, could lead to the loss of its accreditation.

In a community update last week, VUU officials said the university is preparing to provide a monitoring report of its operations to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), VUU’s accreditation agency, by Sunday, Sept. 8, as part of their work to remain accredited.

improved its institutional standing from 2022 and filed its financial audit on time, the school failed to meet the requirement of an audit without findings of problems with the college’s financial control and responsibility.

meetings with university faculty and staff have been held ahead of submitting the monitoring report.

In addition, a “Fifth-Year Report” group is preparing documentation due during the 2025-26 academic year, according to last week’s update.

“It’s important to know that the university will deliver an on-time financial audit soon after the fiscal year ends, for the second year in a row,” VUU spokesperson Grant Neely said.

The requested records relate to the Youngkin Administration’s active subversion of his and his administration’s responsibilities under a 2020 law that created the position of Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (“DEI”) for the Commonwealth with the duties to promote inclusive practices in state government, address systemic inequities in state government practices, and facilitate equity policy, according to an NAACP news release. The request also sought records of the governor’s communications with state universities over their DEI efforts and other related matters.

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and Ropes & Gray LLP represent the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP.

“The purpose of today’s action, like all the actions we have taken, is to seek full transparency and to hold the Youngkin administration accountable,” said the Rev. Cozy Bailey, Sr., president of the Virginia NAACP.

“Virginians, especially people of color, deserve to know what this administration is doing in its Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,” the Rev. Bailey added. “Some believe this Governor is copying efforts seen in other states to limit or outright eliminate DEI practices in state government. If this is the direction he is going in, the Virginia NAACP will not stand by and allow this to happen. We look forward to our day in court.”

Katy Youker, director of Economic Justice Project for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said Gov. Youngkin’s refusal to provide any requested records shows total disregard for the public’s right to information about its state government.

“Our client has the right to information about the ways in which the Governor and DEI Director for the Commonwealth Martin Brown have tried to undermine the Administration’s legal duties to advance DEI, which the General Assembly understood as critical to ensuring fairness and a thriving democracy,” Ms. Youker said.

“Virginia Union University is focused on its mission, accomplished through sustained institutional effectiveness for student success,” VUU officials said. “This probation period is a learning time and an opportunity to strengthen the University’s infrastructure. The process toward compliance with the SACSCOC standards is part of the University’s commitment to excellence.”

The college was accredited in December by the SACSCOC, as shared by VUU President Hakim J. Lucas in a community letter last year. However, while VUU

This led to the two-year probation as the SACSCOC Board of Trustees determined that VUU wasn’t compliant with accreditation principles. The school faces the possibility of losing its accreditation if it fails to meet the necessary financial standards.

“While we are disappointed, it is important to understand that the university agrees: We aspire to an audit with no findings,” Dr. Lucas said. “We have delivered these in the past, and we expect to deliver one again in 2024.”

As part of VUU’s efforts to improve its financial assessment, weekly audit meetings, biweekly meetings with the VUU Board of Trustees and regular assessment

He added: “This continues the positive trajectory which the accrediting agency cited when it wrote that ‘the institution has demonstrated recent significant accomplishments’ over the past year.’ ” VUU has had to manage these considerations and the probation amid a rise in enrollment, including 2,068 students in undergraduate and graduate programs last September. This was an 11% increase from 2022.

The school is now 39th on the “U.S. News & World Report” ranking of historically Black colleges and universities. VUU’s next review will occur in December.

VUU updates plan for historic Richmond Community Hospital

By George Copeland Jr.

New plans appear to be underway for the former Richmond Community Hospital, following weeks of questions and changes over recent decisions surrounding the site and its place in the city. The hospital is owned by Virginia Union University.

During VUU’s Legacy Awards Gala on April 5 at the Richmond Convention Center, Tawan Davis, founding partner and CEO of the Steinbridge Group announced changes to its $42 million partnership with VUU and plans for the former hospital.

“In addition to what we have already committed, we are setting aside part of our commitment to honor the history, particularly the history of the Richmond Community Hospital at Virginia Union,” Mr. Davis said, “with a $5.1 million commitment from our existing commitment to honor all those who were born, and worked, and built Virginia Union University, and this hospital, through its 160-year history.”

The announcement came after weeks of community pushback and outreach over the proposed plans for the building, which initially was to be demolished as part of a housing project north of VUU’s campus.

By Jennifer Robinson HAMPTON, Va.

The Hampton University sailing team won its third straight regatta, capturing the Grant Trophy on April 13-14 at Strawberry Banks in Hampton.

The Chesapeake Bay race against colleges and universities including Christopher Newport, Drexel, Washington College, Princeton, UVA, Rochester, William and Mary, Syracuse, and Stony Brook was the Pirates’first home regatta in five years.

The two-day regatta had a rough start on Saturday as strong winds over 30 knots canceled the race, although multiple starts were attempted. Sunday’s conditions improved to winds of eight knots.

Hampton’s A division consisted of skipper Tyler Brown

Viola Baskerville, a former legislator and cofounder of the Save Community Hospital group, criticized the announcement. In a post on the group’s social media page, she corrected the date for when the hospital was built and called for clarity on the situation.

“What does ‘honor the history’ mean?”

Ms. Baskerville wrote. “The community needs to hear specifics! Historic Richmond’s twice-made offer to assess the structure needs to be accepted as a credible first step toward community engagement.”

“Is the money going to Virginia Union, not to efforts directly related to saving and incorporating the 1932 structure into VUU’s development plans? Clarification is needed.”

When asked for specifics on the Steinbridge Group and VUU’s plans for the hospital building, a university spokesperson said that a team will announce an engagement process to help determine what this commitment will look like in practice and

Hampton University’s sailing team boasts winning record

and crew Asia Warren. Mr. Brown and Ms. Warren competed in two races, winning the first. The skipper went overboard due to the high winds. The team opted to change to a heavier paring with Mr. Brown moving to crew and Valerio Palamara becoming the skipper. The Pirates A division won two out of the three reaming races. The Pirates B division, consisting of skipper Stefano Palamara and crew Tommaso Ciaglia, won all five races. Mr. Palamara and Mr. Ciaglia’s late first-place finishes helped Hampton pull away from Christopher Newport University.

Hampton University, a trailblazer in the world of collegiate sailing, stands as the sole Historically Black College or University (HBCU) with a sailing team. It represents the

when it will begin. That process will involve “continuing to listen to community leaders, historians, and local organizations,” alongside a wide range of groups and voices with interests in the building and housing project. The spokesperson also reiterated VUU and the Steinbridge Group’s commitment to the adaptive reuse of the hospital building, which they said should include “at least the building’s façade, and likely more.”

“The University will announce the team members, including architects, engineers, builders, and others,” the spokesperson said. “Then, the University will announce plans to engage various constituency groups.”

“This will invite more voices beyond those who have spoken so far. In particular, it will include the voices of students who have expressed a deep wish for more housing options in the area.”

VUU added it will share designs for the site publicly after final plans have been put in place.

Middle Atlantic (MAISA) conference of the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA), the governing authority for sailing competitions across the United States and parts of Canada.

“We’ve won three regattas in a row this year,” said Coach Alessandro Ambrossi, who has led the Pirates’ coed sailing since 2009. “And we’ve beat some outstanding teams.”

The Grant Trophy win qualifies the team for this week’s MAISA Conference Championship in New York. The MAISA conference includes notable teams such as Georgetown and the Naval Academy.

The Hampton Pirates have won seven national championships since the Hampton sailing program was established in 1995. National championship events culminate a season of

Regina H. Boone/ Richmond Free Press

Nezirayh Lee, 5, and her father Immanuel Lee, 26, both of Henrico County, took advantage of the perfect kite-flying weather on April 13 at Abner Clay Park in Historic Jackson Ward.

Mr. Lucas

Mr. Bailey

Ms. Baskerville Mr. Davis

T-Mobile just unraveled its Price Lock guarantee for new customers. Avoid the Un-carrier. Stick with Xfinity.

City leaders respond to recent violence

Continued from A1

“It’s been a terrible two weeks in our city,” Chief Edwards said. “Kids have seen their parents killed. Parents have seen their kids killed.”

As part of Operation Safe Summer, Virginia State Police and RPD officers will collaborate to patrol 21 hotspots for gun-violence in the city. Several RPS schools also will see increased police presence during drop-offs and pick-up times, with a particular focus on schools in the city’s East End.

The introduction of Operation Safe Summer last year led to a 30% reduction in gun violence, an overall 7% reduction in violent crime in general, with 176 illegal firearms confiscated, said Chief Edwards. The mental and emotional toll of the lives lost due to gun

violence was clear in the tone of the conference as officials called on parents and families to be more involved and responsible in addressing this problem.

“To all the young people out there and to families, I want you to know RPS is a place where your children will be loved,” Mr. Kamras said. “All that we ask in return is that you do everything you possibly can to help our young people make the best possible choices, the best possible decisions, so that these arguments do not become deadly.”

Officials who spoke at Monday’s press conference emphasized the importance of family members taking more active roles to help prevent access and use of guns.

Other opinions also were voiced.

Richmond City Councilmember and Mayoral Candidate Andreas D. Addison focused on the value of community investment

and commitment in a statement after the press conference.

“Access to guns is only one part of the problem,” Mr. Addison said. “We must also look at the negligence and divestment in our communities that have fueled the flames of this crisis.”

“Black and Brown kids don’t need our slogans, thoughts or prayers. They need us to stop turning our backs on them.”

While city officials stressed there will be accountability for those committing gun violence regardless of age and assistance, they acknowledged limits to their ability to monitor the city’s youth, particularly at home.

“All these individuals here at City Hall, the police department, all the teachers who devote their time and effort to loving these young people, they can’t be home with those kids at night,” Mr. Stoney said. “So that’s why I’m calling upon our parents and our guardians, for us to step our game up.”

Jonathan Young resigns from RPS School Board

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where he is the director for corporate relations.

Mr. Young was not found to have broken harassment policies after an independent attorney’s investigation. The attorney, Jim Guynn Jr., interviewed staff and students who described Mr. Young’s behavior “weird” and “odd.” However, those interviewed did not refer to this behavior as sexual.

The RPS School Board discussed modifying policies regarding School Board member conduct following the investigation and further discussion will take place during a School Board meeting on April 22.

Attorney Guynn suggested there may have been a misunderstanding between the student and Mr. Young.

“If (the student) were older than 15, I might be inclined to find that she was overly sensitive to the situation. But it’s clear that she did not understand why this gentleman was trying so hard to engage her in a

conversation,” the attorney said. “At the time of his interview, Mr. Young appeared to have recognized the discomfort (the student) felt and indicated that he would change his style of interaction depending upon the age of the students.”

Prior to Mr. Young’s resignation, he issued a statement to the Free Press about the incident.

“To be transparent, I really appreciate the feedback that was recently shared with me regarding how I greet faculty, staff and students and how my enthusiasm could be viewed as something else,” Mr. Young said in the statement.

“For my duration on the School Board, my motive has always been to create an inclusive and welcoming environment, to introduce myself just as Jonathan; someone genuinely motivated to treat every conversation and every person like who they are, but I have learned that at times, some may not be comfortable. My desire remains always to protect our teachers and students.

Uber helps investigate Ohio driver’s shooting death

Continued from A1

Paul Kavanagh of Springfield, Ohio.

The grand jury also said that a gun seized from Mr. Brock’s home, a .22-caliber revolver, is subject to forfeiture. Mr. Brock has pleaded not guilty.

Police said Mr. Brock called 911 before noon to say he had shot someone at his South Charleston home, claiming Ms. Hall had tried to rob him. Investigators later said the driver was unaware of the scam call that Mr. Brock had received with threats and demands for money, citing an incarcerated relative.

Ms. Hall “made no threats or assaults toward Mr. Brock, and made no demands, other than to ask about the package she was sent to retrieve through the Uber app,” the Clark County Sheriff’s Office wrote in an April 11 release. The police agency said Mr. Brock “produced a gun and held her at gunpoint, making demands for identities of the subjects he had spoken with on the phone.”

Police have said Ms. Hall’s Uber trip to pick up a package was ordered by the same person who made scam calls to Mr. Brock, or by an accomplice. Uber’s statement released Wednesday said the company has provided information to help investigators.

Mr. Brock is accused of taking Ms. Hall’s cellphone and not letting her leave, then shooting her to death when she tried to get into her vehicle. The sheriff’s office said it is investigating “the original scam call to Mr. Brock by the male subject” and the package delivery order through the app.

Mr. Brock shot Ms. Hall two more times, sustaining a minor head injury himself during the confrontation, and then called 911, police said. Ms. Hall, who police said was not armed, later died at a hospital. He posted $200,000 bail and was released from the Clark County Jail on Wednesday.

I welcome the feedback and I have learned from it.”

Also before Mr. Young’s resignation, 5th District representative and School Board chair Stephanie Rizzi provided a statement as an individual, not representing the School Board.

“Because this is a sensitive

matter involving a student record that should not have been made public, out of respect for all parties involved, I can offer no further commentary,” Ms. Rizzi said. The Free Press also reached out to RPS’ media relations team before and after Mr. Young’s

resignation. Alyssa Schwenk, director of communications for RPS said, “RPS as a Division does not comment on personnel or student matters.” The RPS School Board is now seeking candidates to serve in the interim for the 4th District until voters fill the vacancy at the

general election in November. The deadline for applications is April 30 and selected candidates will be interviewed during the May 6 School Board meeting. The School Board will vote on the interim candidates during the May 20 School Board meeting.

Virginia lawmakers agree to extend timeline of budget negotiations

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House Speaker Don Scott told reporters the decision was made in the hopes of restarting talks in a more conciliatory manner, with the goal of bringing lawmakers back to the Capitol in May for a vote on a compromise spending plan.

Democratic leaders had been saying as recently as Tuesday afternoon that they planned to reject nearly all of the governor’s proposed budget amendments. That would have forced Gov. Youngkin to decide whether to veto the bill — a move that would have been seen as extraordinary.

After last-minute meetings between Gov. Youngkin and Assembly leaders, lawmak-

ers settled on the change in course.

Gov. Youngkin, who spoke with leaders from both parties and both chambers at a brief news conference in the Capitol, said there’s broad agreement that policymakers are close to agreement on the budget.

“I think this is a very positive step forward to reaching a budget that serves the Commonwealth of Virginia and reflects the collective ... priorities — from everyone — including the General Assembly,” Gov. Youngkin said.

Lawmakers were also working through dozens of other bills Gov. Youngkin returned to them with suggested changes, including a heavily lobbied measure dealing with so-called skill games, gambling machines that proliferated in convenience

stores and other small businesses around the state before lawmakers passed a ban in 2020.

This year’s legislation would legalize, regulate and tax the machines, though the changes Gov. Youngkin suggested would implement far stricter limits and a higher tax rate than the version the Assembly sent him. Convenience stores around the state staged demonstrations this week, briefly halting lottery ticket sales Monday and closing for an hour on Tuesday in an effort to draw attention to the issue and urge lawmakers to reject the governor’s amendments.

Virginia’s reconvened sessions can last up to 10 days but are typically single-day affairs.

O.J. has been cremated, estate attorney says

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attorney said.

Mr. Simpson died April 10 after he was diagnosed last year with prostate cancer.

Mr. LaVergne said in a Tuesday interview that he visited Mr. Simpson just before Easter at the country club home where Mr. Simpson leased southwest of the Las Vegas Strip, and described Mr. Simpson as “awake, alert and chilling,” sitting on a couch, drinking a beer and ”just catching up on the news.”

On April 5, a doctor told Mr. LaVergne that Mr. Simpson was “transitioning,” as the attorney described it, and by last week, Mr. Simpson only had strength to ask for water and to choose to watch a TV golf tournament instead of a tennis match.

A post on April 11 from Mr. Simpson’s family on X, formerly Twitter, said Mr. Simpson “succumbed to his battle with cancer.” It asked on their behalf for “privacy and grace.”

“You have to remember that they’ve shared O.J. with the world their entire lives,” Mr. LaVergne said Tuesday of Mr. Simpson’s surviving adult children of his first marriage — Arnelle Simpson, now 55, and Jason Simpson, 53 — and the children Mr. Simpson had with ex-wife Nicole Brown

Simpson before she was killed in 1994: Sydney Simpson, 38, and Justin Simpson, 35. “And they have the added burden that he is one of the most famous people on the planet, and who is polarizing and who is surrounded by controversy.”

Mr. Simpson’s children are the only beneficiaries of his estate, Mr. LaVergne said, adding he is now working to determine the value of Mr. Simpson’s assets. He said Tuesday that Mr. Simpson did not own a home in states where he had lived — including Nevada, California and Florida.

Mr. Simpson was a record-setting football star during 11 years as a running back in the NFL and became a movie actor, sportscaster and television advertising pitchman before he was famously acquitted of criminal charges alleging he stabbed his ex-wife and her friend, Ronald Goldman, to death in 1994 in Los Angeles. The proceedings in California in 1996 became known as the “trial of the century.”

Mr. Simpson was found liable for the deaths in 1997 by a separate California civil court jury and was ordered to pay the families of Mr. Simpson’s slain ex-wife and Mr. Goldman $33.5 million in compensation. Mr. LaVergne acknowledged

Mr. Simpson died without paying the bulk of that judgment.

In Las Vegas, Mr. Simpson went to prison in 2008 for nine years after being found guilty of armed robbery in a 2007 encounter at a casino-hotel with two collectibles dealers.

He was released from prison in October 2017 and lived a golf-and-country club lifestyle in Las Vegas — sometimes offering social media posts about sports and golf. His last message was on Feb. 11, when the NFL championship Super Bowl was played in Las Vegas. He did not attend the game.

Attorney David Cook, representing the Goldman family, said Tuesday he thought the civil judgment owed today, including unpaid interest, is more than $114 million. Mr. LaVergne he believed the amount was more than $200 million, and that Mr. Simpson’s assets won’t amount to that.

Mr. LaVergne said he intends to invite representatives of the Goldman and Brown families to “view my homework” with the Simpson estate, ”with the caveat that if they believe something else is out there ... they’re going to have to use their own attorneys, their own resources, to try and chase down that pot of gold.”

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

File photo of 1st responders taken at 10th and Marshall St. April 30, 2023.

To close racial gap in maternal health, Virginia, other states target implicit bias

Black, Hispanic and Indigenous pregnant patients often report facing unfair treatment at hospitals and clinics

By Nada Hassanein Virginia Mercury

One woman was told by doctors that swelling, pain and warmth in her leg was normal, despite warning the clinicians that she had a history of blood clots. Ms. Sutton-El urged her to visit the emergency room. Tests found the pregnant patient did indeed have a blood clot, a situation that can be deadly.

Some clients were told they weren’t doing enough to lose weight. After another client was treated dismissively when she paid for a visit in cash, Ms. Sutton-El posed as a patient and got the same response, making her wonder how many other Black women had been treated the same way.

“The biggest thing is that they’re not being listened to,” said Ms. Sutton-El, founder of Birth in Color, a nonprofit that offers doula services to expecting Virginians. Doulas support and advocate for pregnant patients. “They’re being dismissed or [clinicians] act as if the pain isn’t there, or act as if the issue is normal, when it’s not.”

As the United States contends with stark racial disparities in maternal health, experts are pushing states to mandate training for medical professionals to combat implicit bias, the prejudiced attitudes a person might hold without being aware of it. Lawmakers in more states are heeding that call.

Since 2019, at least five states (California, Delaware, Maryland, Minnesota and New Jersey) have enacted laws mandating implicit bias training for maternal health care providers, according to Stateline research and an analysis by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco. Lawmakers in at least 20 other states have introduced legislation related to implicit bias training for general health care professionals.

Virginia lawmakers recently approved similar legislation, sending it to Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. He has not said whether he will sign it.

The training can take different forms. Some courses are offered online, while others can be one-day workshops. Participants typically examine certain scenarios and learn about the history and harms of racial stereotypes.

Ms. Sutton-El argues that the training can make a huge difference. She said that one white doctor who completed the training recently told her how it had influenced his treatment of a Black patient. She recalled him telling her: “I had your voice in my head that said, ‘Follow the patient down the rabbit hole, because you’ll find out what’s

the real issue.’”

But others say implicit bias training can be insufficient or ineffective. Okunsola Amadou, a doula who founded Jamaa Birth Village, a midwifery clinic and maternal health nonprofit in Ferguson, Missouri, said bias trainings alone can’t change a hospital’s culture.

“The ultimate problem with that is that it is barely the surface,” Ms. Amadou said. “If they’re not working with [Black maternal health] pioneers who are rooted in this work to help them restructure, then the ‘click-and-go’ implicit bias trainings will not hold any weight at all.”

Tiffany Green, an associate professor at the School of Medicine and Public Health at the

“The biggest thing is that they’re not being listened to. ”

— Kenda Sutton-El, Virginia doula and Birth in Color founder

University of Wisconsin-Madison, said her team’s review of studies on anti-bias trainings in clinical settings found little evidence that it led to longterm behavioral changes.

Because racism isn’t just an individual problem but a systemic one, Ms. Green said, institutions must combat bias at the organizational level. If done incorrectly, it can induce anger in white employees and exacerbate inequities, she said.

While there is evidence that providers’ racial stereotyping affects treatment, it’s not known whether or how bias trainings will impact pregnant patient health outcomes, she told Stateline.

Rachel Hardeman, health equity director at the University of Minnesota Center for Antiracism Research and a co-author of the study on Black and white doctors, developed the widely used “Dignity in Childbirth and Pregnancy” course offered online in states with training mandates, including California and Minnesota. For Minnesota, her team designed a course focused on bias against Indigenous women. She said the courses are designed for both clinicians and hospital management: “People who may not be directly involved in patient care in the day-to-day but are

involved in making leadership decisions.” Evidence of bias

There is ample research suggesting there is racial bias in health care.

Black women in the United States are nearly three times more likely to die of maternal health complications than white women, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Indigenous women are nearly twice as likely to die.

Research has shown implicit racial bias plays a role in those stark disparities. Examples of that bias include false beliefs that Black patients have higher pain tolerance and thicker skin, as well as long-used diagnostic tools — such as lung and kidney function tests — that have prevented proper diagnoses for Black patients.

A CDC study published last year found that nearly 1 in 3 Black, Hispanic and multiracial women reported mistreatment during pregnancy and delivery, such as receiving no response to requests for help, being shouted at, or being threatened with the withholding of treatment.

Another review, also published last year, analyzed 42 studies since 2014 and concluded that racial biases and structural racism contributed to maternal health complications for Black women. And a 2020 study found Black infants were twice as likely to survive when cared for by Black doctors.

Research by Ms. Hardeman and others has found that clinicians are more likely to describe Black patients as “not compliant,” “agitated” or “aggressive.” When such descriptions are included in a patient’s medical record, it can color the perceptions of other providers who consult it, influencing their interactions with the patient.

Ms. Hardeman’s courses include patient anecdotes that illustrate bias as well as strategies for curbing assumptions and practicing more empathy. The courses also include a history of racism in medicine, such as the gynecological experiments by J. Marion Sims, often called the father of modern gynecology, on Black enslaved people.

Given that history, many Black, Indigenous and Hispanic patients are wary of health care systems.

“We’re talking about the fact that our medical education system has been built within this history of racism, and so we have to be aware of it to undo it,” Ms. Hardeman said.

“We wanted to make sure that people walked away understanding that we all have a role in dismantling these systems, and it starts with educating ourselves, and then making sure that what we’re learning and what we’ve been educated on, we’re applying it to the way that we are interacting with different patients and their families.”

Stalled legislation

But passage of a law doesn’t always lead to immediate change.

A year and half after California’s law took effect in 2020, a California Department of Justice investigation found just 17% of providers surveyed had trained their entire staff. Nearly a year after the probe began and more outreach was conducted, completed training rates rose to 81%. New legislation introduced this year aims to strengthen the law by fining health care centers that fail to train their staff, and would extend training requirements to nursing staff.

In many states, implicit bias legislation has stalled before reaching the governor’s desk.

In Missouri, a bill introduced in 2022 died in committee. State Rep. LaKeySha Bosley, a Democrat, reintroduced it this year. And in Georgia, lawmakers reintroduced this session a bill that would mandate implicit bias training for health care professionals in childbirth settings. Both of the reintroduced bills remain in committee.

Dr. Lethenia “Joy” Baker, an obstetrician and gynecologist in rural Georgia, often sees Black patients who specifically sought her out.

“[They] say, ‘I chose you, because you were the one Black woman in town, and I just feel more comfortable,’” she said. “We have to think about the fact that there’s such a lack of diversity in medicine,” making training for everyone important.

“We really need to unpack about the legacy of Southern slavery, and how we begin to move past that. So, I think that legislation is important around this topic, because let’s just face it, that legacy is very painful,” she said.

In South Carolina, Democratic state Rep. JA Moore and other Democrats have introduced implicit bias bills twice since 2020, but neither has passed. Mr. Moore said he plans to propose it again.

“I will continue to fight like hell,” Mr. Moore told Stateline, saying his aim is to address some of the “challenges so many women have, specifically minority women, low-income women have, in the state of South Carolina.” South Carolina Black women were more than four times as likely as white women to die of maternal health complications in 2020, according to the state’s latest report. The state’s Morbidity and Mortality Review Committee found that discrimination contributed to more than a third of deaths from 2018 to 2020.

“This is just another way in which we can try to change those numbers,” Mr. Moore said. “[It’s] an opportunity to lead a dramatic change in these very horrific, disproportionately racialized health outcomes for so many citizens.”

The White House and Black Maternal Health Week

Black Maternal Health Week was recognized this year from April 11-17 throughout the United States and by the White House. Excerpts from the White House states:

“During Black Maternal Health Week, we recommit to ending the maternal health crisis that is taking the lives of far too many of our Nation’s mothers.

Women in America are dying at a higher rate from pregnancyrelated causes than women in any other developed nation. Black women face even more risk and are three times more likely to die from pregnancyrelated causes than white women. That is in no small part because of a long history of systemic racism and bias. Studies show that when Black women suffer from severe injuries or pregnancy complications or simply ask for assistance, they are often dismissed or ignored in the health care settings that are supposed to care for them. People of color — including expecting mothers — also bear the brunt of environmental injustices like air and water pollution, which worsen health outcomes. Too often, Black mothers lack access to safe and secure housing, affordable transportation and affordable, healthy food. This is unjust and unacceptable.

That is why my Administration has worked to address this crisis from the very beginning. Vice President Kamala Harris came into office as a key leader on maternal health and continues to fight for improved maternal health outcomes, elevating the issue nationally and convening experts and activists to find solutions. My Administration’s first piece of historic legislation — the American Rescue Plan — gave States the option to provide a full year of

postpartum coverage to women on Medicaid, increasing it from just 60 days previously. Now, 45 States, Washington, D.C. and the United States Virgin Islands provide a full year of this critical care. We also made coverage under the Affordable Care Act more affordable, saving millions of families an average of $800 per year on health insurance premiums. My Administration also released the Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis, which outlines actions the Federal Government will take to combat maternal mortality and improve maternal health. To start, we created a new “Birthing-Friendly” hospital designation that highlights hospitals and health systems that offer high-quality maternal care — ensuring that expecting mothers know where to go to get the help they need. To find out which facilities are “Birthing-Friendly,” go to medicare.gov/ care-compare.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 11 through April 17, 2024, as Black Maternal Health Week. I call upon all Americans to raise awareness of the state of Black maternal health in the United States by understanding the consequences of institutional racism; recognizing the scope of this problem and the need for urgent solutions; amplifying the voices and experiences of Black women, families, and communities; and committing to building a world in which Black women do not have to fear for their safety, well-being, dignity or lives before, during and after pregnancy.

Courtesy of Kenda Sutton-El/Birth in Color

Dana Williams, top, and Khalyson McDuffie, doulas with Birth in Color, a Virginia group that offers doula services for pregnant patients of color and training for local maternal health care workers to combat racial bias, participate in a doula simulation training session. Some states are mandating implicit bias training.

Right, Sequoi Phipps-Hawkins, standing, and Chelsea Watson, doulas with Birth in Color, participate in a doula simulation training session.

Countless times, Kenda Sutton-El, a Virginia doula, has witnessed her Black pregnant clients being dismissed or ignored by clinicians.

The confounding case of O.J. Simpson

There are a lot of things in this country that can make some people reach their boiling point.

Sure, politics and religion are old standbys. Case in point: The manic presidency and reelection attempt of Donald Trump are sure to create heated debate at many a barbershop.

But O.J. Simpson, perhaps, was in a class by himself. As the defendant in the so-called Trial of the Century, Mr. Simpson’s acquittal in the 1994 stabbing deaths of his former wife, Nicole Brown-Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman polarized a nation along racial lines.

Of course, Mr. Simpson, 76 — who died of prostate cancer last week — was African-American, and Ms. Brown-Simpson and Mr. Goldman were white. And as the emotional wave of the verdict rolled across the country, the inevitable happened — people took sides.

It went something like this:

• Many people were outraged that Mr. Simpson got off. Police had a motive, a bloody glove at his home that matched one found at the crime scene, cuts on Mr. Simpson’s left hand and both victims’ blood in Mr. Simpson’s car.

• Many others, on the other hand, paid particular attention to charismatic defense attorney Johnnie Cochran Jr., who cast doubt on tactics by the police. For instance, a preservative was found in some of the blood samples taken from the scene — meaning, according to the defense, it had been planted. Further, some Black folks, in particular, didn’t find it hard to believe that police, in their haste to convict Mr. Simpson, could be dishonest.

• It was Mr. Cochran who supplied a line for the ages when Mr. Simpson had difficulty putting on the bloody glove in court: “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”

But race aside, why was this case so big, so scintillating? Plenty of celebrities had been in trouble — some even accused of murder. But this case, and the aftermath, generated books, movies, TV shows and studies.

To understand it, you have to understand the times and Mr. Simpson, who was a character straight out of Central Casting.

The Hollywood-handsome Mr. Simpson was hailed as perhaps the first real crossover star. After a phenomenal football and track career at USC, the running back starred in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills.

The 6-foot-1, 212-pound Mr. Simpson was an anomaly. Blessed with world-class speed and uncanny moves, Mr. Simpson could run through or around defenders. And in 1973, he became the first running back in NFL history to break 2,000 yards in a season. He hit 2,003 by rushing for 200 yards in the last game of the season – in the snow.

The chiseled Mr. Simpson couldn’t lose. After football, he starred in movies and TV shows, Monday Night Football and, of course, the famous Hertz commercial. Who doesn’t remember the elderly white woman egging him on as he hurdled luggage: “Go, O.J., go!”

He had a good-looking wife and beautiful children and they all lived in the ritzy Brentwood area of Los Angeles.

Then, all hell broke loose. Surely, this Hollywood darling couldn’t have committed a crime so gruesome that it left his ex-wife almost decapitated. Or could he?

Over the years, there have been lots of theories about the case. It was a drug deal gone bad. It was a random crime. Mr. Simpson was still looking for the real killer or killers.

Or maybe it was as many people and the police believed: Mr. Simpson did it.

For those of us who watched and listened for evidence of Mr. Simpson’s guilt since 1995, we never got it. Mr. Simpson rarely discussed the case in public, save for the ill-fated book he wrote, “If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer” – which he claimed was a hypothetical look at the murders.

According to the media, there was no deathbed confession from Mr. Simpson, who reportedly had friends and relatives who came to see him in his final days sign NDAs.

In a letter that was released on the day of the famous slow-speed Bronco chase in L.A., Mr. Simpson wrote: “Don’t feel sorry for me. I’ve had a great life, great friends. Please think of the real O.J. and not this lost person.”

Maybe we’ll never know the real story behind Mr. Simpson’s guilt or innocence, but one thing certainly is true: It sure was one hell of a story.

Discriminatory laws have driven Black voters from the polls

“If the United States wants to make good on its foundational claims of a democratic system of governance open to all citizens, it must find ways to close the racial turnout gap. Wider now than at any point in at least the past 16 years, the gap costs millions of votes from Americans of color all around the country. Perhaps most worrisome of all, the gap is growing most quickly in parts of the country that were previously covered under the preclearance regime of the 1965 Voting Rights Act until the disastrous Shelby County ruling.” – Brennan Center For Justice Driven in part by restrictive laws enacted since the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act, the racial voting gap has exploded and grows wider by the year. The National Urban League is fighting back. Reclaim Your Vote is a national effort to promote voter registration, voter education and voter activation with the power of the Urban League Affiliate and Volunteer movement and our strategic partners.

Each year, we engage millions of voters across the country to increase voter turnout and empower our communities to make their voices heard to drive change where they live and across America.

But until the Voting Rights Act is restored, we’re fighting an uphill battle.

While the racial voting gap has grown across the country, an analysis by the Brennan Center for Justice found it has grown

twice as quickly in jurisdictions that had been covered by Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act until the Supreme Court struck it down with its decision in Shelby v. Holder in 2013.

Just the year before the decision, with President Obama’s reelection at stake, overall Black voter participation reached nearparity with whites. In the 2008 presidential election, the participation among young Black voters and Black women exceeded every other racial, gender and ethnic group.

The Shelby decision took a sledgehammer to that progress. Since 2013, at least 29 states have passed nearly 100

laws making it harder for eligible citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote.

As the Brennan Center notes, “Many of these new laws are racially discriminatory. There is ample evidence that these kinds of laws fall hardest on communities of color, and a number have been struck down by courts as racially discriminatory.”

Driven by this relentless campaign of voter suppression, the racial voting gap in 2022 was the largest midterm gap since at least 2006, robbing the nation of a staggering 14 million votes.

In the presidential election of 2020, the racial gap represented about nine million votes, far more than President Biden’s seven million vote margin of victory in the popular vote.

While many states rushed to pass restrictive laws immediately after the Shelby decision — Texas announced the very same day it would implement a strict voter ID law that had been denied preclearance — the onslaught hasn’t relented. Last year, lawmakers introduced more than 350 restrictive bills in 47 states, with at least 17 of them in 14 states passed into law.

In the coming weeks, Urban League staffers and volunteers will be taking to the streets,

Better public understanding of domestic violence was the one silver lining from O.J. Simpson’s fall

Has the search for Nicole Simpson’s “real killer” officially ended?

Not that I expected to find out more than we already know. The leading suspect in the slaying of his ex-wife Nicole Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman continued to be nobody else but O.J., up to his dying day.

Mr. Simp son died Wednesday at age 76, accord ing to his family. Following his career as a cheerful and skillful record-breaking NFL running back for the Buffalo Bills, he became a popular crossover star in movies such as the slapstick “Naked Gun” while also racing through airports in classic television commercials for Hertz, jumping over luggage and spreading goodwill.

After Mr. Simpson’s ex-wife and Mr. Goldman were found brutally murdered on June 12, 1994, O.J.’s fall was precipitous. The former football star’s flight from justice and later televised murder trial injected new memorable images into our culture.

It began with the “slowspeed chase” in the white Ford Bronco, tailed by a parade of Los Angeles police, sirens blaring, as they tried to persuade him to surrender. And, of course, there was the bizarre courtroom poetry of defense attorney Johnnie Cochran, who told jurors, “If the glove doesn’t fit, you must acquit,” in reference to the bloody glove found on the property after the murders.

But the most memorable moment in my view came with the reading of Mr. Simpson’s “not

guilty” verdict by a mostly Black jury. Cameras in remote locations picked up starkly different reactions: Black crowds erupted with cheers and applause. White crowds on camera expressed shock, anger and dismay.

Like the slow-speed chase, the contrasting live shots became one of the defining images of the ‘90s

— and stirred a new conversation about race relations, including a lot of frustrated shouting.

We’ve become accustomed to countless political discussions about our divided nation, especially along racial lines, but polls over the years offer a glimmer of hope. Views of Simpson’s guilt have moved closer together over the years, although undeniable gaps remain.

Twenty years after the acquittal, three-quarters of Americans, including a majority of Blacks, concluded Mr. Simpson probably was guilty, according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll. In polls closer in time to the verdict, only about a fifth of Black respondents thought Mr. Simpson did it.

Since most of the change in opinions occurred with Blacks who were polled, I can only respond as an African-American that I am relieved. Most Black folks I know seem to have swung in the same direction.

My own attitudes also swung against Mr. Simpson’s credibility, as evidence surfaced of his lying and dozens of reported episodes of domestic brutality, allegedly played down by police officers responding to Nicole Simpson’s multiple calls for help.

In October 1993, a year af-

ter the Simpsons divorced, she called 911 when her ex showed up at her home “ranting and raving,” we learned in court.

“He’s in a white Bronco, but first of all, he broke the back door down to get in,” she said. “He’s O.J. Simpson. I think you know his record.”

Eight months later, she and Mr. Goldman—who had stopped by to return eyeglasses left at a restaurant that night—were fatally stabbed outside her Brentwood home. Her two young children she had with Mr. Simpson were inside.

If there is anything positive to be taken from the tragedy of Nicole Simpson, it is the longoverdue attention it gave to the plague of domestic violence.

“You won’t ever know the worst that happened to Nicole Brown Simpson in her marriage,” wrote self-described radical feminist Andrea Dworkin in a tribute to Nicole Simpson, “because she is dead and cannot tell you. And if she were alive, remember, you wouldn’t believe her.”

Ms. Dworkin, who died in 2005, sometimes could be a bit too radical for my tastes. But that time I think she nailed it.

Although race quickly crowded other issues in our national conversation about the O.J. Simpson case, we can’t overlook the importance of how it helped change the national conversation around domestic violence.

As much as O.J. absurdly talked about finding “the real killer,” a truly real killer is our own failure to take the complaints of domestic violence victims seriously—an issue on which we’ve made progress, but not enough.

The writer is a columnist for the Chicago Tribune.

knocking on doors and visiting college campuses helping eligible citizens navigate these changes to state laws and register to exercise their right to vote. We’ll be text-banking and phonebanking, engaging face-to-face and on social media, making sure our communities are armed with accurate information and prepared to cast their ballots.

At the same time, we continue to fight on the state level for fair voting laws and on the national level for the passage of the Freedom to Vote Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Protecting

Clarence Page

Marc H. Morial

Convenience stores shut down Virginia Lottery sales in protest for skill games Organizers say hundreds of stores participate

By Graham Moomaw Virginia Mercury

At Krunal Patel’s convenience store outside Richmond, a row of Queen of Virginia skill games has been powered off and turned around against a wall. On Monday, in response to what he sees as unfair treatment in a state that’s embraced legalized gambling, Mr. Patel also turned off the Virginia Lottery machines in his store.

He posted signs on his front doors and above the checkout counter explaining the oneday shutdown of lottery sales was a protest against Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s proposed changes to a pending Virginia bill that would legalize, tax and regulate skill games instead of leaving them banned as a type of illegal gambling.

In an interview, Mr.Patel, 38, said the slots-like skill games once made up about 30% to 40% of his revenue. But because the governor proposed prohibiting skill games within 35 miles of existing casinos and horse racing facilities, the store he co-owns in eastern Henrico County might be banned from having them due to its proximity to the Colonial Downs race track in neighboring New Kent County. “If a lot of stores close down, it’s going to close down Lottery too,” Mr. Patel said, when asked what message the temporary stop of lottery sales was supposed to send. The protest aimed at lottery tickets was the latest escalation in the long-running gambling turf war playing out in Virginia as various interests try to bend

state policy in their favor. A coalition supporting skill games said nearly 500 businesses were participating in the lottery shutdown, as well as a plan to close stores entirely on Tuesday from 3:50 p.m. to 4:50 p.m.

“This statewide convenience store shutdown will show customers, communities and localities the harmful impact that Governor Youngkin’s skill game amendments will have,” the pro-skill game Virginia Mer-

amendments to the skill game bill impose the type of public safeguards the General Assembly left out. Critics have called his suggestions so strict they’d effectively ban skill games in most of the state.

In addition to the 35-mile rule, Gov. Youngkin’s amendments would raise the proposed tax rate on the machines from 25% to 35%, allow local governments or local voters to ban the machines at the city and county

chants and Amusement Coalition said in a news release.

After years of grappling with the question of whether the machines should be legal or illegal, Virginia lawmakers were to take up the issue again Wednesday when the General Assembly reconvened to address Gov. Youngkin’s amendments and vetoes. Supporters say Gov. Youngkin’s sweeping

level and impose stricter rules to prohibit underage play and mitigate gambling addiction.

Concern that skill games might eat into Lottery revenues was one of many reasons the Virginia General Assembly voted to ban the machines in 2020, as was frustration over skill game companies sending unregulated and untaxed machines into the state and

insisting gambling laws didn’t apply to their games because, despite the strong resemblance, they technically aren’t slot machines.

When asked for a comment Monday, Gov. Youngkin’s office didn’t directly address the protest.

“The governor supports small business owners having access to skill games and his proposed legislative amendments, stemming from discussions with a bipartisan group of members and dozens of outside stakeholders, would establish an important regulatory framework, enhance consumer and public safety protections, and grant localities and Virginians a voice,” said the governor’s spokesman Christian Martinez.

If the machines do become legal in Virginia, both the General Assembly and Gov. Youngkin have identified the Virginia Lottery as the state agency that should regulate them on a permanent basis. The General Assembly’s skill game bill calls for the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage and Control Authority to oversee the machines on a temporary basis while the Lottery prepares a fuller regulatory structure. Gov. Youngkin’s proposal sets the Lottery as the regulator from the beginning, even though it would likely delay reactivation of the

machines until well into 2025 to allow the agency to create a central monitoring system for keeping tabs on skill games.

That means the target of Monday’s protest could very well end up writing some of the rules for how skill games can and can’t operate.

The Lottery didn’t appear to see Monday’s protest as a major concern, saying the agency has contractual agreements with all retailers who agree to sell tickets that raise funds for Virginia’s K-12 schools.

“The Lottery works with each individual retailer as to what works best for them, and we make it a practice not to tell retailers how to run their business,” said Virginia Lottery spokesman John Hagerty. “The Lottery has nothing to do with skill machines.” The Lottery gave no indication it was planning to take any action against licensees that stopped selling its products as a form of political protest.

Mr. Patel said he wasn’t sure if he would face any repercussions from the Lottery for stopping sales for a day. “I’m willing to take that risk,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s my business.” Virginia’s casino and horse racing industries have argued they should get some protection from the more scattered competition from skill games because their forms of gambling required significant capital investment. The state’s casinos, for example, had to pay $15 million for a license and pledge to invest at least $300 million in facilities that could only be built in specific cities where voters had approved a casino. Only a few states have affirmatively legalized and regulated skill games. The machines are fully legal in Wyoming and the District of Columbia, and could be legalized soon in Pennsylvania. Skill games are also legal in Georgia, as long as they don’t offer cash payouts.

Graham Moomaw/Virginia Mercury

A Virginia Lottery kiosk inside a Henrico County convenience store was deactivated as hundreds of business owners protested for the right to host skill games.

Graham

Fans don’t often see them now in Major League baseball, but HBCU players have left a star-shaped mark on the sport.

The illustrious list of long-ago standouts includes numerous Major League Hall of Famers and several others with local connections.

Monte Irvin (Lincoln, Pa.); Lou Brock (Southern University); Bill Foster (Alcorn State); Hilton Smith (Prairie View A&M); Andre Dawson (Florida A&M); and Ray Brown (Wilberforce) are all enshrined in the Hall at Cooperstown, N.Y.

The Hall of Fame honor roll grows if you count Larry Doby, who played basketball but not baseball at Virginia Union in the early 1940s.

The first Black player in the American League, Doby went on to help Cleveland win the 1948 World Series. The slugging outfielder walloped 273 home runs and was twice the AL homer leader.

Brown, Foster and Smith all played exclusively in the Negro Leagues and reached the Hall of Fame through the Veterans Committee.

Local baseball fans haven’t forgotten Ralph Garr, who played for the Richmond Braves in 1969 and 1970, or Al Bumbry.

Garr, the “Roadrunner,” is likely the most exciting player to come through Richmond. The lefty swinging outfielder hit .329 with 63 stolen baes in 106 games in 1969, and then .386 with 39 swipes in 98 games in 1970.

Garr went on to a brilliant big-league career and is a member of the Atlanta Braves’ Hall of Fame. Bumbry, the “Bumblebee,” played one season of baseball at Virginia State after enrolling at the Ettrick school on a basketball scholarship.

The fleet outfielder went on to be the American League rookie of the year with Baltimore in 1973 and is a member of the Orioles Hall of Fame.

Other notable HBCU athletes to reach big leagues: Tommie Agee (Grambling): AL Rookie of the Year in 1973, the centerfielder was a two-time All-Star, twice winner of the Golden Glove Award and starred on the New York Mets’ 1969 World Series club.

Ray Brown (Wilberforce, Ohio): Was among the top pitchers in the Negro Leagues while also excelling with the bat and on the basepaths. He played mostly with the Homestead Grays of Pittsburgh.

Cecil Cooper (Prairie View A&M): The left-handed first baseman compiled a career .298 average with 241 homers with Boston and Milwaukee. He was a five-time All-Star and later managed the Houston Astros.

Bill Foster (Alcorn State): The pitcher posted a 110-56 mark, twice winning All-Star honors and twice helping Birmingham to Negro World Series titles. Alcorn State’s field is named in his honor.

Hilton Smith (Prairie View A&M): The powerful righthanded pitcher (70-38 career record) was on the same staff with legendary Satchel Paige for the Kansas City Monarchs.

Donn Clendenon (Morehouse): The powerful first baseman was MVP of the New York Mets’ 1969 World Series champs. Before that, he starred in baseball, basketball and football at Morehouse, where his freshman “Big Brother” (adviser) was Martin Luther King Jr.

Rickie Weeks (Southern): In 2002, the slick second baseman hit .495 with 20 homers for Southern to win the NCAA batting title. Weeks played in the majors from 2003 to 2017 and is among the youngest HBCU ballplayers to reach the top. It’s fair to say that it’s getting tougher for HBCUs to attract future big-league talent. Most young Black prospects nowadays go pro straight out of high school or enroll at colleges with higher profiles and likely more lucrative Name-Image-Likeness (NIL) possibilities. More baseball players are foreign-born, says Forbes

The 30 Major League franchises opened the 2024 season with 262 players representing 19 countries and territories outside the United States, according to “Forbes” research.

That’s about 28 percent of all rostered players.

The Dominican Republic is by far the most productive country with 108 big-league players from the Caribbean Island.

Next comes Venezuela with 58 players; Cuba, 18; Puerto Rico, 17; Canada, 13; Mexico, 12; and Japan, 10.

Also, Panama and Colombia have five players each; Curacao, four; South Korea, three; Australia, two; and Brazil, Nicaragua, Honduras, Germany, the Bahamas and Aruba, one each.

Both league MVPs are foreign-born — Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna of the National League and former Los Angeles Angel, now Los Angeles Dodger, Shohei Ohtani of the American League. Acuna is from Venezuela; Ohtani, from Japan.

The same survey showed that just 6.1% of all players are African-American, the lowest percentage since 1955.

Don’t be misled. African-American (meaning U.S.-born Black players) and Black are terms sometimes confused in statistical evaluations.

Most of the players from the Caribbean and South and Central American nations are of African ancestry.

Stories by Fred Jeter

Jackie Robinson Day honors the courageous and wondrously talented man who broke baseball’s color barrier.

On April 15, 1947, Robinson (then a 28-year-old rookie) broke in with the Brooklyn Dodgers and become the first Black player of the modern era.

From the 1880s until Robinson’s arrival at Ebbets Field, a “gentleman’s agreement” among owners had boycotted athletes of color.

Along with April 15, here are some other key dates regarding the once-in-a-generation athlete and civil rights icon:

Jan. 31, 1919 – Born in Cairo, Ga. as the son of sharecroppers.

1920 – Moved with his mother and four siblings to Pasadena, Calif.

1935 – Enrolled as a freshman at John Muir Technical High in Pasadena, where he was a multi-sports (including tennis) sensation.

1938 – At Pasadena Junior College, he starred in multiple sports while setting the all-time JUCO record for the long jump, 25 feet, 6½ inches (previously held by his brother Mack).

1939 – Enrolled at UCLA and became the school’s first four-sport (baseball, basketball, football, track) athlete.

1940 – Won the NCAA long-jump title with leap of 24 feet and 10-1/4 inches.

1941 – Met his future wife, Rachel Isum.

1942 – Drafted by the U.S. Army and assigned to segregated Fort Riley, Kan. Another soldier there was boxing champ Joe Louis.

1945 – Signed with the Kansas City Monarchs of Negro National League.

1946 – Signed a historic contract with Brooklyn general manager Branch Rickey, becoming the sport’s first black athlete since the 1880s.

Only one college offered Justin Journette a baseball scholarship while he was in high school.

As it turned out, that one was enough. It’s clear now. Norfolk State Coach Keith Shumate spotted something in the young man that others didn’t.

“From Day One, I thought Justin could be an incredible slugger on our level,” Coach Shumate said. “It’s been a pleasure to coach him and watch him improve.”

A 2022 graduate of Hermitage High, the 6-foot-2, 220pound leftfielder began this week as the nation’s home run leader among HBCU players. Through 30 games, Journette’s nine homers were more than any HBCU player in the Northeast Conference, including MEAC schools, the New South Atlantic (CIAA schools), SWAC or SIAC.

1946 – Made his pro debut against all-white team in Dodgers’ exhibition in Daytona Beach, Fla.; he wasn’t allowed to stay in same hotel as teammates.

1946 – Played a full season with Montreal Royals (Dodgers top farm club) of the International League.

1947 – Joined the Dodgers (wearing No. 42), earning rookie of year honors while helping Brooklyn win National League title.

1947 and 1949 – Became the Na-

tional League stolen base leader.

1948 – Won NL MVP.

1951 – Brooklyn became “Black America’s Team,” as Robinson is joined by two future Hall of Famers – pitcher Don Newcombe and catcher Roy Campanella.

1955 – Helped Dodgers defeat the Yankees in the World Series.

1956 – Retired from baseball with a .313 average, 141 homers, 761 RBI, 200 stolen bases and six All-Star appearances.

1962 – Named to Baseball Hall of Fame.

Oct. 24, 1972 – Died in Stamford, Conn., at age 53.

2004 – Major League Baseball honored Robinson by retiring his No. 42 jersey across all teams. Every April 15, every player, coach and umpire wears No. 42 with pride.

2013 – The Movie “42” appears in theaters with Chadwick Boseman as Robinson. Audiences polled by CinemaScore graded the movie an “A-plus.”

Whit A. Graves was the Jackie Robinson of Richmond.

A right-handed

Field and were loosely affiliated, from time to time, with the New York Giants and Philadelphia Athletics. In 1954, Graves pitched for the Colonial Heights-Petersburg Colts at Shepherd Stadium. Following retirement, Graves became a forklift operator for Philip Morris. He died in 1997 at age 70 and is buried in Maury Cemetery.

Hitting third in Coach Shumate’s order, Journette launched his ninth four-bagger on April 9 against Longwood. He also leads the team with 31 runs batted in to go with a .325 average.

Justin Journette he said. “So, I kind of recruited myself by going to the Norfolk State camp. Coach Shumate gave me an offer and I accepted on the spot.” The Spartans’ veteran coach agreed with that story while adding, “I did know about him before and was happy when I heard he was coming to our camp.” Journette grew up playing baseball in the Lakeside Little League, where he was an AllStar; he played with several summer travel teams. He recalls hitting “about eight homers” during his entire Hermitage career, but nothing in the way of All-District or All-Region accolades. Journette said he hopes to finish this season strong and then suit up for the Winchester Royals of the wooden-bat Valley League this summer. The well-established Valley League is governed by Major League Baseball, so there is plenty of scouting exposure.

A year ago, as a true freshman,

a big guy.”

Journette had a solid but unspectacular career at Hermitage. The offers weren’t flowing in. “I felt like I was a little overlooked (in high school),”

“At the least, Justin will continue to be a very good college player,” Coach Shumate said. “At best, he’ll be playing in the big leagues someday.”

Coach Shumate

Al Brumby

Baseball, “The National Pastime,” is getting more and more international.

Ralph Garr

Shohei Ohtani Ronald Acuna

Sheri Shannon has long believed that focused communityaction work can battle climate change head on.

She first pursued meteorology to study atmospheric sciences at Penn State University, but soon discovered it wasn’t her “ministry.” Still, Ms. Shannon wanted to remain in the science space.

An adviser connected her to Dr. Tanya Furman, currently a research professor in Penn State’s GeoScience department.

Dr. Furman suggested that Ms. Shannon pursue earth sciences because so few women, especially women of color, earned degrees in the discipline. Ms. Shannon then switched her major because it allowed her to focus on climate.

Fast forward nearly 20 years later.

Ms. Shannon’s goal to fight climate change continues through her volunteer work with Southside ReLeaf, a nonprofit organization she co-founded with Amy Wentz to create more green space in Richmond’s Southside and improve health outcomes for area residents.

Throughout the span of Southside ReLeaf, the organization has hosted and participated in “greening” projects, or plant and vegetation-planting projects. Examples include Davee Gardens, Swansboro playgrounds and Blackwell Elementary School. How did Southside ReLeaf get its legs?

“Five years ago, Amy and I participated in the Richmond 300 master-planning process. Part of that process was to review the Insights Report, a summary of data and trends that inform our decisions to help shape the future growth of the city. However, the report revealed glaring social inequities across Richmond around housing and homeownership, economic security, educational attainment and life expectancy gaps. As we went through the report, we continued to see how the Southside fell behind in every category,”she said.

“So, we started Southside ReLeaf in July 2019 to address these social inequities in South Richmond – to amplify the existing work of our neighbors and bring greater attention to these issues so decisionmakers would prioritize investments in these communities,” Ms. Shannon said.

Southside ReLeaf also has collaborated with many other organizations in Richmond. This includes Groundwork RVA, a nonprofit that works with young people to enhance green spaces, which made it possible for Southside ReLeaf to have a tree giveaway.

“This is an all hands-ondeck situation,” Ms. Shannon said. “Everyone has a role to play here and we don’t see

Personality: Sheri Shannon Spotlight on Southside ReLeaf cofounder

ourselves as an organization that needs to occupy an entire space.”

Southside ReLeaf has inspired similar efforts in other parts of Virginia, such as the ReLeaf Cville in Charlottesville. Other larger organizations also have reached out to Southside ReLeaf for guidance on establishing similar models. In the meantime, Southside remains its founders’ priority.

“We are definitely committed to South Richmond, but know that we advocate everywhere for folks to have livable and thriving neighborhoods across the Commonwealth of Virginia,” Ms. Shannon said. Meet someone who cares deeply about tackling environmental injustice in Richmond and beyond and this week’s Personality, Sheri Shannon:

Volunteer position: Cofounder of Southside ReLeaf.

Occupation: Founder and director of Shannon Strategies.

Date and place of birth: July 27 in Richmond.

Where I live now: North Chesterfield.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in earth science, The Pennsylvania State University, master’s degree in communications and public relations, Southern New Hampshire University.

Family: Husband, Andy Klatt; mother, Deborah Shannon; father, Rev. Michael Shannon Sr.; brother, Mike Shannon. Southside ReLeaf is: A community-based organization committed to environmental justice in South Richmond. Our goal is to improve the life expectancy and quality of life for Southside residents by increasing green spaces, reducing pollution and improving infrastructure. We believe in uplifting voices that are often unheard and people-powered advocacy to build climate resilient neighborhoods.

Cofounder’s name: Amy Wentz.

Why we founded: What really stood out to us is that the life expectancy for Southside residents is nearly 20 years shorter than in other parts of the city. Additionally, we could see that many Southside residents did not live within a 10-minute walk to a park or playground, however, Black residents live near areas zoned for industrial use. There’s greater proximity to waste, pollution and land fills than full-service grocery stores, pharmacies and quality health care. It’s hotter, there’s severe flooding and higher rates of asthma because of poor air quality, little to no green spaces, substandard housing and poverty.

Location: We work south of the river, specifically in the 5th,

6th, 8th and 9th districts.

Southside ReLeaf is meaningful to me: Because we are two Black women committed to disrupting systems of oppression. There are so few Blackand brown-led environmental organizations in Virginia and we are forging a path that works for Black and brown people in Richmond. On my mom’s side, my grandmother was a forestry technician at the Virginia Department of Forestry, and my grandfather farmed dozens of acres of land in New Kent County. On my dad’s side, my granny grew up on a farm in North Carolina and had a garden in her backyard in Church Hill. My first access to green space was hopping the fence of my granny’s backyard to visit my papa in the Oakwood Cemetery next to her house. Black people have a special connection to the land that’s been whitewashed in the environmental movement.

No. 1 goal and strategy of Southside ReLeaf: Our goal is to close the life-expectancy gap for Southside residents. We do this through greening, education and advocating for policies that will improve the quality of life for people.

Biggest challenge: Amy and I have full-time jobs in addition to running Southside ReLeaf. We are constantly trying to balance our community work with our professional and family responsibilities. The organization has grown exponentially since we started and there is a high demand for collaboration and partnership — given the fact there are few Black women leading this type of work across Virginia. What we really need is to build capacity. For the first three years, it was a team of four volunteers running the organization. We now have paid staff and a board of directors, but we need to scale up. Like other community-based organizations we encounter systemic barriers to funding to sustain our work and unnecessary administrative hurdles to

access resources. Not only are we pushing for policies that center people, we’re also working to educate funders, government officials and nonprofit partners on how to remove those barriers. This is across the board for grants, recruiting and hiring, professional development and community engagement.

No. 1 joy I have witnessed through our work: The number of people who are responsive to our work and tell us how they are now more involved in their neighborhood because of Southside ReLeaf.

I love seeing residents become tree stewards, host cleanup days, join their civic associations and show up for our greening events.

Ways to get involved with Southside ReLeaf: There are many ways to get involved with the organization, includ-

Upcoming events: For folks interested in getting their hands dirty, we will host planting events and maintenance workdays in the fall. We are celebrating our five-year anniversary this year through a series of events, including a fundraiser in the fall.

How I start the day: When I wake up, I say ‘Thank you for another day.’ I then look at my calendar of events, top news headlines and put the phone back down. I spend about 30 minutes of my morning stretching and doing Pilates to wake my body up and get ready for the day.

The three words that best describe me: Hopeful, bold, genuine.

Best late-night snack: You can never go wrong with carbs. My favorite is mac and cheese, and chana masala with naan.

My music playlist: Currently, it’s Beyonce’s ‘Cowboy Carter.’ I rotate between a lot of genres, depending on my mood, such as funk, soul, gospel, jazz, hip-hop, classical and the occasional country.

A quote that inspires me: “The function of freedom is to free someone else.” — Toni Morrison.

The best thing my parent(s) or guardian(s) ever taught me: To be in a community with others means to be a good neighbor and use the talents given us to bless someone else.

The person who influenced me the most: My mother is the blueprint.

Next goal: To learn how to celebrate the wins — big and small. I turn 40 this year and my company turns five, along with Southside ReLeaf. ing volunteering for greening projects, attending an event and advocating alongside us at the local and state level. Of course, we appreciate donations to support our programs throughout the year. Learn more at southsidereleaf.org/ get-involved.

Happenings

Fashion forward

Former banker now balances her life as a business owner and new mom

Chanel Nelson-Green is the owner of Liznel, a Richmondbased fashion boutique that has showcased designs in Hampton, New York and Washington, D.C. The name Liznel combines Ms. Nelson-Green’s name and that of her grandmother, Elizabeth. When entering the fashion business nearly 10 years ago, Ms. Nelson-Green had little formal training. Today, in addition to running her own fashion business, and serving as executive director of RVA Fashion Week (April 11-28), she is a gentle force who wants to see other creatives grow and sparkle.

Ms. Nelson-Green recently described her journey, rising influence and aspirations for RVAFW, which showcases Richmond’s diverse fashion and culture. Since 2008, RVAFW has represented Virginia’s top models, designers, stylists, cosmetologists, photographers and other artists.

Free Press: When did the fashion bug bite you?

Ms. Nelson-Green: I have always been into fashion. I was born and raised in fashion. My mother was a model and she loved designing fashion. My grandmother also designed, and they taught me a lot of what I know. The pivotal moment for me was when I was in banking and I realized I wasn’t enjoying myself. I was in banking for almost 10 years and, no matter how much I moved, no matter how much I grew, I just wasn’t happy. I sat back and assessed myself and where I wanted to go, and this is how I ended up here. I did my first fashion show with RVAFW in April of 2015 and, in May, I started my brand. That’s how I became acquainted with Fashion Week.

Free Press: Congratulations on being tapped as the new executive director of RVAFW. What do you hope to bring to this space?

Ms. Nelson-Green: Thank you! I want to make sure that creatives not only can create, but also thrive. A lot of the times we see where creatives stay in the hobby space and they have a hard time getting to a place of having a full business. Also, I am introducing some beautiful designs. I had a baby last year so I haven’t really been able to design. It’s really cool to step back into my sewing room and start creating.

Free Press: Elevated seems to be a theme for your boutique. Elevated style, elevated confidence, elevated self. Talk about the role elevation plays in your life.

Ms. Nelson-Green: I believe that elevation goes hand in

hand with favor. I believe that God has given me favor to do the things that I do and I would not be who I am today if it wasn’t for Him. I don’t want to say, ‘Hey, I want to make you better,’ because you are already great because you are a person. I am all about, ‘Hey, this is who you are and you’re already great. How do we elevate this?’ We all have a little bit of confidence, but how do we pull that out of people? So to me, elevation is all about taking what you have in your hand, pulling it out and lifting it up.

Free Press: On Liznel’s website, you note the importance of having a safe, resourceful space and how Liznel wasn’t always privy to that space. How did you overcome this and other obstacles?

Ms. Nelson-Green: Failure is hard, but the way you overcome obstacles is by shifting your perspective. You learn that you don’t need to overcome them; you are just going through them to get to the success. Things get better; things elevate. That’s one of the ways I’ve overcome obstacles. No. 2 would be community. There are a lot of things that come with a community that make you better. If you do not have the right people in your corner who will tell you when you are right or wrong, you will never get past the obstacles because you will always think you are right. No. 3 is knowing when you don’t have all of the answers. I’ve learned that when you are comfortable knowing that you aren’t always perfect, it gives you the freedom to be.

Free Press: Liznel has showcased designs in Richmond, Hampton, New York and Washington, D.C., and has been invited to Paris and London Fashion Week. You’ve been called a woman of influence. How does that make you feel?

Ms. Nelson-Green: Being a woman of influence is hard for me because I am always worried about how I influence people. Not because I want to be perfect and say all of the right things. I want people to be who they were created to be. And I think, when you care and you are passionate, being a woman of influence can be hard because you have no power in controlling how they receive the influence and I think the weight is heavier than a lot of people understand. I wear it as a badge of honor.

Free Press: Tell me your favorite all-wardrobe-adaptive piece and what color palette is really going to stand out this season?

Ms. Nelson-Green: My blazers are my favorite. They are the

Chanel Nelson-Green most pivotal piece. I’m going to

Fashion, fun and more

Free Press staff report Richmond Fashion Week will celebrate the region’s thriving fashion and creative industries starting April 22-28.

In its 16th year, Richmond Fashion Week showcases the best designers, photographers, models, business owners and new talent throughout Virginia, according to Richmond Fashion Week’s organizers. Audiences will see numerous shows featuring jewelry makers, successful and emerging designers, and a showcase from the high-end Richmond boutique Liznel. Multiple events will take place at various venues

throughout Richmond, said Chanel Nelson, who founded the brand Liznel and executive director of Richmond Fashion Week. “We’re bringing luxury to the forefront this spring — and want to captivate audiences,” Ms. Nelson said. “We want people to see the care, craftsmanship and talent that thrives right here in their backyard,” Ms. Nelson added. “We love to see faces that are surprised and delighted. That support means the world.”

Other Richmond Fashion Week highlights include the Richmond Fashion WeekAwards Gala at The Hilton Richmond

Downtown. Honors include Designer of the Year, Rising Star and the Vanguard Changemaker Award. The week concludes with the Spring Finale Show at the John Marshall Ballrooms. It features such luxury designers as MO, CHRISTA, The Aziancy, Luxury Professionals, Jame’t Jackson, and Suit Brother by David Harrell — whose menswear has rocketed in popularity and recently was sported by Nick Cannon. RVAFW grew out of a fashion show run by students at Virginia Commonwealth University in 2008. For more details and tickets, please visit rvafw.com

In its 16th year, Richmond Fashion Week showcases the best designers, photographers, models, business owners and new talent throughout Virginia, organizers say.

By Kimberly Fields

Faith Ringgold, pioneering Black quilt artist and author, dies at 93

The Associated Press NEW YORK

Faith Ringgold, an awardwinning author and artist who broke down barriers for Black female artists and became famous for her richly colored and detailed quilts combining painting, textiles and storytelling, has died at 93.

The artist’s assistant, Grace Matthews, told The Associated Press that Ms. Ringgold died Friday night at her home in Englewood, New Jersey. Ms. Matthews said Ms. Ringgold had been in failing health.

Ms. Ringgold’s highly personal works of art can be found in private and public collections around the country and beyond, from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American Art to New York’s Museum of Modern Art and Atlanta’s High Museum of Fine Art. But her rise to prominence as a Black artist wasn’t easy in an art world dominated by white males and in a political cultural where Black men were the leading voices for civil rights. A founder in 1971 of the Where We At artists collective for Black women, Ms. Ringgold became a social activist, frequently protesting the lack of representation of Black and female artists in American museums.

art world,” she told The New York Times in 2019. “I began to incorporate this perspective into my work, with a particular focus on Black women as slaves and their sexual exploitation.”

In her first illustrated children’s book, “Tar Beach,” the spirited heroine takes flight over the George Washington Bridge. The story symbolized women’s self-realization and freedom to confront “this huge masculine icon — the bridge,” she explained.

The story is based on her narrative quilt of the same name now in the permanent collection of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York.

While her works often deal with issues of race and gender, their folk-like style is vibrant, optimistic and lighthearted and often reminiscent of her warm memories of her life in Harlem.

1970s after seeing brocaded Tibetan paintings called thangkas. They inspired her to create patchwork fabric borders, or frames, with handwritten narrative around her canvas acrylic paintings. For her 1982 story quilt, “Who’s Afraid of Aunt Jemina,” Ms. Ringgold confronted the struggles of women by undermining the Black “mammy” stereotype and telling the story of a successful African-American businesswoman called Jemima Blakey. “Aunt Jemima conveys the same negative connotation as Uncle Tom, simply because of her looks,’’ she told The New York Times in a 1990 interview. Soon after, Ms. Ringgold produced a series of 12 quilt paintings titled “The French Collection,” again weaving narrative, biographical and African-American cultural references and Western art.

One of the works in the series, “Dancing at the Louvre,” depicts Ms. Ringgold’s

daughters dancing in the Paris museum, seemingly oblivious to the “Mona Lisa” and other European masterpieces on the walls. In other works in the series, Ms. Ringgold depicts giants of Black culture such as poet Langston Hughes alongside Pablo Picasso and other European masters. Among her socially conscious works is a three-panel “9/11 Peace Story Quilt” that Ms. Ringgold designed and constructed in collaboration with New York City students for the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. Each of the panels contains 12 squares with pictures and words that address the question “what will you do for peace?” It was exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

In 2014, her “Groovin High,” a depiction of a crowded energetic dance hall evocative of Harlem’s famous Savoy Ballroom, was featured on a billboard along New York City’s High Line park. Ms. Ringgold also created a number of public works. “People Portraits,” comprised of 52 individual glass mosaics representing figures in sports, performance and music, adorns the Los Angeles Civic Center subway station.

“Flying Home: Harlem Heroes and Heroines” are two mosaic murals in a Harlem subway station that feature figures such as Dinah Washington, Sugar Ray Robinson and Malcolm X.

In one of her recent books, “Harlem Renaissance Party,” Ms. Ringgold introduces young readers to Mr. Hughes and other Black artists of the 1920s. Other children’s books have featured Rosa Parks, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Underground Railroad.

Born in Harlem in 1930, Ms. Ringgold was the daughter of a seamstress and dress designer with whom she collaborated often. She attended City College of New York where she earned her bachelor and master’s degrees in art. She was a professor of art at the University of California in San Diego from

“I became a feminist out of disgust for the manner in which women were marginalized in the

Ms. Ringgold introduced quilting into her work in the