Richmond Free Press May 30-June 1, 2024 edition

Negro Leagues stats added to MLB records

Josh Gibson became Major League Baseball’s career leader with a .372 batting average, surpassing Ty Cobb’s .367, when Negro Leagues records for more than 2,300 players were incorporated Tuesday after a three-year research project.

Mr. Gibson also became the career leader in slugging percentage (.718) and OPS (1.177), moving ahead of Babe Ruth (.690 and 1.164).

“This initiative is focused on ensuring that future generations of fans have access to the statistics and milestones of all those who made the Negro Leagues possible,” baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “Their

Mr. Gibson’s .466 average for the 1943 Homestead Grays became the season standard, followed by Charlie “Chino” Smith’s .451 for the 1929 New York Lincoln Giants. They overtook the .440 by Hugh Duffy for the National League’s Boston team in 1894.

VUU agrees to discuss plans for Richmond Community Hospital

By George Copeland Jr.

After months of public outcry and private discussions, answers about the future of the former Richmond Community Hospital building seem closer than ever.

On Tuesday, Virginia Union University officials confirmed at a civic association meeting that they will schedule a meeting with Cyane Crump, executive director of the preservation group Historic Richmond, to discuss the building’s future.

“I’m reaching out right now to have lunch with Ms. Crump in the coming days,” said Grant Neely, VUU spokesperson. The plans for a discussion were raised before the meeting started, and VUU fully committed during an exchange between Mr. Neely and Viola Baskerville well into the event hosted by the Edgehill Chamberlayne Court Community Civic Association.

Ms. Baskerville, an attorney and cofounder of the Save Community Hospital online group, has helped lead advocacy efforts to preserve and reuse the building following VUU’s announcement earlier this

Top of the class

Public School

school valedictorians from left, Erickson

Richmond

and Leslie

By George Copeland Jr.

A new report has shed light on how racial bias has affected the value of neighborhoods and homes owned by people of color in Richmond. The report, released by Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia in partnership with Richmond City Councilmember Ellen F. Robertson, is based on years of research and local and national studies.

The findings reveal the toll this devaluation has had on Black residents, with thousands of dollars in value lost compared to white-majority homes and neighborhoods. One study featured in the report found that homes in Black-majority neighborhoods were worth 17% less than those in neighborhoods where the Black population was 1% or less, even between statistically identical neighborhoods, except for the race of the majority residents.

According to HOME of VA’s analysis, the racial composition of neighborhoods predicts roughly half the inequality in average home values. A study showed home appraisals in majority-white neighborhoods resulted in an average home value of over $436,000 versus over $256,000 in neighborhoods where people of color are the majority.

“The racial demographics of a neighborhood are a better prediction of the home values than home size, their type or their condition,” said Thomas Okuda Fitzpatrick, HOME of VA executive director. “That’s something we might have intuitively known, but this report presents it in stark contrast.”

HOME of VA, a nonprofit focused on housing-related inequities, cited decades of underinvestment in neighborhoods of color and intentional investment in white ones by local, state, and national governments as the cause for this disparity. The devaluing traces

By Graham Moomaw

Virginia isn’t believed to be a battleground state in the 2024 presidential election, but a new poll from Roanoke College suggests the matchup between President Biden and Donald Trump could be closer than expected.

Poll results from the Southwest Virginia school’s Institute for Policy and Opinion Research released Wednesday showed President Biden and Mr. Trump statistically tied

President Biden

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Richmond

high

Hernandez, Franklin Military Academy; Robert Jones, John Marshall; Emerson Rose,

Virtual Academy; Sanaya Blake, Richmond Community; Alexander Kremsreiter, Open High; Wilmer Matamoros-Menjivar, Richmond High School for the Arts; and Imani Williams, Thomas Jefferson. Manuel Randolph of Armstrong

Marin-Arellano of Huguenot are not pictured.

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

The Associated Press

Sean Gibson, the executive director of the Josh Gibson Foundation, stands next to a poster of his great-great-grandfather, baseball player Josh Gibson, who became Major League Baseball’s career batting champion when records from the Negro Leagues were incorporated this week.

Mr. Fitzpatrick

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

skies over Brown’s Island on May 24 cleared up just in time for the local gospel group The Legendary Ingramettes to perform at Friday Cheers. Lead singer Almeta Ingram-Miller is following the path of her mother and The group’s founder Maggie Ingram.

Soulful singer

Associated Press/Keith Srakocic, File

Researchers find key to drug resistance in breast cancer

Free Press staff report

Scientists at VCU Massey Cancer Center have discovered a biological process that allows breast tumor cells to develop resistance to standard treatment, a finding that could lead to more effective therapies for the disease.

The research published in Drug Resistance Updates reveals current drugs don’t completely eliminate the HER2 protein receptor, allowing tumor cells to partner with other proteins and continue growing.

The study suggests drugs targeting both HER2 and the related EGFR receptor may be needed to overcome resistance in HER2positive breast cancers, which account for nearly 20% of cases.

“The efficacy of the standard of care is very limited,” said lead researcher Dr. Yuesheng Zhang, a professor at VCU. “Even patients who initially respond will very quickly develop resistance.”

The researchers tested a promising new drug in combination with an existing therapy. It achieved total remission in one resistant breast cancer model and reduced tumor growth by nearly 70% in others where the cancer had spread to the brain. “This drug can actually cross the blood-brain barrier to attack the tumor,”

Dr. Zhang

Dr. Zhang said. His team is in talks with the National Cancer Institute to potentially move the drug into clinical trials.

While encouraged by their drug’s performance, Dr. Zhang said the study’s key impact is revealing the underlying mechanism that must be targeted to improve outcomes for patients with this aggressive cancer.

“This paper will move the field forward because cancer scientists can develop other drugs to target this vulnerability,” he said. “Our agent is only one of those.”

Floodwall testing to impact traffic

Free Press staff report

Motorists and pedestrians should prepare for road closures and detours in several areas of Richmond next week as the city conducts its annual floodwall testing.

Beginning Saturday and running through June 7, the Department of Public Utilities will perform operational testing on the city’s floodwall system from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, weather permitting.

The Mayo Bridge will be shut down to all vehicular and foot traffic on June 1 and 2 while testing occurs at that location.

Southbound traffic will be able to access the island on June 1, while northbound can reach the island on June 2.

Additional testing will require these road closures:

• June 5: East Byrd Street between South 12th Street and Virginia Street from 8 to 10 a.m.; Dock Street from 18th to 21st Street from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• June 7: Cary Street between 20th and 22nd Street from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Motorists are advised to obey road closure and detour signs in the area for safety. Pedestrians are not permitted in the testing zones.

The annual inspection ensures operability of the floodwall gates in accordance with Army Corps of Engineers standards. The last closure was a precautionary measure in November 2020 due to heavy rainfall.

Free community testing for COVID-19 continues

For the week ending Saturday, May 25, confirmed hospital admissions for COVID-19 in Virginia dropped 29.5% from the previous week. No deaths associated with COVID-19 were reported statewide that week. COVID-19 wastewater levels in Central Virginia remain below detection.

Free community testing for COVID-19 continues.

The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following locations:

• Thursday, May 30, 1 to 5 p.m. - Henrico Arms Apartments, 1566 Edgelawn Circle.

• Friday, May 31, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Southside Plaza WIC, 509 E. Southside Plaza.

• RHHD’s Resource Centers are providing free at-home tests for pickup at select locations:

• Creighton Court at 2150 Creighton Road, call 804-371-0433.

• Fairfield Court at 2311 N. 25th St., call 804-786-4099.

• Gilpin Court at 436 Calhoun St., call 804-786-1960 .

• Hillside Court at 1615 Glenfield Ave., call 804-230-7740.

• Mosby Court at 1536 Coalter St., call 804-786-0204.

• Southwood Court at 1754 Clarkson Road. Unit #B, call 804-2302077.

• Whitcomb Court at 2106 Deforrest St., call 804-786-0555. Call the Richmond and Henrico Call Center at (804) 205-3501 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday for information on testing sites or go online at vax.rchd.com. The Virginia Department of Health also has a list of COVID-19 testing locations around the state at www. vdh.virginia.gov.

Want a COVID-19 vaccine?

Those interested can schedule an appointment with RHHD by calling (804) 205-3501. Vaccines.gov also lists nearby pharmacies and clinics that offer the COVID-19 vaccine, and those interested can also text their ZIP code to 438829 or call 1-800-232-0233. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children between the ages of 6 months to 4 years old may need multiple doses of the updated vaccines, depending on their COVID-19 vaccine status and whether they had previously received Pfizer or Moderna. Waiting periods for additional vaccines can range from three to eight weeks or four to eight weeks, depending on the vaccine dose previously received.

Children between the ages of 5 and 11 years old who are unvaccinated or received a vaccine before Sept. 12, 2023, should get one updated Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

Those age 12 and older who are unvaccinated should get either one updated Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or two doses of the updated Novavax vaccine. People in that age range who received a vaccine before Sept. 12, 2023, should get one updated Pfizer, Moderna or Novavax vaccine. People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised may get additional doses of updated COVID-19 vaccine, and are encouraged to talk with their health care providers about how and when to receive them. Information compiled by George Copeland Jr.

Cityscape

Slices of life and scenes in Richmond

City receives highest bond rating

By George Copeland Jr.

“Triple-A! Triple-A! Triple-A!”

The chant echoed throughout the Observation Deck of Richmond City Hall last Thursday after city leaders announced Richmond had received a AAA bond rating for the first time in its history.

Mayor Levar M. Stoney led City Council members, officials, employees and community members in the chant, energized by the news and what it could mean for the future of the city.

The rating came from credit agency Fitch, upgrading the city from its previous AA+ bond rating, and will allow the city to borrow more money with lower interest rates.

With multiple development projects in progress across the city, the rating has the potential to save around $25 million in funding and construction over the life of all current bonds, according to Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Sabrina JoyHogg, providing more resources for the

Free Press staff report

A state historical marker honoring Woodland Cemetery, the resting place for many prominent figures in Richmond’s African American community from the late 19th to 20th centuries, will be dedicated this weekend in Henrico County.

The ceremony for the new marker issued by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources will be held Saturday, June 1, at 11 a.m. at Woodland Cemetery on Magnolia Road.

Those buried at Woodland include tennis great and humanitarin Arthur Ashe, public health activist Dr. Zenobia Gilpin, the Rev. John Jasper who founded Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church, and architect Charles Thaddeus Russell. The cemetery also contains graves of formerly enslaved people, military veterans and community leaders.

John Mitchell Jr., editor of the Richmond Planet newspaper, led the 1917 effort to establish Woodland as a cemetery for African-Americans after the Barton Heights cemeteries closed to Black residents.

The cemetery fell into disrepair but has been restored in recent years by families, volunteers and the Woodland Restoration Foundation.

Lawsuit

needs and interests of Richmonders.

“These savings will flow right back to our residents and go toward projects that will directly improve their daily lives,” Mayor Stoney said, “from enhancing streets to funding schools to other major development projects.

This rating is a game changer for Richmond.”

Mayor Stoney and other city officials celebrated the team effort that brought Richmond to this point, and it now joins the neighboring counties of Henrico, Chesterfield and Hanover in obtaining a AAA bond rating.

The upgraded rating was announced as multiple development projects have begun or will begin in the months to come, including a project to redevelop the Diamond District and the baseball stadium that will involve issuing $170 million in bonds.

Not everyone was happy about the upgraded bond rating. Attorney and community advocate Paul Goldman criticized the rating as evidence of the city prioritizing its financial standing over addressing problems in the city’s school system.

“The reason he got a AAA bond rating is because our elected leaders refused to borrow the money needed to fix up the school buildings,” Mr. Goldman wrote in a response to the announcement. “But notice they’ve got $280 million (to) pay off the bond for a baseball stadium!” Mr. Goldman is challenging the approval of the Diamond District project, with an initial hearing last week and a return to court in June over how public input in the project has been handled, among other claims.

The Richmond Crusade for Voters, who voiced their concern for the project’s approval and the potential financial burden residents may have to shoulder, are supporting Mr. Goldman in his suit.

The Virginia Board of Historic Resources approved the marker in December 2022. State, county and community partners including Henrico County Public Schools assisted with its installation.

The dedication ceremony celebrates the 107th anniversary of the cemetery’s opening. Benjamin Ross, historian of Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church, will provide opening remarks, followed by a welcoming introduction and history from Ron Hicks, president of the Woodland Restoration Foundation. Also scheduled to speak are Cari Tretina, Henrico County chief of staff; Marvin Harris, executive director of the Woodland Restoration Foundation; and Julie Langan, Director of DHR and Virginia’s state historic preservation officer.

The event is free and open to the public with parking available on the cemetery grounds.

Maine company that makes COVID-19 swabs

Associated Press

A Maine-based company that makes COVID-19 test swabs is being sued for allegedly condoning or refusing to stop racial harassment against a Black former employee at a plant that opened during a pandemic production surge.

While working at a Puritan Medical Products facility in Pittsfield, Dupreme Ammonds contends he was subjected to racial insults and references to so-called “sundown towns” where Black people had to be gone by nightfall or risk arrest, a beating or worse.

Mr. Ammonds, who is Black and Hispanic, was singled out by one particular worker who physically assaulted him and who was eventually fired, according to the federal lawsuit filed last week. Mr. Ammonds’ manager retaliated against him over the firing and the harassment kept happening, the lawsuit said. Coworkers who stood up for Mr. Ammonds were threatened with

firing by another company official, the suit alleges.

The Guilford-based company’s CEO insisted Tuesday that it doesn’t tolerate such conduct.

“While Puritan does not comment on pending cases, we deny violating the law and we look forward to defending ourselves before the court. Puritan does not tolerate inappropriate conduct in the workplace, and we remain fully committed to providing an appropriate workplace for all,” said Robert Shultz, president and CEO, in a statement.

Mr. Ammonds was one of the first employees in January 2021 when Puritan expanded during the pandemic with the new plant in Pittsfield, helped by tens of millions of dollars from

Trump administration.

The company’s alleged failure to stop

the 40-year-old from Hartland “took such a toll

that he was left with no choice but to leave his job”

April 2022, said Ryan Schmidt, his attorney.

the

the harassment against

on his health

in

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

The Cultural Roots Homeschool Cooperative’s “Moving On” ceremony opened with an African drum procession Wednesday, May 29, at Pine Camp Cultural Arts and Community Center on Old Brook Road. The Cultural Roots Homeschool Cooperative, founded by Alycia Wright, has about 125 students that participate in the educational classes and experiences that the families work together to select and fund each year.

Mayor Stoney

Negro Leagues stats added to MLB records

accomplishments on the field

will be a gateway to broader learning about this triumph in American history and the path that led to Jackie Robinson’s 1947 Dodger debut.”

A special committee on baseball records decided in 1969 to recognize six major leagues dating to 1876: the National (which launched in 1876), the American (1901), the American Association (1882-1891), Union Association (1884), Players’ League (1890), and Federal League (1914-1915). It excluded the National Association (187175), citing an “erratic schedule and procedures.”

MLB announced in December 2020 that it would be “correcting a longtime oversight” and would add the Negro Leagues. John Thorn, MLB’s official historian, chaired a 17person committee that included Negro Leagues experts and statisticians.

“The condensed 60-game season for the 2020 calendar year for the National League and American League prompted us to think that maybe the shortened Negro League seasons could come under the MLB umbrella, after all,” Mr. Thorn said.

An updated version of MLB’s database will become public before the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants play a tribute game to the Negro Leagues on June 20 at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala.

Baseball Hall of Fame President Josh Rawitch said statistics on Cooperstown plaques would remain the same because they reflect the information available at the time of a player’s induction.

Standards for season leaders is the same for Negro Leagues as the other leagues: 3.1 plate appearances or one inning for each game played by a player’s team.

Mr. Gibson’s .974 slugging percentage in 1937 became the season record, and Barry Bonds’ .863 in 2001 dropped to fifth, also trailing Mules Suttles .877 in 1926, Mr. Gibson’s .871 in 1943 and Mr. Smith’s .870 in 1929.

Mr. Bond’s prior OPS record of 1.421 in 2004 dropped to third behind Mr. Gibson’s 1.474 in 1937 and 1.435 in 1943.

Willie Mays gained 10 hits from the 1948 Birmingham Black Barons, increasing his total to 3,293. Minnie Minoso surpassed 2,000 hits, credited with 150 for the New York Cubans from 1946 to 1948 that boosted his total to 2,113.

Mr. Robinson, who broke MLB’s color barrier with the 1947 Dodgers, was credited with 49 hits with the 1945 Kansas City Monarchs that increased his total to 1,567.

Among pitchers, Satchel Paige gained 28 wins that raised his total to 125.

The committee met six times and dealt with issues such as when compiled league statistics didn’t make sense, such as a league having more wins than losses and walks that were missing. Researchers had to identify whether players with

the same name were one person or separate, tracking dates of birth, and identify people listed by nicknames. Documenting transactions and identifying ballparks in a time when neutral sites often were used is ongoing, along with uncovering statistics for independent teams.

Kevin Johnson and Gary Ashwill, researchers who had spent nearly two decades helping assemble the Seamheads Negro Leagues Database, were included in the project.

Mr. Thorn estimated 72% of Negro Leagues records from 1920 to 1948 are included and additional research might lead to future modifications.

Mr. Thorn said a four-homer game by Mr. Gibson in 1938 and a home run by Mr. Mays in August 1948 could not be included because complete

VUU agrees to discuss plans for Richmond Community Hospital

cal groups offering expertise to VUU in assessing the state of the hospital building, which served for decades as a resource for African-Americans facing medical discrimination and segregation. These groups aim to find alternative uses after news of VUU’s plans led to community backlash.

“We finally have Virginia Union getting their calendars together with Historic Richmond to sit down and talk about the hospital,” Ms. Baskerville said. “We’re making baby steps of progress, but Virginia Union University is well advised to

continue to talk to the community.”

Mr. Neely answered questions from over a dozen residents as he explained the latest steps in VUU’s plans and their goals for the university and the area, with Franklin Patterson, VUU’s vice president of administrative services and infrastructure management, stepping in to provide additional information.

This meeting was the latest public discussion of VUU’s plans for the building since a town hall in Richmond’s 3rd District at Linwood Holton Elementary School in March, where Mr. Patterson answered questions from the public.

At Tuesday’s meeting, residents raised

concerns about the planned redevelopment’s impact, including increased traffic, parking complexes, and the role of green space in the project. Some also stressed the need for VUU to be more communicative and open about their plans.

“What perplexes me is why these kinds of matters weren’t discussed before February on the front end rather than the back end,” said public historian Carmen Foster. “I think that the community relationship needs much repair, just like the hospital needs preservation as well.”

According to Mr. Neely, further community meetings are planned, with discussions likely throughout the summer and fall.

Poll finds Biden, Trump tied in state

of the results of the February 2024 and November 2023 Roanoke College polls. Still, it seems that Trump is narrowing President Biden’s lead, which has all but disappeared.”

The poll, which involved 711 likely Virginia voters surveyed via phone and through a “propriety online panel,” had a 4.24% margin of error.

President Biden is considered a solid favorite in Virginia, where he defeated Mr. Trump by double digits in 2020. Mr. Trump also lost in Virginia in 2016, and it’s been two decades since a Republican presidential contender won the state.

Virginia showed its purple side in 2021 when Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin won an unexpected victory. But the state GOP has had two disappointing election years in a row, flipping just one of three targeted congressional seats in 2022 and failing to win control of the General Assembly in 2023 when abortion rights were a major issue.

The state also has a U.S. Senate race this year, but there’s been little indication national Republicans intend to invest major resources trying to defeat Sen. Tim Kaine, a Democrat seeking a third Senate term. In the GOP primary that will be decided in June, Mr. Trump endorsed Hung Cao, a military veteran from Northern Virginia who has recently come under fire from all

game accounts have not been found.

“Without a box score, we can’t really balance the statistics,” Mr. Johnson said. “Those games are kind of in limbo at the moment.”

Records include the first Negro National League (192031), Eastern Colored League (1923-28), American Negro League (1929), East-West League (1932), Negro Southern League (1932), second Negro National League (1933-48) and Negro American League (1937-48). Some game details were obtained from newspapers that covered the Black communities. Mr. Johnson said while complete accounts were found for about 95% of games in the 1920s, coverage dropped off during the Great Depression in the 1930s and never fully recovered.

back to bias in the modern day and historic, systemic discrimination by home appraisers required to rate the credit worth of homes in Black neighborhoods as “hazardous.”

While changes in appraisal policy have ended this form of discrimination, the report states that racial bias and the lingering effects of these ratings have persisted to the present day.

“One problem with current appraisal methods is that they fail to correct for the unequal positions from which neighborhoods began their appraisal histories,” the report reads. “Appraisers intentionally devalued homes in neighborhoods with Black residents in the early 1900s. This cycle has carried the discrimination of initial appraisals into the present, even though appraisers are no longer allowed to consider racial demographics in their valuations.”

As a result, rising housing costs and community displacement have hit Black neighborhoods especially hard, with some Richmond neighborhoods seeing an 18% to 45% loss of Black residents from 2010 to 2019.

The report includes interviews with Black residents facing pressures like rising property taxes, lowering homeownership opportunities, and frequent offers to buy their homes in devalued neighborhoods.

“We’re gonna do until we can’t do anymore,” said Carrie David, one of the Black residents interviewed for the report. “Personal property tax, like I said, they try to price you out of your area.”

In a statement released with the report, Mr. Robertson described the findings as “an urgent reminder of what we must do to retain longtime residents and ensure fair housing values” for all Richmond residents, stressing how considerate Richmond leadership would need to be in addressing this disparity.

HOME of VA has recommended several proposals to the City of Richmond to tackle devaluing and reduce displacement, including preserving affordable housing, increasing affordable housing through zoning changes, and encouraging lenders to offer credit programs to improve homes in Black neighborhoods.

sides for remarks critics said came across as dismissive of rural areas.

The latest Roanoke College poll found just 2% of Virginia voters undecided, and 14% to 20% indicated they would vote for someone other than President Biden or Mr. Trump.

“This suggests that those voters who say they will vote for another candidate will possibly swing the election one way or the other,” Mr. Wilson said in his analysis. “Do they vote for a third-party candidate? Do they move to one of the major party candidates? Or do they decide to abstain from voting?”

This article originally appeared on VirgniaMercury.com

George Copeland Jr./Richmond Free Press

Virginia Union University Spokesperson Grant Neely addresses attendees of the Edgehill Chamberlayne Court Civic Association meeting on Tuesday.

Josh Gibson

Satchel Paige

Richmond Free Press

Editorial Page

May 30-June 1, 2024

Saying the quiet part online

They say when you’re job hunting, you should keep in mind that when a company lists qualifications and requirements on a job posting, it’s a “wish list.” Recruiters know there’s a chance only a few applicants will fit the exact requirements they’re looking for and they’re willing to settle for someone with similar experiences. A tech company based in Virginia called Arthur Grand Technologies learned to be careful what they wish for – the hard way.

In a posting on a jobs website, the corporation listed its requirements for a business analyst opening with its insurance and sales claims team in Dallas. The description read the job was open to “Only US Born Citizens [white] who are local within 60 miles from Dallas, TX [Don’t share with candidates].”

The post, however, was shared – with the Department of Justice and the Department of Labor. The company recently reached two agreements with the government agencies. In addition to having their recruitment policies monitored, they will be forced to revise their employment practices, retrain employees and pay compensation to individuals who filed complaints about the company, along with a civil penalty.

A representative for the company, which is minority-owned, reportedly blamed a “disgruntled worker,” for the discriminatory post.

We agree with the Department of Justice official who said the company’s stated preference for “white” candidates was shameful. We also applaud the government’s efforts to reach an agreement that will compensate the people who were affected by the post and give the firm a chance to rehabilitate itself.

While this kind of blatantly racist advertisement is uncommon, the sentiment behind it is not. It’s what led to companies adopting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives in recent years. Unfortunately, some of these DEI programs and initiatives have proved to be a trend, as many corporations quietly shuttered them after a brief period. That’s unfortunate, because as this incident proves, there’s work to be done.

Registering concern

Political forces are at work to erode the public’s trust in our institutions and processes. Maybe you’ve heard them claiming that the elections 0their side lost weren’t legitimate or are part of some kind of conspiracy. This year, some of these folk have gotten ahead of themselves, already claiming that elections that haven’t been held yet are potentially illegitimate and they may not accept the results. These people don’t want you to believe in systems and processes that are part of ensuring a democratic government. They’d rather you put that faith in them instead. It’s a cult of personality with an endgame that doesn’t bode well for democracy.

In the meantime, while our systems are under attack, we need the people that guard them to be unassailable and unblemished. One could argue that’s not the case with our city voter registrar, whose office is facing serious allegations of financial mismanagement and nepotism. Should political forces emerge to challenge the results of our local elections, the person who safeguards them may already be in a compromised position to defend them.

As the City Inspector General’s probe into the Elections Office continues, upholding faith in our electoral process is paramount. Hostile political forces seek to undermine this bedrock of democracy. In the meantime, concerned citizens can do what they have always done — exercise their sacred right to vote and await the results.

America’s growing literacy problem

The 2024 graduation season is upon us, and it represents a proud milestone in the lives of teenagers. Each year, middle school students graduate and then transition into high school. The same is true of many high school students who graduate and then move on to college.

After the excitement of the graduation ceremonies, we have to get back to the reality of what we are facing. Statistics show that the literacy rate is dropping among students of all ages. One former teacher and vice principal went as far as to say the nation is facing a “literacy crisis.”

The graduation ceremony is when family and friends come together to celebrate students’ academic achievements. However, the reality behind a student receiving a high school diploma can sometimes be misleading and disappointing.

Generally, it implies that a student who completes the required 12 years of education is now equipped with the basic skills to make them employable, adequately prepared for higher education or ready to enter military service should they choose. We can’t assume this is the case for every student; an individual can receive their diploma and still not possess the fundamental reading and reading comprehension skills.

The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit organization, claimed that the decline occurred before the COVID-19 pandemic. “Even before the pandemic, nearly

two-thirds of U.S. students were unable to read at grade level. “Scores had been getting worse for several years,” they report. “The pandemic made a bad situation worse.”

College professors also are concerned that their students are behind on reading skills, so it’s not just little kids struggling. Military brass are concerned that the declining number of well-qualified soldiers compromises U.S. national security. It’s no coincidence that the Army has seen a significant shortfall in recruiting in recent years. According to a publication of the Association of the United States Army, only 23% of young

Americans between the ages of 17 and 24 are qualified to serve in the Army without a waiver. This is mostly due to obesity, drug use, or the inability to meet academic standards. Everyone, including baby boomers, should be concerned about the lack of talent being produced by our public school system.

Logistical and analytic thinking come from reading. Reading helps children understand abstract concepts. It helps young people understand the idea of cause and effect, which leads to better decision-making skills. Without a strong academic foundation, young people face an uncertain future. If the Army knows that the lack of qualified soldiers will come with deep consequences, the same is true for the lack of qualified doctors, lawyers, engineers, and business leaders.

Standardized tests are a financial boon for testing corporations but useless for teachers and students. More than $1.7 billion is spent on standardized testing in the U.S. each year, according to a study by the Brown Center on Education Policy at Brookings. It becomes another situation where profits are put ahead of people. The fact that our students are ill-prepared will have a long-lasting impact that touches the future and productivity of every American institution.

The writer is the founder of the faith-based organization, TRB: The Reconciled Body, and author of the book “God Bless Our Divided America.”

When students are passed from one grade to the next while still underperforming at their grade level, when and how do they ever catch up? We can’t blame this on the kids. Many public education advocates point out how test-based school reforms became the primary measure of student success. One of the main reasons students may graduate without the ability to read is the lack of emphasis on foundational literacy skills in early education. Schools are now judged on their test scores, forcing teachers to focus on test preparation rather than actual learning.

Credibility crisis at the Supreme Court

As if suspicions, partisan and otherwise, have not dealt enough blows to our criminal justice system in recent years, along comes Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s flag flap.

Senate Ju diciary Com mittee Chair man Dick Durbin, an Il linois Demo crat, who has continuously called for tighter ethics legislation re garding the high court, decried the controversy as adding “to the court’s ongoing ethical crisis.”

First there was the American flag photographed hanging upside down at the Alitos’ Virginia house in January 2020, days after the failed attempt to overturn the election.

Since my Boy Scout days, I have known the upside-down flag to be an international signal of distress. In the Jan. 6 uprising, those sympathetic to the bid to keep Donald Trump in office flew the flag upside down to show their support. For the rest of us, it became a symbol of how the nation was in distress based on the Trump lie that the election had been stolen by President Biden.

With the Supreme Court about to take on multiple cases involving the Trump attempts to overturn the 2020 election, one wonders what Justice Alito was trying to say in those chaotic days. His response when questioned was to blame his wife for flying this new version of a “revolutionary” flag and to say she had acted in a moment of anger when some neighbors

put up anti-Trump signs that offended her.

We had just gotten past several days of Justice Alito being lampooned for throwing his wife under the bus when The New York Times, which broke the earlier story, reported that Justice Alito was flying an “Appeal to Heaven flag” at

his New Jersey beach house this past summer. That Revolutionary War-era flag, with its prominent pine tree symbol and the words “Appeal to Heaven” on it, has been adopted by farright Christian nationalists and the “Stop the Steal movement” and was seen being carried by some of the rioters in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

Questions still abound, but that’s hardly surprising to anyone who has followed the court accountability “crisis,” as Sen. Durbin calls it. Sen. Durbin sent his first letter to Chief Justice John Roberts on the matter of recusal in the Jan. 6 cases more than two years ago.

With this latest series of highly questionable actions by the most conservative member of the court, Sen. Durbin has called for the immediate passage in Congress of the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal and Transparency (SCERT) Act, which Durbin’s Judiciary Committee advanced last July.

It would require Supreme Court justices to adopt a binding code of conduct and create a mechanism to investigate alleged violations of the code of conduct, among other provisions. It would also tighten up disclosure and transparency re-

quirements when a justice has a connection to a party or business before the court, and require justices to explain their recusal decisions to the public—in the sort of English, one hopes, that the public understands.

But will this legislation pass? Even Sen. Durbin was not sounding as optimistic as I remember him in past years. Meanwhile, the public’s confidence in the high court has taken a beating in polls.

Small wonder. We, the public, have seen a series of highprofile ethical lapses, beginning with the unprecedented leak of Justice Alito’s the Dobbs opinion, which the court later approved and which overturned the constitutional right to abortion. An investigation failed to find the leaker.

All nine justices signed a new ethics code last year in which each pledged to step aside from a case when “impartiality might be reasonably questioned” or when a justice or a spouse has a financial interest in the dispute. That pledge was made on the heels of ethics questions that involved Justice Clarence Thomas and some of his colleagues. But it is not independently enforced. Instead, it charges the court with policing itself.

All of these controversies are likely only to burn brighter as the cases involving Mr. Trump finally are in the hands of the Supreme Court. Sen. Durbin, Justice Roberts and other institutionalists, who currently appear unable to rise to the moment this crisis point seems to require, haven’t seen anything yet.

The writer is a columnist for the Chicago Tribune.

David W. Marshall

Clarence Page

Commentary/Letters to the Editor

A call to action for Richmond’s schools

I remember my first day as a student at Huguenot High School, walking into the building with a slight shakiness. I knew I had to step correct. The Huguenot of the late 1990s was a storied place in Richmond. This was the Huguenot of Coach Richard McFee’s victorious Falcons football team. It was the home of Coach Bo Jones’ legendary basketball machine. Then, there was Hugo Jackson, James Carver and Diane Bacon’s highly lauded music department. Everything I knew about Huguenot was excellent.

The late 1990s were years of historic violence in the city. The proliferation of drugs and weapons trafficking was at a historic high. National news outlets heralded Richmond as the second deadliest city per

capita in the United States. In 1994 – my freshman year at Huguenot – Richmond had 161 murders in the city. It wasn’t until my senior year that the homicide rate receded below 100 killings per year. As excellent as Huguenot was in my eyes, our high school was not unaffected by the tragedy that was so commonplace back then. Shootouts at football games were so frequent that our marching band began practicing how to slide between the bleachers for safety at night games. I remember K9 Units sauntering through the hallways of our school as

various kinds of contraband dropped past the lower-level windows of our school from open windows above us. We lost several friends and classmates to violence during the time I was in school What strikes me the most

Jonathan Bibbs

looking back at my high school experience and the context of all that was happening in our community is the stance of the educators who showed up every day to teach us. I remember teachers who showed us love through their determination to demand excellence from us. I remember teachers like Maxine Jenkins, Marvin Jones and Chelsea White. I remember leaders like our principals,

Carlton Stevens and Dr. William Cumbo; counselors like Beverly Mountain, Zimora Scott and Melvin Crenshaw. I remember these educators had the highest of expectations from us. They knew the ugliness of the world around us better than we did. They’d faced ugliness too, and they knew that the only way to transcend the gloom is to rise above it. Many of these teachers had faced segregation, Massive Resistance and poverty that most of us in their classrooms could never have imagined. Maybe that’s why they held such high expectations. They overcame incredible challenges and knew what it took to overcome. Whatever it was, the teachers I had at Huguenot expected the best out of us. There were no excuses. We were expected to

Counties must follow Henrico’s lead on homeless funding

Kudos to Henrico County for stating they will partner with the cityand pay for a quarter of the operating expenses for shelters for the homeless in Richmond. The total amount appropriated by Richmond at this time is $4 million, so they will allocate $1 million out of their budget to help with the homeless crisis.

Mayor Levar M. Stoney has sent letters to some of our other surrounding coun-

ties requesting help. These surrounding counties need to follow Henrico County’s lead and contribute so that we can get this homeless problem under control.

There is a diverse amount of homeless people from various areas living here in Richmond. If the monies come from the various counties as they should, we can then begin to tag team this problem. In the past we have been going alone, but

now we have Henrico and hopefully others to helpfully help us tackle the homeless problem. The more money we are able to raise, the more homeless people we can help. Thanks Henrico for being a good neighbor.

ERNEST PARKER JR. Richmond

Ashe Center demolition plan misguided

The recent decision and agreement between Richmond Public Schools and the City of Richmond to sell off the Arthur Ashe Jr Athletic Center to be demolished to build a hotel and apartment complex is a slap in the face to the city’s youths and the community at large.

This facility, while needing some cosmetic attention, is not in such dire condition to warrant demolition. All parties could simply have upgraded that facility as a partnership to continue to have it serve its intended and original purpose. In addition having such a venue would actually compliment the ballpark and hotel. Sadly, some parties involved have other ideas that cater to profit and handing over most of the benefit to Virginia Commonwealth University which will

only afford the city and community limited access to their athletic village. Merging the facility into the village is just a cover to give the university control rather than allow the city to own and have a venue that represents the interest of the people and not be beholden to VCU.

STUART M. SPEARS Richmond

do our best. Period. As May comes to a close, I cannot help but think about Huguenot and the tragedy that happened at Huguenot’s graduation in 2023. I cannot help but remember the horrible shockwave that ran through our city. I remember the pall of sadness that hung over all of us during a time that should have been full of joyous celebration. That feeling of despondency seems to be pervasive in our city these days. As I listen to some of our leaders in RPS, I find myself concerned that we have allowed ourselves to cede ground to a certain kind of hollow hopelessness. All too often it sounds like we’ve decided to settle into the status quo because the challenges before us are too great. This concerns me greatly.

Our children are the future of this beautiful city. We owe it to them to create an environment that lifts their gaze above the malaise of hopelessness. We owe it to them to create an environment that does better by them so we can expect excellence from them. We begin by demanding better from our leaders. It’s an election year. School Board candidates will be declaring their intentions to run by June 18, 2024. This year, let’s demand all of our candidates hold high expectations for our system because they know kids can learn and be successful when our administrators and teachers insist they do. The writer is an education advocate, the former CEO for Richmond Prep and an alum of Huguenot High School.

We stand for Equality Justice Opportunity Freedom and we fearlessly ght for Equality Justice Opportunity Freedom

Richmond Free Press e People’s Paper

Stories by Fred Jeter

Falcons add a feather to their cap

VUU keeps breaking records

Virginia Union University may have set a record for setting records this past school year.

Coach Franck Charles’male and female athletes seemed to take turns rewriting the Panthers’ record book for cross country and track and field.

“We had an amazing season,” said Coach Charles, himself a former standout long-distance runner for VUU.

The stars came from near and far. Kenyan Micah Kipruto got the party started last fall, setting records for the 8,000 meters (25:35) and 10,000 (32:18).

Strongman Zach Jones, from Chester’s Thomas Dale High, established new standards for the indoor shot put (15.63 meters), outdoor shot (14.42) and discus (45.07).

From Courtland, Dequan Boone set new marks for the hammer (44.66) and weight toss

(12.49).

Shakir Clark set the pole vault record of 3.40 meters.

Jalen Hinton from Chesapeake set VUU marks for the 100 (10.51) and combined with Mychael Tucker, Aiden Bryce Laws and Alpha Balde) for a new 4x400 record of 3:15.30).

Hinton also got into the record books last winner with a 7.97 for 60 meters indoors. Balde, from Baltimore, eclipsed the 200-meter mark with a 20.86 clocking.

Toni Middlebrooks came up strong on the women’s side, setting the 400-meter mark of 56.19 and teaming with Jailyn Johnson, Nia Randell and Tenae Minor to establish a new 4x400 mark of 3:56.26.

Jada Lane set a javelin record of 35.02 meters.

Aniah Ross missed her junior season of track and field with illness, but she’s making up for lost time as a senior.

The Huguenot High sprinter has helped give the Falcons a region title in the 4x100 relay, and the best may be yet to come.

The State Class 4 meet will be May 31 and June 1 at Liberty University in Lynchburg.

After taking sixth in the open 100 at the Class 4, Region B meet May 22 at King George, Ross saved some energy for a relay to remember.

The fleet foursome of J’miaya Muse to Ross to Ama Cousins to Kanaan Banks took the baton to the bank, crossing the finish line in 49.74, just ahead of runner-up King George.

The Falcons shook off 91-degree heat to get what they were after.

“A lot of work went into this,’ said Falcons Coach Kyle Fuller. “I’m ecstatic. I’m excited. But I’m not surprised. These are great kids.”

Ross enjoyed a strong sophomore season under Coach Fuller but was unable to compete a year ago.

“It started with a seizure at a cross-country meet and a trip to the ER; then she was in and out of the hospital after that,” Coach Fuller said.

“Coming back out as a senior is a testament to her character. She had not run for a year and a half starting this season.”

Ross and Muse will continue running next school year at Richard Bland Junior College near Petersburg while Cousins will continue racing for Radford University.

Banks is the lone junior among the region champs.

Track and field is a hard sell at Huguenot and at many innercity schools nowadays. Coach Fuller’s spring roster included about 20 girls and just five boys.

In the case of the girls, it was quality over quantity this season and a state championship would be the crowning touch.

“I have no doubt,” Fuller said, “we can handle anything in 4A.”

Panthers survive the portal

Virginia Union University seems to have weathered the worst of the portal storm this basketball offseason.

Coach Jay Butler’s program lost just one regular (Jacobe Williams) to the transfer epidemic that dominates college hoops story lines.

Florida native Williams averaged seven points and three rebounds for a 2023-24 VUU squad that went 14-18 overall and 8-9 in CIAA.

Returning for what should be a rousing senior season is 6-foot-5 wing Tahj Harding, who averaged 19 points last season while earning All-CIAA and Black Colleges All-America honors.

Newcomers, including two All-State guards, should make a difference looking ahead.

Butler’s springtime signees featured All-State guard KJ Wyche

out of Varina High. The 5-foot-9 guard was the 2023 Class 4 Player of the Year and twice led the Blue Devils to State titles at the Siegel Center.

Following a redshirt season, 6-foot O’Maundre Harris will join the roster. Harris was a Class 4 Allstate performer two seasons ago for E.C. Glass of Lynchburg.

Harris led Glass to the 2023 Class 4 Finals, losing to Varina and Wyche.

Another redshirt moving onto the roster is 6-foot-4 D.J. Mitchell, a Washington D.C., native who transferred from Florida International.

Aside from Wyche and Harris, other incoming freshmen will be 6-foot-6 Tim Mayes from Fort Bend Bush High in Texas and 6-foot-7 Chris Stanford from Hockessin, Del.

Belmont celebrates PGA championship

It’s time for golfers to turn back the calendar … way back.

Enthusiasts now have a chance to play the same course that was once the mecca of the sport. Furthermore, they will be able to use the same equipment as in yesteryear.

On May 30 and 31, Belmont Golf Course and First Tee of Greater Richmond will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the PGA Championship played there in Northern Henrico County.

UR Hall of Fame basketball player, radio, TV analyst Beckwith dies at 60

past 21 seasons.

Greg Beckwith, who served as University of Richmond’s basketball radio and television analyst for more than 20 years following his hall of fame career as a UR guard, died Friday at age 60. He is survived by his wife, Julie, and his children Brittany and BJ.

Mr. Beckwith arrived at Richmond in 1982 as a 5-foot-10 freshman point guard from Uniontown, Pa., and has been among the most beloved members of Spider Nation ever since. For his record-setting accomplishments as a player and his service to the program as an alumnus, he was inducted into the Richmond Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003.

“First as a player, then as a coach, and finally as a broadcaster, Greg has been a vital part of Richmond Athletics for more than 40 years. He brought a positive spirit to the Robins Center and everywhere he traveled on behalf of Spider Basketball,” said Vice President and Director of Athletics John Hardt. “ We will miss his smile, his laugh, and his love for his school more than words can describe.”

Mr. Beckwith was the starting point guard for the 1983-84 Spiders, leading the team to the ECAC South conference championship and the program’s first berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Spiders defeated Rider in the opening round before stunning No. 5 seed Auburn and Charles Barkley in the first round, a game that marked the start of Richmond’s reputation as “Giant Killers” in the NCAA Tournament.

This February, Mr. Beckwith and the rest of the team were recognized at halftime of Richmond’s game vs Davidson, a contest in which Mr. Beckwith provided commentary alongside announcer Bob Black, his on-air partner for the

“I’m so fortunate to have known Beck for 40 years,” Mr. Black said. “We’ve had so many great small point guards over my years, and Greg was the original who set the standard. But it’s the years since that I’ll forever cherish. As my broadcast partner for more than 20 years, Beck was great on the air and even better off the air. His positive, smiling personality, which touched so many people, was an inspiration to me, and we became so close that I think of him not just as a colleague and friend, but as a brother.”

Mr. Beckwith also led Richmond to the 1986 NCAA Tournament as a senior, earning All-State and All-CAA honors. He left Richmond as the program’s career leader in assists and steals and held both marks for more than 30 years (he now ranks second behind Jacob Gilyard in both categories). Mr. Beckwith still holds UR records for most assists in a season (200 in 1985-86) and most assists in a game (16 vs Navy on Feb. 25, 1986).

Following his playing career, Mr. Beckwith coached, serving as a graduate assistant at both Richmond and Virginia Tech. Following coaching, he began a long career in athletic apparel, starting with AJD Cap Company. In 1998, he joined Adidas, beginning a 23-year relationship that would see him ascend to sales manager of the Eastern Region. Following his retirement from Adidas, Mr. Beckwith joined S&S Activewear as an account executive in 2022.

A celebration of life is scheduled for 1 p.m. Monday, June 3, at Cannon Memorial Chapel on the UR campus. A reception follows in the Robins Center. Visitation begins 2 p.m. Sunday, June 2, at Bliley’s Funeral Home, 3801 Augusta Ave.

On Friday, May 31, the format will be a four-person scramble for $250 for a foursome and $65 for free agents who management will attempt to pair with other free agents.

The fee will include 1940-era clubs and balls and a cart for the 12-hole course. Awards will be given for lowest scores and best dressed, in 1940’s style togs.

At 4:30 p.m., May 31, youngsters will be able to play a free-of-charge round on “Little Bell,” the club’s par-three, six-hole course. To enter visit playbelmontrva.org.

Back on May 31, 1949, Virginian Sam Snead won the PGA Championship at what was then called Hermitage Country Club. Hermitage later became Belmont in the 1970s and in 2020 it partnered with First Tee, a nonprofit organization that aims to improve children’s lives and social skills through golf lessons. The diamond anniversary festivities will tee off May 30 with a $19.49 entry fee.

A switch pitcher?

Switch hitters in baseball are common … but switch pitchers?

Mississippi State’s Jurrangelo Cigntje launches pitches with both his right and left arm and ranks with the top hurlers in the tough Southeastern Conference.

Heading into this week the sophomore had a 7-1 record, 3.57 earned run average with 89 strikeouts in 70.2 innings for the Bulldogs.

He mostly throws right-handed to righthanded hitters and goes lefty to lefties, with some exceptions. He has been timed as fast as 92 mph with his right arm and 97 mph as a southpaw.

Cigntje (pronounced SAIN-ja) makes a smooth transition from one arm to the other. On the mound he wears a $500 Rawlings ambidextrous glove.

Baseball fans may remember him as part of the Curacao team that played in the 2016 Little League World Series. He was 16 when his family moved to Miami, where he starred for Pembroke Pines Catholic. He was drafted in the 18th round by Milwaukee as a senior but chose the college route at Mississippi State, a traditional college power.

Cigntje will be eligible for the Major League draft next year following his junior season in Starkville. The only Major-League pitcher in the modern era to throw with both arms was reliever Pat Venditte, who played for six teams between 2015 and 2020.

An ambidextrous pitcher must declare which arm he will throw with to start an atbat and continue to throw with same arm for full at bat.

Mitchell

Kyle Fuller

Aniah Ross, J’miaya Muse, Ama Cousins and Kanaan Banks of Huguenot High School’s Track Team.

Jones Middlebrooks

Greg Beckwith

Jurrangelo Cigntje

Personality: Wilmer Matamoros-Menjivar

Spotlight on Richmond Public Schools top 2024

High school has had its ups and downs for Wilmer Mtr. Matamoros-Menjivar, a senior at Richmond High School for the Arts.

Mr. Matamoros-Menjivar began his high school journey at the start of the pandemic. He completed half of eighth grade online before transitioning to high school, which was fully online. Although an adjustment, it wasn’t a problem for him.

“I always get my work done, so it wasn’t really a challenge, especially since doing everything online was a bit simpler,” Matamoros Menjivar said.

In his valedictory speech, Mr.Matamoros-Menjivar spoke about overcoming rejection and how it can open new doors, drawing from his own experiences. He had applied to a few specialty high school programs but wasn’t accepted by any, which left him feeling “miserable” and “devastated.”

Although not his first choice, Mr. Matamoros-Menjivar benefited from attending Richmond High School for the Arts, formerly George Wythe High School. There, he met Kakim Fung, his 10th-grade calculus teacher. Mr. Fung helped him enroll in dualcredit courses, allowing Mr. Matamoros-Menjivar to take online classes at Reynolds Community College alongside his high school courses. By junior year, he had earned a 5.28 GPA.

“Mr. Fung was the person that helped me on this journey

of becoming valedictorian,” he said.

The most challenging part, according to Mr. MatamorosMenjivar, were the rigorous advanced placement courses, taught at a college level.

“The workload of both (community college and AP courses) tried to set me back, but by pushing through, I accomplished it,” he explained.

Mr. Matamoros-Menjivar is proud to be the first in his family to attend college when he starts at James Madison University this fall.

“It’s a great feeling knowing I’ve accomplished so much that my family never had the opportunity to,” he said.

Meet the Richmond Public Schools 2024 top valedictorian and this week’s Personality, Wilmer MatamorosMenjivar:

Latest honor: RPS 2024 top valedictorian.

GPA: 5.28.

What makes a GPA soar beyond a 4.0: Taking dual enrollment classes is a big help but also being determined and putting the hard work in.

Size of my graduating class: 208 students.

Extracurricular activities: I am in the Boy Scouts in Troop 442. I am also the Senior Patrol leader for the troop.

Leadership roles in school activities: Although being a

class officer didn’t interest me, I often translated for teachers and gave tours to students.

Family members: My father, Wilmer Omar Matamoros is a masonry worker. My mother Nury Menjivar is a stay-athome mother. I also have two younger brothers, Daniel and Dennis, and a younger sister, Gissella.

Date and place of birth: I was born May 14 in Richmond.

Reaction to valedictorian honor: Even though I knew by my junior year that I was going to be valedictorian, the moment it became official my reaction was to feel proud of myself.

Family’s reaction: They were very happy and proud

of what I had accomplished.

Main point I will make in valedictory address: Overcoming rejection is hard but will open many more doors for opportunities.

The university I selected: James Madison University.

Reason: I chose JMU because I love being in the mountains and I also received the Centennial Scholarship, which will allow me a guaranteed full scholarship over the next four years.

What I plan to major in: Business management.

How a positive outlook impacts scoring high: My mindset is everything. If I have confidence in myself that I am prepared, I know that I will do well.

What truly motivates me to study and excel: I know that all the hard work I put in now will help pave my future.

How much time I devoted

valedictorian

to studying: I spent a lot of my high school time studying but I know it won’t be anything compared to college.

What really makes me

smart: I wouldn’t call myself smart per se, but I work really hard and I absorb a lot of information.

A good teacher is: Someone who goes the extra mile for their student and cares not only about their academic success but also their individual, personal success.

Career goal: I envision myself working for a high-profile company that is within the business workforce.

The secret to earning all

As: Putting the work in and paying attention in class.

Advice I would give my high school freshman self: You’ll be all right, just work hard and you’ll get there.

Most unforgettable experience during high school: My fourth-period class in my junior year with all my good friends and my favorite teacher in the world, Ms. Boaz.

Teachers who influenced me the most: Mr. Fung and Ms.

Boaz were two teachers who motivated me to continue all my hard work and invested in my success.

How I start the day: By waking up late with my mind set on graduation.

The three words that best describe me: Ambitious, motivated, persistent.

If I had 10 extra minutes in the day I would: Sleep.

Best late-night snack: Honey Nut Cheerios.

Something I love to do that most people would never imagine: Camping.

A quote that inspires me: “For everywhere we look, there is work to be done.” — Barack Obama

The best thing my parents ever taught me: To work hard.

The people who influenced me the most: My parents.

Book that influenced me the most: “Between the World and Me,” by Ta-Nehisi Coates. It influenced me by opening my eyes to a different perspective.

Next goal: Graduate college.

WWW.WALLERJEWELRY.COM

Richmond tunes up for summer concert season

Free Press staff report

As summer approaches, outdoor concert series are gearing up at two of the more picturesque venues around the city.

After nearly a decade-long hiatus, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is reviving its beloved Groovin’ in the Garden series as part of the venue’s 40th anniversary celebration this year. National touring acts will perform throughout the summer and fall in the picturesque Cochrane Rose Garden setting.

The concert lineup kicks off May 30 with folk rockers Carbon Leaf, followed by the Drive-By Truckers revisiting their “Southern Rock Opera” album on June 10. Singer-songwriter Ben Folds brings his “Paper Airplane Request Tour” to the Garden on June 11, a show already sold out. Fleetwood Mac tribute act Rumours ATL takes the stage Aug. 22.

At the venue, outside food and beverages are prohibited but concessions will be available. Lawn seating is allowed, with chairs provided in the premium Gold Circle section.

Maymont’s Summer Kickoff Festival returns June 7-8 to the historic estate’s Carriage House Lawn. The two-day event offers an eclectic sampling of local and regional rock, Latin, funk, and blues acts. The lineup for the series includes Tom Petty tribute band Full Moon Fever, yacht rockers Three Sheets to the Wind, a performance by the Latin Ballet of Virginia, progressive soul artist Shera Shi, funk/hip-hop/ jazz group Weekend Plans, salsa band Bio Ritmo and blues fusion from Justin Golden and the Devil’s Coattails. While taking in the tunes, attendees can enjoy craft beer, cider, wine and food. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children ages 3 to 16 for one-day passes.

New Hampton Jazz and Music Festival plays up diverse lineup

Free Press staff report

Taking a cue from a popular Richmond event, the long-running Hampton Jazz Festival has changed its name. The 50-year-old festival, originally a celebration of Hampton University, is now

the Hampton Jazz and Music Festival. Over the years, it has featured top names in soul, pop and jazz.

“The new name reflects the broad diversity of music we’re bringing to fans – young and old,” said Joe Santangelo, festival co-promoter. “From jazz and R&B to funk and more, this is a nod to changing times that will keep people excited to attend for many years to come.”

The three-day festival kicks off 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 28, with R&B singer KEM, Grammy-nominated songwriter Ledisi and the Special EFX All-Stars.

At 7 p.m. Saturday, June 29, iconic R&B group Boyz II Men headlines, alongside rising

Coco Jones and contemporary

saxophonist Boney James. The festival concludes 2 p.m Sunday, June 30, with a lineup featuring Grammy-winning musician and Late Show bandleader Jon Batiste, contemporary jazz multi-instrumentalist Brian Culbertson, British

Above, Boys II Men and below,

Salsa band Bio Ritmo

New book argues most white U.S. Christians worship a religion of whiteness

By Yonat Shimron Religious News Service

In 2000, two sociologists wrote a book about the fraught efforts of white evangelicals to diversify their congregations to better address racial discrimination in the church.

Now, one of those authors, Michael Emerson, has teamed up with another sociologist, Glenn Bracey, for an update. Their conclusions are grim.

In “The Religion of Whiteness: How Racism Distorts Christian Faith,” Mr. Emerson and Mr. Bracey suggest that as many as two-thirds of white Christians in the U.S. have elevated whiteness to a religion itself, one that rivals Christianity.

It’s a controversial claim, but one they support through interviews with Christian church leaders, many of them Black, about the state of race in the church, as well as a set of national surveys they conducted over the past few years.

Mr. Emerson and Mr. Bracey depict a Christianity that effectively worships the white race with a white Jesus at its center and a set of sacred symbols, including the flag (both the U.S. flag and sometimes the Confederate flag), the cross and, increasingly, guns. Though their churches may be slightly more racially diverse, this religion of whiteness strives to maintain white people at the top of the racial hierarchy as part of God’s ordained order.

Religion News Service spoke to Mr. Emerson, a fellow in religion and public policy at Rice University, and Mr. Bracey, an assistant professor of sociology at Villanova University, about their bold conclusions. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

You’re not using the word “religion” metaphorically in this book. You’re actually saying there is a religion of whiteness. Explain how you mean it.

Emerson: This is hard for people to understand, but we’re saying we cannot make progress in our country on race until we understand the depth of what it all means. It is wrapped literally in a religion that has all the markers of the way we define religion. It’s a unified system of beliefs and practices that worships or sacralizes, not some God in this sense, but whiteness. Whiteness is the god. It declares that everything else that isn’t supporting whiteness is profane, it’s wrong, it needs to be shunned.

Bracey: And when we say whiteness, we’re talking about the dominance that white people enjoy over people of color. So it’s not as though someone is saying, “I attend the Church of Whiteness.” It’s that they find themselves caught up in the worship of the dominance that white people enjoy.

As you say, this religion doesn’t call itself a Church of Whiteness. Why not?

Emerson: There’s a couple of rhetorical moves that are made so you never have to actually name it. One of them is that Jesus is white, and Jesus by definition is supposed to be for everybody. So Jesus is universal. So as long as Jesus is white and Jesus is universal, then whiteness is universal. And once you do that, you no longer have to name it, because that is truth. Anything else, is an argument against truth.

You also point out that churches across the country are becoming more diverse.You mention that 20% of Christian churches are racially diverse, up from 6% in 2000. Doesn’t that argue against a religion of whiteness?

Bracey: So that’s a very good question. It’s important to note that 80% of the churches are still homogeneous. The difficulty is, the whiteness of the church can remain, even when the church is not entirely white.

White evangelical churches in particular have race tests to either exclude people of color or make sure that people of color will support whiteness in the way that the church wants it supported. So those tests, I call utility-based tests, to tolerate and support these performances of white dominance. Those race tests are working.

They’re doing a good job of filtering out people who would disturb the worship of whiteness in those churches.

Describe how these tests work.

Bracey: I went to seven churches across four different states, all majority white and evangelical. In one church, I was asked on my first visit to go up on stage and sing, even though I have no history of singing in churches. In another church, I was asked if I wanted to adopt a biracial baby because this child had a biracial family and the father who was white had left, and they were looking for someone to step in and be a father.

Other times, there were exclusionary tests and the exclusionary tests are really obvious and painful. I went to a Bible study, segregated by sex. So I was in the men’s group, the men’s group was about eight people including six white men and a Latino man and me. It was his first time as well. They introduced themselves by saying what their names were and what their favorite gun was, and how recently they had shot it. So they established a gun culture, dominance and a sense of threat.

And at one point, the host of the Bible study stands up and says, I don’t know what the name of my favorite gun is. I just know when I shoot it, it goes chink, chink, chink. So I call it my China gun. So, without saying anything overtly, there was a performance that let you know the space was dangerous for people of color. It was racially stereotypical and hostile. If you were going to stay, you had to be willing to put up with the kinds of behaviors that established this space as a very white dominant space.

You also did some surveys to better define the belief systems of churches that practice the religion of whiteness. How did you get at whiteness in those surveys?

Bracey: We have a set of survey questions that ask people, do you think the Bible should be followed under all circumstances? The people who say “always” are the only people that we then ask follow-up questions. The Bible says not to speak unwholesome words. And so it’s wrong to curse. The majority say you should not curse. But then when we ask things that are racially inflected — how to treat immigrants, how to treat racial minorities within the church — then they abandon their Christian commitment to the Bible and show a commitment to something else. And that something else is whiteness.

Some Black people have embraced this religion of whiteness. How do you understand that?

Bracey: A lot of people get involved with the religion of whiteness, not because they’re attracted to whiteness, but because they’re attracted to the authentic or the real. Because whiteness is considered real, they come to think that real Christianity is what white folks say it is. People are attached to dominant things. There’s a lot of psychological benefit, in addition to

monetary benefit, from being a person of color in the religion of whiteness. People are constantly telling you you’ve done the right thing, you’ve broken from what they would say is the Democratic plantation, you are serious about faith, you put God before race. Frankly, that is enough to sustain a lot of people. How is there a monetary benefit?

Bracey: I’ll give you an example. (Earlier in my life) a pastor took me to meet one of the Republican members, a Black Republican in our county and recruited me to run for office. And he said plainly, if you want to be a Black Democrat, there’s a million of those. But if you want to be a Black Republican, we’ll give you a lot of money and attention and air time. So there was a material offer put there. How did you two scholars find each other?

Emerson: My earlier book, “Divided by Faith,” focused on white evangelicals. At that time, evangelicals were considered to be making a big change, bringing race into the conversation, advocating racial reconciliation. In the book I show there are particular ways of understanding the religion that actually makes matters worse. I argue these churches have three main religious cultural tools that they use: individualism, personal relationships and an antistructuralism that does not allow them to understand issues of race and racial inequality and what the solutions would be.

When we met, Glenn asked me, “Did you ever wonder if maybe it isn’t by chance that white evangelicals have these three cultural tools that just happened to not allow them to see what race really is?” I thought, “OK, I’ve got to work with this man.”

What’s been the response to your findings?

Emerson: I get two extreme reactions. I literally can hear crying in the audience, usually people of color, sometimes clapping, cheering and then some really serious questions: What is my motive? Am I a Christian? What has happened to me? These are coming mostly from white folks really who are very, very angry.

Bracey: If I am attending a church that’s practicing the religion of whiteness, they’ll obfuscate in the way that Michael described. There’s a “not me” syndrome happening. I would just invite people to think a little longer and see where their attachment to white Jesus is. How strong is it? Where would they find themselves in the book?

VA 23005 (804) 798-9667

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER CRISTINA RODRIGUEZ SEGOVIA, Plaintiff v. JOSE VIRGILIO RODRIGUEZ, Defendant. Case No.: CL24001506-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months.

It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 2nd day of July, 2024 at 9:00 AM and protect his interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER LAWRENCE BRAXTON, Plaintiff v. NATALIA CHRISTIAN BRAXTON, Defendant. Case No.: CL24001505-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months.

It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 2nd day of July, 2024 at 9:00 AM and protect her interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE COUNTY OF HENRICO CHARLES EDWARD SLAUGHTER, JR., Plaintiff, v. Civil Law No.: CL24-2855 ANGELITA VERNITA ROBINSON GOLDSTEIN, Defendant. ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of the abovestyled suit is to obtain a divorce from the bonds of matrimony from the defendant on the grounds that the parties have lived separate and apart without interruption and without cohabitation for a period of more than one year, since September 15, 2011. And it appearing by Affidavit filed according to law that the above-named defendant, is not a resident of this state and that due diligence has been used by or in behalf of plaintiff to ascertain in what county or city the defendant is, without effect. It is therefore ORDERED that the said Angelita Vernita Robinson Goldstein do appear in the Clerk’s Office of the Law Division of the Circuit Court of Henrico County, 4301 East Parham Road, Henrico, Virginia 23273, on or before and do whatever necessary to protect their interest in this suit.

A Copy, Teste:

HEIDI S. BARSHINGER, Clerk I ask for this: Rudolph C. McCollum, Jr. VSB #32825 P.O. Box 4595 Richmond, Virginia 23220 Phone (804) 523-3900 Fax (888) 532-1870

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE COUNTY OF HENRICO BRIANA JANET NAVARRETE, Plaintiff, v. FRANKLIN RENE MURILLO FUENTES, Defendant Case No.: CL24-2843 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is for the Plaintiff to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the grounds that the parties have lived separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption, and with Plaintiff’s intent to terminate the marriage, for a period exceeding twelve (12) months, namely since October 1, 2017. It appearing by affidavit that Plaintiff has no knowledge of the Defendant’s current address and Defendant’s present whereabouts are unknown and diligence has been used by or on behalf of the Plaintiff to ascertain in what county or city the Defendant is without effect. It is accordingly ORDERED that Franklin Rene Murillo Fuentes whose whereabouts are unknown, appear before this court on or before July 1, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. and do what is necessary to protect his interests herein. I ask for this: Elizabeth F. Egan, Esq. VSB #44849 America Law Group, Inc. 8501 Mayland Dr. Suite 106 Henrico, Va 23294 Phone: 804-308-0051 Fax: 434-885-3600 Email: legan@americalawgroup.com

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER LAKEISHA STARKS, Plaintiff v. AARON STARKS, Defendant. Case No.: CL24001433-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months.

It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 25th day of June, 2024 at 9:00 AM and protect his interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667

VIRGINIA COUNTY OF HENRICO CIRCUIT COURT STACEY MARIA (SHIELDS) CLARKE v NEVILLE MARSTON CLARKE Case No. CL 24-2720 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to: OBTAIN A DIVORCE A VINCULLO MATRIMONII OR FROM THE BONDS OF MATRIMONY ON THE GROUNDS OF A ONE YEAR SEPARATION PURSUANT TO §20-91.

It appearing from an affidavit that diligence has been used without effect, by or on the behalf of the plaintiff to ascertain in what county or city defendant is.

It is ORDERED that Neville Marston Clarke appear at the above named court and protect his/her interests on or before June 24, 2024. CUSTODY

VIRGINIA: IN THE JUVENILE AND DOMESTIC RELATIONS DISTRICT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND Commonwealth of Virginia, in re JOURNEE & JACIR LYNCH RDSS v. JOVON LYNCH Case No. JJ103286-03-00, JJ103285-03-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to: terminate the residual parental rights {“TPR”) of Jovon Lynch (Father) of Journee Lynch, child DOB 01/07/2023, and Jacir Lynch, child DOB 04/14/2020, “TPR” means all rights and responsibilities remaining with Parent after transfer of legal custody or guardianship of the person, including but not limited to rights of: visitation; adoption consent; determination of religious affiliation; and responsibility for support. It is ORDERED that the defendant Jovon Lynch (Father) to appear at the above-named Court and protect his/her interest on or before 08/08/2024, at 10:30 A.M, COURTROOM #3 (AFR)

Continued on next column

TRUSTEE’S SALE 4225 Mylan Road, Richmond, Virginia 23223 (Parcel ID: 813-733-7796) Default having been made in the terms of a certain Deed of Trust dated November 13, 2014, in the original principal amount of $164,900.00 and recorded in the Clerk’s Office of the Circuit Court of the County of Henrico, Virginia in Deed Book 5312, page 2204, the undersigned Substitute Trustees will sell at public auction on June 17, 2024, at 1:00pm in front of the building housing the Henrico County Circuit Court, At the Front Entrance of the Circuit Court Building For Henrico County located at 4309 E. Parham Road, Richmond, VA 23228, the property designated as Lot 20, Block D, Section 3, Clarendon Farms, as shown on subdivision plat prepared by Timmons, Engineers, Surveyors, Planners, dated October 4, 1999 entitled “Clarendon Farms Section 3, Fairfield District, Henrico county, Virginia”, which said plat was recorded in the Clerk`s Office, Circuit Court, Henrico County, Virginia, on December 7, 1999, in plat book 109, pages 126-129. Sale is subject to all prior liens, easements, restrictions, covenants, and conditions, if any, of record, or other matters which would be disclosed by an accurate survey or inspection of the premises. TERMS: CASH. A deposit of $16,500.00 or 10% of the sale price, whichever is lower, will be required of the successful bidder at time of sale. Prior to the sale, interested bidders will be required to register with and must present a bid deposit which may be held during the sale by the trustee. The bid deposit must be certified funds and/or cash, but no more than $9,900.00 of cash will be accepted. The successful bidder’s deposit will be retained at the sale and applied to the sale price. If held by the trustee, all other bid deposits will be returned to the unsuccessful bidders. Settlement is to be made within 15 calendar days. The successful bidder will be responsible for obtaining possession of the property, and for all costs and fees related to recording the Trustee’s Deed, including the grantors tax. The successful bidder will be required to execute a Memorandum of Trustee’s Sale, available for review on the Foreclosure Sales page of www. glasserlaw.com, outlining additional terms of sale and settlement. A Trustee’s Deed will be prepared by Trustee’s attorney at high bidder’s expense. This is a communication from a debt collector, Glasser and Glasser, P.L.C. on behalf of Atlantic Trustee Services, L.L.C., and/or William K. Grogan, Attorney at Law, and/or Auction.com-VA, LLC, Substitute Trustees, Crown Center Building, Suite 600, 580 East Main Street, Norfolk, VA 23510, File No. 234516-01, Tel: (757) 321-6465, between 10:00 a.m. & 12:00 noon only.

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE CITY OF RICHMOND FREDENA GREENWOOLRIDGE TERRY JONES GAIL GREEN VALENTINE v. ELNITE B. CARPENTER & JAMES H. BAILEY, deceased, and their successors in title, including heirs, devisees, assigns, surviving spouses, or creditors with any interest in the property that is the subject of this suit whose names and whereabouts are unknown and who are made parties defendant by the general description of PARTIES UNKNOWN. Plaintiffs, Case No.: CL24001352-TTB Defendants. AMENDED ORDER OF PUBLICATION TO: All Persons Having an Interest in the Real Property that is the subject of this Action namely, ELNITE B. CARPENTER, whereabouts unknown, and JAMES H. BAILEY, deceased, and their successors in title, including heirs, devisees, assigns, surviving spouses, or creditors with any interest in the property that is the subject of this suit whose names and whereabouts are unknown and who are made parties defendant by the general description of PARTIES UNKNOWN. The object of this suit is to quiet title to and establish sole title in the Plaintiffs by adverse possession to a certain parcel of land totaling 0.084 acres, Tax Map #: E0100106009 and known as 1504 1/2 Vista St. Richmond, Va. 23231, which was carved out of existing parcels of land, Lots 13, 14, 15, 16 conveyed to Ezra Bailey by deed by Letcher H. Reid, Jr. and Virginia A. Reid, husband and wife, Robert E. Reid, and Gertrude Reid Morris dated July 7, 1949, and recorded in the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office of the City of Richmond on July 12, 1949 in Deed Book 516 A, Page 486, as shown on a plat by W.W. La Prade & Bros, dated April 1919 and recorded in Plat Book 11, Page 150. Other portions of the subject parcel were conveyed to Ezra Bailey

by Lucian C. Matthews, et al, including Lot 14 by deed dated June 7, 1949 recorded in the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office of the City of Richmond in Deed Book 515 B, Page 365, and A.R. Morris, et al, conveyed Lots 15 and 16 by deed dated August 1, 1946 recorded in the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office of the City of Richmond in Deed Book 484 D, Page 89. An affidavit having been made and signed stating the Plaintiffs have been unable to locate defendants, ELNITE B. CARPENTER, whereabouts unknown, and JAMES H. BAILEY, deceased, and their successors in title, including heirs, devisees, assigns, surviving spouses, or creditors with any interest in the property that is the subject of this suit whose names and whereabouts are unknown and who are made parties defendant by the general description of PARTIES UNKNOWN. THEREFORE, it is hereby ORDERED that any of the parties, ELNITE B. CARPENTER, whereabouts unknown, and JAMES H. BAILEY, deceased, and their successors in title, including heirs, devisees, assigns, surviving spouses, or creditors with any interest in the property that is the subject of this suit whose names and whereabouts are unknown and who are made parties defendant by the general description of PARTIES UNKNOWN., appear within fifty (50) days of the entry of this ORDER, specifically on or before June 4, 2024, in the Clerk’s Office of the Circuit Court of Richmond City, Virginia, and do whatever is necessary to protect their interest in said property. I ask for this: Todd H. Ranson, Esq. (VSB #: 87931) HAIRFIELD & MORTON, PLC 2800 Buford Road, Ste. 201 Richmond, Virginia 23235

SANDRA D. HORTON and BURTON ROBINSON, JR. v. ROBERT D. OWENS SR., deceased, and his successors in title, including heirs, devisees, assigns, surviving spouse, or creditor with any interest in the property that is the subject of this suit whose names and whereabouts are unknown and who are made parties defendant by the general description of PARTIES UNKNOWN. Plaintiffs, Case No.: CL24001351-00-RBC Defendants. AMENDED ORDER OF PUBLICATION TO: All Persons Having an Interest in the Real Property that is the subject of this Action namely, ROBERT D. OWENS, SR., deceased, his successors in title, including heirs, devisees, assigns, surviving spouse, or creditor with any interest in the property that is the subject of this suit to quiet title on said property whose names and whereabouts are unknown and who are made parties defendant by the general description of “PARTIES UNKNOWN”. The object of this suit is to quiet title to and establish sole title in the Plaintiffs in a certain parcel of land totaling 0.138 acres, Tax Map#: N0001149012 and known as 510 East Gladstone Ave Richmond, VA. 23222, which was deeded to the Sandra D. Horton by gift deed from Rosalie Taylor Robinson