Political violence shakes America as election looms Richmond Free Press
Community Day planned as Bensley Agrihood project evolves
By Sam Brown
The Bensley Agrihood proj-
ect, a proposed affordable housing development centered around an organic farm and wellness center in Chesterfield County’s Bensley neigh-
expresses his concerns about perceived discrimination from county officials.
“We won’t let racism or racist white conservative thoughts and personas in public office block us from our work for selfdetermination for Black and
borhood, continues to move forward despite recent zoning setbacks.
Duron Chavis, executive director of Happily Natural Day said he remains committed to realizing the Agrihood vision in Bensley, even as he
brown people,” Chavis said After nearly 600 days and four deferrals by the planning commission, the organizers of Bensley Agrihood — Maggie Walker Community Land Trust, Happily Natural Day and Girls For A Change — pulled their
zoning proposal last month. But work at the site continues.
“We’re still building the farm on the land,” Chavis said. “[The land owner] wants to continue working with us … She understands that sometimes you get obstacles in the way that kind of — not stop the process — but slow it down.”
In an effort to maintain momentum and engage the community, the backers of Bensley Agrihood will be holding a Community Day on Sunday, July 21. The event will offer a variety of activities focused on land stewardship and agroforestry — a form of agriculture focused on the cultivation and conservation of trees.
Chavis said the event is a day for community members of all ages to come out and learn more about the Bensley Agrihood project while enjoying food and outdoor activities.
“There will be activities for young people, there will be surveys that people can take in relationship to the project, there will be food. So, it’s going to just be a nice outdoor activity day for folks to learn more about everything that we’ve been working toward in the development of the Bensley Agrihood,” Chavis said.
A select number of attendees also will have the chance to earn a prize. A $25 Visa gift
By John Hanna, Carolyn Thompson, Geoff Mulvihill and Jeffrey Collins The Associated Press
Long before a would-be assassin wounded former President Donald Trump, the fuse of political violence had been burning across America.
Members of Congress have been shot. One lawmaker’s staffers in Virginia were attacked with a baseball bat. In Louisville, a bullet grazed the mayor’s sweater after someone stormed into his campaign office. Someone put a tracking device on the Reno mayor’s car. Officials in South Carolina received death threats over a solar panel plant. And outside Buffalo, a man threw a dummy pipe bomb through the window of a county clerk candidate’s home — with a message reading: “If you don’t drop out of this race, the next pipe bomb will be real.”
“There are people who’ve come to me and said, ‘I contemplated running for my town office, and I could never imagine my family going through what you did, so I chose not to,’” said Melissa Hartman, who was targeted in the pipe bomb episode and ran for county clerk after serving as town
supervisor in Eden. The attempt on Trump’s life was the latest and most stunning example of political violence and harassment playing out regularly across America, shaking the foundations of democracy and causing grave concern the atmosphere will worsen as Election Day nears. Trump and President Biden each called for unity after the shooting, with the president telling the nation, “We can’t allow violence to be normalized.”
Intense partisanship, punctuated by violence, has long been a part of American politics. In 1798, congressmen from opposing parties brawled in the U.S. House chamber beating each other with a cane and fireplace tongs. Four presidents have been killed by assassins, with other presidents and candidates wounded or targeted. Yet the attack on Trump evoked memories of more recent incidents.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords was wounded in a 2011 shooting outside an Arizona grocery store. Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, now House majority leader, was shot in 2017 while practicing for a charity
A Plunky good time Concert to bring jazz icon’s multifaceted legacy to life
By Davy Jones
James “Plunky” Branch is an educator.
A label founder. A mentor to multiple generations of instrumentalists and a founding father of the Richmond Jazz Society. His early musical travels included formative stints in San Francisco and New York, but 2024 marks his 50th year of performing after returning to his native Richmond, and he’ll celebrate by staging a concert dubbed
Roland Martin leads discussion on reimagining Richmond schools
By George Copeland Jr.
A diverse group of over 60 Richmond area residents gathered at Sixth Baptist Church on Sunday to explore new educational possibilities for the city’s schools. The “Reimagining Education” town hall, led by journalist Roland Martin, aimed to spark discussion on innovative approaches to improve student outcomes, particularly for children of color.
“You have to decide your next meeting, establish your agenda and where do you start,” said Martin, addressing the audience. “The next step is for the folks in this room to decide how committed are you to the concept of reimagining education in Richmond and what are you prepared to do next.” Martin moderated a panel discussion and Q&A session,
Plunky Day in RVA on Friday, July 19, at Kanawha Plaza. The event promises to tie together threads of the soon-to-be 77-yearold’s varied legacy.
“Everything we’re talking about combines both present and past – and future,” he said. “A half century is a momentous occasion for anything.” The idea for the event came from, of all
Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press
Plunky Branch, seen here at his Richmond home near Byrd Park, is preparing for Plunky Day in RVA at Kanawha Plaza on Friday, July 19.
Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press
Journalist and author Roland Martin, addresses the audience during a town hall meeting on education reform in Richmond at Sixth Baptist Church on Sunday, July 14.
Julianne Tripp Hillian Splash down
Davi Gray, 18 months, plays at the Dunncroft Castle Point Park in Glen Allen on Friday, July 5. Davi was visiting Richmond with his mom, Demi Gray, from New York. In addition to a spray park, the site features trails, picnic areas and a nine-hole disc golf course.
Sandra Sellars/RIchmond Free Press
Duron Chavis explains the initial proposal June 23 at the Bensley Agrihood Service Day and Speakout.
AP Photo/Lauren Petracca
Melissa Hartman poses for a portrait inside of her home, Tuesday, July 16, in Eden, N.Y. A man threw a dummy pipe bomb through the window of the Erie County, N.Y., clerk candidate’s home in 2022. Hartman lost her county clerk race and hasn’t sought elective office since.
Veterans care centers get new wheelchair-accessible vans
Free Press staff report
The Virginia Veterans Services Foundation and the Virginia Department of Veterans Services announced Wednesday that the Disabled American Veterans Department of Virginia has donated four specially equipped minivans to transport residents of state veterans care centers to medical appointments.
The wheelchair-accessible 2024 Chrysler Pacifica minivans, valued at more than $72,000 each, were presented at the Virginia War Memorial. One van will serve each of Virginia’s four veterans care centers.
The vans will serve the Davis & McDaniel Veterans Care Center in Roanoke, Sitter & Barfoot Veterans Care Center in Richmond, Jones & Cabacoy Veterans Care Center in Virginia Beach, and the Puller Veterans Care Center under construction in Fauquier County.
“These new minivans will be a big help in transporting our veterans to medical appointments, especially when it’s just one or two veterans at a time,” added Commissioner Chuck Zingler of the Virginia Department of Veterans Services. “At present, we use one of our 15-passenger buses for this purpose – the smaller size of the minivans gives us greater operational flexibility.”
The four 2024 model Chrysler Pacifica minivans, are each wrapped with a colorful patriotic theme.
For more information about DVS veterans care centers, visit dvs.virginia.gov/veterans-care-centers.
Free community testing for COVID-19 continues
For the week ending on Saturday, July 13, confirmed hospital admissions for COVID-19 in Virginia rose 2% from the previous week, though new admissions remain low. One death associated with COVID-19 was reported statewide during that timeframe. COVID-19 wastewater levels in the Greater Richmond area remain, on average, below detection.
The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following locations:
• Thursday, July 18, 1 to 5 p.m. - Henrico Arms Apartments, 1566 Edgelawn Circle.
• Friday, July 19, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Southside Plaza WIC, 509 E. Southside Plaza.
• Wednesday, July 24, 8 to 10 a.m. - East Henrico Recreation Center, 1440 N. Laburnum Ave.; 2 to 4:30 p.m. St. Luke’s Apartments, 117 Engleside Drive.
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 804-230-2077.
• Whitcomb Court at 2106 Deforrest St., call 804-7860555. Call the Richmond and Henrico Call Center at (804) 2053501 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 and 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 to 11 years old who are unvaccinated or have 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. Information compiled by George Copeland Jr.
Cityscape
Slices of life and scenes in Richmond
Richmond issues water advisory for James River due to sewage leak
Free Press staff report
The Virginia Department of Health has issued a recreational water advisory for a section of the James River following a sewage leak reported on July 16. The affected area stretches from the Manchester Bridge (9th Street) in Richmond to Osborne Landing in Henrico County.
Officials are advising against recreational activities such as swimming, wading, tubing and whitewater kayaking where water submersion is likely. However, activities like boating, fishing, and canoeing may continue with caution to avoid water contact.
The City of Richmond’s Department of Public Utilities assures residents that drinking water remains unaffected, as the city’s water source is upstream from the impacted site.
The advisory comes after a leak was discovered in a 50-year-old sewage pipe along the Pipeline Trail. City crews, working with the Department of Environmental Quality, confirmed high bacteria levels through testing. The cause was traced to offline bypass pumps, which have since been reactivated to minimize sewage release.
Immediate repairs are underway, including the installation of inflatable plugs and a temporary patch on the damaged
42-inch pipe, according to a press release from the city. Long-term solutions are being developed, considering the pipe’s challenging location suspended above the river.
“When bacteria contamination makes the river unsafe for recreation, it is critical that the public and river-based businesses have timely information,” said Tom Dunlap, James Riverkeeper for the James River Association. “We appreciate VDH and Richmond DPU issuing their advisory and press release to keep river users safe. We also encourage anyone interested in safe use of the James River to utilize our James River Watch website for weekly updates during
the summer.”
Affected public access points include Great Shiplock Park, Chapel Island, Dock Street Park, Wharf Street/Intermediate Terminal, Ancarrow’s Landing,City officials state that this swift response should prevent further river contamination. They are working on both temporary and permanent solutions, with the long-term fix requiring extensive engineering due to the pipe’s difficult access.
The advisory will remain in effect until further notice. Residents are encouraged to stay informed through official city channels for updates on the situation and when normal river activities can safely resume.
McClellan delivers $1.6M for domestic violence survivors
Free Press staff report
U.S. Rep. Jennifer L. McClellan, D-Va., presented YWCA Richmond with a $1,666,279 check Tuesday to support the organization’s services for domestic violence survivors.
The federal funding will support the Transforming Lives After Surviving Domestic Violence Project to build at least 40 new residential units and provide 24/7 programming and services for survivors in the Richmond area.
McClellan secured the funding through the annual appropriations process. In total, she secured over $15 million for 15 local projects and priorities throughout Virginia’s 4th Congressional District. The congresswoman said YWCA Richmond is an important cornerstone of the community.
“I am thrilled to deliver more than $1.6 million to support their efforts to protect and assist domestic violence survivors from housing insecurity,” she said. “Studies show domestic violence citations are the No. 3 reason tenants get evicted.”
Rupa Murthy, CEO of YWCA Rich-
mond, said access to safe, affordable housing is the biggest issue the organization’s domestic violence team works to solve.
“This historic regional investment in
safe and healthy families, violence free communities, and economic mobility for those facing a difficult path so they cannot only survive but thrive, is a catalyst for regional commitment to build a system of care that centers a survivor of domestic violence,” Murthy said.
This is McClellan’s fourth Community Project Funding check presentation. In May, she presented Henrico County officials with a $725,000 check for their Universal Broadband Deployment Project. In June, she presented Brunswick County with $500,000 to support their Industrial Site Development Project and $188,787 to Southside Virginia Community College for their In-Demand Technical Training Learning Project.
City proposes solar farm, meadow on former landfill site
Free Press staff report Richmond officials are seeking public input on a proposal to convert a former landfill into the city’s first solar farm and pollinator meadow. The project, which could cover up to 30 acres in the 7th District, aims to generate renewable energy while supporting local biodiversity. The city has scheduled two community engagement sessions to discuss the potential development. Plans include a groundmounted solar array to generate clean energy, with a pollinator garden beneath to provide habitats for bees, butterflies and other
essential pollinators. Mayor Levar M. Stoney emphasized the initiative’s importance
in our commitment to sustainability and equity,” Newbille said. She added that community benefits would be incorporated if the project moves forward. The first community engagement session is scheduled for
N. 25th St. The second session will take place on July 24 from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Powhatan Community Center, 5051 Northampton St. Residents are encouraged to attend to share ideas and learn more about the potential project. The sessions will provide an opportunity for the community to contribute to the planning and development of the initiative. City officials hope these meetings will help determine the best path forward for the innovative project, transforming the former landfill
into a sustainable asset for the community.
site
Virginia Department of Veterans Services
Virginia Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs Craig Crenshaw, left, and DVS Commissioner Chuck Zingler standing with one of the donated vans.
Congresswoman Jennifer L. McClellan presented YWCA Richmond with a $1,666,279 check to support the organization’s services for domestic violence survivors this week.
Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press James River
Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press
A new Arthur Ashe mural by local artist Jason Ford graces the front of Marco’s Pizza on Arthur Ashe Boulevard in Scott’s Center in Scott’s Addition. The late tennis great and humanitarian would have celebrated his 81st birthday last week.
FANTASIA
Fantasia’s desire to show her fans love and thank them for their constant support has resulted in non-stop touring since the beginning of her career. She broke onto the music scene as the Season Three winner of Fox’s American Idol and has been headlining sell-out tours ever since. Don’t miss your chance to see Fantasia at the 2024 Richmond Jazz and Music Festival!
ANDRA DAY•GREGORY PORTER•MOONCHILD•NAJEE•LEE RITENOUR•ALEX BUGNON THE LOX•REGINA BELLE•TERISA GRIFFIN• TRAP JAZZ•CHIELI MINUCCI, ELLIOTT YAMIN, •BIG MIKE HART• AND MANY OTHERS!
ST. PAUL & THE BROKEN BONES
WYCLEF
LUDACRIS
MONICA SNARKY PUPPY
Political violence shakes America as election looms
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baseball game. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan was the target of a foiled kidnapping plot uncovered in 2020.
Even after the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol shocked the world, political violence continued.
A man with a hammer bludgeoned the husband of then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, in their San Francisco home in 2022. Last year, a man with a history of mental illness went to the Fairfax, Va., district office of Democratic U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly, looking to kill him with a baseball bat. Connolly wasn’t there, so the man attacked two staffers
And there are dozens of stories from far lesser-known political officials like Hartman.
She lost her county clerk race and hasn’t sought elective office since in her town of 7,700. The man who threw the dummy pipe bomb pleaded guilty. Hartman said he was paid to do it by a neighbor, and she remains skittish two years later.
In York County, S.C., a suburb of Charlotte, N.C., County Council Chairwoman Christi Cox said that after the attempt on Trump, she felt compelled to speak about a letter she recently received. She’d sent her kids to get the mail and read it while they were nearby — a threat to kill her unless she stopped a solar panel manufacturer from building a $150 million plant receiving council-approved incentives. Cox is a Republican; an additional letter threatening the council’s only Democrat came to county offices.
“Our country is in a very dangerous and dark place right now, and I feel like some of that is spilling over to our community,” she said at the council’s Monday meeting. “The level of anger, hate, lies, accusations, fear mongering — it is rampant.”
In Reno, Nev., a far right movement has targeted local politicians. Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve doesn’t know whether someone in that movement had the tracking device put on her vehicle, and she tries to avoid going to public places alone.
“I think people really forget that we’re human beings,” she said.
In Louisville, Ky., in 2022, a man burst into Mayor Craig Greenberg’s campaign headquarters, firing shots. A bullet grazed his sweater. Staffers were unharmed.
“Absolutely no good came from Saturday’s heinous act,” Greenberg said Monday. “But let’s hope it’s finally the wake-up call.”
Michigan state Sen. Jeremy Moss called the assassination attempt a moment to “reset.” Moss, who’s Jewish and gay, faced personal threats over the years, including one from a man charged with using social media to threaten the lives of Jewish state officials.
“I hope this is a moment that all of us on all sides of the political spectrum can say we all were saved by that bullet missing President Trump,” Moss said.
Community Day planned
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card will be given to the first 30 attendees who RSVP and take a survey offered at the event.
Chesterfield County officials said there has been no new action since the three nonprofits backing the project withdrew their proposal. Meanwhile, the Bensley Agrihood team continues their work on the ground.
The Community Day will be held July 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 2600 Swineford Road.
Roland Martin leads discussion on reimagining Richmond schools
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featuring Richmond educator Jonathan Davis, 228 Accelerator founder Caroline Hill and Richmond Public Schools parents Lannell Harris and Johnathan Siler.
New Schools for Virginia, an education reform group, organized the event. NSVA Director of Community Engagement Jonathan Bibbs explained that the town hall was intended to spur discussion about alternative education methods to address performance and proficiency challenges in Richmond.
Topics ranged from various school models to parent-teacher relations and workforce preparation. Hill and Davis shared their experiences in public and charter schools, while Harris and Siler discussed their efforts to ensure quality education for their children.
“It has been challenging post-pandemic, but I’m a hands-on parent,” said Harris, a mother of two schoolchildren. “Keeping that communication with teachers is key because there is no ‘I’ in team when it comes to the acceleration of our children.”
NSVA is a proponent of charter schools, with their previous community discussions and proposals focused on bringing new ones to Richmond and building support among residents. Audience members brought many other options to the table during the town hall, from smaller classroom sizes to partnerships with churches.
Attendees also stressed the need for better faculty support and involvement from parents, and called to bring the many ideas discussed to the city’s housing projects and underprivileged. Martin, for his part, made clear that he was open to any method of education that the community approved of and that helped students in need.
“The goal is improving the outcomes of our kids,” Martin said. That’s the absolute goal, it’s not about politics, it’s not about party, it’s not about anything else. It’s about our kids.”
The attack came a day after governors at a National Governors Association meeting in Salt Lake City committed to collaborating on public service announcements and other campaigns to show voters they can get along with political rivals. The association’s outgoing chair, Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, warned “there is nothing that says that we aren’t going to continue to tear ourselves apart,” if “we don’t do the work.”
“We can disagree without hating each other,” he said.
Cooling the political climate will require both a change in messaging at the top and a willingness of rank-and-file voters to move closer to those who disagree with them, said Austin Doctor, of the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Center.
“It takes a lot of work and consistent commitment to the values of democracy,” Doctor said. “The question that we have to continue to ask is: How do we veer out of this potential spiral?”
In Oklahoma, Pat McFerron, a pollster and GOP consultant, said closed-party primaries in safe districts encourage candidates to use extreme rhetoric. It would be toned down, he argued, in a single open primary.
“Most of the candidates I know, in their heart of hearts, are people who want to make a difference ,who prefer an environment that wants consensus,” McFerron said. “If you’re going to be successful, you have to play the game that’s in front of you.”
Some Republicans — including vice presidential nominee JD Vance — quickly blamed Biden and other Democrats for portraying Trump as a threat to democracy. On Facebook, Alabama’s GOP Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth held “the radical left” responsible and said its agenda attacks Christianity and is “evil incarnate.” Social media has helped fuel threats. In a 2021 survey of 112 public officials, the National League of Cities found the overwhelming majority — about 4 in 5 — experienced harassment, threats or violence. Most said it happened through social media; more than half said it also occurred at public meetings. Threats of violence were amplified starting in 2020 with the coronavirus pandemic, as public health officials imposed restrictions. Ohio’s state health director resigned after armed protesters came to her house; the health officer for Orange County, Calif., quit after weeks of criticism and threats over requiring face coverings in public.
And Trump’s false narrative that the 2020 election was stolen has spawned threats against local election officials, making some miserable or anxious enough to quit Many are closely watching the upcoming election.
“It’s hard to imagine there is not an election jurisdiction in the country that now is not on high alert for the potential for political violence in the 2024 election,” said David Levine, a former local election official in Idaho.
Arizona Rep.
Giffords talks during a vigil remembering the 25th anniversary of the Columbine High School mass shooting, April 19, in Denver. Giffords was
Concert to bring jazz icon’s multifaceted legacy to life
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places, a funeral. Earlier this year, while gathering musicians for a memorial service for former bandmate Nathaniel “Nat” Lee, Plunky found himself looking back. “I probably have more performances behind me than in front,” he said. “I thought that maybe it’s the time to gather remembrances, and also pay homage to the people who [will] come after me.”
He’ll do it with a lineup that embodies his stylistic versatility. “I wanted to be sure that it touched on the various schools of thought and various genres that I have been associated with,” he said.
Rhythim, a young performer from Nigeria who now lives in Richmond, reflects Plunky’s Afrobeat past. Singer Corey El, son of guitarist and bandmate Carl Lester El, will carry the flag for Plunky’s R&B side and his commitment to mentorship. Veteran jazz singer Desirée Roots, “represents the jazz of my career and in this community,” Plunky notes.
Plunky’s ranging approach has reached listeners near and far over the last half century. With Oneness of Juju, a seminal formulation of his band leadership born out of the mid-1970s, he reached the Top 50 both domestically and internationally with the club -favorite hit, “Every Way But Loose.” Albums by that group, as well as the one that preceded it, Juju, have earned several vinyl reissues in recent years — as well as an era-spanning 2020 compilation, “African Rhythms 1970-1982,” via Strut Records.
Plunky himself hasn’t stopped moving forward. In December, he released a remix EP with deep house and drill-jazz remixes of his 2023 single, “I’ll Be There.” Other tracks of his have been sampled for use by the likes of J. Cole, J Dilla and Madlib, ensuring an ongoing presence in the world of hip-hop.
Plunky’s current band, Plunky & Oneness, will perform at Plunky Day in RVA, though top billing goes to EU featuring Sugar Bear. Years before they scored a hit with “Da Butt,” or partnered with rappers
Salt N Pepa on “Shake Your Thang,” they were known as Experience Unlimited and signed to Black Fire Records, the label Plunky co-founded in 1975. The show’s format is torn from this chapter in Plunky’s story, as well. “It’s a four-hour block that will flow,” Plunky said, calling to mind go-go’s continuous beat. Plunky was part of that genre’s beginnings, having shared festival stages and a booking agency with Chuck Brown, known as the Godfather of Go-Go.
“I was doing this wild, crazy African jazz,” Plunky said. “If we got the people moving, I tended not to stop the music… That’s sort of the heart and soul of go-go.”
Another groundbreaking instrumentalist who was in the mix at that time was keyboardist and cosmic sound pioneer Lonnie Liston Smith. Smith first met Plunky while playing keys for saxophone great Pharoah Sanders near the start of the 1970s, and Smith remembers Branch sitting in with Sanders’ group during gigs in San Francisco and New York. The two native Richmonders really got to know one another, however, when Smith moved back home in 1988. Smith notes that by
starting a label and helping to found the Richmond Jazz Society, Branch was blazing a forward-thinking trail through the music industry.
“He established a lot of things,” Smith said. “He did a lot for the younger generation musically.”
In that sense, the site of Plunky Day has its own resonance. Kanawha Plaza was once home to the Fridays at Sunset concert series, and Plunky draws a through-line backward from those shows to the 1970s, when he helped organize some of the city’s first downtown music festivals, including June Jubilee. He’s hoping attendees will notice those echoes. “I want people to walk away with some sense of the longevity,” Plunky said. “Not just [my own] longevity in terms of years, but the arts in general and how we’ve continued to develop.”
He’s also hoping the event has its own sense of longevity.
“I would like to think that this is simply the first annual Plunky Day,” he said. Plunky Day in RVA takes place at Kanawha Plaza on Friday, July 19, beginning at 6 p.m. Tickets are $40-75. To purchase tickets, visit eventbrite.com.
Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press
The panel at the “Reimagining Education” town hall at Sixth Baptist Church.
AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is helped off the stage at a campaign event in Butler, Pa., on Saturday, July 13.
AP Photo/John Bazemore, File
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks during a news conference, Aug. 14, 2023, in Atlanta. People connected with former President Donald Trump’s legal cases have been inundated with threats. In Atlanta, Willis, who brought criminal charges against Trump and 18 other people alleging they schemed to illegally overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia, is known to be accompanied by round-the-clock bodyguards.
Former
Gabby
severely wounded in a 2011 mass shooting outside a grocery store.
AP Photo/Jack Dempsey, File
Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press Plunky Branch
Richmond workers bring concerns to mayoral candidates
By George Copeland Jr.
The future of labor in Richmond was the focus of a “Unions for All” mayoral forum Saturday afternoon, as members from 17 unions and labor groups came together with other local workers in the BCTGM Union Hall to bring their questions to the candidates.
Candidates Andreas Addison, Michelle Mosby, Maurice Neblett, Harrison Roday and Danny Avula offered responses to questions on wage theft, living wage policies, anti-union tactics by employers and other issues. All sought to present themselves as valuable allies to the over 150 people in attendance, and the city’s growing labor movement.
“We need a mayor that will help us make the City of Richmond a place where every worker and every family can thrive,” said Charles Skelly, a member of the Richmond Area Building and Construction Trades Council, IBEW Local 666 and forum co-moderator.
Addison and Mosby leaned on their experiences as politicians to address some of the questions presented, with Addison pointing out his part in ongoing employment efforts citywide and Mosby reminding the audience of what she accomplished during her earlier term in City Hall.
“You need a proven leader in local government that can work
with City Council, work with the School Board so we can really get things done,” Mosby said.
Both tapped into their business background occasionally, from Mosby’s two decades as a business owner in South Side to Addison’s working family history and the values it gave him.
“I know what it takes to keep food on the table,” Addison said.
As a pediatrician, public health physician and state vaccine coordinator during the pandemic, Avula focused on that record, how it established new jobs in the city and the insight gained through his unique role in city government operations during the forum.
“We need a leader who’s going to balance both the technical expertise and a heart and passion for the city and a heart and passion for justice and equity,” Avula said.
Roday highlighted his nonprofit that helps minority small businesses, and cited his experience as a shareholder as showing him the pitfalls of labor inequality, leading to a work philosophy he promised to bring to the mayor’s office.
“I will always listen, I will never refuse to meet with you, I will never stop fighting for what we know is important,” Roday said.
Neblett, for his part, highlighted his work as a board member of the local federal credit union, alongside a number of policy proposals that focused largely on accountability and transparency
President of Florida’s only public historically Black university resigns after donation debacle
By Kate Payne The Associated Press
The president of Florida’s only public historically Black university is resigning amid backlash over the school’s apparent failure to properly vet a multimillion dollar donation from a dubious donor.
Larry Robinson submitted his resignation last week and will leave Florida A&M University at a time when state officials are scrutinizing programs at the school that they say are underperforming and as increasing political influence reshapes the state’s higher education landscape.
During a graduation ceremony in May, Robinson stood on stage in his academic regalia holding a jumbo check for $237
million, a gift that would have been the single largest private donation to a historically Black college or university – if it ever materialized.
Robinson has led the 137year-old HBCU for seven years. There has been public outcry over the university’s handling of the donation, which took the form of millions of shares in 30-year-old donor Gregory Gerami’s fledgling industrial hemp company. FAMU put the gift on pause and authorized an outside investigation of the debacle, which is ongoing.
“I saw in this unprecedented gift the potential to serve our students and our athletic programs in ways unimaginable at that time,” Robinson told the university’s trustees on May 15. “I wanted it to be real and
ignored the warning signs along the way.”
During Robinson’s tenure, FAMU has touted its rise in national rankings. But state officials also have scrutinized the flagging performance of some of the university’s programs, including its colleges of pharmacy and law.
The leadership change at the institution is raising concerns among some alumni at a time when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is working to limit the state’s diversity programs and restrict what can be taught about race and American history.
Democratic State Sen. Shevrin Jones, who’s a 2006 graduate of the HBCU, says he hopes the university’s leaders remember the institute was founded to educate African
in response to audience questions.
“I want to ensure that as the mayor I’d be a representation,” Neblett said, “not just standing at the top of City Hall, but as someone who’s going to come and hear your union, that’s going to listen to you, that’s going to work with you on a daily basis.”
Richmond has seen huge strides in the development of labor rights recently, with a landmark, negotiated union contract for all city employees taking effect weeks earlier. The contract includes raises across the next three years, a labor management committee, an established grievance process and improved work conditions.
These labor gains have occurred as state workers with union memberships rose from 3.7% in 2022 to 4.3% last year, according to a report in January from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This rise contrasts Virginia’s status as a right-to-work state and a small downward trend nationally for union membership.
Despite these gains, workers at the forum said there was still work to be done.
“Even with my recent wage increase, it is still not enough to survive,” said Priscilla Peebles, a 66-year-old custodian in City Hall, as she addressed the candidates. “It makes no sense that I’m living paycheck to paycheck and seeking government assistance like food stamps and crisis programs just to be able to survive. We aren’t asking for much, just a living wage.”
Americans as it searches for a new president.
“If they make decisions based off of the politics of this time, I fear for my institution,”
Jones said.
The university’s trustees is expected to set Robinson’s departure date and begin discussing the presidential search
when it meets July 23. Robinson plans to return to his position as a professor in FAMU’s School of the Environment after a yearlong sabbatical.
Photos by Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press
Girls of summer
Left, Girls For A Change CEO Angela Patton speaks during the 20th anniversary of the group’s foundational program Camp Diva Leadership Academy last month at Village Green RVA in Chesterfield County. Above, this year’s summer camp participants gather for the afternoon day of fun, food and reflection.
Richmond Free Press
July 18-20, 2024
Single ballot theory
The bloodied head of our former president is an image that we won’t be able to shake for some time. (Thanks cable news.) Our thoughts go out to the family of the man that was killed in the audience and all of the injured parties. This is the part where some folk expect to read a sentence about how this violent act isn’t part of the American way and that we’re “better than that.” Unfortunately, the evidence leads us to believe otherwise.
But back to that image. It didn’t take long for media pundits to toss out one of their favorite words to describe it, “iconic.” Time will tell about that. For some of us, however, it’s a picture with a clear message – violence is not the way to defeat Donald Trump.
As we’ve seen throughout history, it’s far easier to kill a man than a movement. The cult of personality plays on long after the person behind it leaves the stage. The messages, the rhetoric and the images live on in the hearts of people who believe. History also shows us that lasting political change can be achieved through peaceful means. We hope these next few months proves that point.
Another way to not defeat Trump? Take him to court. His lawyers will object, protest, call for a recess, throw a red flag on the floor, anything to delay the possibility of consequences for their frequent flyer client. In a New York courtroom, where his lawyers exhausted their attempts to stall the case involving election interference, he was convicted of 34 felonies – and his campaign continues. There is still a chance for a “September surprise,” when he’s sentenced in a few months, (jail time is a possibility) but we can’t rely on that or the courts to defeat Trump.
Something else that won’t defeat Trump? Shaming him. Unfortunately, unseemly acts and boorish behavior seem to be his brand. He was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation in court. He was accused of –I could go on, but young people might be reading this editorial.
There’s only one way to defeat Trump – at the ballot box. It worked once before, and although he didn’t go away, he stopped being president. A second rejection of his platform, his policies and his personality would prove something about them that he won’t be able to shake – they’re not a winning strategy.
A ballot box defeat doesn’t create martyrs or fuel conspiracy theories in the same way that other methods might. It’s harder to cry foul when the rules of the game are clear and agreed upon by the parties involved. Of course, we’ve seen attempts to discredit election results, but these claims hold less water with each failed legal challenge.
In a democracy, power flows from the people. No amount of bluster, legal maneuvering, or media manipulation can overcome the will of a determined electorate. The strongest weapon against any political figure or ideology we oppose is not violence, but the simple, powerful act of voting.
The 900-page guide to snuffing out American democracy
What if there was a blueprint for a future presidential administration to unilaterally lay waste to our constitutional order and turn America from a democracy into an autocracy in one fell swoop?
That is what one far right think tank and its contributors created. And more than a hundred other far right organizations have now signed on to support that blueprint. What could possibly go wrong?
Maybe you have heard about Project 2025. It was cooked up by the far-right Heritage Foundation. That organization’s leader says we are in a “second American Revolution” that he suggests could turn violent if those who oppose their disastrous plan to kill our democracy do not get in line behind it.
For its 51-year history, the Heritage Foundation has always been an instrument of the far right. Around 2016, it started to become extreme. Project 2025, and its 900-page guidebook for ending the American experiment, is perhaps its most extreme – and dangerous – initiative yet.
The premise behind Project 2025 is that our constitutional system of checks and balances somehow is skewed against the
American people based on their politics. It is an argument that itself exposes the extremity of those making it.
Our Constitution provides a framework, as do our democratic institutions, for political debate and disagreement within the natural parameters of our system of government. Although our country has too often bucked the very principles of our founding, we used to be able to agree that, generally, America is a Republic that elects its leaders through
representative democracy. And that for our government to serve the best interests of all its people, we must protect debate and a free exchange of ideas, as well as the mechanisms of democracy itself and the separation of powers among the three branches of government.
Project 2025 wants to throw all that out the window. It attacks democratic institutions that separate nonpolitical civil service from loyalty to any particular party or leader. It prescribes purging the federal government of anyone who might be considered disloyal to the ruling party. It allows the president to usurp power from other branches of government, like Congress’s power of the purse. Project 2025 endorses presidential powers that
include ignoring how Congress appropriates spending, where the president has the unquestioned authority to redirect congressionally passed spending at will.
Democracy Forward, a prodemocracy legal organization, refers to Project 2025 as “among the most profound threats to the American people.” That is due to the plan’s clear harm to the lives, livelihoods, and wellbeing of countless millions of Americans – “from attacking overtime pay, student loans and reproductive rights, to allowing more discrimination, pollution and price gouging,” according to Democracy Forward.
It is no wonder that when Americans learn about the Project 2025 roadmap, they reject its policy prescriptions overwhelmingly.
A recent survey by Navigator Polling found strong opposition to Project 2025’s possible impacts on health care: “83% oppose removing protections for people with pre-existing conditions, 81% oppose putting a new tax on health insurance for people who get coverage through their employer, and 80% oppose banning Medicare from negotiating lower prices and eliminating the $35 monthly insulin cap.”
Project 2025 also calls for defunding public education and eliminating Head Start, the early education program that serves
What if Crooks had been a Black man?
Can you imagine what would have happened to a Black man who showed up at a Donald Trump rally acting “suspiciously” around the metal detectors?
It is no secret to any conscious American why the 20-yearold shooter of Trump was not stopped at the entrance of the July 13 event in Butler, Pa.
There is a reason that Crooks was reportedly not interrogated for identification. He was not chased, not followed; not heavily surveilled as he climbed to the roof of a building and aimed an AR-15 styled rifle only about 130 yards away from where Trump was speaking.
It is evident by only a brief review of recent American history that the reason Crooks was not stopped at the gate and caught before he pulled the trigger was because he was white. Period. Once again, it was the lone white male syndrome. There is no question that had Crooks been a Black man, he would have been commanded to show identification. Had he not concurred, he would have been wrestled to the ground and likely shot dead or choked to death like D’Vontaye Mitchell, who was killed by hotel security June 30 right there in Milwaukee, Wis. where the Republican National Convention is being held this week.
Unlike Trayvon Martin, 17, out for Skittles and iced tea in Florida; Tamir Rice, 12, with a toy gun in Ohio; or Air Force Senior Airman Roger Fortson,
23, in his own apartment in Georgia, among dozens of other household names, Crooks was somehow given the benefit of the doubt, allowed to slide on by.
It ultimately ended with Crooks shooting and wounding Trump in an assassination attempt, killing retired firefighter Cory Compechello and
critically injuring two other people before he was killed by a police sniper.
As authorities now intensely investigate, the debacle has been described as an “epic failure” of security, mainly the Secret Service. But we all know what it really was. The failure of security was catastrophic because Crooks was white.
President Biden quickly took authority, met with Homeland Security, the FBI and Secret Service and promised the nation a thorough investigation.
But, Americans have witnessed this all too familiar scenario many times before. When thousands of predominantly white Confederate flag-waving Trump supporters headed for Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021, none of the federal law enforcement agencies responded with the appropriate level of force, resulting in the violent Jan. 6 attack and insurrection.
Clearly, had those rioters been Black, the Capitol Police and other security agencies would have been prepared in advance with military force, dogs and high-powered rifles.
Fortunately, the would-be Trump assassin did not succeed although a family man took the
bullet and died. Trump, shot across the top of his right ear, escaped serious injury and was given a hero’s welcome at the Republican National Convention this week. In an iconic photo seen around the world, he pumped his fist seconds after the shooting, shouting to the crowd, “fight, fight, fight!” But fight for what?
Ironically, it has been Trump himself who has been a ringleader in fanning the fumes of racism and white supremacy in America.
• He implied that the Central Park Five, Black and Latino men who were ultimately exonerated of rape after a wrongful conviction, deserved the death penalty. Trump has never apologized.
• He led the birther movement claiming President Obama was not born in the U. S.
• He called Haiti and African nations “sh*thole countries.”
• He called football players protesting wrongful police killings of Black men and women “sons of bitches.”
• During the Charlottesville “Unite the Right” rally that drew White supremacists from across the country in 2017, Trump said there were “very fine people on both sides.”
• And most recently, during the CNN debate against President Biden, he referred to “Black jobs,” apparently espousing a stereotype that he has yet to explain. Thankfully, Trump survived the assassination attempt. But the fact is that the so far unrepentant former president was nearly killed by the same evil that he has helped perpetuate. The writer is editor-inchief of the Trice Edney News Wire.
a million primarily low-income children. It lights the path for actions that could reduce food assistance for 40 million people and cost hundreds of thousands of people their jobs.
Project 2025 also supports the defunding or dismantling of key federal agencies, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is vital in tracking hurricanes and the impacts of climate change. We have big problems to solve. An authoritarian power grab that guts checks and balances is no way to solve them. A strong democracy that is responsive to its people is the only way we will create a rising tide of opportunity that lifts all boats. Project 2025 emphasizes consolidating power, punishing
litical opponents and making the government work for the powerful few over the many. That is not the country Americans want or deserve. The writer is the executive director of the Sierra Club and a professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press
Hazel Trice Edney
Ben Jealous
Commentaries
Changing our approach to gun violence
It’s become a recurring pattern and it can almost be numbing. When you open the newspaper or turn on the television, you see lives cut short due to gun violence – and tragically, so often, children’s lives. Nationally, guns now kill more children than car crashes.
Talking to residents in the last few months, I have heard story after story of individuals affected by gun violence. Recently, while I was knocking on doors in South Richmond, a driver pulled over to share the story of losing his son to gun violence. Tragically, this is not isolated. You hear stories of young adults worried to go out at night and teens for whom mass shooting drills have become as regular as gym class. The work of mitigating gun violence is too important to fail. Behind the statistics are sons and daughters, neighbors and co-workers, friends and –
increasingly – children. And, as we saw in Pennsylvania just last week, the danger of gun violence can tragically reach everyone from the bystander of gang violence to the bystander of political violence. Richmond will only succeed if every resident feels their neighborhood is thriving – and that starts with ensuring every resident feels their neighbor-
Harrison Roday
hood is safe.
It can’t be done with the same approach that politicians have taken in the past. It’s going to take a change – a new, peoplefocused, outcome-based approach that taps into what’s truly needed to address Richmond’s gun violence epidemic.
Our city is rich with talent and diversity. We’re home to advocates and faith leaders, community organizers and PTA presidents, experts on trauma and residents who’ve turned their own tragedy into life-saving gun violence inter-
vention programs. Empowering Richmonders to take action in their own communities is one of the best ways our city can reduce gun violence. Here are four ideas we can use to change our trajectory so that Richmond is a community where every child can grow up in a neighborhood safe from gun violence.
First, I will bring Richmond’s gun violence prevention leaders directly into City Hall by creating the city’s first Mayor’s Office for Gun Violence Prevention. Richmond’s office will be tasked with coordinating community and government efforts to reduce gun violence by focusing on the root causes, collecting and sharing data, and working across various city agencies and nonprofits.
Second, we will make the largest investment in Community-based Violence Intervention (CVI) programs in Richmond’s history. These programs empower community members to engage those most likely to be involved in gun violence and provide them wraparound services to address the root causes
of violence. By intervening in violence before it occurs and stopping cycles of trauma and retaliation, CVI programs in Richmond, and across the country, have been proven to work. For example, 76% of participants in a CVI program at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center were less likely to be readmitted to the hospital for gun violence. And in Illinois and California, CVI programs have seen reductions in violent crime arrests among participants reach as high as 73%.
Third, we will bring the country’s most effective schoolbased gun violence prevention programs to Richmond. Our city is facing a crisis of youth gun violence. Nearly 170 minors have been shot in Richmond since 2019, a staggering statistic that causes ripple effects far beyond the children and families immediately harmed. Research shows that after being exposed to a neighborhood homicide, children will test as if they had missed two years of schooling, regardless of whether they witness the violence directly.
The root causes driving youth gun violence are complex, and we can’t simply lock them away with a curfew at night hoping they won’t be there in the morning. We need to empower local leaders to address root causes head on. School-based programs that combine trauma-informed therapy with wraparound supports can do exactly that. A study of Chicago’s Becoming a Man (BAM) program found it reduced violent crime arrests by 45% and increased on-time high school graduation rates by 19%.
The program’s success helped shape former President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative, which currently operates across the country. There are other BAM’s out there, and we should bring them to Richmond.
Finally, in addition to investing in new community resources to address gun violence, we need to empower community members to shape new policies. Every time a Richmonder is shot and killed, it’s a policy failure that demands a response. That’s why I would create a Richmond Community Shooting Review
to bring all stakeholders to the table when a resident is killed. Together, community leaders, Richmond Public Schools, Richmond Social Services, the public defender’s office, and the police department will assess what went wrong and identify policy fixes. Cities like Milwaukee and Philadelphia have created similar commissions to reform government policies and save lives. These are just some of the ideas I will take to the Mayor’s Office so we can address the scourge of gun violence that continues to plague Richmond’s families and communities. We can do it with a new kind of approach, one that listens, one that values, and one that leads. Community-focused change is exactly the type of work I have done starting a nonprofit in Richmond. That’s why listening to and empowering Richmonders is at the heart of my campaign for mayor and will be at the heart of my strategy to make the city we love safe for all of us. The writer is a candidate for mayor of Richmond.
Helping at the polls aligns with basic faith values, from hospitality to honoring our neighbors
By Jennifer Walker Thomas & Chris Crawford Religion News
With summer in full swing, our attention, in an ideal world, would be divided between planning vacations and wrangling children, with the coming election a far-off problem for the fall. Sadly, the state of our politics isn’t allowing us that luxury. As citizens we often feel as if we have to choose between the high anxiety of engagement or the cynicism of disconnect.
But there is a group of people who have chosen a hopeful and productive third way. Election officials across the country are everyday people like you and me who live in the communities that they serve. Right now, they are ramping up to ensure that our elections are free and fair.
This year they need our help to make that happen. Our nation needs poll workers, and as two people of faith from different traditions living in different parts of the country, we believe
that communities of faith should lead the way. Aug. 1, National Poll Worker Recruitment Day, offers an easy opportunity for us to step up to do our part.
What are poll workers?
Our elections rely on a network of 1 million people who sign up to work the polls during early voting and on Election Day. They conduct tasks such as checking in voters, providing assistance, ensuring security protocols are followed and, in some cases, tabulating the ballots. These individuals are well-trained, and almost all of them are paid for their service, because, simply put, our elections cannot run without them.
This year many communities are facing a shortage of poll workers. A recent survey found that 43% of election officials are worried about recruiting enough poll workers in the 2024 election. If there are not enough individuals serving as poll workers, lines will be longer and processing of ballots will take more time, which bad actors
can use as an excuse to sow distrust.
Who better than people of faith to step up to meet this challenge? Groups from our own traditions, LDS Charities and Catholic Charities, are often among the first organizations to respond when an earthquake or tornado strikes. Our sisters and brothers from many other denominations and faiths work alongside them, providing food, water, shelter and other basic needs.
This year, it is our democracy that requires an emergency response. Religious communities can and should be the first to step forward.
Churches and other faith-based organizations are key non-partisan organizers in cities and towns across America, and they should take up the task of ensuring that we experience free and fair elections. Values central to our faith traditions such as hospitality and service particularly equip us to ensure a positive, smooth experience at the polls.
Along with helping to avoid complications
on Election Day, there are positive reasons to engage. Participation as poll workers allows us to serve our neighbors, regardless of whether their political beliefs align with our own. Through this service we can affirm our mutual commitment to a peaceful and pluralistic society.
Our elections are not run from Washington or by national elites. They are run by committed individuals in 3,000 counties and 117,000 polling locations across the country. There are hundreds of thousands of houses of worship and religious nonprofits across the country, and the only barrier to people of faith stepping forward and fully staffing these polling locations is our own willingness to get the job done. They have chosen to express faith in our collective future by acting on our behalf.
Jennifer Walker Thomas is the co-executive director for Mormon Women for Ethical Government. Chris Crawford is a policy strategist for free and fair elections at Protect Democracy.
Simone
Biles has moved past Tokyo
If critics can’t, she says that’s their problem, not hers
By Will Graves The Associated Press
Simone Biles has spent the last three years moving past the Tokyo Olympics.
The gymnastics superstar understands not everyone has.
No matter how many national titles she wins or how many times she stands atop the podium at the world championships, Biles knows she remains frozen in time to critics unwilling or unable to forgive her for pulling out of multiple finals at the 2020 Games to protect herself.
The proof is in her mentions, the ones she says she tries to ignore but still stumbles across anyway.
The 27-year-old wants to make something clear as she prepares for a third trip to the Olympics: The redemption she is seeking later this month has nothing to do with silencing those who will tune in just to see if “the twisties” resurface. Mostly because she knows there’s no use.
“They’ll still say like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re going to quit again? Or are you going to quit again?’ And like, and ‘If I did, what are you going to do about it? Tweet me some more?’” Biles said after winning the Olympic trials last month. “Like I’ve already dealt with it for three years. But yeah, they want to see us fail.”
Life happens
The woman who will step onto the floor with the rest of the U.S. team during qualifying on July 28 is not the one who left Japan at the center of the sometimes uncomfortable conversation about mental health.
She has evolved, both personally and professionally, committing herself to therapy — even during meets — and making sure her sport no longer defines her, all the while looking perhaps as good as ever more than a decade removed from
the first of her record six world all-around titles.
Biles married current Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens in the spring of 2023 and her busy personal calendar is dotted with the mileposts of a normal 20-something: from baby showers to weddings to overseeing the details of the house she and her husband are building in the Houston suburbs.
When one of her former Olympic teammates welcomed her first child late last year, Biles admitted she felt a pang of “that’s what I should be doing.”
Only she’s not. Not yet anyway. Two decades after she took up the sport, Biles still finds herself inside World Champions Centre — the gym the Biles family owns in Spring, Texas — countless hours a week. Still flipping. Still twisting. Still “testing my life every day” while dispelling the myth that elite gymnasts peak in their late teens.
Why?
“I think with everything I’ve been through, I want to push the limits, I want to see how far I can go,” she said. “I want to see what I’m still capable of so once I step away from this sport, I can truly be happy with my career and say I gave it my all.”
Mentor and friend
Even as her definition of “all” is changing. The teenage prodigy has become an elder stateswoman who has grown comfortable leading from the front.
When good friend and 2020 Olympic champion Sunisa Lee tripped and fell on vault at the U.S. Championships in June — a scene eerily similar to the sequence that led Biles to remove herself from the team final in Tokyo — Biles ran over to offer support. At the 2023 World Championships, Joscelyn Roberson suffered an ankle injury that forced her to miss the vault finals.
Biles did her best to lighten the mood by cracking jokes. And when Roberson found herself struggling during a sometimes grueling rehab, Biles left a note of encouragement in Roberson’s locker that urged her to keep trying.
When Jade Carey had problems with her Amanar vault at the Olympic trials, Biles reminded the reigning floor exercise gold medalist to take a step forward on her dismount, something Carey laughingly noted she didn’t actually do.
“It’s just really great to have someone like her supporting all of us and helping us get through it,” Carey said.
A singular talent It wasn’t always that way. There has always been an unspoken otherness around Biles. Part of the team — the center of it most times — to be sure, but also a one-of-one.
“I’m like, ‘Can you stop being so good and fall every now and then?’” said Alicia Sacramone Quinn, the co-lead of the U.S. senior women’s
program. “Her talent and her just level of difficulty and her general ability as an athlete, it is mindblowing.”
When people in Quinn’s personal life ask her about Biles, Quinn — whose résumé includes 11 medals between the world championships and Olympics — just shakes her head.
“What you see on TV doesn’t even do it justice,” Quinn said.
“Her gymnastics has brought such a larger pool of an audience because people want to see what she can do.”
Or, in the case of some, what she can’t.
Call it the byproduct of making things impossibly hard look impossibly easy so often it sets a standard that no one else — Biles herself sometimes included — can match.
Double-edged sword
That is the beauty and also the weight of the Olympics, a lesson Biles learned after Tokyo, when all of the glory and gold she brought to the U.S. program through the years suddenly didn’t matter to a group bent for some
reason on taking her down.
“I do think there’s an unfairness to it because you only watched it once and then if they fall it’s, ‘Oh she sucks’ and it’s like, ‘No, you’re still sitting on the couch and they’re still at the Olympics. What are you talking about they sucked? They’re the best in their country,’” Biles said.
“So it’s hard.”
Biles is willingly putting herself under the white-hot microscope the Games provide for a third time, obligated not by ego or fame or money but respect for her own talent.
“Knowing Simone and just the fighter that she is, she will definitely want to leave on what she considers on top,” her mother, Nellie, said. “That I think is what Simone wants for Simone.”
And what Biles wants more than anything else at this point in her life, is peace. There’s a very real chance this could be it for an athlete who jokes “I’m ancient now. Forget grandma, I’m past that.” She’s past a lot of things.
Maybe Tokyo most of all. A final bow? She has taken very methodical steps to protect herself in the run-up to Paris. Her therapist remains on call. Her family — Jonathan included — will be in the stands. She will be surrounded by friends on the competition floor who know perhaps better than anyone the pressure Biles faces. And then Biles will salute the judges — the ones who do the scoring and in some ways, the ones sitting at home too — and throw herself into the breach once more, perhaps for the last time.
Maybe Paris ends with her hand over her heart as “The Star-Bangled Banner” plays as it has so many times before. Maybe it ends like Tokyo. While she’s taken steps to make sure that doesn’t happen, she won’t really know until she does it. Either way it goes, Biles plans on walking away on her terms. The woman who has redefined gymnastics is no longer letting her gymnastics or the once-every-four-year experts define her. She has been quiet about what comes next. She will headline a post-Olympic tour, just as she did three years ago. After that, who knows?
The greatest gymnast of all time may have offered a hint at the end of Olympic trials. Biles was talking about the nature of being a high-profile athlete and the inevitable pushback that comes with it. She was speaking in generalities while leaving plenty of space to read between the lines.
“They want to see the downfall, which is really unfortunate because sports hasn’t seen athletes like we’ve seen before,” she said. “So you really have to give them their flowers in the sport because once they’re gone, you’re going to miss them.”
Local First Tee team cinches Redmond Cup in thrilling playoff
Free Press staff report
In a nail-biting finish, First Tee
Greater Richmond captured the 11th Redmond Cup presented by Troutman Pepper on Thursday at Belmont Golf Course. The local team emerged victorious in a playoff against First Tee – Greater Washington, D.C., after both squads finished the two-day competition tied at 165.
The playoff drama unfolded on Belmont’s first hole, where Richmond’s Niki Chan sank a clutch 15-foot birdie putt to secure the win. Chan’s heroics capped off a memo-
Spiders make splash with 2 CSCAA Scholar All-Americans
Free Press staff report
The University of Richmond’s swimming and diving team is proving they’re as sharp in the classroom as they are in the pool. Freshman phenom Melissa Nwakalor and recently graduated diving ace Lola Dragosavac have both landed spots on the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America Scholar AllAmerican team.
Nwakalor, a Columbia, Md. native, stormed onto the scene this year, snagging the Atlantic 10 crown in the 50 free. The rookie sensation also helped power the Spiders to silver in the 200 free relay and bronze in the 400 free relay at the conference championships.
rable week for the young golfer, who had been selected earlier to represent the chapter at the prestigious PURE Insurance Championship at Pebble Beach in September.
While Richmond took home the team title, individual honors were split. Washington, D.C.’s Jordan Wallace and Miles Maravilla claimed the 12-hole division with a best-ball score of 100. Chan and teammate Henry Powell finished second, just two strokes behind. In the 9-hole division, Richmond’s Brandon Martin and Oliver Dorfman clinched first place with
a two-round scramble score of 63, edging out Washington, D.C.’s Tyler Lambert and Luke Hardy by two strokes.
The tournament, which featured six First Tee chapters from the region, showcased not only golfing talent but also character development. Participants enjoyed a Richmond Flying Squirrels game and an inspiring talk from VCU men’s basketball Coach Ryan Odom during the event.
This marks Richmond’s fourth Redmond Cup victory and their first since 2013, reasserting the chapter’s strength in regional competition.
5 Panthers earn spots on VaSID All-State football team
The Virginia Union University football program made a strong showing in the recently announced Virginia Sports Information Directors All-State Football Team. Five Panthers have secured spots on the prestigious list, highlighting the team’s talent and depth.
spot alongside Jada Byers, a junior running back from Bridgeton, N.J. Joining them are Kalen Carver, a redshirt junior tight end from Kennesaw, Ga., and Shamar Graham, a redshirt sophomore defensive lineman from Richmond.
Dragosavac, the senior diver from Lake Mary, Fla., capped her Spider career with a trip to the NCAA Diving Zones at Princeton. Her personal best
Twice named A-10 Rookie of the Week, Nwakalor is making waves in the classroom too, earning second-team Scholar All-American honors.
of 265.5 points on the 1-meter board punched her ticket to the big show.
The Spiders duo tied for third-most honorees among A-10 schools, trailing only George Washington (7) and Fordham (4).
Leading the pack is senior offensive lineman Justin Meade, who earned First Team All-State honors. The Richmond native and business management major has been a cornerstone of the Panthers’ offensive line. Four more Panthers were named to the Second Team All-State. Isaac Anderson, a redshirt junior from Gifford, Fla., secured a
“Having five squad members honored makes me incredibly proud as a coach, Coach Alvin Parker said. We’re looking forward to their continued success.”
The accolades come as the Panthers prepare for the upcoming season. Parker and select athletes represented Virginia Union at the 2024 CIAA Football Media Day on Wednesday, July 17, in Salem.
Michael Vick to mentor young athletes at NSU flag football clinic
Isaac Anderson Jada Byers Kalen Carver Shamar Graham Justin Meade
AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
Simone Biles competes on the uneven bars at the United States Gymnastics Olympic Trials on June 30 in Minneapolis.
UR swimmer Melissa Nwakalor was recently named a CSCAA Scholar All-American.
Photo courtesy First Tee Greater Richmond Members of First Tee Greater Richmond won The Redmond Cup at Belmont last week.
Free Press staff report
Michael Vick
Personality: Dwight Jones
Spotlight on president of Richmond Chapter of the National Negro Golf Association
Michigan native Dwight Jones is deeply committed to the community that welcomed him 17 years ago. As the president of the Richmond Chapter of the National Negro Golf Association, Jones not only enjoys a good game of golf but also the community spirit of the club. His dedication to the NNGA and his community is a testament to his values and commitment.
Jones grew up in Saginaw, Mich., where his parents, originally from Tennessee, instilled Southern values. He describes his childhood neighborhood as a lower middle class, tight-knit, self-governed black neighborhood. Jones said he didn’t know his upbringing was that of the lower middle class until he went to Howard University in Washington, D.C. where he met wealthier students.
Jones graduated with a bachelor’s in accounting. However, he knew he didn’t want to return to Saginaw to work at a General Motors factory. So, he took a job at an accounting firm in the D.C. area.
“In accounting and finance, I can be a strategic partner in the business,” Jones said. “I see all aspects of the business.”
His career has led him to live in New York and New Jersey and travel globally. He’s chief financial officer for Hunton Andrews Kurth, a global law firm with offices in Richmond.
“I did a lot of corporate moves during my career,” he explained. “When I came to Richmond, I figured I’d be here for a few years, but it’s been 17 years. It’s home for me now.”
Jones has no plans to retire any time soon. Along with his volunteer work with the Richmond chapter of the National
Negro Golf Association, he’s on the board of the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities, works with the Peter Paul Development Center, and continues to do community service with his fraternity. Meet the president of the Richmond Chapter of the National Negro Golf Association, who loves Richmond like a native and wants to give back, and this week’s Personality, Dwight Jones:
Volunteer position: President, Richmond Chapter of National Negro Golf Association (NNGA).
Occupation: Chief financial officer of Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP.
Date and place of birth: July 10, in Saginaw, Mich.
Where I live now: Glen Allen.
Education: Howard University.
Family: Son, Dwight W. Jones II. Parents, Walter and Charlene Jones.
NNGA is: An organization whose mission to bring together men in the spirit of camaraderie and social enjoyment of its members. We golf to enhance the spirit and cement our camaraderie. We have fun!
When, where and why founded: The NNGA was founded in Lebanon, Pa., in July 1965. A small group of black professional students needed to reunite and relive their golden college days. Golf provided the vehicle that brought them back together in Lebanon, a midpoint between New York,
Washington, and Cleveland.
Who should join NNGA: We are always open to welcoming those who share our fun, camaraderie, and golf philosophy. Our ranks have included elected officials, successful professionals, construction workers, and laborers, showcasing our diversity and inclusivity.
What should people know about NNGA: While our mission focuses on the enjoyment of our members, NNGA recognizes the need to play a role in our communities. NNGA’s interest in youths has inspired us to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the United Negro College Fund through sponsorship of celebrity golf tournaments in chapter cities.
The NNGA also supports the National Minority Junior Golf Scholarship Fund. NNGA is committed to helping others and bringing people from all walks of life together for fun
and golf.
Number of chapters: We have seven chapters Atlanta, Cleveland, New York, Philadelphia, Richmond, Washington DC, and independent (it’s for those who don’t live in those six cities).
Number of members collectively: Over 200.
When was the Richmond Chapter of the NNGA founded: Our chapter was founded in October 1987 at the NNGA National Meeting in Jamaica.
When does RNNGA play: The RNNGA golfing season is from April until the National Tournament in October. Rounds are scheduled each Saturday from April to October unless there is a holiday, a chapter tournament, or a national tournament.
Local founders: George Hampton, Tyrone Dickerson, Henry “Skinny” Martin, Alvin Hunter, James Holley, Lorenzo Shoffner, W.W. Walston and Gov. L. Douglas Wilder.
Number of local members: We have 45 active members.
When and why I became a member: I became a member in 2010. When I relocated to the area in late 2007, I connected with college classmates, friends, and fraternity brothers through golf. Many of them were members of RNNGA.
Who is welcome to join: You must be at least 21 years of age and have the sponsorship of a current member
in good standing. You must participate in at least 25% of the Richmond Club’s activities, meetings, weekend events and tournaments and at least four other chapter tournaments and national tournaments over two years.
When elected Richmond chapter president: 2023.
Why I accepted the position: It is my duty and responsibility to serve in a leadership role for an organization and membership that I respect and whose company I enjoy.
No. 1 goal or project for the Richmond chapter: To continue the tradition of fun, camaraderie and golf, grow the membership and introduce the game of golf to people of color, both young and old.
How I got into the sport: A mentor introduced me to the game in my late 20s, and I fell in love with it.
What golf means to me: It is a form of therapy. Having been an athlete and no longer able to compete in traditional sports, golf provides an opportunity to participate in a competitive, challenging sport requiring continuous improvement.
The person I would most like to play a round of golf with: Tiger Woods.
Ways to get involved with RNNGA: You can contact us via the national website, reach out to a current member, or reach out to me.
Upcoming event: The Summer Tournament July 18-21 at the Brickshire Golf Club and the Mattaponi Springs
Golf Club.
How I start the day: I reflect on the day that passed and plan the day ahead.
The three words that best describe me: Scholarship, perseverance and uplift.
If I had 10 extra minutes in the day, I would: Connect with family, friends and loved ones.
If I hosted a dream dinner party, my one special guest would be: Nelson Mandela. I admire his conviction in making change.
Best late-night snack: Popcorn!
Top three on my music playlist: Anything by Prince.
Something I love to do that most people would never imagine: I attend the theater.
A quote that inspires me: “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”
The best thing my parents ever taught me: Courage and patience.
The person who influenced me the most: My parents.
A book that influenced me the most and how: “The Autobiography of Malcolm X,” by Alex Haley and Malcolm X.
What I’m reading now: “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,” by Robert M. Pirsig.
Next goal: I will improve my golf game and maintain good health.
Richmond
The
‘Portraits’ exhibition showcases Style Weekly’s visual chronicle of Richmond
Press staff report
A new exhibition showcasing photographs from Style Weekly’s archive at the Valentine museum, offering a visual journey through Richmond’s cultural landscape from the 1980s to recent years.
The Valentine acquired Style Weekly’s photograph archive in 2021 when the publication faced possible closure. VPM later purchased and revived the publication.
“For decades, Style Weekly has captured Richmond’s zeitgeist and explored complex issues facing our community,” said Meg Hughes, exhibition co-curator and the Valentine’s deputy director of collections.
“Portraits: The Style Weekly Photograph Archive” features work from staff photogra-
phers including Kent Eanes, Scott Elmquist, Chad Hunt, Jay Paul and Stephen Salpukas. The exhibition includes previously unpublished outtakes and rediscovered images.
“The bold portrait is a signature of Style’s photographic history. Whether on the street or in the studio, making strong portraits has always been the paramount mission of the Style photographer,” said Scott Elmquist, Style Weekly staff photographer and co-curator of the exhibit. “Revisiting the archives reminded me of the thousands of people who have graced Style’s pages: the artists, musicians, restaurant owners, politicians, the movers and shakers, and the unsung heroes of the city, the everyday Richmonders.”
The exhibition runs until May 26, 2025. For more information, visit thevalentine.org.
Desirée Roots joins leadership team at ATLAS partnership
Free Press staff report
Desirée Roots, former co-artistic director of community at Virginia Rep, has joined the leadership team of the newly established ATLAS Partnership. Roots’ previous position, was eliminated during a recent restructuring of Virginia Rep.
Founded nine months ago by Emily Cole-Jones, along with senior advisors Bruce Miller and Phil Whiteway, ATLAS Partnership welcomes Roots as its program director. All three founders recently parted ways with Virginia Rep.
“It’s a joy to continue to work within the community that has always embraced me,” Roots said. “I feel like I’m coming home again.”
Roots started her career with Miller and Whiteway at Theatre IV, a nonprofit children’s theater they founded in 1975. Theatre IV later merged with Barksdale Theatre in 2012 to become Virginia Rep.
theatrical artists and leaders, produced in cooperation with the Library of Virginia; and “We the People,” a revival of a historical musical revue produced by Theatre IV in 1976, which will tour Virginia’s historical sites and schools starting on Independence Day 2025.
Roots will co-lead the company with ColeJones, who serves as managing director.
ATLAS Partnership, a nonprofit theater-based historical society, will focus on four major projects in the coming year: “Gabriel,” a new musical set to premiere in fall 2025 that commemorates the 250th anniversary of Virginia’s founding and tells the story of Gabriel, an enslaved man who led a significant slave rebellion in 1800; “Walking the Line,” a revival of a play from the late 1980s and early 1990s that addressed the crack cocaine epidemic, with an updated version focusing on the current opioid crisis and set to tour Virginia schools starting in the 2025-26 school year; “Plays & Playmakers,” a series of recorded panel discussions and interviews with Richmond’s foremost
“ATLAS exists for the benefit of all area theaters,” Cole-Jones said. “We aim to support and collaborate with existing theaters rather than compete with them.”
Whiteway emphasized that ATLAS is not a new theater but rather a partnership-driven initiative. The organization’s mission is “to recognize and respect, honor and protect the legacy assets of professional theater in Central Virginia.” According to their website, their vision is for current and future generations to steward and benefit from Central Virginia’s rich theater history and legacy programs. Additionally, ATLAS publishes “Full Circle,” a free weekly e-newsletter covering Richmond professional theater.
The group also plans to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Barksdale Theatre’s first production at Hanover Tavern and the 50th anniversary of Theatre IV’s founding as Virginia’s first professional children’s theater.
“I’m very blessed to have landed so quickly in such a responsible and nurturing environment, with such good friends,” Roots said. “I look forward to many future years in service to our community.”
For more information, visit atlaspartnership. org.
Family activities and hoops highlight Henrico’s back-to-school event
Free Press staff report
Henrico County Public Schools will host its annual Back-to-School Kickoff at the Henrico Sports & Events Center on Aug. 9, offering a day filled with family activities, educational resources and a basketball tournament to celebrate the upcoming school year. The event welcomes all Henrico County families ahead of the first day of school on Aug. 19.
The Back-to-School Kickoff begins at 8 a.m. with a threeon-three student “Hoop It Up” basketball tournament, continuing throughout the day. A pep rally-style celebration will be held at 12:30 p.m., and a school and community resource fair will be open from noon to 4 p.m. A “Kid Zone” activity area with stations for children and families will be available from noon to 5:30 p.m.
at Brookland, Fairfield, George Moody, Quioccasin and John Rolfe middle schools. Food and beverages will be available at the facility’s concession stand.
HCPS buses will provide shuttle service from noon to 4 p.m. between some HCPS middle schools and the Henrico Sports & Events Center. Families can catch the shuttles
The “Hoop It Up 3X3” tournament is for students in grades three through 12, and registration is free. Space in the tournament is limited, and participants should sign up by Aug. 2 at hcps.info/hoopitup.
An immunization clinic will offer required vaccines for
rising seventh- and 12th-grade students. A parent or guardian must accompany participating students. Find out more about required vaccines at henricoschools.us/page/health. The Back-to-School Kickoff is sponsored by HCPS’ Division of Family and Community Engagement. Donations of backpacks and school supplies are being accepted for distribution at the event. For more information or to donate, email lvelez@ henrico.k12.va.us.
Richmond Music Week returns for second year
Free Press staff report
Desirée Roots
Henrico Sports & Events Center
Nickelus F Erin and the Wildfire Flight Club
Popular jazz café secures funding for 3 more years
Free Press staff report
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts announced Tuesday that Dominion Energy has renewed its sponsorship of the museum’s free weekly jazz performance series.
The Dominion Energy Jazz Café, held Wednesday evenings in VMFA’s Cochrane Atrium, will continue for another three years due to the renewed commitment from the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation. The foundation has sponsored the series since 2015.
“Dominion’s generous support of our popular Jazz Café series is instrumental in helping to provide more Virginians with access to the arts and introduces the museum to new audi-
ences,” VMFA Director and CEO Alex Nyerges said.
The series, which began in 2010 in partnership with the Richmond Jazz Society, features a rotating lineup of local musicians performing various jazz styles. It has become a key component of VMFA’s evening programming, with the museum remaining open until 9 p.m. Wednesday through Friday.
Dominion Energy’s partnership with VMFA spans more than 25 years, including sponsorships of major exhibitions and the museum’s African art galleries.
The Jazz Café performances are free to the public, as are VMFA’s permanent collection galleries. Information about upcoming performers can be found on the museum’s website.
From farmland to fun land: Henrico’s Taylor Farm Park now open
Free Press staff report
A new public park spanning 99 acres opened Tuesday in Sandston, expanding Henrico County’s recreational offerings. Taylor Farm Park, located at 200 Whiteside Road, features a variety of outdoor amenities and represents a $26 million investment in community infrastructure.
The park, funded through a 2016 voter-approved bond referendum, is the first new park in Henrico County since 2018. It includes attractions such as an interactive play stream, treehouses, zip lines and an “allwheel” park designed for various wheeled sports.
At the opening ceremony, Board of Supervisors Chairman Tyrone E. Nelson, representing the Varina District, stated, “Taylor Farm Park
has been a dream of the Sandston community for many years.”
Among the park’s features are a spray park with “mist mounds,” nature-based play areas, a skate park and a pump track/flow bowl.A1-mile asphalt trail connects to surrounding neighborhoods, and the site includes a memorial for public safety workers and military service members.
The park’s name honors its history. The Taylor family owned the property from 1858 to 2016, and in 2005, it was recognized by the Virginia Century Farm Program for its long-standing agricultural use. The land also was part of the Civil War’s Battle of Seven Pines.
Taylor Farm Park becomes the 56th property in Henrico County’s parks system, which now covers over 3,300 acres. County data show the park system attracts more than 6
Free FAFSA assistance workshops at Capital One Cafes
Free Press staff report
A local nonprofit is offering free workshops to help students complete their federal financial aid applications for college. GRASP (Great Aspirations Scholarship Program, Inc.) is partnering with Capital One and the National College Attainment Network to host the workshops at two Capital One Cafe locations in Richmond on July 20 and Aug. 31. The workshops will assist students in filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, which is used to determine
eligibility for grants, workstudy funds and loans.
Sessions will be held at the Short Pump Capital One Cafe from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and at the Carytown Capital One Cafe from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on both dates. GRASP, a Richmond-based non-profit organization, focuses on college and career access. By offering these workshops, GRASP aims to provide students with the necessary support to navigate the often complex process of applying for financial aid. For more information, visit grasp4va.org.
million visitors annually.
Recreation & Parks Director John Zannino announced grand opening events to mark the park’s debut and encouraged residents to visit Taylor Farm Park and other county parks. “We are thrilled to add Taylor
Photo by Sandra Sellars
James "Saxsmo" Gates, right, at a recent performance at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
Farm Park to Henrico County’s world-class parks system, which contributes to our high quality of life and offers a wide variety of active and passive recreational opportunities and experiences for everyone,” he said.
Photos courtesy of Henrico Parks & Rec Taylor Farm Park, a 99 acre park in Sandston opened on Tuesda,y July 16 with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The park features an array of nature centered amenities such as an interactive water stream, treehouses and zip lines, an “all wheel” park and a lawn for concerts and special events.
Julianne Tripp Hillian
Faith leaders grapple with abortion rights in Black churches
By Darren Sands The Associated Press
The Rev. Warren H. Stewart
Sr. of Phoenix has had countless discussions this election season with fellow Black men on the economy, criminal justice, immigration and other issues dominating the political landscape in their battleground state of Arizona. But never abortion.
“They’re about justice. They’re about Donald Trump potentially reversing all of the gains achieved by the Civil Rights Movement. They are not about abortion,” Stewart said.
It’s in stark contrast to what’s being said on the campaign trail, where President Biden and Vice President Harris are wooing vot-
ers who support abortion rights while Trump and his surrogates pursue anti-abortion voters.
One Black male pastor in particular, Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, senior pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, has been outspoken about his support for abortion access, especially during his 2022 re-election campaign.
But Rev. Stewart, who leads First Institutional Baptist Church in Phoenix, wishes Biden and Harris weren’t talking about abortion so much, even as he acknowledged the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe as a “political gift.” He believes abortion should be legal only in cases where the life of the individual giving birth is
in danger.
Others disagree. The Rev. Leslie D. Callahan, the first woman to pastor Philadelphia’s
historic St. Paul’s Baptist Church, said all men regardless of race need to decide what functions of their bodies they’d like controlled
Dr. JoAnn Thomas Wilson remembered
Free Press staff report
JoAnn Thomas Wilson, a revered figure in psychology and community service, passed away on Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Fayetteville, Ga. Born on March 22, 1950, in Washington to James and Dorothy Thomas, she was the fifth of 13 children. Her early education at Maury Elementary, Eliot Jr. High, and McKinley Tech High School set the stage for a remarkable academic journey marked by intelligence and dedication.
Wilson’s pursuit of knowledge led her to Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, where she earned a bachelor’s in psychology with highest honors, supported by a prestigious scholarship. Continuing her scholarly pursuits, she went on to achieve both an a master’s and doctorate in Child clinical psychology from the University of Denver, graduating summa cum laude. In 1977, Wilson relocated to Richmond, beginning a distinguished career that spanned academia, clinical practice, and community leadership. She served as a court psychologist for the City of Richmond Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court and later
held various roles at Virginia State University, where she profoundly impacted students and colleagues alike. Beyond her professional achievements, Wilson cherished family life with her beloved husband Charles Wilson, whom she married in 1979. Together, they raised three children and were blessed with two grandchildren. Her commitment to family extended to her community involvement, where she dedicated herself to uplifting others through service and advocacy.
Retiring to Fayetteville, Ga., in her later years, continued to enrich the lives of those around her, enjoying moments with family and friends, attending jazz concerts and nurturing her passion for fishing and boating.
Wilson leaves behind a legacy of erudition, compassion and unwavering dedication to her community. Her impact on many lives through her work and service will be missed.
Funeral services were held Tuesday, July 16, at Gravel Hill Baptist Church. For more information and to share condolences, please visit Scott’s Funeral Home website.
by the federal government. Black women have the highest maternal mortality rate in the US, according to the CDC’s 2022 report
“Without bodily autonomy, what freedom do you really have?” she said.
She pointed out that Biden, who supports protecting access to abortion, isn’t being called to resign from the presidency – just the campaign.
“If he’s fit to govern, I don’t quite understand why he’s not fit to run,” Callahan said. “If you’re going to scrutinize Biden, let’s scrutinize his presidency and his policies. If you’re going to scrutinize fitness, then there needs to be consistent and equal scrutiny around the fitness of his opponent.”
Vice President Harris, a member of Third Baptist Church in San Francisco, addressed religious beliefs during her March visit to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Minnesota – the firstever tour by a sitting president or vice president.
“One does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree that the government should not be telling women what to do with their body,” Harris said.
“If she chooses, she will consult with her priest, her pastor, rabbi, her imam. But is that for the government to tell her what
she can and cannot do with her own body?”
Individualized pastoral care is better suited than blanket government policies for helping women and families work through hard and nuanced medical choices, including abortion, Callahan said. Many times, she said, people are deciding between two difficult alternatives — neither of which are optimal.
“The last thing that needs to be involved in that choice is some question about whether you’re going to be able to find a doctor who’ll be willing to risk whatever that risk is in order to help you get to physical, mental, and emotional health,” she said.
AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta
President Biden, right, and Dr. J. Louis Felton worship at a church service at Mt. Airy Church of God in Christ, Sunday, July 7, in Philadelphia.
JoAnn Thomas Wilson
Thank you for your interest in applying for opportunities with The City of Richmond. To see what opportunities are available, please refer to our website at www.richmondgov.com. EOE M/F/D/V
Associate, Data Science, Grade 11 (Altria Client Services, LLC)(Richmond, VA)Coordinate new data product development as a critical Member of a team of data scientists. Req a bach degr or frgn eqvlnt in Stats, Econ, Comp Sci, Analytics or a rltd exp in a data science role within the cnsmr with SAS, Python, Scala, R, or simlr tools. Data visualization exp in Tableau ETL procedures. POS databases such as IRI or Nielsen. Statistical techniques incl Bayesian simulation sampling, discrete ML modelling technique incl but not lmtd to regression, segmentation, clustering, ensemble methods, and bagging. Telecommuting Permitted. Multiple Positions. To Apply please send resume to Careers@altria.com and reference job title.
Moffatt & Nichol has an opening for a Geotechnical Engineer V in Richmond, VA.
Job duties include: Manage and design infrastructure for naval, port, and cruise such as standard penetration tests (SPT), cone penetrometer tests (CPT), dilatometer tests, hydraulic permeability testing, and geophysical techniques such as seismic refraction, shear wave velocity tests, and magnetometer measurements. Requires a Bachelor’s degree or foreign equivalent degree in Civil Engineering, Geotechnical years of post-bachelor, progressive, related
element modeling of soil and structure including construction drawings and technical and proposals. Must have or be eligible to obtain a Professional Engineer license. Telecommuting permitted up to 2 days per week. Apply at
We’re
Key Responsibilities:
are hiring reporter | sports editor
• Develop sources and story ideas independently
• Write clear, accurate articles on tight deadlines
• Take photographs to accompany stories as needed Collaborate with editors and other reporters
• Engage with the community via social media
We’re
Key
•
•
Requirements:
• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, or related field Strong writing, editing, and organizational skills Knowledge of AP style and sports terminology
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• Familiarity with Richmond area sports scene, especially high school and college levels
