Richmond Free Press July 27-29, 2023 edition

RPS pilots new program at 2 schools

By George Copeland Jr.

It was bright and sunny Monday morning when Angela Swafford brought her sons, Zarkarin and Zionyah, back to school.

While other Richmond students and parents are still in the middle of the summer break, Ms. Swafford was one of the first of many parents escorting their children to Fairfield Court Elementary School this week as part of a pilot program extending the school’s semester from 180 to 200 days.

The new school schedule is part of an effort to improve student performance. And while she initially saw the prospect of losing 20 days of summer break as a “bummer,” Ms. Swafford and her children were happy to return to Fairfield Court for the new initiative.

“I got excited about it because the more that kids are at school, the more they learn,” Ms. Swafford said.

Richmond’s Fairfield Court and Cardi-

Thumbs up Circuit court OKs casino referendum for Nov. 7 ballot

Voters have the power to change South Side’s ‘economic trajectory,’ says Mayor

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Richmond voters are all but certain to have a second chance to decide whether the city should host a casino resort.

City Councilwoman Reva M. Trammell, who has championed the casino, said she was notified Tuesday that the city Circuit Court had issued an order to put a casino referendum on the Nov. 7 general election ballot.

The court order followed a vote last week by the board of the Virginia Lottery, the casino-regulating state agency.

The vote gave preliminary approval to the city’s casino proposal, clearing the way for the court to act on a request for the order from the City Attorney’s Office.

Mayor Levar M. Stoney and City Council have pushed for a second casino referendum following the

Alfred

District Councilwoman Reva Trammell,

The Satellite Restaurant & Lounge last year on Aug. 4 as she discussed a proposed casino development. The proposed casino, if approved, will be carried out at no cost to the city, Ms. Trammell said recently, but would generate more than 1,300 new jobs and new revenue for the city. Mr. Liggins’ Urban One company is a partner in the proposed casino.

narrow defeat of the development in 2021.

In a statement Tuesday, Mayor Stoney expressed excitement that the casino vote is on track and urged approval from voters.

“Richmond is experiencing record development and growth,”

Council approves Highland Park housing units, ban on wild animals, and more honorary street signs

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Rushing to get to their August recess, City Council spent less than 90 minutes passing more than 40 pieces of mostly routine legislation that largely involved approvals of special use permits for development and authorizations for future transportation projects.

Among the more noticeable items, council approved Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s request to borrow $4.2 million to support development of a subdivision of 139 units of affordable homes on Dove Street in Highland Park.

Better Housing Coalition, a nonprofit that develops income-restricted houses and apartments, is undertaking the work on the property that is designed to complement the previously completed Highland Grove apartment complex that replaced public housing and blighted private housing.

The development began in the spring,

and the new borrowing is described as additional resources to keep on track the housing development now underway beside Overby-Sheppard Elementary School. The land being developed for the sub division once held the headquarters of the Virginia Army National Guard.

As anticipated, the council also approved a modified ban on wild and exotic animals such as lions, tigers, elephants and alligators as a protection for first responders, though the legislation was not supported by any data showing how many residents keep such animals.

The approved legislation provides loopholes that will allow falconers to continue their hobby of training predatory birds such as hawks and authorizes residents who have poisonous snakes to keep them.

The legislation also was amended to ensure the city’s Department of Animal

he stated, “and with the addition of a destination resort we will change the economic trajectory of South Side for years to come.”

Just as was the case two years ago, the fall ballot item will call

RRHA prepares to launch home-buying initiative

By

For Emmett Till’s family, national monument proclamation cements his inclusion in the American story

The Associated Press

When President Biden signed a proclamation Tuesday establishing a national monument honoring Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, it marked the fulfillment of a promise Till’s relatives made after his death 68 years ago.

housing to buy homes.

Describing it as a “groundbreaking and historic initiative” that would build wealth for those who qualify, Steven B. Nesmith, the chief executive officer for the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority, Monday briefed City Council on the program he said would be up and running before the end of the year.

Mr. Nesmith said the program would open the home purchase door for

The Black teenager from Chicago, whose abduction, torture and killing in Mississippi in 1955 helped propel the Civil Rights Movement, is now an American story, not just a civil rights story, said Mr. Till’s cousin the Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr.

“It has been quite a journey for me from the darkness to the light,”

Mr. Parker said during a proclamation signing ceremony at the White House attended by dozens, including other

family members, members of Congress and civil rights leaders.

“Back then in the darkness, I could never imagine the moment like this, standing in the light of wisdom, grace and deliverance,” he said.

With the stroke of President Biden’s pen, the Emmett Till and Mamie TillMobley National Monument, located

Please turn to A4

Jaylen Brown, Celtics agreement is biggest in NBA history

By Kyle Hightower The

Associated Press

The Boston Celtics have answered their most pressing question of the offseason. Jaylen Brown will be part of the franchise for the foreseeable future.

The Celtics’ wing has agreed to terms on a five-year

supermax contract extension that will pay him up to $304 million, his agent said Tuesday.

It’s the richest contract in NBA history, surpassing the $264 million deal signed by Nuggets center Nikola Jokic last summer.

The deal was first reported by ESPN and confirmed to The Associated Press by Brown’s agent, Jason Glushon.

He averaged career highs of 26.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists last season. But those numbers went down in the playoffs, when the Celtics lost to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals. In Game 7, Brown had 19 points on 8-of-23 shooting, making just one of nine

Jeremy M. Lazarus

Richmond is preparing to become the first place in the country to test a revamped federal regulation aimed toward making it easier for people who hold housing vouchers or live in public

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Liggins, CEO of Urban One, right, listens to 8th

left, at

RPS presents Summer Fest

Richmond Public Schools students, family, staff and the larger Richmond community are invited to join the 4th Annual RPS Summer Fest on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Richmond High School for the Arts (formerly George Wythe High School), 4314 Crutchfield St.

With the 2023-24 school year beginning in a few weeks, RPS families will be provided information regarding student enrollment support, vaccination requirements, community partners and more. The free event will include live music, children’s games, food and beverages.

For more information, please contact the RPS Office of Engagement at mediarelations@rvaschools.net

Cityscape

Richmond area feeling impact from visitors

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

More visitors are coming to the Richmond area to participate in conventions and sporting events, giving a boost to the regional economy, generating jobs and filling hotels.

One signal of the impact of visitors is the record lodging tax collections that the city and three counties have reported for the 2022-23 fiscal year that ended June 30.

Richmond Region Tourism (RRT) reported that the preliminary total of taxes collected in Richmond and the counties of Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico hit $35 million, a new record and a 16.4% increase from lodging tax collections in the 2021-22 fiscal year.

The tax rose along with total hotel revenues for the four localities.

also is helping to bring more people to the region, Mr. Berry noted.

The convention center hosted 218 events in fiscal year 2023, a 21% increase compared to the previous year, according to RRT data.

Those events brought 380,000 visitors to the area to take part in a meeting or conference at the center in Downtown, RRT reported. Some examples include the comic book GalaxyCon, the National Genealogical Society’ Family History Conference and the Southeast Chapter of the Nuclear Energy Institute’s Women in Nuclear 2022 Conference.

By Caroline Reinhart

Nearly two dozen signs designed to decrease panhandling and distracted driving recently popped up at busy intersections in Richmond.

“Please do not give money to persons in the median,” reads signs about giving money to panhandlers.

A spokesperson from the City’s Communications Office said the signs are part of “a national best practice because walking in the street, between cars, or close to moving traffic is unsafe.”

The spokesperson added, “As with any initiative, the city will evaluate efficacy over time which will help determine when and where to expand the messaging.”

In Dallas-Fort Worth, signs that were part of an anti-panhandling pilot program were deemed ineffective due to enforcement issues and everyone, both panhandlers and others, ignoring the message.

First Amendment rights or free speech is another issue for localities to consider when erecting signs about panhandling.

“Panhandling is a form of solicitation or begging derived from the impression created by someone holding out his hand to beg or using a container to collect money. When municipalities regulate panhandling — a form of speech — First Amendment rights become an issue,” according to the Free Speech Center.

“Supporters of panhandling regulation contend it is a safety measure designed to protect people from harassment and other crimes. Opponents of such regulation contend it is blatant suppression of the First Amendment rights of the poor and dispossessed.”

Representatives of nonprofit organizations who work with individuals facing financial or housing insecurity recommend that people who want to help make donations to or volunteer to work with reputable charities.

Or, as the City of Richmond’s new signs specifically state: “Those who need assistance Call 3-1-1. The City of Richmond Can Help.”

The total revenue before expenses topped $437 million for the first time, and that does not count unreported revenues of people operating short-term rentals in homes and apartments.

Localities in this area have yet to make collection of taxes from Air B&B affiliates and other on-line short-term rental companies a top priority.

“The region’s momentum as a tourist

destination continues to accelerate,” said Jack Berry, president and CEO of the regional tourism promotion group that works on behalf of seven regional jurisdictions, which also include New Kent County, Colonial Heights and Ashland.

He said Richmond’s reputation for “historic, cultural, entertainment and natural resources” is playing a role, as is the strategic partnerships that are in place.

Having the Greater Richmond Convention Center, the largest meeting and exhibition facility in the commonwealth,

Mr. Berry stated that sports tourism also is pushing up visitor numbers and now accounts for 68% of RRT’s bookings. Softball, soccer, lacrosse and volleyball events were big draws in the past 12 months, he continued, as were the Atlantic 10 Men’s and Women’s Cross-Country championships, the U.S. Masters Swimming Summer Nationals and the Shooting Star Field Hockey Tournament.

Brandon Hinton, a Hanover County official and chair of RRT, noted that sports tourism has led to more public investment in playing fields, sports complexes, bike trails and parks, making the region more competitive.

RRT projects that the region’s tourism growth should continue as the result of passage of local legislation that hotels supported that earmarks 2% percent of hotel revenue to beefing up marketing and promotion of the area.

The legislation enabled creation of Richmond’s Tourism Improvement District initiative for collective marketing. That initiative is expected to generate $8 million or more to bolster marketing and promotion and dramatically expand RRT’s ability to increase visitor numbers.

Free Press staff report Chesterfield County has been awarded a $755,523 grant through the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development’s Virginia Telecommunication Initiative (VATI) to support the county’s partnership with All Points Broadband and Dominion Energy to develop broadband availability countywide.

The award will make it possible for Chesterfield and its partners to develop the infrastructure necessary to bring broadband service to currently unserved areas of the county.

“Chesterfield is excited about this great news and about the opportunity to work with our partners to implement this grant,” said Deputy County Administrator Clay Bowles. “It will provide these citizens with what is nowadays a critical piece of infrastructure.”

The grant will enable some 494 parcels, homes, and businesses across the county to eventually have access to service, according to the county.

For more information, visit https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=T3U26umVwYs

Correction

Ant the Symbol is a music producer, but not a rapper. An article published in the July 20-22 edition of the Free Press contained inaccuracies that have been corrected for the online version.

The Free Press regrets the error.

The Greater Richmond Convention Center, the largest meeting and exhibition facility in the commonwealth, is helping to bring more people to the region, according to Richmond Regional Tourism. The convention center hosted 218 events in fiscal year 2023, a 21% increase compared to the previous year, according to RRT data. Popular sporting events include NASCAR and Run Richmond 16.19.

Source: Richmond Regional Tourism

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

A hoax that created a small uproar over the Richmond leg of the $266 million regional Fall Line Trail is being dispelled.

The uproar began when residents along the north side of Brookland Parkway began receiving letters last week that purportedly came from the Norfolk-based Lollar Law and stated that their front yards would be taken by eminent domain for the trail.

After receiving multiple calls, City Councilwoman AnnFrances Lambert, said Monday that residents living on Brookland Parkway between Brook and Hermitage roads are being reassured “this information is not true.”

Brookland Parkway does not appear to be part of the trail’s route in Richmond.

According to a video that Richmond Sports Backers has created on the trail’s route, the trail would use the bike lanes on Brook Road after leaving Jackson Ward and then use a stretch of Bellevue Avenue to get to Bryan Park, which then serves as an entry to the Henrico County section.

Ms. Lambert indicated that the letters did not come from either state, regional or local authorities.

The law firm did not respond to a Free Press request for information on whether the firm generated the letters.

City administration officials also did not offer any information about the letters or the trail’s design.

Already approved, the first section of the trail is now under construction in Hanover County. When complete, the trail is to run 43.6 miles between Ashland and Petersburg, ending at a park on the Appomattox River. To be paved, the Fall Line, in part, will knit together an existing network of trails.

In the city, the trail is to run between Bryan Park and Falling Creek on the border with Chesterfield County, and run on existing streets through Jackson Ward and Downtown. The T. Tyler Potterfield Bridge at Brown’s Island is to serve as the crossing point for the James River.

Meanwhile, Henrico County’s Fairfield District, which also is a part of the Fall Line Trail, hosted a public meeting on May 16 at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardento inform

residents about the trail’s construction scheduled to start in May 2025, according to the county’s website.

The Fairfield District’s part of the trail will see approximately 2,800 linear feet of a minimum 12-foot wide multi-use trail that will be constructed along the north side of Hilliard Road and the west side of Brook Road from the northern end of the Lakeside Community Trail, Phase 3 to the intersection of Lakeside Avenue and Brook Road, according to the county’s website.

Right-of-way acquisition was to start in Henrico this month, utility relocations are to start in January 2024, advertisement for construction is anticipated September 2024.

The Virginia Department of Transportation is overseeing the trail’s development. For more information, visit https://www. falllineva.org/trailmaps

Slices of life and scenes in Richmond

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

A giant kaleidoscopes sculpture “Cosmic Perception,” now stands outside of the Science Museum of Virginia. The work is designed by RE:site a public art studio. The sculpture as well as a community greenspace (The Green) opened in May.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

New signs at Belvidere and Marshall streets are among several throughout the city that ask drivers to stop giving money to panhandlers.

Ms. Lambert

The doctors you chose, the plan to match

Keep your doctors with an accepted plan

You chose your Bon Secours care team — a team whose focus is, and always has been, on providing quality, compassionate care for those we serve. Now it’s time to choose the Medicare plan to match. Due to stalled negotiations between Bon Secours and Anthem (otherwise known as Elevance Health), your coverage may be impacted.

If an agreement is not reached, our Medicare Advantage contract with Anthem in Virginia will terminate effective August 1 and Bon Secours providers will be considered out-of-network for nearly 13,000 Richmond-area patients who have Anthem Medicare Advantage health insurance.

If you are a Bon Secours patient with Anthem Medicare Advantage coverage, here is what you can do to make your voice heard:

1. Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment opens October 15. Talk to your broker, or call the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) at 1-800-633-4227, and understand your options to pick a plan that keeps your Bon Secours providers in-network. Bon Secours remains in-network with all other major Medicare Advantage health plans in Virginia.

2. Call Anthem at the number on the back of your insurance card and tell them how important it is for you to keep you uninterrupted in-network access to Bon Secours.

Bon Secours is committed to continue doing our part and working hard to reach a new agreement with Anthem on behalf of our patients and the communities we serve — so nothing comes between you and the caregivers you know and trust.

RPS pilots new program at 2 schools

Continued from A1 nal Elementary schools are the first to participate in the RPS 200 program, which is intended to address learning loss experience among students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

RPS officials, Mayor Levar M. Stoney, Richmond City Council President Michael Jones, and other Richmond school officials and leaders also were on hand to welcome students. The air was filled with casual conversation, music and honks of support from passing vehicles as staff and teachers guided children and their parents, providing them with registration information, breakfast and hugs of support.

“This is a great day for RPS,” Superintendent Jason Kamras said during a press conference on the school grounds. “We’ve gone through a very difficult time as a result of the pandemic, and so in this once-in-a-century moment, we need once-in-acentury responses, and that is what we have here today.

“We could not be more thrilled to take this bold step for our kids.”

Fairfield Court was approved for the pilot program in early March, followed later that month by Cardinal. Students at the schools will still share the same semester breaks, holidays and last day as other schools in the RPS system.

Fairfield Court’s status as an accredited school was a sticking point for some School Board members who said it didn’t need to be a part of the pilot program. However, Fairfield Court Principal Angela Right sees the addition of 20 more days to the semester as a valuable resource for the school and its goals for students.

Ms. Right and her staff plan to employ several strategies to bolster student performance. More personalized instruction, with a focus on improving proficiency, is one strategy.

That will be used to ensure students’ learning progression and their ability to better demonstrate their progress. Better outcomes in students’ school assignments, SOL test scores and other areas in need of improvement is the objective.

Court OKs casino referendum for vote

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for voter approval of a $560 million combination casino, resort hotel, entertainment venue and public park to be developed on 100 acres at the Bells Road interchange on Interstate 95. Altria currently owns the property.

The development, if approved, is to be carried out at no cost to the city, according to Ms. Trammell, but would generate more than 1,300 new jobs and a gusher of new revenue for the city. The project also would include a 50-acre public park, an entertainment venue and a sound stage for producing radio and TV content for Urban One outlets and other media operations as well as promotional material for the city.

The proposed casino would be undertaken by partnerships that include Urban One, the Maryland-based Black media company whose holdings include major Richmond radio stations, and Churchill Downs, the Kentucky-based racing and gaming company that already owns the Rosie’s gambling operations in Virginia.

Representatives of both companies also issued a joint statement Tuesday cheering the legal advance as they prepared to campaign for approval.

Alfred C. Liggins III, Urban One’s CEO, said that passage of the casino referendum would enable his company to continue to invest “in the citizens of this great city.”

According to city documents, Richmond is to receive an immediate $26.5 million from the partnership if the referendum passes. The city also anticipates receiving yearly $30 million or more in additional tax revenue once the casino is in operation, primarily from the tax on gambling proceeds.

Reports are circulating that Churchill Downs is already conducting polling to gauge public interest and identify any potential roadblocks. Expectations are for Churchill Downs to advertise heavily this fall in a bid to generate positive support.

At this point, the opposition that was so active in 2021 has yet to surface publicly.

The only potential roadblock: Language in an amended state budget barring the vote. So far the General Assembly has yet to reach a spending deal, though a new proposal for the 2023-24 fiscal year is now circulating, negotiators said last week.

It is not clear that the potential deal to carve up $4.1 billion in collected, but unallocated revenue even mentions the Richmond vote.

Free COVID-19 vaccines

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Infant and Children Office, 509 E. Southside Plaza.

Wednesday, Aug. 2, 8 to 10 a.m. - Eastern Henrico Recreation Center, 1440 N. Laburnum Ave.

Call the Richmond and Henrico COVID-19 Hotline at (804) 205-3501 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday for more 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/ coronavirus/covid-19-testing/covid-19-testing-sites.

Want a COVID-19 vaccine or booster shot?

The Richmond and Henrico health districts are offering free vaccines for COVID-19 and more at the following locations:

Tuesday, Aug. 1, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. - Henrico East Fast Track Clinic, 1400 N. Laburnum Ave., TDAP, Meningitis and HPV shots. Walk-ups welcome, but appointments encouraged.

Wednesday, Aug. 2, 10 a.m. to noon - Henrico West Health

Department, 8600 Dixon Powers Drive, Bivalent Moderna boosters for ages 6 years and older, Bivalent Pfizer boosters for ages 5 years and older, Novavax primary shots for ages 12 and older, JYNNEOS shots and Moderna/Pfizer baby bivalent boosters; 1 to 4 p.m. - Henrico West Fast Track Clinic, 8600 Dixon Powers Drive, TDAP, Meningitis and HPV shots. Walkups welcome, but appointments encouraged.

People can schedule an appointment online at vase.vdh. virginia.gov, vaccinate.virginia.gov or vax.rchd.com, or by calling (804) 205-3501 or (877) VAX-IN-VA (1-877-829-4682). VaccineFinder.org and vaccines.gov also allow people to find nearby pharmacies and clinics that offer the COVID-19 vaccine and booster.

Those who are getting a booster shot should bring their vaccine card to confirm the date and type of vaccine received. RHHD also offers at-home vaccinations by calling (804) 2053501 to schedule appointments.

The Pfizer booster is approved for ages 12 and up, while the new Moderna booster is for ages 18 and older.

As with previous COVID-19 boosters, the new doses can only be received after an initial two vaccine shots, and those who qualify are instructed to wait at least two months after their second COVID-19 vaccine. The Richmond and Henrico Health Districts also offer bivalent Pfizer and Moderna boosters to children between the ages of 5 and 11. Children in this age range will be eligible after at least two months since their last vaccine dose.

Compiled by George Copeland Jr.

“Our goal is growth and proficiency,” Ms. Right said.

Rasul Semper and his son, Elijah, a kindergartner at Fairfield Court, were excited to be at Monday’s school opening.

“I think it’s a good thing to give them more time to get the pieces together,” Mr. Semper said. “An early jump on meeting their teacher, getting comfortable — everything that they need is going to happen a little faster.”

In addition to added instructional support and resources, principals and assistant principals in the RPS 200 program will receive $15,000 in bonuses for each year of the pilot, while contracted teachers and staff will see a $10,000 and $5,000 bonus, respectively, for every year of the pilot, as part of an adjusted, 11-month contract.

All participating staff also will receive an additional $5,000 bonus if their school meets established and approved student outcome goals.

As part of the program, students and staff at Fairfield Court had the option to transfer to other schools, while parents with students in other RPS schools could transfer to Fairfield to participate in the pilot program.

According to Ms. Right, most parents and staff at Fairfield

Court opted to be a part of the program.

“We had over 90 percent support of our parents who wanted this to happen,” Ms. Right said. “I’m just elated, I’m excited about today.”

RPS 200 begins as other, similar initiatives in Virginia have been as successful.

Chesterfield school officials recently recommended ending a year-round education program that began with Bellwood Elementary School in 2018 and now includes Falling Creek Elementary School as of last week.

Results presented during the Chesterfield School Board meeting in January showed small to no academic improvement for students in the program compared to other students.

Ms. Right, however, was confident that the pilot program will bring dividends for Richmond schools, and would provide a model for education that could be expanded to other schools in the city.

“Our goal here and also at Cardinal is for this model to work so we continue to do this at other elementary schools,” she said.

Council approves Highland Park housing units, ban on wild animals, and more honorary street signs

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Care and Control did not run afoul of state and federal laws that already govern the private care and keeping of wild birds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. Council also:

• Cleared the way for a 20-story retail and apartment complex that Richmondbased Hourigan Development is planning for 2 acres of the riverfront in Manchester that was the site of grain silos.

• Approved honorary street signs for Dr. Roscoe D. Cooper III, founder and pastor since 1994 of the Metropolitan African-American Baptist Church; the late Dr. Ruth I.G. Moore, a pastor for 60 years who co-founded the Tower of Deliverance Ministries in Richmond and later led the Faith, Hope and Victory Church in Ashland; and the late Mozelle Willis Minor, a parachute rigger for the Tuskegee Airmen who participated in Richmond civic and church affairs for 70 years.

• Placed on hold was passage of the first Public Services Commission to review the work and future plans for the Department of Public Utilities at the request of the lead patron, 1st District Councilman Andreas D. Addison. Mr. Addison said he wanted to propose amendments that would allow representatives from counties that buy utility services from the city, such as Chesterfield and Henrico, to serve on the commission and also restructure future subcommittees.

RRHA prepares to launch home-buying initiative

Continued from A1

employed people who have strong payment histories, but have been shut out of the housing market due to poor credit, lack of savings for a down payment and other barriers.

The key to the program, he said, is the new regulation President Biden’s administration has put in place that allows mortgage lenders to ignore credit scores and consider home loans to people who have covered their monthly share of government-subsidized rent for two years or more without missing a payment.

Jumping on that idea, he said that RRHA is creating partnerships with lenders, nonprofit housing groups and public entities in developing a comprehensive program that would eliminate down-payment as well as closing costs and mortgage insurance and offer reduced interest rates to buyers.

It is not yet clear how many people would qualify. RRHA provides subsidized housing to nearly 6,000 individuals and families, with about 3,200 of those in public housing and the remainder holding vouchers.

At least half the families in public housing are listed as in arrears on rent, according to RRHA.

Still, Mr. Nesmith said such mortgage lenders as Bank of America, Truist, Virginia Credit Union and Peoples Advantage Federal Credit Union have agreed to participate in using rental payments and

on-time utility payments as the determinant of credit for a home purchase.

He said the program also will team with the state Department of Housing and Community Development and the city to assist the program. Both have funding to cover much of the upfront costs of a purchase.

would expand the program to more people and provide a wider range of assistance to potential home buyers.

Along with paying rent timely, applicants also would need to show they have held a full or part-time job for at least two years or more and have sufficient household income to handle a mortgage.

across three sites in two states, became federally-protected places. Before signing the proclamation, the president said he marvels at the courage of the Till family to “find faith and purpose in pain.”

“Today, on what would have been Emmett’s 82nd birthday, we add another chapter in the story of remembrance and healing,” President Biden said.

It’s the fourth such designation by the Democratic president’s administration, reflecting its broader civil rights agenda, the White House said. The move comes as conservative leaders, mostly at the state and local levels, push legislation that limits the teaching of slavery and Black history in public schools.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jefferies said the monument “places the life and legacy of Emmett Till among our nation’s most treasured memorials.”

“Black history is American history,” he said in a written statement.

Mr. Till’s family members, along with a national organization seeking to preserve Black cultural heritage sites, say their work protecting the Till legacy continues. They

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3-point attempts. Still, the totality of his time in Boston has made him a key piece of the franchise’s current core that management wasn’t willing to risk seeing depart when his current four-year deal expires after next season.

Ms. Fudge

For example, the city has set aside an initial $2 million in seeking to meet a goal of helping 2,000 lower-income families and individuals become homeowners by 2030. That’s in addition to funding the city provides yearly to several nonprofits to provide down payment assistance.

Mr. Nesmith said that RRHA also is working with entities like Southside Community Development & Housing Corp. to boost the supply of homes that would be affordable.

SCDHC just completed and sold eight homes on Perry Street in South Side for $195,000 apiece, or about half Richmond’s market price for a for-sale home. Those who purchased also received down payment assistance.

RRHA already has a small homeownership program that relies on federal rules that allow people to use Housing Choice Vouchers in a rent-to-own program.

Mr. Nesmith said the new initiative

hope to raise money to restore the sites and develop educational programming to support their inclusion in the National Park System.

President Biden’s proclamation protects places that are central to the story of Emmett Till’s life and death at age 14, the acquittal of his white killers by an all-white jury and his late mother’s activism.

In the summer of 1955, Mamie TillMobley put her son Emmett on a train to her native Mississippi, where he was to spend time with his uncle and his cousins. In the overnight hours of Aug. 28, 1955, Emmett was taken from his uncle’s home at gunpoint by two vengeful white men. Emmett’s alleged crime? Flirting with the wife of one of his kidnappers.

Three days later, a fisherman on the Tallahatchie River discovered the teenager’s bloated corpse — one of his eyes was detached, an ear was missing, his head was shot and bashed in.

Mrs. Till-Mobley demanded that Emmett’s mutilated remains be taken back to Chicago for a public, open casket funeral that was attended by tens of thousands of people. Graphic images taken of Emmett’s

Those who qualify for the new program also would have to complete financial and home buyer education courses to ensure that they could pay their house debt and maintain the property, Mr. Nesmith said.

He said RRHA is moving ahead to hire a mortgage and loan coordinator to get the program off the ground.

Mr. Nesmith said that he has been told that Marcia Fudge, U.S. secretary of housing and urban development, regards the Richmond program as a potential model for housing authorities across the nation.

On HUD’s website, Secretary Fudge states that “policies and programs that can adapt to meet a community’s unique housing challenges,” are needed.

Pledging to make home ownership a reality for more Americans, Secretary Fudge also seeks to eradicate the growing homelessness issue, put an end to discriminatory practices in the housing market, and ensure that our fair housing rules are doing what they are supposed to do: opening the door for families who have been systematically locked out for generations to buy homes and have a fair shot at achieving the American dream.”

“That is the ultimate goal, because I really think it’s going to benefit, as you see all the participation we have this morning.” Continued

remains, sanctioned by his mother, were published by Jet magazine and fueled the Civil Rights Movement.

At the trial of his killers in Mississippi, Mrs. Till-Mobley bravely took the witness stand to counter the perverse image of her son that defense attorneys had painted for jurors and trial watchers.

Altogether, the Till national monument will include 5.7 acres (2.3 hectares) of land and two historic buildings. The Mississippi sites are Graball Landing, the spot where Emmett’s body was pulled from the Tallahatchie River just outside of Glendora, Miss., and the Tallahatchie County Second District Courthouse in Sumner, Miss., where Emmett’s killers were tried.

At Graball Landing, a memorial sign installed in 2008 had been repeatedly stolen and was riddled with bullets. An inch-thick bulletproof sign was erected at the site in October 2019.

The Illinois site is Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ in Chicago, where Emmett’s funeral was held in September 1955.

“The truth should carry itself, but it doesn’t have wings. You have to put some wings on it.”

Jaylen Brown, Celtics agreement biggest in NBA history

By virtue of making the All-NBA second team — Brown’s first such honor in his career — he was eligible for the supermax extension. From the moment this past season ended, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens has been adamant that he wanted to see Brown sign a long-term deal.

“He’s a big part of us. We believe in him and I’m thankful for him,” Stevens said last month. “I’m really thankful that when those guys have success they come back to work. And when they get beat, they own it and they come back to work. And so I know that’s what they’re about. And that’s hard to find.”

Ezibu Muntu marks 50th year at Dogwood Dell program

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Ezibu Muntu, the oldest African dance company in the Richmond area, will mark its 50th year with a “golden” dance program at Dogwood Dell at 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5.

“This is a huge milestone, but also a fresh start on the next 50 years” said Renée Knight Lacy, 68, the longtime artistic director, lead dancer and instructor for the company whose name means “family and community” in the Yoruba language of Nigeria.

The nonprofit and largely volunteer company, which seeks to educate and enrich the lives of young and old through West African dance, rhythms, traditions and cultural arts, is still going strong, Ms. Knight Lacy said.

The more well-known Elegba Folklore Society, also an African dance and cultural arts group based in Downtown, grew out of Ezibu. Janine Y. Bell started Elegba after serving as Ezibu’s business manager for years.

The lone remaining original member, Ms. Knight Lacy said that some of those who once participated in Ezibu are returning for what amounts to a reunion and celebration of the company’s longevity.

Among them are Michelle Belle-Villa, Brenda “BoPeep” Bentley, Ayodele “Ayo” Dowl, Sabrina Johnson, Yvonne “Bonnie” Johnson, Debra Marshall-Webb, Daphne Mosley, Camille Simmons, Mildred Thaxton, Karen Barber Thomas and Lolita Thomas, she said.

One of Ezibu Muntu’s longtime members, Faye Bettina Walker, a former VCU adjunct African dance instructor and artistic director of Ezibu Muntu African Dance Company, died on Nov. 25, 2020.

“This is a horrific blow to the total African American community up and down the East Coast from New York City to Florida,” Ms. Knight Lacy said about Ms. Walker’ death in a VCU News interview in December 2020. “Faye was the glue that kept the whole African American community together. Especially with the dance company.

… Faye had an extremely big heart.”

Ahead of its Aug. 5 dance program, Ezibu will host a banquet Friday night at Third Street Bethel AME Church.

Ms. Knight Lacy, a veteran Richmond Public Schools educator, said that Ezibu started in 1973 as a dance program at Virginia Commonwealth University.

She was just a freshman when she joined the class that dance instructor Tanya Dennis created to introduce African dance.

When Ms. Dennis stopped teaching the dance class, its members decided to continue the program as an independent club. Ms. Knight Lacy said, “and it has remained an active part of this community since.”

She and other members traveled to New York, Washington and Durham, N.C., to study dance and drumming from such masters as Melvin Deal and Charles “Chuck” Davis so the company members could offer classes to the public. Ezibu’s company also performed at community events in Richmond and elsewhere throughout the years.

A few years later, Ezibu secured its nonprofit status and later moved to 418 E. Main St., which served as its home for nearly three decades.

Now retired, Ms. Knight Lacy also introduced African dance in some schools during her educational career.

She’s proud of work that Ezibu has done to spread interest in the dance style and to showcase Richmond drumming and dance talent.

Now located at 1606 Ownby Lane in North Side, Ms. Knight Lacy said that Ezibu continues to offer classes and spread the joy of African dance.

“We are smaller than we were before the pandemic,” Ms. Knight Lacy said. “We’re now seeking new people as we rebuild for the future. The next step is to secure a permanent building to have the appropriate space. Once that happens, the sky’s the limit.”

approves 7 state historical highway markers

Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup hailed

Free Press staff report

The Virginia Board of Historic Resources recently approved seven new historical markers that will be placed along roadsides in Virginia. The signs will highlight the City of Richmond’s first municipal African burial ground; three communities founded by formerly enslaved African-Americans after the Civil War; and the life and work of Arthur Crudup, a 20th century blues musician of the Eastern Shore whose song, “That’s All Right,” launched the career of Elvis Presley.

Richmond’s First Municipal African Burial Ground

Richmond’s First Municipal African Cemetery, historically known as the “Burial Ground for Negroes,” came into existence in 1799 on land the city acquired in what is now Shockoe Bottom. The burial ground contained the graves of enslaved and free Africans and people of African descent. The cemetery’s location also was the site of one of the local gallows and, among other indignities, experienced frequent flooding that disturbed burials. Free Blacks petitioned for a new cemetery, which led the city to open the nearby Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground in 1816. By the 1950s, much of the original cemetery was covered by Interstate 95 and parking lots. Starting in the early 2000s, Richmond activists led a successful campaign to reclaim, protect, and memorialize the city’s First Municipal African Cemetery, which now is known

as the Shockoe Bottom African Burial Ground. The marker’s proposed location is East Broad Street. just east of I-95.

Washington Park noted for St. John Baptist Church, Market Inn

Emancipated African-Americans who settled in the city of Richmond after the Civil War organized St. John Baptist Church in ca. 1868 and built a sanctuary in 1893 in the neighborhood now known as Washington Park. First Baptist Church was established

Founding fathers

In Cumberland County, the Rev. Reuben T. Coleman (1844-1909), born into slavery, became an entrepreneur after the Civil War and established Lucyville, which in the 1890s, included a bank, post office, newspaper, and a mineral springs resort that attracted Black and White visitors from throughout the country. Rev. Coleman, who served as the pastor of Mount Olive Baptist Church, challenged segregation during the Reconstruction era as a local Republican leader and officeholder. His brother-in-law, Shed Dungee, who was also enslaved at birth, represented the area in the House of Delegates from 1879 to 1882 and supported the Readjuster Party, a biracial political coalition founded in Richmond with the goal to reduce the stateís pre-war debt.

school, a home for widows and orphans, stores, an electric plant, a music hall and athletic facilities.

Black pillars with Virginia roots

until appointed chief of police. He died in 1907.

The blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup was born in Forest, Miss., on Aug. 24, 1905.

formed with his sons, James, George and Jonas, as The Malibus in the Eastern Shore communities of Weirwood and Nassawadox. Mr. Crudup died on March 28, 1974, and is buried in Nassawadox.

in 1921. The Washington Park community included the Market Inn nightclub, which was listed in the Green Book, a guide for Black travelers during Jim Crow, and featured performances by such acts as Redd Foxx, The Shirelles, and The Drifters. In 1914, the city annexed a part of the neighborhood from Henrico County before acquiring the rest of the area in 1942. Richmond’s second Black mayor, Dr. Roy West, grew up in Washington Park.

The origins of the Belleville community in the City of Suffolk can be traced to 1896, when William Saunders Crowdy (1847-1908 ), who escaped enslavement during the Civil War, founded in Kansas the Church of God and Saints of Christ, which today is a predominantly AfricanAmerican Judaic community with members and missions in the United States, Jamaica, and Africa. In 1903, Mr. Crowdy bought 40 acres of land in Suffolk. The site became the international headquarters of the church in 1919, and the Belleville community developed around the church in the 1920s. At the height of its existence, Belleville encompassed more than 700 acres and included a sacred tabernacle, farms, a

Born enslaved in 1842 at the Shirley plantation in Charles City County Stephen Bates eventually became the earliestknown Black sheriff in the North. Mr. Bates was a domestic worker at Shirley before claiming his freedom during the Civil War. He later worked for a Union officer at Harrison’s Landing in Charles City County, and left Virginia with the army in August 1862. Mr. Bates later was a coachman for Frederick E. Woodbridge, a state of Vermont congressman. In 1869, Mr. Bates moved with Woodbridge to Vergennes, Vt., and starting in 1875, was the city’s constable for four years. The white electorate selected Mr. Bates as sheriff in 1879, and he was re-elected as sheriff

Sometimes referred to as “The Father of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” Mr. Crudup gained prominence as a recording artist in Chicago in the 1940s. In 1954, Elvis Presley’s career took off after he recorded a version of “That’s All Right,” a song originally written and performed by Mr. Crudup in Chicago. Mr. Presley later covered two more of Crudup’s songs, “My Baby

Left Me” and “So Glad You’re Mine.” Others who covered Mr. Crudup included The Beatles, B.B. King, and Elton John. A self-taught musician who lived through poverty and oppression, Mr. Crudup rarely received royalties for his work and instead supported his family as a laborer and farm worker. He moved to Franktown in Northampton County in ca. 1960 and per-

Fostering a future for Black people

A forthcoming marker in Nottoway County will recall the Luther H. Foster High School, which provided secondary education to Black students during the Jim Crow era of segregation. Constructed at a cost of $680,000, the school first welcomed students in 1950, and was named for Halifax County native Dr. Luther Hilton Foster (1888-1949) , a well-known leader in Black higher education who served as the fourth president of what is now Virginia State University from 1943 until his death in 1949. The school closed in 1970 after the county fully desegregated its schools.

It’s DOPE

Father and son Jerome and Jeromyah Jones have made art a way of life, and their recent work, “Dissertation on Peace Exhibit (DOPE)” at Henrico County’s Fairfield Library, presents art related to history, self-discovery, self-determination, family unity, and community responsibility. The artists presented an exhibit and led a discussion about their work at the library last Saturday. Together they have exhibited at the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, the Hampton University Museum, the Trumpet Awards Celebration in Atlanta, the Museum of the Bible and more. They also were featured artists in the global Google doodle during Juneteenth 2022.

Photos by Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Ms. Walker

Ms. Knight Lacy

Slavery was good?

Africans were so lucky to be captured, shipped in torturous conditions away from their homeland, stripped of their languages, kinship, religion and culture and bound into perpetual servitude in America so that they could learn “useful skills.”

Pretty preposterous, right?

Not for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

He’s so proud that the Florida Department of Public Education has rewritten the history standards to ensure that public school students in his state will be learning about the glories of slavery, instead of just being taught what he calls the false narrative that human bondage was simply terrible.

Surely, he believes, we can find something positive to say about the horrendous conditions that the enslaved were forced to endure before freedom came and that too many endured even after our forbears were manumitted.

Why are we paying attention to this verbal garbage?

Because Gov. DeSantis wants to use this version of how slavery went down in this country to rev up his fledgling and disintegrating campaign to win the Republican presidential nomination.

From our vantage, he appears to be running for bigot in chief, rather than commander in chief.

It says a great deal that an elected Republican leader is trying to make the case for slavery.

Though a few brave souls in the GOP have pushed back, it is more distressing that most Republican presidential candidates and Republican leaders, such as Virginia Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin, Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears and Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert, have declined to denounce Gov. DeSantis’ racist views.

Maybe they disagree, but don’t want to stir up an interparty fuss. But their golden silence bespeaks a certain admiration for someone willing to spout nonsense in public. Even more shameful is that they may agree with him, but don’t want to face hostile fire.

At least one Republican is bold enough to refute Gov. DeSantis and his meely-mouthed brethren. former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, who has joined the race for the Republican nomination was clear when he tweeted, “Slavery wasn’t a jobs program that taught beneficial skills.” Mr. Hurd, the son of a Black father and white mother, added “It was literally dehumanizing and subjugated people as property.”

Still, he is a passenger pigeon in his party these days. There was a time when Gov. DeSantis would have faced a serious and substantial backlash from his own party members, not just from Democrats. No more.

We have to agree with Cedric L. Richmond, co-chair of the Biden for President campaign: “Ron DeSantis’ comments in support of the idea that slavery had benefits are disgusting, but they are a symptom of the extremism that has infected the Republican Party. There’s no debate over slavery. It was utterly evil.”

We know our people made a way out of no way. We know many emerged from slavery with skills that they used to go on to serve as soldiers, educators, doctors, lawyers, civil servants and more. That they built towns that were so successful envious white people burned them down, and yet they went on to invent necessary products ranging from traffic lights, portable air conditioners innovations in medicine and technology.

Black people have long claimed the lead as creative engines in popular music, design and entertainment. In this week’s Free Press edition, we learn a little more about blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup who gained prominence as a recording artist in Chicago in the 1940s. In 1954, Elvis Presley’s career took off after he “benefited” from recording a version of Mr. Crudup’s “That’s All Right.” Elton John, The Beatles and others covered Mr. Crudup’s music, too. Mr. Crudup lived out his last days largely unheralded in Virginia, where he worked as a farmer to support his family.

But our people did this despite the horrors they or their ancestors went through, not because of those horrors.

Slavery stunted the South and the talents of those who were forced to work without pay. Generations have passed but the wounds of that terrible institution have yet to be fully healed. Trying to put lipstick on a pig, Gov. DeSantis, reveals more about you than the swine.

When the Biden Administration announced its latest initiative to reduce the nation’s unsustainable trillion dollar student debt, both borrowers and advocates rejoiced. In the coming weeks an estimated 804,000 student loan borrowers will together receive $39 billion in federal loan debt cancellations.

These unprecedented debt cancellations are available due to systemic corrections that will now ensure all borrowers receive full credit for qualifying payments under the Department’s Income Driven Repayment (IDR) plans.

More importantly, these developments signal one of the very few times that Black student loan borrowers stand to become the initiative’s biggest beneficiaries. Recent data analyses underscore the extra student debt borne by Black America.

To paraphrase President Biden’s reaction to national health being passed when he served as President Obama’s vice president, “This is a big deal.”

According to the Education Data Initiative:

• Black college graduates owe an average of $52,000 in student loan debt;

• Over half of these borrowers say their net worth is less than their student debt;

• Black student loan borrowers are the most likely to struggle financially to make a $250 monthly

On July 16, Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson announced that he would pivot from his role as president of the National Rainbow Coalition to become a university professor and adviser to his successor, the Rev. Frederick Douglas Haynes III, an activist and the pastor of FriendshipWest Baptist Church in Dallas. This announcement, accompanied by a laudatory speech from Vice President Kamala Harris, should have been front-page news. Instead, except for the Chicago newspapers, Rev. Jackson’s resignation from the group he founded in 1971 garnered little national news.

However, Rev. Jackson’s transition from leadership was big news to the people who worked on his 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns. About 200 of Rev. Jackson’s delegates and campaign workers gathered for a reunion at the PUSH headquarters July 14-16 to reminisce and celebrate his decades of leadership. The man whose mantra was “Keep hope alive” offered hope to those disheartened by the recent rise in racism, virulent antiblackness, legislative and judicial hostility resulting in attacks on voting rights, and the reversal of affirmative action.

Rev. Jackson has not disappeared from the national scene. Instead, too many want to write him off, just as they have at-

All is forgiven?

payment; and

• Four years after graduation, Black loan borrowers owe an average of 188 percent more on their debt than white borrowers.

As June 1, 2021, long before this new initiative, only 157 borrowers received forgiveness from the Education Department, despite the fact that thousands more were also eligible, according to the federal Government

Accountability Office (GOA).

This office also found that about half of more than $1 trillion in outstanding federal student Direct Loans are being paid by borrowers using IDR plans.

Now, federal loan borrowers who have reached the equivalent of either 20 or 25 years of qualifying months will be benefit. Additionally, loan payments made prior to a loan consolidation will also be counted toward forgiveness.

Borrowers receiving notifications in the coming days include those with Direct Loans or Federal Family Education Loans held by the Department (including Parent PLUS loans of either type) who have reached the necessary forgiveness threshold as a result of receiving credit toward IDR forgiveness for any of the following periods:

• Any month in which a borrower was in a repayment status, regardless of whether payments were partial or late, the type of loan, or the repayment plan;

• Any period in which a borrower spent 12 or more consecu-

tempted to write off history. The sentiment to ignore Rev. Jackson is the same sentiment that has allowed truth-deniers to introduce legislation outlawing teaching about race in 44 states. Thanks to Rev. Jackson’s campaign veterans, though, the world will learn that biased journalists cannot bury either history or hope.

At a time when state legislators and Supreme Court justices have attacked voting rights, Rev. Jackson’s legacy in registering more voters than any other single individual in history is unassailable. And who can deny Rev. Jackson’s international impact – from his rescue of Lt. Robert Goodman from Syria through his work on the anti-apartheid movement and his relationship with Nelson Mandela? His international reach is reflected in his participation in this year’s PUSH conference, which includes delegates from several African countries, the Caribbean, and Europe. His peers in the Civil Rights Movement sent tributes of recognition. They came from the National Urban League’s Marc Morial to the National Action Network’s Al Sharpton, to tweets from Presidents Clinton and Biden to Chicago’s Mayor Brandon Johnson, appreciation rained down on Rev. Jackson. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge defined PUSH – as “to press

tive months in forbearance;

• Any month in forbearance for borrowers who spent 36 or more cumulative months in forbearance;

• Any month spent in deferment (except for in-school deferment) prior to 2013; and

• Any month spent in economic hardship or military deferments on or after January 1, 2013.

Discharges will begin 30 days after emails are sent. Then, borrowers will receive a second notice — from their loan servicer — after their debt is discharged. Those receiving forgiveness will have repayment on their loans paused until their discharge is processed, while those who opt out of the discharge will return to repayment once payments resume.

“My administration has worked hard to secure the largest increases to Pell Grants in a decade, fixed broken loan programs such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness and created a new income-driven repayment plan that will cut undergraduate loan payments in half and bring monthly payments to zero for low-income borrowers,” said President Biden on announcing the action.

“By fixing past administrative failures, we are ensuring everyone gets the forgiveness they deserve, just as we have done for public servants, students who were cheated by their colleges, and borrowers with permanent disabilities, including veterans,” added Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. The Center for Responsible

upon a thing with force to move it away, to move something in a specified way by exerting force.” She noted that PUSH has been a force for justice, a force against the barriers of racism. There are setbacks, she said, to be sure. But as long as that force is there, there will be change.

That the United States vice president traveled to Chicago to salute Rev. Jackson crystallizes his importance to the nation and the world. Kamala Harris shared how important Rev. Jackson has been to her life and career and said she would not be vice-president were it not for Rev. Jackson’s work. Others shared similar tributes, and I, too, have a testimony.

I met Rev. Jackson first in 1973 as an Essence Magazine intern and later worked on his1984 campaign. I vividly remember his assertion in his speech at the Moscone Center that “God isn’t finished with me yet.” Indeed, since 1984, God has continued to mold, shape, and bless Rev. Jackson.

Rev. Jackson isn’t giving rousing speeches anymore. But he still brings us to our feet. He doesn’t shout. The Parkinson’s he has battled since 2017 has reduced his mighty roar to a whisper. But his whisper is that of hope and history. “Keep hope alive,” he tells assembled delegates. “I am somebody,” he quietly encourages the crowd in his trademark chant.

The writer is an economist, author, and dean of the College of Ethnic Studies at Cal State LA.

The Free Press welcomes letters

The Richmond Free Press respects the opinions of its readers. We want to hear from you. We invite you to write the editor. All letters will be considered for publication. Concise, typewritten letters related to public matters are preferred. Also include your telephone number(s). Letters should be addressed to: Letters to the Editor, Richmond Free Press, P.O. Box 27709, 422 East Franklin Street, Richmond, VA 23261, or faxed to: (804) 643-7519 or e-mail: letters@richmondfreepress.com.

Lending (CRL) applauded the Administration for forgiving hundreds of thousands of loans through the improved incomedriven repayment program. It commended the action as a critical step but highlighted the need for more work to be done.

“We look forward to working with the Administration to develop additional programs and regulations that will make the repayment of federal student loan debt fairer and more affordable,” said Jaylon Herbin, director of federal campaigns at CRL. “Hard-working Americans pay for a broken student loan system that was supposed to be designed for them. Instead, banking and education industry lobbyists turned it into a cash cow for themselves, skyrocketing tuition costs and telling low-andmiddle income families not to worry, “the debt will pay for itself.’ More than two decades later, these borrowers were still paying their loans.”

The writer is a senior fellow at the Center for Responsible Lending.

Sellars

Regina H. Boone reginaboone@richmondfreepress.com James Haskins, Rudolph Powell and Clinton A. Strane Vice President – Administration Tracey L. Oliver traceyoliver@richmondfreepress.com

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Charlene Crowell

Julianne Malveaux

can’t bury hope or history

Concern for Creighton Court residents

That was a very good and detailed article on the residents of Creighton Court (Richmond Free Press, July 13-15, 2023). Many (Creighton Court residents) have a right to be worried about where they will live when their housing is demolished. One of the residents stated “Just because we’re public housing (residents) does not make us any less.”

Yes, (public housing residents) should be given the same consideration as anyone else.

It seems as if we are always anxious to jump on projects

that create revenue. But do we think about the human beings that will be impacted?

It was stated by a resident that (Mayor Levar M. Stoney) talks about mixed-income, affordable housing but nobody can answer the question, “What is affordable housing? Affordable for whom?” the resident asked.

I am not saying that this is not a great project, but has this project been fully thought out?

Yes, after reading this article, it does seem that Creighton

Court residents have reason to be scared or anxious concerning where their new living quarters will be.

City officials need to ensure that every citizen gets a fair shake, regardless of their economic standing.

There is an old saying, I am my brother’s keeper.

Let’s ensure this is still true even today.

ERNEST PARKER JR. Richmond

Biden names longtime Hill aide as his legislative affairs director

The Associated Press WASHINGTON

President Biden is tapping Shuwanza Goff — a veteran congressional aide who also served as his main point of contact to the House at the start of the administration — as his new director of legislative affairs, making her the first Black woman to be the White House’s chief emissary to Capitol Hill.

Ms. Goff succeeds Louisa Terrell in the role, a position that is especially vital for a president who spent more than three decades in Congress and takes pride in his connections to lawmakers. Ms. Goff comes into the job with deep relationships not just with Democrats but with Republicans, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., that were honed over more than a decade on Capitol Hill.

In a statement announcing the hire, President Biden called Ms. Goff a “proven leader and trusted voice on both sides of the aisle” who played a key role in the biggest legislative accomplishments from the first two years of his presidency, including COVID-19 relief, a major climate, tax and health care package as well as the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. Before joining the Biden administration, Ms. Goff was a senior aide to Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., eventually becoming his floor director when Rep. Hoyer served in House Democratic leadership.

“Shuwanza’s close partnership with my decades-long friends in the House and Senate, and her expertise, instincts and deep respect for the United States Congress will continue to serve our Administration and the American people well,” President Biden said.

Ms. Goff, 38, previously served as the White House’s deputy director of legislative affairs and House liaison, making her the main point of contact to House lawmakers. She left the administration earlier this year for the private sector before rejoining the White House.

Ms. Goff enters the role with no shortage of immediate challenges. In the coming weeks, Congress will have to determine how to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration, ensure passage of a sweeping defense policy package and avert a government shutdown while juggling numerous confirmation fights in the Senate. Throughout those legislative battles, Ms. Goff will be tasked

with ensuring President Biden’s agenda remains intact while managing relations with a confrontational House Republican conference with vastly different priorities — a challenge that those who know her say she’s well-equipped to handle.

“Shuwanza is a friend and members of Congress on both sides of the aisle know that she is a policy professional with the experience and institutional knowledge of both the legislative and executive branch,” Rep. McCarthy told The Associated Press. “The White House is lucky to have her back.”

In her role as Rep. Hoyer’s floor director, Ms. Goff coordinated legislative activity in the House chamber which put her in constant contact with Democratic and GOP leaders, the Senate and the White House. She was the first Black woman to serve in that position.

Rep. Hoyer, who said he was “ecstatic” over Ms. Goff’s appointment, said her intelligence, credibility among both Democrats and Republicans as well as her straightforward

demeanor will serve Biden well as the White House navigates the upcoming challenges.

“She’s just an easy person to work with and she’s smart as she can be,” Rep. Hoyer said. “She doesn’t show off smart, you know what I mean? She is smart, people know she’s smart but she also has empathy and patience to listen to others’ point of view.”

Ms. Goff holds degrees from the University of Tennessee and American University and is a Virginia native.

The Associated Press

Shuwanza Goff, left, speaks with House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland in January 2019 as they walk on Capitol Hill. President Biden announced that Ms. Goff will serve as assistant to the president and director of the Office of Legislative Affairs.

Stories by Fred Jeter

Bobby Dandridge recognized in Bullets’ D.C. Sports Hall of Fame induction

Native Richmonder Bobby Dandridge, along with the entire 1977-1978 Washington Bullets, have been inducted into the Washington, D.C. Sports Hall of Fame.

The ceremony was July 9 at Nationals Park prior to a Nationals versus Texas Rangers game.

Known as “Greyhound” for his long, swift strides, Dandridge starred at Richmond’s Maggie L. Walker High School and then Norfolk State University before entering the NBA, first with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Dandridge helped the Bucks to the 1971 NBA title and then was a key to the Bullets’ 1978 crown.

Jacoby Brissett’s experience is a win for Commanders

For every Plan A, there needs to be a Plan B.

For right now, that’s quarterback Jacoby Brissett with the Washington Commanders. With preseason drills starting this week in Ashburn, second-year pro Sam Howell will likely be in day to day competition with newcomer Brissett for top gun status. Brissett, who signed a one year, $10 million contract in March, has an enormous advantage in NFL experience, and long-term success.

But Howell, in his only 2022 showing, led the Commanders to a win over the dreaded Dallas Cowboys in the final game of the season to finish 8-8-1. He is on a four-year, $4 million contract.

Much will be determined during the exhibitions Aug. 11 at Cleveland, Aug. 21 at home against Baltimore and Aug. 26 at home against Cincinnati.

Plan B stands for Brissett in Washington

D.C. Quarterbacks Rewind

These are the Black quarterbacks who have started in games over the years for the Washington Commanders:

• Doug Williams, 1988

• Tony Banks, 2001

• Jason Campbell, 2007-2009

• Donovan McNabb, 2010

• Robert Griffin III, 2012-2014

• Dwayne Haskins, 2019-2020

QB starters during Ron Rivera era: Case Keenum, Dwayne Haskins, Alex Smith, Kyle Allen, Taylor Heinicke, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Garrett Gilbert, Carson Wentz and Sam Howell

The win over Dallas is fresh in the minds of restless Washington fans and, perhaps, with the coach’s assessments (including new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy).

By most accounts, Howell has a slight edge over Brissett.

Last year’s regulars

Carson Wentz (now a free agent) and Taylor Heinicke (with Atlanta) are gone, creating a vacancy.

The preseason competition will have much to do with whether Howell, 22, or Brissett, 30, is under center for the true opener Sept. 10 against invading Arizona.

Both Brissett (North Carolina State, 2013-2015) and Howell (North Carolina, 2019-2021) come from the ACC but never overlapped on the college level.

A third round draft pick by New England in 2016, the 6-foot-4, 231-pound Brissett played for the Patriots (picking up a Super Bowl ring as Tom Brady’s backup), Colts, Dolphins, and Browns (2022) before coming to D.C.

For his career, the native Floridian has completed 61.1 percent of his passes for 10,350 yards

During the ’78 playoff wins over Atlanta, San Antonio, Philadelphia and Seattle, Dandridge averaged 21.2 points and 6.5 rebounds.

His teammates included Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes, Kevin Grevey, Mitch Kupchak and Phil Chenier. The Bullets became the Wizards in 1997.

Dandridge had previously been named to the NSU, CIAA, Virginia Sports and Naismith Memorial Halls of Fame. While at NSU, Dandridge helped the Spartans to the 1968 and 1969 CIAA titles, earning MVP honors as a senior under Coach Ernie Fears.

The 6-foot-6 forward played for Maggie Walker under Coach Stretch Gardner.

Jacoby Brissett signed a one-year, $10 million contract in March with the Washington Commanders. His career record as a starter is 18-30, including 4-7 a season ago in Cleveland.

with 48 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. With the Browns last season, he hit 64 percent of his tosses for 2,608 yards and 12 TDs. Brissett’s career record as a starter is 18-30, including 4-7 a season ago in Cleveland. His passer rating with the Browns was a career high 88.9.

Howell, a fifth round pick in 2022, has a worksheet much shorter than Brissett’s, but a bit sweeter.

The 6-foot-1, 230-pounder’s record as a starter is 1-0 which may give him the early nod … that is, until something goes wrong. That’s when Plan B would go into effect.

must be Magic Josh Harris is Commanders’ new owner, Earvin Johnson is team’s minority owner

Washington Commanders fans are already having a good time – 1,000 free beers can put folks in a party mood.

Soon after it became official that Josh Harris was the franchise’s new owner, the private equity billionaire called radio station WJFK and ordered 1,000 brews for customers at Old Ox Brewery.

“Hail to the Commanders, and drink up,” Harris told his radio audience. In a move that has seemed imminent since April, Harris purchased the NFC East affiliate from beleaguered Dan Snyder for a reported $6.05 billion.

years for workplace and financial misconduct, bought the team in 1999 for $750 million.

While Harris may be unfamiliar to sports fans, one of his minority owners is a household name – Magic, as in basketball legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson.

“I don’t invest for ego,” Johnson said at the press conference. “I invest to win.”

Johnson also is part owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Los Angeles Football Club and the WNBA Los Angeles Sparks.

“This is a proud day for Black Americans, who are typically left out of NFL management,” Johnson added.

team and the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers.

He noted that he was “humbled and awed” to be the club’s new owner. Harris may be popular among Commanders fans beyond the free beer. In his first season as part owner of the 76ers, he cut prices sharply and attendance improved by 15 percent.

The Commanders are hoping a change in management will change their luck on the gridiron. It’s always more fun to party after a victory.

The Associated Press

In addition to owning a chain of movie theaters, restaurants, several Starbucks locations and a stake in the Los Angeles Dodgers, Earvin “Magic” Johnson is officially a part-owner of the NFL’s Washington Commanders.

HBCUs coming to VCU

VCU will host three HBCUs in its upcoming basketball season.

Making trips to the Siegel Center will be Norfolk State on Dec. 1, Alcorn State (Miss.) State on Dec. 10 and University of Maryland-Eastern Shore on Dec. 22.

Norfolk State and UMES play in the MEAC, while Alcorn is a member of the SWAC.

These are considered “buy games,” meaning the HBCUs will come to Richmond for a guaranteed fee. There will be no return game to the HBCU campuses.

VCU is 5-1 overall against NSU in a series that began in 1971, 1-0 against Alcorn in a game played in 2019 and 6-1 against UMES in games between 1968 and 2015.

VCU has not lost to an HBCU at home since falling to Virginia Union, 77-75, in February 1973, at Franklin Street Gym. It was the Rams’ only loss ever at Franklin Street.

Norfolk State defeated VCU, 109-97, in 1972 at the Coliseum.

With huge shoes to fill, VUU builds roster

Virginia Union University is adding two players with NCAA Division I backgrounds to its Division II CIAA basketball program.

The NFL owners unanimously approved the sale.

Snyder, who has become increasingly unpopular in recent

From Chevy Chase, Md., Harris also is an ownership partner of the New Jersey Devils soccer

Washington went 164-220-2 under Snyder and hasn’t won a playoff game since 2005. This past season, Washington was 30th and last in percentage of tickets sold relative to overall seating capacity.

Bluefield returns to CIAA landscape

There is talent aplenty on this year’s Virginia Union University football team … at least that’s what the Panthers’ rival coaches think.

In a vote of the 12 head coaches, eight Panthers were named to the Preseason AllCIAA team.

Division II playoffs. Virginia State also is well represented.

The Trojans’ preseason picks are offensive lineman Matthew Foster, defensive lineman Miqueal Pillow-Smiley and defensive back Willie Drew.

Joining Panthers Coach Jay Butler’s roster for the upcoming season will be 6-foot-6, 250-pound Jonathan Salazar and 6-foot-4, 185-pound Josiah Freeman.

A native of Panama, Salazar went to St. John Bosco High in Southern California and played at both The University of the Pacific of the D-1 West Coast Conference and Cerritos, Cal., College (a junior college). Freeman hails from Manassas Park High in Northern Virginia, and played the past two seasons at Western Michigan of the Mid-American Conference. Freeman started 19 of 31 games this past season.

VUU is coming off a 24-8 season in which it won the CIAA Northern Division and advanced to the second round of the Division II playoffs. There are holes to fill, however. Among those graduating is CIAA Player of Year Robert Osborne as well as CIAA rebounding leader Raemaad Wright and point guard Keleaf Tate who started all 32 games.

They are tight end Kalen Carver, offensive lineman Justin Meade, running back Jada Byers, kicker Brady Myers, kick returner Larry Hackey, defensive linemen Isaac Anderson and Armoni Burden and linebacker Shamar Graham.

Under VUU’s coach, Dr. Alvin Parker, the Panthers are coming off a 9-2 season in which it advanced to the NCAA

The “new kid on the block” is Bluefield, W.Va., State, which has rejoined the CIAA for all sports.

The Big Blue was a CIAA member from 1932 to 1955, but has since competed until 2013 in the now defunct West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and most recently as an independent. Bluefield State was founded in 1895 as Bluefield Colored Institute. While it remains an

MJBL baseball goes to Nassau

Two local ballplayers have received a taste of international competition in the Babe Ruth Caribbean Classic in Nassau, The Bahamas.

Markus Ingram of Thomas Jefferson High and Mekhi Bullock of Varina represented the Metropolitan Junior Baseball League (MJBL) in the U-16 Babe Ruth Caribbean Classic.

The MJBL squad, consisting of players from several states, was in competition with teams from Curacao, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Cayman Islands and The Bahamas.

Action at Andre Rodgers Stadium began this past weekend and continued this week. Rodgers is a Bahamian native who played 11 seasons of big league ball.

The MJBL was founded in Richmond in 1966 by Dr. M.T. Forrester. His son, William Forrester, now directs the program designed to provide baseball opportunities to youngsters in urban areas.

There is more to come. The MJBL’s annual Inner-City Classic will be played Aug. 2-6 at diamonds in and around the Richmond area.

HBCU, only 20 percent of its students are Black. Bluefield will play at Virginia State Oct. 14. Virginia Union will travel to Bluefield Oct. 28. It is 287 miles from Richmond to Bluefield. Gone from the football landscape is Chowan, N.C., University, the CIAA’s lone non-HBCU. The Hawks won the CIAA North a year ago, but were essentially booted out due to participation in football and bowling only.

CIAA

Preseason

His passer rating with the Browns was a career high 88.9.

It

Jonathan Salazar

Bobby Dandridge

Josiah Freeman

Personality: Tiya Williams

Spotlight on Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity board chairman

Tiya Williams, a board member of Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity since 2015 and the outgoing board chair, knows from personal experience the life-changing effect the nonprofit can have on people’s lives.

Following her parents’ separation, a young Tiya moved with her mother and her three siblings from Tennessee to their grandmother’s home in Cape Charles. She later moved to New York to be with other family members. A reconcilliation brought the family back to the Richmond area when Ms. Williams was about 12 years old, but her parents later separated again and eventually divorced.

Ms. Williams said that even though they struggled financially, her mother, Sudie Williams, always modeled strength, resilience, a big heart and a beautiful spirit. The family went from homelessness and living with family to Section 8 housing and homeownership when they became a Habitat for Humanity partner family in 1995.

“My mother still owns that home — has paid it off and still lives there,” Ms. Williams said. “To see that dream become a reality for my mother absolutely changed what I believe to be possible. Having our own home allowed me to have a sense of

Millard and Linda Fuller in 1976 in Americus, Ga. It grew out of a concept of “partnership housing” where people in need of adequate shelter worked alongside volunteers to

2,100 active affiliates in 100 countries.

In 1986, Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity was founded to provide affordable housing and critical home repairs in Richmond and Henrico and Chesterfield counties. Over the past 37 years, more than 380 homes have been built and sold to area families, and more than 120 critical home repairs have been completed.

“Housing has major positive impacts on a family — from education, to health, to financial stability,” Ms. Williams said, noting that one of the nonprofit’s biggest challenges in Richmond is expanding its ability to do more during a national housing crisis.

Getting more people involved as volunteers will help resolve part of the challenge, she said. Financial gifts or donating gifts-in-kind, land, vehicles and more also are needed.

One of the more innovative

own also is encouraged.

“I always had so much pride and joy to volunteer,” Ms. Williams said. “It was my way of giving back and saying thanks to an organization that did so

Tiya Williams:

Volunteer position: Outgoing board chair, Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity.

Occupation: Real estate agent and owner of Arshon Consult ing LLC.

Date and place of birth: 28 in Memphis, Tenn. Where I live now: North Chesterfield.

Education: Bachelor’s in so ciology, University of Virginia; master’s of business, Strayer

Daughter, Kyla, 14. Richmond Metropolitan Hab itat for Humanity is: Seeking to put God’s love into action, by bringing people together to build homes, communities and hope. Richmond Habitat provides affordable housing and critical home repairs in

When and why founded in Richmond: Richmond Habitat was founded in 1986 with the intention of bringing more affordable housing to our community.

Richmond Habitat founders: Richmond Habitat was formed by a group of volunteers at Aunt Sarah’s Pancake House. Founding members included Ineka Mitchel, Charles Cochran, Ruth Shaver and George Comstock. Why I accepted position as board chair: I was asked to join the board to offer a unique and diverse prospective having been the child of a Habitat homeowner.

No. 1 goal or project as board chair: To expand our reach and recognition locally while navigating COVID-19 and changes in leadership.

Strategy for achieving goals:

Prioritizing our Capital Campaign, emboldening our board to share more of the Richmond Habitat story in their own words.

Funding for Richmond Habitat: Funding comes from donor contributions (in-kind and cash), grants, ReStore income, mortgage income and neighborhood revitalization homes sales.

How Richmond Habitat makes a difference in a family’s life: By providing the opportunity for safe, affordable housing to individuals who may not have any other

from education, to health, to financial stability.

How to become a Habitat volunteer: Find opportunities for volunteering at our home build sites, at our ReStores, and more at richmondhabitat. org/volunteer

Skills needed: No skills are needed to volunteer! Training is provided on site.

Biggest success story that I have witnessed through our work: The countless families whose lives have been drastically changed in many ways — financially, educationally, socioeconomic standing, confidence-building, etc.

Diversity, equity and inclusion and anti-racism and Richmond Habitat: Are imperative issues that we are focused on addressing, having established a Social Equity Committee.

How to access Richmond Habitat’s services: Those looking to learn more about homeownership or critical home repairs can visit RichmondHabitat.org to learn more.

Upcoming events: Habitat’s Summer Rom-Com Movie Challenge on July 27, Harmony and Hope for Habitat on Aug. 7, Buildable Hours Competition from July to August, PRIDE Build, Unity Build, and Home Dedications. Visit richmondhabitat.org/events/ to learn more.

How I start the day: Thankful, centered and focused on priorities of the day.

A place called home to me is: Anywhere my daughter and mother are. The three words that best describe me: Resilient, caring, and honest.

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

Best late-night snack: Popcorn.

The music I listen to most is: Gospel and ’90s R&B. Something I love to do that most people would never imagine: While on vacation, explore areas where the locals live.

A quote that inspires me: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He will direct thy path.”

At the top of my “to-do” list: Getting my nonprofit to assist eighth through 10th-graders with their career aspirations off the ground and running. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for almost 20 years. The best thing my parents ever taught me: To offer respect and kindness to any and everyone, regardless of their circumstances.

The person who influenced me the most: My mother, Sudie Williams.

Book that influenced me the most: “Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret” by Judy Blume. I read it during a critical time in my life and it taught me a lot.

What I’m reading now: “Healing, Blessings, and Freedom: 365-Day Devotional and Journal” by T.D. Jakes. It keeps me grounded and centered and offers me guidance in my daily life.

Next goal: Purchasing my next investment property.

At International African American Museum opening, a reclaiming of sacred ground for enslaved kin

By Aaron Morrison The Associated Press CHARLESTON, S.C.

When the International African American Museum opened to the public last month in South Carolina, it became a new site of homecoming and pilgrimage for descendants of enslaved Africans whose arrival in the Western Hemisphere begins on the docks of the low country coast.

Overlooking the old wharf in Charleston at which nearly half of the enslaved population first entered North America, the 150,000-square-foot (14,000square-meter) museum houses exhibits and artifacts exploring how African- Americans’ labor, perseverance, resistance and cultures shaped the Carolinas, the nation and the world.

It also includes a genealogy research center to help families trace their ancestors’ journey from point of arrival on the land.

The opening happens at a time when the very idea of Black peoples’ survival through slavery, racial apartheid and economic oppression being

only thing you need to bring to this museum is your curiosity, and we’ll do the rest.”

The $120 million facility features nine galleries that contain nearly a dozen interactive exhibits of more than 150 historical objects and 30 works of art. One of the museum’s exhibits will rotate two to three times each year.

Upon entering the space, eight large video screens play a looped trailer of a diasporic journey that spans centuries, from cultural roots on the African continent and the horrors of the Middle Passage, to the regional and international legacies that spawned out of Africans’ dispersal and migration across lands.

The screens are angled as if to beckon visitors toward large windows and a balcony at the rear of the museum, revealing sprawling views of the Charleston harbor.

One unique feature of the museum is its gallery dedicated to the history and culture of the Gullah Geechee people. Their isolation on rice, indigo and cotton plantations on coastal South Carolina, Georgia and North

by award-winning actress and director Phylicia Rashad and included stirring appearances by poet Nikky Finney and the McIntosh County Shouters, who perform songs passed down by enslaved AfricanAmericans.

“Truth sets us free — free to understand, free to respect

Gadsden.

The land is now part of an intentionally designed ancestral garden. Black granite walls are erected on the spot of a former storage house, a space where hunched enslaved humans perished awaiting their transport to the slave market. The walls are emblazoned with lines of

Malika N. Pryor gives a tour in preparation for the opening of the International African American Museum in Charleston, S.C. Overlooking the old wharf at which nearly half of the enslaved population first entered North America, the 150,000-square foot museum houses exhibits and artifacts exploring how African-Americans’ labor, perseverance, resistance and cultures shaped the Carolinas, the nation and the world. “There’s something incredibly significant about reclaiming a space that was once the landing point, the beginning of a horrific American journey for captured Africans,” said Ms. Pryor, the museum’s chief learning and education officer.

and free to appreciate the full spectrum of our shared history,” said former Charleston Mayor Joseph Riley Jr. who is widely credited for the idea to bring the museum to the city.

Planning for the International African American Museum dates back to 2000, when former Mayor Riley called for its creation in a State of the City address. It took many more years, through setbacks in fundraising and changes in museum leadership, before construction started in 2019.

designs are inspired by tours of lowcountry and its former plantations, he said. The lush grounds, winding paths and seating areas are meant to be an ethnobotanical garden, forcing visitors to see how the botany of enslaved Africans and their descendants helped shape what still exists today across the Carolinas.

The opening of the Charleston museum adds to a growing array of institutions dedicated to teaching an accurate history of the Black experience in America. Many will have heard of, and perhaps visited, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in the nation’s capital, which opened in 2016.

Lesser known Afrocentric museums and exhibits exist in nearly every region of the country. In Montgomery, Ala., The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration and the corresponding National Memorial for Peace and Justice highlight slavery, Jim Crow and the history of

discussed, underengaged parts of the American story.

“This is such an incredibly expansive history, there’s room for 25 more museums that would have opportunities to bring a new curatorial lens to this conversation,” she said.

The museum has launched an initiative to develop relationships with school districts, especially in places where laws limit how public school teachers discuss race and racism in the classroom. In recent years, conservative politicians around the country have banned books in more than 5,000 schools in 32 states. Bans or limits on instruction about slavery and systemic racism have been enacted in at least 16 states since 2021.

Ms. Pryor said South Carolina’s ban on the teaching of critical race theory in public schools has not put the museum out of reach for local elementary, middle and high schools that hope to make field trips there.

“Even just the calls and the requests for school group visits,

quintessential to the American story is being challenged throughout the U.S.

Leaders of the museum said its existence is not a rebuttal to current attempts to suppress history, but rather an invitation to dialogue and discovery.

“Show me a courageous space, show me an open space, show me a space that meets me where I am, and then gets me where I asked to go,” said Dr. Tonya Matthews, the museum’s president and CEO.

“I think that’s the superpower of museums,” she said. “The

Florida helped them maintain ties to West African cultural traditions and creole language.

A multimedia, chapel-sized “praise house” in the gallery highlights the faith expressions of the Gullah Geechee and shows how those expressions are imprinted on Black American gospel music.

Days before its opening, the museum grounds buzzed with excitement as its founders, staff, elected officials and other invited guests dedicated the grounds in spectacular fashion.

The program was emceed

Originally set to open in 2020, the museum was further delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, as well as by issues in the supply chain of materials needed to complete construction.

Gadsden’s Wharf, a 2.3acre waterfront plot where it’s estimated that up to 45% of enslaved Africans brought to the United States in the late 18th and early 19th centuries walked, sets the tone for how the museum is experienced.

The wharf was built by Revolutionary War figure Christopher

Maya Angelou’s poem, “And Still I Rise.”

The museum’s main structure does not touch the hallowed grounds on which it is located. Instead, it is hoisted above the wharf by 18 cylindrical columns. Beneath the structure is a shallow fountain tribute to the men, women and children whose bodies were inhumanely shackled together in the bellies of ships in the transatlantic slave trade.

To discourage visitors from walking on the raised outlines of the shackled bodies, a walkway was created through the center of the wharf tribute.

Walter Hood, founder and creative director of Hood Design Studios based in Oakland, Calif., designed the landscape of the museum’s grounds. The

lynching in America.

Malika Pryor, the International African American Museum’s chief learning and engagement officer, is the former educational director of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit. She said these types of museums focus on the under-

for school group tours, they number easily in the hundreds,” she said days before the museum formally opened.

Said Ms. Matthews, the museum’s president. “If you ask me what we want people to feel when they are in the museum, our answer is something akin to everything.”

Photos by The Associated Press

A visitor takes a photo at the June 24 opening of the International African American Museum in Charleston, S.C.

“While we have become accustomed to seeing Black women journalists on screen, there are so many who are lesser known and unsung, but who have paved important paths in the field.

Bonnie Newman Davis lifts their names and tells their important stories.”

—Tamara Jeffries

VSU’s legacy of musical excellence

By Debora Timms

Earlier this year it was announced that Virginia State University was awarded the prestigious All-Steinway School designation — a recognition of their commitment to providing only pianos from the Steinway & Sons company for students and faculty to use.

Last month, during what has become known as Black Music Month in June, the university noted that its VSU Trojan Explosion Marching Band and VSU Percussion Studio has established a partnership with the renowned musical manufacturer Pearl Corporation. The partnership means that VSU will perform using instruments manufactured by this industry leader exclusively, states a university news release.

“I am truly excited to help establish the musical partnership between Pearl Drums, Adams Musical Instruments and Virginia State University,” said Dr. Lamon Lawhorn, assistant professor and coordinator of percussion studies. “Being able to practice, rehearse and perform with industry-leading equipment will allow our students the best opportunity to develop their own musical identity. As a Pearl artist, I am thankful for the years of support from Pearl/Adams and look forward to this new endeavor at VSU.”

The Pearl and Steinway announcements are in tune with VSU’s legacy of creating and performing important and significant music that touches lives throughout the world.

Indeed, many notable names have graduated from VSU’s music program in which artists such as Dr. Billy Taylor, Joe Bonner and others were nurtured and encouraged to be their best by the best. And if they did not graduate from VSU, they taught there.

Arguably the most noted alumni is the late Dr. Taylor, who died in 2010 at the age of 89. Although he graduated with a music degree in 1942 and went on to become one of jazz’s most influential AfricanAmerican pianists, composers and educators with a recording career that spanned nearly 60 years, he began his studies at Virginia State College — now Virginia State University — as a sociology major. He changed paths when his talent was recognized and encouraged by renowned educator and composer Undine Smith Moore, who died in 1989 at the age of 84.

Mrs. Moore, a classically trained pianist, was hired by Virginia State College in 1927 and she spent more than 40 years composing vocal music and teaching piano, organ and music theory to students. She received numerous awards throughout her life, both for her choral works and her accomplishments as a music educator, which she once called “an art in itself.”

Dr. Taylor was not the only student to have been influenced by Mrs. Moore.

Several months ago, Dr. Weldon Hill recalled the contributions of Dr. Taylor and Mrs. Moore. Dr. Hill, a jazz pianist and composer retired from VSU in 2022 after nearly 20 years during which he served as a dean, provost and faculty member.

“I knew Billy Taylor of course. He was just such a consummate gentleman,” Dr. Hill

said. “I took a lot of inspiration from him and the same is true of Undine Smith Moore, who encouraged composers.”

Although he did not attend VSU, Dr. Hill said the university played a role in his pursuit of a college degree and music, particularly after his mother sent young Weldon, then in second grade, to visit his cousin who was a student at Virginia State in the 1960s.

VSU alumnus Nelson R. Lawson, a 1975 graduate, also has fond memories of Mrs. Moore.

“Two of the people that were really important in my life as a musician and as a student at Virginia State were Dr. Undine Moore and Dr. F. Nathaniel Gatlin,” Mr. Lawson said during a telephone interview.

“[Dr. Moore] was a wonderful teacher. She taught music theory and when you came into her class, you had to have your situations prepared. I wouldn’t say she was a taskmaster; she made learning ... I could say fun, but you had to work very hard when you were in there.”

Mr. Lawson said Dr. Gatlin had a similar approach to teaching. He enamored himself to his students and ensured they left his classroom prepared for the world of a professional musician.

Dr. Gatlin also was indirectly responsible for Mr. Lawson’s choice of instrument — the French horn. During one of

the Summer Music Institutes organized by Dr. Gatlin for high school students, they were taken to hear the Philadelphia Orchestra perform at Robin Hood Dell. What stood out was their performance of a Strauss piece, “Ein Heldenleben.” “I could not believe the French horn playing that I

Library of Virginia

Undine Smith Moore, a classically trained pianist, who was born in Jarrett, was hired by Virginia State College in 1927 where she spent more than 40 years composing vocal music and teaching piano, organ and music theory to students. Mrs. Moore received numerous awards throughout her life, both for her choral works and her accomplishments as a music educator, which she once called “an art in itself.” She received honorary doctorates from Indiana University and Virginia State College and a humanitarian award from Fisk University, and was named music laureate of the state of Virginia in 1975.

Other awards included the National Association of Negro Musicians Distinguished Achievement Award in 1975 and the Virginia Governor’s Award in the Arts in 1985, according to the Library of Virginia’s archives.

Often referred to as the “Dean of Black Women Composers,” Mrs. Moore began composing while at Fisk University. Although she composed works for piano and for other instrumental groups, Mrs. Moore is best known for her choral works, including “Scenes from the Life of a Martyr,” based on the works of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

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heard,” Mr. Lawson said. “Here I was, a 15-year-old kid and I had tears just running down from my eyes when I heard the French horn player in the orchestra.”

Dr. Gatlin’s contributions to his career did not stop there, Mr. Lawson added.

“Thanks to Dr. Gatlin, I was able to perform throughout Germany, England, France — places like that. He was a person that would give you the opportunities that would make you want to do your best.”

Both men could rattle off many more names of those who helped and inspired them — Dr. O’Neill Sanford; Antoinette Handy; Louis Patterson; Harold Haughton; James Holden; Ethel Haughton; Mark Phillips.

And then the talk circled back to Mrs. Moore.

“The legacy at Virginia State is very strong. As a matter of fact, there has been some serious music research housed there and that was started by Undine Smith Moore,” Dr. Hill said. “It was a music hub — largely because of her presence and international reputation.”

Of course, Dr. Hill points out that VSU’s All-Steinway School designation is a big deal that will help attract outside artists, faculty and students to the school.

But it is also the faculty there now who serve as teachers, mentors and inspiration to student musicians such JaCari Diggs. The jazz classical pia-

nist/composer plans to receive his undergraduate degree from VSU in the spring of 2024.

“I had never heard of Billy Taylor when I got here and didn’t realize the impact that he had on jazz, the jazz community and education in general,” he said in a recent phone interview.

“It’s astounding to know that

such a guy came from Virginia State University.”

He is quick; however, to name professors that have been influential to him such as Dr. Hill, James Gates and Russell Wilson. He mentions two assistant professors, Wellington Gordon and Dustin Painter, and the commercial music ensemble they started. Mr. Diggs became a member of the ensemble because students have the opportunity to premier their own compositions.

“It might be partly delusional, but I think it could happen. I want to be an EGOT winner,” he says, speaking of the acronym used for recipients of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards. “Especially for my writing because, as much as I take pride in my playing, I really feel most confident in my writing.”

He credits the program with pushing him when he needs to be pushed and teaching him that your character is reflected in your musicianship.

“I could talk all day about the influence of Professor Gates and Dr. Hill, but it’s even the department as a whole,” Mr. Diggs said. “They don’t just teach you about music, they teach you about life. I really think the department does a great job of being a tight knit, familial unit.”

All of which will help ensure that its musical legacy will continue.

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Weldon Hill photo

Dr. Weldon Hill, a musician and the former provost at Virginia State University, is shown with the late Dr. Billy Taylor, a Virginia State University alumnus who went on to become one of jazz’s most influential African-American pianists, composers and educators with a recording career that spanned nearly 60 years. Dr. Taylor was greatly influenced by VSU’s renowned educator and composer Undine Smith Moore, who spent more than 40 years composing vocal music and teaching piano, organ and music theory to students.

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Former city educator memorialized at Fifth Baptist Church

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Emma Darlene Nunery, a veteran Richmond educator whose career spanned more than 40 years, has died.

Ms. Nunery succumbed to illness, her family said, Saturday, July 15, 2023, and final tributes were paid to her on Thursday, July 20, at Fifth Baptist Church, in which she was active for more than 56 years.

Growing up in Richmond, Ms. Nunery began her career after earning a history degree at St. Paul’s College in Lawrencville.

She taught at Maggie L. Walker High School among other schools and also served as an assistant principal at George Wythe High after earning her master’s degree in administration and supervision at Virginia State University.

Outside school, she was a member of the Women’s Auxiliary of the Deacons Conference of Richmond and Vicinity and served as vice president of Fifth Baptist’s Deaconess Ministry.

She also chaired the church’s Christian Board of Education and was a member of the Missions Ministry and Pulpit Committee, and was active in the Richmond Metropolitan Chapter of The Charmettes.

Survivors include her sisters, Lillian Y. Lampley and Mamie D. Nunery; brothers Ellis Cousins, Everett Cousins, Wilbert H. Cousins Sr.; and an adopted brother, Michael S. Dixon.

Obamas’ personal chef drowns near family’s home

The Associated Press

EDGARTOWN, Mass.

Former President Obama’s personal chef has drowned near the family’s home on Martha’s Vineyard.

Massachusetts State Police confirmed that the paddleboarder whose body was recovered from Edgartown Great Pond on Monday was Tafari Campbell, 45, of Dumfries, Va.

Mr. Campbell was employed by the Obamas and was visiting Martha’s Vineyard. The Obamas were not present at the home at the time of the accident.

“When we first met him, he was a talented sous chef at the White House – creative and passionate about food, and its ability to bring people together,” the couple said. “In the years that followed, we got to know him as a warm, fun, extraordinarily kind person who made all of our lives a little brighter.”

“That’s why, when we were getting ready to leave the White House, we asked Tafari to stay with us, and he generously agreed. He’s been part of our lives ever since, and our hearts are broken that he’s gone.”

The search for the missing paddleboarder started Sunday after reports from a fellow paddleboarder that he had struggled on the surface, went under and didn’t resurface.

The search was paused late Sunday but on Monday state police said sonar from a boat located the body about 100 feet (30 meters) from shore at a depth of about 8 feet (2.4 meters). Mr. Campbell was not wearing a life jacket, police said.

The Obamas said Mr. Campbell is survived by his wife and their twin boys.

Albert Ruffin assumes lead Eastern Star post

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

A Richmond area man has been elected to a top state post in the women’s auxiliary of the Prince Hall Masons. Albert Ruffin is the new grand worthy patron of the Order of the Eastern Star.

A 35-year member of OES, he was elected last week to a two-year term in the 122-yearold organization that he said currently has 87 chapters and about 3,500 members in the state.

Jacqueline E. Sutton of Hampton was elected grand worthy matron of the state group. An insurance agent, Mr. Ruffin succeeded Clarence Williams of Dinwiddie in the top post after previously serving

two years as the OES’ grand associate patron.

A Richmond native who now lives in Henrico County, Mr. Ruffin said he joined back in 1988 to allow his first wife, Helen Worrell Ruffin, now deceased, to become a member.

His second wife, Julinda Lewis Ruffin, a dancer, teacher and author, also is a member.

Mr. Ruffin is a past master of the Carey Wheaton Lodge No. 307 F&AM in Hanover County and is active in OES’ Carey Wheaton Chapter.

He is treasurer and a past right eminent grand commander of the Prince Hall Masons’ King Baldwin Grand Commandery Knights Templar of Virginia.

Frederick D. Haynes III on succeeding Jesse Jackson, marching and ‘woke preaching’

By Adelle M. Banks Religion News Service

The Rev. Frederick D. Haynes III, who has led a Black megachurch in Dallas for 40 years, has just been chosen to succeed the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who was president of Rainbow PUSH Coalition for more than five decades.

Like Rev. Jackson, the senior pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church has been known for preaching and protesting, following in the footsteps of role models like the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The son and grandson of Baptist preachers, Rev. Haynes, 62, talked by phone with Religion News Service about succeeding his mentor, “woke preaching,” and whether marching is still effective for a new generation.

RNS: There are some topics that the coalition has traditionally worked on such as voting rights and economic

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justice, as you just mentioned. Is there a particular area of concern you hope to add to its agenda?

Rev. Haynes: Without question, environmental injustice plagues not only our communities but the planet. Climate change has our world on fire, almost literally. And on the frontlines, being most victimized by climate change are communities of color, Black and brown, Indigenous communities that often are in proximity to the kinds of emission-producing apparati that harm the environment and create the kind of climate that those communities have to suffer from and inhale. We will be involved in the fight to protect the environment, but at the same time we’re

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especially going to focus in on how climate change fueled by environmental injustice has done such harm to the most vulnerable communities. When we think about the water contamination from Flint (Michigan) to Jackson (Mississippi) to West Helena, Ark., those are vulnerable communities, and Rainbow PUSH will be on the frontlines of that fight for environmental justice.

RNS: How will you juggle leading the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and maintaining your role as a senior pastor at Friendship-West Baptist?

Rev. Haynes: I don’t know that it will be that much of a new juggle because I’ve been blessed to pastor FriendshipWest for 40 years, and we have built a solid infrastructure. I have a great staff, a wonderful church, quite supportive. And the work I’ll be doing at Rainbow PUSH is, in reality, a larger platform of work I’ve always been doing.

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The Associated Press White House Chef Tafari Campbell smiles in November 2008, on the South Lawn of the White House.

Women’s soccer league returning to Richmond

Free Press staff report

A new pre-professional soccer team is heading to Richmond, according to the news site Axios.

After a 15-year hiatus, the USL W League will be back in Richmond for the summer 2024 season. The new team will be affiliated with the Richmond Kickers and play at City Stadium, and a team name and tryout info will be announced in the spring, Axios reported July 17.

“Richmond hasn’t had a W League team since 2009 when Richmond Kickers Destiny ended after six seasons,” the news site states. “Why it matters: The city has become a hotbed of soccer fandom.” Richmond ranked No. 1 in the country in local market TV viewership of Premier League games for the 202223 season, Axios further noted, adding that the Kickers broke in-person attendance records this season.

Continued

Bronny James, son of leBron, in stable condition after cardiac arrest at USC basketball practice

The Associated Press

Bronny James, the oldest son of NBA superstar LeBron James, was hospitalized after going into cardiac arrest while participating in a practice at the University of Southern California, a family spokesman said Tuesday.

The spokesman said medical staff treated the 18-year-old James on site at USC’s Galen Center on Monday morning. He was transported to a hospital, where he was in stable condition Tuesday after leaving the intensive care unit.

“We ask for respect and privacy for the James family and we will update media when there is more information,” the spokesman said. “LeBron and Savannah wish to publicly send their deepest thanks and appreciation to the USC medical and athletic staff for their incredible work and dedication to the safety of their athletes.”

USC spokesman Jeremy Pepper declined a request from The Associated Press for comment or additional details, citing student privacy concerns. The AP also left a message seeking comment from the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who suffered cardiac arrest during an NFL game last season, tweeted his support: “Prayers to Bronny & The James Family as well (prayer emoji) here for you guys just like you have been for me my entire process.”

Bronny James announced in May that

Sierra Canyon’s Bronny James warms up at halftime during a high school basketball game in January against Christopher Columbus at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass. Bronny James, son of NBA superstar LeBron James, was hospitalized after going into cardiac arrest while participating in a practice at Southern California on Monday.

he would play college basketball for the Trojans, whose campus is less than 2 miles from the downtown arena of his father’s Los Angeles Lakers. USC’s basketball team is holding offseason practices in preparation for a two-week European tour next month. His father is the leading scorer in NBA history and a four-time champion, but Bronny James is an elite talent in his own right, ranking as one of the nation’s top point guard recruits before he chose the Trojans late in the com-

The Associated Press

mitment cycle. With his family fame and huge social media following, Bronny James has the top name, image and likeness valuation in sports at $6.3 million, On3. com estimates.

Bronny’s decision to stay close to home was a coup for USC, which is expected to have one of college basketball’s most compelling teams next season after making its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance last March.

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LeBron James has spoken frequently about his desire to play a season in the NBA with Bronny, the first of his three children with his wife, Savannah. The elder James recently confirmed he will play his 21st NBA season in the fall with the Lakers, his home since 2018.

Bronny, whose name is LeBron James Jr., was one of the top college prospects in the country last season as a star guard at Sierra Canyon School in suburban Chatsworth. His younger brother, 16-year-old Bryce, played at Sierra Canyon last season before transferring to Campbell Hall School in Studio City for the upcoming high school season.

Bronny James was stricken just over a year after USC freshman 7-footer Vincent Iwuchukwu collapsed during a practice, but he survived and returned to play for the Trojans in the second half of the season.

Iwuchukwu, one of the nation’s top college basketball prospects a year ago, went into cardiac arrest on July 1, 2022, with athletic trainers using an automated external defibrillator to revive him. Iwuchukwu had a batterypowered pulse generator known as an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator implanted in his chest, the Los Angeles Times reported. Iwuchukwu made his Trojans debut Jan. 12 and eventually appeared in 14 games, including five starts. He will return this season to USC, which is expected to have a powerhouse team.

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The City of Richmond announces the following project(s) available for services relating to: RFP No. 230013113: Onsite Turnkey Parts Operations

For all information pertaining to this RFP, please logon to the Richmond website (www.RVA.GOV).

Proposal Due Date: August 29, 2023/Time: 2:00 P.M.

Information or copies of the above solicitations are available by contacting Procurement Services, at the City of Richmond website (www.RVA. GOV), or faxed (804) 646-5989. The City of Richmond encourages all contractors to participate in the procurement process.

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all information pertaining to this RFP conference call, please logon to the Richmond website (www.RVA.GOV).

Monday August 21, 2023/Time: 3:00 P.M. Information or copies of the above solicitations are available by contacting Procurement Services, at the City of Richmond website (www.RVA. GOV), or faxed (804) 646-5989. The City of Richmond encourages all contractors to participate in the procurement process.

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