When and where she enters

The joy, camaraderie and pride expressed by Virginians and thousands of others throughout the United States to Rep. Jennifer L. McClellan becoming the first Black woman elected to represent Virginia in the U.S. Congress continued to pour in the day after her official swearing-in ceremony in Washington on Tuesday, March 7.

Before and after Rep’s McClellan’s high-volume historic moment, there was an undeniable constant: her beaming and radiant smile. So much so that it prompted numerous posts on her Facebook page:

“Keep that smile and that wonder and that belief that anything is possible when we work together. It’s what made you a leader as a state senator. It’s why you’ll be a leader in the U.S. House,” said one Richmonder. “We watched!! We cried!!! We smiled… we thank God,” another fan posted.

“Congratulations! That smile says it all,” wrote her Delta Sigma Theta sorority sister, Danette Porter!

“Thanks for taking us on this trip with you,” another constituent posted. “Your enthusiasm and excitement (are) contagious. We are lucky to have you representing us in D.C.”

Proj Ec T

A VCU Special Commission on Slavery and Justice

Please join us at a learning and feedback session as we map VCU’s path to acknowledge and reconcile the university’s past and its plans to build a better and brighter future.

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

6:00 p.m.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School Cafeteria* 1000 Mosby St., Richmond, Virginia

Project Gabriel was launched in spring 2023 to report, reconcile and heal the wounds caused by VCU’s historic ties to the institution of slavery. This effort is so named after an enslaved Richmond man who organized a rebellion in 1800 intended to end slavery in Virginia.

This commission will be deliberate in its efforts to guide VCU on a path toward reckoning with its past, engaging with its present and strengthening all communities for the future.

Preregistration is encouraged at projectgabriel.vcu.edu/events by March 17.

Feedback can be submitted online at projectgabriel.vcu.edu/contact There will be additional opportunities to engage in the coming months.

*Guests should use the building’s rear entrance to access the cafeteria directly. For special accommodations, please email projgabriel@vcu.edu

Wednesday,