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VOL. 28 NO. 48
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Happy Thanksgiving NOVEMBER 27-30, 2019
Joy from pain 2 women impacted by gun violence work to bring comfort to others at Thanksgiving and throughout the year By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press
Kele A. Wright, left, and Shavon M. Ragsdale are seeking to turn grief into positives for the community through their organization, The Village Against Violence. They stand in front of the Richmond Urban Ministry Institute, 3000 Chamberlayne Ave., where the group is based.
Turning tragedy into something positive for the community — that’s what two Richmond area women are striving to do even as they grieve losses from gun violence. Shavon M. Ragsdale, 33, who lost a close friend, and Kele A. Wright, 35, who lost a daughter, have created a nonprofit, The Village Against Violence, and are hosting benefit events ranging from a back-to-school rally to feeding the homeless, all in seeking to make a difference for others. Ahead of Thanksgiving, they are grateful they can honor those they lost by uplifting others. For example, the two are busy collecting Christmas gifts for selected families in honor of Amiya Moses, Ms. Wright’s 12-year-old daughter who was killed by a stray bullet in December 2015 while playing outdoors with friends on Old Brook Road in North Side.
“We plan to bless 16 families as she would be 16 this year,” said Ms. Wright, a call center supervisor who serves as president of the organization she and Ms. Ragsdale launched in June to partner with other groups. The gift distribution is to take place at 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15, in collaboration with the Richmond Urban Ministry Institute, which is sponsoring a community caroling event at the same time at its headquarters, 3000 Chamberlayne Ave., where The Village Against Violence also has space. In another example, The Village Against Violence joined with Good Shepherd Baptist Church and other groups last Saturday to serve free dinners to the homeless and others in need at the sanctuary in Church Hill. Volunteers and monetary support came from the church, United Healthcare, a DTLR store, the Please turn to A4
Remains found in VCU well returned to Richmond after Smithsonian study By Jeremy M. Lazarus
The bones of 53 African-Americans are back in Richmond after a 25-year sojourn at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. Virginia Commonwealth University and scores of interested people lined the 300 block of North 12th Street on Monday to somberly welcome hearses carrying the human remains found in an abandoned well 25 years ago during a construction project on the university’s medical campus. Gov. Ralph S. Northam joined Mayor Levar M. Stoney, Richmond Delegate Delores L. McQuinn, also chair of the Richmond Slave Trail Commission, and dozens of others in participating in the ceremonial return of the remains that the Smithsonian determined to be those of nine young children and 44 others ages 14 and older, none of whom have been identified. An African ritual was part of the ceremony described as a time “we answered the call of
our ancestors” by Dr. Joseph Jones, chair of VCU’s East Marshall Street Well Project Family Representative Council that was formed in 2015 to represent descendants of those whose remains were found. The ceremony of return was held in the auditorium of the Hermes A. Kontos Medical Sciences Building at 12th and Marshall streets that now covers the well site discovered in 1994 during the building’s construction. Then VCU President Eugene P. Trani had the bones and other artifacts found in the well sent to the Smithsonian for further research. The remains now will be stored at the Virginia Department of Historic Resources until VCU and the East Marshall Street Well Project committees move forward with recommendations on a final resting place, possibly the city-owned African Burial Ground in Shockoe Bottom. VCU has been pondering that issue since 2013. Please turn to A4
Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press
Richmond Delegate Delores L. McQuinn, a minister and chair of the Richmond Slave Trail Commission, prayerfully puts her hand on the Kente cloth covering one of 17 boxes of human remains found in 1994 in a well on Virginia Commonwealth University’s medical campus. The remains, which were returned to Richmond during a ceremony on Monday, will be stored by the state Department of Historic Resources while planning for an appropriate burial and memorial continues.
Agelasto wraps up City Council service with a look back By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Bill Cosby in photo taken by his daughter, Erinn C. Cosby.
Bill Cosby speaks from prison By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire
Bill Cosby broke his silence, granting his first exclusive interview since beginning his sentence at SCI-Phoenix, a maximumsecurity Pennsylvania penitentiary near Philadelphia. In a special phone call on Nov. 25 with the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s BlackPressUSA.com, Mr. Cosby said Please turn to A5
Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press
Balancing act Life can be a balancing act, even when you’re young and on a see-saw. On Sunday, Ava El, 6, left, plays on a see-saw with friend Tye’asjah Morris, 6, right, at the Third Avenue Tot Lot in Highland Park as her sister, Kailee El, 8, waits her turn. The youngsters were at the lot at Third Avenue and Althea Street under the watchful eye of mother Ashley El, who can be seen on the bench in the background.
City Councilman Parker C. Agelasto, 43, wrapped up his final week and walked away before Thanksgiving from City Hall and his post as the 5th District City Council representative. Forced to resign 13 months before his second term ends because he moved out of the district, he believes he has helped create progress for the district and the city. His successor, Councilwoman-elect Stephanie Lynch, will be sworn in on Monday, Dec. 2. Mr. Agelasto is now focused on his family and on conservation as executive director of the Capital Region Land Conservancy. Mr. Agelasto In an interview with the Free Press, he said he is leaving office believing that he made a difference in the diverse district that stretches from Oregon Hill to Carytown and from Byrd Park to Swansboro in South Side. Since his first election to represent the district in 2012, Mr. Agelasto said he pushed to ensure that 5th District civic groups got a chance to review any development applications that went to City Hall. With at least 14 civic associations, “we have one of the most active groups of citizens in the city,” he said. Please turn to A4
Richmond Free Press
A2 November 27-30, 2019
Local News
Thanksgiving holiday schedule In observance of Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 28, please note the following closings: Government: F e d e r a l o ff i c e s c l o s e d Thursday, Nov. 28. State offices close at noon Wednesday, Nov. 27; reopen Monday, Dec. 2. City of Richmond offices close at noon Wednesday, Nov. 27; reopen Monday, Dec. 2. Henrico County and Chesterfield County offices closed Thursday, Nov. 28, and Friday, Nov. 29. Richmond Public Library to close at noon Wednesday, Nov. 27; reopen Saturday, Nov. 30. Henrico County Public Library closed on Thursday and Friday; reopen Saturday, Nov. 30. Chesterfield County Public Library to close at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 27; reopen on Saturday, Nov. 30. Courts: Federal courts closed Thursday, Nov. 28. Richmond courts close at noon Wednesday, Nov. 27; reopen Monday, Dec. 2. Henrico County courts close at noon Wednesday, Nov. 27; reopen Monday, Dec. 2. Chesterfield County courts
close Wednesday, Nov. 27; reopen Monday, Dec. 2. Public schools: Richmond, Henrico and Chesterfield public schools closed Wednesday, Nov. 27 to Friday, Nov. 29, for students and staff; reopen Monday, Dec. 2. Trash and recycling: No pickups on Thursday, Nov. 28. Collections will be delayed by a day for the remainder of the week. U.S. Postal Service: No delivery on Thursday, Nov. 28. Department of Motor Vehicles customer service centers: Closed Thursday, Nov. 28, and Friday, Nov. 29 . GRTC: Buses will operate on a Sunday schedule on Thursday, Nov. 28, with customer service open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. ABC stores: Closed Thursday, Nov. 28. Banks and credit unions: Closed Thursday, Nov. 28. Free Press offices: Closed Thursday, Nov. 28. Malls, major retailers, movie theaters: Varies. Inquire at specific locations.
GRTC to honor Rosa Parks on Dec.1 On Sunday, Dec. 1, the first passenger seat in every GRTC bus once again will be reserved in honor of the late civil rights icon Rosa Parks, it has been announced. The annual tribute recalls Ms. Parks’ arrest 64 years ago for refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a public bus in Montgomery, Ala., in violation of local racial segregation laws. Her defiance on Dec. 1, 1955, would lead to boycotts, protests and a powerful movement that ultimately would end government-imposed racial discrimination in all aspects of American life, ranging from public transportation, access to hotels, restaurants and stores, housing, employment and voting and interracial marriage. Along with reserving the first seat, GRTC also announced that bus drivers would kept their headlights on to represent her shining example, while the electronic signs on the buses will bear a tribute message.
Mayor Stoney lauds record pothole repair A record 31,000 potholes have been repaired this year, City Hall announced Tuesday. That’s about 5,000 more repaired than in each of the previous two years and well above the goal of 18,000 repairs that were included in the budget. In a news release, Mayor Levar M. Stoney praised the city Department of Public Works and its maintenance division for exceeding the 26,200 pothole repairs made last year and the nearly 25,000 that were accomplished in 2017. The department also received an extra $15 million in the 2019-20 fiscal year budget to repave streets, which accounted for some of the increase in repairs. In addition, the department bought two specialty trucks that department Director Bobby Vincent said allowed the staff to speed up the repairs. Each truck requires only one operator, instead of a crew, he said. Each truck has a mechanical arm that expels air to remove water from a hole and then enables the operator to layer in the repair material. The operator can complete a pothole repair in an average of 10 minutes, Mr. Vincent said. He noted the trucks accounted for 3,000 repairs this year. — JEREMY M. LAZARUS
Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press
Cityscape Slices of life and scenes in Richmond
A woman and her dog pause to drink in an iconic view of the James River from Libby Hill Park in the East End. Legend has it that the city’s founder, William Byrd II, named Richmond after the English borough of Richmond-upon-Thames because the bend of the James River at this vantage point reminded him of the Thames River in its passage through that London suburb. No evidence has ever turned up to support the story.
Vernon J. Harris Medical and Dental Center to reopen A mainstay of health care in Richmond’s East End is reopening after being sidelined for a year of renovation. The upgraded and improved Vernon J. Harris Medical and Dental Center at 719 N. 25th St. will show off its new look on Thursday, Dec. 5, with a grand reopening celebration from 3 to 5 p.m., it has been announced. The clinic is scheduled to fully reopen Friday, Dec. 13, to provide medical and dental services to patients, center officials said. The center is the flagship clinic of the nonprofit Capital Area Health Network, a federally supported, affordable health care operation that also includes a mobile health
van and six other clinics, including four in the city and one each in Chesterfield and Henrico counties. Launched in 1998, CAHN opened its first clinic in the building named for the late Dr. Harris, a physician who served Church Hill area patients for more than 36 years and never turned anyone away. CAHN used a $1 million federal grant to overhaul the 10,000-square foot, twostory building, which closed in December 2018 in preparation for the work. “Our reopening is truly a community event, and we want our community to celebrate in our excitement,” said Tracy L. Causey, CAHN’s chief executive officer who has led the operation
almost since its inception. “We invite our community to take full advantage of the medical and dental services we provide.” “This is where CAHN began,” Deninez Moss, chair of CAHN’s board. “And in the spirit of Dr. Harris, we want to be there to serve our community.” According to CAHN’s reports, more than 15,000 people a year visit a CAHN clinic and more than 4,000 people receive dental services. CAHN employs about 175 people, including doctors, nurses, dentists and support staff, and operates on a budget of more than $10 million a year. — JEREMY M. LAZARUS
‘Hope’ returns to Henrico’s Hope Village housing complex By Jeremy M. Lazarus
A $5 million facelift of Hope Village, a 100-unit affordable housing complex in Henrico County, is now complete. A ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday celebrated the completion of the upgrade to the 46-year-old complex located off Mountain Road in Glen Allen. When it was built in 1973, Hope Village was one of the first federally subsidized Section 8 apartment developments earmarked for low-income residents in the county. Hope Village also was the first to be improved through a memorandum
of understanding with the county, now a standard for similar apartment communities. The work was undertaken by Fairstead Affordable, which purchased Hope Village a year ago and included plans for spending about $50,000 per unit as part of its $14 million investment. The improvements included replacement of roofs, exterior siding, heating and air conditioning systems, kitchen cabinetry, flooring, bathroom fixtures, lighting and appliances, it was announced. The company also made improvements to a playground and community building and updated several units to meet federal
standards for disabled housing. “Every person deserves a home that is comfortable, clean and safe,” said Henrico County Supervisor Frank J. Thornton, who represents the Fairfield District and took part in the event. “With these renovations,” Mr. Thornton said, “residents of Hope Village won’t have to worry about appliances that are unreliable or inefficient. They won’t have to live with damaged walls, doors and floors. They won’t come home in the dark because of poor exterior lighting. These improvements truly make a difference. They bring the hope back to Hope Village.”
RPS rezoning plans with pairings criticized as too costly By Ronald E. Carrington
Parents and community members voiced opposition to several proposals to rezone Richmond Public Schools attendance districts, saying the plans are too costly and diversity in schools can be achieved in other ways. More than 250 people attended Monday night’s public hearing before the Richmond School Board that was held at Bellevue Elementary School in Church Hill. The school auditorium was crowded, with 68 people speaking during the hearing. Under scrutiny are four rezoning proposals that would alter school boundaries in time for the 2020-21 academic year, with two of the plans pairing elementary schools to achieve student diversity and equity. Richmond Public Schools has about 24,000 students, 75 percent of whom are African-American, 12.8 percent are Hispanic, 9 percent are Caucasian and 1 percent are Asian. Plan X includes the most extensive pairing of elementary schools, including Cary and Fox; Carver and Mary Munford; and Holton, Ginter Park and Barack Obama. Plan Z would pair only Cary and Mary
Munford, while redrawing attendance zones in South Side and the East End. Plan W addresses overcrowding in South Side and redraws lines to accommodate the three new schools that are to open in fall 2020 — a new E.H.S. Greene Elementary and a new middle school in South Side, and a new George Mason Elementary in the East End. Plan Y redraws lines in all parts of the city, but does not include school pairings. The majority of speakers Monday night, along with those in the audience, expressed support for more diversity within Richmond Public Schools, but said there are better and less costly ways to accomplish that goal. Cost estimates for each pairing ranges between $617,500 to $842,500, according to officials. The money would be spent for additional teachers, additional buses and additional bathrooms at the schools, according to RPS officials. A group of Mary Munford Elementary School parents, wearing red T-shirts and holding posters stating #ResourcesFirst, said the money spent to pair the schools could be better used to improve school curriculum and instruction, to establish magnet middle schools and provide bet-
ter school maintenance that would attract more diverse students to Richmond Public Schools. Such changes, along with a better open enrollment policy, would provide stable and sustainable diversity and equity throughout all the city schools, they said. “The best way to integrate our school is to improve programming,” said Matt Wilson, an RPS parent. “School pairing is not the best way to integrate our schools because it would more than likely harm than help academic achievement by putting everyone in academic and personal transitions. This would discourage middle class families from choosing RPS.” Nicole Thompson, who has a young child she would like to enroll in RPS, said, “Take the millions of dollars for pairing and get the South Side students out of trailers and give more money to schools in the East End.” A majority of the audience seemed to support Plan W to address school overcrowding in South Side. The School Board is expected to vote on a rezoning plan following a final public hearing at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 2, at E.S.H. Greene Elementary School, 1745 Catalina Drive.
Ronald E. Carrington/Richmond Free Press
Parents hold signs at the Richmond school rezoning public hearing Monday night at Bellevue Elementary School signifying their support for school integration and diversity, along with a desire that the money needed to pair schools to achieve diversity be used to boost student instruction.
Richmond Free Press
November 27-30, 2019
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Richmond Free Press
A4 November 27-30, 2019
News
Photos by Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press
Queen Nzinga of Richmond leads a procession of Virginia Commonwealth University officials, students and others as they welcomed and paid their respects as the remains were returned to the VCU medical campus. Elegba Folklore Society members poured libations honoring those whose remains were returned during a ceremony in the courtyard of the Hermes A. Kontos Medical Sciences Building at 12th and Marshall streets. The remains were found in a well during the 1994 construction of the building. Above, Dr. Kevin Allison, who has led the East Marshall Street Well Project for Virginia Commonwealth University, and first-year medical student Gerald Coronado transfer the remains for the ceremony at the sciences building.
Remains found in VCU well returned to Richmond after Smithsonian study Continued from A1
As best as VCU officials have been able to determine, the remains were those of people whose bodies were used in teaching medical students about human anatomy prior to 1860 when the well was capped. As Dr. Shawn Utsey, chairman of VCU’s African-American Studies Department, has documented in writing and film, the remains exemplify VCU’s participation in the purchase and theft of bodies of dead slaves and other black people during the 19th
Joy from pain Continued from A1
Excel to Excellence sports program, the Lady Duchess Social Club, and the Polished PEARL Society. “More than 100 people were served a hot meal, and we had plenty left over to deliver to others,” said Ms. Ragsdale, The Village Against Violence’s founding chairwoman and a businesswoman who produces and sells natural hair products. “It was a wonderful event that shows what we all can do when we work together to make our community a better place.” The Village Against Violence is hardly alone in seeking to halt the pain and devastation that strikes shooting victims and their families. From the United Communities Against Crime to Moms Demand Action, a host of groups are engaged in the work of consoling families, helping to deal with the aftermath of violence or advocating for a change in state and federal gun laws. The Village Against Violence supports such efforts but puts most of its focus on people-helping activities. “Whatever we can do to help people, that’s what we are about,” said Ms. Ragsdale. She said the motivation for the group came from the shooting death of 9-year-old Markiya Dickson during the Memorial Day holiday weekend, who was hit by a stray bullet while playing in a South Richmond park during a community cookout. “This is has been on my heart for awhile as the result of my own experience,” Ms. Ragsdale said. “But after this, I knew I could no longer sit still. I had to do something,” she said, explaining how she came to join with Ms. Wright, who personally felt the kind of pain that Markiya’s family was experiencing. Ms. Ragsdale said she got her own lesson in the devastating impact of such violence while celebrating her graduation from Virginia State University. “About 16 of us who just got our diplomas went to a club in Emporia to do something different. As we left, someone got into an argument in the parking lot, guns got pulled, bullets started flying and one came through the trunk and struck my best friend as we were driving off,” Ms. Ragsdale said. Remembering these tragic deaths can start tears flowing. “It still hurts so much,” Ms. Wright said. “But now we want to move forward. The best way to for me to remember my daughter and for (Ms. Ragsdale) to remember her friend is to honor them with activities that make a positive impact. We need to show that there is a better way, and that’s what we are trying to do.”
Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press
Kele A. Wright and Shavon M. Ragsdale hold a photo of Ms. Wright’s daughter, Amiya Moses, 12, who was killed by a stray bullet in December 2015 as she played with other youngsters in North Side. Both women have lost loved ones to gun violence.
century. It was common practice before Virginia and other states lifted their ban on using bodies for medical purposes. Virginia did not create a state-managed body donation program until 1919. At the ceremony, Gov. Northam, a physician, said, “It was wrong for medical doctors and students to use African-Americans, whether they were experimenting on the living or working on the stolen bodies of the dead.” So far, a 15-member planning committee VCU established a few years ago, along with the 10-member Family Representative Council, have indicated they would want the bones and associ-
ated artifacts buried in a public and inclusive ceremony based on West African burial traditions at an appropriate location. Along with urging a proper burial, the council members also are recommending further research into the genetic ancestry of the remains and into the ties between the well and the AfricanAmerican experience in Richmond and construction on the VCU campus of an appropriate memorial to the individuals. In addition, VCU is being encouraged to hold an annual ceremony for medical students to commemorate people whose remains are used to assist in their education.
Agelasto wraps up City Council service with a look back Continued from A1
During his seven-year tenure, he said his goal was to make sure that members of the civic groups would be aware of proposals and had an opportunity to offer their views, rather than being surprised after work had begun. He said that effort enabled residents near City Stadium to oppose a city effort to sell the property for redevelopment and ensured community views were taken into account as GRTC and the city pursued the sale of the bus company’s former headquarters in The Fan. Mr. Agelasto said that he sought to spruce up the district by holding monthly community cleanups that rotated to every neighborhood. The cleanups, along with the city’s introduction of regular bimonthly pickups in alleys, have successfully reduced uncollected trash that previously was a source of aggravation, he said. He believes that such regular cleanups have become institutionalized and will continue with Ms. Lynch on City Council. Even better, he sees the reduction in problem areas as helping the district evolve from “bulk and brush collection from alleys and general litter pickup to focusing on beautifying neighborhoods through the planting of trees and covering graffiti.” He also is proud of his work with residents on crime reduction at the once notorious Midlothian Village complex, which new owners have renovated and have renamed The Belt Atlantic. “I’m glad the new owners are keeping their promises,” he said. “People deserve to live in a safe place.” He remains disappointed, though, that he could not get his colleagues on City Council to support his proposal for city inspection of vacant rental apartments and homes to ensure they meet minimum standards and reduce the amount of problems new tenants would face. “I think it would have helped ensure decent housing,” he said. During his council tenure,
he is listed as the patron or co-patron of about 167 pieces of legislation since 2014 and helped to gain historic designation for The Carillon, Byrd Park and Byrd Park Court. He also gained a reputation for questioning administration officials during committee sessions and monthly City Council meetings. While at times privately derided by some on council as a “know it all,” he was pleased when his work was praised at his final council meeting for helping to keep city officials on their toes and to do a better job. During his time, Mr. Agelasto joined other members in pressing for more financial information from the administrations of former Mayor Dwight C. Jones and current Mayor Levar M. Stoney, whose terms in office overlapped his service, and to install more controls over city spending. His signal achievement was setting a policy that ensures that at least 40 percent of unspent taxpayer dollars at the end of the year go to city capital improvement projects, such a street paving and sidewalk installation, and another 10 percent go to district projects, rather than continuing a city practice of putting the money into an untouchable savings account. He also successfully championed legislation to enable city employees in same-sex marriages to gain equal benefits and health insurance coverage as those in heterosexual marriages and joined in passing legislation to revive the city Human Rights Commission and the city Ethics Reform Commission. He also joined in pushing the city to create a better strategy in dealing with the homeless and in connecting struggling people with work opportunities. Before leaving, he also saw progress being made on his effort to get the city to ensure that those who signed performance agreements in exchange for city grants actually kept their commitments. That included the Richmond Performing Arts Alliance, which controls the performing arts complex between Broad,
Grace, 6th and 7th streets in Downtown. Mr. Agelasto noted that a long-ignored 2007 agreement allowed the city to work with the alliance to gain development of the Broad Street side of the property, which has been turned into a parking lot. In the last few weeks, he got at least a verbal agreement from the RPAA to get the parking lot section appraised and to hire a commercial broker to put the
property on the market to see if it could attract a project that would generate a far bigger return in tax revenue. While he will not vote on it, his resolution to encourage that outcome is scheduled to be voted on Monday, Dec. 9, the final City Council meeting of the year. “I’m hoping that someone will continue to push the city to make this happen,” he said.
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Richmond Free Press
November 27-30, 2019 A5
News
McCoy removed as Chesterfield Branch NAACP president By Jeremy M. Lazarus
LaSalle J. “L.J.” McCoy Jr. has led the Chesterfield Branch NAACP for 11 years. But on Nov. 12, Mr. McCoy abruptly was replaced. Avohom “Vo” Carpenter was appointed to replace him. While Mr. McCoy told the Free Press on Tuesday that he has yet to receive an official letter from the national office stating that he has been ousted, state NAACP President Robert N. Barnette Jr. confirmed that Mr. McCoy is no longer the Chesterfield NAACP president. Mr. Barnette said that he was notified that national NAACP President Derrick Johnson removed Mr. McCoy and installed Mr. Carpenter to serve out the remainder of Mr. McCoy’s term until new branch elections are held in November 2020. In addition, Mr. Johnson suspended Mr. Mc-
Coy’s membership in the NAACP, Mr. McCoy, who denied the allegaaccording to information obtained tions, refused to turn over the branch’s by the Free Press, even though Mr. books to Ms. Martin or allow her to McCoy holds separate silver and gold become a signatory on the branch’s life memberships. checking account, making it imposWhile Mr. McCoy has no official sible for her to write checks or track explanation for his removal, he said branch spending. he believes it is connected to his “As a matter of principle, I am not extended tiff with the new branch going to cooperate with someone who Mr. McCoy treasurer, Nicole Martin, who won has brought a criminal charge or a election in late 2018 when Mr. McCoy was lawsuit against me,” Mr. McCoy said. re-elected branch president. The state NAACP brought in a mediator to Among Ms. Martin’s first acts was to bring a handle the situation between Mr. McCoy and Ms. misdemeanor embezzlement charge in February Martin, but that failed, Mr. McCoy said. Gloria against Mr. McCoy for allegedly misspending Sweet-Love, the administrator the national office less than $200 in branch funds during his tenure. appointed earlier this year to manage the state The case was filed in Chesterfield County. NAACP, set a Sept. 30 deadline for him to turn The Chesterfield Commonwealth’s Attor- over the books and bank account to Ms. Martin, ney’s Office declined to prosecute Mr. McCoy but he said he let the deadline pass. in June based on a lack of evidence to support Mr. McCoy said he received verbal notice the charge. that Mr. Johnson in the national office had taken
some action against him just before the civil rights organization’s state convention in early November. He said Ms. Sweet-Love told him on Oct. 31 that he had been removed as secretary of the state NAACP and was barred from taking minutes during the state convention. Mr. McCoy said he would have run for reelection as state secretary, but Ms. Sweet-Love told him he could not. At the convention, Rita Irving of Montgomery County was elected as the new state secretary. Mr. McCoy said he is frustrated the national office has not sent him a certified letter to his home address notifying him of the action taken against him as other branch and state presidents have received when Mr. Johnson ousted them. Mr. McCoy said he wants to appeal Mr. Johnson’s decision, but “I need that letter.” The national bylaws provide for an appeal process.
New drug approved to manage sickle cell disease By Linda A. Johnson AP Medical Writer
U.S. regulators have approved a new medicine that can help reduce extremely painful sickle cell disease flare-ups. The Food and Drug Administration on Nov. 15 approved Novartis AG’s Adakveo for patients age 16 and older. The monthly infusion, which halves occurrences of sickle cell pain episodes, will carry a list price of roughly $85,000 to $113,000 per year, depending on dosing. Insured patients generally will pay less. Sickle cell disease is one of the most common inherited blood disorders, affecting about 100,000 Americans, most of them African-American, and about 300 million people worldwide. Its hallmark is periodic episodes in which red blood cells stick together, blocking blood from reaching organs and small blood vessels. That causes intense pain and cumulative organ damage that shortens the lives of people with the disease.
Novartis via Associated Press
Vials of Adakveo, a new drug by Novartis, are lined up for distribution to help patients with sickle cell anemia.
“The duration and severity of these pain crises worsens with aging. Often patients die during one of these crises,” said Dr. Biree Andemariam, chief medical officer of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America. Dr. Andemariam, a former Novartis adviser, said the drug appears to work better the longer patients receive it. The Swiss drug company is con-
tinuing patient testing to determine whether Adakveo, also known as crizanlizumab, lengthens patients’ lives, said Ameet Mallik, the company’s head of U.S. oncology and blood disorders. He said severe pain episodes send U.S. patients to emergency departments about 200,000 times per year. About 85 percent are hospitalized
for days to a week, running up big bills. The debilitating condition also causes anemia, delayed growth, vision damage and painful swelling in hands and feet, making it hard for some people to maintain jobs or attend school. Current treatments include a 21year-old cancer drug called hydroxyurea and Endari, approved in 2017. In patient studies, Endari reduced frequency of pain episodes about 25 percent and hydroxyurea reduced them by half. Hydroxyurea can have serious side effects and requires weekly blood tests. Both drugs have complicated dosing and don’t work — or stop working — in some patients. In a one-year study of 198 patients, those getting the higher of two Adakveo doses averaged 1.6 pain episodes over that year and 36 percent had none. A comparison group on placebo averaged three pain episodes that year and 17 percent had none. Adakveo’s side effects included influenza and high fever.
Danielle Jamison of Islandton, S.C., has suffered with sickle cell pain episodes since shortly after birth. The 35-year-old previously had a halfdozen pain crises requiring hospital trips each year. Those lessened by about half when she began taking hydroxyurea nine years ago. She hasn’t been in the hospital since she started taking crizanlizumab two years ago as part of a patient study. She still has mild daily pain, but she said she can now take care of her home and drive her 9-year-old daughter to activities. “It’s made a huge difference in how much I’m able to do,” Ms. Jamison said. All three drugs work through different mechanisms, so doctors may switch patients to Adakveo or to add it to their current treatment, said Dr. Andemariam, head of the University of Connecticut’s sickle cell treatment and research program. Meanwhile, numerous drugs to treat sickle cell disease and gene therapies to possibly cure it are being tested.
Bill Cosby speaks from prison Continued from A1
he’s spending his time helping to teach and encourage a large population of African-American inmates — men he calls “residents” — via Mann Up, a prison reform program. The 82-year-old educator and award-winning TV producer-director-comedian was sentenced to serve three to 10 years in Pennsylvania’s prison system following his September 2018 conviction on charges of aggravated indecent assault. Unless he receives relief from the state’s appellate courts, Mr. Cosby said he fully anticipates serving his entire sentence, saying he’s not guilty and will never admit to something he didn’t do. Displayed remorse is generally a required prerequisite to obtaining parole or a shortened sentence. During the exclusive interview with NNPA, Mr. Cosby was candid, vivid and outspoken. Andrew Wyatt, Mr. Cosby’s spokesman, was also on the call, where Mr. Cosby stressed that there would be no ground rules or restrictions. No topics were off the table for discussion. Mr. Cosby received no special treatment from the facility for the interview. Because inmates are only allowed to remain on phone calls for 15 minutes, Mr. Cosby had to call back multiple times in order to complete the interview. “I have eight years and nine months left,” Mr. Cosby stated. “When I come up for parole, they’re not going to hear me say that I have remorse. I was there. I don’t care what group of people come along and talk about this when they weren’t there. They don’t know.” He said his trials were a sham, unjust and not fair. “It’s all a setup. That whole jury thing. They were imposters,” Mr. Cosby stated. “Look at the woman who blew the whistle,” he said, alluding to the potential juror who overheard a seated juror proclaim before the trial that, “He’s guilty, we can all go home now.” “Then she went in and came out smiling. It’s something attorneys will tell you is called a payoff,” Mr. Cosby stated. “I
know what they’ve done to my people. But my people are going to view me and say, ‘That boy looks good. That boy is strong.’ I have too many heroes that I’ve sat with. Too many heroes whom I listened to like John Henrik Clarke, Kenneth Clark and Dorothy Height. Those people are very strong, and they saw the rejection of their people. This is political. I can see the whole thing.” “I am a privileged man in prison,” he stated. During the call, Mr. Cosby referred to his small cell as “my penthouse.” He revisited his famous 2004 “Pound Cake” speech and clarified that he probably should not have addressed that controversial dissertation to all African-Americans; the residents at SCI-Phoenix make for the perfect audience, Mr. Cosby stated. (In the May 2004 speech in Washington during a NAACP awards ceremony, Mr. Cosby criticized the use of black vernacular language, singleparent families, the lack of African-Americans taking responsibility for their condition and the emphasis on buying frivolous things without having necessities.) Mr. Cosby said he remains concerned, however, for all of black America. “They are under siege. This thing with the drugs and the different pockets of the neighborhoods where it’s going on. When you look at what drugs are doing … things that make these people drive around and shoot into crowds,” Mr. Cosby said. “The insanity of what is the cause to the brain by all the drugs these people are dealing with. It’s exactly what I warned them about in 2004. They’ve thrown education out the window. They’ve thrown respect for the family out the window and they’re blaming each other for what’s going on. There is post-traumatic stress syndrome, and there are also bad manners.” While inmates who spoke to NNPA Newswire said they were saddened to see an icon like Mr. Cosby imprisoned, each said they believe he’s serving a higher purpose. Mr. Cosby agreed.
“I don’t belong to the Mann Up Association, but it’s a privilege to come in and speak,” Mr. Cosby stated. “I never wanted them to lord me up (be put on a pedestal). This is a great privilege.” A weekly highlight for Mr. Cosby since his incarceration has been the reform program, Mann Up, where he is often the featured speaker. The program serves to encourage and empower African-American men to strive for self-respect and dignity and to put their family first. Anthony “Benny-Do” Sutton, Tyree Wallace, Robert Groves and Michael Butler spoke from SCI-Phoenix to NNPA Newswire about the program and Mr. Cosby’s influence. “Every Tuesday, Mr. Cosby and I sit down and talk before the other residents come in and he explains to me what moves I need to make so that Mann Up can be a success,” stated Mr. Sutton, 56, who has spent his entire adult life in prison. “He says to always remember to work as a team. We are all in this life together and Mr. Cosby is a political prisoner and he tells us that we’ve got to save our babies. We can’t be out there killing our children and our women,” Mr. Sutton stated. Mr. Wallace, who has served more than two decades in prison, said Mr. Cosby also has opened his eyes because of his authenticity. “This powerful man, one of the best comics, a legend — and here he is with us,” Mr. Wallace told NNPA Newswire. “Mr. Cosby comes into the room with his fist in the air and all of these men rise up and applaud him. He gives us so much wisdom and the Mann Up program is the perfect vehicle. He told us a story about his mother, and how she would have him clean the hallways after guys would go and urinate. He said he’d ask her why he had to clean it, and she told him that you have to clean where you live,” Mr. Wallace said. Mr. Groves and Mr. Butler echoed their peers. Both have served more than a dozen years in prison and said Mr. Cosby’s presence has helped them to see their lives differently. Mr. Cosby recalled entering
Temple University as a young man in the 1960s and his desire to become a teacher. “I’m not a psychiatrist, and I’m not a psychologist. I’m an educator. And what I look forward to is talking to this group of 400 or so men. Some of them here are in their 70s, in their 50s, their 40s, 30s, and 20s,” Mr. Cosby said. “I tell them what I know and what I feel. I feel that everything that I said in 2004, there is a light” behind it, Mr. Cosby stated. “The mistake I made (in 2004) is making it sound like all the people were making the infractions, and that’s not true.” Mr. Cosby stated that he believes he’s in the right place at the right time because he has spent his life and career trying to reach African-American men. “I’m looking at a state (Pennsylvania) that has a huge number of prisons, and the one I’m in, thankfully, has the largest population of African-Americans,” Mr. Cosby stated. “These are guys who are also from Philadelphia, where I grew up. Many of them are from the neighborhood. Michael Eric Dyson said, ‘Bill Cosby is rich and forgot where he came from.’ That’s not true. I’m not calling him a liar. I’m saying that’s not true. “What I’m saying is that it’s not the same neighborhood as it was when I was coming up. The influx of drugs and what they’ve done with their own history. If they would pay attention to these things and put education first and respect for others first … it’s almost insane to hear someone say they don’t know how to be a father. “As I said earlier, the revolution is in the home, and we’ve got to put it there. Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Going On,’ is very prophetic in that too many of us are dying in these neighborhoods. Too many of us dying and, another quote from the song, is ‘We’ve got to find a way.’ ” It’s easy to see the devaluation of the black family by others, Mr. Cosby stated. He said the shelving of his iconic “The Cosby Show” is proof that those in power have long conspired to remove anything positive from the black community.
NBC/Universal
This photo shows Bill Cosby portraying Dr. Cliff Huxtable with his television family in the long-running and hugely popular hit “The Cosby Show.” The show was created by Mr. Cosby.
“When ‘The Cosby Show’ came on with the Huxtables, just think about it. While it was running, other networks and even the media were doing jobs on trying to belittle whatever it represented,” Mr. Cosby stated. Then, with “A Different World,” they really ramped up the rhetoric, he said. “While new shows were coming and we had gone off the air — this is the worst time in the history of television — I remember hearing shows coming on advertising saying this is not ‘The Cosby Show,’ which is an indictment in itself. “They did not like what ‘The Cosby Show’ looked like for us, and many of us traded into it. Now, look at what has happened. They’ve taken everything that I’ve done and swept it into a place where it would not be shown. “Thank goodness for TV One and BET. But we’ve got to respect ourselves. We’ve got to have a very, very strong respect for our history.” Behind the steel walls at SCIPhoenix, Mr. Cosby said he’s at peace. His fellow residents often ask about his contemporaries like Richard Pryor, whom Mr. Cosby once encouraged to use profanity because it fit Mr. Pryor’s act. “It’s a huge smile in my spirit. I can … use their own profanity back at them. I’m saying things to them like, ‘How many times if you have a lamp, do you rub it, give it three wishes. And, how many times can you say mother f—r and things will come true?’ ” Mr. Cosby stated. “Sometimes, you have to turn on the conjugation of things like slang. You speak it in the home, and that’s what I said in 2004. It was the shock of hearing, ‘Where you is?’ and ‘Where you at?’ and then hear
the parents say it, too.” Mr. Cosby often tells his fellow residents about an epiphany he had while serving in the Navy, which has allowed him to remain in good spirits while behind bars. “I got a wife, family and friends who are so happy that I have something. I go into my penthouse and lay down and start to think about how I can relay a message and give it on Saturdays (during Mann Up sessions) so that they would hear it and feel it,” Mr. Cosby stated. “This Saturday, I gave a talk dedicated to women. I told the story of my wife, who said to me when she got back home after bringing our 43-year-old daughter back home dead from the hospital. It was the most difficult thing she’s ever done in her life, to sit there and watch her daughter die,” he stated. “From there, I went into the fact that mothers have something that we all have, which is a navel. We have to respect our mothers and our women. We’ve got to stop buying drugs. If you have no buyer, you can’t sell,” Mr. Cosby stated. After calling back a third time to complete the interview, Mr. Cosby said he needed to express the critical role the black press has had in telling his story. “Sixty-five years from now, they will be quoting what you’ve written about your fellow journalists. (Wyatt) has information on how these people have rejected the truth. You have the information, too, because you were in that courtroom,” he stated. “I’m a privileged man. You talk to (NNPA President and CEO) Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. and he will tell you that there is a history of black political imprisonment in America, and it’s repeating itself in some kind of way.”
Richmond Free Press
Yams at the 17th Street Farmers’ Market
Editorial Page
A6
November 27-30, 2019
“Gratitude can transform common days into Thanksgivings, John Brown: Saint or madman? turn routine jobs into joy and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.”
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— William Arthur Ward
At this time of celebration, we give thanks for all of our blessings.
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mond Free Press Sandra Sellars/Rich
I grew up in the 1970s, a stone’s throw away from John Brown’s Fort in Harpers Ferry, W.Va. Today, many are throwing verbal stones at the fort. First, a little history. In 1859, abolitionist John Brown and his band of raiders, having set fire to the federal armory in Harpers Ferry, then a part of Virginia, were hunkered down inside the nearby fire engine house. Soon overrun and captured by U.S. Marines, Mr. Brown was hanged for treason on Dec. 2, 1859, but not before he famously said, “I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land can never be purged away but with blood.” He was right. Roughly 620,000 soldiers died in the Civil War that followed. In the middle of the war, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed “that all persons held as slaves ... henceforward shall be free.” Really? Posthumously “a-molderin’ in his grave,” as the war song goes, John Brown waited 100
more years before the Civil Rights Movement marched on to achieve equal rights for AfricanAmericans under the law. Fast forward to today, and America has another ugly political climate and clear signs of civil strife and warnings of civil conflict. Red states versus blue states. Republicans against Democrats. Who will be the
John Michael Cummings called the rebel this time? The secessionists? When I was of early school age, the National Park Service, unceasing in its mission of preservation, made a mini Williamsburg of Harpers Ferry. Near my school bus stop, the stone face of an historic building held the screen of an outdoor TV of sorts, a display monitor, where tourists could press a button and watch a video telling the history of the town. “John Brown,” the video story began. “Who was he? A saint or a madman? Clouds hung low over the heights above town ...” John Brown preached against slavery. But he also killed — murdered — in his fight to make slavery illegal. And for that reason, politicians, historians,
writers and people of all minds, faiths, races and backgrounds have squirmed in trying to decide on how to speak of him — treasonist, traitor, insurrectionist, martyr, lunatic, hero, visionary. President Lincoln called Mr. Brown a “misguided fanatic.” What emboldens the question mark behind the name John Brown is that he was a white man. I am a white man, and because of having that in common with him and because of where I grew up, I was very young when I became race-conscious. But not everyone is. When I gave an author reading at a Barnes & Noble in New York City, I heard the most troubling word used to describe John Brown. A fellow in the crowd interrupted me to make clear that Mr. Brown was a “terrorist.” Lots of heads turned. A fight almost broke out. At an all-black elementary school in Brooklyn, N.Y., a young girl was very puzzled by me. I was a white man at her school; John Brown’s last name is the color brown, and we were commemorating Black History Month. I could see the colors running through her mind — white, brown, black. My hope is she wondered that if the three
A.I. and African-American workers “Black America’s collective response to emerging technology will determine whether it is an opportunity or an existential threat.” – George H. Lambert Jr., president and chief executive officer of the Greater Washington Urban League A new report about the future of work in the United States casts a somber outlook about the effects of artificial intelligence on AfricanAmerican employment, particularly for African-American men. According to a recent headline, artificial intelligence is slated to disrupt 4.5 million jobs for African-Americans, who have a 10 percent greater likelihood of automation-based job loss than other workers. The report, titled “The Future of Work in Black America,” was produced by the management consulting company McKinsey & Company. African-American men are overrepresented in the jobs most likely to be lost, such as food services, retail workers, office support and factory workers. African-American men also are underrepresented in the jobs least likely to be lost to artificial intelligence. These include educators, health professionals, legal professionals and agricultural workers. According to the report, “Only half of the top 10 occupations that African-Americans typically hold pay above the federal poverty guidelines for a family
of four ($25,750), and all 10 of those occupations fall below the median salary for a U.S. worker ($52,000). Many of these occupations are among the top 15 occupations most at risk of automation-based displacement and are also projected to affect young African-American workers without a college degree.” Geography plays a role, too.
Marc H. Morial African-Americans are underrepresented in the areas of the country where job growth is predicted to be the highest — places like Seattle; Sarasota, Fla.; and South Bend, Ind. “Distressed americana showed negative net job growth from 2007 to 2017 and is projected to show negative job growth through 2030,” according to the report. “African-Americans in these distressed areas may disproportionately feel the negative effects of impending economic and technological changes, see fewer new opportunities and face additional challenges in transitioning to the economy of the future.” African-Americans are far less likely than white people to be employed in social media and technology companies — less than 5 percent of the workforce compared with more than 50 percent for white people. Less than 6 percent of total black employment in 2017 was in the tech industry compared with 8.5 percent for white people. Black families remain less likely than white families to have dedicated internet access at home, yet African-Americans
are the second-largest multicultural group, after Asian Americans, for mobile device ownership, with 91 percent owning smart phones. Black millennials are influential, leading users of mobile technology and platforms, and voracious consumers and creators of digital content, but lag behind in tech employment. The McKinsey report included recommendations to avert a crisis, including: • More economic investments into high-skilled jobs in cities and markets where AfricanAmericans are currently overrepresented can directly pave a path of job stability. • Mobility of black workers into new geographical markets with higher projected job growth. • Focused initiatives by university/collegiate education to recruit and retain black students. • Financial investment into Historically Black Colleges and Universities. • Employer investment in re-skilling programs and training courses can meaningfully help offset skill gaps among underrepresented groups. These recommendations reflect the long-standing positions of the Urban League Movement. Elected officials, business and community leaders and educational institutions must be mindful of the risk to the AfricanAmerican workforce and work together to ensure that the job opportunities of the future are available to everyone. The writer is president and chief executive officer of the National Urban League.
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colors were mixed together, would they become clear? Recently, a reporter for an general-interest newspaper asked me, “So I take it you are proJohn Brown?” As I looked at him, my head tilted. Pro? John Brown lingers. He lingers and haunts us because he’s the X-factor of the Civil War. He makes us ask the question: When is it right to break the law to change the law? Around the Thanksgiving table this week, give a thought to John Brown. This week in 1859, he was in a jail cell, awaiting hanging. The writer is the author of three novels and more than 100 short stories. His debut novel, “The Night I Freed John Brown,” won the 2009 Paterson Prize for Books for Young People.
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Richmond Free Press
November 27-30, 2019
A7
Letters to the Editor
Let’s do the right thing Re “Get out: Court-ordered RRHA evictions raising alarms in Creighton Court,” Free Press Oct. 24-26 edition: It is a shame that many of our city’s top officials did not say anything when public housing tenants were being given eviction notices. Thanks to people like City Councilwoman Kim Gray, 2nd District, who stood beside the advocates and the people who demanded equality and justice for all people. I was hearing more about the Coliseum replacement project from some of the city’s top officials instead of about people possibly being evicted and thrown out of their apartments. Have we become so hardcore that human life does not mean much to the more fortunate anymore? The only reason this policy was halted was because of the number of people who publicly expressed dismay and outrage about these intended evictions. Some city officials did not seem to care where these people would go as long as
End surprise medical bills
Congress needs to take action to end surprise medical bills. These are the bills patients receive when they unknowingly go outside of their insurance network for care, without realizing their insurance will not cover them. Several proposals for ending surprise medicals bills are currently before Congress. As our representatives deliberate these proposals, they should keep patient access to care their highest priority. The biggest challenge with this legislation is deciding how to compensate providers when patients go out of network for care. One proposal is to use benchmark rates based on the median rates that insurance companies pay. Pegging rates to the insurance companies’ rates is a bad idea. It gives the insurance companies too much control. They can drive down the benchmark rates by narrowing their networks and pushing out higher-cost doctors. When compensation rates drop, we could see hospitals and clinics closing their doors, especially in underserved communities.
ERNEST PARKER JR. Richmond
We need to get surprise medical bills under control, but not at the cost of access to care. Fewer providers means people will have to travel farther to reach the doctors they need. They’ll go on longer waiting lists and their conditions may worsen while they wait. As a community activist and a political leader, I have witnessed all the improvements to health care since Congress passed the Affordable Care Act under former President Obama, but I also know we have a long way to go to ensure affordable, accessible, high-quality care for every patient. I hope Congress will find a way to stop surprise medical bills without compromising local access to care in our communities. JAMES J. “J.J.” MINOR III Richmond de thsi Nor
NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING Tuesday, December 10, 2019 6:00 PM -7:00 PM Southside Community Services Center 4100 Hull Street Rd., Richmond, VA 23224 The purpose of this meeting is to provide information about GRTC’s acquisition of additional property adjacent to its Headquarters. The E. Belt Boulevard property was formerly a church. Please send any questions or comments to: Email planningcomment@ridegrtc.com Phone: (804) 358-4782 Mail: Planning Division, GRTC Transit System, 301 East Belt Boulevard, Richmond VA 23224 Meeting locations are accessible to persons with disabilities. GRTC strives to provide reasonable accommodations and services for persons who require assistance to participate. For special assistance, call Carrie Rose Pace at 804474-9354 or email carrie.rosepace@ridegrtc.com at least 72 hours prior to the public meeting. Si usted necesita servicios de tradución para participar, por favor mande un correo electrónico a: carrie.rosepace@ridegrtc.com GRTC Transit System’s CARE and CARE Plus services provide origin-to-destination Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) paratransit services to residents of the Richmond Region. To schedule a reservation, please call (804) 782CARE (2273), email webcarecvan@ridegrtc.com or fax (804) 474-9993.
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they moved out. Do some officials believe that the Navy Hill project is worth more than a human life? I, for one, do not think so. I am sure many city officials did not expect to get the backlash they did when trying to evict so many from these public housing communities. Yes, these people have friends, too, and will not sit idly by while you try to kick them out into the cold. We need to put more people in office who put people first. Some of the top officials tried to jump on the bandwagon when they found out that there was a backlash. The people who live in these communities should be treated with respect and dignity. Instead of worrying so much about a proposed Coliseum, hotel, stores and etc., let’s try to see if we can get those people on their feet so they will have a place to stay and not be in the cold. Let’s put people first in all that we do. Whether we want to believe it or not, many of are just one or two paychecks away from eviction. It can happen to anyone. Let’s do the right thing.
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Richmond Free Press
A8 November 27-30, 2019
Sports
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VUU’s Jordan Peebles jumps to a leadership role Jordan Peebles is a high-wire act without the trapeze and safety net. The Virginia Union University junior does his best work high above the floor for Coach Jay Butler’s Panthers. “Jordan’s one of the best jumpers in the CIAA and probably all over the country,” Coach Butler said of the 6-foot-6, 185-pound Emporia native. After two seasons in a backup role, Peebles has taken off — literally and figuratively — as an upward-bound front-liner. Coach Butler’s program is rebuilding after serious personnel losses — some expected, some not expected — from last year’s 19-11 outfit. “I knew I had to play a bigger role since we have practically a whole new team,” said Peebles, a former Class 3, All-State talent at Greensville County High School. “I’m trying to take more of a leadership role.” After seven games, VUU was 3-4 and Peebles led in field-goal percentage (59 percent), led in rebounds (8.4 per game) and second in scoring (11.7, behind Terrell Leach). Peebles also is second in minutes played (behind Leach) with 30.7 minutes per contest. With 15 points and 17 rebounds, Peebles enjoyed the biggest game in his career with VUU’s 76-71 win over Claflin University on Monday night. If there were a category for “ohhs and ahhs,” Peebles perhaps would be No. 1 in that, too. “I go for the dunks because the crowd loves it,” he said. “Dunks get the crowd going, and that gives us more energy.”
he’s taking discreet math, multivariable calculus, differential equations, as well as physics. Eventually, following his basketball career, he hopes to become an actuary. Peebles often is asked if he is related to former Panthers standout Warren Peebles, a guard on VUU’s 1992 NCAA championship team. “We’ve talked about it, and it doesn’t seem like we’re kin,” Peebles said. “But Warren has been very helpful, giving me suggestions on how to improve my game.” To rise to All-CIAA status, Peebles admits he needs to polish his jump shot to make defenders play him more honestly. “Everyone in the CIAA knows what I’m going to do,” Peebles said. “For now, I’m mostly a slasher. I need to work on a mid-range shot.” Peebles’ jump shot may need fine tuning, but his flat-out jumping is already a finished product. He gives local meaning to “Air Jordan.”
Juan McCall
Virginia Union University’s Jordan Peebles scores a team-high 16 points and 10 rebounds at the Panthers’ home opener on Nov. 13 against Catawba College at BarcoStevens Hall. Catawba defeated VUU 84-69.
Peebles can dunk at any time of day or night. A year ago, he won VUU’s Midnight Madness Dunk Contest with a slam called the “Honey Dip.” Raising his hand above the rim to about 12½ feet, Peebles stuffed the ball deep into the net, with his elbow wrapped around the rim as if he was “dipping for honey.” His status as “leading leaper” extends beyond
VCU to play Purdue Friday Virginia Commonwealth University’s basketball team is off to its best start in school history, but the road ahead is looking rocky. Coach Mike Rhoades 6-0 Rams will travel to Destin, Fla., on Friday, Nov. 29, to face Purdue University in the Emerald Coast Classic. Tipoff is 9:30 p.m., with CBS Sports Network coverage. The winner advances to face the winner of the University of Tennessee versus Florida State University game, time to be determined, also on CBS-SN. VCU’s 6-0 start surpasses the 5-0 start by the 1993-94 Rams. Marcus Purdue represents an upgrade in competition. The Big 10 Conference school lost to the University of Virginia 80-75 in overtime in last year’s NCAA Basketball Final in Louisville. The Boilermakers feature 7-foot-3 center Matt Haarms, who had 17 blocked shots through Purdue’s first five outings this season.
Purdue entered the week at 3-2, with losses at home to the University of Texas and at Marquette University. VCU conceivably could meet two schools from last year’s NCAA Final Four this weekend. Tennessee fell to Purdue in the 2019 semifinals. All six of VCU’s victories have been at the Siegel Center. The Rams will not face a true road test until Dec. 18 when the team travels to the College of Charleston in South Carolina. Senior guard Marcus Evans, a transfer from Rice University, is Evans VCU’s scoring leader with an average of 13.2 points per game. The Rams’ “Havoc”-style, full-floor defensive pressure has been a key to its success so far. VCU has 62 steals compared to 39 for its opponents, and has forced 111 turnovers, compared to 76 of its own.
VSU’s team virtually all new This has been something of a “meet-and-greet” basketball season at Virginia State University. With the top five scorers gone from last year’s CIAA championship squad, name tags might be helpful in knowing the “rookies.” “Hi, I’m B.J.”: Francis O’Bryant King “B.J.” Fitzgerald (No. 11) is a 6-foot-6 Danville native who transferred to VSU after one season at Norfolk State University. Fitzgerald ranks among the state’s top high school scorers in recent memory. He totaled 2,150 points at Carlisle School in Martinsville and Danville’s Westover Christian Academy. He has flashed those same shooting skills wearing the VSU orange and blue. Through seven outings, he is second among Trojans in scoring, averaging 10.7 points per game. “Hi, I’m Halil”: Halil Parks (No. 4) played against VSU before becoming a Trojan. The 6-foot-3 guard from Arlington/Wakefield High played last season for Notre Dame College in Ohio. Parks scored nine points against VSU in last year’s NCAA playoffs. Under VSU Coach Lonnie Blow, the junior is averaging 8.1 points per game and has been the squad’s most accurate 3-point shooter (11for-24). “Hi, I’m Jarron”: Jarron Santos (No. 5) is a 6-foot junior guard from East Providence High School in Rhode Island, where he earned second team All-State honors. Santos comes to Ettrick following a stint at the Community College of Rhode Island, a two-year program.
While in high school, a particularly impressive YouTube video of Santos made its way around the internet titled “The Next Steph Curry.” As a Trojan, he has hit 10 of 29 3-pointers while averaging 5.3 points in 18.1 minutes per game. “Hi, I’m Ryan”: Ryan Jones (No. 1) didn’t have to travel far to become a Trojan. The 5-foot-11 guard was a standout during the past two seasons at the two-year Richard Bland College near Petersburg. Before that, he earned second team All-State honors at Smithfield High School. “Hi, I’m Walter. Remember me?” After missing most of last season with a leg injury, Walter Williams (No. 12) is back as a senior. A pre-season All-CIAA pick (despite the year layoff), the 6-foot-4 wing is working his way back into form, averaging 7.7 points in 17.8 minutes. In 2015, Williams helped Henrico High School to the State 5A title. He was among Coach Blow’s first, and most influential, recruits to VSU. The Trojans are 4-3 overall and 1-0 in the CIAA following an 82-69 home victory over Claflin University last Saturday. Despite the heavy losses to graduation, VSU was picked to win this year’s CIAA Northern Division title in a vote of coaches and publicists. Since 2015-16, the Trojans are 103-25 under Coach Blow, winning two CIAA tournament titles. It just goes to show that while faces change, the Trojans are never strangers to the top of the standings.
the hardcourt. Last spring, with very little practice, Peebles won the CIAA triple jump (48-43/4), by three full feet, and placed fourth in the long jump (22-21/4). Around campus, Peebles, who wears jersey No. 15, answers to “Six,” a nickname he picked up at Greensville County High School. Why “Six,” a reporter asked? “I guess because I’m 6-foot-6,” he said. Everything is adding up this year for Peebles on and off the floor. In the classroom, Peebles, a math major, is all about numbers. This semester,
Missing Panther Virginia Union University’s anticipated return of Demarius Pitts didn’t happen. Named CIAA Rookie of the Year in February, the 6-foot-4 guard has transferred to the University of Missouri-Kansas City, which is a member of the NCAA Division I Western Athletic Conference. He will sit out this season and have three more years of eligibility. As a freshman at VUU, Pitts averaged 13.1 points per game. He scored in double figures in 20 of 27 games while logging 30.7 minutes of play per game.
Bill Russell finally accepts Basketball Hall of Fame ring Free Press wire report
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. It took him 44 years, but Bill Russell finally accepted his Basketball Hall of Fame ring. The 11-time NBA champion, five-time MVP, Olympic gold medalist and two-time NCAA champ said on Twitter on Nov. 15 that he was presented his Hall of Fame ring in a private ceremony. The 85-year-old Boston Celtics great didn’t attend the induction ceremony in 1975. He said he didn’t deserve to be the first African-American player inducted, tweeting: “I felt others before me should have that honor.” His tweet mentioned Chuck Cooper, who in 1950 was the first African-American player drafted by the NBA and who was inducted posthumously into the Basketball Hall of Fame this year. Twitter Russell said his private ceremony was attended by his wife, along with close friends and Hall of Famers Bill Bill Russell shows off his Basketball Hall of Fame ring. Walton, Ann Meyers and Alonzo Mourning.
Highland Springs football dynasty ends; TJ plays Nov. 29 for region title
It’s over. After four straight state championships and 40 consecutive wins, the curtain finally fell on what has been the greatest show in local high school football history. Highland Springs High School’s football dynasty ended with a 27-21 loss to Eastern Henrico County rival Varina High School on Nov. 22 in the Class 5, Region B semifinals at Hermitage High School. Strangely enough, it was a former Springer that did in Highland Springs Coach Loren Johnson’s top-seeded squad. Barry Hill, who transferred to Varina from Highland Springs, had four interceptions and scored one offensive touchdown for the Blue Devils. Varina, the third seed, advances to play No. 2 seed Manchester High School at 1
p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30, at the Chesterfield County school. The Springers didn’t go down easily. After trailing 27-6 late in the third quarter, the team rallied with a safety and two touchdowns to put a scare into Varina. However, Hill’s fourth interception ended the Springers’ historic run. For the record, Highland Springs won the state 5A titles in 2015 and 2016, and the state Class 5 crowns in 2017 and 2018. Highland Springs also won a state title in 1961. The Springers carried an 11-0 record into the loss to Varina, but had close calls earlier in the season against Manchester and Varina. While Highland Springs’ streak of consecutive state titles ended at four, Richmond’s Thomas Jefferson High School
is still alive in the state’s Class 2, Region A. Thomas Jefferson Coach P.J. Adams’ Vikings are 10-2 after defeating Greensville High School 44-18 in the region semifinals. Thomas Jefferson advances to play King William High School for the region title at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 29, at Huguenot High School. The winner advances to the state. Thomas Jefferson defeated Greensville with backup quarterback Ron Rhone replacing injured starter Jaylen Tyler. The Vikings’ Shamar Graham rushed 23 times for 150 yards and two touchdowns. This is the furthest Thomas Jefferson has advanced since the Virginia High School League playoff system was introduced in the late 1960s. The school won state titles in 1943 and 1952 prior to the playoffs.
Section
B
Richmond Free Press
November 27-30, 2019 B1
Happenings
Personality: Brenda A. Campbell Spotlight on founder of The Enhancement Foundation For Brenda A. Campbell, founding executive director of The Enhancement Foundation, “Christmas: A Season of Celebration, A Lupus Fundraising Event” is an opportunity for her nonprofit organization to reach out to women across the city and inform them about an illness that affects women by a large margin. “We believe it is our responsibility as a women’s empowerment organization to ensure women are developed appropriately, loved, empowered, supported, nurtured, protected and respected,” Ms. Campbell says. The fundraiser on Saturday, Dec. 7, is TEF’s second annual event. The foundation is hoping to raise $50,000 for the cause and to support a grassroots organization to be announced later. The event hopes to draw attention to how lupus affects women disproportionately, “while honoring and supporting women and their families who are currently suffering from lupus or who have suffered as a result of their loved ones having lupus,” Ms. Campbell says. In addition to offering information, the evening will feature guest speakers, testimonials, dinner, entertainment and inspiration. TEF has gathered a wealth of support for the event, from Whole Foods to the Allison Breast Center in Henrico to Richmond Mayor Levar M. Stoney and Gov. Ralph S. Northam, Ms. Campbell notes. “Each year, we want it to get bigger and better,” Ms. Campbell says. “We want to help women in this area to be aware of all that is available to them.” TEF was established in 2012 and became fully operational in 2017. Ms. Campbell was juggling her full-time job as president and chief executive officer of Unlimited Services Systems Management and Consultants while she and others worked to build up the volunteer base. Now, the nonprofit seeks “to support the quality of lives, values and contributions of women in every aspect of their daily living” through training, planning and encouraging greater selfassurance, self-determination and self-worth, according to Ms. Campbell. “Our dream is to proactively serve as a catalyst for change for the lives of all women, where we will empower and educate women to leave positive legacies not only for their future, but for the future and legacy of their children,” she says. For three years, the foundation has worked across a wide swath of Virginia, including Richmond, the city of Petersburg, Tidewater and other areas, supported by funding gained by a network of grants, sponsorships and donations. Part of the foundation’s effort is its Online Learning Management System, which Ms. Campbell expects to be completed in early 2020. The website will be a “centralized repository, where women can retrieve the latest information, training and knowledge resources,” she explains, that will remove geographic limitations and reduce costs while broadening the number of women aware of the foundation and their access to information that can improve their lives. “The next generation needs to be well-equipped to move to their fullest potential and then pass the baton to the next generation,” Ms. Campbell says. “I’m excited about passing the baton and giving them a mantle that they can utilize and hopefully turn their whole scenario around.” Meet this week’s Personality, who has found her purpose in life by empowering women for health and other challenges they face, Brenda A. Campbell: Volunteer position: Founding executive director of The Enhancement Foundation. Occupation: President and chief executive officer of Unlimited Services Systems Management and Consultants.
Want to go? What: Christmas: A Season of Celebration, A Lupus Fundraising Event, sponsored by The Enhancement Foundation. When: 4 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. Where: The Hilton Richmond Downtown, 501 E. Broad St. Details: Highlights include health information, inspirational speakers, dinner, music and entertainment. Guests include gospel singers Chiquita Cross and Chrystal Rucker, comedian Tonya Lewis, with mistress of ceremonies Sheilah Belle. Tickets: $60 before Dec. 4 at www.eventbrite.com. Information: Programs@enhancementfoundation.org or (804) 321-0107.
Place of birth: Born in Richmond, but lived most of my life in Washington and Maryland until 12 years ago. Current residence: Richmond. Education: Bachelor ’s in industrial psychology, with minor in business administration, University of the District of Columbia; and master’s in community, administration and policy practice (formerly social services management), Howard University. Family: Husband, Bill, and children, Chrystal, Tamika and William. Reason The Enhancement Foundation was started: To support the quality of lives, values and contributions of women in every aspect of their daily living for the future. TEF is a vehicle for women in disadvantaged circumstances with systemic obstacles who need to obtain a greater level of self-sufficiency and wholeness through their ability to acknowledge and utilize their creative God-given strengths, core competencies given proper supports and resources. TEF’s mission: To enhance and empower the abilities of all women to effectively plan for their personal health, social relationships, professional growth and development by training and leading them toward a quality lifestyle, which will contribute to positive legacies for the future of all women and the next generation. Why I am excited about this organization: I am excited to share positive information with other women. I believe it is important to share my wisdom, knowledge and 34 years of professional management consultancy with the next generation. It is important that the next generation knows why they need to move with purpose. They need to know that their contributions to life are essential for the future. The foundation can offer a proactive, unique and innovative opportunity, perspective and process for women who are members of a multi-generational environment. Our goal is to offer women inspirational, social, emotional, educational, entrepreneurial, vocational, career, coaching, technical training and management consulting needed for their lives and relationships with family and others. Several resources our organization offers: As a private foundation, we are acquiring most of our funding through, local, state, federal civilian, military, government organization, commercial sponsors, other private philanthropic groups and individuals. Therefore, proceeds from our events and activities will be divided between special fundraising initiatives and assisting The Enhancement Foundation’s empowerment efforts to sponsor, train and provide resources for all women, including veterans who have faced various life challenges. What is lupus: Systemic Lupus Erythematous, SLE or lupus, is a serious disease that can affect anyone. It is most often diagnosed in young women of color between the ages of 15 and 44. While the cause is unknown, lupus is an autoimmune
disease in which your immune system attacks healthy cells by mistake and potentially can damage many parts of the body. There is no known cure for lupus, though effective treatments are available. Dream for TEF: Our dream is to proactively serve as a catalyst for change for the lives of all women, including the disadvantaged, victimized, underprivileged and underserved, where we will empower and educate women to leave positive legacies not only for their future, but also for the future and legacy of their children. Our goal is gain even more members to the organization. Outlook at start of day: Each day I live my life like it is my last day. So each day, I start by thanking God and studying His word. I then start to work on the goals I set for myself that will allow me to have a productive day and a successful life. I also ask the higher power who is my assignment for the day. A quote that I am inspired by: “Choices are long lasting and life changing.” – Dr. John Cherry Something I love to do that most people would never imagine: I love to sing. I am a gospel recording artist and I plan to record my next CD after the first of the year. I also love to teach and train people and help them reach their unlimited potential. At the top of my “to-do” list is: To continue to fund this organization so we can have a staff to work in it and help us to reach our vision, mission, objectives and strategies for the future. Best late-night snack: A frozen juice bar or a piece of fruit. Favorite recreational activity: I love to travel and visit places that I have never seen before. The best thing my parents ever taught me: The importance of going to church, treating others with respect and love and attaining a decent education. The one thing I can’t stand: To see people take advantage of or hurt others, especially the seasoned ones and innocent children. Persons who influenced me the most: My parents and Dr.
John Cherry. The book that influenced me the most: “Managing Oneself” by Peter F. Drucker. What I’m reading now: “The Mentor in You” by Elena Robertson. My next goal: To put together a women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship training conference, as well as to complete my next inspirational music CD.
Chr istm a s At Virgini a Union Uni v er sit y
2 019
Choir Concert
December 5th, 2019 at 7 p.m. Coburn Hall: Allix B. James Chapel Virginia Union University Featuring The Virginia Union University Concert Choir and The Virginia Union University Community Orchestra Conducted by Dr. Willis L. Barnett, Director of Choral Activities
B2 November 27-30, 2019
Richmond Free Press
Happenings Shockoe Bottom’s slave history to be subject of symposium Dec. 7 Free Press staff report
Fans of African-American history will be offered an all-day feast of information about Shockoe Bottom on Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Library of Virginia, 800 E. Broad St. From 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., 22 historians, researchers, authors, museum officials and other
experts will be offering their views at “Truth and Conciliation in the 400th Year: A Shockoe Bottom Public History Symposium,” it has been announced. Billed as the largest gathering of scholars on Shockoe Bottom, the free event will feature discussions, cultural performances and plans for a park in seeking to spotlight the role Shockoe
Bottom has played in the history of Africans and people of African descent in Virginia, organizers said. “Our goal is to make crystal-clear the historic importance of Shockoe Bottom, its tremendous potential for education, reparations and conciliation and the great crime that would be committed if its physical presence were lost to
Cast meets history Cast members from the Richmond tour of “Hamilton” get a behind-thescenes tour of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture last Friday where they had an opportunity to see historical artifacts related to the characters they portray. Bottom left, actor Paul Oakley Stovall who portrays George Washington holds one of former President Washington’s diaries in safekeeping in the museum’s vault. Right, Edred Utomi, who portrays the musical’s name character, Alexander Hamilton, strikes a pose immortalized by the museum’s Hamilton sculpture in the infamous duel with Aaron Burr. Bottom right, Tyler Belo, who portrays James Madison, views a portrait of Washington in the museum’s vault. Virginia was a focal point for much of the activity and many of the “Founding Fathers” involved in the creation of a new nation, with artifacts and other historical objects located in collections in the state. Leading the tour at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture on Arthur Ashe Boulevard were Jamie O. Basket, president and chief executive officer of the museum, and Dr. William Rasmussen, who curated the museum’s exhibit “Founding Frenemies: Hamilton and The Virginians,” which is on view through Feb. 2.
Photos by Ava Reeves
inappropriate development,” according to Ana Edwards, chair of the Sacred Ground Historical Reclamation Project. A part of the Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality, the project and Ms. Edwards have pushed for more than 15 years to focus public attention on Shockoe Bottom as central to the history of slavery and slave rebellion in Richmond. The program also is aimed at helping to unblock a long-stalled, taxpayer-funded effort to create a visitor attraction focused on Lumpkin’s Jail, a notorious site for holding enslaved men, women and children awaiting sale before the Civil War and a founding site of the Virginia Union University after the war. A centerpiece of the event will include the presentation of a community-generated proposal for a 9-acre Shockoe Bottom Memorial Park that the Virginia Defenders has spearheaded to go beyond the jail site, Ms. Edwards noted. The list of speakers at the symposium include Dr. Ram Bhagat of Richmond Public Schools; Elvatrice P. Belsches, historian; Pamela Bingham, descendent of slave rebellion organizer Gabriel; Dr. Michael Blakey, National Endowment for the Humanities Professor at the College of William & Mary; and Christy Coleman, historian and chief executive officer of the American Civil War Museum. Also, Ms. Edwards; Dr. Douglas Egerton, author of “Gabriel’s Rebellion;” Dr. Carmen Foster, historian; Dr. Gregg Kimball of the Library of Virginia; Elizabeth Kostelny, chief executive officer of Preservation Virginia; and Dr. Lauranett Lee, historian and adjunct professor at the University of Richmond. Also, Nicky McMullen, singer and founder of Soul for Souls; Lenora McQueen, family historian; Dr. John V. Moeser, professor emeritus of urban studies and planning at the University of Richmond; Brian Palmer, photojournalist and historian; Rhonda Pleasants, co-chair of Virginia Commonwealth University’s East Marshall Street Well Project; and Dr. Autumn Rain of the Institute for Historical Biology at the College of William & Mary. Also, Joseph S. H. Rogers, history re-enactor; Dr. Ryan Smith, VCU history professor; Dr. Midori Takagi, cultural studies expert and historian on slavery in Richmond; Dr. Shawn Utsey, historian and chair of VCU’s African-American Studies Department; and Phil Wilayto, founding editor of The Virginia Defender. Details and registration: www.dec7symposium.org or (804) 644-5834.
America’s last slave ship could offer a case for reparations By Jay Reeves Associated Press
of charges by a judge, according to “Dreams of Africa in Alabama,” a book by Dr. Sylviane A. Diouf. Alabama steamship owner Timothy Meaher Historical accounts state Mr. Meaher refused to financed the last slave vessel that brought African provide land after the war to the freed Africans, captives to the United States, and he came out of who then scraped together money to purchase the Civil War a wealthy man. property. They founded a community called “AfHis descendants, with land worth millions, are ricatown USA,” where some of the West African still part of Mobile, Ala., society’s upper crust. ways of the once-enslaved people were preserved. The people whom Mr. Meaher enslaved, how- Its remnants still exist. ever, emerged from the war with freedom but little Mr. Meaher listed assets including $20,000 in else. Census forms that documented Mr. Meaher’s land and personal property in the 1870 Census. postwar riches list them as laborers, housewives A newspaper article said his son, Augustine, was and farmers with nothing of value. Many of their a multimillionaire in 1905. descendants today hold working-class jobs. Court records from 2012 say the Meaher family Now, the history of Mr. Meaher real estate company held $35 million and the slave ship Clotilda may offer in assets, including 22,000 acres of one of the more clear-cut cases for land, timber plus rental income and slavery reparations, with identifiable cash. Tax records show Meaher relaperpetrators and victims. tives remain large landowners, with While no formal push for repara$20 million in property through the tions has begun, the subject has been corporation. bubbling up quietly among commuOne of Timothy Meaher’s distant nity members since earlier this year, granddaughters was feted as the white when experts said they found the queen of the city’s racially segregated wreckage of the Clotilda in muddy Mardi Gras in 2007. The black queen waters near Mobile. Some say too that year was a descendant of one of many years have passed for reparathe Clotilda Africans. tions; others say the discovery of the The Mobile area features Meaher Mr. Meaher ship makes the timing perfect. State Park and Meaher Avenue near Many Clotilda descendants say reconciliation Africatown, and the Meaher family has signs with the Meahers would suffice, perhaps a chance throughout the area offering land for lease. A to discuss an intertwined history. Others hope the red concrete marker bearing the family’s name family helps with ambitious plans to transform a stands in the Tensaw Delta near the spot where downtrodden community into a tourist attraction. the Clotilda’s remains were found last year. Some want cash; some want nothing. There’s no consensus on what reparations might Reparations debates usually involve redress include for Clotilda descendants. for the multitude of descendants from about 4 Joycelyn Davis, who helped organize the Clomillion black people who were enslaved in the tilda Descendants Association, said conversation United States. But with Congress considering would be a good start. “If we could just sit down whether to create a reparations study commission, at the table and just talk that would be a powerful what might a single instance of reparations look thing,” she said. like in the city where this nation’s Atlantic slave trade finally ended? Pat Frazier, a descendant of James Dennison, who was enslaved by the Meahers, isn’t sure. But she’s unhappy about the lack of justice and what many consider the deafening silence of the Meaher family. “I’ve never known them to just own up to what happened,” said Ms. Frazier, 68. In Mobile, like many Southern communities, descendants of slave owners and enslaved people are often neighbors, though in vastly different circumstances. Originally from Maine, Mr. Meaher moved South and got rich off steamboats and a sawmill. He purchased the schooner Clotilda for a reported $35,000 and financed a slave expedition to West Africa the year before the Civil War began. The international slave trade was already outlawed, but Mr. Meaher wagered he could import slaves in defiance of the ban. Arrested after the ship carrying about 110 captives arrived and was scuttled in Mobile in 1860, he was cleared
Julie Bennett/Associated Press
Joycelyn Davis, a descendant of Charlie Lewis, an African who was enslaved and brought to Alabama on the Clotilda, is organizing a reunion of descendants of Clotilda survivors. Below, a mural of the slave ship Clotilda covers a wall along Africatown Boulevard in Mobile, Ala. Remnants of the ship, which brought its human cargo to Alabama long after importation of enslaved people was banned, were found in 2018 and authenticated by the Alabama Historical Society.
Bill Green, a descendant of Clotilda captive Ossa Keeby, said people are due more than talk. He called reparations an “excellent idea.” If not personal payments to Clotilda descendants, they could include contributions to some group to help descendants, perhaps to revitalize Africatown parks, a memorial, a Clotilda replica, housing and businesses. “I think it would be equitable for them to make some payment to the descendants of the Clotilda cargo. What is right? I think we’re in a prime position to have our court system decide something,” said Mr. Green, who lives in Texas. Dr. Diouf, who has closely studied the Clotilda and Africatown, said the Meaher clan inherited generational wealth while Timothy Meaher’s
Kevin McGill/Associated Press
captives scraped by. “There was nothing and there is still nothing,” she said. The National African-American Reparations Commission, formed in 2015, is seeking an apology for slavery plus money for business development, health, education, historic preservation, housing, criminal justice reform and more. The Meahers aren’t saying what if anything they want to do, and have made no public comment about the Clotilda discovery. “The Meahers aren’t going to surface, particularly now that the Clotilda has been found,” said Eric Finley, who operates an African-American heritage tour in Mobile. An attorney representing the family of Augustine Meaher III, a distant grandson of Timothy Meaher, declined to comment to The Associated Press. Other family members or their lawyers didn’t return messages. There are indications the Meaher family may have known the location of the Clotilda before researchers found it. An investigative report released by the Alabama Historical Commission quoted historian John Sledge as saying one of the Meahers told him family members twice dynamited the wreck in the 1950s to retrieve valuable copper off the hull. In an interview, Mr. Sledge declined to say where he heard the story. “But I really wonder how much anyone knew,” he said. That’s the big question to Ted Keeby, another descendant of Clotilda captive Ossa Keeby: Who knew what? He wants to know more about the Meahers and the lives of the people Timothy Meaher enslaved. “I have no feelings about what happened. It’s a part of history. But I would love to meet them. They are part of our history,” he said.
Richmond Free Press
November 27-30, 2019 B3
Happenings
Photos by Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press
Chandle Brooks, 7, helps to organize canned vegetables with his aunt, Charlene Taylor, center, and Tawana Ferguson at Operation Harvest, a community Thanksgiving food distribution effort launched three years ago by St. Paul’s Baptist Church. This is the third year for the effort that has drawn support from dozens of organizations and companies across the area and more than 400 volunteers. Because of the volunteer effort, hundreds of people moved smoothly through the line at the Arthur Ashe Jr. Athletic Center to take home turkeys, canned goods and the trimmings for Thanksgiving.
No need to be alone with area Thanksgiving dinner programs By Ronald E. Carrington and George Copeland Jr.
The holiday season has begun. Thanksgiving, a time for family, friends and fellowship, is upon us. But it can also be a stressful and lonely time for many. Several Richmond area organizations are helping by providing free Thanksgiving dinners to area residents. Many organizations also are welcoming additional volunteers — cooks, turkey carvers, servers and greeters, table designers and general helpers — to assist at various locations. Vicki Neilson, founder and executive director of The Giving Heart, one of the largest Thanksgiving programs in the area, is asking for donations of food or dollars for the annual event that feeds more than 2,400 people on Thanksgiving Day at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. This year, The Giving Heart’s free Community Thanksgiving Feast will be held 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 28, in the Exhibition Hall at the convention center, 403 N. 3rd St. in Downtown. Dinner will include turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, vegetables, rolls and dessert, along with a selection of hot and cold beverages. New this year is a limited vegan/vegetarian selection. Guests can expect live entertainment during dinner, including spoken word, praise dancers, an acoustic bass and guitar duo, a vocalist and an old-time banjo player. Volunteers ages 14 to 24 will be serving the meals, acting as table hosts and as well as bus ambassadors. Through a partnership with GRTC, free bus rides will be provided to people heading to the event until 1 p.m and leaving until 6 p.m. GRTC bus ambassadors will be on board to provide passes to riders, with passes for the return trip available at the convention center. Additionally, free Care Van service is available by calling (804) 782-2273. Free parking is available in the garage at 3rd and Marshall streets and the parking lot at 5th and Broad streets. In addition to Thanksgiving dinner, guests can also get free flu shots and health care information and haircuts and can pick up personal care items, toiletries and clothing. “Donors are requested to bring toiletries, blankets, sleeping
bags, diapers, jackets, coats, sweaters, hats, gloves, scarves as well as non-perishable food,” Ms. Neilson told the Free Press. “We are also asking any area bakeries or restaurants to donate desserts and baked goods.” Any groups interested in having Thanksgiving dinner may call and reserve space. Details: www.thegivingheart.org. Group reservations: Ms. Neilson, (804) 749-4726 or vneilson@thegivingheart.org. Other holiday community food and fellowship programs include: Feed the Need Community Luncheon Us Giving Richmond Connections and Black Pride RVA are hosting a free community meal noon to 3 p.m. Thanksgiving Day at Diversity Thrift, 1407 Sherwood Ave. People interested in volunteering may email volunteers@blackpriderva.com. Details: (804) 293- 0797 or BlackPrideRVA@gmail.com
6th Annual Branch’s Community Thanksgiving Branch’s Baptist Church, 3400 Broad Rock Blvd., is serving Thanksgiving dinner to guests from noon to 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 28, as well as providing meals for pickup and delivery to pre-selected neighborhoods. Volunteers are needed on Wednesday, Nov. 27, as well as Thursday, Nov. 28, to help prepare food, pack to-go meals, deliver food and assist with cleanup. No registration is necessary. Details: www.branchs.org or (804) 276-5000. Holiday Helping Hands Giving Program Atlantic Outreach Group, a Richmond-based nonprofit, is collecting items for its annual Holiday Helping Hands Giving Program. People in a giving mood, or with new and unopened items that they don’t need, can donate those items to the program, which runs through Dec. 9. Details: (804) 308-2648.
Vocalist René Marie looking forward to RVA ‘homecoming’ with RJS By Ronald E. Carrington
Virginia born and internationally acclaimed vocalist René Marie will perform as part of the Richmond Jazz Society’s Guest Educators Concert Series on Tuesday, Dec. 10, at The Capitol Ale House Downtown Music Hall, 623 E. Main St. Already, the 7 p.m. show is sold out. Tickets are available for the 9:15 p.m. performance. The 2014 Grammy Award nominee and former member of the RJS board is returning to the birthplace of her singing career — Richmond — for the concert as she completes a tour across the United States and abroad. She first performed with the RJS in the late 1990s. Local audiences may remember her introduction. By now, many are familiar with her vast jazz repertoire and lyrical style. “I don’t know what my musical style is called,” Ms. Marie said in a recent Free Press interview. She said she is not formally trained in music. “Singing is just in me.” Her music career began at age 42 after a series of day jobs — working as a janitor, at McDonald’s and a bank.
“Music would just burst out of me all of the time,” she said. She specializes in writing her own music. She comments on the fact that this is not the norm in jazz in one of her songs, “This Is for Joe,” after a Chicago club owner chastised her for singing original songs rather than sticking to jazz standards. Her singing style, like her hairstyle, are René unique. “Singing style is sometimes trial and error or mimicking styles I like,” Ms. Marie said. “I can do a lot of different vocal machinations — whistling, whispering or growling, screaming or using very, very high notes or imitating instruments, which I am not afraid to do to give a song a unique flavor. “I just love music,” she said. “I sang everything I heard on the radio — show tunes and country westerns, R&B and pop, classical as well as jazz,” Ms. Marie remembers. “When I started singing
professionally, the only musicians I knew in Richmond were jazz musicians. So jazz was a default for me. “Jazz has a space and expectation for singers to perform outside of the box with their unique style. I love that space.” That space also allows Ms. Marie to sport her signature short-cropped hair with an ever-changing single bang running Marie down the center of her face — sometimes twisted or grown out naturally or straightened or even very long and thick. “It is also trial and error,” she said of her hairstyle. “I like my one bang hairstyle, which is called a ‘noodle’ by some family members. It’s just hair.” Ms. Marie loves Richmond. “I would not have gotten this far without RJS. Performing in December feels like a homecoming. I’m really excited.” Details and tickets: www.vajazz.org or (804) 643-1972.
Virginia DMV ramps up for Real IDs required by October 2020 Mr. and Mrs. Sailor
Mr. Sailor, Ms. Simms wed C.J. Sailor was on the campaign trail with Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie in 2017 when they made a campaign stop at Southern Kitchen restaurant. That’s when the statewide director of coalitions for the Gillespie campaign spied Chelsea Simms, who was working at the Shockoe Bottom restaurant owned by her mother that has since relocated to Jackson Ward. Mr. Sailor was lovestruck. “I called my mother and told her I had just met my wife. She hung up on me,” he laughed in recounting his mother’s reaction. But while Mr. Sailor’s candidate didn’t win — Mr. Gillespie was defeated in the November 2017 election by Democrat Ralph S. Northam — Mr. Sailor came away from the campaign a victor. A year after first seeing Ms. Simms, the couple was engaged. And on Oct. 12, the couple was married. Their wedding ceremony was held at Fifth Baptist Church in Richmond, with Dr. Ricardo L. Brown officiating. The bride is the daughter of Shane Roberts-Thomas and Kelvin Matthew Thomas Sr., both of Richmond. She is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in interdisciplinary studies with a concentration in general education and a minor in business. She is general manager of Southern Kitchen. The groom is the son of the Rev. Deanna Petit Sailor and the late Clarence Sailor Sr. of Detroit. He is a graduate of Morehouse College with a degree in political science and a minor in theater-drama. He is director of programs and development for The Gloucester Institute. Following a honeymoon at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., the couple are living between Richmond and Northern Virginia.
By Jimmy O’Keefe Capital News Service
After noticing his driver’s license was set to expire, Loudoun County resident John Akins paid a recent visit to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. This time he obtained a Real ID-compliant driver’s license — a new requirement for many Americans. Virginians have until Oct. 1, 2020, to acquire a Real ID-compliant driver’s license or ID if they would like to travel by plane or access certain federal facilities. As the deadline approaches, the Virginia DMV has increased staffing at customer service centers. “We’ve had more than 700,000 Virginians already receive a Real ID,” said Matthew Butner, a spokesman for the Virginia DMV. “The main driver, I think, is the air travel piece.” While it is optional to acquire a Real ID, federal agencies will accept only Real ID licenses or IDs after next year’s deadline. Airport travelers going through TSA security checkpoints must have either a Real ID or a passport to board a domestic flight. Some military bases already require a Real ID for access. The Real ID Act, which was passed by Congress in 2005 at the recommendation of the 9/11 Commission, establishes minimum security standards for state-issued IDs, such as driver’s licenses. According to the federal Department of Homeland Security, the security standards required for the Real ID itself and the process of obtaining it include: “Information and security features that must be incorporated into each card; application
information to establish the identity and immigration status of an applicant before a card can be issued; and physical security standards for facilities where driver’s licenses and applicable identification cards are produced.” Mr. Akins, a computer engineer, said he knew Real ID is intended to provide an increased level of security when traveling. But he noted that the look of his new driver’s license, and the process for
Need a Real ID? Take the following to DMV: • Proof of identity and legal presence • Two proofs of Virginia residency • Proof of Social Security number • Current driver’s license, if seeking to obtain a Virginia driver’s license for the first time. • If proof documents contain different names (for example, if the last name on a birth certificate is different than the name on a payroll check stub), it’s necessary to supply documents showing proof of the name change, such as a marriage certificate, divorce decree or a court order. Details: www.DMV.virginia.gov.
obtaining it, wasn’t drastically different from the past. “This process wasn’t unlike any other time I’ve renewed my license, although obtaining a Real ID-compliant license required an in-person visit to the DMV,” Mr. Akins said. “I was surprised to see that the only discernible difference between my original driver’s license and the Real ID license was a small solid black circle with a star in the center, in the upper right
corner of the license.” To meet demand for the new IDs, DMV has increased staffing at service centers. The agency also has expanded its mobile outreach program, which travels throughout the state providing Real IDs. “We also have added DMV Connect teams, which are doing a ton of work for us,” Mr. Butner said. “These are two- to three-person teams, they have a laptop, a camera, and a signature pad and they can go out and do any DMV transaction other than testing and vital records.” DMV Connect teams typically go to places such as rural areas that lack easy access to DMV customer service centers. Recently, teams have been working in densely populated areas, including Richmond, where customer service centers are busy. Earlier this fall, Gov. Ralph S. Northam announced that the state has been issuing Real IDs at all Virginia Department of Corrections facilities to formerly incarcerated people. “We are fully committed to ensuring returning citizens have access to the support they need to successfully reintegrate into society,” Gov. Northam said in a news release. “Having identification that is Real ID-compliant will be a valuable tool in reducing recidivism and helping them start out on a positive path upon release.” Mr. Butner encourages Virginians who still need to obtain a Real ID to do it sooner rather than later. “We are seeing increased wait times, and that’s just simply due to the volume of customers,” he said. “It’s only going to get more crowded as we head towards Oct. 1, 2020. … Don’t wait until the last minute.”
Richmond Free Press
B4 November 27-30, 2019
Faith News/Directory
RNS photo by Jack Jenkins
Mark Hetfield from HIAS, left, with CWS Interfaith Advocacy Minister the Rev. Reuben Eckels protesting the travel and refugee ban at the White House in Washington on Jan. 27, 2018.
Faith groups sue Trump administration over refugee resettlement order Religion News Service
could inhibit the reunification of refugee families. Three faith-based groups Speaking to reporters on a that assist with refugee re- conference call last week, HIAS settlement are suing the federal President and Chief Executive government, arguing a recent Officer Mark Hetfield called executive order granting state the order, entitled “Enhancing and local officials the authority State and Local Involvement to block refugee resettlement in Refugee Resettlement, “a violates federal law and in- lie.� hibits their ability to practice “This (order) is not about their faith. enhancing state and local HIAS, founded as the He- involvement in resettlement,� brew Immigrant Aid Society; said Mr. Hetfield, “as the only Church World Service; and new option it gives to states Lutheran Immigration and and localities is to end their inRefugee Service filed volvement in refugee the suit on Nov. 21 resettlement.� challenging an exM r. H e t f i e l d , ecutive order signed whose group is Jewby President Trump ish, added that the in September stating order has “chilling that the federal govhistoric parallels� ernment should rebecause it allows settle refugees “only states and localities in those jurisdictions to “have a policy of in which both the blanket discriminaMs. Vignarajah state and local govtion against people ernments� have consented to based on their legal immigration accept them in writing. status as refugees.� The complaint filed by the He said the order reminded faith groups alleges the order him of the ethnic cleansing of violates existing law that leaves Jews in Europe. decision-making power about Erol Kekic, senior vice presiwhere to place refugees with dent of the Immigration and the federal government and Refugee Program at CWS, said does not allow state and lo- the order would prevent local cal governments veto power. religious groups “from fulfilling The complaint also points to their faith calling and missions problematic ambiguities in the to ‘welcome the stranger’ � — order, saying it doesn’t clarify a reference to a scriptural call which local authorities would to welcome others that appears need to sign off to allow refu- multiple times in the Christian gees in their area and that it and Hebrew bibles.
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Zion Baptist Church 2006 Decatur Street Richmond, VA 23224 zbcoffice@verizon.net
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Dr. Robert L. Pettis, Sr., Pastor
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Sunday Service 10 a.m.
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Church School 8:45 a.m. Wednesday Bible Study 7p.m.
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Transportation Services (804) 859-1985
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“Reclaiming the Lost by Proclaiming the Gospel�
President Trump
Mr. Kekic’s view was echoed by Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and chief executive officer of LIRS, who called the order “cruel and shortsightedâ€? and insisted that Jesus Christ was also a refugee. “As we ‌ embark in the holiday season and Christmas Day, that celebration of the coming of the world’s most famous refugee, we pray the courts will provide the relief that vulnerable children and families need right now,â€? she said. She added that courts repeatedly have rejected efforts by states to refuse refugees, such as when several states — including Indiana, under the leadership of then-Gov. Mike Pence — attempted to disallow the resettlement of Syrian refugees within their borders in 2016. Also on the call was the
Rev. Jack Amick, director of global migration at the United Methodist Committee on Relief, who argued the executive order is not only illegal but also “inhibits our ability to freely practice our religion.� The faith leaders characterized the new policy as yet another blow to a decades-old refugee resettlement apparatus in the United States that relies
2IVERVIEW
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“The Church With A Welcome�
3HARON "APTIST #HURCH 500 E. Laburnum Avenue, Richmond, VA 23222 www.sharonbaptistchurchrichmond.org (804) 643-3825 Rev. Dr. Paul A. Coles, Pastor
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2019
THURSDAYS WEDNESDAYS 8:30 a.m. ....Sunday School 1:30 p.m. 6:00 p.m. ..... Prayer Service 10:00 a.m. ...Morning Worship 6:30 p.m. ..... Bible Study Bible Study and Holy Communion (Giving and Tithing)
Ebenezer Baptist Church 1858
¹4HE 0EOPLE´S #HURCH²
216 W. Leigh St. • Richmond, Va. 23220 Tel: 804-643-3366 • Fax: 804-643-3367 Email: ebcofďŹ ce1@yahoo.com • web: www.richmondebenezer.com
2604 Idlewood Avenue Richmond, Va. 23220 (804) 353-6135 www.riverviewbaptistch.org Rev. Dr. Stephen L. Hewlett, Pastor Rev. Dr. Ralph Reavis, Sr. Pastor Emeritus
SUNDAY SCHOOL - 9:45 A.M. SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE 11:00 A.M.
Good Shepherd Baptist Church 1127 North 28th St., Richmond, VA 23223-6624 s Office: (804) 644-1402 Dr. Sylvester T. Smith, Pastor “There’s A Place for You� Tuesday Sunday 10:30 AM Bible Study 9:30 AM Church School 6:30 PM Church-wide Bible Study 11:00 AM Worship Service 6:30 PM Men's Bible Study (Each 2nd and 4th) (Holy Communion Thursday each 2nd Sunday) Wednesday (Following 2nd Sunday) 6:30 PM Prayer Meeting
11:00 AM Mid-day Meditation
Sunday Worship Sunday Church School Service of Holy Communion Service of Baptism Life Application Bible Class Mid-Week Senior Adult Fellowship Wednesday Meditation & Bible Study Homework & Tutoring Scouting Program Thursday Bible Study
11:00 a.m. 9:30 a.m. Every 3rd Sunday 2nd Sunday, 11 a.m. Mon. 6:30 p.m. Tues. 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Wed. 6:45 p.m. Wed. 4:30 p.m. Wed. 6:00 p.m. Thurs., 11:45 a.m.
Dr. Wallace J. Cook, Pastor Emeritus Rev. Dr. James E. Leary, Interim Pastor
Triumphant
Baptist Church
2003 Lamb Avenue Dr. Arthur M. Jones, Sr., Pastor (804) 321-7622 Church School - 9:30 a.m. Worship Service - 11:15 a.m.
Broad Rock Baptist Church 5106 Walmsley Blvd., Richmond, VA 23224 804-276-2740 • 804-276-6535 (fax) www.BRBCONLINE.org
Early Morning Worship ~ 8 a.m. Sunday School ~ 9:30 a.m. Morning Worship ~ 11 a.m. 4th Sunday UniďŹ ed Worship Service ~ 9:30 a.m. Bible Study: Wednesdays, 11:30 a.m. & 7 p.m. Sermons Available at BRBCONLINE.org
“MAKE IT HAPPEN� Pastor Kevin Cook
MMBC Creative Arts Ministry Presents
That Christmas
Dessert Theater Saturday, December 21, 2019@ 4:00P.M. Weekly Worship: Sundays @ 10:30 A.M. Church School: Sundays @ 9:00 A.M. Bible Study: Wednesdays @ Noon & 6:30 P.M.
2901 Mechanicsville Turnpike, Richmond, VA 23223 (804) 648-2472 ~ www.mmbcrva.org Dr. Price London Davis, Senior Pastor
New Deliverance Weekly Worship: Sundays @ 10:30 A.M. Church School: Sundays @ Church 9:00 A.M. Evangelistic Bible Study: Wednesdays @ Noon & 6:30 P.M.
1701 Turner Road, North Chesterfield, Virginia 23225 (804) 276-0791 office (804)276-5272 fax www.ndec.net
“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality‌. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.â€? —Martin Luther King, Jr.
Thanksgiving Day Service
Thursday, November 28, 2019 9:00 A.M.
Bible Study: Tuesday - 9 a.m. Wednesday - 7 p.m. Prayer Services: Wednesday (1st & 3rd ) 7 a.m. Every Wednesday 8 p.m. Communion - 1st Sunday
Bishop G. O. Glenn D. Min., Pastor
Mother Marcietia S. Glenn First Lady
St. Peter Baptist Church Worship Opportunities
the public-private partnership, with groups being forced to lay off staff and close offices, many of which were staffed by employees who were themselves former refugees. The lawsuit was filed the same day Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate introduced the Refugee Protection Act of 2019, which would set an annual refugee admission goal of at least 95,000, among other things. HIAS, CWS, LIRS and several other faith groups have endorsed the act.
"APTIST #HURCH
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heavily on religious groups. Six of the nine organizations that partner with the federal government to help resettle refugees are faith-based, including HIAS, CWS and LIRS. But recent years have seen the Trump administration drastically reduce the annual number of refugees allowed in the country. Whereas 110,000 refugees were allowed to be resettled in the United States during former President Obama’s last year in office, President Trump set next year’s limit at just 18,000 — a historic low. The reduction has decimated
SUNDAY
8:00 a.m. Sunday School 9:00 a.m. Worship Service Rev. Dr. Price L. Davis, Pastor $R +IRKLAND 2 7ALTON 0ASTOR
During the month of December, all Sunday Worship Services will be held at 10 a.m. Church School will be held at 8:30 a.m.
WEDNESDAY SERVICES
Noonday Bible Study 12:00 p.m. (Noon) Sanctuary - All Are Welcome! Wednesday Evening Bible Study 7:00 p.m. (Bible Study)
SATURDAY 8:30 a.m. Intercessory Prayer
Thursdays: Mid-Day Bible Study 12 Noon Prayer & Praise 6:30 P.M. Bible Study 7 P.M. (Children/Youth/Adults) Bible Study will be in recess on 11/28/19. -OUNTAIN 2OAD s 'LEN !LLEN 6IRGINIA /FlCE s &AX s WWW STPETERBAPTIST NET
You can now view Sunday Morning Service “AS IT HAPPENS� online! Also, for your convenience, we now offer “full online giving.� Visit www.ndec.net.
We Pray God’ Blessings for Y Family in The New
24th Founders’ and Church Anniversary Friday, January 24, 2020 7:30 P.M. Sunday, January 26, 2020 9:00 A.M
Lenten Season Mosby joins with the larger Christi Tunein incelebrating on Sunday Morning to the Lenten season WTVR - Channel 6 - 8:30 a.m. reflection, fasting & prayerful conse on the journey and follow along w CHRISTIAN Calendar at www.mmbcr ACADEMY (NDCA) ENROLL NOW!!!
Accepting applications for children 2 yrs. old to 5th Grade
Our NDCA curriculum also consists of a Before and After program. Now Enrolling for our Nursery Ages 6 weeks - 2yrs. old. For more information Please call (804) 276-4433 Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm
:30 - 11
Richmond Free Press
November 27-30, 2019
B5
Obituaries/Faith News/Directory
Dr. Wesley B. Carter, child and adolescent psychiatrist, dies at 77 For more than 50 years, Dr. Wesley Byrd Carter specialized in helping children and teens deal with mental health challenges. The caring, soft-spoken psychiatrist touched the lives of untold numbers of young people through his private medical practice, through his work with students identified with mental and behavioral problems in Richmond Public Schools, through his treatment of patients at state facilities and through his service as a mentor to medical students in training to become psychiatrists. Outside of his work, the Richmond native and Air Force veteran also attracted attention for the style and verve he brought to the dance floor at parties. But most of all, “he was a very pleasant person. That’s what attracted me,” said his wife of more than 45 years, Norma Yvonne “Bonnie” Archer Carter, a retired high school teacher in Richmond and vice president and past president of the Richmond Council of Women’s Organizations. His work and community service are being remembered following his death on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019, in Williamsburg where he and his wife were vacationing. Mrs. Carter said he suffered a heart attack. He was 77. His life was celebrated during a noon service on Monday, Nov. 25, at Scott’s Funeral Home Chapel in North Side. Dr. Carter was the son of the late Louise Byrd Carter and Wesley T. Carter, a retired Richmond educator who was celebrated
as VUU’s oldest living alumnus and best known supporter of the university’s sports teams before his death in 2012 at age 104. Dr. Carter graduated from Maggie Walker High School in 1960 and Virginia Union University in 1964. He was the lone African-American in his medical school class when he entered the Medical College of Virginia, where he graduated in 1971. He did his medical residency in Richmond. Dr. Carter Dr. Carter then served three years at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, as an Air Force psychiatrist. Then married, he returned to Virginia in 1975, Mrs. Carter said, and initially joined a practice in Williamsburg. He later returned to the Richmond area to start his own psychiatry practice. For decades, his practice was located on River Road in Goochland County. He also was among the African-American physician-investors involved in developing the modern Richmond Community Hospital and its psychiatric services on North 28th Street in Church Hill. Bon Secours now owns the hospital.
While in private practice, Dr. Carter also served for years as an RPS psychiatric consultant for students until the school system added an in-house psychology staff. After closing his private practice about six years ago, he started working with patients at a state facility in Northern Virginia. After two years, he joined the staff of the Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center before fully retiring in 2018. He then served as a volunteer mentor to MCV students with an interest in psychiatry, his wife said. Dr. Carter served on the board of the National Medical Association and belonged to the Old Dominion Medical Society and the Richmond Medical Society, among other professional associations. He also was a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and a longtime member of its Beta Gamma Lambda Chapter in Richmond. Dr. Carter was a member of the Theban Beneficial Club and the male auxiliaries of two women’s clubs, the Richmond Chapter of The Links and the Richmond Chapter of The Girl Friends. His wife of 47 years is his only immediate survivor. The family requests memorial contributions in Dr. Carter’s name be made to Virginia Union University, 1500 N. Lombardy St., Richmond, Va. 23220, or the VCU Massey Cancer Center, 1300 E. Marshall St., Richmond, Va., 23298.
Pastor Dimitri Bradley, co-founder of City Church, dies at 51 Beginning with just 12 members, Pastor Dimitri R. Bradley and his co-pastor and wife, Nicole, built one of the largest congregations in the Richmond area. Now the estimated 4,000 members of Henrico County-based City Church are mourning the loss of Pastor Bradley. The 51-year-old minister was killed around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019, in a single-vehicle accident as he headed home to Powhatan County following an evening service in the main sanctuary at 4700 Oakleys Lane. According to the Virginia State Police, Pastor Bradley had passed the toll booth on the Downtown Expressway and was heading west toward Interstate 64 when he veered left, hit the guard rail and overturned in his 2016 Cadillac Escalade near Arthur Ashe Boulevard. The State Police reported the minister was not wearing a seatbelt and died at the scene. Pastor Bradley’s memorial service will be 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 30, at the church on Oakleys Lane. The service will be streamed live on iChurch through Facebook and the City Church app. The nondenominational church opened the doors of its main sanctuary and its satellite sanctuary in the 9200 block of Midlothian Turnpike near the Arboretum Office Park last Friday to allow congregants to pray and mourn together. “We have lost our father, our brother, our friend and our pastor,” a post on the City Church’s Facebook page stated. “The heart of City Church and the Bradley family is heavy now and hurting now, but through it all, we trust God.” “We believe good pastors are gifts, and he was our gift,” said Terrance Jones, City Church spokesman. Kenneth Morris spoke for many members when he commented on Sheilah Belle’s morning call-in show on Praise 104.7 on Nov. 21, saying, “I am devastated by the loss of this great man. He never believed church was normal. Instead, he believed church could be this wonderful, special place where you could come and change your life and you become the light in darkness.” Despite the loss, the church is seeking to continue. Services were held Sunday, two at the Henrico church and a third service at the Midlothian sanctuary. Mr. Jones indicated that is what Pastor Bradley would have wanted. According to City Church, Pastor Bradley gave up a prom-
Sixth Baptist Church Theme for 2018-2020: Mobilizing For Ministry Refreshing The Old and Emerging The New We Embrace Diversity — Love For All! A 21st Century Church With Ministry For Everyone
Come Worship With Us!
FIRST SUNDAY ADVENT SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2019 11:00 AM Worship Celebration Message by: Pastor Bibbs Sermon Series on Psalms Message from Division Five (God Among Us) Rev. Dr. Yvonne Jones Bibbs, Pastor
400 South Addison Street Richmond, Va. 23220
Twitter sixthbaptistrva
(near Byrd Park)
(804) 359-1691 or 359-3498 Fax (804) 359-3798 www.sixthbaptistchurch.org drbibbs@sixthbaptistchurch.org
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kfast Men
Thirty-first Street Baptist Church
C
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SUNDAYS
Church School 9:30 a.m. Morning Worship 10:30 a.m. ❖
WEDNESDAYS Bible Study 7:00 p.m. ❖
THIRD SUNDAY 10:30 a.m. Children’s Church Higher Achievement 823 North 31st Street Richmond, VA 23223 (804) 226-0150 Office
ising career in banking to start the church and impressed his peers in the ministry with his organizing skills and preaching. Pastor Ron Carpenter Jr., pastor of the 14,000-membr Redemption Bay Area Church in San Jose, Calif., described Pastor Bradley to The Christian Post as a “giant of a man in character and spirit. (He) was one of the brightest, most intelligent and most innovative leaders …” The Bradleys started Mt. GerPastor Bradley izim World Outreach Ministries in the living room of their Richmond home in February 1998 to reach the lost in the community. But November that year, they had enough members to rent 709 Dawn St. in North Side as the church’s first home. Within 14 months, Mt. Gerizim’s growing congregation relocated to larger space in the 4100 block of Fitzhugh Avenue in Richmond’s West End, first at 4112 and then two years later at 4116 Fitzhugh Ave.
In 2005, the Bradleys won approval to move the church to Oakleys Lane, and in 2007, to change the name to Mountain of Blessings Christian Center. The church expanded the building in 2010 with an addition that included an 800-seat sanctuary, offices and a gym, and the congregation swelled to nearly 2,000 members within four years. Pastor Bradley began looking for an additional site within two years. Initially, the church sought to buy the Richmond Christian Center in the city’s South Side after that church entered bankruptcy. After being blocked, Pastor Bradley found the Midlothian Turnpike location that he called the Swift Creek campus and also won support for operating the two sites as City Church. At the time of his death, he had started working with the church’s leadership on opening a third location. He and his wife promoted faith over formality. They adopted an informal dress code and sought to enliven services with an in-house band and made his preaching the central point of services. In addition to his wife, Pastor Bradley is survived a daughter, Jordan Bradley, and son, Julius Bradley.
Funeral programs helping to connect African-American families to roots By James Scott Baron The Free Lance-Star
SPOTSYLVANIA Volunteers across the state are combing through a large collection of old African-American funeral programs to help families connect with distant relatives of the past. “It amazes me how many of these (funeral) programs include the mother’s maiden name, places they’ve lived and other details, giving us a lead to find their relatives in previous records,” said Helen Smith, mission lead coordinator of the FamilySearch Virginia Remote Operations Center in Stafford County. “African-American Funeral Programs, 1920-Present” is the latest collection of records being uploaded by FamilySearch, a global website operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, headquartered in Salt Lake City. The church’s Remote Operations Center is at 20 Boscobel Road in Fredericksburg. Unlike death certificates, funeral programs can provide critical information about a person’s relationships, military service, hobbies and community involvement. By manually extracting and uploading that information into the FamilySearch genealogy database, doors are opened for people to connect with distant relatives they never knew existed. The genesis of the project began about 12 years ago in Tappahannock, when Bessida White of the Middle Peninsula AfricanAmerican Genealogical and HistoriMs. White cal Society worked FamilySearch representatives to help It’swith All About Celebrating Jesus! If you want to celebrate the Lord info usrecords for compile Freedmen’s Bureau to share your gift the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia in Richmond. The Freedmen’s Bureau, established by Congress in 1865, provided clothing, food, fuel and temporary shelter to millions of former enslaved people and children following the Civil War. While working on the project, Ms. White offered copies of funeral programs to FamilySearch representatives as a possible source of family information that she thought might be useful to the African-American community. “They were just fascinated,” Ms. White said. “They said, ‘That’s important stuff. We had no idea.’ ” In 2009, Ms. White led the effort to collect funeral programs in the state, bringing in 10,600 programs in just five weeks. In 2016, her organization helped collect another 8,000 funeral programs. FamilySearch volunteers were soon at work, manually entering names, dates and other vital information into the vast
Peter Cihelka/The Free Lance-Star via Associated Press
Scans of funeral programs are available to people researching their families and acquaintances through FamilySearch, a global website operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
genealogy database. So far, volunteers have scanned more than 10,000 African-American funeral programs for the project. And the work continues. “When it’s over, it’ll be about 24,000 records total, but it’s hard to say because one funeral program might have multiple layers of information,” Ms. Smith said. Nearly 20 FamilySearch volunteers throughout Virginia do the majority of uploading work from their homes. Casandra HelzMr. Heyward er, who is the mission lead of the Virtual Remote Operation Center, spends between eight to 10 hours each week at her house, connecting names from the funeral programs to names in the FamilySearch database. Ms. Helzer said one of the initial challenges she faced at the onset of the project was duplicate records. She said as more names have been added to the database, the process has become easier. “When we first started, it was hard because we didn’t know if they were in the system or not,” Ms. Helzer said. “The more names we added, and the more we got to learn about these wonderful people, the easier it’s been to go forward with the work.” Ms. Helzer cited Baptist Liberty Church in King William County as one example of the positive impact the project has made on a small country church and the community that surrounds it. As a result of the project, many families in that region have connected to relatives of the past. “If we can do this for one small com-
munity, for one little church, imagine what we could do for the world,” Ms. Helzer said. “If more people get involved, I can see many different communities being able to do this.” The Latter-day Saints church recently donated $2 million to the International African-American Museum in Charleston, S.C., to build a FamilySearch Discovery Center within that facility. It is scheduled to open in late 2021. The Discovery Center will give museum visitors an opportunity to research their family roots near the hallowed grounds of Gadsden’s Wharf. “The site of the museum is right on the wharf, the port of entry for nearly half of the enslaved African-Americans brought to America,” said Elijah Heyward, the museum’s chief operating officer. Between 1783 and 1808, an estimated 100,000 West Africans arrived at Gadsden’s Wharf, where many men, women and children died, never reaching the auction block. It also was during this era that Africans, arriving under harsh and cruel conditions, were recorded as property rather than as human beings. For years, this inhumane accounting method created obstacles and dead ends for those in the African-American community hoping to research their ancestry. Although the funeral program collection can be accessed from any computer by anyone at no charge, the Discovery Center within the new museum will give visitors a unique opportunity to research their family history at the site where so many Africans first set foot on American soil. “We’re building a world-class institution here,” said Mr. Heyward. “Having a partnership with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will help us achieve our goals.”
Richmond Free Press
B6 November 27-30, 2019
Legal Notices/Employment Opportunities City of Richmond, Virginia CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given that the Council of the City of Richmond has scheduled a public hearing, open to all interested citizens, on Monday, December 9, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber on the Second Floor of City Hall, located at 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, to consider the following ordinances: Ordinance No. 2019-118 As Amended To amend City Code ch. 2, art. IV, div. 1 by adding therein a new § 2-239, concerning value engineering, for the purpose of requiring value engineering for projects costing more than $5,000,000.00. Ordinance No. 2019-247 As Amended To amend ch. 8, art. II of the City Code by adding therein a new § 8-34, concerning [unsolicited] offers to give or dedicate fee simple interests in real estate to the City, for the purpose of imposing certain reporting requirements when the City receives an [unsolicited] offer to give or dedicate fee simple interests in real estate to the City. Ordinance No. 2019-288 As Amended To amend ch. 27, art. II of the City Code by adding therein a new § 27-40.1, concerning distracted driving, for the purpose of prohibiting distracted driving while using a handheld personal communications device. Ordinance No. 2019-305 To amend Ord. No. 2019041, adopted May 13, 2019, which adopted the Fiscal Year 2019-2020 General Fund Budget and made appropriations pursuant thereto, by re-appropriating $6,200,000.00 of the Fiscal Year 2018-2019 fund balance excess assigned to the 2019 Cost of Living Adjustment for City Retirees Reserve established by Ord. No. 2019-272, adopted Oct. 28, 2019, and $763,640.00 of the Fiscal Year 20182019 fund balance excess assigned to the 2019 Richmond Retirement System Unfunded Liability Reduction Reserve established by Res. No. 2019-R061, adopted Oct. 28, 2019, and to appropriate these funds to the Fiscal Year 2019-2020 General Fund Budget by increasing estimated revenues and the amount appropriated to the Richmond Retirement System by $6,963,640.00 for the purpose of providing a one-time, one-percent cost of living adjustment for each member of the Richmond Retirement System who began receiving a retirement allowance on or before Jan. 1, 2019, and reducing the unfunded liability of the Richmond Retirement System. Ordinance No. 2019-306 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer to accept funds in the amount of $12,500.00 from the Fund for Cities of Service, Inc., and to appropriate the grant funds received to the Fiscal Year 2019-2020 Special Fund Budget by increasing estimated revenues and the amount appropriated to the Office of the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Human Services’ Love Your Block Grant line item by $12,500.00 for the purpose of addressing blight-related issues, including abandoned and vacant properties, graffiti, illegal dumping, and trash in public rights-of-way. Ordinance No. 2019-307 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer to accept funds in the amount of $13,888.00 from the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services and to appropriate the increase to the Fiscal Year 20192020 Special Fund Budget by increasing estimated revenues and the amount appropriated to the Department of Justice Services by $13,888.00 for the purpose of funding salary increases for grantfunded employees of the City’s community corrections program. Ordinance No. 2019-308 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer to accept grant funds in the amount of $60,779.00 from the Virginia Department of Fire Programs, and to appropriate the funds received to the Fiscal Year 2019-2020 Special Fund Budget by increasing estimated revenues and the amount appropriated to the Department of Fire and Emergency Services’ State Fire Programs Special Fund by $60,779.00 for the purpose of funding the Department of Fire and Emergency Services’ fire suppression services.
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To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Memorandum of Agreement between the Federal Communications Commission, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, and the City of Richmond for the purpose of setting forth conditions pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act that the City must fulfill in order to construct an E911 selfsupport communications tower at 1201 North 38th Street. Ordinance No. 2019-310 To amend City Code §§ 28-837, concerning records of facilities, 28857, concerning the authority required for the placement and use of poles, wires, and conduits, and 28-862, concerning joint use of existing poles or conduits and board of arbitrators, to amend ch. 28, art. VII, by adding therein a new div. 3 (§§ 28-876—28-882); and to amend Appendix A of the City Code by adding therein new fees for §§ 28-879, 28-880, and 28881 for the purpose of authorizing the Director of Public Utilities to issue permits for the installation of wireless facilities on City-owned utility poles. Ordinance No. 2019-311 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to accept funds in the total amount of $933,201.00 from the Virginia Department of Transportation, and to appropriate the increase to the Fiscal Year 20192020 Capital Budget by increasing estimated revenues and the amounts appropriated to the Department of Public Works’ Transportation Projects line item in the Transportation category by $933,201.00, for the purpose of appropriating funding received from the Virginia Department o f Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n ’ s Primary Extension Paving program for various resurfacing projects along Chippenham Parkway, West Roanoke Street, a n d We s t o v e r H i l l s Boulevard. Ordinance No. 2019-312 To p r o v i d e f o r t h e granting by the City of Richmond to the person, firm or corporation to be ascertained in the manner prescribed by law of certain easements upon, over, under, and across certain property located at 1201½ North 38th Street for the construction, installation, operation, maintenance, inspection, repair, replacement, and removal of electrical lines and associated appurtenances in accordance with a certain Right of Way Agreement. Ordinance No. 2019-313 To amend City Code § 2-428, concerning traffic control, for the purpose of establishing a process for the installation of all-way stop signs. Ordinance No. 2019-314 To amend City Code §§ 24-523, concerning the obligation to maintain, repair or reconstruct the site of an excavation, and 24-551, concerning the obligation to comply with excavation requirements in public rights-of-way, for the purpose of imposing a time period within which an excavation site shall be maintained, repaired, or reconstructed and prescribing new penalties for violations of ch. 24, art. VII of the City Code. Ordinance No. 2019-315 To amend City Code §§ 27-197, concerning parking prohibitions in specified places, and 27219, concerning parking violations, written notices, issuance of warrants or summons, and penalty for noncompliance, for the purpose of adding therein a new prohibition against parking within a bicycle lane and prescribing a fine for the violation of such prohibition. Ordinance No. 2019-316 To designate the 1700 block of Fairfax Avenue in honor of Rosa Jones. Ordinance No. 2019-317 To provide for a onepercent cost of living allowance for retirees who retired on or before January 1, 2019, to be fully funded from an assignment of fund balance called the 2019 Cost of Living Adjustment for City Retirees Reserve established by Ord. No. 2019-272, adopted Oct. 28, 2019, in an amount of up to $6,200,000.00. Ordinance No. 2019-318 To amend City Code § 1211, concerning the form of the budget submitted to the Council, for the purpose of requiring, with some exceptions, that each capital project included in the Proposed or Adopted Capital Improvement Plan shall be listed individually and not grouped into one listed project with other, unrelated capital projects.
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Interested citizens who wish to speak will be given an opportunity to do so. Copies of the full text of all ordinances are available by visiting the City Clerk’s page on the City’s Website at www.Richmondgov. com and in the Office of the City Clerk, City Hall, 900 East Broad Street, Suite 200, Richmond, VA 23219, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Candice D. Reid City Clerk
Divorce VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER AJAH TANN, Plaintiff v. MICHAEL FOX, Defendant. Case No.: CL19003392-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months. It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 9th day of January, 2020 at 9:00 AM, and protect his interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE CINTY OF RICHMOND GEORGE RANDOLPH WALLER, Plaintiff v. FRANCES LORRAINE WALLER, Address Unknown Defendant. Case No.: CL19-5631-7 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to have the Court award the plaintiff, George Randolph Waller, a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant, Frances Lorraine Waller. It appearing that Frances Lorraine Waller cannot be found and that diligence has been used without effect to ascertain the whrereabouts of the party to be served, it is ORDERED that Frances Lorraine Waller appear before this Court on or before the 7th day of January, 2020 in the Clerk’s Office of this Court and do what is necessary to protect her interests. An Extract, Teste: EDWARD F. JEWETT, Clerk I ask for this: Andrew B.C. Wood Law Office of Wood & Wood, PC 1801 Libbie Avenue, Suite 102 P.O. Box 8265 Richmond, VA 23226 (804) 285-7447 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER MELISSA SHIFFMAN, Plaintiff v. JOSEPH SHIFFMAN, Defendant. Case No.: CL19003298-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months. It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 7th day January, 2020 at 9:00 a.m., CR#1 and protect his interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HENRICO ROBIN CARYLE DEROCHE, Plaintiff v. MICHAEL J. DEROCHE, Defendant. Case No.: CL1900-5599-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit, brought by Robin Caryle Deroche, is a complaint for divorce. It appearing from an affidavit that the Defendant, Michael J. Deroche, cannot be found, and that due diligence has been used without effect to ascertain the location of the Defendant; it is hereby ORDERED that the Defendant appear before this Court on or before December 16, 2019, to protect her interest herein; An Extract Teste: Heidi S. Barshinger, Clerk Tameka W. Robinson Cravens & Noll, P.C. Continued on next column
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4551 Cox Road, Suite 120 Glen Allen, Virginia 23060 (804) 264-4529
BID COUNTY OF HENRICO, VIRGINIA CONSTRUCTION BID ITB # 19-1944-11PEW Water Reclamation Facility Sludge Blend Facility Chemical Fill and Storage Improvements Due 2:00 pm, January 7, 2020. Additional information available at: https://henrico.us/finance/ divisions/purchasing/ solicitations/. COUNTY OF HENRICO, VIRGINIA CONSTRUCTION BID ITB #19-1949-11EAR DOREY PARK FIELD #7 CONCESSION RESTROOM BUILDING Due: December 17, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. For additional information visit: https://henrico.us/finance/ divisions/purchasing/ solicitations/
LICENSES Famous Brown Legendary Soul Food Inc Trading as: Famous Brown Legendary Soul Food 5156 Nine Mile Road Richmond, Virginia 23223 The above establishment is applying to the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage C ontrol (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Beer & Wine/Mixed Beverage on Premise license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages. Queen Faith, owner NOTE: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices. Objections should be registered at www. abc.virginia.gov or 800-5523200.
1-800-Pack-Rat (VA-Richmond-5471) 6601 S Laburnum Ave Richmond, VA 23231 877-774-1537 Notice of Sale Tenant:
Unit #
Muhammad, Fahiym Roache, Eugena
D06086 D01110
1-800-Pack-Rat (VA-Richmond-5471), 6601 S Laburnum Ave, Richmond, VA 23231, has possessory lien on all of the goods stored in the units above. All these items of personal property are being sold pursuant to the assertion of the lien on 12/11/2019 at 10:00 AM in order to collect the amounts due from you. The sale will take place on www. Acceleratedlisting.com from 12/11/2019 to 12/18/2019 at 6:00p.m. REQUEST FOR BIDS For Certain Easements Upon, Over, Under and Across 1201½ North 38th Street In the City of Richmond The City of Richmond is seeking bids for certain easements upon, over, under, and across certain properties located at 1201½ North 38th Street for the construction, installation, operation, maintenance, inspection, repair, replacement, and removal of electrical lines and associated appurtenances in accordance with a certain Right of Way Agreement, for a duration of 40 years, subject to certain responsibilities to be imposed by the Right of Way Agreement and subject further to all retained rights of the City of Richmond. All bids for the easements hereby offered to be granted must be submitted in writing to the City Clerk’s office by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, December 9, 2019. Bids will be presented to the presiding officer of the Council of the City of Richmond on Monday, December 9, 2019, at 6:00 p.m. in open session and then will be presented by the presiding officer to the Council and be dealt with and acted upon in the mode prescribed by law.
Resolution No. 2019-R064 To request the Richmond delegation to the General Assembly of Virginia to introduce and support the enactment of legislation to amend sections 3.01 and 3.04.1 of the Charter of the City of Richmond to provide that each Council member shall reside in the election district from which such member was elected throughout the member’s term on the Council and to authorize the Council to remove any Council member not in compliance with such residency requirement. Patrons – All Members of Council
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND: That, in accordance with section 15.2-202 of the Code of Virginia (1950), as amended, the Richmond delegation to the General Assembly of Virginia is hereby requested to introduce and support the enactment of legislation to amend sections 3.01 and 3.04.1 of the Charter of the City of Richmond as set forth in the document entitled “Requests of the City of Richmond for City Charter Amendments during the 2020 Session of the General Assembly of Virginia,� a copy of which is attached to and made a part of this resolution. REQUESTS OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND FOR CITY CHARTER AMENDMENTS DURING THE 2020 SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF VIRGINIA Amended Sections: § 3.01. Election of councilmen; nomination of candidates; residency.
A copy of the full text of the ordinance is on file in the City Clerk’s office, and the full text of the ordinance and Right of Way Agreement to be executed is available at: https://richmondva.legistar.com/LegislationDetail. aspx?ID=4228148&GUID=0F143F04-80FC-49B9-B0009F8D75574CB9&Options=ID|Text|&Search=2019-312
B. No primary election shall be held for the nomination of candidates for the office of councilman, and candidates shall be nominated only by petition.
Please address any questions or bids to:
C. Each council member elected in accordance with this section shall reside in the election district from which such member was elected throughout the member’s term on the Council.
Candice D. Reid, City Clerk City of Richmond 900 East Broad Street, Suite 200 Richmond, Virginia 23219 (804) 646-7955
GRTC Transit System invites all interested parties to submit proposals for providing janitorial services. Interested firms may download a copy of RFP # 181-19-13 from GRTC’s website www. ridegrtc.com (menu options: About Us, then Procurement) or obtain a copy by calling Allan Cox at (804) 358-3871 ext 371. An optional preproposal conference will be held on December 3, 2019 at 2 pm. Responses are due no later than 11:00 am on January 6, 2020. All inquiries pertaining to the request or any questions in reference to the solicitation documents should be directed to: Allan Cox Purchasing Manager (804) 358-3871, extension 371
call
644-0496
Pursuant to section 15.2-202 of the Code of Virginia, notice is hereby given to all interested persons that the City Council of the City of Richmond will hold a public hearing on Monday, December 9, 2019, at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber on the Second Floor of City Hall, located at 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, to consider the following resolution:
A. At the time of the November general election in 2004, and every second year thereafter, there shall be held a general city election at which shall be elected by the qualified voters of the city one member of council from each of the nine election districts in the city, the voters residing in each such district to elect one member for said district for terms of two years from the first day of January following their election. However, beginning with the elections to be held in 2008, and subject to approval by referendum as called for by this act, council members shall be elected for a term of four years.
The City of Richmond expressly reserves the right to reject any and all bids. The successful bidder shall reimburse the City for all costs incurred in connection with the advertisement of this ordinance in accordance with section 15.2-2101 of the Code of Virginia and shall post the bond required by the ordinance.
JANITORIAL SERVICES REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Richmond Free Press
PUBLIC NOTICE Proposed City Charter Amendments
Approved as to form and legality by the City Attorney
TRANSIT SYSTEM
To advertise in the
City of Richmond, Virginia
Supplier diversity program – “providing equal opportunities for small businesses�
The City of Richmond announces the following project(s) available for services relating to: RFP No. 200007065 Construction Inspection and Project Management Services Due Date: Thursday, January 9, 2019 @ 2:00 P.M. Receipt Location: 900 East Broad Street, Room 1104, 11th Floor, Richmond, VA 23219 Questions regarding RFP shall be submitted no later than Friday, December 13, 2019 @ 3:00 P.M. Information or copies of the above solicitations are available by contacting Procurement Services, at the City of Richmond website (www.RichmondGov. com), or at 11th Floor of City Hall, 900 E. Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219. Phone (804) 646-2670 or faxed (804) 646-5989. The City of Richmond encourages all contractors to participate in the procurement process. For reference purposes, documents may be examined at the above location.
EXPLANATION: Subsection (A) of section 3.01 is understood to require that each person elected to the City Council must be a resident of the election district from which such person is elected. However, this subsection does not expressly require any such member to maintain the member’s residency within the district to which the member was elected during the member’s term on the Council. The amendments to section 3.01 provide that each member of the City Council must be a resident of the election district from which such member was elected throughout the member’s term on the City Council. § 3.04.1. Removal of council member or mayor and forfeiture of office. A. In addition to being subject to the procedure set forth in § 24.2-233 of the Code of Virginia, any member of the council may be removed by the council[, but only] for malfeasance in office or neglect of duty or for a failure to comply with the residency requirement set forth in section 3.01. [He/she] The member shall be entitled to notice and hearing. It shall be the duty of the council, at the request of the person sought to be removed, to subpoena witnesses whose testimony would be pertinent to the matter in hand. From the decision of the council an appeal shall lie to the Circuit Court of the City of Richmond, Division 1. B. The mayor may be removed following the procedure set forth in § 24.2-233 of the Code of Virginia applicable to constitutional officers; provided, however, that the petition must be signed by a number of registered voters in each council district equal to at least ten percent of the total number of votes cast in the last general election for mayor in each respective council district. C. The mayor or any member of council who shall be convicted by a final judgment of any court from which no appeal has been taken or which has been affirmed by a court of last resort on a charge involving moral turpitude, or any felony, or any misdemeanor involving possession of marijuana or any controlled substances, shall forfeit his/her office. EXPLANATION: Subsection (A) of section 3.04.1 currently authorizes the City Council to remove a member of the City Council only for malfeasance in office or neglect of duty. The amendments to section 3.04.1 provide that the City Council may also remove a member of the City Council for a failure to comply with the proposed requirement in section 3.01 that a member of the City Council be a resident of the election district from which such member was elected throughout the member’s term on the City Council. Interested citizens who wish to speak will be given an opportunity to do so. Copies of the full text of all ordinances are available by visiting the City Clerk’s page on the City’s Website at www.Richmondgov.com and in the Office of the City Clerk, City Hall, 900 East Broad Street, Suite 200, Richmond, VA 23219, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Candice D. Reid City Clerk
Thank you for your interest in applying for opportunities with The City of Richmond. To see what opportunities are available, please refer to our website at www.richmondgov.com. EOE M/F/D/V
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804.358.5543
AVAILABLE Downtown Richmond first floor office suite 5th and Franklin Streets 422 East Franklin Street Richmond, Virginia 23219
Bedros Bandazian
Associate Broker, Chairman
Raffi Bandazian
Principal Broker, GRI
Freelance Writers: Richmond Free Press has immediate opportunities for freelance writers. Newspaper experience is a requirement. To be considered, please send 5 samples of your writing, along with a cover letter to news@richmond freepress.com or mail to: Richmond Free Press, P. O. Box 27709, Richmond, VA 23261. No phone calls.