Richmond Free Press Sept. 5-7, 2019 Edition

Abused, then cheated B4

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VOL. 28 NO. 36

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Meet the REA president B1

SEPTEMBER 5-7, 2019

Opening bell

Richmond Public Schools students, teachers and staff start school year with great expectations, optimism

By George Copeland Jr.

Richmond Public Schools students, parents, teachers and officials were up bright and early and full of optimism Tuesday morning for the beginning of the new school year.

“I love the high expectations that we have here at RPS,” said Westover Hills Elementary School Principal Allison El Koubi. “If we want our kids to succeed, then we need to have high expectations and make sure that we’re teaching grade-level content.”

That positivity was echoed miles away on the grounds of E.S.H. Greene Elementary, a school whose opening was marked by transition — externally in the form of the new school building under construction behind the main building and adjacent trailers,

More first day photos, B2 and internally with the hiring of Dr. Juvenal Abrego-Meneses to serve as the school’s principal.

“I expect nothing but the greatest and the best for students at RPS,” said Greene Elementary Assistant Principal Katrina Holmes, standing a few feet away from an auditorium that earlier had served as an ad-hoc dispensary for hundreds of student backpacks.

Westover Hills and Greene elementaries, like a few other city elementary schools, opened a half-hour earlier than the rest of the district at 8:30 a.m., with participating schools now closing at 3:15 p.m. as opposed to 3:40 p.m.

The change was among a suite of developments going into effect this year, including the addition of 10 new electives, such as cooking, chorus and dance, for high school students; solar panels added to the roofs of about 10 schools; paper lunch trays to promote eco-friendly measures; and moving truancy hearings from courts to Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School.

Later on Tuesday night, the Richmond School Board voted unanimously to purchase 42,000 new Chromebooks for $1.29 million as part of a partnership with T-Mobile that will provide the laptops and personal internet-enabled devices to sixth-grade students to use throughout their time in middle school.

The shift to an early opening seemed to be an easy adjustment for the schools. Westover Hills staff, faculty, members of various partner groups and others assembled with Ms. El Koubi to greet new and returning students and parents in the school’s lobby with high fives, hugs and donuts.

“I’m really excited. I think we’re going to have a great From left, Diane W. Jones year,” said Bryce Lyle, who

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Walking through a welcome arch of balloons at Westover Hills Elementary School, third-grader Kemdyl Grevious is greeted with a high five from Principal Allison El Koubi, as she and her father, Dylan Grevious, arrive Tuesday for the opening day.

Bradford family descendants, supporters work to protect old Sons and Daughters of Ham Cemetery

Please turn to A4

Saving the past

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Regina H. Boone/ Richmond Free Press

and her sister, Carolyn W. Moten, and cousin Linda T. Nash stand in front of the sign for the overgrown cemetery in Henrico County where their relatives are buried and which they are working to restore.

HOME to begin eviction diversion program

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Richmond’s first ever program aimed at helping people avoid eviction is about to get a home base.

At its upcoming meeting Monday, Sept. 9, City Council is expected to approve legislation awarding a grant of $485,140 to fair housing watchdog Housing Opportunities Made Equal to operate the pioneering program.

Heather M. Crislip, president and chief executive officer of HOME, expects the program to be underway by October. She stated Wednesday that notices about the program will start being issued to families hit with an eviction notice next week.

Ms. Crislip Under the grant’s language, HOME would be able to pay up to 50 percent of the overdue rent to assist an eligible family, while helping the family set up a payment plan for the balance if the landlord agrees.

Participating families also would get financial counseling Please turn to A4

Dense woods fill much of a largely uncelebrated and essentially abandoned African-American burial ground in Henrico County that had been best known in recent years as a practice area for University of Richmond runners.

While they no longer use it, their pounding feet kept a path winding through the graveyard clear of vegetation.

The untended state of the cemetery could change now that a handful of people are getting involved with it, just as improvements have come to previously neglected private and public African-American cemeteries such as the Evergreen and East End cemeteries on the city’s eastern border and the Barton Heights cemeteries in North Side.

In the case of the Henrico cemetery located off Chandler Road and next door to the city-owned Bandy Field, a retired Richmond pharmacist and two great-granddaughters Please turn to A4

Hearing on Coliseum referendum petitions still up in the air

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Richmond Circuit Court Chief Judge Joi Jeter Taylor so far has not set a new hearing to consider whether city Voter Registrar Kirk Showalter wrongly threw out more than 2,000 petition signatures and keeping a nonbinding advisory referendum on the Richmond Coliseum replacement project off the Nov. 5 ballot.

Paul Goldman, who spearheaded the referendum drive that collected nearly 15,000 signatures, said Wednesday that he sent two emails to Judge Taylor this week seeking a hearing on motions he filed before Labor Day contesting the registrar’s finding that the referendum petition drive fell 400 signatures short.

“But I have yet to receive a response” from Judge Taylor, Mr. Goldman said.

A political strategist and former chairman of the state Democratic Party, Mr. Goldman said that he referenced in his emails the short time remaining before the

looming ballot preparation deadline for the referendum question to be settled.

Ms. Showalter declined to comment outside of court on any matters related to Mr. Goldman’s legal actions.

At the first hearing on Aug. 15, Judge Taylor accepted Ms. Showalter’s report showing 9,941 valid petition signatures, or 400 shy of the 10,341 required to put the referendum on the ballot.

The judge gave Mr. Goldman, who is serving as his own attorney in this case, until Aug. 30 to review the signatures that were rejected and Mr. Goldman note objections.

Mr. Goldman sent Judge Taylor a motion to compel Ms. Showalter to begin reviewing his findings ahead of the deadline. He then submitted his findings to the judge on the Aug. 30 deadline, listing 2,079

signatures he argued that were wrongly dismissed.

Among them were the signatures of radio talk show host Gary Flowers and prominent attorney Thomas Wolf and his wife, former School Board member Carol Wolf, and others whose names are on the voter rolls but were listed as “cannot identify.”

Arguing that Ms. Showalter is flouting state law and violating the constitutional right of voters to petition their government, Mr. Goldman alleged that Ms. Showalter falsely listed some signatures as duplicates when they were not.

In addition, he noted that Ms. Showalter threw out the signatures of people who are clearly listed on the voter rolls, but whose address is now different than the one on the voter rolls.

Mr. Goldman said Wednesday that Ms. Showalter is continuing a practice that was Please turn to A4

A2 September 5-7, 2019

Richmond Free Press

Local News

New vision for Blues Armory New plans are brewing for the historic Blues Armory at 6th and Marshall streets in Downtown as part of the Navy Hill District Corp.’s proposal to replace the closed Richmond Coliseum, located just north of the armory.

At an estimated cost of $10 million, a grocery store, jazz club and a hotel ballroom are envisioned for the three-story brick armory that dates to 1909 and was built initially to serve the whites-only Richmond Light Infantry Blues, a voluntary militia started in 1789. The unit became part of the Virginia Army National Guard and was deactivated in 1996.

The Navy Hill group, wants to buy the armory from the city as part of the Coliseum replacement and Downtown development plan. Navy Hill wants to tear down the modern glass-and-steel addition, top right, that was added onto the armory around 1984 as an entry to the former Slices of life and scenes 6th Street Marketplace Food Court, bottom left, that closed in Richmond in 2008.

A vision of the proposed renovation, right, sits in front of a hole in the wall that serves as an entryway into the armory.

Bobby Vincent, director of the city Department of Public Works, led a tour of the building last week for members of the media, including a Free Press photographer.

Navy Hill, though, has not shown why the Blues Armory project could not proceed without replacing the Coliseum. In the past 11 years, at least two developers have submitted proposals to overhaul the armory that the city rejected without explanation.

In the past two years, City Council allocated more than $250,000 to untangle ownership issues and enable the city to gain a clear title again to the Blues Armory.

Photos by Ava Reaves

Cityscape

Free small business Israeli company introduces recycling bins course to start Sept. 19 for CVWMA made from recycled waste

“Mine Your Business,” a nine-week course on creating and running a small business, launches Thursday, Sept. 19, and aims to bring business fundamentals, coaching by mentors and the chance to win money to pump into a new venture.

The course is sponsored by Commonwealth Catholic Charities in conjunction with Women in Motion to boost economic improvement. It will be held weekly from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays through Nov. 14, and will include workshops, oneon-one mentoring with experienced business coaches in counseling sessions to help lead participants from an idea of being an entrepreneur to implementing a viable business.

Those who complete the course will be able to participate in a “Pitch & Present” competition, with the top three winners receiving prizes of $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000 to invest in their new business ventures.

The normal $750 course fee is being covered by full scholarships provided by Commonwealth Catholic Charities.

Details and registration: www.cccofva.org/mineyourbusiness.

Questions: smallbusiness@cccofva.org or (804) 545-5945.

Community colleges to host driver training for CDLs Community colleges in Richmond and across the state are moving to become hubs for obtaining a commercial driver’s license, or CDL. Under a program announced Aug. 27 by Gov. Ralph S. Northam, community colleges are to be a one-stop shop where students can get required classroom training and hands-on vehicle experience and take the tests to obtain learner’s permits and CDL licenses.

The goal: To quickly boost the number of available trained and qualified truckers, according to the Northam administration.

The program, aimed at addressing the large number of vacancies in the bus and truck driving fields, is the latest expansion of the Virginia Community College System’s FastForward workforce training program.

Created in 2016, the program’s purpose is to provide shortterm training programs and speed up a student’s ability to gain essential credentials in a variety of fields, particularly those in high-demand, high-pay fields.

To date, state officials said FastFoward has enabled Virginians to earn more than 16,000 industry-recognized credentials leading to employment in such fields.

Visitation policy change for state prison inmates Inmates in state prisons will be able change a visitation list only twice a year instead of anytime they wish, the Virginia Department of Corrections has announced.

The policy change, effective Jan. 1, is aimed at reducing the flow of contraband into prisons, VDOC stated.

In implementing the policy, the corrections department has notified prisoners to submit by Oct. 1 a list of up to 10 adults with visitation privileges. Children do not have to be listed.

Inmates with greater numbers of immediate family members can seek a waiver.

Clarification Richmond City Councilman Michael J. Jones, 9th District, said Monday that he would abstain if he had to vote today on the $1.5 billion Coliseum replacement plan.

He also criticized the Richmond Free Press for reporting in an article published in the Aug. 29-31 edition that he could tentatively be put Dr. Jones in the “yes” camp for the plan Mayor Levar M. Stoney has advanced on behalf of Navy Hill District Corp.

In a box accompanying the article, “Yes, no and maybe: Coliseum plan likely would fail if vote was taken today,” Dr. Jones was listed as a “maybe” vote.

“I would abstain because I do not have enough information to vote yes or no,” Dr. Jones said this week. “One thing I promised the people of the 9th District is that I would not vote for anything I did not understand.

“I have just finished reading the ordinances and accompanying information,” he continued, “and I have a ton of questions that I need answers to before I could take a position.”

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Plastic made from banana peels, dirty diapers, discarded vegetables, mixed paper and other household waste?

That’s right.

And the proof was introduced in Richmond last week in the form of new recycling bins that incorporate such recycled waste into a revolutionary material that UBQ Materials, a pioneering Israeli company, has developed.

State and area officials joined UBQ Materials officials on Aug. 28 to showcase the bins as well as the company’s thermoplastic material that can help reduce gases contributing to climate change and solve the problems of plastic waste polluting oceans and other waters.

The occasion also celebrated the regional recycling entity, Central Virginia Waste Management Authority, of which Richmond is a member, for being the first agency in the nation to purchase bins made with the material.

CVWMA just received an initial 2,000 bins for distribution to its customers, according to Kim Hynes, CVWMA’s executive director.

According to UBQ, the new bins are comprised of at least 12.5 percent of converted household waste mixed with 12.5 percent recycled plastic and 75 percent virgin plastic.

The bins represent the first uses for UBQ’s material, which the company is working to incorporate into commercial and industrial products.

According to UBQ, anything from auto parts, furniture, computer casings and other common products now made of plastic can incorporate 10 to 70 percent of the new recycled material without requiring any change in the production process.

Ms. Hynes credited two state legislators, Republican Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment of James City County and House of Delegates Democratic Minority Leader Eileen Filler-Corn of Springfield, with discovering UBQ during a recent state trade mission to Israel and spreading the information.

Virginia appears to have a leg up in potentially attracting a production factory as UBQ seeks entry into the United States.

The company’s honorary chairman and a key investor, Rabbi Yehuda Pearl, is better known as the founder of the highly successful Sabra Dipping Co., whose humus production plant is located in Chesterfield County.

According to public information about UBQ, the company is one of nearly a dozen Israeli firms seeking ways to make plastics less of a threat to the environment.

Founded in 2012 and based in Tel Aviv, UBQ raised $30 million, attracted a range of scientific and business talent and created a test plant in the Negev desert to prove

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Rabbi Yehuda Pearl, honorary chairman of and early investor in Israel-based UBQ Materials, shows off recycling bins made in part with material UBQ created from household waste. Looking on is Kim Hynes, executive director of Central Virginia Waste Management Authority, the first government agency in the nation to purchase these bins. Location: The State Capitol. The rabbi is founder of Sabra Dipping Co., maker of Sabra hummus.

that it could transform household waste into a plastic-type material that can partly replace petroleum-based plastics.

Since 2018, the company has emerged with its solution. Along with industrial and commercial items, the company also is touting the prospect of its material being used to make bricks and replace wood in home and office construction. It is now working with packaging companies, automotive firms and construction material manufacturers to infuse its product into finished items, with recycling bins being the first product.

While the process is patented and remains secret, the company has stated publicly that it separates out items such as glass and metals that it sends to other recycling processors and then reduces the remaining material into basic components that can be reconstituted and bound together to form the plastic-like material. The material is turned into pellets that can be used in existing manufacturing systems.

Jack “Tato” Bigio, UBQ’s chief executive and business veteran with a track record of success, was on hand in Richmond to showcase the company and the recycling bins.

Ahead of the news conference, Mr. Bigio told interviewers, “We have created a new natural resource from the household waste that ends up in landfills.”

By doing so, he said his company offers the prospect of reducing or ending the practice of burying waste that decomposes into methane and other harmful gases.

According to the company, 2.2 pounds of the material that it produces can prevent

the equivalent of nearly 25 pounds of carbon dioxide from being released.

The company currently has a 1 ton production plant, but is looking to expand by licensing its technology and teaming with existing manufacturers. The company estimates that the carbon savings from an industrial-level plant that can produce 80,000 tons per year would be the equivalent of removing 565,000 cars from the highways.

Just as importantly, Christopher Sveen, UBQ’s chief sustainability officer, who was not at the Richmond event, has said that the material can be produced at less cost than traditional plastics that are made from oil.

The ability to tackle waste would be a huge boon to mankind. Households around the world currently produce 2 billion tons of waste annually, according to international estimates. According to projections, that number could rise to 3.5 billion tons of waste by 2050.

While some in the plastics industry remain skeptical about UBQ and express concern that the material could be too good to be true, the company’s advisory board could raise confidence. It includes biochemist and Nobel Prize winner Roger D. Kornberg, nanotechnology expert Oded Shoseyova, sustainability pioneer John Elkington and Connie Hedegaard, former European Union commissioner for climate action.

“What UBQ is doing is taking valuable materials that are thrown away and bringing them back to life,” Mr. Bigio said. “All of a sudden, we are coming much closer to a truly circular economy.”

City council candidates to meet in back-to-back forums The eight candidates running to replace 5th District City Councilman Parker C. Agelasto will have two chances next week to impress voters at candidate forums where they will respond to questions.

The first public forum will be 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 10, at Fifth Baptist Church, 1415 W. Cary St. in the near West End. The Richmond Crusade for Voters is hosting the event ahead of issuing an endorsement in the race.

The second forum will be 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 12, at the Patrick Henry School for Science and Arts, 3411 Semmes Ave. in South Side.

More than a dozen civic, neighborhood and business associations have partnered to sponsor this event, according to the announcement. Dawn Rosenberg, president of the Woodland Heights Civic Association, is to moderate.

All of the candidates have indicated they would participate in both events. The candidates are Nicholas Da Silva, Stephanie

Lynch, Jer’Mykeal McCoy, the Rev. Robin D. Mines, Henry W. “Chuck” Richardson, Graham Sturm, Mamie L. Taylor and Thaddeus W. “Thad” Williamson.

Voters in the district will go to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 5, to elect one of the candidates to take over from Mr. Agelasto, who announced he would step down on Nov. 30 because he has moved out of the district. Virginia law requires local and state elected officials to live in the district they represent.

Richmond Free Press

September 5-7, 2019

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Richmond Free Press

A4 September 5-7, 2019

News

Richmond Public Schools students, teachers and staff start school year with great expectations, optimism Continued from A1

serves as a fundraising team leader for the Westover Hills Beaver Boosters, and whose daughter, Claire, is a third-grader at the school.

The day was marked with an enthusiasm for the future of RPS from those involved, stretching from Westover Hills to Greene Elementary and beyond.

Observing a student transitioning back to Greene Elementary from RPS’ Thirteen Acres School, Melanie C. Brown, who works with the special school, views the early opening as providing students with “the opportunity to get a good start to the day and then be able to have some time to do homework in the afternoon, study and still have a little playtime in the evening.”

“I think there’s a real optimism about this school year,” RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras said Tuesday night following the School Board meeting at City Hall and a long morning touring multiple schools with Richmond Mayor Levar M. Stoney and other RPS officials.

“Obviously we have a lot of work to do,” Mr. Karmas said, “but I do feel that we’re heading in the right direction.”

While the day would also see issues with transportation and rooms without working air conditioning, these bumps were a small break in the upbeat mood, and a far cry from the setbacks, upsets and missteps that hung over previous school years.

Last September, only 19 of Richmond’s 44 public schools were fully accredited under new state standards set by the Virginia Department of Education used to review the 2017-2018 school year. One of those schools, George Washington Carver Elementary, was withheld from accreditation in a unanimous decision by the Virginia Board of Education after a Standards of Learning test cheating scandal came to light in June 2018, leading to a series of firings and a lawsuit still underway

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Teacher Abbie Radcliffe, standing at left, and her fourth-grade class at Westover Hills Elementary School welcome Principal Allison El Koubi, Richmond Mayor Levar M. Stoney and Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras on the first day of school.

by former Carver teachers against Mr. Kamras and the School Board as the 2018-19 school year began.

The 2019-20 school year begins with somber news released last month about SOL pass rates.

The data, released by the VDOE for tests taken in the 2018-19 school year showed Richmond test scores are still below state averages in five core subject areas.

Also this year, RPS continues its three-year streak of appointing new principals to nearly a quarter of its schools. Dr. Abrego-Meneses at Greene Elementary is one of 14 new principals

hired for the new school year.

The weight of Richmond’s educational troubles also has been a bitter start to the Dreams4RPS initiative, a five-year plan to improve city schools that begins its second year this week. RPS and city officials opted to focus on the success RPS managed to accrue the previous school year and the efforts to improve their “core business,” as Mr. Kamras described it during a news conference Tuesday morning in the Westover Hills school library.

Mr. Kamras praised Ms. El Koubi and

Westover Hills Elementary faculty for their work piloting a new math curriculum last year, announcing its expansion to other RPS schools. He also noted the increases in high Advanced Placement exam scores at high schools throughout the city and continued his promise to see all city schools become fully accredited.

“We can’t expect greatness from our students if we don’t ask greatness of them,” Mr. Kamras said. “If we continue to set the bar high for our students, we’ll see that they will meet and exceed our expectations every time.”

Mr. Kamras later reported at the School Board meeting that, on opening day, there were 13 teacher vacancies across RPS, down from 18 vacancies last school year.

Mayor Stoney, for his part at the news conference, emphasized the role RPS plays for those with no other options for education, both in providing a quality education and the means to a better life and future.

“When I walked into some of the homes of residents of this great city, we saw that this was their only shot,” Mayor Stoney said. “There are no other alternatives but Richmond Public Schools. And what we have to do is ensure that this shot is the moon shot.”

The recognition of that importance can be seen in the 12 new teachers hired for English as a Second Language courses and students.

ESL has proven to be a growing matter of importance for RPS as its student body continues to diversify, with Dr. Abrego-Meneses’ hiring a direct result of parents’ concerns about the leadership of Greene Elementary, where 90 percent of the families with enrolled students speak Spanish as their native language, according to Mr. Kamras.

“There’s a lot more we need to do and a lot more we’re going to do over the next several years,” Mr. Kamras said. “Just sending them to high school and saying good luck is not a recipe for success.”

Bradford family descendants, supporters work to protect old Sons and Daughters of Ham Cemetery Continued from A1

of Moses Bradford Jr., one of the individuals buried at the site, are now on a restoration mission for the cemetery created around 1899 by a once-flourishing but now-defunct group, the Sons and Daughters of Ham. “There is so much this one acre can teach,” said Marianne R. Rollings, 79, the former pharmacist who is lending her passion and experience as an author and editor to this cause.

Worried that UR might revive its 1998 effort to gain the property — though the school denies any such effort is underway — Ms. Rollings joined forces in April with the Bradford great-granddaughters, Carolyn W. Moten and Diane W. Jones, to create the nonprofit Friends of Sons and Daughters of Ham Inc. The trio and other supporters have operated in secrecy, but now are going public in an effort to bring awareness to the cemetery and the need for assistance in its restoration.

They plan to reach out to people Saturday, Sept. 14, when the Richmond Symphony is scheduled to take over Bandy Field for a community concert.

Ms. Rollings said the group is working on having a booth to offer information on the benefical group and the cemetery, potentially connect with people who have relatives buried there or meet people who have an interest in helping restore and preserve the property as sacred ground.

“We want to see the cemetery protected and restored,” Ms. Jones said.

Only about 18 people are identified as being interred in the cemetery, Ms. Rollings said. However, she added that a survey done years ago indicated there might be as many as 50 people buried there. Those identified include members of the Bradford family, along with members of the Burleigh, Overton and Sears families.

A lifelong resident of the area, Ms. Rollings feels a connection with the property through Ms. Jones’ and Ms. Moten’s mother and grandmother, Ruth Truman Winston and Grace Bradford Truman, who worked for Ms. Rollings’ family at their Richmond home.

Growing up, “they were like aunts to me,” said Ms. Rollings, who also has known Ms. Jones and Ms. Moten much of her life.

Ms. Rollings recalls attending music- and dance-filled cookouts and get-togethers at Bandy Field held by Westwood Baptist Church members, including the Truman and Winston families.

“We were often invited,” Ms. Rollings said.

The 20 acres that is now Bandy Field was acquired by Moses Bradford Sr., father of Moses Bradford Jr., a Spanish-American War veteran and member of the Sons and Daughters of Ham. Mr. Bradford Sr. built his home on the acreage and subdivided the land for his children and other relatives to build houses. A community pool now occupies 2 acres, with the city owning the rest of what is now an undeveloped park that mainly accommodates pet owners and their dogs.

Evidence of the subdivision of about eight homes has disappeared after the city purchased the Bradford properties as a

potential school site and bulldozed the houses.

Ms. Rollings said she, like many people, were very aware of the cemetery.

“Everyone knew it was there,” she said, adding that some nearby residents hope to see it restored.

She said she also is honoring her late mother, Bess Revene, who was involved in 1998 in helping Ruth Winston and her daughters fend off UR’s attempt to take the cemetery property.

UR went to court to gain ownership with the support of the three trustees of the Independent Order of St. Luke, the group that Maggie L. Walker once led and which had essentially absorbed the Sons and Daughters of Ham decades earlier. At the time of

the court challenge, the order was sliding into dissolution.

Ms. Rollings said that Mrs. Winston and her daughters raised objections to the sale, and UR retreated after the order’s trustees acknowledged there was no record that the Sons and Daughters of Ham had ever transferred the cemetery property to the Order of St. Luke.

She said the failure of the suit apparently triggered a state law that requires a party that tried and failed to gain a purportedly abandoned cemetery property wait 50 years before trying again.

Ms. Rollings is hoping that by that time, the cemetery will look far different.

HOME to begin eviction diversion program Continued from A1

and be linked to other government and nonprofit resources, according to the legislation.

Those assisted must have only two late payments in the previous six months or only three late payments in 12 months, the ordinance states.

Mayor Levar M. Stoney hopes the program can make at least a tiny dent in the flood of families and individuals who face eviction in Richmond.

According to one study, Richmond ranks among the top communities in the nation for the forced removal of tenants, mostly for nonpayment of rent.

Evictions definitely keep the courts busy. Central Virginia Legal Aid surveyed all evictions during a 30-day period this summer. During that time, 1,665 cases were filed by landlords, with 95 percent of the cases involving unpaid rent ranging from $15.78 to $18,230 and averaging $989. Added into the judgments awarded landlords were court costs, attorney fees and late fees that collectively averaged $370.

Ms. Crislip said HOME estimates assisting 300 families the first year and ramping up to 500 families after that. HOME also has begun fundraising to increase support for the program.

The program is aimed at mainly helping working people who have fallen behind on their rent because of illness, accidents or other unexpected disruptions by creating

a payment plan for the overdue rent.

The landlord must agree to the plan and continue the eviction case in court in exchange for setting up an overdue rent payment plan, the program states.

Those eligible for the assistance must provide 25 percent of back rent when their case first comes up and pay off the remainder in three equal installments over a 90-day period, the program states.

Participants also must keep up with the current month’s rent.

Martin D. Wegbreit, director of litigation for Central Virginia Legal Aid, said his organization would work closely with HOME and the clients seeking to craft the agreements.

CVLA already has an attorney assigned at the courthouse to assist families facing eviction with the legal ins and outs, a pilot project that also is among the first of its kind.

Ms. Crislip acknowledges that while only a small fraction of the more than 9,000 renters who face eviction can be assisted under the program, it will help some people avoid the instability that results from a forced move.

Every year, hundreds of families with school-age children find themselves having to deal with the stress of upheaval in their living conditions while their students also try to keep up with class work. Many are unable to do so, data show, one key reason that those affected fall behind.

And there are plenty of affected families. As the legislation puts it: “There is a

national eviction epidemic, and Richmond leads the crisis with an eviction rate of 11.44 percent — the second highest among large U.S. cities.”

In a city of 90,000 households, data show that landlords file 18,000 eviction lawsuits a year in Richmond General District Court.

Behind it is the city’s high level of poverty. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 25 percent of city residents live below the poverty line and another 25 percent have household incomes below the city’s median income of about $43,000 a year.

While a significant number of suits involve the same person or family as a result of repeated late payments, the result of the lawsuits is a long docket on the days that the judges in General District Court hear landlord requests to take over an apartment.

Many of the lawsuits end up being dismissed because the tenant pays or moves out before the court date. Even after a judge grants the landlord the right to remove the tenant, most tenants have paid or left before the sheriff arrives.

Still, the Richmond Sheriff’s Department oversees 3,000 evictions a year in the city in which a tenant’s property is removed from a residence, or an average of eight a day for each of the 365 days, according to the data.

Three other localities, along with Richmond, received General Assembly authority to test an eviction diversion program.

Hearing on Coliseum referendum petitions still up in the air Continued from A1

rejected seven years ago in a similar Richmond Circuit Court case. That case involved Michael Ryan, an independent mayoral candidate, who alleged that Ms. Showalter wrongly rejected petition signatures that would have allowed him to be on the ballot.

In that 2012 case, Judge Melvin R. Hughes rejected Ms. Showalter’s

interpretation of election law and ordered her to count the signatures she had rejected of voters who had signed Mr. Ryan’s petitions but included an address different than the one on the voting rolls. Judge Hughes also ordered her to update the voting rolls to reflect the new addresses.

Mr. Goldman, who also was involved in that case, said that the current case “is more clear cut.”

“The Ryan case involved a candidate who had to show he had gained sufficient number of signatures in each council district. During the hearing, Ms. Showalter agreed that all of the signatures she had rejected were from qualified Richmond voters and the objection to them was that their current address put them in a different council district from the one in which they were registered, ” Mr. Goldman said.

“In this case, we are talking about a citywide advisory referendum.

There is no requirement that one live in a particular council district. Ms. Showalter is eliminating people who moved from one place in the city to another place, even though they show up on the list of registered city voters and would be qualified to vote on the referendum no matter where they lived so long as it was in Richmond.”

He said he has plenty of examples of people who listed a different address than the one on the rolls who are clearly identifiable by their voting record and unique identification number that is given to each registered person.

“But she has refused to make a cursory check,” Mr. Goldman said of Ms. Showalter. “Instead of looking for ways to include people, she has taken the easiest route to exclude them.”

Richmond Free Press

September 5-7, 2019

A5

News

Reframing the history of slavery in Angola and U.S.

By TriceEdneyWire.com/Global Information Network

If the United States has 35,000 museums, a writer asked in 2014, why is only one about slavery? And if the wealth of this country was built on the backs of enslaved people from Africa, why has that story been vastly under-reported in our media, in our schools and in our political discourse?

The first question was asked by John J. Cummings III, a retired lawyer who redeveloped the Whitney Plantation outside New Orleans as a memorial to the enslaved. The second question is being examined today by writers, artists and citizens from various perspectives.

Today, more than half a dozen museums in the United States are devoted to the story of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, slavery and the complicity of the North. Since the publication last month of a New York Times feature, “The 1619 Project,” articles, essays and performance pieces also are exploring and debating the subject.

“The 1619 Project is a major initiative observing the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery. It aims to reframe the country’s history, understanding 1619 as our true founding, and placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of the story we tell ourselves about who we are,” the New York Times piece begins.

Similarly, in the southwest African nation of Angola, an

Activist to head U.N. AIDS Office Trice Edney News Wire/ Global Information Network

The United Nations Office on AIDS has named a longtime activist on women’s issues to head the global health agency.

Ugandan humanitarian Winnie Karagwa Byanyima began her career Ms. Byanyima as a member of parliament in the National Assembly of Uganda. She became the director of women and development at the African Union Commission and worked on the protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa.

“I am honored to be joining UNAIDS as the executive director at such a critical time in the response to HIV,” Ms Byanyima said. “The end of AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 is a goal that is within the world’s reach, but I do not underestimate the scale of the challenge ahead.

Working with all its partners, UNAIDS must continue to speak up for the people left behind and champion human rights as the only way to end the epidemic.”

Ms. Byanyima, who also headed the development group Oxfam International, is the first woman executive director to lead the agency since its launch in 1996. She succeeds Michel Sidibé, who was appointed minister of health and social affairs of Mali.

Dr. Penninah Iutung, Africa bureau chief of the AIDS Health Foundation, said, “With young women and girls being disproportionately affected by HIV/ AIDS, particularly in Africa, a strong UNAIDS leader can inspire them to pursue their dreams and stay healthy. We are excited and look forward to working with a new and transforming UNAIDS.” Ms. Byanyima is married to Kizza Besigye, a Ugandan opposition leader for many years.

exhibition about the slavers who sent hundreds of thousands of Africans across the Atlantic to a bitter life of hard labor is drawing visitors by the hundreds.

The National Museum of Slavery is in Morro da Cruz, far from the hustle and bustle of Luanda, Angola’s capital. Its quiet presence belies its dark past. Founded in 1977 by the National Institute of Cultural Patrimony, its objective is to depict the history of slavery in Angola.

The building is located on the former property of Álvaro de Carvalho Matoso, one of the largest slave traders on the African coast in the first half of the 18th century. Mr. Matoso died in 1798, and his family and heirs continued in the slave trade until 1836, when a decree by Maria II of Portugal prohibited the export of slaves from the Portuguese empire.

The structure adjoins the 17th century Capela da Casa Grande, where enslaved people were baptized and given Christian names before being put on slave ships for transport to the Americas.

Most of the city’s African population was enslaved. Although Portugal abolished slavery in Angola in 1878, forced labor within Angola continued well into the 20th century.

“We learned our history from books written by the Portuguese,” acknowledged writer Mayra de Lassalette, “and these books never hinted at the difficulties, the resistance, the frustrated efforts to rebel against slavery or the impact it had on the country.

“Angola’s past depended on oral tradition — very common

Angola’s National Museum of Slavery

in Africa. But the tradition comes with a risk, because history belongs to the one who tells it. “‘Slavery was a bad thing,’ a young girl told me,” said Mayra.

“We Africans don’t like to remember bad things.

“And we Angolans suffer many of them,” added the writer, “from slavery to colonization and civil war.”

Another initiative by UNESCO is the online Slave Route Project whose aim is to remedy the general ignorance on the history of Africa by reconstructing it — and re-reading the history through purely African perspectives or more objective views of scientists or researchers.

New Ebola drugs show promise Trice Edney News Wire/ Global Information Network

Two experimental treatments are raising hopes among medical personnel that a cure for the deadly Ebola virus has been found.

The antibody-based treatments will now be offered to all patients in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, announced the finding recently with Dr. Jean-Jacques Muyembe, director of Congo’s National Institute for Biomedical Research, and Dr. Michael J. Ryan, director of emergency response for the World Health Organization.

Psychologically, Dr. Muyembe said, news of a cure could change the course of the outbreak, which is the worst of the 10 that Congo has endured.

After years of war and genocide, residents of Eastern Congo are deeply distrustful of the government in the capital, Kinshasa. Rumors have spread that Ebola does not exist, or that treatment teams steal blood and body parts for witchcraft.

Treatment centers have been shot up or burned down.

“Now that we can say that 90 percent can come out of treatment cured, they will start believing it and developing trust,” Dr. Muyembe said.

“The first ones to transmit this information will be the patients themselves.”

Dr. Muyembe, 77, whom Dr. Fauci referred to as a “true hero,” has been fighting Ebola since it first appeared in 1976 in the nation that was then known as Zaire.

“He is a unique and courageous African health leader,” said Peter Piot, professor of global health and director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, who first met Dr. Muyembe at Yambuku, a village in northern Democratic Republic of Congo, the center of the 1976 Ebola outbreak.

“He stayed in Congo during decades of very turbulent history and succeeded in maintaining scientific excellence and integrity throughout. He has trained several generations of muchneeded physicians, microbiologists and public health workers in DRC. He is a role model for

many of us.” part of the National The epidemic, Institutes of Health, which was declared developed mAb114 a public health emerand licensed progency last month, has duction last year to infected about 2,800 Ridgeback Biotheraknown patients, killpeutics, a Miami ing more than 1,800 company. of them, according The two new therDr. Muyembe to the World Health apies were among Organization. four tested in a trial that has The new experimental treat- enrolled almost 700 patients ments, known as REGN-EB3 since November. The two and mAb-114, are both cocktails worked so well that a comof monoclonal antibodies that mittee recommended that the are infused intravenously into other two treatments, ZMapp, the blood. The drugs are most ef- made by Mapp Biopharmaceufective when used as treatments tical, and remdesivir, made by for patients with low levels of Gilead Sciences, be stopped.

Ebola in the bloodstream, ac- All patients now will be ofcording to the peer-reviewed fered either Regeneron or the journal “Nature.”

Biotherapeutics drug.

Both drugs are made in the Dr. Fauci paid tribute to all United States. REGN-EB3 is of those involved in the trial in made by Regeneron Pharma- four towns in the Democratic Receuticals of Tarrytown, N.Y. public of Congo: Beni, Katwa, Dr. Fauci’s institute, which is Butembo and Mangina. NGOs,

including International Medical Corps and Doctors Without Borders, “put their lives on the line every day to care for patients in extremely difficult conditions in the area where the outbreak is occurring,” he said.

Decades ago, Dr. Muyembe pioneered the use of survivors’ blood serum — which contains antibodies — in order to save patients. The two experimental treatments descend in part from his original research.

The Regeneron treatment — the one with the best results — was added to the clinical trial at the last minute only after reconsideration by a WHO panel of experts, the company said.

About 1 in 12 African Americans have

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• Job recruiters from corporate and community based organizations will be onsite.

• Check status of claim and file service connection claim.

• Learn about resources for Veterans and their families.

• Speak with representatives from federal, state & local government.

• Family oriented event with Car Show, Food, and Entertainment!!!

Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019 rain or shine 10 am to 2 pm

Register online at vcuhealth.org/events or call (804) 628-0041 for more information.

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Contact Jose Illa at 804-675-6266, Yvette Jones at 804646-3054 or Boyd Headley 804-229-4954 for more information Office on Aging & Persons with Disabilities and the Office of Community Wealth Building

If you have served in the U.S. military, please plan to attend.

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Richmond Free Press

Moth to a zinnia in East End

Editorial Page

A6

September 5-7, 2019

The status quo is unacceptable Another weekend, another mass shooting — this time in Odessa, Texas, where a 36-year-old man, who had been fired from his oil services job earlier Saturday, initially shot a Texas state trooper during a routine traffic stop and then went on a 10-mile, hourlong shooting rampage, killing and wounding people in passing cars, in neighborhoods, at car dealerships and shopping plazas and killing a postal worker while hijacking her mail truck.

The gunman finally was taken out by law enforcement authorities, but not before leaving a trail of murder and broken lives. He killed seven people ranging in age from 15 to 57 and wounded 25 others, including a 17-month-old baby and three police officers.

And what is the reaction out of Washington? #MassacreMitch, the new and applicable moniker for U.S. Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, continues to sandbag even basic efforts for tighter gun control nationally.

The Republican leader has refused to take up legislation passed by the Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives in February that would expand federal background checks before gun purchases. The bill, which had bipartisan support in the House, would close loopholes that allow private and online sales of guns, and sales of weapons at gun shows, without background checks.

According to reports, the Odessa, Texas, gunman took advantage of such loopholes to obtain the AR-style rifle he used to carry out Saturday’s massacre. He purchased the weapon from a private dealer, bypassing the federal background check, which he had failed during a 2014 gun purchase attempt because of “mental issues.”

Sen. McConnell, who declined to call the Senate back into session from its summer recess to take up gun control legislation following the back-to-back mass murders in early August in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, said this week that he’s waiting for President Trump to say what bill he’d be willing to sign into law before taking up a measure in the Senate.

We don’t understand or support that rationale, particularly when 61 percent of Americans favor stricter gun laws, according to a May Quinnipiac poll, and 94 percent supported universal background checks for all gun purchases.

The Odessa massacre is just the latest indication of the violent sickness that has stricken our nation. According to the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive, it was the 289th mass shooting in the United States this year, claiming a collective 313 lives and causing 1,209 injuries. The Gun Violence Archive defines a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more people are shot and/or killed.

We ask again, how many people must die before Congress — and yes, members of the Virginia General Assembly — decide to take action? Are Virginians OK with mass murders being our new normal?

The violence in Odessa took place exactly three months after the tragic mass shooting in Virginia Beach in which a gunman who had quit his job as a civil engineer with the City of Virginia Beach opened fire in the municipal building, killing 12 people and wounding four others.

In the wake of that May 31 shooting, Democratic Gov. Ralph S. Northam called a special session of the Virginia General Assembly to consider sound, practical and tighter gun laws, including universal background checks before all gun purchases; a ban on assault weapons, bump stocks and high-capacity ammunition magazines; limiting handgun purchases to one per month; and instituting a “red flag law” allowing law enforcement to take possession of firearms belonging to a person credibly believed to be a danger to others or themselves.

But just like the GOP-controlled Senate in Washington, the Republican-controlled Virginia legislature sandbagged any progress in this state. GOP lawmakers adjourned the special session in less than 90 minutes, sending the measures to the Virginia State Crime Commission for investigation and consideration until after the Nov. 5 elections.

The status quo is unacceptable. The continuing gun violence around the nation — and the inertia by elected officials in Virginia and in Washington — are unacceptable for the lives and well-being of our children, our families and our communities.

We demand that Virginia officials, and those in Washington, take action now.

And we urge Virginia voters, who will be going to the polls on Nov. 5 to elect representatives for all 140 seats in the state Senate and House of Delegates, to carefully screen the candidates and only support those who are dedicated to taking swift action to end this epidemic of gun violence.

When we say, “The status quo is unacceptable,” we mean it. Unlike Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, we don’t speak those words lightly. In a nationally broadcast news conference the day after the Odessa massacre, he said: “The status quo in Texas is unacceptable and action is needed.”

Yet, sadly, as he spoke, eight new laws had taken effect in Texas that day expanding where and when people can have guns.

Among them: Allowing people with concealed weapons permits to carry guns into churches, synagogues and places of worship if no signs prohibiting them are posted; prohibiting landlords from banning tenants and their guests from having firearms on rental property; barring school districts from prohibiting people with handgun licenses from storing guns and ammunition in their vehicles in school parking lots as long as the weapons and ammo are out of sight; removing a cap on the number of school marshals who carry guns at public and private schools; and allowing people to carry handguns without a license in declared disaster zones.

We eschew the belief that allowing more guns is the answer to stopping gun violence.

We also commend Walmart CEO Doug McMillon who announced on Tuesday that the nation’s largest retailer will stop selling ammunition for handguns and for short-barrel rifles, such as the .223 and 5.56 calibers used in military-style weapons.

In a memo, Mr. McMillon asked that customers refrain from openly carrying firearms at all Walmart and Sam’s Club stores across the country — including in “open-carry” states like Virginia — unless they are law enforcement officers.

“In a complex situation lacking a simple solution, we are trying to take constructive steps to reduce the risk that events like these will happen again,” Mr. McMillon stated in his memo. “The status quo is unacceptable.”

Other companies, including Target, Wendy’s, Starbucks and Kroger grocery stores, have followed in taking this small, but important step to help secure customer safety by asking people to not openly carry weapons when they come into one of their stores.

We believe that collective action is the key to turning the tide in America against gun violence. We urge our readers to help bring about the change and action that’s needed by speaking up, speaking out and going to the polls to support candidates who support tougher gun laws.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

School supplies donations versus making education a budget priority The event promised to be one of those last-gasp-of-summer events that would raise a little money for a good cause. The young woman who called to tell me about it promised that I’d meet interesting people, enjoy excellent wines and that the cost of attending was modest.

“We aren’t charging anything this year,” she said rather breezily. “But please bring school supplies.”

Her call wasn’t the first call I’ve had asking for school supplies. And whether we are educators, parents of nowadult children or others, we understand how important it is for young people to approach a new school year with “new stuff.” They should have pristine notebooks for the new subject matter, a supply of pens, folders, markers, pencils and more.

Some schools actually provide parents with a list of necessary supplies. The lists may include as many as 30 items and cost as much as $300. Low-income parents can’t even begin to meet

the set of needs teachers detail, not to mention the things their children clamor for.

Please bring school supplies.

That plea speaks to the economic disparity that exists in our country and to the many ways that individuals rush to help, if not close

Julianne Malveaux the gap. According to a study by the Economic Policy Institute (I serve on the board), teachers spend at least $450 per year in school supplies. The overwhelming number of them won’t be reimbursed. They pay for some things that school districts should pay for, and they pay for items to support their pupils.

Teachers who work in high poverty areas spend about $100 a year more than those who spend in lower poverty districts. But they all contribute. And even with their spending, people are asked to “bring school supplies.”

Most of us have the heart to help young students, especially those whose families are struggling, and especially those who may not have a new notebook but for charity. But we have to connect the heart to serve to activism that ensures that no

child is inadequately supplied when he or she returns to school this fall. As commendable as the pleas for school supplies may be, they must be accompanied by pleas for structural shifts. Why is education the most easily cut item in our federal, state or local budget? Why are we so satisfied that a plea for donated school supplies will be met? And why are we more confident in wellmeaning charity than with an economic structure that would serve every child well?

Teachers are among the least well-compensated but the hardest working contributors to our society. They earn at least 21 percent less than folks who are similarly qualified, mainly because the public does not value teachers as much as we once did.

Last year, teachers in West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona, North Carolina, Kentucky and Colorado went on strike and also garnered national publicity for their plight. Cover stories included accounts of teachers who were working additional jobs to make ends meet. And too many states report teacher shortages because the occupation, with low pay and big hassles, isn’t as attractive as it once was.

Collecting school supplies

Congressional reps rebuke delay of payday loan rule Anyone who struggles with the rising costs of living knows all too well how hard it is to try stretching dollars when there’s more month than money in the household. Predatory lending, like payday and car-title loans, worsen financial stress with triple-digit interest rates that deepen the debt owed with each renewal. The irony is that many payday loan borrowers who needed just a few hundred dollars wind up owing thousands. And any loan whose accrued interest exceeds the principal borrowed is truly predatory.

In recent days, more than 100 members of Congress stood in support of consumer protections against these debt-trap loans. The effort, led by U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters of California, chair of the House Financial Services Committee, called upon the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to do two things: Stop delaying the current rule from taking effect, and preserve the existing rule’s requirement that lenders make loans only to consumers who can afford repayment.

The Aug. 23 letter to CFPB minced no words.

“Experts have noted that payday loans often target communities of color, military service members and seniors,” the Congress members wrote, “charging billions of dollars a year in unaffordable loans to borrowers with an average annual income

of $25,000 to $30,000.”

“The Consumer Bureau’s proposal represents a betrayal of its statutory purpose and objectives to put consumers, rather than lenders, first,” continued the members. “Moreover, the Bureau has offered no new evidence and no rational basis to remove the ability to repay

Charlene Crowell provisions. We think you should immediately rescind the harmful proposal to roll back the 2017 payday rule.”

These direct rebukes were reactions to CFPB’s 15-month delay of a long-awaited consumerfriendly rule that was scheduled to take effect on Aug. 19.

In today’s contentious Washington, getting strong support for any pro-consumer issue seems particularly difficult. Even so, the August letter to CFPB Director Kathleen Kraninger included representatives from 31 states, including those with some of the highest annual percentage rates on loans found across the country.

For example, the typical payday loan in California comes with 460 percent interest and the largest number of state signatories also came from California: 15.

Although no other state’s signatories were that numerous, the clear expression of genuine consumer protection against this heinous predatory loan in other areas with rates near or exceeding 400 percent is noteworthy: Texas, 661 percent; Wisconsin, 574 percent; Missouri, 462 percent; and Illinois, 404 percent.

Yet a closer examination of

the signatories reveals that despite sizeable support expressed in the letter, it represents only about 23 percent of the entire House of Representatives.

New research on the nation’s wealth gap by McKinsey & Company found that 65 percent of black America lives in one of 16 states — Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

Among these 16 states, only Arkansas, Georgia and North Carolina have enacted 36 percent or less payday loan rate caps. The remaining 13 states have typical triple-digit payday loan interest rates that range from a low of 304 percent in Florida to a high of 521 percent in Mississippi. Multiple CBC members also represent districts in these states.

Speaking at a House Financial Services subcommittee hearing held on April 30, Diane Standaert, an executive vice president and director of state policy with the Center for Responsible Lending, testified of the rippling reasons that payday loans need regulation.

“Allowing the 2017 rule to go into effect as planned is the bare minimum that the CFPB should do,” said Ms. Standaert. “It is absurd that we should even have to make such a straightforward request of an agency whose charge is to protect consumers from unfair, deceptive and abusive financial practices.”

The writer is communications deputy director with the Center for Responsible Lending.

The Free Press welcomes letters The Richmond Free Press respects the opinions of its readers. We want to hear from you.

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

will help some students, but I think it makes teaching challenging and less attractive.

While teachers may enjoy the support of the community with donated school supplies, what does this support mean in terms of relationships and realistic pay?

Who wants to be associated with an occupation so marginally regarded that supporters have to panhandle for the tools of their trade?

On the one hand, I applaud Courtney Jones, the elementary schoolteacher from Tyler, Texas, who launched a #clearthelists campaign to encourage people to help teachers pay for school supplies. On the other hand, I’d be much more enthusiastic about a #educationfirst campaign that urged legislators to prioritize education in budgets.

The writer is an economist, author and former president of Bennett College.

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September 5-7, 2019

A7

Letters to the Editor

Michael Brown was a ‘sacrificial lamb’

Re Column “Recovering from Ferguson” and Letter to the Editor “Media responsible for racial tensions,” Free Press Aug. 29-31 edition: From a historical perspective, it appears that Michael Brown wasn’t just a random citizen killed by police in Ferguson, Mo. Michael Brown, 18, was the sacrificial lamb that opened the eyes of black America to the fact that even though they received their legal

By Glenn Ellis

rights as citizens in 1964, two and a half generations ago, they still were not considered as whole people in white American culture.

Look at all of the incidents of the last five years, like Black Lives Matter, that have sparked an outpouring of support from the white community and a general awakening of black America that they are no longer going to accept someone else thinking they are in second place.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his life to attain legal acceptance for black America.

Michael Brown gave his life to gain cultural acceptance for black America.

ERIC W. JOHNSON Richmond

Asthma and back to school

As summer winds down and talk in households around the country turns to back-to-school preparations, many parents and students are getting ready for another school year with the challenges of asthma.

Asthma is a leading chronic illness among children and adolescents in the United States.

It is also one of the leading causes of school absenteeism.

On average, in a classroom of 30 children, about three are likely to have asthma. This contributes to more than 10 million school days lost to asthma each year.

Asthma is a reversible Mr. Ellis lung disease caused by the narrowing or blocking of the lungs’ airways, often as a response to various triggers. Asthma triggers vary from person to person, but may include cigarette and other smoke, mold, pollens, dust, animal dander, exercise, cold air, household and industrial products, air pollutants and infections.

One of the little-known asthma triggers are cockroaches. These and other kinds of triggers can lead to spasms in the lungs, causing asthma

attacks. Asthma symptoms include coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath and can be life-threatening if not properly managed.

There are disparities in the burden of asthma.

Although asthma affects Americans of all ages, races and ethnic groups, low-income and minority populations experience substantially higher rates of fatalities, hospital admissions and emergency room visits because of asthma.

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, black children are twice as likely to have asthma as white children. And black children are 10 times more likely than white children to die of complications from asthma.

The burden of this chronic disease is felt every day at the individual level, whether it’s a frightening asthma attack or the constant vigilance and adherence to treatment plans required to keep it under control.

Here are several tips to help parents of children with asthma to get ready for the new school year: Asthma Action Plan — Ask your child’s doctor for a written Asthma Action Plan for the school. This plan should include a list of things that make your child’s asthma worse, what medicine to use to treat symptoms, what medication to use as a pre-treatment before exercise and emergency telephone numbers.

Meet with school staff — Plan a meeting

Thursday, September 12, 2019, 5 – 7 p.m.

Goochland County Administration Building 1800 Sandy Hook Road Goochland, VA 23063

Proposed Limited Access Control Changes I-95/I-64 Pull-Off at 3rd St. Exit Ramp City of Richmond

Find out about the proposed project to extend Fairground Road (Route 632) from the proposed roundabout at Sandy Hook Road (Route 522) to a new intersection at River Road W. (Route 6) in Goochland County.

Willingness for public comment

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is accepting comments regarding proposed limited access control changes for the I-95 South and I-64 East 3rd St. off-ramp (Exit 75). The project will create a new emergency pull-off area within the I-95 and I-64 overlap corridor. The pull-off can be used by distressed vehicles or emergency medical services and be utilized for the VDOT stand-by towing initiative. This initiative is designed to rapidly remove disabled or damaged vehicles from the I-95 South mainline through lanes to a safe location for further recovery or accident investigation. The pull-off will be located within the triangle of I-95/I-64, I-95/I-64 3rd St. off-ramp and 5th St. Information related to the project and the limited access control changes is available for review at VDOT’s Richmond District Office located at 2430 Pine Forest Drive in South Chesterfield, 23834-9002. Please call (804) 524-6000, 1800-367-7623,TTY/TDD 711 in advance for staff availability.

The meeting will be held in an open forum style from 5 – 7 p.m. This format will provide the flexibility to allow participants to meet and discuss the proposed roadway alignments directly with project staff members.

Review the project information at VDOT’s Richmond District Office located at 2430 Pine Forest Drive in Colonial Heights, 23834-9002, 804-524-6000, 1-800367-7623 or TTY/TDD 711. Please call ahead to ensure the availability of appropriate personnel to answer your questions.

Property impact information and tentative construction schedules are available for your review at the above addresses and will be available at the public hearing.

Don't Miss Don't Miss One Word

Give your written or oral comments at the meeting or submit them no later than September 22, 2019 to Anthony Haverly, project manager, Virginia Department of Transportation, 2430 Pine Forest Drive, Colonial Heights, VA 23834-9002. You may also email your comments to anthony.haverly@vdot.virginia.gov. Please reference “Fairground Road Extension in Goochland” in the subject line.

The VDOT Richmond District Office invites public comments related to the proposed limited access control changes. Comments must be received via email to Anthony Haverly, Project Manager, Virginia Department of Transportation, 2430 Pine Forest Drive, South Chesterfield, VA 23834-9002 or by email to Anthony.Haverly@VDOT.Virginia.gov on or prior to September 14, 2019. Please reference “UPC 111465 Limited Access Control Changes” in the subject line.

VDOT ensures nondiscrimination and equal employment in all programs and activities in accordance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. If you need special assistance for persons with disabilities or limited English proficiency, contact the project manager listed above.

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concentrating. If your child’s doctors are giving increased doses or new medications, alert your child’s teacher.

Keep in touch — Continue talking with your child and school staff about managing asthma at school on a regular basis, even if everything is fine at school. Talk with the school staff if your child misses school and assignments. If your child is up at night with an attack, let the teacher know. Your child may be tired and have difficulty concentrating the next day at school.

When to stay home — Talk with your child’s doctor about when it is OK to stay home from school because of asthma or illness. Mild asthma symptoms usually can be handled at school, but there are a number of factors (what triggered the asthma, the stability of peak flows, fever, how much medicine your child is taking, etc.) to consider when deciding whether to keep your child at home.

Parents take heed and do your best to help your child have a healthy, productive and physically active school year.

The writer is a research bioethics fellow at Harvard Medical School.

Fairground Road (Route 632) Extension Goochland County Location Public Hearing

PUBLIC NOTICE

Don’t Miss One Word

with school staff in the beginning weeks of the school year. It is helpful to have the school nurse, health aide, teacher and physical education teacher at the meeting, if possible. Your child also can be involved in the meeting. Take the written Asthma Action Plan to the meeting.

Special supplies at school — Keep a peak flow meter, spacer and rescue medicine at school for your child. Be sure your child’s teacher knows that the medication is there should a problem arise. Make sure the rescue medicine has not passed its expiration date. Take these items home at the end of each school year.

Gym class — Make sure your child has a pre-treatment for gym class or other physical activities, especially outdoors in cold weather.

It is important to be sure that all teachers know this medication is to prevent problems or to take care of them should they occur.

Medication side effects — Studies have shown that asthma medicines typically don’t cause problems with concentration for students.

However, a child who receives high doses of medicine during an episode may experience side effects, such as restlessness and trouble

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N

VDOT ensures nondiscrimination and equal employment in all programs and activities in accordance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. If you need special assistance for persons with disabilities or limited English proficiency, contact the project manager listed above.

One Word

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Richmond Free Press

A8 September 5-7, 2019

Sports Stories by Fred Jeter

Coach Barlow

VSU Coach Reggie Barlow looking to recapture past magic in Saturday’s game against NSU

Coach Reggie Barlow’s first two seasons at Virginia State University resembled a smooth ride with a finely tuned engine.

Last season was more like smoke steaming from the hood.

After leading the VSU Trojans to a 19-3 mark during his first two seasons in Ettrick, Coach Barlow’s 2018 team slipped to 4-5, with a nightmarish 46-19 loss to archrival Virginia Union University in the finale.

Coach Barlow’s rejuvenated squad will try and recapture the lost magic this season, starting with a difficult road assignment at Norfolk State University on Saturday, Sept. 7.

“I’m excited,” Coach Barlow said. “We’ve added needed pieces to our program to make this a great season.”

Regarding the disappointment of 2018, he Cordelral Cook said, “I believe things don’t happen to you.

They happen for you. We’ll use those situations as lessons.”

While VSU and NSU are both historically black colleges and have a decades-long history of competition, all HBCUs aren’t created equal. For starters, VSU is in NCAA Division II (36 scholarships) and NSU is NCAA Division FCS (63 scholarships) and the game is going to be played this weekend on the NSU Spartans’ turf.

This game will mark NSU’s second outing following with a

hard-fought 24-21 loss to Old Dominion University last Saturday before a crowd of 21,944 fans at ODU’s S.B. Ballard Stadium, formerly Foreman Field.

The Monarchs of the FBS division (86 scholarships) didn’t pull ahead for good until 2:30 left in the contest.

Battle of the ‘States’ Frank Ball

Virginia State University takes on Norfolk State University 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, at NSU’s Dick Price Stadium.

Former Highland Springs High School star Juwan Carter passed for 199 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 51 yards and another touchdown for the Spartans.

Since 1963, the VSU-NSU series is 27-21-1 in the Trojans’ favor, but the Spartans have dominated as of late.

The overall mark is misleading. Three NSU on-field victories were turned into forfeit losses because of program violations.

Coach Scott

VSU lost 34-13 at NSU to open last season, and a negative tone was set.

The Trojans struggled to replace all-time great Trenton Cannon as a ball carrier, placing so much of the offensive load on signal caller Cordelral Cook.

Even Mother Nature conspired against VSU. One game was eliminated by Hurricane Florence — a contest at St. Augustine’s University in which VSU would have been the favorite.

As a third-year starter after transferring from Alabama State University, Cook ranks with top run-pass combo quarterbacks in Division II football. The senior from Atlanta led the Trojans in passing (1,863 yards, 16 touchdowns) and rushing (685 yards, 11 touchdowns) a year ago.

Among those protecting Cook is 6-foot-3, 300-pound Frank Ball, a preseason All-CIAA offensive lineman from Hampton.

While NSU has the upper hand now, it wasn’t always that way. In five games between 1938 and 1950, NSU, known as “Little State,” settled for playing the Trojans’ “B Team.”

The VSU “B Team” defeated NSU three of four times, with one tie.

There will be no orange and blue clad “B Team” Saturday night in Norfolk. The Trojans are sending their “A Team” with the hopes of wiping away sour memories of 2018.

After 25-year hiatus, VUU Panthers to meet HU Pirates on the gridiron this Saturday Virginia Union University and Hampton University are about to dust off one of the HBCU’s oldest gridiron rivalries.

The VUU Panthers and HU Pirates first met in 1906 and collided nearly every fall until 1994.

Coach Parker Following a quartercentury break, the rivalry resumes Saturday, Sept. 7, at Hampton’s Armstrong Stadium with both squads brimming with optimism.

Under Coach Alvin Parker, VUU is coming off an 8-2 season in which the Panthers scored nearly 50 points per game and narrowly missed the NCAA Division II playoffs.

HU was 7-3 a year ago, finishing with six straight wins. Adding to this weekend’s excitement, the Pirates will feature quarterback Deondre Francois, a transfer from Florida State University.

In his debut for HU last Saturday, Francois passed for two touchdowns and ran for another in a 65-7 rout of visiting Elizabeth City State University.

Francois played only the first half as HU out-gained the Vikings 525 yards to 65 yards.

The score was 44-0 at halftime.

The VUU coaching staff was present to get an eyeful of their upcoming foe. Now they’ll try to turn that scouting report into what would be a noteworthy upset of an FCS opponent.

For old times’ sake Virginia Union University plays Hampton University, 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, at HU’s Armstrong Stadium; Greek Night; game to be broadcast on ESPN+

FCS schools, such as HU, are allowed 63 scholarships; NCAA Division II schools, such as VUU, just 36 scholarships.

Coach Parker has been tight-lipped about his starting quarterback, but the most experienced candidate is E’mond Caldwell, a senior from Sanford, N.C. Waiting his turn for two seasons behind Darius Taylor, Caldwell got into six games in 2018, passing for two touchdowns.

Caldwell is also the holder for place kicker Jefferson Souza, opening possibilities for a seeming kick turned into a pass play.

Both VUU and HU feature dynamic ball carriers.

The Pirates’ Shai McKenzie, a transfer from VirDeondre ginia Tech, rolled for 121 Francois yards and two touchdowns against Elizabeth City State.

VUU answers with powerful Tabyus Taylor, who is coming off a season in which he rumbled for 1,546 yards and 21 touchdowns. The 230pound Taylor wears the No. 9 jersey and answers to “Engine, Engine No. 9.”

Andrew Harnik/Associated Press

Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry, second from right, draws happy smiles from Howard University officials and others after announcing recently that will sponsor men’s and women’s golf teams at the university. With Mr. Curry at the news conference at Langston Golf Course in Washington are, from left, Kery Davis, Howard University athletic director; HU student Otis Ferguson; and Howard President Wayne Frederick.

Steph Curry scores golf team for Howard University Free Press wire report

WASHINGTON What started as an innocuous conversation during a public event has evolved into a golf partnership between NBA star Stephen Curry and Howard University.

The two-time NBA MVP announced on Aug. 19 that he is helping Howard University re-establish a golf program. Curry is providing a donation that will allow one of the country’s most prominent historically black universities to launch Division I women’s and men’s teams for the 2020-21 academic year.

The 31-year-old Curry, who has won three NBA championships with the Golden State Warriors, has long been known as a passionate golfer. But the idea of partnering with Howard didn’t start until January, when Curry went to the campus for a screening of the documentary “Emanuel.”

After watching the film, which chronicles the 2015 shooting of the pastor and eight worshippers at historic Mother Emanuel AME Church in South Carolina, Curry was

approached by Howard student Otis Ferguson. The senior explained to Curry how he unsuccessfully tried to start up an official university golf team. Howard previously fielded a Division II golf team, but that was discontinued.

At a news conference on Aug. 19, Curry singled out Ferguson for applause and recalled their chance meeting.

“We connected on golf,” he said. “Accountability, competition, discipline — all those different ideals we learned through the game of golf.”

The exact amount of Curry’s donation has not been disclosed, but the university announced it would be a six-year partnership. Sports apparel company Under Armour, which sponsors Curry and is based in nearby Baltimore, will provide the uniforms and golf club manufacturer Callaway will supply the equipment.

“I’m going to be following every part of the journey as we go into next year when the team takes the course for the first time,” Curry said.

“This is going to go way beyond the game of golf, way beyond Howard. This is huge.”

The VUU-HU rivalry was snapped following 1994 when the Pirates left the CIAA for the MEAC. The Panthers are still smarting from a 56-6 loss to Hampton in 1994.

Currently, VUU remains in the CIAA while Hampton is now in its second season with the Big South Conference.

One thing is for sure: VUU Athletic Director Joe Taylor will know plenty of people on both sides of the stadium.

Taylor went 60-19-3 coaching at VUU from 1984 to 1991, and 136-49-1 coaching at HU from 1992 to 2007.

Taylor is in both schools’ Hall of Fame.

And what about the initial meeting between Coach Prunty VUU and HU on Nov. 17, 1906, during the administration of President Theodore Roosevelt?

The game was played in Richmond with the Pirates winning 6-5.

Look for much more scoring this go-round as the schools meet for the first time in the 21st century.

Richmond native helping to diversify NASCAR pit crew Raynard Revels II, a former linebacker, is now tackling a new assignment.

The native Richmonder has been chosen for NASCAR and Rev Racing’s Drive for Diversity Pit-Crew Program in Charlotte, N.C. The six-month course, which includes free room and board, features classes to become tire changers, carriers and jackmen.

“It’s a new sport for me. It’s really kind of crazy since I never saw a race until recently,” said Revels, who drives non-competitively in his Honda Accord.

It’s never too late, he vows.

“I’m looking to pick up on everything, to master the craft, possibly turn it into a career,” he said.

Revels starred as a linebacker and also defensive end on powerhouse squads at Henrico County’s Raynard Hermitage High under Coach Pat Kane and in 2015-16 at Norfolk State University under Coach Latrell Scott.

“I’m used to being a team player,” said Revels, who packs 230 muscular pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame.

“The way I see this (is) same thing, different sport. It fits right into my competitive nature.”

Revels is one of three people with area connections to be selected for the NASCAR program. Others include Chester native Mequel Phillips, who played football at Virginia State University, and Norfolk native Hadji Gay-

lord, who played football at Norfolk State University.

Old-timers are familiar with the Revels name.

Revels’ father, Raynard Revels Jr., was the All-Metro quarterback at Richmond’s Maggie L. Walker High School under Coach Lou Anderson and later was starting quarterback at NSU from 1980 to 1982.

More recently, a cousin, Reginald Revels, was a top running back at Richmond’s John Marshall High School.

Raynard Revels II received his degree from NSU in interdisciplinary studies.

NASCAR’s serious effort to get more minorities involved in the sport is off and running. This past July, Drive for Diversity alumni Revels II Rojelio Ramirez, Omar Grimaldo and Michael Hayden were in the pits for driver Justin Haley’s victory at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 in Daytona.

More than 50 Drive for Diversity graduates are now working for national race teams.

Revels said he pays little mind to the fact that NASCAR is an overwhelmingly white sport both in terms of drivers, crews and fans.

“At the end of the day, I don’t even think about it being white,” Revels said. “Sports are all about diversity. The way I look at it, these men and women are all my teammates.”

African-American race car drivers

Wendell Scott

Willy T. Ribbs

While there have been numerous AfricanAmerican race car drivers on the small racing circuits, all of the African-American drivers that have competed on NASCAR’s top level can be counted on one hand.

Danville native Wendell Scott was the first and most successful, competing 1961 to 1973.

Scott (1921-1990) started 495 races and is the only African-American driver ever to win a checkered flag. That was at Jacksonville, Fla., in 1963.

Willy T. Ribbs from San Jose, Calif., en-

Bill Lester

“Bubba” Wallace

tered three races in 1986, with his best finish 65th.

Bill Lester of Washington was behind the wheel in nine races from 2002 to 2006, with his best finish 22nd.

Darrell “Bubba” Wallace of Mobile, Ala., is the first African-American driver to have a full-time Cup ride since Scott in 1971. As a rookie, Wallace finished second at the 2018 Daytona for Richard Petty Motorsports. He has 64 career Cup starts over the past three seasons.

September 5-7, 2019 B1

Section

B

Richmond Free Press

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Personality: Dr. Milondra B. Coleman

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Spotlight on Richmond Education Association president The new school year brings increased responsibilities for everyone connected to the Richmond Public Schools system, but only one person is both managing her curriculum and plans to improve the lives of an entire city of schools employees.

That person is Dr. Milondra B. Coleman, who balances teaching modern world history and AP government at John Marshall High School with her duties as president of the Richmond Education Association.

The REA, founded in 1900

by Lila Meade Valentine, is a local branch of the Virginia Education Association and the National Education Association and advocates for education and educators in Richmond. This can take a wide number of forms, from community organizing to lobbying and marching for greater financial resources from the state for teachers’ salaries and public schools.

The organization’s services aren’t limited to just teachers and advocacy, Dr. Coleman says. As part of its member-led mission, the REA offers custodians, transportation workers, cafeteria staff and other schools employees free legal consultation, notary services, various discounts on a number of purchases and more through services and benefits sourced from and supported by their state and national partners in the VEA and NEA. “RPS employees need an association-union that is dedicated to advocating for them at the local, state and national levels,” Dr. Coleman says.

In return, the 1,100 REA members direct the focus and actions of the association through its various committees, voicing their concerns during monthly meetings and electing representatives.

Dr. Coleman, who was elected to a two-year term as REA president during the spring, now divides her time between her students at “The Joy and Pride of Northside,” as she calls John Marshall High, and her responsibilities to an organization facing reports of declining student success, inadequate facilities and teacher salaries that rank 34th below the national average.

Adding to an already busy schedule, Dr. Coleman serves as a board member of the Northside Coalition for Children, the Richmond Crusade for Voters, the Richmond Urban Ministry Institute and the Richmond Citywide Choir.

Despite the sheer amount of work on her plate, Dr. Coleman seems just as enthusiastic about the new school year as the rest of the Richmond community, all mutually energized to ensure that RPS students, teachers and staff have what’s necessary for a great school year.

“One of the things I found is that as I talk to people in the community,” Dr. Coleman says, “there’s a groundswell in terms of the interest in education.”

Dr. Coleman is heartened by the support she saw from the community, pointing to recent RPS partnerships with corporate, nonprofit and community organizations through RPS Shines! and mural projects to get schools ready for the new academic year.

“Maybe it has always been there,” Dr. Coleman says, “but now, we’re talking about it more. People are hearing about it more.”

Dr. Coleman aims to see REA do its part to ensure an equitable and fair school environment for its employees. She identifies teacher turnover as a particular matter to be addressed and wants the organization to review the data from RPS exit interviews.

She is encouraged about the continuing decline in teacher vacancies, down to 13 after 18 for the 2018-2019 school year, calling it “a great step for Richmond Public Schools.”

The REA also is planning a survey of its members about issues surrounding the state

of RPS buildings to help ensure that students and faculty “work in a safe and nurturing environment.”

“The learning environment of our students and staff is always a concern,” Dr. Coleman says. “The school climate should be one of love and support.”

Asked about her next goal, Dr. Coleman answers: Doubling REA membership by December, and setting up a June trip to South Africa for John Marshall High students, parents and friends.

The dual effort speaks to the many roles she’s juggling, and a strong confidence in her future endeavors.

“I am excited about having the opportunity to work with the REA,” Dr. Coleman says.

“And (I’m) looking forward to all that I’m going to be able to do.”

Meet the energetic new president of the Richmond Education Association and this week’s Personality, Dr. Milondra B. Coleman: Occupation: History teacher.

I teach modern world history and AP government at John Marshall High School.

Top community involvement: President, Richmond Education Association.

Date and place of birth: April 8 in Richmond.

Current residence: North Side Richmond.

Education: Bachelor’s degree, Duke University; J.D., University of Virginia School of Law; master’s of divinity, Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology, Virginia Union University; master’s in Christian Education, Union-PSCE; doctor of ministry, United Theological Seminary; and master’s in teaching, Mary Baldwin.

Family: Mom, Gloria J. Coleman, retired Richmond Public Schools teacher, and dad, Milton B. Coleman, retired Philip Morris strategic operations planner.

The Richmond Education Association is: A local union of the Virginia Education Association and the National Education Association that advocates for all education employees of Richmond Public Schools.

Number of REA members: Approximately 1,100 members.

Richmond Education Association’s mission: Our mission is to advance the cause of education for all individuals by promoting professional excellence among

educators; recognizing the basic importance of the educator in the learning process; protecting the rights of educators and advancing their interests and welfare; uniting education employees for effective citizenship; and promoting and protecting the human and civil rights of all individuals.

Services REA offers: In addition to advocacy, the following benefits are available to members: notary services; free legal consultations; preferred rate on personal legal services; discounted movie tickets and various discounts available through VEA e-source and NEA member benefits.

Role of members in REA: First and foremost, REA is a member-led union in which our rank and file members have the power to determine the direction in which our organization moves. To that end, our members elect representatives to serve as leaders within their work sites and on the Board of Directors; share their voices on the floor of our monthly meetings; and serve, if they so desire, on committees that are designed to advance the causes of the association.

REA’s position on current SOL results for city schools: We believe and understand that a student is more than a test score. Student growth is measured through the use of multiple modalities.

Pay for teachers in Richmond is: Pay for teachers in Richmond and the Commonwealth of Virginia is below the national average!

Why REA is needed: RPS employees need an association/union that is dedicated to advocating for them at the local, state and national levels.

Current REA relationship with Richmond School Board: REA has a rich history of having a working relationship with the Richmond School Board. We attend monthly and committee meetings. We also have discussions outside of those meetings in order to share more deeply about our concerns.

Current REA relationship with school administration: The association has a standing monthly meeting with Superintendent Jason Kamras and members of his cabinet.

The lines of communication are always open when we need to discuss the issues and concerns of our members.

Turnover among teachers is: While we realize that employees leave the school district for a variety of reasons, turnover in Richmond is higher than we would desire.

What needs to be done to change that: In order to change that, we need to start the process by reviewing the data collected from RPS exit interviews.

Concern about condition of RPS school buildings: In the near future, the REA will be sending a survey to our membership to ascertain their concerns about the condition of RPS buildings. The learning environment of our students and staff is always a concern. We want our faculty and staff to work in a safe and nurtur-

ing environment. The school climate should be one of love and support.

What are three important things parents/guardians should do to prepare their children for the new school year: Parents should set high expectations regarding behavior and grades; make sure their children have the necessary school supplies; and teach them to respect all adults.

Favorite subject in school: History, of course, was my favorite subject in school.

Outlook at start of the day: Today is going to be a great day!

How I unwind: By listening to gospel music.

A quote that I am inspired by: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

— Philippians 4:13 (KJV) Something I love to do that most people would never imagine: I love teaching my weekly Mary Kay unit meetings.

Best late-night snack: Doritos.

If I had more time, I would: Finish publishing my next four books.

The best thing my parents ever taught me: To respect everyone.

The book that influenced me the most: “The Servant Leader: Transforming Your Heart, Head, Hands & Habits”

by Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges.

What I’m reading now: “Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action” by Simon Sinek; “The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results,” by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan; and “90 Days of Power Prayer: Supernatural Declarations to Transform Your Life” by Kynan Bridges.

My next goal: To double REA membership by December as “Each One Reaches One” and to plan a June 2020 trip to South Africa for John Marshall High School students, parents and friends.

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You th B o

l w

Saturday, September 28, 2019 The Claude Perkins Living & Learning Center Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.

Studen Are Inv ts ite To Ent d er

The Youth B o Essay wl & Poster Ar Contes t t Win•

ners Receiv e Troph & Gift C y ard

VUU

•

vs.

Winston-Salem University Kick Off 1P.M. Hovey Field

Area Youth Receive Exposure to Academic, Athletic & Cultural Experiences

Youth Groups Are Encouraged to Attend!!

To Register Go To: www.vuu.edu (Upcoming Events) or call Athletics at (804) 342-1484

•

“Free Game Tickets, Free Tee Shirts & Free Lunch” For All K-12 Students Attending the Morning Sessions

Richmond Free Press

B2 September 5-7, 2019

Happenings

Scenes from the first day of school 2019-20

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Fifth-grader Akai Dupree Jr., 10, talks with Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras at Westover Hills Elementary School as classes start for the new academic year.

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Teacher Abbie Radcliffe, above, and her fourth-grade class at Westover Hills Elementary School line up to welcome Principal Allison El Koubi, Richmond Mayor Levar M. Stoney and Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras on the first day of school. Left, kindergartner Alonna Smyre, 5, gives her mother, Shartisha White, a tearful goodbye Tuesday as she goes to school for the first time. Her mother said the youngster was excited about starting school at Westover Hills Elementary and claimed she wouldn’t be nervous. But once inside, the tears flowed and the hugs got tighter as she didn’t want her mom to leave.

April Coleman/Richmond Free Press

Nehemiah Wright, 5, high fives the cougar mascot at John B. Cary Elementary School as he arrives Tuesday, eager to get the new school year started.

Jepson Leadership Forum starts Sept. 17

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

New shoes, new hairdos for back to school

Experts in the fields of technology, journalism, politics and education will examine leadership in the age of the internet during the annual Jepson Leadership Forum speaker series that kicks off Tuesday, Sept. 17, at the University of Richmond.

The theme for this year’s series: “Digital Dystopias: Truth and Representation in the Internet Age.” Sponsored by UR’s Jepson School of Leadership Studies, each of the free events will be held at 7 p.m. in the Jepson Alumni Center, 442 Westhampton Way, on UR’s campus.

Katie Hafner, a journalist and frequent contributor to the New York Times, will speak Sept. 17 on “The Origins of the Internet.”

Other speakers in the series and their topics: Oct. 7 – Derek Thompson, a staff writer at The Atlantic and news anaylst at National Public Radio, “Economics and Influence in Digital Spaces.”

Nov. 19 – Yasha Levine, a RussianAmerican investigative journalist and author of “Surveillance Valley: The Secret Military History of the Internet,” “The Internet as a Weapon.”

Feb. 13 – Virginia Eubanks, associate professor of political science at the University of Albany, SUNY, “Algorithms, Austerity and Inequality.”

March 25 – André Brock, associate professor in the School of Literature, Media and Communication at Georgia Institute of Technology, “Racial Representation in Technoculture.”

Details and registration: jepson. richmond.edu/forum.

Hundreds of people line up outside the doors of Third Street Bethel A.M.E. Church in Jackson Ward on Monday for the 14th Annual Labor Day New Shoes for Back to School program. Students in kindergarten through high school could pick out a pair of new shoes to start the school year. Larry Christian, right, helps his grandson, Makhi Peterson, 5, try on new sneakers at the event.

Meanwhile, at Cedar Street Baptist Church of God in the East End, below, youngsters were treated to a Barber and Beauty Day on Monday to get ready for school. A team of professional stylists and barbers worked with youngsters from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.

Photos by Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Below, coordinator of the event, Monique Brown, braids the hair of Nyla-Marie Outlaw, 6, while Ella Robinson, also 6, below right, shows off her new style for her first day in first grade at Obama Elementary School.

Robin Thede looks to build legacy in HBO comedy sketch show

By Jonathan Landrum Sr. Associated Press

LOS ANGELES Robin Thede knew plenty of talented African-American female comedians, but only a few were getting hired on popular TV comedy shows such as “Saturday Night Live” and “Mad TV.” So Ms. Thede decided to create her own show featuring some of the industry’s funniest black women.

The comic-writer-producer-actress is breaking new ground with her HBO comedy series “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” which airs Friday nights.

The six-episode series offers sketches written and performed by an all-black female cast. It stars Ms. Thede, Ashley Nicole Black, Gabrielle Dennis and Quinta Brunson. Guests, mostly black women, include Angela Bassett, Kelly Rowland, Marsai Martin, Lena Waithe, Patti LaBelle and Natasha Rothwell.

“It’s a culmination of a lifelong passion for sketch,” said Ms. Thede, a co-producer of the series with Issa Rae, who also makes an appearance.

“When black women do get on sketch

shows, we really stand out. But there are only a handful of black women who have ever been on sketch shows.

Why not stack the deck and put them on all at once on one show?”

Between each sketch, the four ladies huddle up inside an apartment after a mysterious apocalypse wiped out the rest of civilization. The cast plays more than 100 different characters in sketches exploring a variety of comedic story lines. There’s an invisible plussize black woman spy, for example, and sketches about ashy skin and unexpected marriage proposals.

That type of variety is the point, Ms. Thede said.

“I wanted to do a show that was challenging the views of black women in comedy for a lot of people and showing we can do anything. We can play men, women, aliens or whatever we want. It’s all sorts of genres, styles and characters in this show,” she said.

“We’ve never seen black women like this before. ... In a way, this show is a love letter to black women.”

Ms. Thede became the first female, African-American head writer of a late-night talk show in 2015, with “The Nightly Show with Larry Whitmore.”

Robin Thede

She created and executive produced BET’s late-night comedy series “The Rundown with Robin Thede,” which was canceled after one season.

Shortly after that, Ms. Thede pitched the idea for “A Black Lady Sketch Show” to HBO. She said the network bought it “within minutes” after a dinner with her, Ms. Rae and executives.

“I never shot a pilot,” she said, adding that the network’s quick approval showed “how confident they were in me, the idea and the partnership between me and Issa. It’s one of those ideas that when people hear it, they go, ‘Yeah, of course. Why not?’ It feels like something we’ve been missing.”

Ms. Thede said Ms. Black, Ms. Dennis and Ms. Brunson were “nobrainer” choices. They didn’t audition for the roles, she said, because she already knew “what they brought to the table.”

Ms. Dennis was a stand-up comedian early in her career before she starred in Netflix’s Marvel’s “Luke Cage” and as Whitney Houston in the BET miniseries “The Bobby Brown Story.”

“No casting director would’ve brought me into this based on my body of work,” she said. “I would not have come into someone’s head for sketch.

But you know luckily, how God places steps and pieces things of that nature along the way, this happened because Robin knew me from my days of sketch and stand-up. It’s a full-circle moment. This gave me chills.”

Ms. Black, an actress-comedian, won an Emmy Award in 2017 for her writing on TBS’ “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee.” Ms. Brunson was a social media sensation before she starred on her own Facebook Watch series, “Quinta vs. Everything,” and had recurring roles on ABC’s “Single Parents” and CW’s “iZombie.”

Writing for “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” Ms. Black said, gives her freedom to express herself like never before.

“As an actor, you are beholden to a lot of other people’s wishes. You get a script, there’s a director, and they have an idea of how they’re going to use your body to tell a story,” she said.

“For me, it just was never good because I’m a plus-size black woman.

No one really wanted to tell the story where I’m really happy. It was always like, ‘Your life is terrible. You’re sad.

There’s a cake hiding in your fridge.’

That’s every script I read. The first time I did sketch, I had a chance to write it. For this show, I get to be in charge of the entire utterance of how I’m being represented.”

Ms. Thede was gratified by rave reviews after the first episode.

“I do everything to leave a legacy,” Ms. Thede said. “I feel like this is going to be a big part of all our legacies.

That will remain true whether one person watches or 100 million. We hope for the latter. But I think this is so revolutionary because now it exists.

It’s cinematic. It’s beautiful. We feel proud of it. My work is about what we leave behind, not what we take.”

Richmond Free Press

September 5-7, 2019 B3

Happenings

Big sounds

Diamond McGhee was a majorette with the VUU Maroon Elegance twirlers for the last two years. She will see the band from a different vantage point in her new position as co-drum major.

By Bonnie Newman Davis

Diamond McGhee’s usual wide smile projects confidence.

But the smile disappeared last week as she pulled her hair into a ponytail and focused on the students standing before her playing their instruments — clarinets, cymbals, drums, flutes, trombones and trumpets.

This was band practice, but not just any band.

This was Virginia Union University’s 100member Ambassadors of Sound Marching Band and the sound had to be loud and the moves tight.

Ms. McGhee made sure of that.

The 20-year-old junior from Portsmouth, who is majoring in psychology and criminal justice, is the first female drum major for the VUU Ambassadors of Sound, a group that started six years ago after the marching band went on a hiatus at the private school.

Her role as drum major is being shared with Nathan James, a VUU senior who graduated from Highland Springs High School in Henrico County.

He played the trumpet in the Highland Springs marching band; Ms. McGhee has been a majorette with the VUU Maroon Elegance twirlers for the past two years. She has been commanding a baton since age 11.

Together, she and Mr. James are known as Mr. Maroon and Miss Steel, a play on VUU’s school colors.

Dressed in matching maroon and gray shorts and T-shirts for band practice, the co-drum majors were expertly conducting the Ambassadors of Sound, leading the band in unison.

Michael Jackson’s “Off the Wall” segued into Beyoncé’s “Before I Let Go.” While this was only a rehearsal at Barco-Stevens Hall on the VUU campus, Ms. McGhee said the band will be ready for its debut Saturday, Sept.

7 — game day — when the VUU Panthers take on Hampton University in Hampton.

“Being in the band, you learn something every day,” Ms. McGhee said, noting that rehearsals generally last three to four hours daily. “Yesterday we went through the drills and all the moves.

Today we’ll clean up everything.”

At 5-foot-2, Ms. McGhee said she first considered becoming a drum major while in the Mighty Marching Greyhounds band at I.C. Norcom High School in Portsmouth.

VUU Ambassadors of Sound Marching Band gets first female drum major Through the years, she joked about trying out for the drum major position at VUU, but didn’t muster the courage to do so until last spring.

In addition to completing all the administrative requirements for the audition — application, letters of recommendation and transcripts — Ms. McGhee also had to mentally prepare herself.

Being the middle child among four siblings helped, she said.

“Growing up in a house where people are tough critics, I’m used to it,” she said.

Among the skills on which she was evaluated were learning to conduct the band, performing dances and steps with precision and being a team player. Five other students vied for the position as well, including another female student.

She smiles when she describes her reaction to being selected as co-drum major.

“It’s cool!” she said. “I feel a lot of different ways about it, but it’s an honor, especially because it’s never been done before.”

Fayesha Cousins, the marching band’s director, acknowledges that another female drum major, Mellonie Anne Boyd, known as “Mitey Mite,” led the university’s marching band in

Photos by Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Drum majors Diamond McGhee and Nathan James will be leading Virginia Union University’s 100-member Ambassadors of Sound Marching Band. Left, the VUU junior from Portsmouth leads a rehearsal last week, perfecting the moves and the sounds.

1989. But several years went by in which VUU had no marching band.

Six years ago, the Ambassadors of Sound Marching Band was started, and Ms. McGhee is taking her place in band and university history.

As drum majors, Ms. McGhee and Mr. James are considered the band’s captains, Ms. Cousins said.

“They teach, organize, conduct band maneuvers, dance blocks and steps and select songs.

They keep us relevant,” she said.

Ms. Cousins also credits Ms. McGhee’s ability to listen, along with her consistency and persistence in pushing through challenges, with helping her land the top spot.

“I can’t tell the difference between her and the boys,” Ms. Cousins said. “She’s always sharp and intentional about everything.”

Mr. James, who also auditioned last spring, welcomes working with Ms. McGhee, whom he views as a younger sister.

“My goal is to leave my legacy,” he said. “I’ll be graduating in May. I want to leave a mark with Diamond. Yes, I’ll be sharing the light with

her, but we have our own spotlight. We’re on the big spotlight, which is the field.”

Accustomed to being in the spotlight as a twirler, Ms. McGhee said she feels excitement rather than pressure regarding her new role. Because she is a fast learner and her own toughest critic, she noted that the key for a good performance is to simply be yourself.

“I have always received praise for my poise and being comfortable on the field,” she said.

While the band will consume much of her focus in coming weeks, Ms. McGhee recognizes that her studies also will demand attention. She said she plans to attend graduate school after earning her degree. Ultimately, she wants to become a counselor and life coach for women of color.

Meanwhile, the stage is set for women to follow in her footsteps with the Ambassadors of Sound.

“It is 2019 and women everywhere are on the rise,” she said. “Everything in the world has always been male dominated, so I think that it is time for women to step out from the shadows and show that we can dominate as well.”

World Heritage Festival, Festival of Kites this Saturday A free international festival on Brown’s Island that will offer children an opportunity to showcase their kite-flying skills will highlight Richmond events this weekend.

Expanding from Washington, the World Heritage Festival and Festival of Kites will make its debut in Richmond 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, at the riverfront island located between 5th and 7th streets in Downtown, it has been announced.

Along with kite flying, the event will feature dance groups performing the folk dances of Bolivia, Brazil, Egypt, Hungary, India, Japan, Lebanon, Romania and Turkey, according to Chic Events, producer of the annual festival it also stages in five other locales in Virginia and Maryland.

Eleven food vendors also will be on site, along with more than 35 artists, companies and individuals offering items ranging from jewelry to ceramics, clothing and crafts, Chic Events stated.

Other vendors are to include nonprofit groups and government agencies offering information, the company stated.

Details: www.Chicevents.com.

Photos by Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Happy and natural Keeper Sankara, right, leads a yoga flow during the 17th Annual Happily Natural Day last Saturday in South Side.

The festival, held at the Fifth District Mini-Farm in the 2200 block of Bainbridge Street, promotes holistic health, cultural awareness and social change. Julian Desta, right, leads an individual sound healing bath session for Russell Gray. It was Mr. Gray’s first time undergoing the healing.

Crab Feast & Fish Fry fundraiser Saturday for Peter Paul Development Center

AfroFest RVA

Photos by Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Georgia Bates of Henrico, above, adjusts the Ankara hats designed by her sister, Massa Watson, at a booth at the 2019 AfroFest RVA last Saturday. The event, sponsored by the city Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities, was held at Pine Camp Cultural Arts and Community Center in North Side. It highlighted the culture, food, music and fashions of people from African nations living within the Richmond community, along with a championship soccer match between teams from Ghana and Sudan. At left, Kojo Marfo wears traditional Kente cloth from the Ashanti region of Ghana as he hugs his wife of 10 years, Anne Odumah Panti. The Richmond couple are natives of Ghana.

The Men of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church will hold their annual benefit Crab Feast & Fish Fry 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept.

7, at Peter Paul Development Center, 1708 N. 22nd St. in the East End. As of Labor Day, nearly 800 people have signed up for the all-you-can-eat affair that the organization stages as a fundraiser at the 40-year-old outreach and community center best known for services to seniors and its after-school programs and tutoring for city youths.

Tickets are $35 for adults and $15 for ages 5 to 18. Children under 5 with an adult are admitted without charge.

Tickets may be purchased online though Friday, Sept. 6, with limited availability at the door.

Details and tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/st-peterscrabfeast-fish-fry-tickets-63437056945.

Richmond Free Press

B4 September 5-7, 2019

Faith News/Directory Left, Joshua K. Love, cousin of La Jarvis D. Love, says he regrets accepting a $15,000 settlement for the sexual abuse he suffered as a child at St. Francis of Assisi School. Right, La Jarvis D. Love tearfully recalls the details of his alleged sexual abuse by a Franciscan friar when he was a Catholic grade school student in Greenwood, Miss.

In Mississippi Delta, Catholic clergy abuse cases settle on the cheap

By Michael Rezendes Associated Press

GREENWOOD, Miss.

A famed Catholic religious order settled sex abuse cases in recent months by secretly paying two African-American Mississippi men $15,000 each and requiring them to keep silent about their claims, the Associated Press has found.

The cash payments are far less than what other Catholic sex abuse survivors have typically received since the churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s abuse scandal erupted in the United States in 2002.

An official with the Franciscan Friars order denies the two menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s race or poverty had anything to do with the size of the settlements.

In one case, the Rev. James G. Gannon, leader of a group of Wisconsin-based Franciscan Friars, settled an abuse claim made by La Jarvis D. Love against another friar for $15,000, during a meeting at an IHOP restaurant where Rev. Gannon met with Mr. Love, his wife and their three small children. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He said if I wanted more, I would have to get a lawyer and have my lawyer call his lawyer,â&#x20AC;? Mr. Love, 36, told the Associated Press. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Well, we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have lawyers. We felt like we had to take what we could.â&#x20AC;?

Mr. Loveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cousin, Joshua K. Love, 36, also settled his abuse claim for $15,000 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; something he now regrets. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They felt they could treat us that way because weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re poor and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re black,â&#x20AC;? Joshua Love said of the settlements he and La Jarvis Love received.

Across the United States, settlements have ranged much higher. In 2006, the Catholic Diocese of Jackson, which includes Greenwood, settled lawsuits involving 19 victims â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 17 of whom were white people â&#x20AC;&#x201D; for $5 million, with an average payment of more than $250,000 per victim.

In 2018, the St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese agreed to pay an average of nearly $500,000 each to clergy abuse survivors.

Joshua Love and La Jarvis Love and a third alleged victim, Joshuaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brother Raphael Love, said they were repeatedly abused by Brother Paul West during the 1990s, when they were elementary school students at St. Francis of Assisi School in Greenwood, Miss.

On some occasions, Joshua Love said, Brother West asked whether he preferred to be beaten or molested. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He gave me the option to whup me or play with my penis,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Joshua Love said he was abused also by a second Franciscan at the school, the late Brother Donald Lucas.

Catholic officials have been promising to end the cover-up of sex abuse for nearly two decades.

In 2002, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops approved a Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, pledging to respond to abuse allegations in an â&#x20AC;&#x153;open and transparentâ&#x20AC;? manner. And earlier this year, Pope Francis issued a new church law requiring Catholic officials worldwide to report sexual abuse â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and the cover-up of abuse â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to their superiors.

Rev. Gannon, during interviews with the

Photos by Wong Maye-E/Associated Press

St. Francis of Assisi church and school in Greenwood, Miss., where at least three former students said they were sexually abused by clergy in the 1990s.

Good Shepherd Baptist Church

the American churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s child protection charter and underscore the need for law enforcement investigations. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The church is only focused on its image and management of the ongoing cover-up,â&#x20AC;?

Mr. Belenchia said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That is why itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s critical for law enforcement to investigate fully without interference from the church.â&#x20AC;?

Brother West, now 59, declined to answer questions. Brother Lucas died in 1999 in an apparent suicide. But the Jackson diocese has found the allegations against them credible and recently notified the local district attorney in Greenwood.

Unlike Joshua and La Jarvis Love, who reported their alleged abuse last year, Raphael Love told church authorities about Brother West while his alleged abuse was taking place in 1998 when he was 9 years old.

Stephen J. Carmody, an attorney for the Diocese of Jackson, said church officials notified police and a social services agency in 1998.

Raphael Love, now 30, currently is serving two life sentences in a Tennessee prison for a double homicide he committed when he was 16. He said he rejected Rev. Gannonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offer to settle his abuse claim for $15,000, saying he needed more to hire an attorney to appeal his criminal conviction.

Rev. Gannon said Brother West was recalled from Greenwood in 1998 and that the Franciscans lost touch with him after he left the Franciscan order.

But the AP discovered that Brother West began teaching fifth grade at a Catholic school near his home in Appleton, Wis., in 2000, and remained on the job until at least 2010.

John F. Hawkins, the Jackson civil attorney who represented victims in the 2006 settlement, said heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preparing to file a lawsuit on behalf of La Jarvis and Joshua Love, in which he will argue that the settlements they signed are not legally binding, in part due to the â&#x20AC;&#x153;extreme emotional and financial duressâ&#x20AC;? they were under at the time.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Church With A Welcomeâ&#x20AC;?

3HARON "APTIST #HURCH

1127 North 28th St., Richmond, VA 23223-6624 s Office: (804) 644-1402

500 E. Laburnum Avenue, Richmond, VA 23222 www.sharonbaptistchurchrichmond.org (804) 643-3825

Dr. Sylvester T. Smith, Pastor â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s A Place for Youâ&#x20AC;?

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

AP, said he believes that Joshua, La Jarvis and Raphael Love were abused and acknowledged that the settlements were less than generous. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve hurt them tremendously and no amount of money would ever account for what happened to them,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Asked if the Lovesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; racial or economic backgrounds had anything to do with the size of the settlements they were offered, Rev. Gannon said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Absolutely not.â&#x20AC;?

Rev. Gannon also said the Franciscans have no intention of enforcing the non-disclosure agreements in the two settlements.

But the secret deals the Franciscans reached with La Jarvis and Joshua Love show that, in some cases, the American church continues efforts to limit financial fallout and keep sexual abuse under wraps â&#x20AC;&#x201D; as it did in the years before 2002 when settlements with victims were routinely arranged in secret for small sums of money.

Mark Belenchia, a Catholic sex abuse survivor and Mississippi leader of SNAP â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests â&#x20AC;&#x201D; said the agreements raise questions about the viability of

7204 Bethlehem Road

Rev. Dr. Paul A. Coles, Pastor

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2019 8:30 a.m. ....Sunday School 10:00 a.m. ...Morning Worship

11:00 AM Mid-day Meditation

Henrico, VA 23228

â&#x20AC;˘

THURSDAYS WEDNESDAYS 1:30 p.m.

6:00 p.m. ..... Prayer Service Bible Study 6:30 p.m. ..... Bible Study

Featuring: Marsha Meekins & Co. Jazz Ensemble with

Heavy Hors Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Oeuvres www.facebook.com/PilgrimJourney/

Theme for 2018-2020: Mobilizing For Ministry Refreshing The Old and Emerging The New We Embrace Diversity â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Love For All! A 21st Century Church

$R +IRKLAND 2 7ALTON 0ASTOR

During the month of September, all Sunday Worship Services will be held at 10 a.m. Church School will be held at 8:30 a.m.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2019 11:00 AM Worship Celebration Message by: Pastor Bibbs Family & Friends Worship Celebration SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25th â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 10:45 AM Young Adults In Charge

Community Invited

â&#x20AC;&#x153;MAKE IT HAPPENâ&#x20AC;?

Fish Dinner After Service For All!

-OUNTAIN 2OAD s 'LEN !LLEN 6IRGINIA SATURDAY, JUNE 29TH 9:30 /FlCE s &AX s WWW STPETERBAPTIST NET Community Breakfast

11

400 South Addison Street Richmond, Va. 23220

Twitter sixthbaptistrva

Rev. Dr. Yvonne Jones Bibbs, Pastor

Rev. Darryl G. Thompson, Pastor

2019 Theme: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Year of Transitionâ&#x20AC;?

+

8775 Mount Olive Avenue Glen Allen, Virginia 23060 (804) 262-9614 Phone (804) 262-2397 Fax www.mobcva.org

Homecoming Family & Friends Day Sunday, September 8, 2019 Worship Service - 10:00 AM Rev. Marcus A. Lee, Pastor New Fork Baptist Church

Fall Revival

Monday â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Wednesday September 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 11, 2019 7:00 PM Nightly - 6:45 PM Prayer & Praise Jaimal C. Hayes, Senior Pastor Abner Baptist Church Glen Allen, Va

Pastor Kevin Cook

(near Byrd Park)

(804) 359-1691 or 359-3498 Fax (804) 359-3798 www.sixthbaptistchurch.org drbibbs@sixthbaptistchurch.org

Facebook sixthbaptistrva

Upcoming Events & Happenings Sunday Morning Worship

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s All About Celebrating Jesus!

Chew & Chat for Men

Mount Olive Baptist Church

5106 Walmsley Blvd., Richmond, VA 23224 804-276-2740 â&#x20AC;˘ 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

Something To Talk About!

Bible Study is now in recess for summer break and will reconvene on September 19th.

Please refer to your daily readings located in your Sundayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bulletin or visit our website.

www.pjbcrichmond.org

Broad Rock Baptist Church

Come Worship With Us!

With Ministry For Everyone

COST: $20.OO Saturday, September 21, 2019 4:00â&#x20AC;&#x201D;7:00 p.m.

For ticket information contact: Rev. Jackie Lightfoot 755-7742

Entertainer

Sixth Baptist Church

Worship Opportunities

(804) 672-9319

â&#x20AC;&#x153;THE SPIRIT OF JAZZâ&#x20AC;?

Oscar Fields

St. Peter Baptist Church

â&#x20AC;˘

WOMEN OF PURPOSE (WOP) PRESENTS:

Ebenezer Baptist Church

If you want to celebrate the Lord info us to share your gift

September 8, 2019 @ 10:30 A. M.

1858

¹4HE 0EOPLE´S #HURCH²

216 W. Leigh St. â&#x20AC;˘ Richmond, Va. 23220 Tel: 804-643-3366 â&#x20AC;˘ Fax: 804-643-3367 Email: ebcofďŹ ce1@yahoo.com â&#x20AC;˘ web: www.richmondebenezer.com 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

September 6-8~ Community Weekend

September 10-11~ Revival Weekly Worship: Sundays @ 10:30 A.M. Church School: Sundays @ 9:00 A.M. Bible Study: On Summer Break

2901 Mechanicsville Turnpike, Richmond, VA 23223 (804) 648-2472 ~ www.mmbcrva.org Dr. Price London Davis, Senior Pastor

Initial Sermon of Bro. Avi Hopkins March 24, 2019 @ 3:00 P.M.

Richmond Free Press

September 5-7, 2019

B5

Faith News/Directory

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;A heavy liftâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;: Religious black voters weigh Buttigiegâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bid Free Press wire reportÂ

GREENVILLE, S.C. The Rev. Joe Darby, a South Carolina pastor in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, pondered a sensitive question that he knew was on the mind of his congregation. Would black voters be able to reconcile their conservative religious doctrine with voting for a gay candidate for president? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a heavy lift in the black church,â&#x20AC;? said Rev. Darby, who is also a Charleston-area NAACP leader. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Just as nobody who is racist likes to say, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a racist,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; nobody who is homophobic in the black community likes to say, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m homophobic.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;?

In South Carolina, the first state with a predominantly African-American electorate, part of the Rev. dialogue focuses on a conflict between a cultural openness for same-sex marriage and the deeply held religious convictions that could impede support for the 2020 raceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only gay candidate â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind. The historically diverse field of Democratic presidential hopefuls is overflowing with options. But it is also forcing conversations about the roles, if any, that gender, race and, for the first time, sexuality should play in votersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; decisions.

Black voters comprise more than 60 percent of South Carolinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Democratic electorate.

But an overwhelming majority of African-Americans â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 79 percent, according to a recent Pew study â&#x20AC;&#x201D; also identify as Christians, which some church leaders note can contribute to internal strife between their religious convictions and how they feel about a gay candidate, if they think doctrine says itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wrong. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m interested to see how Buttigieg is going to play,â&#x20AC;? said Rev. Darby, adding that the mayor â&#x20AC;&#x153;does the best job of articulating his faith of any of the candidatesâ&#x20AC;? but is inherently running up against barriers with those to whom heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still an unknown. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The most damning comment was at a clergy breakfast, and when his name was brought up another guy said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Yeah, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the guy who kissed his husband on TV.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;?

Mayor Buttigiegâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s husband, Chasten, has not traveled to South Carolina to campaign.

Chris Meagher, Mayor Buttigiegâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spokesman, said voters are still getting acquainted with the mayor, who in August became the first 2020 Democratic candidate to hire a faith outreach director. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pete is focused on meeting folks where they are,â&#x20AC;? Mr. Meagher said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It just means quantity of time and spending time with folks and making sure that heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s listening to their concerns and that theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re hearing his plans and his policies and his values.â&#x20AC;?

Besides his overt expressions of his faith, Mayor Buttigieg also has offered a broad policy agenda for AfricanAmericans and has been outspoken on the issue of race. But Darby he consistently polls in the low single digits among black voters.

At 37, Mayor Buttigieg has acknowledged he has ground to make up in terms of making his case to African-American voters in South Carolina, where he attended a Black Economic Alliance forum this summer. In mid-August, he sat for an interview with black church leaders in Atlanta. He later returned to South Carolina for a series of town halls and to attend an A.M.E. church service.

His marriage didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come up directly at the Atlanta event, but Mayor Buttigieg drew audible murmurs when he casually mentioned his husband. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m married to a teacher, and heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a proud teacher,â&#x20AC;?

Mayor Buttigieg said during an answer to a question about student debt.

With five months until South Carolinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vote, Mayor Buttigieg, like many others in the field, is still working to introduce himself to the electorate.

But in some corners of South Carolinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s faith community, according to Rev. Darby, first impressions may have already hampered Mayor Buttigiegâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on-the-ground debut efforts.

Jon Black, an A.M.E. pastor along South Carolinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coast in Bluffton, said that he presumes the church will ultimately move past any divisions over homosexuality and same-sex marriage, as it did previously with divorce.

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tion of sexuality and what many of them agreed should be 2020â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top imperative.

In some circles of faith, LaVelle Pitts said, relying on biblical crutches like the story of Sodom and Gomorrah as a condemnation of homosexuality can be convenient, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not the full story. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Am I my brotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s keeper?

Of course I am,â&#x20AC;? the 52-yearold said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still a person.

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Your oldest daughter DeAndra, graduated from High School and your youngest daughter Keyona, from Middle School â&#x20AC;Ś this was a joyous and busy year!

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{ MAC 2019

Smith, the prevailing sentiment should fall on the side of love and wanting someone to feel whole. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Regardless of the topic, the church is supposed to be a helping and a healing voice,â&#x20AC;? Ms. Smith said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t accept the sin, but you love the person. ...

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If his politics are on target, I have no problem voting for him. ... If you judge him, you may find yourself in that same situation.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;You have to completely love them more than you love yourself,â&#x20AC;? agreed Vanessa Young, a 24-year-old small business owner. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think that we just need to love them a little.â&#x20AC;?

Even when faith and sexuality seem in conflict, said Feliccia

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Meg Kinnard/Associated Press

Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Ind., speaks June 22 at the South Carolina Democratic Party state Convention in Columbia, S.C.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;If we can get in a time machine and go down the road 25 years, I think the issue would be resolved,â&#x20AC;? Rev. Black said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It may take us 25 years to make that turn, but weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always supported the disinherited, disenfranchised. ... Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got to stand with those people who may be the most threatened.â&#x20AC;?

The church as a whole may not make that change anytime soon, but Rev. Black said he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel that the issue of Mayor Buttigiegâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sexuality would override his support if his policy positions prove strong. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If it gets down to two or three candidates and one happens to be gay, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think that would be a problem for black communities,â&#x20AC;? Rev. Black said.

The attempt to square a willingness to hear all candidates out with a faith-based attitude toward issues of homosexuality is surfacing in conversations in some church communities.

Seated in a basement fellowship hall last month as Wednesday night services boomed in the sanctuary above, several members of Nicholtown Missionary Baptist Church in Greenville, S.C., mulled over the intersec-

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Thirty-first Street Baptist Church

C

e with Reverence elevanc R g in Dr. Alvin Campbell, Interim Pastor bin â?&#x2013; om

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Richmond Free Press

B6 September 5-7, 2019

Legal Notices/Employment Opportunities Divorce VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER JOSEPH TOTH, Plaintiff v.

KAREEN TOTH, Defendant.

Case No.: CL19002418-00 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, who is a nonresident, appear here on or before the 18th day of October, 2019 at 9:00 AM, and protect her interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure, Esquire VSB# 27724 Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER VIOLET DUNCAN-HILL, Plaintiff v.

CHRISTOPHER HILL, Defendant.

Case No.: CL19002422-00 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 18th day of October, 2019 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, Plaintiffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER TILDA LEWIS, Plaintiff v.

JAMES CHALKLEY, Defendant.

Case No.: CL18000876-00 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, who is a nonresident, appear here on or before the 18th day of October, 2019 at 9:00 AM, and protect his interests.

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

Continued from previous column

Continued from previous column

Continued from previous column

Continued from previous column

It is ORDERED that Oneil Anthony Allman appear at the above-named court and protect his/her interests on or before the 10th day of October, 2019.

A Copy Teste: EDWARD F. JEWETT, Clerk

PAUL WESLEY BRINSER, JR, ALLYSON L. BRINSON, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before OCTOBER 10, 2019 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter.

An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7940

taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner of record, Antoine E. Green.

An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, ANTOINE E. GREEN, who is not a resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia, has not been located and has not filed a response to this action; that UNITED FIRST INVESTORS, INC, an entity purged from the records of the Virginia State Corporation Commission, Beneficiary on a Deed of Trust filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Deed Book 567 page 963 on July 21, 1980, has not been located and has not filed a response to this action; and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Parties Unknown.â&#x20AC;?

IT IS ORDERED that ANTOINE E. GREEN, UNITED FIRST INVESTORS, INC, an entity purged from the records of the Virginia State Corporation Commission, Beneficiary on a Deed of Trust filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Deed Book 567 page 963 on July 21, 1980, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before OCTOBER 31, 2019 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter.

An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7940

assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Parties Unknown.â&#x20AC;?

IT IS ORDERED that MICHELLE D. BUSSELL, JAMES R. ELLIS, WITTSTADT TITLE AND E S CR O W C O M PA N Y, LLC, cancelled Virginia Corporation, Trustee per Deed of Appointment of Substitute Trustee, filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Instrument Number 12-19858 on October 5, 2012, PNC BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, a corporation withdrawn from the records of the Virginia State Corporation Commission, Beneficiary of a Corporate Assignment of Deed of Trust filed at Instrument Number 1218355 on September 17, 2012, WALTER L. HOOKER, PC, a terminated Virginia Corporation, Trustee of a Deed of Trust filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Instrument Number 00-26076 on November 2, 2000, JUDSON W. COLLIER, Registered Agent for JUDSON W. COLLIER, JR, PC, Trustee of a Deed of Trust filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Instrument Number 0026076 on November 2, 2000, LINWOOD L. DAVIS, Beneficiary of a Deed of Trust filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Instrument Number 00-26076 on November 2, 2000, SPECIALIZED, INC, a purged Virginia corporation, Trustee of a Credit Line Deed of Trust filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Instrument Number 0410834 on April 6, 2004, GE CAPITAL CONSUMER CARD CO, a purged Virginia corporation, Beneficiary of a Credit Line Deed of Trust filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Instrument Number 04-10834 on April 6, 2004, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before OCTOBER 31, 2019 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter.

An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7940

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER AMY POE-PHILLIPS, Plaintiff v.

TEROND TAYLOR, Defendant.

Case No.: CL19002269-00 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 26th day of September, 2019 at 9:00 AM, and protect his interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: The Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667

Property VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v.

CHERYL T. CARTER, et al, Defendants.

Case No.: CL19-2585 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 1709 Everett Street, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map Number S0000235/018, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner of record, Cheryl T. Carter.

An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, CHERYL T. CARTER, who has been served by posting and by mailing a copy of the complaint to her last known address, has not been personally located and has not filed a response to this action, and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Parties Unknown.â&#x20AC;?

IT IS ORDERED that CHERYL T. CARTER, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before OCTOBER 31, 2019 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter.

An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7940

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE CITY OF Richmond Portia Chiffon (Roberson) Allman, Plaintiff v.

Oneil Anthony Allman, Defendant.

Case No.: CL19-3900-3 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to: Obtain a divorce a vincullo matrimonii or from the bonds of matrimony.

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

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v.

WELLS FARGO BANK, NA, TRUSTEE, et al, Defendants.

Case No.: CL19-1772 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 1814 Boston Avenue, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map Number S0000342/001, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owners of record, Wells Fargo Bank, NA fka Wachovia Bank, NA, Dorothy B. Williams, upon information and belief deceased, Paul Wesley Brinser, Jr., Mary Anne B. Newsome, Allyson L. Brinson, and Lydia Abrams Grady.

An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, DOROTHY B. WILLIAMS, upon information and belief deceased, or her heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in interest, have not been located and have not filed a response to this action; that said own, PAUL WESLEY BRINSER, JR, who has been served by posting and by mailing a copy of the complaint to his last known address, has not been personally located and has not filed a response to this action; that said owner, ALLYSON L. BRINSON, has not been located and has not filed a response to this action; and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Parties Unknown.â&#x20AC;?

IT IS ORDERED that DOROTHY B. WILLIAMS, upon information and belief deceased, or her heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in interest,

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VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER TANâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ISE VAUTERS, Plaintiff v.

SIDDEEQ MUMIN, Defendant.

Case No.: CL19002340-00 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 of October, 2019 at 9:00 AM, and protect his interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: The Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v.

DIANA METZGER BROOKE, et al, Defendants.

Case No. : CL19-1356 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 3620 Ironbridge Road, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map Number C008-1065/004, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner of record, Diana Metzger Brooke.

An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, DIANA METZGER BROOKE, who is not a resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia, has not filed a response to this action, and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/ or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Parties Unknown.â&#x20AC;?

IT IS ORDERED that DIANA METZGER BROOKE, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before OCTOBER 31, 2019 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter.

An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7940

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v.

ANTOINE E. GREEN, et al, Defendants.

Case No.: CL18-4804 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 4324 Ferguson Lane, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map Number C0080430/024, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v.

MICHELLE D. BUSSELL, et al, Defendants.

Case No.: CL19-1355 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 2008 Ingram Avenue, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map Number S0000861/006, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owners of record, Michelle D. Bussell and James R. Ellis.

An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, MICHELLE D. BUSSELL, who has been served by posting and by mailing a copy of the complaint to her last known address, has not been personally located and has not filed a response to this action; that said owner, JAMES R. ELLIS, has not been personally located and has not filed a response to this action; that WITTSTADT TITLE AND ESCROW COMPANY, LLC, cancelled Virginia Corporation, Trustee per Deed of Appointment of Substitute Trustee, filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Instrument Number 1219858 on October 5, 2012, has not been located and has not filed a response to this action; that PNC BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, a corporation withdrawn from the records of the Virginia State Corporation Commission, Beneficiary of a Corporate Assignment of Deed of Trust filed at Instrument Number 1218355 on September 17, 2012, has not been located and has not filed a response to this action; that WALTER L. HOOKER, PC, a terminated Vi r g i n i a C o r p o r a t i o n , Trustee of a Deed of Trust filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Instrument Number 0026076 on November 2, 2000, has not been located and has not filed a response to this action; that JUDSON W. COLLIER, Registered Agent for JUDSON W. COLLIER, JR, PC, Trustee of a Deed of Trust filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Instrument Number 00-26076 on November 2, 2000, who has been served by posting and by mailing a copy of the complaint to his last known address, has not been personally located and has not filed a response to this action; that LINWOOD L. DAVIS, Beneficiary of a Deed of Trust filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Instrument Number 00-26076 on November 2, 2000, who has been served by posting and by mailing a copy of the complaint to his last known address, has not been personally located and has not filed a response to this action; that SPECIALIZED, INC, a purged Virginia corporation, Trustee of a Credit Line Deed of Trust filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Instrument Number 0410834 on April 6, 2004, has not been located and has not filed a response to this action; that GE C A P I TA L C O N S U M E R CARD CO, a purged Virginia corporation, Beneficiary of a Credit Line Deed of Trust filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Instrument Number 0410834 on April 6, 2004, has not been located and has not filed a response to this action; and that any heirs, devisees,

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VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v.

WORD OF LIFE CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES, et al, Defendants.

Case No.: CL19-1761 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 1718 Everett Street, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map Number S0000234/011, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owners of record, Word of Life Christian Ministries.

An Affidavit having been filed that WAYNE DIXON, PASTOR, WORD OF LIFE CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES, who has been served by posting and by mailing a copy of the complaint to his last known address, has not been personally located and has not filed a response to this action; that LEONARD LAMBERT, upon information and belief deceased, TRUSTEE of a Deed of Trust filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Instrument Number 06-22914 on July 6, 2006, or his successor/s in title, have not been located and have not filed a response to this action; and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Parties Unknown.â&#x20AC;?

IT IS ORDERED t h a t WAY N E D I X O N , PASTOR, WORD OF LIFE CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES, LEONARD LAMBERT, upon information and belief deceased, TRUSTEE of a Deed of Trust filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Instrument Number 06-22914 on July 6, 2006, or his successor/s in title, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before OCTOBER 31, 2019 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter.

An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7940

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v.

SEKLAW ENTERPRISES, LLC, et al, Defendants.

Case No.: CL19-3195 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 1816 North 30th Street, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map Number E0000952/012, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner of record, Seklaw Enterprises, LLC.

An Affidavit having been filed that TIMOTHY WALKES, Registered Agent for SEKLAW ENTERPRISES, LLC, who has been served by posting and by mailing a copy of the complaint to his last known address, has not been personally located and has not filed a response to this action; that STUART L. WILLIAMS, Trustee of a Deed of Trust filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Instrument Number 0741047 on December 21, 2007, has not been located and has not filed a response to this action; that NANCY ANN ROGERS, Trustee of a Deed of Trust filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Instrument Number 07-41047 on December 21, 2007, who has been served by posting and by mailing a copy of the complaint to her last known address, has not been personally located and has not filed a response to this action; and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Parties Unknown.â&#x20AC;?

IT IS ORDERED that that TIMOTHY WALKES, Registered Agent for SEKLAW ENTERPRISES, LLC, STUART L. WILLIAMS, Trustee of a Deed of Trust filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Instrument Number 07-41047 on December 21, 2007, NANCY ANN ROGERS, Trustee of a Deed of Trust filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Instrument Number 07-41047 on December 21, 2007, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before OCTOBER 31, 2019 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter.

An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7940 Continued on next column

Skanska USA Building Inc. is hosting a subcontractor and SWaM outreach and information session for the following project: UVA Alderman Library Project; scheduled for construction start in 2020 Event date and time: October 1, 3:30-6:00; Light Snacks will be served Event Location: Zehmer Hall Conference Center 104 Midmont Lane, Charlottesville, VA 22904 Please register at following link: www.skanskauvaaldermanproject1.eventbrite.com For event information, please contact: Carrol.Farrier@Skanska.com for more information.

The City of Richmond announces the following project(s) available for services relating to: RFP No. 200000050 Richmond City Council Efficiency Study Due Date: Thursday, September 19, 2019 @ 3:00 P.M. Receipt Location: 900 East Broad Street, Room 1104, 11th Floor, Richmond, VA 23219 Questions regarding RFP shall be submitted no later than Monday, September 9, 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) 646-5722 or faxed (804) 6465989. The City of Richmond encourages all contractors to participate in the procurement process.

For reference purposes, documents may be examined at the above location.

Assisted Living Facility accepting applications for the following positions: Experience Licensed Medication Aide, Part-time Housekeeper, CNA or PCA Please provide a current TB report when applying.

All references will be checked.

Good pay â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Good days oďŹ&#x20AC;.

Call for appointment (804) 222-5133

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.

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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.

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Director of Building Inspection Chester�ieldCounty,Virginia(RichmondMetro area) is seeking a dynamic and visionary leader who works effectively and collaboratively with Building Inspection staff as well as other county departments, governmental agencies, elected of�icials and citizens of the county.

To view the recruitment pro�ile and application instructions, please visit www.chester�ield.gov. The deadline to apply is September 20, 2019, at 5 p.m. https://www.chester�ield.gov/DocumentCenter/ View/11826/Recruitment-Pro�ile---Director-ofBuilding-Inspection

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