Three months ago, the Richmond School Board was told that the school system had enough Chromebooks to provide every student with a laptop “for years to come.” Now the board is being advised that Superintendent Jason Kamras’ administration plans to buy at least 4,000 more Chrome books using a newly awarded federal grant. The board, according to its policy manual, still must vote to accept the grant. Behind the scenes, some are now questioning the proposed use of the $1.45 million the Federal Communications Commission is providing Richmond’s school system through its Emergency Connectivity Fund, created to aid schools and libraries to pay for needed technology to support virtual learning. Among them is the board’s vice chair, Jonathan Young, 4th District, who expressed concern about adding to the store of Chromebooks that are sitting unused. He questioned devoting all the funds to that purchase, when grants from the fund can be used to meet a host of technology needs, such as strengthening broadband service to student homes or ensuring better access to wireless service. In his view, the administration’s focus on buying more lap tops appears to represent a disregard for “good stewardship of taxpayer dollars.” In response to a Free Press query, RPS spokesman Matthew By Jeremy M. Lazarus
By Michael Goldberg The Associated Press
By Holly Rodriguez The Standards of Learning low test scores recently reported for Richmond Public Schools can partially be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. But for RPS, the abysmal results point to a larger systemic problem that will require an overhaul and change in approach across the district to improve. Under the best of circumstances, results will take up to a decade, according to Dr. Gabriel Reich, a professor at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Education. Dr. Reich has researched how students reason when answering standardized test questions and school reform efforts in inner cities.“One thing the tests tell us is literacy rates, and our students in RPS are lagging be hind other districts, for sure,” he said. Dr. Reich pointed to a number of factors beyond the class room that are likely contributing to the low scores — and problems that have plagued inner-city populations long before the pandemic, such as housing insecurity and lack of health care.
By Jeremy M. Lazarus
One topic is conspicuously absent from the current tour of Virginia’s historic governor’s mansion — slavery. The Executive Mansion that dates to 1813 reopened to visitors Friday for the first time since the pandemic began, with guides focusing on a wide-ranging variety of 47 pieces of art now decorating the first floor as well as the silver and rugs. But there was no longer any mention of the enslaved people who lived and worked in the mansion located on the grounds of the State Capitol before freedom came when Union forces captured the Confederate’s capital city at the end of the Civil War in 1865. Nor were visitors escorted to a small brick building on the side of the mansion where those workers lived, cooked and did the laundry during the first 50 years, according to VPM News, which broke the story. The new Republican occupants, Glenn A. Young, wife Su
Slavery out in tours of Gov. Mansion men, women and children
Executive Mansion
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“How many students have undiagnosed eye care needs, for example?” he said. “Richmond has one of the highest eviction rates in the country — how many students face housing insecurity?”
Coming home, giving back B3
Free Press © 2022 Paradigm Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.FRee FRee Please turn to A4 Please turn to A4 Please turn to A4 VOL. 31 NO. 37 RICHMOND, VIRGINIA www.richmondfreepress.com SEPTEMBER 8-10, 2022 Meet this Personalityweek’s B1
Laptop overload Richmond
Scientists say ‘no’
Spann Elementary School principal Lori G. Torrey, below, leads a group of children to their parent’s cars following a full day of in-school learning after having to again undertake virtual learning classes due to the city’s water issues that forced Jackson Public Schools to close for several days. Santonia Matthews, left, a custodian at Forest Hill High School in Jackson, Miss., hauls away a trash can filled with water from a tanker in the school’s parking lot on Aug. 31. The tanker is one of two placed strategically in the city to provide residents non-potable water. The recent flood worsened Jackson’s long-standing water system problems and the state Health Department has had Mississippi’s capital city under a boil-water notice since late July.
But scientists say “no.” They predict the scourge that’s already lasted longer than the 1918 flu pandemic will linger far into the future.
Free community testing for COVID-19 continues. The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following locations: • Thursday, Sept. 8 & Sept. 15 , 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. - Fulton Neighborhood Resource Center, 1519 Williamsburg Road. • Wednesday, Sept. 14, 8 to 10 a.m. - East Henrico Recreation Center, 1440 N. Laburnum Ave. Call the Richmond and Henrico COVID-19 Hotline at (804) 205-3501 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday for more information on testing sites, or go online at Thevax.rchd.com.VirginiaDepartment of Health also has a list of COVID-19 testing locations around the state at testing-sites.covid-19-testing/covid-19-virginia.gov/coronavirus/www.vdh.
By Laura Ungar The Associated Press
Invisible
Free Press Swim like a champ
Students return to campus amid water crisis in Mississippi
thousands of unused Chromebooks, RPS
JACKSON, Miss. While its water crisis continued, students in Mississippi’s capital re turned to class for the first time in a week Tuesday with assurances that the toilets and sinks in their buildings would finally work. Jackson remained under a boil water advisory, but the drop in water pressure that had brought the system to near collapse appeared to be resolved, officials said. Sherwin Johnson, a spokesperson for Jackson Public Schools, con firmed in a statement to The Associated Press on Tuesday, Sept. 6, that schools had re-opened after a drop in water pressure forced a move to virtual instruction. A line of cars snaked around the block in front of Spann Elementary Rogelio V. Solis/Associated turn to A4
Mr. Kamras Please turn to Please turn to A4 Freevaccinestesting,COVID-19
ReginamoreH.Boone/Richmond
Is COVID-19 winding down?
KALAMAzOO, Mich. New booster shots are here and social distancing guide lines are easy but COVID-19 infections aren’t going away anytime soon, experts say. They predict the scourge that’s already lasted longer than the 1918 flu pandemic will linger far into theIsfuture.the coronavirus on its wayYouout?might think so. New, up dated booster shots are being rolled out to better protect against the variants circulat ing now. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has dropped COVID-19 quar antine and distancing recom mendations. And more people have thrown off their masks and returned to pre-pandemic activities.
Pfizer via Associated Press File Photo
Loretta Lawrence and her grandson, Khalif Fitch, 5, enjoyed some Labor Day splashes Monday at Battery Park Pool on Richmond’s North Side.
Despite plans to buy 4,000
Press Please
One reason it’s lasted this long? It’s gotten better and better at getting around immu nity from vaccination and past
This August 2022 photo provided by Pfizer shows vials of the company’s updated COVID-19 vaccine during production in Kalamazoo, Mich. New booster shots are here and social distancing guidelines are easy but COVID-19 infections aren’t going away anytime soon, experts say. They predict the scourge that’s already lasted longer than the 1918 flu pandemic will linger far into the future.
SOL scores show symptom of larger problem
In addition to these familiar factors that negatively impact student performance outside the classroom, the national trend of teacher shortages is impacting students in the classroom as many leave the profes sion, Dr. Reich said. A focus on hiring and keeping teachers is one problem impacting students that districts can, and should, work to immediately resolve.
Ranked-choice voting — aimed at ensuring that election winners have ma jority support — has been booted from Richmond.Treating the proposal as if it were radioactive, six members of City Council Monday voted to kill a plan to use the system for the first time in the 2024 elec tions for the nine members of the city’s governing body — the only contest that a new state law allows it to be used. Objections ranged from the certainty Richmond voters could never understand the change to assertions that this new sys tem would only build on Richmond long history of suppressing the Black vote. Used in New York, San Francisco and other major cities, ranked-choice voting allows voters to determine their order of preference when there are multiple people running for an office. If no one wins 50.1 percent of the vote on the first ballot, the candidate with the lowest vote total is dropped and the secondplace votes of that person’s supporters are distributed to the remaining candidates.
Group
The system has been under discussion since 2013, the Free Press was told, and has become possible with a federally funded effort to create “intelligent” traffic lights that are linked to a a computerized controlAccordingcenter.to Public Works, about 400 intersections with traffic lights have already been linked to a central traffic control computer, with a current project underway to link traffic lights at 55 additional inter sections. Expected to be completed next year, this development will mean that 95 percent of the 480 city intersections with traffic lights would be converted, with the remaining 25 intersections expected to be integrated into the traffic control center within a year or two after that.
“The Virginia Press Foundation’s mission is to provide training and resources for student journalists,” Anne Adams, president of the nonprofit’s board, stated in the announcement. “This scholarship fits directly with our mission and helps students further their education in our incredibly important field.”
According to the Virginia Press Foundation, the one-time scholarships named for her will be available to any Virginia high school graduate pursuing a degree in journalism or com munications at a four-year college or university in the state. The new Jenkins fund will begin accepting student applications in December, with the first awards to be made for the 2023-24 school year, according to the announcement. The scholarship fund is currently accepting donations.
Fourth District Councilwoman Kristen Nye, who was lukewarm to ranked-choice voting, objected to outright killing it. She said she wanted the conversation about the proposal to continue. She joined Ms. Jordan and Ms. Lynch in futilely opposing Dr. Jones’ motion to strike the proposed ordinance from council’s agenda.
The 2022-23 capital budget indicated that Richmond now had the funding to continue linking traffic lights at additional intersections into the system.
The City of Richmond has unveiled its pos sible design plans for the former site of the Robert E. Lee statue on Monument Avenue. The controversial statue was removed one year ago after the Virginia Supreme Court ruled 7-0 that “values change and public policy changes, too” in a democracy. The site frequently is referred to as the Marcus David Peters Circle by some community activists since the summer of 2020 following the deaths of George Floyd and other Black people who died at the hands of law enforcement. The city’s Urban Design Committee will review temporary plans that include removing the fenc ing and concrete graffiti barriers and installing landscaping that could cost up to $100,000.
The process continues until the person with more than half the votes is determined. Under the current system, the person with the most votes wins, even if that is less than a majority.
“Kill it,” Ms. Trammell urged, after claiming her constituents first wanted the system used in the mayor’s race.
Council defeats proposal to change how Richmonders vote in elections
Mr. Decker
Local News A2 September 8-10, 2022 Richmond Free Press
Mr. Addison said he found the NAACP’s arguments persuasive as he switched sides to support killing the proposal. He said Richmond’s should first take a leading role in pushing for restoration of felon rights before considering ranked-choice voting.The majority also included Council President Cynthia I. Newbille, 7th District, and Ann-Frances Lambert, 3rd District.
She endorsed the view of Richmond NAACP President James E. “J.J.” Minor III and Vice President Sandra Antoine that voter suppression continues today, particularly with the failure of the state legislature to approve automatic restoration of rights for people released from prison, even though most of those released do get their rights restored through an administra tive process. “I will never support” this change, Ms. Robertson said.
According to the City, this is not the final plan for the “Reimagine Monument Avenue” project. A meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 8, convened by the Urban Design Committee, to discuss plans. The Richmond Planning Commis sion’s final vote is scheduled Sept. 19. Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press
As in the neighboring counties, fire trucks are the priority.
By Jeremy M. Lazarus
“The Fire Department is looking into that,” Officer Leavy stated. “If it works for them and lessens accidents with public safety vehicles, then I’d be all for it.”
Current systems like those in the counties mount infrared beams in vehicles which transmit to receivers on traffic lights that enable the lights to change. The new system is expected to be faster as lights could be changed along the route before the vehicle Accordingarrives.toinformation budget book, once the system goes live, it is expected to improve emergency response times and increase safety. The real question mark is whether the system will go live anytime soon.
Charlottesville Delegate Sally Hudson, who had pushed the legislation and at tended the meeting virtually, agreed that ranked-choice voting should have wider application. However, Delegate Hudson said ma jorities in the General Assembly would only approve ranked-choice voting for city councils and county boards of su pervisors.Council Vice President Ellen F. Rob ertson, 6th District, was incensed that the governing body was considering this election change after failing to earmark $10 million a year in city funds to support affordable housing and deal with other challenging issues.
Inmates being released from the Richmond City Justice Center will leave with free health insurance, Sheriff Antionette V. Irving announced Wednesday. Sheriff Irving stated the city’s jail has partnered with Parks Insurance Agency on the program to provide the coverage through the Blue Essentials program of Blue Cross Blue Shield. The insurance is dubbed GIFT, which stands for Giving Insurance Freely for Transition, she continued. “The program has been established to provide our returning citizens, as well as people in the community, the benefit of premium health care,” Sheriff Irving continued, adding that she regards health care as “fundamental human right.” She stated the insurance plan offers free or low-cost benefits “to those who need it most.” She did not include any examples of what the plan offers in the announcement. However, the program fits with initiatives the sheriff has been undertaking, including having the justice center serve as a monthly food distribution point.
By Jeremy M. Lazarus
By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Free insurance for released inmates
Dr. Jones said that tearing down the existing barriers to voting in Richmond should come first. He also said he could not support ranked-choice voting until it applied to all elected city offices.
When lights and sirens are activated, drivers of fire trucks and ambulances in Chesterfield and Henrico counties have equipment that can turn traffic lights from red to green as they respond to emergencies.Thebottom line: Safer and smoother travel on congested streets, say officials in both counties, which began making the equipment standard in 2000. Not so in Richmond, which has far more traffic lights and more emergency calls. Chip Decker, chief executive officer of the Richmond Ambulance Authority, has been advocating for a traffic pre-emption system for emergency vehicles every since he took charge in 2009. As a result, first responder vehicles often must wait behind idling vehicles for a light to change during busy travel times, and even when a lane is clear, it can be stop-and-go as state law requires all emergency vehicles to pause at red lights to ensure intersections are clear beforeThatproceeding.mightchange.
Stop and stay
Correction Dr. Steve D. Bisese was incorrectly identified in the Sept. 1-3 edition of the Richmond Free Press in an article about Dr. Tinina Cade. Dr. Bisese is vice president for student develop ment at the University of Richmond. The Richmond Free Press regrets the error.
As in Richmond, neither Chesterfield nor Henrico equip police cruisers with the infra-red equipment to change lights. Henrico does equip some motorcycles with the equipment for use in escorting funeral processions, parades and similar traffic-clogging operations. Richmond police officer Brendan Leavy, president of the Richmond Coalition of Police, said his organization is taking a wait-and-see approach on having AVL equipment in city police cars.
Sierra Jenkins
Reporter Sierra Jenkins, who was shot and killed in March while leaving a Norfolk pizza restaurant, will live on in a col lege scholarship for future journalists. The Virginia Press Foundation, the charitable arm of the Virginia Press Association, has announced the creation of the Sierra Jenkins Scholarship Fund in partnership with the Hampton Roads Community Foundation. At the time of her death, Ms. Jenkins, 25, was an education reporter for the Nor folk Virginian-Pilot and the Newport News Daily Press. During her brief career, she also worked for CNN and Atlanta Magazine. “Sierra was all the things you look for in a journalist — curious, energetic, smart, driven,” said Kris Worrell, editor of The Virginian-Pilot and The Daily Press and a VPA and VPF board member. “She loved being an education re porter for her hometown newspaper, and people trusted her.”
Second District Councilwoman Kather ine Jordan had spearheaded the proposal she believed would create fairer elections and more civil discourse in campaigns but could only muster initial support from two other members, Andreas D. Addison,
Plan linking city traffic lights with regional emergency vehicle system stalled
Scholarship established for slain journalist
World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War veterans in the Richmond area are being sought for a free trip to visit the war memorials of Washington, D.C., courtesy of Old Dominion Honor Flight. The trip is free for qualifying veterans, with breakfast, lunch and dinner provided along with an ODHF shirt and jacket. Each veteran will be accompanied by a guardian who will be their personal escort for the day. Veterans who qualify will be able to visit the National Museum of the Marine Corps, the World War II Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and Arlington National Cemetery for the Changing of the Guard Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Two buses will be available for Richmond-area veterans, with space for 20 to 25 veterans and 20 to 25 guardians on each one. World War II veterans will be given seating and spaceRichmondpriority.buses will depart Thursday, Oct. 22 at American Legion Post 175 at 8700 Bell Creek Rd. in Mechanicsville. Veterans are asked to arrive at Post 175 by 6:30 a.m. and will return to Post 175 at approximately 9:00 p.m. Those interested in applying for the trip or supporting ODHF’s work can call them at 877-261-3430, visit www.old dominionhonorflight.org or send an e-mail to info@olddomin ionhonorflight.org.
1st District, and Stephanie A. Lynch, 5th District.TheRichmond Crusade for Voters, the League of Women Voters and the Sierra Club’s Falls of the James Chapter supported the ranked-choice voting, but the Richmond Branch of the NAACP adamantly opposed theEighthproposal.District Councilwoman Reva M. Trammell and 9th District Councilman Michael J. Jones objected to the limits in the law that block the use of ranked-choice voting in elections for the mayor and the members of the School Board.
City officials as well as members of City Council have not responded to queries about the project whose funding is to pay for software and AVL equipment. Mr. Decker said he had participated in discussions on this system, but was unaware it was included in last year’s capital budget. He expressed disappointment that the wording in the budget book did not explicitly reference ambulances or police cars and that RAA has not received any informa tion on the status of the states,theWhenproject.complete,budgetbookthesystem would create computer links between the traffic lights, GRTC’s AVL system and the Richmond Fire Department’s central AVLThissystem.would be a “next generation” sys tem that could identify the location of AVL vehicles and based on their location, plot a best route and pre-empt traffic lights on that route during emergency responses.
Cityscape
Ms. Robertson also sought to connect the proposal to what she called “Rich mond’s nasty history” of suppressing votes, particularly 53 years ago when it annexed part of Chesterfield County to prevent a Black majority from taking control of city government, resulting in court-ordered creation of Richmond’s district system.
HRCF President Deborah DiCroce said the scholarship fund that the organization will administer “will keep Sierra’s memory and passion alive by supporting students who believe in the power of journalism to inform, enlighten and inspire, as she did.” For more information, visit scholarship-established-in-memory-of-norfolk-journalist/https://www.vpa.net/articles/ Ms. Jenkins announces bus trip for veterans to visit memorialsnational
Slices of life and scenes in Richmond
City Hall is planning to link into a federally funded Smart Cities initiative that is designed integrate the city’s traffic lights with a regional automated vehicle location (AVL) systems that will change traffic lights for emergency vehicles, buses and other public vehicles equipped withTheAVL.project was listed in the 2021-22 capital budget and was supposed to be sup ported with $1.7 million in federal funds, though as yet there is no public sign that the project is advancing.
By George Copeland Jr.
Richmond Free Press September 8-10, 2022 A3 P:312.297.9600MECHANICAL APPROVALCLIENT Comcast FILE NAME: CMCHB22005M10_11x21_HBCU-Black-Experience-Ad_v01.indd HBCUs are more than a place for higher education They are a legacy, a place you become your true self and where past generations upli you to your destiny. It's your family's history and your community’s future. It's your HBCU. X nity recognizes the legacy, harmony, necessity, and impact of HBCUs. And as the world changes, the more we must remain connected to the culture. Just say, "Black Experience," into your X nity Voice Remote to experience more HBCU. Visit x nity.com/blackexperience to learn more. Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas. Requires X nity TV with X1 and compatible TV box or X nity Flex and X nity Internet. ©2022 Comcast. All Rights Reserved. T:11" T:21"
Stanley stated, “as with all technology, there a life cycle, and we will have to replenish the Chromebooks over time. “We will wait as long as possible to purchase new Chromebooks using this funding and have until December 2023 to do so,” Mr. Stanley added. Chromebooks have been a sore subject for RPS in the wake of a scathing audit issued in June. The audit found nearly 11,000 laptops had never been properly recorded in in ventory and could not be located, and at least 1,700 more had walked away with students who left the school system. According to the internal audit, Rich mond has purchased more than 44,000 Chromebooks since 2019, with the largest number, nearly 37,000, purchased since March 2020 when the pandemic struck and schools went virtual for two years. Since March 2020, RPS paid $12.6 million — or $362 per laptop — to its technology vendor, Technology Integration Group (TIG), for the laptops and other costs associated with linking students to the school division’s virtual classrooms. Aside from about 6,300 laptops that were provided to staff and school computer labs, the Chromebooks acquired since 2020 were purchased to be distributed to students from pre-K to 12th grade, according to June report to the board.
News A4 September 8-10, 2022 Richmond Free Press Continued from A1 Continued from A1 Free COVID-19 vaccines
VaccineFinder.org and vaccines.gov also allow people to find nearby pharmacies and clinics that offer the COVID-19 vaccine and booster. Those who are getting a booster shot should bring their vaccine card to confirm the date and type of vaccine received. RHHD also offers at-home vaccinations by calling (804) 205-3501 to schedule appointments. New COVID-19 boosters, updated to better protect against the latest variants of the virus, are now being shipped across the United States following approval on the federal level last week. The new Pfizer booster is approved for those age 12 and up, while the new Moderna booster is for those age 18 andAsolder.with previous COVID-19 boosters, the new doses can only be received after an initial two vaccine shots, and those who qualify are instructed to wait at least two months after their second COVID-19 vaccine. New COVID-19 cases in Virginia dropped by three percent, according to the Virginia Department of Health, while data from the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association showed hospitalizations statewide rose by 2 percent. The city of Richmond and the counties of Chesterfield, Henrico and Hanover have dropped to medium levels of community COVID-19. A total of 1,826 new cases of COVID-19 were reported statewide Wednesday for the 24-hour period, contributing to an overall state total of 2,054,230 cases in Virginia since the pandemic’s outbreak. As of Wednesday, there have been 454,442 hospitalizations and 21,529 deaths statewide. The state’s seven-day positivity rate dropped to 19.5 percent on Wednesday. Last week, the positivity rate was 21.1 percent. On Wednesday, state health officials reported that 72.5 percent of the state’s population has been fully vaccinated, while 82.6 percent have received at least one dose of the vaccine.Statedata also showed that over 3.7 million people in Virginia have received booster shots or third doses of the vaccine. Among ages 5 to 11 in Virginia, 335,076 have received their first shots as of Wednesday, accounting for 46.2 percent of the age group in the state, while 291,392 children, or 40.2 percent, are fully vaccinated and 48,581 children have received a third vaccine dose or booster, making up 6.7 percent of that ageOngroup.Wednesday, 42,881 children from the ages of zero to four have received the first doses, making up 9.4 percent of the population in Virginia, while 26,338 are fully vaccinated, or 5.8 percent of the population. As of Wednesday, fewer than 172,000 cases, 1,032 hospitalizations and 15 deaths have been recorded among children in the state. State data also shows that African-Americans comprised 22.1 percent of cases statewide and 22.9 percent of deaths for which ethnic and racial data is available, while Latinos made up 11.2 percent of cases and 4.9 percent of deaths. Reported COVID-19 data as of Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022 Cases Hospitalizations Deaths Richmond 55,872 1,191 533 Henrico County 80,625 1,598 1,000 Chesterfield County 89,675 1,635 805 Hanover County 25,793 763 314 zanne and their children, have made a uturn on the effort to tell a more complete story about one of the oldest governor’s residences in the country. Before moving in, documents indicate the Youngkins considered turning the en slaved workers’ quarters into an exercise room or yoga studio or a hangout for their teens, but dropped that idea and have apparently left the building empty, VPM noted in its report. Mrs. Youngkin said the committee that oversees the mansion’s décor is considering creating a virtual tour of the house and grounds that would include thatUnderbuilding.Gov. Youngkin’s most recent Democratic predecessors, the mansion had begun the process of joining Maymont, Monticello and other historic residences in Virginia and across the country in in corporating into tours information about those who labored unnoticed.
“We are moving those resources to our other water distribution mega-sites,” Gov. Reeves said. “Those sites have slowed down in demand a bit, but we have still put out about 5 million bottles of water over the last several days.” Soon after water stopped flowing through the pipes of many households throughout Jackson, officials rolled a tanker into For est Hill’s parking lot for water distribution. Santiago Matthews, a maintenance worker for the high school, had a garbage container filled to the brim with water last week to fill toilets for the staff working inside. He hauled the garbage container up a short incline back to the high school with water sloshing over the sides. Gov. Reeves said Monday that the city had “zero water tanks at low levels.” He also said repairs resulting in cleaner water do not eliminate every risk. “There may be more bad days in the future,” Gov. Reeves said. Liz Oviede, a student at Delta Technical College, picked up her 10-year-old brother Tuesday so her mother wouldn’t have to miss work. Her mother missed work at least three days last week to supervise the boy as Spann shifted to virtual learning. Recounting a recent weekend trip to Houston, Texas, she longed for cleaner water.
“My face cleared up, my hair was so much softer and my hair is always so crunchy here and it doesn’t feel clean,” Ms. Oviede said. “I just wish they’d get it together and stop bringing politics into it.”
“The safety net that has been built up has decreased and has diminished,” Mr. Lumumba said. “That is why we’re prayer ful that everything remains consistent.”
Students return to campus amid water crisis Continued from A1
Continued from A1 SOL scores show symptom of larger problem
How will the virus mutate?
The total was far more than were needed for the estimated 21,500 students, the audit noted. At that point, Michelle Hudacsko, RPS chief of staff, told the board that TIG had nearly 9,000 unused laptops in its inventory, not including an undetermined stockpile of laptops being stored at schools. The TIG inventory included 6,981 new and repaired laptops and 2,000 laptops awaiting repair. Based on the audit, as part of the payment to TIG, each laptop is configured for use with RPS data, gains asset tags, appropriate licenses, a tracking signature and other add-ons.
“Teacher vacancies are an indication of a lack of trust between teachers and school administrators and politicians,” he said. The curriculum for the district is another issue school districts canAtcontrol.themost recent School Board meeting, several teachers men tioned the shortcomings of the current curriculum used by RPS. But when Kenya Gibson, 3rd District and vice-chair of the RPS School Board made a motion to phase out that curriculum and work this school year to find a new one, the motion did not pass. “Attempting to do something dramatic that can show quick results doesn’t help and creates tremendous stress for teachers,” Dr. Reich said. “To improve most test scores, there needs to be a sustained focus on literacy in every subject — specifically, reading to analyze.” Engaging material to tap into student interest makes learning easier, according to Dr. Reich. Despite making these changes, he said, transforming lowperforming schools into high performing ones rarely happens. But according to one researcher who, when the turnaround does happen, success is built on one core principle: Trust. In his book “Trust in Schools,” Dr. Anthony S. Bryk, former president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, analyzed reform efforts in 400 Chicago schools. In his qualitative and quantitative research, Dr. Bryk found that a high level of trust among parents, teachers, administrators and boards correlated with better test scores. “So then you have to ask: To what extent is RPS looking at building trust between teachers, administrators and parents?” he said. “I have student teachers who go to teach in the spring at all of the districts [of greater Richmond], and they have told me that some of the students don’t know the names of other students in their own classroom.” He said rebuilding a sense of community, around things that connect students’ lives and what they are learning in school in a real way is going to be more likely to bring about the improve ment in student performance RPS would like to see. “Rather than using an off-the-shelf, purchased curriculum and pressure on teachers to get better results,” he said. Frustration with the RPS educational crisis, as the Richmond Crusade for Voters describes it, pushed the organization to declare expectations from the district to lead toward student improve ment. The demands included: The mayor respecting the School Board and focusing on funding for RPS; an audit of attendance, staffing and all funds used for literacy programs; and a plan to improve teacher retention.
Continued from A1 in Northeast Jackson as parents arrived to pick up their children. Syreeta Tatum waited for her fourth-grader to emerge from the building and lamented the uncertainty Jackson’s water woes had foisted upon parents and students. “It was very frustrating,” said Ms. Tatum. “As a mother, you want to make sure your child is getting the best educa tion possible, especially knowing that my child functions better in person.”
Is COVID-19 winding down? ‘No’
Scientists expect more genetic changes that affect parts of the spike protein stud ding the surface of the virus, letting it attach to human cells. “Every time we think we’ve seen the peak transmission, peak immune escape properties, the virus exceeds that by another significant notch,” Dr. Topol said. But the virus probably won’t keep get ting more transmissible forever.
“I think there is a limit,” said Matthew Binnicker, director of clinical virology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. “What we’re really dealing with, though, is there’s still a lot of people across the world who don’t have any prior immunity — either they haven’t been infected or they haven’t had access to vaccination.” If humanity’s baseline level of immunity rises significantly, he said, the rate of in fections, and with that emergence of more contagious variants, should slow down. But there is a chance the virus could mutate in a way that causes more severe illness. Will the next variant be another version of Omicron? Omicron has been around since late last year, with a series of super transmissible versions quickly displacing one another, and Dr. Binnicker believes “that will continue at least for the next few months.” But down the road, he said it’s likely a new variant distinct from omicron will popTheup.recent wave of infections and reinfections, he said, “gives the virus more chances to spread and mutate.” Can people influence the future of the virus? Yes, experts said. One way is to get vaccinated and boosted.
• Thursday, Sept. 8 & Sept. 15, 1 to 4 p.m. - Richmond Henrico Health District, 400 E. Cary St., Pfizer for ages 6 months and older, Moderna for ages 6 months to 5 years old and ages 18 years and older, appointments encouraged.
Ms. Hudacsko also told the board that Google, Chromebook’s maker, routinely updated the software so that all of the working laptops in inventory awaiting assignment had the most up-to-date op erating system. RPS has not yet notified the board how many computers students turned in after classes ended in June — a move aimed at preventing more laptops from going missing.Theboard also has yet to receive a report indicating how many laptops were distributed to students since the 2022-23 school year began Monday, Aug. 29. Ms. Houdacsko told the board in June that new steps were being taken to improve inventory control, but no information has been made public on how well those steps areTheworking.bottom line: RPS has yet to pro vide detailed information on how many computers are available or make public its schedule for replacing the existing equipment over time.
Marty Jewell, former city councilman and chair of the Rich mond Crusade for Voters education subcommittee echoed Dr. Reich’s concern about the curriculum and student needs.
“We have a virus out there that’s still cir culating, still killing hundreds of Americans every day,” Dr. Jha said in a press briefing Tuesday. But, he added: “We now have all of the capability to prevent, I believe, essentially all of those deaths. If people stay up to date on their vaccines, if people get treated if they have a breakthrough infection, we can make deaths from this virus vanishingly rare.” Not only does vaccination protect against severe disease and death, it raises the level of immunity globally.
“We need to figure out how to apply the curriculum to the needs of the students in the classroom,” he said. “Start there or you’ve got nothing.”
Want a COVID-19 vaccine or booster shot? The Richmond and Henrico health districts are offering free walk-up COVID-19 vaccines at the following locations:
infection. Scientists point to emerging re search that suggests the latest omicron vari ant gaining ground in the U.S. — BA.4.6, which was responsible for around 8 percent of new U.S. infections last week — appears to be even better at evading the immune system than the dominant BA.5. Scientists worry the virus may well keep evolving in worrisome ways. How long will it be around? White House COVID-19 coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said COVID-19 will likely be with us for the rest of our lives. Experts expect COVID-19 will some day become endemic, meaning it occurs regularly in certain areas according to established patterns. But they don’t think that will be very soon. Still, living with COVID “should not necessarily be a scary or bad concept,” since people are getting better at fighting it, Dr. Jha said during a recent question-and-answer session with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. “Obviously if we take our foot off the gas — if we stop updating our vaccines, we stop getting new treatments — then we could slip Expertsbackwards.”sayCOVID will keep caus ing serious illness in some people. The COVID-19 Scenario Modeling Hub made some pandemic projections spanning August 2022 to May 2023, assuming the new tweaked boosters adding protection for the newest omicron relatives would be available and a booster campaign would take place in fall and winter. In the most pessimistic scenario — a new variant and late boosters — they projected 1.3 mil lion hospitalizations and 181,000 deaths during that period. In the most optimistic scenario — no new variant and early boosters — they projected a little more than half the number of hospitalizations and 111,000 deaths. Eric Topol, head of Scripps Research Translational Institute, said the world is likely to keep seeing repetitive surges until “we do the things we have to do,” such as developing next generation vaccines and rolling them out equitably.
Despite unused laptops, RPS plans to buy more
Slavery out in tours of Executive Mansion
Continued from A1
In a statement posted to Twitter on Mon day, the school district said it had “checked water pressure at each school” and found that “nearly all are suitable” for students and staff to return. Air conditioning systems at several schools depend on the water system to run effectively. The district said it anticipated delays in cooling buildings as temperatures reached the mid-80s on Tuesday. “We are continuing to monitor and have portable fans and air conditioners to reduce temperatures in warm or hot areas,” Mr. Johnson said. Torrential rains and flooding of the Pearl River in late August exacerbated problems at one of Jackson’s two treatment plants, lead ing to a drop in pressure throughout the city. The school district said Forest Hill High School in South Jackson still didn’t have water pressure. Mr. Johnson said students who attend Forest Hill were transported to alternative sites Tuesday. In a Tuesday news conference, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said the water storage that was built over the weekend has decreased some over the past 24 hours.
Free and enslaved people, who consti tuted a major share of skilled tradesmen at the time, molded the bricks and participated in the construction of Virginia’s capitol building and the mansion. Governors then had enslaved people brought from across the state to handle the cleaning, preparing of meals and other chores needed to keep the state’s top elected official and family members comfortable.Tellingthe story of the enslaved at the mansion is relatively new. Like the Youngkins, most previous governors and their families used the former dwelling of the enslaved for exercise, to house guests, as storage space or as a family room. Gov. Terry McAuliffe and First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe were among the first to call attention to the mansion’s links to slavery. They posted plaques in a garden featuring letters from some of the work ers describing the harsh conditions and challenges they faced.
The role of the enslaved became most noticeable during the tenure of Gov. Ralph S. Northam and First Lady Pamela Northam, who sought to incorporate in tours information about the enslaved workers, particularly after the governor was caught up in a scandal over a photo in his medical school yearbook that allegedly showed him wearing blackface, though he later denied the photo was of him. As part of revamping the mansion tours, a committee found descendants of enslaved workers and began crafting plans for a virtual and in-person tour that would include oral histories of the enslaved. The old kitchen in the building where the en slaved lived and worked also was renovated and period pieces put on display. During the Northam era, the committee also hired Kelly Fanto Deetz as a part-time historian and archeologist to develop a school curriculum and student tours. Ms. Deetz resigned after the Youngkins arrived and after all the artifacts in the building that doubled as her office were cleared out as the Youngkins prepared to move in.
• Wednesday, Sept. 14, 1 to 4 p.m. - Henrico Health District West Headquarters, 8600 Dixon Powers Drive, Pfizer for ages 6 months and older, Moderna for ages 6 months to 5 years old and ages 18 years and older, appointments encouraged. People can schedule an appointment online at vase.vdh. virginia.gov, vaccinate.virginia.gov or vax.rchd.com, or by calling (804) 205-3501 or (877) VAX-IN-VA (1-877-829-4682).
If a challenge arises with plant operation Tuesday, it will likely impact customers, the mayor said. In a Monday news conference, Gov. Tates Reeves said water distribution at schools would be scaled down in prepara tion for students’ return to campuses.
Renowned Virginia Tech professor and poet retires Court postpones
Standing in the shadows of war
Renowned Virginia Tech professor and poet
VCUretiresnames J. Hart vice president for student affairs Giovanni
“Nikki Giovanni has been an important and deeply valued presence on our cam pus, giving voice to the spirit of Virginia Tech and helping us celebrate, mourn, learn, heal, and be better,” Virginia Tech President Tim Sands said in a statement announcing her retirement. “Her words will continue to inspire us and touch readers around the world, and while we will miss her regular presence on campus, she will always be a beloved member of our university community.” Alongside her work at Virginia Tech, Ms. Giovanni has been awarded 30 hon orary degrees and seven NAACP Image Awards, published 11 children’s books, and was nominated for a Grammy and the National Book Award. Before joining Virginia Tech, Ms. Giovanni, born Yolande Cornelia “Nikki” Giovanni, was active in the Black Arts Movement, a Black nationalism movement that focused on music, literature, drama, and the visual arts made up of Black art ists and intellectuals that included Amiri Baraka (Everett LeRoi Jones), Lorraine Hansberry, Maya Angelou, Gwendolyn Brooks and James Baldwin. As a cultural section of the Black Power Movement, its participants shared many of the ideologies of Black self-determination, political be liefs, and African-American culture. Back then, and now, Ms. Giovanni was a popular speaker at various colleges and universities, particularly HBCUs. While her professional career with Vir ginia Tech has ended, Ms. Giovanni contin ues her work in literature, with her newest children’s book, ‘A Library,’ set to debut at the Library of Congress in the fall. “I hope that I’ve done a good job,” Ms. Giovanni said. “I hope that I’ve done at least my fair share.”
By George Copeland Jr. Internationally known poet Nikki Giovanni retired Sept. 1 as an English professor at Virginia Tech University, bringing an end to a celebrated career at the university that spanned more than 30 years and earned her accolades inside and outside the university. Ms. Giovanni arrived at Virginia Tech in 1987 as part of the Commonwealth Visiting Professor program at the urging of Ginny Fowler, a former faculty member in the Department of English. Ms. Fowler was inspired to reach out after hearing Ms. Giovanni speak at a conference. Ms. Giovanni’s skill in written and spo ken words was displayed numerous times during her tenure, including composing poems and speaking during a memorial ceremony for the 32 Virginia Tech victims who were slain in a mass shooting on the Blacksburg campus on April 16, 2007. Her remarks have been viewed more that 100,000 times on YouTube. The author also established a poetry competition for students at Virginia Tech, and she was named a University Distin guished Professor in 1999.
Hill statue decision
Ms.
performances,FilmAfrikanaFestivalincludeslivepanels,workshops
That’sPostponed.what happened to a Richmond Circuit Court hearing to decide the fate of the statue of slavery-defending Gen. A.P. Hill, the last Confederate statue still standing in the city. Initially set to be heard Aug. 30, the court case is now sched uled for Thursday, Sept. 29, according to the court’s website. The city is seeking court approval to take down the statue and turn it over to the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, which possesses all of the other Confederate statues that have been removed.Distant relatives of the general object, and want the court to order the statue re-established at a site of their choosing. The Hill statue, located at the intersection of Hermitage Road and Laburnum Avenue in North Side, sits above the general’s grave. Both sides have approved having the grave’s remains reburied in a Culpeper cemetery.
Learn about Dominion Energy’s proposed White Oak Electric Transmission Project, located in eastern Henrico County. Listen to a project overview presentation and talk to subject matter experts about the project. You are invited to a Community Meeting Use your phone’s camera or QR reader app to visit the project page directly. Join us on Thursday, September 15, 6-8 p.m. Elko Middle School, 5901 Elko Road, Sandston, VA 23150 You can find event details at DominionEnergy.com/whiteoak Investing in Henrico County
By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Aaron
Aaron J. Hart will join Virginia Commonwealth University as its next vice president for student affairs, beginning Oct. 25. Prior to VCU, Dr. Hart built an extensive career in student and residence life at several universities, including Arizona State University, California State University-Channel Islands, Prairie View A&M University and the University of South Florida. He currently is the vice president for student affairs at the University of HoustonClear Lake, where he led student support re lated to COVID-19, among other efforts. “I am honored to serve all students at Vir ginia Commonwealth University and partner with faculty and staff to provide transformative and impactful engagement experiences,” Dr. Hart said in a VCU news release. “As a first-generation Chicago native who grew up in an urban environment similar to Richmond, I understand the importance of cultivating a symbiotic relationship between the community and local higher education institutions.”
Local News Richmond Free Press September 8-10, 2022 A5
“The Birth of a Planet,” a 30-minute documentary film about post-Civil War era “Richmond Planet” newspaper editor John Mitchell, will launch the three-day, 7th An nual Afrikana Independent Film Festival at 7 p.m. Sept. 15 at The Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia. The event is free and open to the public. The film premiered in June at the Richmond Inter national Film Festival. Produced by Tilt Creative + Production in Richmond, the film tells the story of Mr. Mitchell, born a slave, who, as an educator-turnedactivist and editor, used the newspaper to promote civil rights, racial justice and pride. He became a major force in the anti-lynching movement by reporting the brutal murders and other atrocities committed against African-Americans during the early Jim Crow era. A panel discussion after the screening will include the film’s director, Sly Tucker; Richmond Free Press photo journalist Regina Boone; and a direct descendant of Mr. Mitchell, John Mitchell, Jr. Gary Flowers of “The Gary Flowers Show” will moderate. Other events include film submissions from 23 countries, live performances, panel discussions, meet-and-greets, and workshops at several art spaces in Richmond, such as The Branch Museum of Architecture and Design, The Valentine museum and Elegba Folklore Society. This year’s festival themes include mental health, Black history, relationships, motherhood, the criminal justice system and more. A virtual schedule will be available on the festival’s website Sept. 8: afrikanafilmfestival.org/2022-schedule. The festival is organized by Afrikana, established by Enjoli Moon in 2014 to elevate Black culture through “high-quality, well-crafted stories.” Ms. Moon is the assis tant curator of film and public programs at the Institute for Contemporary Art and co-creator of The JXN Project. For more information about the festival, visit: https:// www.afrikanafilmfestival.org.
Dr. Hart
Mr. Mitchell
By Holly Rodriguez
A6 Richmond Free Press 422 East Franklin Street Richmond, VA 23219 Telephone (804) 644-0496 FAX (804) 643-7519 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 27709 Richmond, VA 23261
Vice President – Administration Tracey L. traceyoliver@richmondfreepress.comOliver
Sunflower visits Jackson Ward
Vice President –News Enhancement Jeremy M. jeremylazarus@richmondfreepress.comLazarus
infrastructure is often poorly maintained or inten tionally overlooked” in communi ties of color, the report noted. The $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, signed into law by President Biden, was designed to rebuild dilapidated water and other es sential systems throughout the nation. Like Flint, Mich., the ongoing water crisis was ignored by a Republican-controlled state government that didn’t rightfully respond until circum stances reached the point of catastrophe.Theresidents of Flint and Jackson deserve much better. With the national spotlight now being placed on Jackson, Gov. Reeves stated, “But it is incred ibly important that the city of Jackson improves, gets better, is safer for individuals to live there because as a state we need our capital city to thrive.” Let’s hope the governor’s words are sincere. The writer is the founder of the faith-based organization, TRB: The Reconciled Body, and author of “God Bless Our Divided America.”
Job skills and workforce training for residents would be part and parcel any initiatives, along with job creation that would enable residents to become self-sufficient, he added. He cited one of the most important reasons he was able to successfully leave the Abbotsford Homes in Philadelphia — support from people outside his family.Hesaid a volunteer family with Big Brothers Big Sisters “adopted” him and showed him fresh pos sibilities and he wants to ensure that residents here, particularly the youths, have the same kind of support and the opportunities that will make them successful as well. He said in his recent visits to the main office in Gilpin Court he was able to observe some young people walking by. “Those kids were me” years earlier, he said, and he wants to ensure they have the same kind of support to achieve their dreams. Many of the children he grew up with are already dead, strung out on drugs or behind bars, and his goal is to change that trajectory too often considered the“Thatnorm.is what will motivate me every day,” he said.Welcome to Richmond, Mr. Nesmith. Our hope is that we will be celebrating RRHA’s decision to put you in charge a year from now and for many years to come.
A blue city in a red state
Mr. Nesmith understands that he still must prove himself both to the elected and administrative officials he will deal with and to the residents he will serve. His résumé and his achievements are evidence of what he has done in the past and that he will be judged on the results of his work with RRHA. After all, as the saying goes, past performance is not a guarantee of future success, though we are hopeful, in this case, that the opposite is true. One way he plans to build trust, he said, is to shed the suit and tie that has been his regular uniform in the power halls he has occupied, and don a T-shirt bearing the RRHA logo as his new uniform. We also admire him for saying that he could not do anything by himself and stressed the importance of working with a team and as a partner with others. He played college and pro basketball before becoming a lawyer and learned the importance of working with others toward a common goal. As he noted, Michael Jordan did not win multiple championship rings by himself.Mr.Nesmith spoke of his twin goals. One is to end years of talk and speed up the work of redeveloping the public housing communities in Richmond. To that end, he plans to stress redevelopment and push the use of financial tools that could attract sub stantial private investment. His second goal is to ensure that redevelopment initiatives are not conducted in a vacuum but instead provide an uplift for residents.
Last week, in part because of severe flooding, Jackson’s treat ment plant ultimately failed, leaving thousands of city residents without water to drink, bathe, or even flush toilets. “Ideally, infrastructure serves as a shared foundation for eco nomic, environmental and public health between different neigh borhoods and municipalities,” scholars at the Brookings Insti tute wrote in March 2021, after Jackson faced another severe water“However,shortage.
The Free Press welcomes letters
Founder Raymond H. Boone President – Publisher Jean P. jeanboone@richmondfreepress.comBoone Managing Editor Bonnie Newman bonniedavis@richmondfreepress.comDavis
Nearly half of all Black college graduates owe 12.5 percent more than they did when they gradu ated, mainly because of accrued interest. In contrast, 83 percent of white students owe less. What’s the difference? Family assistance. Black families have just a 10th of the wealth of whiteWhilefamilies.theloan forgiveness amounts are being trumpeted, I think the more significant part of President Biden’s announce ment is the change in repayment terms and structure. Currently, loan repayments are capped at 10 percent of gross income, with forgiveness happening after 10 years. The new terms cap repay ments at 5 percent with forgive ness after 10 years. These new terms provide income flexibility for millions of borrowers who postpone adult decisions because of the heavy burden of student loan debt. Some defer marriage and childbearing, new home and furniture purchases, and even aspects of career advancement because of their student loans. Consider a graduate with a passion for education. She is agile in mathematics and would be a great math teacher. She could also go into some aspect of the finance industry as a bank, broker, or portfolio manager and earn twice what she’d make as
Staff Writers Fred Jeter, Frances Crutchfield Hazel Trice Edney
We look forward to seeing what Steven B. “Steve” Nesmith will do as the new chief executive officer of the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority. When he officially moves into the executive suite at RRHA on Monday, Oct. 3, he will bring impres sive credentials and experiences in carrying out his responsibilities.Heobviously has the right stuff, and we agree he appears to be the right person to fill this important post.He has known poverty and he has known prosper ity.He has held high-ranking positions in two agencies of the federal government, including the overseer of RRHA, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. He has been a partner in corporate law firms and in financial institutions and seen the nuts and bolts of businesses seeking to grow and others that need help to stave off failure. He has been an entrepreneur, running his own small consulting firm. But with everything he has done, he seems never to have forgotten where he came from and what it took for him to navigate the road to success. In his maiden press conference Tuesday in Richmond, Mr. Nesmith touted his two credentials that he regards as crucial: That he grew up in gang- and drug-infested public housing in Philadelphia, and that his family needed government welfare to meet basic needs. Instead of trying to forget his past, he calls those experiences “a badge of honor.” “But for those two experiences I would never have gotten through the challenges of life,” he said. This is a honeymoon period. We do not know if the openness and transparency he is displaying now will persist. We hope so. But for the moment, he is a refreshing contrast with our chief of police, Gerald M. Smith, who spent weeks trying to defend his made-up story that two illegal residents presented a terrorist threat and has now been forced to repeatedly apologize for this foolishness that has damaged his credibility.
The writer is an economist, author and the dean of the Col lege of Ethnic Studies at Cal State Los Angeles.
Photographers Sandra sandrasellars@richmondfreepress.comSellarsReginaH.Boonereginaboone@richmondfreepress.comJamesHaskins,RudolphPowellandClintonA.Strane
Vice President – New Business Development Raymond H. Boone jrboone@richmondfreepress.comJr.
Student loan forgiveness is a drop in the bucket
Julianne Malveaux
rural lawmakers in the Republican-dominated state legislature are following the long tradition of “separate and unequal” by intentionally failing to provide the majority-Democrat city with the adequate funding and resources needed to address its aging Mississippiinfrastructure.Gov.Tate Reeves and Republican lawmakers have repeatedly killed efforts by the city to fund essential water treat ment upgrades adequately. State lawmakers previously denied allowing the city to raise infra structure funds through a sales tax Inincrease.2021,when approximately 40,000 Jackson residents went weeks without running water, Gov. Reeves told city leaders that they needed to do a better job “collecting their water bill payments before they start going and asking everyone else to pony up more Whilemoney.”wateris a basic neces sity of life, to have it denied by allowing critical systems to deteriorate is cruel and inhumane.
Vice President – Production April A. aprilcoleman@richmondfreepress.comColeman
the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision was a turning point, giving states the legal permission to implement a “separate but equal” doctrine, the goal of the South was never about true equality or being equal. The objective was racial separation, racial superiority, and an “us against them” approach to deepen the division and increase the Jimadvantage.Crow segregation laws existed for 58 years until the Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education ruled that segregation violated rights granted by the Constitu tion. The court concluded that in the field of public education, the doctrine of “separate but equal” has no Thoughplace.the case outlawed racial separation only in public schools, segregation of any kind was no longer considered lawful. Unfortunately, in the hearts of men and women, unwritten traditions have a way of overriding written laws. These traditions, as cruel as they may be at times, are in plain view today in Jackson, Miss. Jackson is not just any city in the state of Mississippi; it is the largest city in the state while also serving as the seat of state gov ernment. Despite these significant distinctions, Jackson finds itself in a political trap by being a blue city in a red state. The population, which once soared to over 200,000, has now dropped to approximately 150,000 after being in decline for more than 40 years. When white residents decided to flee the city for neighboring suburbs, their love for the city of Jackson was left behind. Today, Jackson is not only a blue city, it is an 82 percent Black city with 25 percent of its residents living in poverty. With the continuing loss of residents, home values plummeted, driving down tax revenues and requiring increases in taxMississippi’srates.
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.
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Richmond Free Press Editorial Page September 8-10, 2022
Through legislation and the courts, any law can be changed at any given time—but chang ing laws doesn’t guarantee that a person’s heart will change withWhenit. the U.S. Supreme Court decided on the case of Plessy v. Fer guson in 1896, it ruled in favor of equal.aspeoplepleforseparatemaintainingareasBlackpeoandwhiteaslongtheywereEventhough
President Biden made a campaign promise to alleviate some student loan debt, and on Aug. 24, he honored his com mitment.Some say it is too little. Obstructionists say it is too much. Some economists say it may be infla tionary, and loan fair”sayofadefaultedlorMarjoriegresswomansuchdefaultersasConTayGreen,whoonfederalloanherown,itis“notthatsome taxpayers should subsidize others. I say that student loan forgive ness is a step in the right direc tion. It is a drop in the bucket, to be sure, but it is a critical drop that makes way for a more insightful analysis of the cost of attendance and how people pay for higher education. The headlines note that everyone with federal student loan debt will get $10,000 of forgiveness for that debt. Those with Pell Grants and student loans will get $20,000 in debt forgiveness. Any amount of loan forgiveness is a good thing, but for those who carry six figures worth of debt, it’s just a drop in theWhenbucket.Iwas president of Ben nett College, I’d often look at the debt that some of my graduates were carrying, sometimes as much as $50,000 or $60,000. Why? They may have had some grants but had to take out loans to cover their cost of attendance. Most colleges use the interest on their endowment to provide scholarships. Many Historically Black Colleges and Universities with small endowments have less grant money to offer compared to those colleges and universities with rich endowments. Before the pandemic, student loan repayments began six months after graduation. After six months, interest began ac cruing. Students who did not find jobs still had hundreds of dollars of loans to repay, regard less of their employment status. Because interest continued to accrue, some students owed more three years after graduation than they did when they graduated.
David W. Marshall
He said creation of affordable housing and revamped communities must be accompanied by economic development.
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a teacher. With student loans crushing her, she might prag matically choose finance instead of teaching. With a little help, she might follow her first love and go to the classroom. She might be forced to choose a lucrative but unfulfilling career with student loan shackles. Too many have raised a “fair ness” and “equity” argument to oppose President Biden’s plan. It’s a done deal, y’all, and Presi dent Biden needs to do more. Let’s pause and applaud the Biden-Harris administration for this step in the right direction. Thank you, President Biden, for this drop in the bucket. May you be inspired to do more, includ ing examining higher education financing. What would it take to make undergraduate education free for everyone?
RRHA gets it right NesmithStevenwith
to Acquire Property: The Valentine Museum hereby notifies intent to acquire title to the object listed below. There is no last known owner on record & this object will become the property of the museum after 65 days if no person can prove ownership of the property, pursuant to Code of VA § X.2019.1455.1-2606.–Case
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Letters to the Editor Richmond Free Press September 8-10, 2022 A7
ERNEST PARKER JR. Richmond As a product of Richmond Public Schools some 60 years ago, I was very disheartened to hear the news reporting how many children failed the SOLs this past school year. Unfortunately, these last three years have taken a toll on everyone, especially the children. However, I do not feel the “blame” should be put on any one person or issue. As I see it, there are numerous issues/persons who are in volved:The teachers are out of steam in dealing with behavioral, mental and emotional issues from children, who have not been taught to respect adults. Some of the children fight and curse the teachers. So many of the children have mental and emotional problems and, unfortunately, these problems show up in the schools and classrooms. Many teachers feel they don’t have the support of their administrations, who often have their hands tied. Often, teachers are just burnt out. Then there are parents who do not support the schools in the educational process. There are parents who have not taught their children any anger management because they don’t practice it themselves. They threaten school officials and will not allow their children to be disciplined. They do not demand respect from their children and do not respect their children. Respect should start at home. So many children have to deal with adult issues at home and they do not know how to handle these problems. Mental health services are lagging behind or not taken advantage of by those who really need them. So many home problems are brought to the schools for school officials to solve, which are often-times impossible. You have parents who are more concerned about the clothes their children can wear than the education their children are re ceiving and how they can participate in the education process. It appears the School Board cannot work together for the good of the children they have been appointed to serve. It ap pears that teamwork is an issue for some members. Members do not want to agree to disagree to work on issues that affect
The County of Henrico is proposing to construct approximately 1,680 feet of 12-footwide paved multi-use trail from Dumbarton Road to the Lakeside Recreation Area. This work will be a part of the Fall Line Trail, a 43mile north-south paved trail that will connect Ashland to Petersburg. Construction is anticipated to begin in April of 2024. Information related to this project includes the proposed trail addition, project schedule, and funding information which can be reviewed at the County of Henrico, Department of Public Works, 4305 E. Parham Road, Administration Annex Building, 3rd Floor, Henrico, Virginia 23228, Telephone: (804) 501-4616.
of VA §
JACQUELINE LEE Henrico County
ASSOCIATION OF
Fall Line Trail - Lakeside Trail, Phase 2 Henrico County, Virginia Notice of Willingness to Hold a Public Hearing
Proposal Due Date: Tuesday, October 4, 2022 Time: 2:00 P.M. Information or copies of the above solicitations are available by contacting Procurement Services, at the City of Richmond website (www.RVA. GOV), or faxed (804) 646-5989. The City of Richmond encourages all contractors to participate in the procurement process. The City of Richmond announces the following project(s) available for services relating to: RFP No. 230002651: Labor Relations Administrator Pre-Proposal Conference Call Meeting: September 14, 2022 at 10:00 A.M. For all information pertaining to this RFP conference call, please logon to the Richmond website (www.RVA.GOV).
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Start with as little as $100 Rudolph C. McCollum, Jr., Esq. McCollum At Law, P.C. Mail to: P.O. Box 4595, Richmond, VA 23220 422 E. Franklin St., Suite 301, Richmond, VA 23219 (Franklin & 5th Sts.) We are a federally designated Debt Relief Agency under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code and we help people file for bankruptcy. Web Address: McCollumatLaw.com E-mail: rudy@mccollumatlaw.com 24-7. Talk to an attorney for free and get legal restrictions, fees, costs and payment terms. Call Rudy McCollum at (804)218-3614
Fall Line Trail – Longdale and Villa Park Phases Henrico County, Virginia Public Hearing
County is willing to hold a public hearing. You may request a public hearing by sending a written request to Sarah Briggs, P. O. Box 90775, Henrico, VA 23273-0775, on or before September 15th, 2022. If a request for a public hearing is received, a notice of the date, time, and place of the public hearing will be provided.
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isORDERSIDARIUSSIDARIUSCommonwealthRICHMONDofVirginia,inreLAMONTSIMPSON,JR.RDSSvSIMPSON,SR.,&HASANASPENCERFileNo.J-100083-08-09OFPUBLICATIONTheobjectofthissuitto:
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Supplier diversity program – “providing equal opportunities for small businesses”
and 1 uncut
Notice of Intent to Acquire Property: The Valentine Museum hereby notifies intent to acquire title to the objects listed below. The last known lender or depositor on record is listed below & these objects will become the property of the museum after 65 days if no person can prove ownership of the property, pursuant to Code of VA § Depositor:55.1-2606.
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About 1 in 12 African Americans have Sickle Cell Trait. House ad 5x1Have a Story Idea?
Address:HollomonLender:(L.52.5.2)Description:LoanLynchburg,Address:Lender:X.2020.02.187-.189)(558.1,toprintsDescription:1944LoanRichmond,Address:Lender:poster2videotape,withtoDescription:1991LoanRichmond,Address:Lender:dressesDescription:8,Deposit23803Ln,Address:BullardDepositor:handbag13ephemeraCollectionwoodenDescription:2018DepositRichmond,Address:Depositor:andsnowlingerie,dresses,Description:DepositRichmond,Address:Depositor:related22JuanAwardsDescription:Deposit23234CtAddress:Depositor:55.1-2606.AndreaChavez4412FieldstoneNorthChesterfield,VADate:June9,20182plaques:ofexcellencetoandAndreaChavez,photographicprintstoAHAR,3framesMaryFlinn532SLaurelStVA23220Date:July8,20163child’s3trousseau3suits,1child’ssuit,1eveningdress1samplerMitziWelton1724HanoverAveVA23220Date:August14,Collectionofblocksandcrate,ofphotographs,andscrapbooks,pairofadornedshorts,prayershawl,1plasticCharleneAlicia17617ThornwoodSouthChesterfield,VADate:November20112women’sAnneKincaid1808TurnerRd,VA23225Date:September5,ItemsrelatedPatRobertson:1cappin,2brochures,11bumpersticker,pins,1audiotape,1ElizabethF.Watkins215AmpthillRdVA23226Date:February16,CollectionofandengravingrelatedGeorgeWashingtonX.2020.02.182-.185,NellieGregory621FederalSt,VA24504Date:July30,19521combL.Howard6900W.GraceSt propertycollections/undocumented-http://www.thevalentine.org/mhughes@thevalentine.org804-649-0711Collection/ChiefMegThehowmuseumPleaseporchX.2019.14CodeofpersonmuseumbecomeonTheretonotifiesTheProperty:NoticeWomanFactsDescription:Date:Address:Lender:(L.54.03.01-.06)andDescription:Date:Charlottesville,Address:MayoLender:PrivataDescription:Date:Address:Lender:(L.72.07.01-.02)andDescription:Date:Address:ClaiborneLender:(L.72.03.02-.03)Description:Date:Address:Lender:(L.66.1)Description:Date:Address:MeadeLender:(L.50.11.2)Description:Date:Address:Lender:(L.72.03.02-.03)garmentWilliamA.HogeMt.Holly,VAOctober19501typewriterEstateofKatenoneonfileFebruary23,19661fruitbowlnoneonfilenoneonfile19722ladlesMrs.Robertnoneonfile19721teaspoon1demitassespoonBartonPalmerUrbanna,VAOctober13,19531book,Sacra(L.53.5)Mrs.GeorgeD.Box163,VAJune28,19543ambrotypes3daguerreotypesnoneonfilenoneonfile19721Handbill,andFiguresaboutSuffrage(L.72.147)ofIntenttoAcquireValentineMuseumherebyintenttoacquiretitletheobjectlistedbelow.isnolastknownownerrecord&thisobjectwillthepropertyoftheafter65daysifnocanproveownershiptheproperty,pursuanttoofVA§55.1-2606.–Caseironvisitwebsiteorcontactforinformationontomakeaclaim:ValentineMuseumHughes,DirectorofCuratorext.3084x5.75
When two people with Sickle Cell Trait have a child, there is a 1 in 4 chance with each pregnancy, that the child will have a painful life threatening disease called Sickle Cell Disease. Sickle Cell more information, CELL RICHMOND - OSCAR 804-321-3311
CONSOLIDATED PLAN PUBLIC NOTICE
iron porch Please visit website or contact museum for information on how to make a claim: The Valentine Museum Meg Hughes, Director of Collection/ Chief 804-649-0711Curator ext. collections/undocumented-propertyhttp://www.thevalentine.org/mhughes@thevalentine.org308
Proposal Due Date: Wednesday, September 28, 2022/Time: 11:00 A.M. Information or copies of the above solicitations are available by contacting Procurement Services, at the City of Richmond website (www.RVA. GOV), or faxed (804) 646-5989. The City of Richmond encourages all contractors to participate in the procurement process.
I see that SOL scores remain low for Rich mond Public Schools. I see that there were various excuses why the SOL scores were low. Illness, isolation and trauma were faulted for these dismal test results. Anyone can make excuses, but being held accountable is the key. I know the mayor stated it would be a mistake firing Superintendent Jason Kamras, but my feeling is the buck has to stop somewhere. When things continue to go downhill, you usually start with changing leadership. How long will we continue to accept excuses from the top and get dismal results from our students on SOL testing? A strategy has to be developed to get the most out of our students in the timeframe al lowed. Yes we can kick around 12-month school, but in the time allotted what are our students being taught? I will simply say if the school administration feels that the teachers need to be re-programmed so that our students can do well, let’s do it. Year after year our students not doing well on the SOL tests is mind-blowing to me. If this trend continues, accountability must be enforced. We must look at our leadership and make some tough decisions on who should be in those positions.
Trait? GET TESTED! For
$50.00 for a 12-month subscription (Third class mail) $99.00 for a 12-month subscription (First class mail) Check or money order enclosed. Bill my: Just take a minute and fill out the coupon below: End the inconvenience of empty newspaper boxes, fighting the weather and hunting down back copies. Also, support the Free Press. We’re always working for you.
End the inconvenience of empty newspaper boxes, fighting the weather and hunting down back copies. Also, support the Free Press. We’re always working for you.
The County of Henrico is proposing to construct approximately 4.3 miles of 12-foot-wide paved multi-use trail from the intersection of Brook Road and Lakeside Avenue to Woodman Road extended. This work will be part of the Fall Line Trail, a 43mile north-south paved trail that will connect Ashland to Petersburg. Construction for these two phases is anticipated to begin in 2024. The purpose of this meeting is to provide information about these two phases of the project and receive public input. The meeting will be open-house format and County staff will be available to answer questions.
The County 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 more information or special assistance for persons with disabilities Sarah Briggs at the above address, phone number, or at VDOTbri114@henrico.usUPC#:118091
The meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 14, 2022, at the Longdale Elementary School, 9500 Norfolk Street, Henrico, VA 23060 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Information relative to these two phases of the project can also be reviewed on the County websites below or at the County of Henrico, Department of Public Works, 4305 E. Parham Road, Administration Annex Building, 3 rd Floor, Henrico, Virginia 23228. Telephone: (804) 501-5414. Villa Park Phase website: Longdale Phase website: The County 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 more information or special assistance for persons with disabilities or Burton at the above address or phone number or at Henricobur146@henrico.us.Project#s:09015
VIRGINIA: IN THE JUVENILE AND DOMESTIC RELATIONS DISTRICT COURT OF THE CITY OF terminate the residual parental rights (“RPR”) of S idarius Simpson, Sr. (Father), Hasana Spencer (Mother) of Sidarius Lamont Simpson, Jr., child DOB: 3/22/2020, “RPR” means all rights and responsibilities remaining with Parent after transfer of legal custody or guardianship of the person, including but not limited to rights of: Visitation; adoption consent; determination of religious affiliation; and responsibility for support and Itthat:is ORDERED that the defendants S idarius Simpson, Sr. (Father), Hasana Spencer (Mother) to appear at the abovenamed Court and protect his/her interest on or before 11/16/2022, at 9:00 A.M., COURTROOM #5 AKT.
everyone. I often wonder if any of the School Board members just show up at some of the “problem” schools during the day to see what the teachers, in-school administrators and other staff are dealing with on a daily basis. I KNOW there are children in all of the Richmond Public Schools district who want to learn and parents who are will ing to work to accomplish these goals. There are teachers who want to teach. Unfortunately, the news reports don’t report about the children who did improve their SOL scores, passed their SOLS and are working diligently to improve their lives through education. I know there are schools who have administrations, teachers and parents, who are making attempts to work with the children to accomplish great things that are often not recognized and reported by the media.
Legal Notices
$99 for a 12 month weekly subscription $50 for a 12 month bi-weekly subscription Check or money order enclosed. Bill my: TRANSIT SYSTEM GRTC GENERAL PLANNING CONSULTANT SERVICES STATEMENT OF 214-22-12QUALIFICATIONS for GENERAL PLANNING CONSULTANT
How long will we accept excuses from the top? one person is to blame for RPS low test scores
YOU CAN STILL FILE Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Get rid of debts that you can’t pay. “Get A Fresh Start” Keep paying on your house and car as long as you owe what they are worth. Also Chapter 13 “Debt Adjustment” STOPS OTHERHARASSINGGARNISHMENTSFORECLOSURES,ANDPHONECALLSLEGALSERVICESPROVIDED:Divorce,Separation,Custody,Support,HomeBuyorSell
The City of Richmond announces the following project(s) available for services relating to: IFB No. 230001585: Citywide Transit Stop Access Improvements (UPC Pre-Proposal113835)Conference Call Meeting: September 13, 2022 at 2:00 P.M. For all information pertaining to this IFB conference call, please logon to the Richmond website (www.RVA.GOV).
VOLUNTEER SUBSCRIPTION
The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 1300 1/3 North 32nd Street, Tax Map Number E0000720012 Richmond, Virginia, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner of record, Lewis A. Smith An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, LEWIS A. SMITH, 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, 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 “Parties Unknown. IT IS ORDERED that LEWIS A. SMITH, and Parties Unknown , come forward to appear on or before OCTOBER 13, 2022 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 804-646-7949
Andrea Chavez Address: 4412 Fieldstone Ct North Chesterfield, VA 23234 Deposit Date: June 9, 2018 Description: 2 plaques: Awards of excellence to Juan and Andrea Chavez, 22 photographic prints related to AHAR, 3 frames Depositor: Mary Flinn Address: 532 S Laurel St Richmond, VA 23220 Deposit Date: July 8, 2016 Description: 3 child’s dresses, 3 trousseau lingerie, 3 suits, 1 child’s snow suit, 1 evening dress and 1 Depositor:sampler Mitzi Welton Address: 1724 Hanover Ave Richmond, VA 23220 Deposit Date: August 14, 2018 Description: Collection of wooden blocks and crate, Collection of photographs, ephemera and scrapbooks, 3 pair of adorned shorts, 1 prayer shawl, 1 plastic Depositor:handbag Charlene Alicia Bullard Address: 17617 Thornwood Ln, South Chesterfield, VA 23803 Deposit Date: November 8, 2011 Description: 2 women’s dresses Lender: Anne Kincaid Address: 1808 Turner Rd, Richmond, VA 23225 Loan Date: September 5, 1991 Description: Items related to Pat Robertson: 1 cap with pin, 2 brochures, 1 videotape, 1 bumper sticker, 2 pins, 1 audiotape, 1 poster Lender: Elizabeth F. Watkins Address: 215 Ampthill Rd Richmond, VA 23226 Loan Date: February 16, 1944 Description: Collection of prints and engraving related to George Washington (558.1, X.2020.02.182.185, Address:Lender:Description:Date:Address:Lender:Description:Date:Address:Lender:garmentDescription:LoanChestnutAddress:Lender:NavigationDescription:LoanRichmond,Address:Lender:Description:LoanLynchburg,Address:Lender:X.2020.02.187-.189)NellieGregory621FederalSt,VA24504Date:July30,19521comb(L.52.5.2)L.HowardHollomon6900W.GraceStVA23226Date:October22,19482tickets(uncut),StateLottery(V.48.120)RobertP.Bainbridge68FairgreenPlace,Hill,MADate:19751handbagand1uncut(L.72.03.02-.03)WilliamA.HogeMt.Holly,VAOctober19501typewriter(L.50.11.2)EstateofKateMeadenoneonfileFebruary23,19661fruitbowl(L.66.1)noneonfilenoneonfile Date: Description:1972 2 ladles (L.72.03.02-.03)
Lender: Mrs. Robert Claiborne Address: none on file Date: Description:1972 1 teaspoon and 1 demitasse spoon (L.72.07.01-.02)
Lender: Barton Palmer Address: Urbanna, VA Date: October 13, 1953 Description: 1 book, Sacra Privata Lender:(L.53.5) Mrs. George D. Mayo Address: Box 163, Charlottesville, VA Date: June 28, 1954 Description: 3 ambrotypes and 3 daguerreotypes (L.54.03.01-.06) Lender: none on file Address: none on file Date: Description:1972 1 Handbill, Facts and Figures about Woman Suffrage Notice(L.72.147)ofIntent
The results of the Commonwealth’s 2021-2022 Action Plan covering the use of Community Development Block Grant, Emergency Solution Grants, HOME, HOPWA, and National Housing Trust Fund will be available upon request and on line starting September 12, 2022. Copies of the 2020-2021 results may be requested by calling (804) 338 – 9585. Persons requiring special accommodations should call (804) 929-4553. The Plan will appear on the agency’s web site at http:// www.dhcd.virginia.gov. The Department of Housing and Community Development will receive written comments on these results through the close of business on September 27, 2022 at lyndsi.austin@dhcd.virginia.gov
Don't Miss One Word
Sports A8 September 8-10, 2022 Richmond Free Press
FBS schools are permitted 85 scholarships while FCS affiliates are held to 63.
JMU, like Marshall, is a member of the FBS Sun Belt Confer ence. NSU of the MEAC plays a peg lower in the FCS division.
The road may not get any smoother Sept. 10 when the Spartans travel to Harrisonburg for a 4 p.m. kickoff against James Madison University.
For the sixth straight season, it turned out to be the host HU Pirates, who edged Howard University’s Bison, 31-28.
A crowd of 2,587 fans showed up Sept. 3 at Hampton Uni versity’s Armstrong Stadium to learn who is “the real HU.”
Out of the frying pan, into the fire. That might describe Norfolk State University’s current football predicament.TheSpartans opened Coach Dawson Odums’ second season Sept. 3 with a crushing 55-3 loss to Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va. The Thundering Herd rolled up 612 total yards, scored at one juncture on six straight possessions, and led at halftime, 45-0.
NEW YORK After all of the many tributes to Serena Williams were done, the celebratory words and the video montages, the standing ova tions and the shouts of her name, it seemed appropriate that she herself would provide the defining look at her legacy. So the last question at the news conference after her last match of the U.S. Open on Sept. 2 — and, it seems clear, of her career — offered Serena the chance to say how she’d most like to be remembered. “I feel like I really brought something, and bring something, to tennis. The different looks. The fist pumps. The just crazy intensity. ... ‘Passion,’ I think, is a really good word. Just con tinuing through ups and downs,” she responded Friday night. “I could go on and on. But I just honestly am so grateful that I had this moment — and that I’m Serena.” That captures so much about her so well. And to think: Serena, who turns 41 this month, did not even mention anything about being an elite athlete or any of the statistics that help define what she did with a racket in her hand. The 23 championships at the Grand Slam tournaments that have come to define success in her sport. Another 50 singles titles elsewhere. The 14 majors in doubles with her sister, Venus. The 319 weeks at No. 1. The four Olympic gold medals. So, sure, it’s impossible to assess Serena without considering
Command performance
By Howard Fendrich
JMU won the FCS national cham pionship in 2004 and 2016. This is JMU’s first season in the FBS Sun Belt following a long, dominating run in the Colonial. Following this week’s trip to the Shenandoah Valley, NSU will begin play against more familiar foes Sept. 17 when Hampton Uni versity’s Pirates travel across The Bay to Dick Price Stadium.
Jabari Blake is a proven win ner. Now he hopes to elevate his high school success to the college level. At 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, Blake is built more like a line man but plays quar terback for Virginia StateWearingUniversity.No. 7 in Trojans orange and blue, Blake will be a key man Sept. 10 when VSU hosts Bluefield State, W.Va., at a spruced up Rogers Stadium. Kickoff is 6 p.m. VSU’s original grass grid iron has been replaced with an artificial turf. Blake received favorable reviews for his first VSU assign ment Sept. 3 at NCAA Division II powerhouse Lenoir-Rhyne in Hickory,FacingN.C.perhaps the toughest foe on VSU’s slate, Blake kept the Trojans in a close match until late in the fourth quarter in what was a 38-19 defeat. A year ago, Lenoir-Rhyne of the South Atlantic Confer ence trounced the Trojans in Ettrick,Blake48-7.hit17 of 36 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns, but there were two intercep tions, and he was sacked five times. Tough to bring down, he ran 13 times for 30 yards, but the sack losses wiped that out. Jalen Spratt, a promising freshman from Danville, snared both TD passes from Blake. Multidimensional Upton Bailey from Petersburg High ran five times for 33 yards, and caught two passes for 42 yards while also handling the punting and kickoffs.Chantz Baylor, Rodney Jones and Willie Drew all had interceptions for VSU in what the first game for Coach Henry Frazier III, who succeeded Reg gieBlakeBarlow.was among the state of Virginia’s top QB recruits in 2018, after leading Heritage High of Lynchburg to a 14-1 record and the State Class 3 title. As a Heritage se nior, he passed for 2,038 yards and ran for another 1,443. He was first-team All-State and the Class 3 State Offensive Player of the Year. His team mates included his brother, Jahee, now a wide receiver at Tennessee State. Blake signed with Delaware State and spent two seasons at the MEAC school before trans ferring to the Ettrick campus. Bluefield State was founded as an HBCU and in 1927 and 1928 was named the Black College National Champion by the Pittsburgh Courier. Bluefield dropped football in 1980 and did not pick it back up until last year, when the Big Blue went 4-3. An NCAA independent, Bluefield opened this season with a 35-34 home win over CIAA member Johnson C. Smith. Located 287 miles west of Richmond, Bluefield is seeking conference affiliation and has investigated joining the CIAA. Bluefield State is not to be confused with Bluefield Uni versity, a Virginia university and an NAIA affiliate.
VSU comebackeyes after Lenoir-Rhyne defeat Jabari Blake Hampton beats Howard, again, in ongoing rivalry NSU barely scores against Marshall VUU since a 90-point game in 2018 versus CIAA foe Lincoln. Celebrations will be harder to come by at Valdosta. Under first-year Coach Tremaine Jackson, the Blazers opened Sept. 1 with a surprisingly hard-fought 36-21 home win over visiting Keiser, Fla., of the NAIA ranks.
The Pirates’ bus driver can take this week off. Coach Robert Prunty’s Pirates will stay home Sept. 10 to face Alabama’s Tuskegee University at 6 p.m. Tuskegee competes in the Division II SIAC. Among the standouts for HU against HU was quarterback Malcolm Mays, a native of Arlington, Texas, and transfer from Kilgore Junior College in Texas. The 6-foot-5 Mays showed the Hampton crowd much of what he showed a season ago at Kilgore, when he threw for 2,722 yards and 26 touchdowns in 10 games. He was considered among the top JUCO quarterbacks in the nation this past offseason. In his first game wearing Hampton blues, Mays hit 14 of 25 passes for 190 yards. The Pirates led 31-13 early in the fourth period before the Bison launched a spirited comeback that fell short. Chris Zellous rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown, and Darran Butts added a TD on a 75-yard gallop. Defensively, linebacker Qwahsin Townsell, a transfer from Villanova, was in on 14 tackles. Romon Copeland caught seven passes for 82 yards. After Tuskegee, HU will travel to Norfolk State on ept. 17 be fore playing its first Colonial matchup Sept. 24 at Delaware.
Clement Britt
dual-threat QB pros pect at Windsor, Conn., High School in the fall of 2017. East Carolina and Memphis were among the FBS schools interested in him. He chose nearby FCS Rhode Island where he was converted to wide receiver. He received few opportunities to play and decided to try his luck elsewhere. “We discovered Jahkari in the transfer portal,” Coach Parker said. “He definitely came here to be the quarterback.” So, in two years at Rhode Island (2018 and 2019), a 2020 season lost to the pandemic and a ’21 season on the VUU bench, Grant seldom took a snap from center. He made up for lost time against VUL, while surrounded by other openingnight stars. Quickly, John Jiles, from Wake For est, N.C., has become a leading target. The 6-foot-3 transfer from Fort Scott Community College in Kansas was sensational in his VUU debut. “He’s a great player,” Coach Parker said of VUUJiles.lost its top deep threat this season when two-time All-CIAA Charles Hall transferred to Arizona State. Jiles is first in line to become “the next Hall.” Both of VUU’s preseason All-CIAA picks had momentous nights. Jada By ers raced for 98 rushing yards and two TDs and returned a kickoff for a third score. Armonii Burden had six tackles including 1.5 sacks. The visitors from Lynchburg were no match for VUU on either side of the ball, or on special teams. Ephraim Moore got into the act, blocking a field goal and returning it 70 yards to the end zone. It was the most points scored by
The continuing competition between the HBCU rivals is billed as the “Battle for the Real HU,” and dates to the early 1900s when Hampton and Howard were members of the CIAA. Times have changed. Hampton is now in its first season in the Colonial Athletic Association while Howard remains one of six football playing members of the MEAC.
John Jiles
VUU’s Grant thrills fans in opening win against VUL
The running never materialized either. NSU ball-carriers picked up just 33 net yards in 34 attempts.
Photos by Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press
There’s good news and bad news for the Panthers. Valdosta QB Ivory Durham was sharp, passing for 270 yards. On the other side, Keiser QB Shea Spencer threw for 263 yards and two TDs, sug gesting the Blazers may be vulnerable in theThat’sair. a stat in which VUU’s Grant will take special interest.
In Jahkari Grant’s first serious quarterbacking since high school, he was dazzling in VUU’s opening 77-0 victory over undermanned Virginia University of Lynchburg at Lanier Field/Hovey Stadium.
Analysis: Let Serena define her legacy
R.J. Coles, a defensive back from Varina High, led the defense with nine tackles.
Members of the Wash ington Commanders football team hosted a girls’ flag foot ball practice and scrimmage atArmstrong High School on Aug. 26 in partnership with Richmond Public Schools. The event was a part of the first-ever Nike Kickoff Classic in collaboration with Nike and the National Football League. Above, Commanders’ tight end Logan Thomas, left, wide receiver, Terry McLaurin, center, and defensive tackle, Johnathan Allen watch closely as the girls practice their plays. Mr. McLaurin, center right, gets pumped up as he and teammates cheer and coach 40 middle and high school girls on two teams, Bur gundy and White. The coach for the White Team is Sharmain Cherry, top right, who huddles with the girls before the scrimmage. Ms. Cherry also is John Marshall’s physical health/physical educa tion/driver’s education teacher. Although the Commanders no longer conduct its training camp in Richmond, Commanders President Jason Wright said the team wants to continue its relationship with Richmond.
JMU opened Sept. 3 with a convincing 44-7 home victory over Sun Belt foe Middle Tennessee. The Dukes were 12-2 as year ago, advancing to the FCS semifinals.
Virginia Union at Valdosta, Ga., State; 5 p.m. kickoff
If Jahkari Grant’s passing arm gathered any rust after four years of inactivity, it didn’t show in his Sept. 1 Virginia Union University coming out party. In Grant’s first serious quarterback performance since high school, he was dazzling in VUU’s opening 77-0 victory over under-manned Virginia University of Lynchburg at Lanier Field/Hovey Stadium.Thrilling a crowd of 4,000-plus for the Willard Bailey Classic, Grant passed for 299 yards and four touchdowns before giving way to his roommate, Christian Reid, in the third period. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Grant, with 4.5 speed for 40-yard dash, also ran five times for 27 yards and was never sacked.“Every school has its own system,” said VUU Coach Alvin Parker. “Jahkari may not have fit into his former system, but he surely is a fit for our system. And now the world knows.” Wishfully, Coach Parker dreams of something resembling similar results Sept. 10 when the Panthers take on perennial NCAA Division II jugger naut Valdosta State, the 2018 national champ.VUU was a heavy favorite against VUL. They will be a major underdog at Valdosta.Ayear ago, the Blazers defeated the Panthers in Richmond, 51-7. The Panthers will leave by bus from campus late Thursday, try and sleep through the night, and get in a light workout Friday. It’s not a make-or-break game for VUU. A victory would rocket the Pan thers into the Division II poll; even with a loss VUU would remain in contention for the NCAA playoffs. “Last year we made mistake on top of mistake,” Coach Parker said. “Against a team like that you can’t make mistakes.”Thisis Grant’s second season with the Panthers since transferring from the University of Rhode Island. He did not attempt a single pass a year ago, playing behind the depart ed Khalid Mor ris and Caldwell.EmondGrantwasaheavilyrecruited
Coach Odums is looking for a quarterback replacement for departed four-year starter Juwan Carter. At Marshall, Coach Odums juggled two transfers, Jaylan Adams and Otto Kuhns, with little productivity.
her place in the pantheon of superstars, as worthy as anyone — woman or man, this generation or any other, this sport or any other — of the honorific “Greatest of All Time” (one clever spectator at Serena’s 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-1 loss to Ajla Tomljanovic held up a poster with, simply, a drawing of a goat). “She is an all-time great. Obviously, that’s an understatement,” said Martina Navratilova, an 18-time major winner who certainly is part of that whole conversation. But Serena is also about a lot more than that. No Black woman had won a Slam title since Althea Gibson in the 1950s until Williams came along and collected her first at the 1999 U.S. Open at age 17. Over the more than two decades since, Serena and Venus, who earned seven major singles tro phies of her own, get credit for inspiring Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka and countless of others to play tennis, yes, but also for pushing plenty of others to change their views about what can be done and what can’t. “She embodies that no dream is too big,” Tomljanovic said. “You can do anything if you believe in yourself, you love what you do and you have an incredible support system aroundSheThere’syou.”more.wonaGrand Slam title while pregnant, went through scary health complications after giving birth to her daughter, Olympia, in 2017, and would return to the tour and reach four more major finals. She has a venture capital firm that raised more than $100 million.Serena wore what she wanted on a tennis court. She reacted how she wanted, during and away from her matches. She said what she wanted, sometimes addressing social issues, some times not, but there always was a sense that she was the one who decided. As Serena observed after hitting one last shot: “I have such a bright future ahead of me.”
Serena Williams Stories by Fred Jeter Sept.vs10
Meet a leader committed to was invited by Martha Rollins to join the CTVA board and I became the Black co-chair of the board. Number one goal or project as board chair: To increase the size of the Coming Together Virginia board with balanced diversity. Strategy for achieving goals: To share with a wider population the mission, vision and focus of Coming Together Virginia and to showcase our organization at the Leadership Metro Rich mond Board Connectors Event on Wednesday, Sept. 28. Biggest hurdle: Identifying persons to serve on the board who will embrace the mission and vision of Coming Together Virginia.
Upcoming events: Saturday, Sept. 3 - Sacred Ground Reclamation Project Walking Tour Saturday, Sept. 10 - Trail of the Enslaved Africans Tuesday, Sept. 20 - Dinner gathering, Ginter Park Presby terian Church, 3601 Seminary Ave. How I start the day: Always with a positive attitude and thoughts of my anticipated accomplishments for the day. The day usually ends with me reflecting on at least one good deed for at least one person. Three words that best de scribe me: “Very Reliable Person.” Best late-night snack: I keep KETO snacks handy. I like celery/cream cheese or pork rinds/cream cheese with a diet soft drink. How I unwind: Playing bridge, teaching a bridge class or cook ing a dish to share with others. As I am the co-convener of the Movie Circle, I also watch a lot of movies. What I’m continuing to learn about myself during the pandemic: The isolation due to the pandemic did not discourage me from continuing to be productive and creative. I discovered that I enjoyed this time of personal reflection and filled my time with learning to paint and reading books to better understand our history. Something I love to do that most people would never imagine: I love fishing. My greatest fishing trip was to Alaska where I caught a large number of salmon. I am also very productive because I take one or two naps daily! A quote that I am most inspired by: As a school ad ministrator, I encouraged my students with these 10 two-letter words: “IF IT IS TO BE IT IS UP TO ME.” As I approach my becom ing an octogenarian; a quote that guides me every day is, “Learn todayas if you will live forever.” At the top of my “to-do” list: To attend the Grand Opening of the International African American Museum on Jan. 21, 2023, in Charleston, S.C. The museum will honor the untold stories of the African-American journey at one of the most sacred sites of Charleston. This will be an excellent celebration to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. What I remember most about my parents: That they always had my back and supported my endeavors.
Spotlight on Coming Together Virginia’s board chairwoman
Reason for my involvement: I saw a notice in the newspaper in 2016 that CTTT was meet ing at Ginter Park Presbyterian Church and the mission of the organization was improving race relations.
Occupation: Former elemen tary, middle and high school principal in Goochland County, Petersburg and Prince Edward County. Currently Older Adult Program coordinator at the Peter Paul Development Center. Family: Daughters, Martha (deceased) and Mary.
When and why founded: Our local affiliate, now renamed Coming Together Virginia, was founded by Martha Rollins and Danita Rountree Green in 2014, who were looking for a way to bring together Black and white people to heal our shared generational trauma and constructively work to repair it. Bringing people together for a good meal created the perfect atmosphere for these conversations. In 2019, our chapter received its 501(c) (3) status. When elected board chair and length of term: Elected July 1, 2021, for a two-year term. Why I accepted position: I have been a member of Com ing Together Virginia, since 2016. During that time I have participated in a plethora of activities, including the Movie Circle Convener, the Facilita tion Team, the Book Circle, an ambassador as well as a member of the Leadership Team. I was able to build sin cere relationships with people who do not look like me. In Coming Together Virginia; we use a Black /white model for the CEO’s, chairs of circles, committees and the board. I BROAD STREET (804) 648-1044 L.
RICHMOND, V
Personality: Barbara S. Brown
Coming Together Virginia is: A nonprofit organization dedi cated to uncovering history and building relationships across RACIAL lines to move our communities toward the healing of people and repair of systems broken since the institution of slavery in this country. Mission: To open hearts and minds through shared learning and bold truth telling. To con nect people across the racial divide. To teach dialogue pro cesses for healing conversations on difficult racial experiences. To promote action to dismantle the legacy of enslavement. To call forth just and equitable communities in Virginia and beyond. Previously known as: Coming to the Table.
How to become involved: By visiting Coming Together Virginia on FACEBOOK and our landing page onginia.org,ustogethervirginia.org,www.comingorcontactatinfo@comingtogethervirformoreinformationourmonthlyactivities.
Reason for name change: We outgrew the old name! Coming Together Virginia is the largest affiliate of a national organiza tion. We are the largest by far and are expanding our programs to include our other eight af filiates in the Commonwealth of Virginia.This will help us address larger issues and agendas affecting marginalized communities; such as housing, healthcare, public safety and education.
promoting healing and systemic change, Coming Together Vir ginia’s chairwoman and this week’s Personality, Barbara S. Brown: Volunteer position: Board chairwoman, Coming Together Virginia. Date and place of birth: Nov. 13 in Farmville Where I live now: Henrico County.
DIAMONDS • WATCHES • JEWELRY • 19 EAST
WWW.WALLERJEWELRY.COM Monday,Sept.19@6p.m. Event bit.ly/2022wsdetails VCU
Number of members: more than 2,000 subscribers who follow us regularly on social media and on our mailing list. However, we (have) had more than 4,000 people join us virtually from throughout the country and outside the United States who were inter ested in what was happening in the former Capital of the Confederacy.
Black Lives Matter means: All persons, even those whose skin is not white, are also human beings and should be treated fairly.
Happenings Richmond Free Press September 8-10, 2022 B1
Education: Proud “1960” graduate of Virginia Randolph High School; bachelor’s in mathematics, Virginia Union University; master’s in educa tion administration and supervi sion, Virginia Commonwealth University.
Member profile: The average age is late 50s and early 60s. The majority of our members are white/ European Americans. How to get involved: Visit the Coming Together Virginia website and sign up for our monthly newsletter that lists our activities and programs. Today’s racial climate is: At a very toxic level since “Make America Great Again” became a focus of many Americans after the successful twoterm presidency of Barack Obama. How it affects Coming Together Virginia: Eu ropean Americans who do not embrace the “Make America Great Again’ (rhetoric) are finding their way to our meet ings, walks, movie and book discussions. COVID-19 and Coming Together Virginia: During COVID-19 all circles and meet ings were virtual. The virtual format provided the organiza tion the opportunity to widen our audience in the city, state and the United States. What is meant by white privi lege: The inherent advantage possessed by a white person on the basis of their race in a society characterized by racial inequality and injustice.
What draws people to the or ganization? People are drawn to Coming Together Virginia because they are looking for a community of like-minded people searching for answers to current life-long issues: there racial divide in our City? What leads me to believe certain things about people of another race? How can I, my friends and family be a part of repairing the breach between Black and white people? Richmond and throughout the Commonwealth are looking for a safe space to ask those questions. Coming Together Virginia provides that safe space by giving people an opportu nity to learn about our shared history by reading together, watching movies together, listening to speakers together, traveling together, and more. We offer facilitated, authentic conversations where all voices are heard and respected. This helps us to build relationships and often heal old wounds caused by racism. Our partici pants also are able to discover actions they can take to make a difference.
Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs 2022 Symposium Racism, Health & Accountability
FEATURING 66th Governor of Virginia L. Douglas Wilder & Wilder School Dean Susan Gooden Join us in-person to explore Gov. Wilder’s role and perspectives in representing the family of Bruce Tucker, a Black man whose heart was transplanted without his family’s consent by the Medical College of Virginia in 1968. This public event is free to attend.
Next goal: Providing leadership for the Coming Together Vir ginia board as we prepare for our inaugural gala in October 2023. At the gala, we will recognize community persons/organiza tions who are working toward a racially-healed world.
Coming to the Table was founded in 2006 when a small group of descendants of slaves and slave holders met at a table in Harrisonburg with a goal of “Taking America Beyond the Legacy of BringingEnslavement.”peopletogether for a shared meal was a way to establish relationships that would allow conversations to start. Since then, the organiza tion has expanded to include dozens of local affiliates in 16 states throughout the United States.The Richmond chapter started in 2014 and became a registered nonprofit five years later. This year the organization renamed itself Coming Together Virginia. It continues to dedicate itself to promoting racial equality and social justice by using what it refers to as the “four legs of its table” — uncovering history, making connections, working toward healing and taking action to dismantle systems of oppression.Thismission to improve race relations resonated with former principal Barbara S. Brown. The Henrico County resident first joined the Rich mond chapter of Coming to the Table in 2016 after seeing a newspaper notice about the organization.“Theimprovement of race relations was always a focal point of my 15 years as a school administrator, having provided leadership at four predominantly white schools,” Mrs. Brown said. “At the first meeting that I attended that was predomi nantly white, I was in awe as they (participants) recited the ‘Pledge to End Racism’ and I wasMrs.hooked.”Brown, who now is Coming Together Virginia’s board chairwoman, wants to use her relationship-building skills and ability to “organize an ant colony” to help Com ing Together Virginia continue to grow. “We are the largest [affili ate] by far and are expanding our programs to include the other eight affiliates in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” Mrs. Brown said. “This will help us to address larger issues and agendas affecting marginalized communities such as housing, healthcare, public safety and education.”Todothis, Mrs. Brown sees the biggest priority and the biggest challenge as being one and the same — finding more committed individuals to serve on the board and further the mission of Coming Together Virginia.“Sharing stories is a lot of what we do,” Mrs. Brown said. “Some of those conversations might be uncomfortable, but once people come together and share their stories it brings a level of comfortability after ward.”Coming Together Virginia provides a safe space for shared learning experiences, whether through its Book Circle read ing group, watching movies in the Movie Circle or sharing personal experiences around a physical table or in virtual breakout rooms. Many activities have a theme and often include guestThespeakers.organization’s monthly dinners on the third Tuesday draw about 60 attendees who are diverse by gender, age and race. Current and historical topics are discussed and per sonal stories are shared. Mrs. Brown said sharing experiences like this makes par ticipants think about the things that happened in the past and look for ways to make changes that show their support for just and equitable communities in Virginia and beyond. A quote that Mrs. Brown often used to inspire her stu dents as a principal can apply equally to making changes for the better to our society, “If it is to be, it is up to me.”
The person who influenced me the most: I was influenced by ALL of my African-American teachers from first grade to 12th grade. While they rarely talked about racial issues, they always kept me focused on my academic strengths and abilities to ensure my success in life. Book that influenced me the most: “How the Word is Passed” by Clint Smith has a recent influence on me in terms of planning some future visits to plantations in the U.S. and particularly those with June teenth celebrations. What I’m reading now: “Nice Racism” by Robin Diangelo, who also wrote “White Fra gility.”
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Allen and Margaret Bailey Get up close with hundreds of colorful, tropical butterflies—only at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden! Tickets available now at lewisginter.org
AMB_RichmondFreePressAd.indd 1 4/1/22 3:27 PM
The Ruth Coles Harris Leadership Institute will honor three community leaders for their work during its 2022 Awards Luncheon next week at Virginia Union University. The luncheon will be hosted by the Sydney Lewis School of Business in the Claude G. Perkins Living and Learning Center on VUU’s campus on Saturday, Sept. 17, at 11:30 a.m. Honorees include Tyrone E. Dickerson, member of the VUU Board of Trustees and recipient of the Ruth Coles Harris Advancing Diversity and Inclusion Award; John W. Kinney, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Beaverdam and former dean of VUU’s Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of The ology; and Shane Rob erts-Thomas, owner and chef of South ern Kitchen and The DeuceFourrestaurants.SydneyLew is students also will be awarded $2,500 scholarships for out standing academic achievements. For more information, please visit vuu.edu.
Ms. Belsches
The Nottoway Indian Tribe’s Annual PowWow returns for two days of native arts, crafts, food and more on Sept. 17 and 18 at the Surry County Parks and RecreationSponsoredCenter.bythe Virginia Nottoway Indian Circle and Square Foundation and the Surry County Parks and Recreation, the event will again be led by Rick Kelly as master of ceremonies. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Blackwater Library will be on site for the first time, with mobile units that will bring art pieces and more to attendees free of charge. Highlights include:
New exhibit celebrates Black History Museum’s 40th year narratives and artifacts explore Black people in Richmond
The University of Richmond Jepson Leadership Forum series will begin with New York Times best-selling author, and The Atlantic staff writer Clint Smith at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 14, on campus at the Queally Center for Admission and Career Services, 142 UR Drive. This year’s series “Finding Our Way on the Heels of Failure,” will explore “past and present failures in leadership and followership by shining a spotlight on times where we could — and should — have done better,” according to a UR newsTopicsrelease.will include U.S. withdrawal from climateAfghanistan,change,the U.S. COVID-19 re sponse, historical memory and racism, and higher education crises. Mr. Smith will discuss “Historical Memory and Racism.” He is the author of “How the Word Is Passed: A Reckon ing with the History of Slavery Across America.” The work received several awards, including becoming a New York Times best-seller and the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction. His poetry collection, “Counting Descent” won the 2017 Literary Award for Best Poetry Book from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association and was a finalist for the NAACP Image Award. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. The registra tion form can be found on the university’s website at: jepson.richmond.edu/
• Frankie Red Hawk will demonstrate “Primitive Weapons and Native Survival Skills”; • Dr. Buck Woodard, anthropologist will provide historical enactments; • Tribal Citizens will provide “Story Telling” activities; • Lacrosse Demonstration – Lacrosse was started by Native American Indians;
Want to know more about Black achievements and accom plishments in Virginia? The Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia is making that possible with a new exhibit titled “Forging Freedom Jus tice and Equality” that is part of the celebration of its 40th year. The exhibition, which the museum describes as a “thematic journey” through time will open to the public at 10 a.m. Wednes
By Holly Rodriguez
B2 September 8-10, 2022 Richmond Free Press day, Sept. 14, at the museum’s current home, the historic Leigh Street Armory, 122 W. Leigh St. Curated by historian Elvatrice Belsches, the show is divided into six parts, each featuring photographs, first-person narratives and artifacts from the museum and private collections, a release from the museum states. The six parts look at Black life before the Civil War, including a ledger from the 1840s that offers insight into the experiences of free Black people in Richmond.
Mr. Dickerson Dr. Kinney Ms.ThomasRoberts-
Other parts focus on the Black church, educational achievements and Black ex periences in the military and in the arts, sports and entertainment. The final part looks at the Black experience in business and in organizations and the role of Black newspapers and magazines. Highlights of the exhibit, the museum stated, include the papers of George Lewis Ruffin, a Richmond native who in 1869 became the first Black graduate of Harvard University’s law school. He went on to become a Massachusetts judge and the first elected Black member of Boston’s City Council. The display also includes photographs of Black students at Virginia’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities that were taken by award-winning photographer George O. Brown and his descendants, the museum stated. Overall, the new display includes 100 photographs and various artifacts that endeavor to honor the major regions of the state, the museum noted. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays each week. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for students and seniors and $6 for children ages 4 to 12. Details on the new exhibit: (804) 780-9093.
Baileys Celebrate Their 65th Anniversary
• The Education Committee will provide arts activities including beading, basket weaving, making corn husk dolls. Entry for the PowWow on Saturday, Sept. 17 begins at noon, starts at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 18, and ends at 5 p.m. on both days. Admission to the event is $8 dollars for most attendees, and $5 for ages under 18 and 65 or older. Children 12 years old and younger can attend the event for free if accompanied by an adult. For more information, call the PowWow Hotline at 757-276-6033, or email the group at NottowayofVA@aol.com.
Reserve tickets at VirginiaHistory.org/Calendar
Clint Smith of The Atlantic kicks off UR series Mr. Smith
Truly remarkable, 65 Years of Marriage. A precious and true love that has stood the test of time through many challenges and hardships. Their enduring commitment to love, family, and most of all faith has guided them and continues to guide them every day. This type of love and dedication continues to inspire everyone that knows them, as they touch the world with their love. The couple are parents of four children, eight grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren. The 65 Year Newlyweds are planning a weekend long intimate celebration this year with their four children and their spouses. The celebratory gathering at their home includes enjoying each other for a weekend filled with games, movies, good food, joy, laughter, and fellowship. Following a private week getaway for the couple.
Photographs,
By Jeremy M. Lazarus
VUU leadership institute announces Sept. 17 awards luncheon
Surry PowWow offers crafts, drumming, storytelling, survival skills
Happenings
Happenings Richmond Free Press September 8-10, 2022 B3
Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors and a father of three has written a book, “I Have a Superpower,” that he says was partly inspired by his own children’s love of reading. In this photo, Mr. Curry celebrates his graduation ceremony at Davidson College on Aug. 31 in Davidson, N.C., where he also was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame and his number and jersey were retired.
By Gary Gerard Hamilton The Associated Press New York on nearly every basketball court around the world —from NBA arenas to elementary school gyms — you’ll see players of all sizes regularly attempting long 3-point shots. There’s one man largely credited with transforming basketball from a must-see above the rim game to box office-long range shooting: Stephen Curry. But the Golden State warriors megastar who broke the NBA’s alltime 3-point record last season is now aiming at a different target: children’s books. “This is our first project out and (we want) to hopefully reach the next generation of kids that are dreaming big, are going to be the next leaders and game changers,” said Mr. Curry of “I Have a Superpower” illustrated by Geneva Bowers. “we want them to be able to set their sights on what they want to accomplish in the world and really believe that it’s possible.” The father of three says the book was CONNECTED TO WHAT MATTERS. As Virginia’s home for public media, we bring you relevant news and local storytelling to foster a greater understanding of our state, our neighbors and our world. VPM.org Mending Walls: The Documentary Thirty artists create a groundbreaking public art project about empathy and racial justice in the documentary “Mending Walls,” presented on public television by VPM. Courtesy of Katrina Ta�art-Hecksher
Photos by Clement Britt Armando Bacot’s Sept. 3-4 basketball camp attracted Richmond-area students who received basketball skills instruction, free backpacks, school supplies, clothing and even haircuts. Right, Mr. Bacot, a senior at the University of North Carolina, signs a ball for Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who also played basketball in college.
CONNECTED TO WHAT SPARKS CONVERSATION.
Steph Curry aims to inspire with ‘I Have a Superpower’ book partly inspired by his own children’s love of “Youreading.kindof have your kids in mind when you’re talking about a book, and then you realize that this is kind of a universal opportunity to reach the next generation,” explained the four-time NBA champion and reigning Finals MVP. A member of the NBA’s prestigious 75th Anniversary team and executive producer of the “Holey Moley” game show, Mr. Curry spoke with The As sociated Press about empowering chil dren and the upcoming NBA season. Answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.
CURRY: There are a lot of different mediums to story-tell and to inspire. And publishing and writing this book is another example of ways to connect and kind of broaden your horizons ... My wife showed me how it’s done, so now I get to follow in her footsteps a little bit.
AP: Switching gears, most of this NBA offseason has been focused on the Brooklyn Nets drama with kevin Durant and kyrie Irving along with the Lakers daily soap opera. Are you aware that much of the talk has not been about the warriors, despite being the defending champions?
CURRY: we’re aware of everything that happens in the League in terms of different storylines and rumors and all that. It is the best place to watch it all happen when you’re holding the trophy and enjoying your summer and understanding, as the champs, you’re the ones being chased again now. we don’t need anybody to talk about us. we know what we accom plished.
AP: You and your wife, Ayesha, are building a media brand with TV shows and books. why choose the media space to make an impact?
AP: Sports fans know that you’ve probably transformed the way basket ball is played forever. Are you person ally aware of how you’ve changed the game? CURRY: I’m aware, but part of it is for me to keep doing what I’m doing in my career and hopefully stay at this level for as long as I can. There is no sense that I’ve hit my peak. I always feel like I can get better. So, I’m motivated by how far I can stretch this.
Armando Bacot’s hoops camps attract area students and Virginia’s governor
More than 100 local children received the rare opportunity to see one of college basketball’s top stars up close and personal. richmonder Armando Bacot hosted his second Back-to-School Hoops Camp Sept. 3-4 at Big Ben’s Home Court on westwood Avenue. Among the adults in attendance was Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, himself a former basketball player at rice University in Houston. Along with basketball skills instruction, the mostly elementary and middle school campers received free backpacks, school supplies, cloth ing and even haircuts. The event was presented by DTLr and Davies entertainment, along with some 20 areaThesponsors.6-foot-10 Bacot is entering his senior season at the University of North Carolina. He averaged 16.3 points and 13.1 rebounds per game as a junior, leading the Tar Heels to the NCAA finals against Kansas. In the loss to the Jayhawks, Bacot scored 15 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Along the way he became the first in NCAA tournament history to post double doubles in six straight games. Bacot played locally at Trinity episcopal School in South richmond before transferring to IMG Academy in Florida for his senior season.
By Fred Jeter
Sermon by: Rev. Dr. Madeline McClenney Christian Education/Grandparents Sunday St. Peter Baptist Church Dr. Kirkland R. Walton, Pastor Worship Opportunities Sundays: Church School 8:30 A.M. Morning Worship 10 A.M. Thursdays: Bible Study is now on summer break and will reconvene on September 29th. Please refer to your daily readings located in your bulletin. 2040 Mountain Road • Glen Allen, Virginia 23060 Office 804-262-0230 • Fax 804-262-4651 • www.stpeterbaptist.net Baptism Communion&Sunday SeptemberSunday,11th10A.M.
“If you can’t say ‘amen,’ then say ‘ouch.’” If you’ve spent any consid erable length of time in a tra ditional Black church context, you’ve heard this. It’s usually said by a preacher when they know a sermon is hitting a little too close to home and the typical “Preach, Bishop!” or “Take your time, pastor!” call-and-response has gone silent. “It’s tight but it’s right,” many would say as they watch parishioners shift in their seats while hearing “Thus saith the Lord.”When “Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.” premiered in theaters and on Peacock on Friday (Sept. 2), many had no choice but to say “ouch.” The dark comedy, starring Regina Hall and Sterling K. Brown, is supposed to be satirical in its depiction of a megachurch pastor and his wife as they at tempt to resurrect themselves after a fall from grace. Yet the greatest strength of this “mockumentary” is that it’s not parody at all — rather, it’s one of the most accurate depictions of contemporary Black church culture I’ve seen. Written and directed by freshman filmmaker Adamma Ebo, “Honk for Jesus” chron icles the efforts of Lee-Curtis Childs (Mr. Brown) and his wife, Trinitie (Ms. Hall), as they work to restore Wander to Greater Paths Baptist Church to its former glory. A sexual misconduct scandal has forced the thriving institution, which once boasted 25,000 members, to shut its doors. Believing the people need to see their miraculous restoration, LeeCurtis enlists a documentary film crew to follow them as they journey toward an Easter Sunday reopening. With Ms. Ebo as writerdirector and Daniel Kaluuya as producer, the film is ex ecutive produced by Jordan Peele, known for his films
‘Honk for Jesus’ a wild ride that drives home paradox of faith in the Black church
By Candice Marie Benbow Religion News Service
“Get Out” (which starred Mr. Kaluuya), “Us” and this sum mer’s “Nope.” “Honk for Jesus” continues in the same vein of Mr. Peele’s social commentary and critique. Prosperity gospel, ego and manipulation have become prominent ministries in Black churches, leaving con gregants further impoverished while the pastor and his family seem to be the only ones who are prospering. Everything about the first family must reinforce God’s favor because, if they are blessed, then their congregation is blessed, too. The continuous flow of material wealth isn’t by chance; the first family hustles incredibly hard for it. It doesn’t take much time to recognize that Lee-Curtis’ plight is eerily similar to that of the late Bishop Eddie Long, a megachurch pastor who was accused of sexual misconduct in 2010 and died in 2017. But “Honk for Jesus” isn’t about Bishop Long as much as it uses the scandal as the backdrop to explore what’s happening in today’s church. That’s why we don’t just see him in the film. We see so many Black men, pastoring congregations of all sizes, who believe their own hype and will stop at nothing to maintain some semblance of power. And we see their wives, women who believe it is their calling to make themselves smaller so their husbands can appear larger. The Childses have lost ev erything and it’s unclear why. Sexual misconduct? Perhaps. So what would make the members of Wander to Greater Paths Baptist Church any dif ferent? As “Honk for Jesus” moves along, it becomes ap parent that Pastor Childs’ sexuality is in question. Now it all makes sense. Wander to Greater Paths’ members don’t find refuge in Heaven’s House Baptist Church, with Pastors Keon and Shakura Sumpter — played by Conphidance and Nicole Beharie — without reason. They left in droves be cause, for many, homophobia is still one of a Black Christian’s greatest virtues. And even though he’s lost it all, there remains a remnant who believes the wrong Lee-Curtis has done can be overlooked because he has done so much right. After all, those boys were “grown enough,” no criminal charges have been filed and souls have been saved thanks to Pastor Childs. While the devoted flock’s forgiveness of Lee-Curtis and the community’s disregard for his victims are what perpetuate cycles of abuse and violence, it is important to note he never apologizes. Do pastors even do that anymore or do they simply dismiss any form of accountability as hate and the devil conspiring against them?Lee-Curtis Childs is exactly who we think he is: a broken man hoping the façade he hides behind will one day make him happy. But he is not happy and neither is his wife, who is per haps the most important person here. The hoops Trinitie Childs jumps through and the ways she contorts herself to protect her husband from destructive forces, including himself, make her both victim and accomplice. Trinitie is complicated, wanting to be fully seen for the totality of her sacrifices to ensure her husband’s — and by extension, her — success. We don’t know all that Trinitie knows but we do know she knows enough to make a different decision — one that prioritizes her dignity and selfworth. She goes without respect, recognition and intimacy as Lee-Curtis so recklessly mis handles what they have built together. In her documentary confessional moments, Trinitie tells a painful truth: It does take a lot to be a first lady. Perhaps more of us should start asking why. And both camps are right, which is what makes “Honk for Jesus” so great. In many ways, its satire is a mirror — a hilarious and horrific one. Throughout the film and especially in the final scene, today’s Black church sees itself in all of its conflicting glory. The ugly can no longer be hidden. We all see it. If the church looks bad, maybe that’s because it is. Ouch. Candice Marie Benbow is a theologian and the author of “Red Lip Theology: For Church Girls Who’ve Considered Tithing to the Beauty Supply Store When Sunday Morning Isn’t Enough.”
Photo courtesy of Focus Features Regina Hall and Sterling K. Brown star in “Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul,” a dark comedy, that depicts a megachurch pastor and his wife as they attempt to resurrect themselves after a fall from grace.
Commentary/Faith Directory B4 September 8-10, 2022 Richmond Free Press 1858 The People’s Church Dr. Wallace J. Cook Pastor Emeritus Rev. Dr. Adam L. Bond Pastor 216 W. Leigh St., Richmond, Va. 23220 Tel: 804-643-3366 Fax: 804-643-3367 Please visit our website EbenezerRichmond,ChurchBaptistVAforupdates ebenezerrva.orghttp://www. Sunday Church School • 9am (Zoom) Sunday Morning Worship • 11am (in-person and livestream on YouTube) Wednesday Bible Study • 7pm (Zoom)BRBConline.org or YouTube (Broad Rock Baptist Church) “MAKE IT HAPPEN” Pastor Kevin Cook Broad Rock Baptist Church 5106 Walmsley Blvd., Richmond, VA 23224 804-276-2740 • 804-276-6535 (fax) www.BRBCONLINE.org “BACK IN SERVICE” Our doors are open again Mask required • Must provide vaccination card Every Sunday @ 11:00 am. Live Streaming Every Sunday At: BRBConline.org or YouTube(Broad Rock Baptist Church) 500 E. Laburnum Avenue, Richmond, VA 23222 www.sharonbaptistchurchrichmond.org(804)643-3825 Rev. Dr. Paul A. Coles, Pastor Sharon Baptist Church “ e Church With A Welcome” MorningSundaysWorship10:00A.M. Back Inside Moore BaptistMissionaryStreetChurch 1408 W. Leigh Street · Richmond, Va. 23220 (804) 358 6403 Dr. Alonza L. Lawrence, Pastor “Your Home In God’s Kingdom” “Working For You In This Difficult Hour” Joseph Jenkins, Jr. Funeral Home, Inc. 2011-2049 Grayland Avenue Richmond, Virginia 23220 (804) 358-9177 Joseph Jenkins, Jr., Founder (Dec. 19, 1938 - Dec. 9, 2006) Joseph Jenkins, III. • Jason K. Jenkins • Maxine T. Jenkins k k Dr. Sylvester T. Smith, Pastor “There’s A Place for You” Good Shepherd Baptist Church 1127 North 28th St., Richmond, VA 23223 Office: (804) 644-1402 https://youtu.be/qqzhnIEQyQc for inspirational messages from Pastor Smith 400 South Addison Street Richmond, Va. 23220 (near Byrd Park) (804) 359-1691 or 359-3498 Fax (804) www.sixthbaptistchurch.org359-3798 We Embrace Diversity — Love For All!A 21st Century Church With Ministry For Everyone Come worship with us! Facebook sixthbaptistrva Rev. Dr. Yvonne Jones Bibbs Pastor Back Inside Sundays Join us for 10:00 AM Worship Service Live on Facebook @sixthbaptistrva Live on Youtube @sixthbaptistrva Or by visiting our www.sixthbaptistchurch.orgwebsite Antioch Baptist Church “Redeeming God’s People for Gods Purpose” 1384 New Market Road, Richmond, Virginia 23231 | 804-222-8835 SERVICES SUNDAY WORSHIP HOUR – 10:00 A M CHILDREN’S CHURCH & BUS MINISTRY AVAILABLE SUNDAY SCHOOL (FOR ALL AGES) – 9:00 A M TUESDAY MID-DAY BIBLE STUDY – 12 NOON MWEDNESDAYID-WEEKPRAYER & BIBLE STUDY – 7:00 P M A MISSION BASED CHURCH FAMILY EXCITING MINISTRIES FOR CHILDREN, YOUTH, YOUNG ADULTS & SENIOR ADULTS BIBLE REVELATION TEACHING DIVERSE MUSIC MINISTRY LOVING, CARING ENVIRONMENT DR. JAMES L. SAILES PASTOR *Faith Formation/ Church School (Sat. @ 9:00 AM) Zoom Meeting ID: 952 9164 9805 /Passcode: 2901 *Bible Study (Wed. @ 7:00 PM) Zoom Meeting ID: 854 8862 2296 *Give Via: http://mmbcrva.org/give Or through Givelify Homecoming Sunday On Site & Virtual September 11 2022 @ 10:00 A.M. 2901 Mechanicsville Turnpike, Richmond, VA 23223 (804)648 2472 ~ www.mmbcrva.org Dr. Price London Davis, Senior Pastor Worship With Us This Week! Homecoming Sunday September 11, 2022 @ 10:00 A.M. Preacher for the Day: Rev. Caprichia Spellman Family, Faith, and Friends Galatians 6:10 Fall Revival September 13 14, 2022 @ 7:00 P.M. Revivalist: Rev. Dr. Joshua Mitchell All Services Are Virtual & Onsite! Riverview Baptist Church Via Conference Call (202) 926-1127 Pin 572890# In Person Sunday Service also on FACEBOOK and YouTube Sunday, September 11, 2022 Sunday School - 9:30 A.M. Morning Services - 11 A.M. 2604 Idlewood Avenue, Richmond, Va. 23220 (804) 353-6135 • www.riverviewbaptistch.org
