Zion Ortiz was a week old when he was diagnosed with hemoglobin SS, a form of sickle cell disease. Eight months later, he suffered a stroke, leading to complications such as a diagnosis of a rare disease callaed moyamoya, two surgeries, a 21-day hospital stay and two additional strokelike episodes in later years.
“We’ve been trying to navigate that,” said Zion’s mother, Taniqua Bates. “The best option for Zion right now is a bone marrow transplant.”
Now 4 years old, Zion’s family’s yearslong search for a bone marrow donor is taking a step forward, thanks to a collaboration with NMDP, formerly the National Marrow Donor Program, and Be the Match.
Zion’s story will be featured in a national ad
Schwenk confirmed Clemmons’ leave but said the division could not discuss personnel matters.
campaign by NMDP that began last month to encourage young people from diverse backgrounds to register as donors.
NMDP is looking for participants between the ages of 18 and 40 to register on its website, where they must complete a health history questionnaire. Once accepted, they’ll receive a swab test kit by mail.
Potential donors must use a cotton swab on both sides of their cheeks for about 10 seconds each, then return the kit by mail. Participants will be added to NMDP’s registry within six to eight weeks and may be called to donate at any time. If selected as a match, the donation process takes 20 to 30 hours over four to six weeks and is designed to accommodate their schedules.
“People just don’t know that we have stem cells in our body that can cure cancer, that can
cure sickle cell, and that’s so important for people to understand,” said NMDP Public Relations Manager Erica Sevilla. “There’s so little we can control within this lifetime, but swabbing the inside of your cheek and giving somebody else a second chance at life, that’s huge.”
Before this collaboration, Zion’s family relied primarily on social media to find donors, sharing his story across platforms and seeking advice in support groups. Bates connected with NMDP last fall through social media, leading to the new push for donors.
Finding a match has been especially difficult due to racial disparities in the bone marrow registry. According to NMDP, African Americans have a 29% chance of finding a fully matched
By George Copeland Jr.
Henrico County could experience significant changes to its water supply as local leaders assess their response to a water outage in Richmond that affected the region for days and consider measures to prevent a similar crisis in the future.
A report on the county’s efforts, presented by the water firm AquaLaw PLC during a Henrico Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday, highlighted communication as a key issue in the crisis that lasted nearly
a week in early January.
The report states Henrico’s response to the outage at Richmond’s water treatment plant, which occurred following a winter storm, was hindered by a lack of information and clarity regarding the severity of the outage and the progress made in restoring the plant.
“Richmond was managing a very difficult problem,” AquaLaw President Christopher Pomeroy said as he discussed the firm’s findings with supervisors. “But the effect on our end was that the reports
Clemmons’ administrative leave came after complaints against her from 18 RPS employees were discussed during the School Board meeting on Feb. 4. The group compiled a 58-page grievance letter citing Clemmons’ alleged racism toward employees of color, incompetence and abuse of her power within the Finance and Talent departments.
“We had a brief conversation where [Clemmons] mocked my accent in an extremely public area with my co-workers present,” said Shirley Maxwell, an RPS human resources specialist, who is of Afro-Latino descent. “No one, especially not my supervisor, has the right to mock it.”
Clemmons – who oversees the school division’s human
proved simply to be optimistic, and they repeatedly raised false hopes that we’d have water back in time to avoid an outage in Henrico.”
AquaLaw’s report, along with a study into the county’s East End water supply by engineering firm Whitman, Requardt and Associates, were discussed and released during the two-hourlong meeting which coincided with the ar-
Free Press staff report Against the backdrop of Richmond’s historic Main Street Station, plans for the Shockoe Institute are moving forward. The city has selected Team Henry Enterprises to lead construction of the more than 12,000-square-foot educational facility in Shockoe
Bottom, a site central to Richmond’s role in the domestic slave trade.
Funded by an $11 million grant from the Mellon Foundation, the Shockoe Institute was launched in July 2024 as a national organization dedicated to examining the lasting impact of racial slavery in America. The independent nonprofit will serve as a space for education and reflection, focusing on Virginia’s role in the internal slave trade and the broader national implications of this history. Team Henry Enterprises, a Virginia-based construction firm led by CEO Devon Henry, has worked on numerous historic revitalization
Please turn to A4
Free Press staff report
Virginia State University will host the 2025 People’s Debate on Sept. 16, a pivotal event for voters in the upcoming gubernatorial election. AARP Virginia, in partnership with WTVR-CBS 6, announced the debate this week, marking the return of Virginia’s oldest and most widely broadcast statewide debate.
The event comes after Virginia State University missed the opportunity to host a presidential debate in 2024. VSU had been selected to host the debate but saw it canceled after President Biden chose not to participate in the traditional debates organized by the Commission on Presidential Debates.
Biden’s decision followed his preference to engage in earlier debates outside of the CPD’s traditional format, leading to the cancellation of the event.
This was a disappointment for VSU officials and Virginia
lawmakers, who had hoped the debate would provide significant exposure to the university and the surrounding community.
Since 2006, AARP Virginia has hosted The People’s Debate, which remains a nonpartisan event, with the organization not endorsing or contributing to any political candidates.
“AARP Virginia has worked for decades to make sure voters have the information they need to make their own choices when casting their ballots,”
stated AARP Virginia State Director Jim
is more meaningful to voters than hearing directly from the people vying to represent them.” Formal invitations to the debate will be extended to all eligible candidates following the conclusion of nomination contests on June 17. To qualify, candidates must appear on the general election ballot, have a staffed campaign headquarters and have at least 15% support in one statistically valid poll taken within 45 days of the event.
Dau. “Nothing
Photo courtesy Eric Steigleder Consulting
A rendering of the planned Shockoe Institute interior in Main Street Station, where visitors can explore the lasting impact of racial slavery in America.
Courtesy of NMDP Zion Ortiz
Julianne Tripp Hillian/ Richmond Free Press
Free community testing for COVID-19 continues
For the week ending Saturday, Feb. 8, COVID-19 accounted for 1.4% of all emergency department visits in Virginia, with overall respiratory illness rates high and trending upward compared to previous data. No COVID-19-related deaths were reported during this period at press time. As of the most recent sample collection week on Sunday, Feb. 2, COVID-19 wastewater levels in Richmond were below detection, and levels in Henrico County had plateaued.
The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following locations:
• Thursday, Feb. 13, 2 to 4:30 p.m. – Calvary United Methodist Church, 1637 Williamsburg Road.
• Friday, Feb. 14, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Southside Women, Infants and Children Office, 509 E. Southside Plaza.
• Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2 to 4:30 p.m. - St. Luke Apartments Community Center, 117 Engleside Drive.
RHHD’s Resource Centers are providing free at-home tests for pickup at select locations:
• Creighton Court at 2150 Creighton Road, call 804-3710433.
• Fairfield Court at 2311 N. 25th St., call 804-786-4099.
• Gilpin Court at 436 Calhoun St., call 804-786-1960.
• Hillside Court at 1615 Glenfield Ave., call 804-230-7740.
• Mosby Court at 1536 Coalter St., call 804-786-0204.
• Southwood Court at 1754 Clarkson Road, Unit B, call 804-230-2077.
• Whitcomb Court at 2106 Deforrest St., call 804-786-0555. For Virginia Department of Health testing locations, visit vdh. virginia.gov. Additional testing site information can be found at vax.rchd.com. Residents also can order four free at-home COVID test kits at covidtest.gov, while supplies last. Want a COVID-19 vaccine?
The CDC recommends the COVID-19 vaccine for everyone aged 6 months and older. Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are approved for those aged 6 months and older, while Novavax is for individuals aged 12 and older. To schedule an appointment with the Richmond and Henrico health districts, call 804-205-3501. A list of pharmacies and clinics offering the vaccine is available at Vaccines.gov. Additional locations can be found by texting your ZIP code to 438829 or calling 1-800-232-0233. Compiled by George Copeland Jr.
Maggie Walker Community Land Trust announces leadership change
Free Press staff report
The Maggie Walker Community Land Trust has appointed Mae Worthey-Thomas as its new chief executive officer, the organization announced recently.
Worthey-Thomas takes over from Erica Sims, who served as the nonprofit’s CEO through a partnership with HDAdvisors since MWCLT’s founding in 2016.
“As we grow larger and the housing crisis continues to grow more pressing, we are ecstatic to have a new full-time CEO with extensive affordable housing experience to lead us in the complex and pivotal road ahead,” said Jason Apolo, board chairman.
Worthey-Thomas brings extensive experience in affordable housing development. She previously served as deputy administrator at the Nevada Housing Division, the state’s housing finance agency. There, she oversaw federal and state grants for corporations, nonprofits and local governments to build affordable housing for income-qualified individuals.
“I am tremendously pleased that the MWCLT board has placed its faith in me to continue the legacy of providing affordable homes to deserving residents of the Richmond area,” Worthey-Thomas said. “I am excited about the road ahead and the worthwhile work we will do together in helping families realize the American dream of homeownership.” Worthey-Thomas holds a bachelor’s in communications from the University of Alabama, a master’s in public administration from the University of Nevada Las Vegas and a doctorate in organizational leadership from the University of La Verne.
Cityscape
Council approves land acquisition for Richmond Slave Trail
By George Copeland Jr.
City Council members unanimously approved the acquisition of about 4 acres of land Monday evening, securing full ownership of a portion of the Richmond Slave Trail after years of effort.
The acres, located at 1401 and 1421 Brander St., were accepted from the Capital Region Land Conservancy, a nature-preserving nonprofit focused on the Richmond area, and will be incorporated into the 3-mile retelling of the city’s role in the American slave trade.
The conservancy, in partnership with the City of Richmond, purchased the acres from the Norfolk Southern Railway Company last year, after raising the necessary funds and years of negotiation.
“CRLC is privileged to have contributed to the preservation of approximately a quarter mile of the Richmond Slave
Trail and to have executed the Richmond Riverfront Plan in acquiring the land along Brander Street on behalf of the City,” CRLC Executive Director Parker C. Agelasto stated.
“Securing the public access to the trail along the James River west of Ancarrow’s Landing is important to connecting visitors to history and nature.”
The purchase was meant to correct a mistake made when Slave Trail markers were placed throughout Richmond as part of the initiative in 2011. Roughly 2,000 feet of the trail crossed into Norfolk Southern’s private property, leading to unintended trespassing by trailgoers.
According to city documentation, the acquisition also allows the city to complete plans developed in 2019 to create a trail head at Ancarrow’s Landing and repair parts of the trail on the James River’s south bank.
The Norfolk Southern Railway Company will retain ownership of a small, 20-foot portion of the land for a nonoperation railway track located near the trail. The parcels’ value is appraised at $94,000 but was given as a gift to the city.
Council members also approved a conservation and open-space easement on the land for the Capital Region Land Conservancy and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. The easement will ensure the trails are maintained while prohibiting buildings or similar, substantial changes to the property, in order to preserve the forest along the river.
Other ordinances approved during the City Council meeting included accepting a $1.1 million from the Virginia Department of Transportation for the Richmond Signal System Smart City Traffic Signal Controllers program.
Fox to depart RPS, accepts position in Hanover
By Paula Phounsavath
Richmond Public Schools Chief Operat-
ing Officer Dana Fox will resign from her position at the end of the month, the school division announced last week.
Fox said she is leaving to take another role in Hanover County to be closer to her family. She has been appointed as the county’s new director of general services and capital projects.
“Being a mother of five and COO of Richmond Public Schools are both roles that deserve your full heart and mind, and at this point, I’ve made this difficult decision
to prioritize my family,” she said in the statement.
Fox joined RPS in 2021 as director of school construction and was promoted to COO in 2022. During her tenure, she oversaw modernization efforts across RPS facilities, including the construction of Richmond High School for the Arts, the rebuilding of Fox Elementary School after a fire and designs for a new Woodville Elementary School. She also led the division’s first facilities
conditions assessment, implemented upgraded fire safety systems and launched a new work order system, securing nearly $50 million in grant funding to support these projects.
Superintendent Jason Kamras thanked Fox for her service.
“I’m deeply grateful for Dana’s leadership, expertise and partnership over the last four years,” Kamras said. “She’s led some of our biggest projects in RPS’ history, and done so with grace and grit. It’s been a true honor and privilege to work with her.” RPS plans to begin the search for her replacement soon.
5 Richmond women graduate ‘Black in Business’ program
Free Press staff report
Five Black women entrepreneurs from the Richmond area have graduated from Goldman Sachs’ “One Million Black Women: Black in Business” program. The program, launched in February 2022 in partnership with NYU Stern School of Business, provides a free, tailored business education to help sole proprietors overcome challenges and achieve growth. Among the December 2024 graduates are Joli Aslan, founder of CapConx Management Solutions; Shirley Crawford, owner of 2nd Chance Consulting; Keonna Knight, CEO and courage coach of Heal with Keonna; Erin Stanley, psychotherapist and founder of Honey Bee Therapy; and Janique Washington, cranial prosthetics specialist at The Chic Studio. The “Black in Business” program
has provided participants with tools to innovate, develop action plans, and connect with a network of fellow entrepreneurs. In a recent survey, 65% of alumni reported increased revenues, 90% felt the program helped them innovate and 94% are optimistic about their future business growth.
“I was honestly blown away,” Aslan said, noting she sees her developed confidence to dream bigger dreams as a payoff already.
But it wasn’t only good feelings that participants left with. They each also developed a one-year action plan over the 12-week course and already began the first steps in implementing it.
Crawford has begun changing her website and creating new programs.
“It has helped me to really think about my business from scratch and revamp my focus,” she said. “I’m feeling super passionate and so on fire.”
Stanley’s focus has been on time management – something she says the program taught her is paramount if she wants to expand her impact and her income. However, she gained something else – a wide network of women from different backgrounds and fields to connect with.
This was a bonus important to all five women because, as Washington added, being a solo entrepreneur can be lonely.
“Just having people available gives you a sense of belonging, and that’s something that I didn’t have before,” she said.
When asked what advice they would give to other Black women with entrepreneurial aspirations, the group emphasized the importance of seizing opportunities.
“There are lots of opportunities out there,” Stanley said. “So use your voices, because they matter.”
Dana Fox
Mae Worthey-Thomas
Shirley Crawford Keonna Knight Erin Stanley Janique Washington
Joli Aslan
Julianne Tripp Hillian/ Richmond Free Press
Family’s urgent search for bone marrow donor to save 4-year-old son
donor, compared to 78% for white people.
Because Zion is of African American and Puerto Rican descent, his chances of finding a matching donor are less than
50%. African Americans make up just 8%, and Hispanics/Latinos make up 13% of the donor registry.
Relying on family members also is challenging. Bates and Zion’s father, Andre Ortiz, are only half matches, and his twin sister, Nuri, his only fully related sibling, isn’t a match.
“A child who is biracial is going to have a harder time finding somebody who has a similar makeup in terms of their genetics,” said Sevilla, who has a multiracial daughter. “Thirty percent of patients overall will find a matching donor within their family.”
Two years ago, a fully matched donor for Zion was identified in Brazil, but they became unavailable. Sevilla said this is common, as potential donors decline about 50% of the time—some for medical reasons, but more often due to misinformation about the process.
Meanwhile, research continues to advance. Scientists are studying genetic markers that affect how the immune system responds to donated cells, and clinical trials are exploring transplant options for leukemia and cancer patients without fully matched donors.
“It may look hopeless, but it’s not,” Sevilla said. “The science continues to evolve, and we’re doing everything we can to erase that disparity and provide the best possible donor for everyone.”
For Bates, the strength Zion has shown—even with ongoing medical treatments—has been a source of inspiration.
“As a parent, it’s obviously stressful. It’s the most stressful thing I’ve ever experienced,” she said. “But I tell everybody, Zion is the most incredible 4-year-old. He’s the strongest kid I’ve ever met.”
Those interested in donating are encouraged to text SAVEZION to 61474 or visit my.nmdp.org/savezion.
RPS chief talent officer on leave amid workplace complaints
resources operations and talent management – was not present during the meeting.
Some RPS employees with the Talent Department such as Bernice Lewis, told the School Board that they were afraid of retaliation from Clemmons and alleged she overstepped her authority.
“I have watched her break policy and protocol multiple times,” said Lewis, who retold the story of Clemmons’ behavior toward her last month when Lewis questioned Clemmons on changes to her job duties.
“I asked her a question only about my job duties … She responded in a loud and aggressive tone that my duties will not change and I don’t have the right to make that decision.”
Before joining RPS in August 2023, Clemmons was the director of licensure and school leadership for the Virginia Department of Education from 2020 to 2023. She also was the special assistant to the superintendent of Chesterfield County Public Schools from 2017 to 2018.
Before becoming an educational leader, Clemmons began her career as the director of legislative education and development for the Virginia House of Delegates from 2007 to 2009.
Construction firm selected for Shockoe Institute project
Henrico leaders seek solutions to water crisis with new proposals
rival of another winter storm in the region.
The report specifically noted communication issues between Henrico Public Utilities Director Bentley Chan and former Richmond DPU Director April Bingham, including Bingham texting updates to Chan’s office landline phone.
A statement from Jimmy Walker, interim press secretary for Mayor Danny Avula, emphasized the work done by Richmond during and after the crisis, including “regular communication with local, state and regional partners.”
Other issues noted in AquaLaw’s report included the difficulty of delivering large volumes of water from the county’s water treatment plant to its central and eastern areas when the plant wasn’t designed for the task.
Six options from a Whitman, Requardt and Associates’ study, covering short, mid and long-term solutions, could address the problem. The ideas discussed included improvements to the county’s pump station and pipelines, restoring well systems, and establishing a regional water treatment plant to reduce Henrico’s dependency on Richmond’s water supply.
The proposals shared varied in prices and timelines, with a new plant potentially costing over $1.2 billion and implementation taking over a decade. All come with drawbacks or challenges.
Henrico leaders, however, were clear they were interested in exploring new ways to supply water to the county.
“I have a certain level of anxiety every time it snows that this will happen again, and it can’t happen again,” Varina Supervisor Tyrone Nelson said. “I think we need to do what’s best for Henrico County right now.”
A report for Richmond on the outage and its response is still in development.
projects across the country.
“We are honored to partner with the City of Richmond and the Shockoe Institute on this transformative project,” Henry said. “Our team understands the profound significance of this site, and we are committed to executing this project with the utmost care, precision and respect it deserves.”
Marland Buckner, president and CEO of the Shockoe Institute, called the selection of Team Henry a key milestone toward opening the facility by 2026.
“Alongside our world-renowned exhibition design partners Local Projects, Team Henry will bring the kind of high-quality construction capability and expertise critical to ensuring that the Shockoe Institute can meet its mission,” Buckner said.
Once completed, the Shockoe Institute will use research-driven exhibitions to explore the legacy of enslavement and contribute to discussions on shaping a more just future.
Sleeting moments
Blood drive to honor Richmond firefighter battling leukemia
Free Press staff report
The Richmond community is coming together once again to support one of its own. The third annual blood drive honoring Jonathan Clarke, a longtime firefighter battling leukemia, will take place Feb. 18-19 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.
Clarke, who has served with the Richmond Fire Department for more than 20 years, has been undergoing treatment for leukemia. The blood drive, organized in his honor, aims to support others in need of lifesaving transfusions while also rallying support for Clarke and his family.
The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on both days at the convention center, located at 403 N. 3rd St. Donors can enter at the East Marshall Street entrance. All participants will receive a thank-you gift. The blood drive is sponsored by the American Red Cross. Those interested in donating can schedule an appointment at redcrossblood.org using the sponsor keyword FFAC or call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
Zion’s journey has included long hospital stays.
Courtesy of NMDP Zion looks out for a brighter future.
Continued from A1
Tyrone Nelson
Snow-topped pine trees in Bryan Park.
Devon Henry Marland Buckner
Jonathan Clarke
Photos by Julianne Tripp Hillian/ Richmond Free Press
Ruby, a border collie, fetches a frisbee for her owner in Bryan Park on a snowy Feb. 11.
A goose grabs lunch from Young’s Pond in the park.
Azalea Flea Market closure marks end of an era
By Amaris Bowers
On a windy Sunday afternoon, over a hundred cars pulled into the vast parking lot off Wilkinson Road. Young parents walking with their children, shoes crunching on the gravel with each step, as vendors invited everyone to approach their array of goods: fruit and vegetables, clothes, jewelry, shoes, home appliances and other items.
A golf cart drove through the lot with a bright green sign taped to the windshield that read: “Unfortunately the Azalea Flea Market will be closing permanently, Sunday, February 9, 2025.”
Many of the stands were advertising special deals to clear out their inventory before the last day. A customer approached a table and asked how the seller felt about the closure. As the seller’s eyes welled with tears, she said that she’d rather not talk about it.
Nathan Nelson, wearing his Philadelphia Eagles cap that he purchased at the market, sighed. Nelson has been a regular shopper who visits nearly every weekend from Dinwiddie, but will likely not return to Richmond as frequently following the market closing.
“I’m gonna hate to see this place go,” he said.
BWS Enterprises, run by the previous Richmond Raceway owners Billy and Wayne Sawyer, sold the land where Azalea Flea Market has been for decades on Jan. 16 for $8 million to DCB Richmond LLC, a company tied to data center development company, DC Blox.
Speculation of further developments coming to the area were raised in March 2024 when Amazon opened RIC4, a large fulfillment center, down the road from the Azalea Flea Market. In August, Richmond Bizsense reported that BWS Enterprises had filed for permission from Henrico County to build a data center on behalf of DC Blox. In October, the Henrico County Planning Commission recommended the plans be denied.
Bill Thomson, DC Blox’s vice president of marketing and product management, noted in an email on Feb. 3, “At this point, we are still relatively early in our process for exploring a potential project in the region, and thus have no information to report publicly at this time.”
Paul Raush, a longtime shopper and vendor at the Azalea Flea Market, said rumors of the closure had circulated at the beginning of the summer in
2024, but the news wasn’t shared with him until Feb.1, after returning from a break.
“I heard that the sale didn’t go through because the county wouldn’t approve it,” Raush said. “And then I’ve been gone for the last two months over the winter … came out and everyone’s saying ‘next week’s, last week.’” Raush said he’s been shopping at the market for almost 30 years.
Leon Jones, a vendor, has been selling goods for six years and currently relies on the income his market sales provide him. He said he was given only two weeks’ notice in advance of the market closure.
“I just hate they’re closing… Everybody hates that they’re closing, but it is what it is,” Jones said.
Jones also sells goods at another flea market held on Sundays at Bubba’s Bar and Grill on Williamsburg Road and plans to continue. Otherwise, he has few leads on potential avenues to replace the income he will lose as a result of the Azalea Flea Market’s closure.
Jones mentioned that a local flea market on Williamsburg Road has offered to open its parking lot to vendors, but he worries that there won’t be enough space.
“Everybody’s going to miss it out here because it’s a bigger area for people and a lot of people can get out here,” Jones said.
Meleasia Murchison, also known to the community as “Ms. Mel,” started coming to the market about a year ago to sell jewelry. She worries for her financial stability, as well as many of her friends who rely on the income from their market sales. She was using the income from her sales to help her son pay for his college tuition.
“No matter where you go, nothing will be like Azalea,” Murchison said.
In an effort to look at the closure through a more positive lens, Murchison said she hopes the market closure will be good for older sellers who put so much physical energy into coming out to sell their goods. She believes a lot of people don’t know when to stop, and this will be a much-needed break for some vendors.
The Sawyer family, who owned the 30.8 acre lot where Azalea Flea Market was located, said this decision came from a number of factors. After 35 years of ownership, a family member stated it was simply time to move on.
Celebrating excellence in every community.
During Black History Month, we honor leaders who consistently dedicate themselves to uplifting and supporting their communities. Through their tireless efforts, they preserve the legacy of those who came before and pave the way for future generations to thrive.
Join us in celebrating fashion entrepreneur Ngozi Okaro, STEM leader Dr. Calvin Mackie, Jamie Aranda, a resilient Air Force veteran, and astronaut Ed Dwight as part of our Everyday Excellence campaign. Their drive and achievements inspire us all, serving as powerful reminders that success is within reach for those who strive for it.
Find career resources to support your own everyday excellence at aarp.org/work
Nathan Nelson browses a selection of caps Feb. 1 at the Azalea Flea Market. Below, this Azalea Flea Market is shown one week before the long-running local tradition closed for good.
Photos by Julianne Tripp Hillian/Richmond Free Press
Richmond Free Press
Editorial Page
February 13-15, 2025
Rally highlights youth activism
Last week, when news spread that a protest was set for the grounds of the State Capitol, a number of people voiced their concern of its legitimacy. The names of the event’s organizers didn’t ring any bells with longtime local activists and agitators. This, some suggested, was a clue that the people behind the event might not be legitimate. Others went as far to suggest that the protest, which was part of a national effort, could be a “false flag” operation.
For those not familiar with the phrase from naval warfare in the 17th century, the term “false flag” originated when political or military forces wanted to shift blame or cause confusion. Back then, they would fly the flag of another nation, while perpetuating an attempt at sabotage and deception. War is a brutal business, isn’t it? Given the deceptive nature of this tactic, it’s hard to document how many times it’s been attempted throughout history, but the idea of the tactic remains a concern with some organizations. Given the current occupant of the White House, it’s hard to overestimate his ability to undermine those on the opposite side of the political spectrum, whom he likely considers his enemies.
Media types also were skeptical of the protest. Of course, that’s part of our job. We’re expected to analyze and not to take things at face value. So when a protest materialized quickly and couldn’t be traced back to any of the familiar names, many of us raised an eyebrow. Soon, we learned why the name of the organizer yielded few details in our internet searches – she was an eighth-grade student.
“We can organize, because there is strength in our united numbers and our voices are the most powerful tool,” said Dia Figueroa, a resident of Annandale in her speech to the crowd at the Bell Tower. “We need to make this happen again and again until they see us.”
In the end, the protest wasn’t a “false flag” operation, or a ploy to deceive or mislead the public. Instead, it was a demonstration of the power of youths and their growing frustration with the status quo. The protest focused on issues such as the president’s executive orders, the erosion of transgender rights and the administration’s crackdown on immigration. The legitimacy of the event didn’t lie in the names of the organizers but in the cause they rallied behind.
Perhaps it’s a reminder that the next generation, fueled by the political climate around them, is ready to step into the fray now and won’t be ignored. Make room.
How government failed Black Americans
I can’t remember when I met Olivia Hooker, a Tulsa Massacre survivor and the first African American woman to serve in the Coast Guard. She wanted to serve as a Navy WAVE – or Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services – but they weren’t accepting African Americans. I remember aspects of our first meeting vividly. We were both slated to speak at Syracuse University, and a mutual friend introduced us and invited me to Hooker’s suite. I bopped down, dressed cutely in a workout outfit, but miffed that I had forgotten my workout shoes. She got my ire immediately and asked what was wrong. I told her I didn’t have workout shoes and needed a long walk to get the stress out of me. I might have told her I’d be a nasty piece of work (and not in those words) if I didn’t get a walk. She told me to go into her room and find a pair of walking shoes because she didn’t deal with nasty pieces of work.
We became close. I wrote about her, interviewed her and spoke at her memorial service. Hooker loved our country, but from time to time, she mused that our country, these United States of America, does not love us. She was 6 when the Tulsa Massacre occurred in 1921, and she remembered it vividly. One
of the things that stuck with me was her remembrance of the United States militia protecting the white people who attacked Black Wall Street, not the African Americans who lived there. Looking out of her window, she asked her mother, “Why is our government attacking us?”
Throughout our presence in this country, that has been a lament from Black people whose relatives have been lynched, unfairly jailed, attacked and even, in their attempt to walk softly through ordinary life, treated badly. The lynching of veterans after both World Wars I and II is an example of our government attacking our heroes.
Why is our government attacking us? Why are they issuing edicts against DEI (diversity,
equity and inclusion)? Why are they attempting to erase history?
The answer to that one is simple. This government would erase history because aspects of it are shameful, and because they are doing it again.
During this African American History Month, one of the federal workers who must be uplifted is Daniel Murray, who was an assistant librarian of Congress until Woodrow Wilson was elected in 1912. Wilson, a Democrat (they were the bad guys then – because Abraham Lincoln was Republican, so were many African Americans), assiduously courted the African American community, winning the support of notables like W.E.B. Du Bois, Booker T. Washington and Monroe Trotter. Imagine their surprise, then, when just months after his election, Wilson instituted a segregation order for federal employees and refused to accept a delegation of Black leaders.
Hundreds of Black employees were demoted and were forced to take salary cuts. According to some studies, Black federal employees earned about 35% less than their white counterparts doing the same jobs. Murray was demoted (and
Enjoy Black History Month—while you can
Back when a public backlash began to rise up mostly among white parents against “critical race theory,” I joked as to whether Black History Month might be next.
I don’t joke about that any more. In the wake of Presi dent Donald Trump’s reelection, large ly on culture war issues, we see how the mere mention of race, aca demically or otherwise, quickly can turn oddly toxic.
The National Football League, for example, decided to scrub the message “End Racism” from the end zones at this year’s Super Bowl. That message first appeared in Super Bowl end zones in 2021, according to The Athletic.
The NFL opted instead for less problematic messages — “Choose Love” in one end zone and “It Takes All of Us” in the other.
As much as we can debate the appropriateness of “love” and hugs amid the skull-knocking field action at the big game, NFL spokespeople said the phrases fit very well with the league’s diversity efforts. In a news conference last Monday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell still called those diversity efforts the right thing for the league to do.
”We’re going to continue those efforts because we’ve not only convinced ourselves,” he said, “I think we’re proven to ourselves, that it does make the NFL better.”
Goodell’s cheerful outlook contrasts sharply with the at-
titude of those who look at expressions of love and humanity — the impulses behind the “End Racism” message, surely — as if they’re really expressing hate.
This comes at a time when at least a dozen of the nation’s most prominent corporations have, with little or no fanfare, chosen to eliminate their diversity,
equity and inclusion initiatives, commonly known as DEI.
GM, Pepsi, Disney and other companies have deleted some or all DEI references from their annual reports to investors, an NPR analysis of regulatory filing found.
Is it because these corporations believe that the problems of discrimination and underrepresentation that gave rise to DEI initiatives have been solved? Or is there another explanation?
Before answering that, let’s consider a revealing incident exposed in the past week concerning the new administration of President Trump. The Wall Street Journal reported that one Marko Elez, 25, one of the whiz kids whom Elon Musk hired to help the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, take a meat cleaver to federal spending, has used Musk’s social media platform to advocate, of all things, racism and eugenics.
“Just for the record, I was racist before it was cool,” said a July posting to the X account linked to Elez, according to the Journal’s reporting.
Elez was one of the widely reported DOGE staff members who sparked a legal battle over
access to the Treasury Department’s sensitive taxpayer information used to process trillions of dollars in payments each year.
Elez resigned after the Journal asked the White House about him.
His messages online sound all too typical of the brash and bratty computer techies who seem to think insults are satisfactory entertainment for their followers.
“You could not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity,” he wrote on X in September.
“Normalize Indian hate,” the account said the same month, in reference to a post that mused about people from India in Silicon Valley.
Interestingly, Musk, owner of X, formerly Twitter, and a tireless producer of Tweets, asked his followers if DOGE should rehire the young man who “made inappropriate statements via a now deleted pseudonym.”
Within hours, it had received more than 200,000 votes, overwhelmingly favoring Elez’s return.
Musk reinstated Elez on Friday, writing, “To err is human, to forgive divine.”
That’s life in X-land, where the medium is often — to paraphrase Marshall McLuhan — a mess, and its owner is now some sort of god-king.
As the undisputed arbiter of what gets seen and unseen on X, and as one of the few people on earth who could single-handedly buy the influential social media platform TikTok — which he has expressed interest in doing — Musk may end up supplying a different meaning to the phrase “free-speech absolutist.”
The writer is a columnist for the Chicago Tribune.
likely lost salary) from assistant librarian of Congress to superintendent of the library’s Division of the Negro Collection. He intended to write an encyclopedia of “Negro” writing but was unable to find support for it. Still, the Murray legacy is indelible and is a permanent part of the Library of Congress collections.
Like the current president, Woodrow Wilson was a prevaricator who shamelessly courted Black leaders only to ruthlessly turn on them. He screened the racist film “Birth of A Nation” at the House That Enslaved People Built and unabashedly spurned any engagement with the people he once cultivated. He turned the government against its citizens. Here we go again. The writer is a D.C.-based economist and author.
Clarence Page
Julianne Malveaux
Julianne Tripp Hillian/ Richmond Free Press
This Black librarian rewrote the rules of power, gender and passing
By Deborah W. Parker
“Just because I am a librarian doesn’t mean I have to dress like one.”
With this breezy pronouncement, Belle da Costa Greene handily differentiated herself from most librarians.
She stood out for other reasons, too.
In the early 20th century – a time when men held most positions of authority – Greene was a celebrated book agent, a curator and the first director of the Morgan Library. She also earned $10,000 a year, about $280,000 today, while other librarians were making roughly $400 annually.
She also was a Black woman who passed as white.
“Veiled Aristocrats” and John M. Stahl’s 1934 film “Imitation of Life,” which portray painful scenes between white-passing characters and their family members.
None of these objects clarifies Greene’s particular relationship to passing. Instead, they place the librarian within melodramatic and conventional representations about passing that stress self-division and angst.
We don’t know – perhaps we will never know – whether Greene had similar moments of self-doubt.
Greene frequently received glowing press coverage.
Yet some critics have concluded as much.
Born in 1879, Belle was the daughter of two light-skinned Black Americans, Genevieve Fleet and Richard T. Greener, the first Black man to graduate from Harvard. When the two separated in 1897, Fleet changed the family’s last name to Greene and, along with her five children, crossed the color line. Belle Marion Greener became Belle da Costa Greene – the “da Costa” a subtle claim to her Portuguese ancestry.
One of the nine known portraits of Belle da Costa Greene that photographer Clarence H. White made in 1911. Biblioteca Berenson, I Tatti, the Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies.
When banking magnate J.P. Morgan sought a librarian in 1905, his nephew, Junius Morgan recommended Greene, who had been one of his co-workers at the Princeton Library.
Henceforth, Greene’s life didn’t just kick into a higher gear. It was supercharged. She became a lively fixture at social gatherings among America’s wealthiest families. Her world encompassed Gilded Age mansions, country retreats, rare book enclaves, auction houses, museums and art galleries. Bold, vivacious and glamorous, the keenly intelligent Greene attracted attention wherever she went.
I found myself drawn to the worlds Greene entered and the people she described in her lively letters to her lover, art scholar Bernard Berenson. In 2024, I published a book, “Becoming Belle Da Costa Greene,” which explores her voice, her self-invention, her love of art and literature, and her path-breaking work as a librarian.
Yet I’m often asked whether Greene mentions her passing as white in her writings. She did not. Greene was one of hundreds of thousands of light-skinned Black Americans who passed as white in the Jim Crow era. While speculation about Greene’s background circulated in her lifetime, nothing was confirmed until historian Jean Strouse revealed the identities of Greene’s parents in her 1999 biography, “Morgan: American Financier.” Until that point, only Greene’s mother and siblings knew the story of their Black heritage.
“Passing” can often raise more questions than answers. But Greene did not largely define herself through one category, such as her racial identity. Instead, she constructed a self through the things she loved.
“I love this life – don’t you?”
In my view, any consideration of Greene’s attitudes toward her own race must remain an open question. And uncertainty can be acknowledged – even embraced – with judgments suspended.
The Morgan Library & Museum currently has an exhibition on Greene that will run until May 4, 2025 – one that’s already generated debates about Greene and the significance of her passing.
One section of the exhibition, “Questioning the Color Line,” includes novels on passing, paintings such as Archibald J. Motley Jr.’s “The Octoroon Girl,” photographs of Greene, and clips from Oscar Micheaux’s 1932 film
In his review of the exhibition for “The New Yorker,” critic Hilton Als laments what Greene’s passing had cost her. He describes her as a “girl who loved power,” a woman who “became a member of another race – not Black or white but alternately grandiose and self-despising.”
There’s a lot of certainty in such a pronouncement – and scant evidence furnished to support such declarations.
New York Times columnist John McWhorter takes issue with Als’s depiction of the librarian’s passing in a Jan. 23, 2025, article.
Citing passages from her letters in which Greene excitedly describes reading the Arabic folktales “The Thousand and One Nights” and seeing exhibitions of modern art, McWhorter asks readers to reconsider this “witty, puckish soul who savored books and art” and “had an active social life.”
What if Greene gave her race little thought, McWhorter wonders. What if she simply saw the notion of race and racial categorization as “a fiction” and instead lived her life to its fullest? Of course, her light skin afforded her the opportunity that other Black people of her era didn’t have. But does that necessarily mean that she was self-loathing or conflicted?
“[W]e are all wearing trousers and I love them,” Greene writes in one letter to Berenson, adding, “The library grows more wonderful every day and I am terribly happy in my work here … I love this life – don’t you?”
Greene’s vitality captivated Berenson, who once described the librarian as “incredibly and miraculously responsive.”
The connoisseur was not the only contemporary who admired Greene’s effervescence. In “The Living Present,” an account of the activities of women before and after World War II, Greene’s friend Gertrude Atherton paid tribute to Greene, a “girl so fond of society, so fashionable in dress and appointments” that she could impress any stranger with her “overflowing joie de vivre.”
Crafting an aura
Viewed through a more expansive lens, Greene’s passing can be seen as part of an exercise in self-fashioning and self-invention.
Greene dressed to be noticed – and she was. Meta Harrsen, the librarian Greene hired in 1922, offers a rare eye-witness account. On the day Greene interviewed Harrsen, “she wore a dress of dark red Italian brocade shot with silver threads, a gold braided girdle, and an emerald necklace.”
Greene understood well the power of clothes to project a distinct identity – a highly crafted one in this case, and one befitting a connoisseur of rare books.
At that, she excelled. She became known for her stunning acquisition coups: her purchase of 16 rare editions of the works of English printer William Caxton at an auction; her procurement of the highly coveted Crusader’s Bible through a private negotiation; and her acquisition of the Spanish Apocalypse Commentary, a medieval text written by a Spanish monk that Greene was able to buy at a steep discount.
To me, a 1915 photo captures Greene’s confidence and aura more than any other image
PUBLIC NOTICE
RICHMOND 2025 BOARD OF EQUALIZATION
Public notice is hereby given that the Board of Equalization for the City of Richmond is authorized to meet at specified dates and times for the purpose of hearing complaints of inequities for 2025 real estate assessments. Upon hearing such complaints, either oral or written, the Board will give consideration and increase, decrease or affirm such real estate assessments. Before a change can be granted, the taxpayer or his agent must overcome a clear presumption in favor of the assessment. The taxpayer or agent must prove that the property is not uniform with similar property assessments or prove that the property is assessed in excess of its fair market value.
The Board of Equalization has scheduled the following hearings: Each Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday, beginning at 10:00 am in Room 802 of City Hall. Meetings will commence on February 11, 2025 and continue until such time as all matters before the Board are resolved. All appeals will be via phone unless an in-person hearing is requested. For further information, please contact Mrs. Jennifer Cannon, Liaison, for the Richmond Board of Equalization at (804) 646-7910, 900 East Broad Street, Room 802-City Hall, Richmond, VA 23219.
By order of the Richmond Board of Equalization (Va. Code § 58.1-3378)
Date: February 5, 2025
&
gift
She posed in her home and wasn’t shot in soft focus with a studio backdrop as other photographs tend to portray her. Sitting on the arm of a large chair upholstered in a tapestry weave, she wears an elaborate hat with a large ostrich plume, a high-necked blouse under a long, loosely belted jacket with a ruffled cuff over a long dark skirt. The decor is no less striking: Flemish tapestries decorate the walls behind her, and a liturgical vestment is draped over the bookcase. Looking directly at the viewer, Greene is assured and poised. Greene’s stylish flair was not simply decorative. It was a testament to her vibrant personality and the joy she took in her work. Rather than judge her according to contemporary notions of racial identity, I prefer to marvel over her achievements and how she became a model for generations of future librarians. Greene didn’t just pass. She surpassed – in spectacular ways. The writer is a professor of Italian at the University of Virginia.
Deborah Parker
ADVERTORIAL
Library
Museum, New York,
of the Estate of Belle da Costa Greene. of the librarian.
The Richmond region’s top athletes and sports leaders were recognized Saturday night at the RVA Sports Awards, an annual event hosted by the Richmond Region Tourism Foundation. Olympic medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee served as the evening’s celebrity guest, while Kelli Lemon and Lane Casadonte guided the live ceremony before a crowd of 600 attendees.
The fourth annual event highlighted standout performances and contributions to local sports. Billy King of Sports Backers and Elizabeth Davis Middle School was named Coach of the Year, while Peggy Davis received the Community Champion Award. Sueellen Henneberry was honored with the Courage Story Award. Sportable and the National Wheelchair Basketball Association’s 2024 Championships earned Event Impact of the Year.
Gracie Ellis, a Randolph-Macon College softball player, was named Female Athlete of the Year, and Brandon Eike of Virginia Commonwealth University baseball received Male Athlete of the Year honors. The University of Richmond’s A-10 Title victory was recognized as Moment of the Year. Randolph-Macon College baseball was named Team of the Year. Avery
Hurley of Colonial Heights volleyball received the Youth Athlete of the Year award and Salem Church Athletic Association Football 14U was honored as Youth Team of the Year.
“We’ve got an incredible sports community in the Richmond region,” said Danielle Fitz-Hugh, Richmond Region Tourism vice president of community relations. “We loved celebrating all of this year’s finalists and winners who make our region a better place through their work on and off our fields and courts.”
Proceeds from the event support the Richmond Region Tourism Foundation’s Sports Tourism Grant initiative, which funds local sports organizations to expand or develop events. This year, more than $42,000 in grant awards were distributed to 25 organizations, including the Ashland Youth Soccer League, First Tee Greater Richmond, Richmond Road Runners and Special Olympics Virginia.
In addition to grants, event proceeds fund scholarships for students in Virginia State University’s Sports and Hospitality Management Program and the Center for Sport Leadership at Virginia Commonwealth University. The event was presented by Colonial Downs and Rosie’s Gaming Emporium. For more information visit RVASportsAwards.com.
Black College Con brings esports competition and career opportunities
Black College Con 2025 is bringing the excitement of gaming and esports to Virginia State University on Feb. 19, giving students the chance to compete and connect with top industry professionals. The event, sponsored by The Black Collegiate Gaming Association, will provide a full day of action-packed competition, networking and mentorship opportunities for students looking to level up in the gaming world.
Scheduled from noon to 7 p.m., the event will give students the chance to meet with industry professionals from top gaming and esports companies, engage in meaningful conversations, and explore career possibilities. Throughout the day, students also will have the opportunity to compete for scholarships and prizes, which will help with college expenses and further their gaming careers.
The summit opens 10 a.m. with a video highlighting Black history in gaming and esports, followed by opening remarks and contest announcements. At 10:30 a.m., the keynote speaker (to be announced) will provide guidance for aspiring professionals. A “Black Gamers Matter” panel will follow, featuring influential figures in gaming and esports who will discuss their careers and the importance of diversity in the industry.
The esports tournament will take place from 1 to 3 p.m., with students competing in Madden and Street Fighter. A total of 32 students will participate, and the tournament will be streamed live on Twitch @BCGAUSA. At 2:30 p.m., scholarships and awards will be presented to recognize standout performers from both the summit and tournament.
The Black Collegiate Gaming Association (BCGA) is a woman-owned organization dedicated to increasing diversity in collegiate esports and gaming. BCGA partners with HBCUs to provide students with access to learning and career opportunities in the technology industry. Founded in 2020 by Keshia Walker, BCGA’s mission is to help make the gaming industry more reflective of its customer base by supporting Black college students in their professional development.
Local standouts highlight Virginia State’s 2025 football recruits
Free Press staff report
With depth and competition in mind, Virginia State University Head Football Coach Henry Frazier III has assembled a 2025 recruiting class he believes will strengthen the Trojans following their 2024 Co-CIAA Regular Season Championship.
Coach Frazier
“We’ve addressed all our needs with this class,” Frazier said. “We were specifically looking for quarterbacks, and we signed three, including two high school freshmen and one midyear transfer from Howard University, Savan Briggs. This will provide us with strong competition in the quarterback room.” Among the key additions is Briggs, along with newcomers Jakari Joyce and RJ Matthews, a standout in Delaware. “The beauty of this quarterback room is that all four scholarship quarterbacks will have four years to play,” Frazier noted. “We’ll have five guys competing for the starting job, and the best man will lead a very talented football team.”
On the defensive side, the team focused on adding depth to the linebacker and secondary positions. Frazier expressed satisfaction with the addition of linebackers Maurice Calloway from Friendship Academy and Walter Brooks from Glen Allen High School. The Trojans also added defensive backs Jason Cole, a midyear transfer from VMI, and new signees Taj Horton and Raja’ee Jones.
Notable recruits from the Metro Richmond area include Zavier Artis, an offensive lineman from Thomas Jefferson High School in Richmond, and defensive back Daquan Ginyard, a standout from Eastern High School in Washington, D.C., but with roots in the area.
In Henrico County, linebacker Walter Brooks from Glen Allen High School and cornerback Myles Anderson from Varina High School are among the top local additions. The Trojans also signed Chesterfield’s Justin Lane, a promising offensive lineman from L.C. Bird High School, and defensive end Darius Wilson, a Henrico native from Varina High School.
The 2025 season promises to be an exciting one for Virginia State, with the Trojans set to open the season with a Thursday night game before Labor Day against Barton College.
Kickers add VCU standout Jonathan Kanagwa to roster
Free Press staff report
The Richmond Kickers have signed former Virginia Commonwealth University midfielder Jonathan Kanagwa for the 2025 season, pending league and federation approval.
Kanagwa, a native of Uganda, made a significant impact during his time at VCU. He joins the Kickers after a standout collegiate career, having earned A-10 Second Team All-Conference honors and Top Drawer Soccer’s Men’s NCAA DI Team of the Week recognition in October 2023.
“Jonathan is a player we have had our eye on for a while,” Chief Sporting Officer
and Head Coach Darren Sawatzky said.
“He progressed well at VCU and he trained well in our environment this past year.
We welcome him and his family to the Kickers and look forward to his play this season at City Stadium.” Kanagwa had a strong start at VCU, earning a spot on the A-10 All-Rookie Team in 2020 and playing in every spring season match. His role grew as a sophomore, and by his junior year, he
started in all 17 games, logging 1,307 minutes. In his senior season, Kanagwa played 1,571 minutes, starting 16 of VCU’s 18 matches. He led the team with four goals, five assists, and 13 points. His highlights included a brace and two assists in a match that helped VCU claim the A-10 Regular Season Title. He also contributed two assists and scored a goal in the A-10 Tournament, propelling the Rams through the quarter and semifinals and into the final.
“I am really excited to join one of the most historic clubs and to represent the community at large,” Kanagwa said. “Can’t wait to get started. Give all my best to the team and the fans.”
Richmond Ram Chargers center Seth Savage drives toward the basket during their game against the Prince George Valor on Feb. 8 at John Marshall High School. The Ram Chargers would go on to win the game 129-101.
Richmond Region Tourism Foundation
Olympic medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee headlined the RVA Sports Awards, honoring athletes and community leaders making an impact on the Richmond area through sports.
Free Press staff report
Black Collegiate Gaming Association
Students at Mississippi’s Jackson State University at a recent Black College Con event. The con comes to Virginia State University on Feb. 19.
Jonathan Kanagwa
Photo by James Haskins
Love Stories 2025
The Richmond Free Press presents its annual Valentine’s Day feature sharing the love stories of three Richmond area couples.
Shavonda and Errol were leaders dedicated to serving the community, but not each other. Despite crossing paths often in their community, they never exchanged words.
They first met at United Nations Church in Richmond 15 years ago. Shavonda, a single mother of two and a firstgeneration college graduate, was a dedicated community leader engaged in outreach and mentoring underprivileged youths. Errol, a father of five, was an Army veteran and a police officer.
Two decades later, they unexpectedly crossed paths again at a courthouse. Shavonda was dropping off paperwork, while Errol was working on the opposite side of the building. It only took Errol one look when he held the door for Shavonda as she walked out. From there, a connection grew from a deep friendship into love.
For Shavonda, falling in love later in life was “a breath of fresh air” and she says Errol “courted me with every sense of the word.” Being the gentleman that Errol was, he took Shavonda on a date to an upscale dinner at Morton’s The Steakhouse — then located in Shockoe Slip’s Turning Basin Building — after leaving a wedding at Main Street Station early.
They exchanged vows on July 13, 2024, surrounded by close friends and family.
Though she waited until after their wedding to tell him, Shavonda knew Errol was the one the moment they met again at the courthouse.
Shavonda says she couldn’t explain how she knew, but she believed “it would happen in God’s timing.”
Shavonda Fernandez is chairwoman and 8th District representative for the Richmond School Board. Errol Fernandez is a Richmond Police officer.
On a casual night out while on vacation in New York, I walked into a bar in the Chelsea neighborhood and met Richard, the man who would become my husband. We spent the entire night together bar-hopping, and it was an absolute blast!
The next day, on a phone call with my sister, I couldn’t stop talking about this doctor I met. She invited me for dinner and said, “Bring him, too.”
That was in 2005, and we’ve been together ever since. I was living in Madrid then, working for Loewe, the Spanish luxury fashion house that’s part of Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy. It was a “big job,” but I quit over the phone and never returned to Spain because of that life-altering night.
We had a wonderful life in New York, but in 2009, Richard got a job offer from Virginia Commonwealth University. As we settled into our home in the Museum District, we found ourselves in a community where we knew no one. To break the ice, I decided to host New York-style dinner parties, and to my surprise, they were a huge hit. It was the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey in food.
Our 20 years together have been a wonderful fusion of Australian and African American cultures. I’ve had the privilege of sharing the history of the Tuskegee Experiment with Richard, helping him understand its impact on the African American community’s relationship with health care. This shared knowledge has deepened our connection and also supported his important work at VCU’s Massey Cancer Center, where he is focused on improving communication and reducing stress between cancer patients and their doctors.
Micheal Sparks is the CEO of The Underground Kitchen, an experiential dining company and director of UGK Community First, a nonprofit fighting food insecurity. Richard Brown is an associate professor of social and behavioral sciences at VCU’s School of Public Health.
Who’s the new guy on the block?
That would be Tom Pitera, fresh from Long Island, N.Y., and settling into young Taylor Hatfield’s neighborhood.
Taylor first heard about the new guy from a friend’s mom, the Realtor handling Tom’s family’s move. She described him as tall, dark and handsome — an Italian boy who immediately caught 14-year-old Taylor’s interest. Naturally, she called dibs.
Eager to make friends before the school year began, Tom met Taylor at her front door, and sparks flew instantly. The two started seeing each other right away.
But the romance didn’t last long. Just a week into school, Tom told Taylor he loved her. Taylor’s response? “You don’t even know me. You don’t love me.”
What followed were awkward “hi-and-bye” encounters in the high school hallways for over a year. Yet, something about the summer air at a mutual friend’s beach kickback brought the two back together before their junior year.
The young couple stayed together through all the ups and downs — navigating their college years at Virginia Commonwealth University, with Tom helping Taylor move to New York to pursue her fashion career after graduation. They began a tough long distance relationship, each focused on their careers. Taylor struggled to make it in the city, working a job she hated, while Tom, frustrated after one of her difficult days, told her, “If you’re always going to be this negative and down, don’t call me anymore.”
Yet, despite the odds, the couple remained together. Tom proposed to Taylor once she moved back to Virginia. Tom became Taylor’s biggest rock when she founded her first e-commerce retail business, Tailor, networking with Richmond Fashion Week and becoming a local fashion influencer.
They married in 2014 and welcomed their sons, Luca in 2019 and Micah in 2022. The couple celebrated 10 years of marriage last September.
Maybe, the new guy who told 14-year-old Taylor he loved her after just a week of school knew something she didn’t — that she was the one.
Taylor Pitera is the co-founder of a local nonprofit fashion organization, WearRVA. Tom Pitera works in IT sales.
From friendship to love
Shavonda and Errol Fernandez
Micheal Sparks and Richard Brown
An instant connection
Taylor and Tom Pitera True high school sweethearts
OutKast, Chubby Checker and Mariah Carey earn first-time Rock Hall nominations
By Mark Kennedy The Associated Press
Mariah Carey, Chubby Checker, Cyndi Lauper, OutKast and Phish are some the 2025 nominees for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a list that also includes two sets of musical brothers who have had public feuds and recent reunions — the Black Crowes and Oasis. The Hall revealed the list of 14 performer nominees Wednesday, including Bad Company, Joe Cocker, Billy Idol, Joy Division/New Order, Maná, Soundgarden and the White Stripes.
Eight of the 14 nominees are on the ballot for the first time: Bad Company, the Black Crowes, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Billy Idol, Maná, OutKast and Phish.
Two candidates this year — Carey and Checker — have had powerful impacts on the charts and culture. Carey has 19 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, while Checker’s recording of “The Twist,” and subsequent “Let’s Twist Again” are considered among the most popular songs in the history of rock ‘n’ roll.
Oasis was one of the dominant British acts of the 1990s, producing hits including “Wonderwall” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger.” Its sound was fueled by singalong rock choruses and the combustible chemistry between guitarist-songwriter Noel Gallagher and his brother Liam, the band’s singer.
Their American equivalent is the Black Crowes, who mix
Southern boogie, stuttering stomp, blues harmonica, glam rock, and ’70s harmonies starting with their debut album “Shake Your Money Maker.” For many years singer Chris Robinson and his brother, guitarist Rich Robinson, did not speak. Lauper rose to fame in the 1980s with hits such as “Time After Time” and “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” and went on to win a Tony Award for “Kinky Boots.” OutKast, made up of André 3000 and Big Boi, have six Grammys and a reputation for pushing the boundaries of hip-hop.
The 2025 inductees will be revealed in late April, along with inductees entering the Hall under three special committee categories: Musical influence, musical excellence and the Ahmet Ertegun Non-Performer Award.
Artists must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years before they’re eligible for induction. The induction ceremony will take place in Los Angeles this fall.
Nominees will be voted on by more than 1,200 artists, historians and music industry professionals. The selection criteria include “an artist’s impact on other musicians, the scope and longevity of their career and body of work, as well as their innovation and excellence in style and technique.”
Last year, Mary J. Blige,Cher, Foreigner, A Tribe Called Quest, Kool & The Gang, Ozzy Osbourne, Dave Matthews Band and singer-guitarist Peter Frampton were inducted.
Several musicians and bands with ties to Virginia have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame over the years.
combination of
and Big Boi of Outkast performing at
Jerome “Bigfoot” Brailey, a Richmond native, was inducted in 1997 as a member of Parliament-Funkadelic, where his drumming helped define the group’s signature funk sound. Another Virginian, Gene Vincent, was inducted in 1998 for his contributions to rockabilly. Pearl Bailey, born in Newport News, was honored in 2003 in the Early Influence category for her work in jazz and popular music. Dave Grohl, who grew up in Springfield, has been inducted twice—first in 2014 with Nirvana and again in 2021 with Foo Fighters. More recently, rapper Missy Elliott, from Portsmouth, became the first female hip-hop artist inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2023.
Glow showcases STEM education at Science Museum
The Science Museum expanded its Glow event on Feb. 1 to coincide with the opening of “Towers of Tomorrow with Lego Bricks.” The event, held from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., featured hands-on activities, live demonstrations and laser shows. Formerly known as Science After Dark, Glow highlighted STEM education through interactive experiences. Visitors engaged with science, technology, engineering and mathematics in daily life through attractions such as a dance party, glowing beverages, DIY constellation crafts and glow-in-the-dark games.
Naturalization ceremony brings American dream to museum
Free Press staff report
Holding small American flags and wearing broad smiles, dozens of immigrants will take the oath of citizenship 11 a.m. Monday, Feb. 17, Presidents Day, at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, marking a milestone in their American journey amid historical artifacts of their new nation. The naturalization ceremony, officiated by U.S. District Judge David J. Novak, kicks off a day of public celebrations and activities at the museum. After the morning ceremony, new citizens and guests will gather for cake, lemonade and patriotic music performed by the Richmond Brass Consort.
Following the festivities, the museum will offer special activities until 4 p.m., including
FILM SCREENING & DISCUSSION WITH GARY POWERS
Join us for a screening of the 2015 film “Bridge of Spies,” followed by a discussion with author and historian Gary Powers, who was a consultant on the film. This Cold War thriller tells the true story of Powers’ father, pilot Francis Gary Powers, a Virginia native who was shot down while flying over the Soviet Union and later exchanged for a Soviet spy. Fri., Feb. 21 | 1:30–4:30 p.m.
Four-year-old Dakari G. plays hopscotch during the Science Museum of Virginia’s Glow event.
Photos by Julianne Tripp Hillian/ Richmond Free Press
Photos by Steve C. Mitchell/Invision/AP
This
photos shows André 3000, left,
Lollapalooza in Chicago’s Grant Park on Aug. 2, 2014.
Mariah Carey
AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File Chubby Checker on June 27, 2010, in Las Vegas.
Sarai, 2, interacts with a glow-in-the-dark display at the Science Museum of Virginia.
Bryce Robertson’s passion for uplifting his community has driven his work since his time as a student government leader at Atlee High School in Hanover County. His commitment to this cause remains steadfast, and he is determined to inspire others to join his mission.
“We have a lot of work to do in Richmond,” Robertson said. “My hope is that we can make an impact with young people. They are the future, and any way we can support them is important.”
Robertson was born in Richmond, but a move to Hanover as a young student influenced his devotion to contributing to his community. In addition to his work with the Richmond Crusade for Voters, he serves on the Richmond City Board of Zoning Appeals and mentors middle school-age kids.
While pursuing a pre-med degree at Cornell University, Robertson formed a bond with a fellow student facing the challenges of navigating the U.S. immigration system. This connection shed light on the often-overlooked obstacles of obtaining permanent residency. Driven by a desire to make a difference, he made the bold decision to pursue a career in law.
He enrolled at Villanova University, joined an immigration law firm and worked for the Justice Department before returning to Richmond to start an immigration law firm. His passion for working in underserved communities led him to be selected as a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Fellow when working with the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Society. Early in his career, the U.S. Small Business Administration named him Young Entrepreneur of the Year for his efforts in developing a volunteer-based web solutions company that supports small businesses.
Robertson’s tenure with the Crusade comes when the policies and standards that have made strides to level the playing field are under attack. He maintains that an independent judiciary
Happenings
Personality: Bryce Robertson
Spotlight on president of the Richmond Crusade for Voters
is a primary shield in the fight.
“We need to use the levers of democracy that we do have,” he said. “Use the courts. We also need to make sure that our elected officials hear us. We need to hold them accountable.”
In his role with the Crusade, Robertson often reminds community members of a striking example of the power of the vote. In 2017, the Virginia State Board of Elections was forced to decide the 94th District race by drawing a name out of a hat due to a tie in the vote count.
Meet a passionate community activist who cautions citizens never to underestimate the power of their ballot because every vote truly does count and this week’s Personality, Bryce Robertson:
Volunteer position: President, Richmond Crusade for Voters.
Occupation: Attorney, with a focus on financial services and immigration advocacy.
Date and place of birth: Feb. 19 in Richmond
Where I live now: Church Hill.
Education: Bachelor’s degree in government, Cornell University; J.D., Villanova University School of Law.
Family: Mother, Dr. Bridgett Robertson; father, Brian Robertson; brother, Bradford Robertson.
Richmond Crusade for Voters is: A historic civic organization dedicated to voter education, advocacy and mobilization, ensuring that all citizens, particularly African Americans and marginalized communities, have a voice in the electoral process and agency in our political landscape.
When and why founded: Founded in 1956 during the Civil Rights Movement with the backdrop of Massive Resistance and the Stanley Plan, the
Crusade fought to protect voter rights, combat voter suppression, register Black voters, and advocate for political empowerment in Richmond, laying the groundwork for lasting change.
Founders: Dr. William S. Thornton, Dr. William Ferguson Reid and John M. Brooks.
When elected president: November 2024.
Why I accepted the position:
To continue the organization’s legacy of empowering communities and protecting voting rights, in particular as it relates to the Black community. My goal is to build on this foundation, fostering new relationships with the organization and promoting an active membership.
Length of term: Two years.
Previous president: Former Richmond City Council member, Marty Jewell.
No. 1 goal or project as president: Lifting the needs of Richmond’s Black and historically disenfranchised voters, especially through strengthening
voter education efforts and engagement ahead of the 2025 gubernatorial election. I want to see increased voter turnout and support awareness of critical issues impacting Richmond residents.
Strategy for achieving goals: Leveraging digital tools and social media for greater impact and voter education; strengthening partnerships with local organizations and universities; increasing engagement with our youths through new outreach programming; providing town halls and forums with our elected officials so that our community is informed.
No. 1 challenge facing Richmond Crusade for Voters: As 2025 has ushered in a heightened political climate, we want to make sure that we are engaging and mobilizing, especially younger voters, while countering misleading information that suppresses voter participation.
Expectations for Mayor Danny Avula: Mayor Avula must continue to collaborate and engage with our community, prioritizing policies that support equity in education, housing, and economic development while ensuring transparency and accountability in governance.
Expectations for Richmond City Council: Our City Council must actively engage their constituents, promptly address community concerns through consistent communication and advocate for policies that benefit all Richmond residents, especially in our historically marginalized communities.
Expectations for Richmond School Board: Our School Board needs to implement
policies that ensure equitable access to quality education for all our young people throughout the city. RPS can and should continue to improve school infrastructure and support both students and educators in fostering a strong academic environment.
Strategy for getting out the vote for the upcoming 2025 gubernatorial race: Expand voter registration drives in historically low-turnout areas; ensure that community members have the right information concerning the restoration of rights; partner with faith-based and other organizations and community groups; increase early voting awareness and disseminate the right information about absentee ballots; use digital campaigns to combat misleading information about voting rights.
Why mobilize voters early: Civic engagement is a continuous effort, and it’s never too early! By educating and engaging voters year-round, we ensure that communities are informed about policies that impact them and are prepared to make their voices heard at the ballot box in November. Our organization’s goal is to reach all the voters in our community as early, swiftly and effectively as possible and as soon as possible.
What voters can do: Every vote counts. Every voter matters.
Staying informed, registering, and showing up to vote are important actions. Create change by encouraging friends and family, challenging misinformation, and holding elected officials accountable.
How the Crusade plans to keep Richmonders engaged: Hosting events, candidate forums and opportunities for individuals to meet their political leaders.Strengthening engagement through social media and newsletters; building new partnerships with schools and
universities to encourage youth involvement; increasing membership, mobilizing our youth by meeting them where they are electronically and digitally; providing a voice for the voiceless in our communities.
How I plan to encourage young and new voters: Expand outreach through an ambassadorship program with local high schools, colleges, and universities; create digital content that resonates with younger demographics; host voter registration and education events tailored to young voters and establish mentorship programs that connect young activists with seasoned advocates.
A perfect day for me: Any day spent making a tangible impact, whether through community advocacy, mentoring a young person, or helping someone exercise their right to vote for the first time.
Something about me that people may not know: I speak five languages: English, Spanish, French, German and Swedish.
A quote that inspires me:
“The fight for human rights is unending. We must never stop fighting for freedom and equality for all.” — Henry L. Marsh III. How my friends describe me: A fighter, who searches out opportunities to uplift the underserved.
Most influential person: My mother, an educator, who instilled in me the belief that “knowledge is power” and that education is the key to progress and empowerment.
Most influential book: “The Souls of Black Folk,” by W.E.B. Du Bois.
Current read: “One Person, No Vote” by Carol Anderson, a potent exploration of modern voter suppression tactics and the importance of voting.
Next goal: To expand the Richmond Crusade for Voters’ impact in the city of Richmond and solidify new partnerships with local organizations to enhance the work we do.
Black History Month celebrations
Feb. 13
Black Love Expo: A Celebration of Familial Love, Arts and Culture
5 p.m., Main Street Station
The City of Richmond hosts this free event that will feature food, music and a series of discussions on history and culture, art and music, and love.
Music Jazz Faculty Septet
7:30 p.m., Singleton Center for the Performing Arts
The Virginia Commonwealth University Jazz Faculty Septet will play a tribute event for legendary jazz drummer Roy Haynes. Tickets are $12. vcu.edu.
Feb. 15
A conversation with Elizabeth Keckley
10:30 a.m., Meadowdale Library, Chesterfield County Historical interpreter Traci Marie Coleman will share the story of Elizabeth Keckley, a formerly enslaved woman from
Dinwiddie, who used her talents to purchase her freedom and later became the dressmaker for First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln. chesterfield.gov.
Feb. 16
Community Conversation: Documenting Black Cemeteries with Brian Palmer
2 p.m., Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
The importance of preserving and documenting historic Black cemeteries, highlighting ongoing efforts to protect these sites and the role of photography in historical preservation will be discussed. vmfa.museum.
Feb. 18
Black Minds in STEM: Experiments of Black Scientists
11 a.m., Taylor Farm, 200 Whiteside Road
This free interactive program celebrates African American inventors who changed the world, highlighting innovations such as the traffic light, ice cream and mobile refrigeration. For more information, email qua024@henrico.gov.
All Together Tuesday: Celebrating Black History 5 p.m., The Oak, 15 S. Oak Ave.
Henrico County Public Schools Family and Community
‘Nickel Boys’ challenges perceptions with bold, visual storytelling
By Jennifer Robinson
depth to the African American experience.
Starring Ethan Herisse, Brandon Wilson, Daveed Diggs and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, “Nickel Boys” is directed by Ross, who brings his background as a cinematographer to this bold, first-person approach to storytelling. The film shifts perspectives between characters in a way that pushes cinematic boundaries, as Ross invites viewers to experience the characters through the eyes of others. This exploration of perception and misperception delves deep into the psychological impact of being viewed with hatred by one and with love by another.
Misty
“Black cinema is evolving. The cinema of the past has been responsive to the time — a need to provide evidence or proof of the struggle,” Ross said. “This
Copeland’s
film is a part of the natural evolution of Black film.”
Based on Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “Nickel Boys” tells the gripping story of two young African American men navigating the brutal horrors of a Florida reform school. One of them, Elwood Curtis, an ambitious teenager from the Jim Crow South, makes a fateful choice that changes his life forever. Instead of heading to college, he’s sent to a notorious reformatory, where he forms a bond with Turner, a fellow student, that will shape their destinies.
The story is based on the reallife Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys, which operated until 2011, infamous for its years of abuse and the discovery of nearly 100 unmarked graves. In 2023, Florida allocated $20 million in restitution to survivors of the abuse.
Ross’ visual storytelling in “Nickel Boys” is revolutionary,
new picture story, ‘Bunheads, Act 2,’ out in September
Misty Copeland
“Bunheads.”
Engagement will host this free event to celebrate Black history in Richmond and elsewhere through live music, food, speakers and student performances. Ongoing
We Are the Builders: Honoring the Contributions of Black Workers in Virginia
This exhibition at the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia highlights the contributions of Black Virginians to America’s development, with a focus on labor. Continues through April. blackhistorymuseum.org.
Edmund Archer: Perspectives on Black Dignity
This exhibition at The Valentine showcases Archer’s striking portraits of Black men and women challenge stereotypes and celebrate their strength. On view through September, this exhibit highlights a progressive artistic movement in Richmond during the Jim Crow era. thevalentine.org.
and Brandon
offering an emotionally charged experience. He’s not a director that’s afraid to take chances in creating a compelling narrative.
“I don’t over-identify with failure. That freedom allows me to think creatively. It’s just what we do. We try stuff.”
“Nickel Boys” is playing at select theaters and debuts Feb. 28 on the streaming service MGM+.
The cover of “Bunheads, Act 2: The Dance of Courage” by Misty Copeland, illustrated by Setor Fiadzigbey.
Books will release “Bunheads, Act 2: Dance of Courage.” The new book, in which Misty and friends take in a performance of “Don Quixote,” will again be illustrated by Setor Fiadzigbey.
“Working on the follow-up to ‘Bunheads’ has been such a joy, taking me back to the studio where my own ballet journey began,” Copeland said in a statement Wednesday. “Revisiting
these characters feels personal, reflecting the community that shaped me as a dancer and person. Through the ballet of Don Quixote, we explore resilience, compassion, and the power of friendship, values that defined my early years.”
Copeland’s other books include “Life in Motion” and “Black Ballerinas: My Journey to Our Legacy.”
Brian Palmer
Elizabeth Keckley
Amazon MGM Studios
Ethan Herisse
Wilson star in “Nickel Boys.”
The Associated Press
is ready to take young readers on another imaginary trip to the ballet.
The celebrated principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre has a followup planned to her best-selling picture book,
On Sept. 16, the Penguin Random House imprint Nancy Paulsen
Nancy Paulsen Books via AP
Second minister accuses T.D. Jakes of sexual misconduct in defamation suit
By Adelle M. Banks Religion News Service
The Rev. Richard Edwin Youngblood, the brother of a minister who has accused Bishop T.D. Jakes of sexual misconduct, has made his own accusation involving Jakes, claiming the Texas megachurch leader climbed into bed with him on a church business trip.
The claims were made in a legal filing responding to a defamation lawsuit Jakes brought in November against Youngblood’s younger brother, Duane Youngblood, a Pennsylvania man who made allegations involving Jakes in two 2024 interviews on the “Larry Reid Live” YouTube talk show.
Jakes’ suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, includes denials by Jakes’ legal team of Duane Youngblood’s accusations that Jakes tried to groom and sexually abuse him. The suit also describes the younger Youngblood as being a parolee after convictions for sexual assault and corruption of minors.
Duane Youngblood has sought a court’s dismissal of Jakes’ suit. In January, his lawyer, Tyrone A. Blackburn, filed a special motion to dismiss the suit, citing a Pennsylvania law that aims to limit lawsuits targeting public expression that is protected speech.
“This lawsuit is a textbook example of a powerful entity attempting to silence a survivor of alleged clergy abuse,” Blackburn told RNS in an email.
“The court must weigh not only the legal arguments but also the broader implications this case has for free speech, survivor advocacy and institutional accountability.”
Richard Youngblood was among six people who signed sworn affidavits included in the January filing that testified that they heard Duane Youngblood describe the alleged misconduct by Jakes.
Richard Youngblood, in
addition to confirming his brother’s description, said around the spring of 1986, when he was a young minister seeking a mentor, he heard Jakes preach at a Pennsylvania church. Youngblood offered to drive Jakes to his native West Virginia, where Jakes, then in his late 20s, was still the pastor of his first church.
Richard Youngblood eventually moved his family to West Virginia to work as an assistant and praise and worship leader in Jakes’ church. The younger minister said “things started to become weird” within a couple of years, with Jakes starting to discuss “uncomfortable things,” including oral sex. Richard Youngblood said he drove them on a trip, where Jakes rented a hotel room one night for them with two beds.
“That night, while I was laying in my bed, I felt Elder Jakes climb into my bed. He pressed his body against mine and asked, ‘Youngblood, do you feel that?’” reads the statement, signed in December 2024. “He was referencing his erection that he was pressing against my back side.”
Richard Youngblood said he got out of the bed and Jakes “started trying to kiss me.”
Jakes berated him when he learned Youngblood had described the alleged incident to an elder at Jakes’ church. He said Jakes called Richard Youngblood’s wife, informed her that her husband was a liar and said she was welcome in the church but her husband was not. Youngblood’s affidavit describes “mental and spiritual anguish” after the alleged encounters with Jakes.
Duane Youngblood’s affidavit describes a teenager having a long conversation with Jakes at the private home where the elder minister was staying. “As I prepared to leave, he pulled me close and tried to kiss me,” said the affidavit. Youngblood said Jakes called him the next morning and “told me he wanted me to be the only person he had
St. Peter Baptist Church
a sexual relationship with when he came to town.”
Duane Youngblood’s filings include a statement from a licensed professional counselor saying: “Recent events have further exacerbated Mr. Youngblood’s trauma,” citing a “message perceived as carrying a direct threat of harm, from Jermaine Jakes, the son of Bishop T.D. Jakes.”
The legal filings include an image of a Nov. 3 text message from Jermaine Jakes stating: “You might be in dangerous territory Duane… just b careful…” The filings also include a copy of an incident report stating that Duane Youngblood filed a complaint with a local police station later that month saying the text message was verbal harassment by the younger Jakes.
A member of Jakes’ legal team responded to the claims in a statement to RNS.
“Duane Youngblood’s latest filing, including the self-serving affidavit from his brother Richard, is replete with his continued baseless allegations, and is just more of the same from him and his attorneys,” said Dustin Pusch. “Our response, due on February 14, will be robust and thorough and demonstrate just how meritless Mr. Youngblood’s claims are.” T.D. Jakes’ suit linked the accusations against him to his
health and the court action was filed the day after he had an unspecified medical incident in front of the congregation attending the Nov. 24 service at The Potter’s House in Dallas. “Youngblood’s intentional and malicious lies have taken a substantial emotional and physical toll on Bishop Jakes,” the suit reads.
Jakes made his first in-person appearance at the church after the incident on New Year’s Eve. Blackburn, Duane Youngblood’s lawyer, told RNS his client is seeking to protect
himself as well as others who wish to highlight instances of abuse in religious circles.
“The motion to dismiss was filed to protect my client’s constitutional right to free speech and to challenge what we believe is a meritless lawsuit aimed at suppressing a critical public discourse,” he said. “This case is not only about Mr. Youngblood’s personal experiences but also about systemic issues of abuse within religious institutions that have remained unaddressed for too long.”
Screenshot
Bishop T.D. Jakes speaks Dec. 31 during a New Year’s Eve service at The Potter’s House in Dallas.
include
Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Grant Agreement between the City of Richmond, Commonwealth Catholic Charities Housing Corporation, and the Economic Development Authority of the City of Richmond for the purpose of facilitating the construction of an affordable residential development located at 1031 Fourqurean Lane, for the purpose of modifying the location of the affordable housing development to include 1111 Fourqurean Lane. (COMMITTEE: Finance and Economic Development, Wednesday, February 19, 2025, 2:00 p.m.)
Ordinance No. 2025-032 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Grant Agreement between the City of Richmond, Refuge Apartments, LP, and the Economic Development Authority of the City of Richmond for the purpose of facilitating the construction of an affordable housing development located at 5015 Snead Road, 5009 Rear Snead Road, and 5015 Rear Snead Road, or a site resulting from any such consolidation of the aforementioned parcels. (COMMITTEE: Finance and Economic Development, Wednesday, February 19, 2025, 2:00 p.m.)
Ordinance No. 2025-033
To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer to accept funds in the amount of $2,000,000.00 from the United States Department of Transportation, to amend the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Special Fund budget by creating a new special fund for the Department of General Services called the “Build America Bureau Special Fund,” and to appropriate the increase to the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Special Fund Budget by increasing estimated revenues and the amount appropriated to the Department of General Services’ “Build America Bureau Special Fund” by $2,000,000.00, for the purpose of funding the programmatic assessment of City assets and properties for the redevelopment of the City’s downtown transportation infrastructure. (COMMITTEE: Finance and Economic Development, Wednesday, February 19, 2025, 2:00 p.m.)
Interested citizens who wish to speak will be given an opportunity to do so by following the instructions referenced in the February 24, 2025 Richmond City Council Formal meeting agenda. Copies of the full text of all ordinances are available by visiting the City Clerk’s page on the City’s Website at https:// www.rva.gov/office-cityclerk, and in the Office of the City Clerk, City Hall, 900 East Broad Street, Suite 200, Richmond, VA 23219, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Candice D. Reid City Clerk
DIVORCE VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER YAJAIRA MENDEZ CAMPOS, Plaintiff v. DERREK WILLIAMS, Defendant. Case No.: CL25000343-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months. It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 27th day of March, 2025 at 9:00 AM and protect his interests.
A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804 798-9667 VIRGINIA: HANOVER COUNTY P.O. BOX 39, 7530 COUNTY COMPLEX ROAD,
HANOVER, VA 23069
Commonwealth of Virginia, in re LESLIE ELIZABETH WEATHERLESS-KERR v. STEWART KEVEN KERR Case No. CL24-3191 ORDER OF PUBLICATION
The object of this suit is to: obtain a divorce on the grounds of living separate and apart for one year.
It is ORDERED that STEWART KEVEN KERR appear at the above-named court and protect his/her interests on or before March 19, 2025 at 9:00 a.m.
VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER CRYSTAL FLIPPEN, Plaintiff v. IRVIN FLIPPEN, JR., Defendant. Case No.: CL25000183-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION
The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months.
It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 14th day of March, 2025 at 9:00 AM and protect his interests.
A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804 798-9667
VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER EBONY PERSON, Plaintiff v. JAQWAN PERSON, SR., Defendant. Case No.: CL25000142-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION
The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months. It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 14th day of March, 2025 at 9:00 AM and protect his interests.
A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804 798-9667
VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER NIKKI PATTERSONRUSSEL, Plaintiff v. PATERIAN RUSSEL, Defendant. Case No.: CL24002946-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION
The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months.
It is ORDERED that the defendant, who is a nonresident, appear here on or before the 14th day of March, 2025 at 9:00 AM and protect her interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure, Esquire VSB# 27724 Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804 798-9667
(804 798-9667
VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER FRANCELIA ARCHIEWILLIAMS, Plaintiff v. ERIC WILLIAMS, Defendant. Case No.: CL25000036-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION
The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months.
It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 6th day of March, 2025 at 9:00 AM and protect his interests.
A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk
I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804 798-9667
VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER CLYDE WALLACE, Plaintiff v. JANICE BROWN, Defendant. Case No.: CL25000083-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION
The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months.
It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 7th day of March, 2025 at 9:00 AM and protect her interests.
A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804 798-9667
VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER LESLIE WOODARD, Plaintiff v. HENRY WOODARD, JR., Defendant. Case No.: CL25000088-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION
The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months.
It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 7th day of March, 2025 at 9:00 AM and protect his interests.
A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804 798-9667
VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER KIMBERLY SHAW, Plaintiff v. LEA MCCLENDON-SHAW, Defendant. Case No.: CL25000082-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION
The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve
a period exceeding twelve months. It is ORDERED that the defendant, who has been served with the Complaint by posted service appear here on or before the 7th day of March, 2025 at 9:00 AM and protect his interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR.,
Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Counsel Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804 798-9667
CUSTODY VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF CHESTERFIELD LINDSAY VICTORIA KIRKLAND, JAMEZ WESLEY KIRKLAND, Petitioners V DONOVAN LAMONT GINGER, II Case No.: CA24-56 January 31, 2025 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to obtain a Final Order of Adoption of Jaxon William Kirkland by Lindsay Victoria Kirkland and Jamez Wesley Kirkland. An affidavit having been filed that diligence has been used by the Petitioners without effect to ascertain the location of Donovan Lamont Ginger II. it is ORDERED that Donovan Lamont Ginger II appear before this Court on the 23rd day of May, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. at the Historic 1917 Courthouse located at 10011 Iron Bridge Road, Chesterfield, Virginia and protect his interest herein. A Copy Teste: Amanda L. Pohl Clerk of Circuit Court Anne L. Roddy, Esuire BARNES & DIEHL Boulders VI, Suite 200 7401 Beaufont Springs Drive Richmond, VA 23225 804-796-1000
VIRGINIA: IN THE JUVENILE AND DOMESTIC RELATIONS DISTRICT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND Commonwealth of Virginia, in re RYLNN CHICHESTER, a juvenile RDSS, Plaintiff v JENNIFER DONLY, Defendant File No. JJ103219-05-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION
The object of this suit is to: Terminate the residual parental rights (“TPR”) of the Jennifer Donly (Mother) of Rylnn Chichester, child DOB 09/05/2023. “TPR” 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. It is ORDERED that the defendant Jennifer Donly (Mother) to appear at the above-named Court and protect his/her interest on or before May 27, 2025, at 9:00 A.M., COURTROOM #2.
VIRGINIA: IN THE JUVENILE AND DOMESTIC RELATIONS DISTRICT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND Commonwealth of Virginia, in re
BRIANNA DANDRIDGE, a juvenile RDSS, Plaintiff v. ASHLEY RUSSELL, Defendant File No. JJ103600-05-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION
The object of this suit is to: Terminate the residual parental rights (“TPR”) of the Ashley Russell (Mother) of Brianna Dandridge, child DOB 01/24/2013 “TPR” 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. It is ORDERED that the defendant Ashley Russell (Mother) to appear at the above-named Court and protect his/her interest on or before May 6, 2025, at 2:20 P.M., COURTROOM #2.
VIRGINIA: IN THE JUVENILE AND DOMESTIC RELATIONS DISTRICT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND Commonwealth of Virginia, in re ZAYVIANA MCCOY, a juvenile RDSS, Plaintiff v. ASHLEY RUSSELL & UNKNOWN FATHER, Defendant File No. JJ103601-06-00 File No. JJ103601-05-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION
est on or before May 6, 2025, at 2:20 A.M., COURTROOM #2.
VIRGINIA: IN THE JUVENILE AND DOMESTIC RELATIONS DISTRICT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND Commonwealth of Virginia, in re DRE’ONA CLAIBORNE RDSS V. LATASHA POLLARD Case No. JJ103477-MEL ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to: Provide notice to Latasha Pollard (Mother) of Dre’ona Claiborne, child DOB 06/21/2016, of custody status and that: It is ORDERED that the defendants Latasha Pollard (Mother), to appear at the above-named Court to protect her interest on or before 03/17/2025, at 9:00 AM, COURTROOM #4. VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND
without any cohabitation and without interruption for
