Richmond Free Press Jan. 11-13, 2024 edition

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Meet this week’s Personality B1

JANUARY 11-13, 2024

Mr. Speaker

Don Scott makes history as Virginia Legislature opens; Youngkin calls for bipartisan progress

By Sarah Rankin The Associated Press

A remade Virginia General Assembly convened its 2024 session Wednesday with a Democratic majority newly in charge of both chambers after a consequential election

cycle that followed two years of divided control of the Legislature.

Guns, gambling, abortion, public safety and other issues will be on the agenda as Democrats seek to hold their razor-thin majorities together over the course of the 60-day

session. They will need to win Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s support for most of their priorities, though in a few areas they will be able to move without him.

“I think there are some things we’re going to be able to agree on,” Democratic House Speaker Don Scott said of the governor, ticking off spots of typical bipartisan cooperation, like education, mental health and workforce development.

On other legislative items — like gun control and Gov. Youngkin’s push for a new sports arena — it remains to be seen where or whether compromise can be found, Speaker Scott said in an interview ahead of the session’s start.

Please turn to A4

Photos by Brian Palmer

Newly elected Speaker of the House Don L. Scott (D-88th District) is sworn in on the first day of the 2024 session of the Virginia General Assembly. He is the first Black person to serve as House speaker. Helen Scott, left, mother of Speaker Scott, listens as he is nominated to be the speaker of the House of Delegates by fellow Delegate Luke Torian (not pictured).

Secrecy over defense secretary’s hospitalization has White House defensive The Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Biden’s administration pledged from day one to restore truth and transparency to the federal government — but now it’s facing a maelstrom of criticism and credibility questions after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization was kept secret for days, even from the White House.

The controversy has prompted a governmentwide review of what protocols are in place to prevent such failures and the Pentagon is scrutinizing its own procedures following the

extraordinary lapse, which left even medical secrecy also is shedding an Secretary Austin’s top deputies ununwelcome spotlight on President aware of his condition for days.

Biden’s own health, which already was Senior congressional Republicans under scrutiny as the oldest president are investigating whether Secretary in history seeks another term and Austin ignored legal requirements faces regular questions and concerns to inform Congress, and Biden adfrom voters about his age. Combined, ministration officials are privately the questions over transparency and fuming about Secretary Austin’s lack health have put the White House on of disclosure, believing it to be an Secretary Austin the defensive for days as the election unforced error that undercuts the president’s year opens and have given ammunition to Presimessage of restoring competency through his dent Biden’s political opponents who question administration. whether his Democratic administration is living The prolonged focus on a senior official’s up to its pledges of competency.

President Biden, House members among mourners for former Texas Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson

By Jamie Stengle The Associated Press

DALLAS Members of Congress joined mourners in Dallas on Tuesday to remember former U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, a day after President Joe Biden came to Texas to pay his respects to the trailblazing congresswoman.

“What a life that she lived,” U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the top House Democrat, told those attending her funeral at Concord Church in Dallas. “A life filled with loving her community. A life filled with leadership for the people. A life that left behind a lasting legacy of transformational change.”

Rep. Johnson, who died at age of 89 on Dec. 31, served in Congress Rep. Johnson for 30 years. On Monday, mourners streamed by as her body lay in state at Dallas’ Fair Park before a wake later that evening that was attended by President Biden.

Rep. Jeffries, who noted that more than 25 members of Congress were in attendance at the funeral, said that she served as a guiding force.

Rep. Johnson, who was the first registered nurse elected

The Pentagon disclosed Tuesday afternoon, after days of silence on Secretary Austin’s medical diagnosis, that the secretary has prostate cancer. Secretary Austin, 70, was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Dec. 22 and underwent surgery to treat the disease, but developed a urinary tract infection a week later and was admitted into intensive care.

He remained hospitalized Wednesday.

Secretary Austin was diagnosed with prostate cancer during a routine screening in early December, but the White House insisted that no Please turn to A4

Patients endure longer waits for ambulances

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Smiley N. P

Kirk Johnson touches the casket of his mother, former U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, during her funeral service on Tuesday, Jan. 9.

to Congress, helped bring hundreds of millions of federal dollars to the Dallas area and was the region’s most powerful Democrat. She had been the first Black chief psychiatric nurse at Dallas’ Veterans Affairs hospital. She also became Please turn to A4

Dr. Bernice King says wars, gun violence, racism have pushed humanity to the brink The Associated Press

ATLANTA Citing gun violence in the U.S., the deaths of families in Ukraine and Gaza from war, and threats from artificial intelligence, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter said last Thursday that the world urgently needs to study and adopt her father’s philosophy of nonviolence to avoid self-destruction.

Dr. Bernice King used an address at the King Center to announce events for the upcoming holiday in honor of her father to warn that humanity was at a critical juncture.

“We are witnessing unprecedented loss of human life and especially among the Black, brown and indigenous people throughout the world,” she said.

She also mentioned conflicts in Yemen, Congo and Ethiopia and cited racism against Black people as another threat to humans, Continued from A1

Virtually every day, ambulances are stacked up at Richmondarea hospitals with paramedics waiting to get the people they have transported admitted to the hospital so they can return to service.

The result: Longer response times for people who are not shot, suffering a heart attack or experiencing another life-threatening emergency that requires an immediate response.

The wait for an ambulance is what happened to J. Maurice Hopkins. As the Free Press reported in the Jan. 4-6 edition, he waited an hour and 18 minutes for a Richmond ambulance after suffering a fall on a Church Hill sidewalk that destroyed his knees and left him needing to be placed on a stretcher to be moved.

At 8 p.m. Dec. 26 when his family called 911, three of the 10 ambulances that were on duty at the time were tied up on hospital runs, according to emergency dispatch logs.

Mr. Hopkins In response to a Free Press query, Bon Secours spokeswoman Jenna Green stated increases in respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19 and the flu, has led to “an increase in patients seeking medical attention.”

St. Mary’s, the largest medical center in Bon Secours Richmond operations, has been “facing a higher than usual number of respiratory illnesses. During periods when our emergency department or our hospital is nearing full occupancy, it is possible for wait times to be longer for patients with less severe conditions,” Ms. Green stated, though she noted there is an “ebb and flow to wait times.

“Our teams are working to provide prompt and efficient care Please turn to A4

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Round and round Families and friends enjoy an indoor carousel last month at the Children’s Museum of Richmond.

Richmond Free Press

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Local News

Cityscape

Photos by Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Slices of life and scenes in Richmond

Sidewalk repairs in progress recently in the 1900 block of Claiborne Street, a Maymont area neighborhood in the city’s West End.

MLK DAY The Hilton honors renowned Richmond minister 2024

In observance of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday, Jan. 15, please note the following:

Government: Federal offices: Closed Monday, Jan. 15.

State offices: Closed Monday, Jan. 15.

Richmond City and Henrico, Chesterfield and Hanover County offices: Closed Monday, Jan. 15.

Schools: Richmond and Henrico and Chesterfield County public schools will be closed Monday, Jan. 15, while Hanover County Public Schools will be closed on Monday Jan. 15, and for a student holiday and teacher clerical day on Tuesday, Jan. 16.

Courts: State, federal, city and county courts are closed Monday, Jan. 15.

Libraries: City and county libraries will be closed on Monday, Jan. 15.

Banks, credit unions and other financial institutions: Closed.

U.S. Postal Service: No delivery on Monday, Jan. 15.

Trash and recycling pickup: Regular trash and recycling schedule on Monday, Jan. 15, for most of Central Virginia, though trash collection is delayed by one day in the City of Richmond and Henrico County on Jan. 15. Information on pickup in Hanover County will be shared in the days to come.

Department of Motor Vehicles customer service centers: Closed Monday, Jan. 15.

Virginia ABC stores: Normal hours.

Malls, major retailers, movie theaters: Varies; inquire at specific locations.

GRTC: Buses will operate on a Sunday schedule with no Express service on Monday, Jan. 15.

Richmond Free Press offices: Closed Monday, Jan. 15.

Free community testing for COVID-19 continues The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following locations: • Friday, Jan. 12, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Southside Women, Infants and Children Office, 509 E. Southside Plaza.

• Wednesday, Jan. 17, 8 to 10 a.m. - Eastern Henrico Recreation Center, 1440 N. Laburnum Ave.; 2 to 4:30 p.m. - St. Luke’s Apartments, 117 Engleside Drive.

RHHD’s Resource Centers are providing free at-home tests for pick-up at select locations: • Creighton Court at 2150 Creighton Road, call 804-3710433 for more info • Fairfield Court at 2311 N. 25th St., call 804-786-4099 for more info • Gilpin Court at 436 Calhoun St., call 804-786-1960 for more info • Hillside Cour t at 1615 Glenfield Ave., call 804-230-7740 for more info

• Mosby Cour t at 1536 Coalter St., call 804-786-0204 for more info • Southwood Court at 1754 Clarkson Road. Unit #B, call 804-230-2077 for more info • Whitcomb Court at 2106 Deforrest St., call 804-786-0555 for more info

Call the Richmond and Henrico Call Center at (804) 205-3501 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday for more information on testing sites, or go online at vax.rchd.com.

The Virginia Department of Health also has a list of COVID-19 testing locations around the state at www.vdh.virginia.gov/ coronavirus/covid-19-testing/covid-19-testing-sites.

Want a COVID-19 vaccine?

Those interested can schedule an appointment with RHHD by calling (804) 205-3501. Vaccines.gov also allows people to find nearby pharmacies and clinics that offer the COVID-19 vaccine, and those interested can also text your ZIP code to 438829 or call 1-800-232-0233.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently recommends that children between the ages of 6 months to 4 years old may need multiple doses of the updated vaccines depending on their COVID-19 vaccine status and whether they had previously received Pfizer or Moderna.

Waiting periods for additional vaccines can range from three to eight weeks or four to eight weeks, depending on the vaccine dose previously received.

Children between the ages of 5 to 11 years old who are unvaccinated or received a vaccine before Sept. 12, 2023, should get one updated Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

Those age 12 years and older who are unvaccinated should get either one updated Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or two doses of the updated Novavax vaccine. People in that age range who received a vaccine before Sept. 12, 2023, should get one updated Pfizer, Moderna or Novavax vaccine.

People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised may get additional doses of updated COVID-19 vaccine, and are encouraged to talk with their health care providers about how and when to receive them.

Compiled by George Copeland Jr.

Correction

Dr. Linwood Jacobs, whose obituary was published in the Jan. 4-6 edition of the Free Press, was born in the Newtown neighborhood in South Richmond and Karen K. Brown-Taylor is a niece.

His birthplace and Ms. Brown-Taylor’s relationship to Dr. Jacobs were incorrect.

The Free Press regrets the errors.

By George Copeland Jr.

A nearly 120-year-old sculpture of one of Richmond’s storied Black religious leaders is available for public viewing in the lobby of the Hilton Hotel in Downtown Richmond.

In late November, the bust of the late Rev. John Jasper of Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church was placed in the hotel along with a synopsis of the pastor’s life and the creation of the sculpture.

Sixth Mount Zion, built in 1890 at 14 W. Duval St., is undergoing renovations.

The hotel was selected after discussion with various museums found they didn’t have the space to house it among current and planned programs and exhibits, according to the church’s historian Benjamin Ross, who also works at the Hilton.

Born July 4, 1812, Rev. Jasper founded Sixth Mount Zion along with 10 others in 1867 in an abandoned stable before moving to the Duval Street location.

Rev. Jasper became famous for delivering a sermon, “The Sun Do Move,” in 1878. The sermon expounds on his belief in the fundamental truth of the Bible and

the power of God. His dramatic speaking style and vivid imagery attracted national attention, and he gave his sermon in cities throughout the Eastern United States for many years. Rev. Jasper continued to preach at his church until a few days before his death at age 88.

Rev. Jasper led Sixth Mount Zion until his death in 1901, earning acclaim nationwide for his sermons and helping serve and improve the spiritual and social health of the Jackson Ward community for years.

The bust was created by African Methodist Episcopal Minister and Morris Brown College Trustee Joshua Brockett, who completed it in 1903 and presented it to the Sixth Mount Zion congregation on Jan. 26, 1904. The congregation hopes to keep the Jasper bust at the hotel through Black History Month in February.

This marks the second time in history the Jasper bust has been displayed outside of Sixth Mount Zion. In 1988, the Smithsonian Institution featured the sculpture as part of the “Climbing Jacob’s Ladder” exhibit, which explored the rise of Black churches in cities on the East Coast.

Photo courtesy Benjamin Ross

In late November, the bust of the late Rev. John Jasper of Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church was placed in the downtown Hilton Hotel as the church undergoes renovations. The bust of Rev. Jasper is probably among the oldest forms of art for a black man in Richmond, and even the state of Virginia, says church historian Benjamin Ross.

City plans to add shelter space

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

City Hall is moving forward to acquire a 57,000-square-foot office-warehouse at 10 W. Belt Blvd. in South Side to expand shelter capacity for the homeless.

Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s administration introduced the legislation Monday seeking the City Council’s approval to proceed with the purchase after coming up with the $3.65 million that it plans to pay, more than double the $1.7 million the property is valued at by the city for real estate tax purposes.

The proposal represents the third prong of the city’s plan to expand the total space to house the unsheltered during the winter, major storms and heat waves.

The city already has partnered with nonprofits to open and operate a 150-bed

shelter for single adults at 1900 Chamberlayne Ave. and a 50-bed shelter for families at 7 N. 2nd St. The new space would provide additional capacity to serve a growing homeless population, according to the administration. It is not clear when the building will open.

If the council authorizes the administration to proceed, it would take at least several more months before the transaction would be completed.

According to the administration, the money to cover the cost would come from the return of an overpayment of lodging taxes and from extra interest income the city has earned from the use of city funds.

In information attached to the ordinance, the administration states that it anticipates the Greater Richmond Convention Center

Authority will return $3.14 million to the city.

The city transmits lodging taxes from hotels, motel and other short-term rentals to help repay the bonds that paid for the expansion of the convention center between 1998 and 2003.

In addition, the city is gaining nearly $510,000 in additional interest on the use of city funds, providing sufficient funds to pay the $3.6 million purchase price and the $50,000 in closing costs.

The Finance and Economic Development Committee led by 7th District Councilwoman Cynthia I. Newbille is to consider the administration’s proposal Thursday, Jan. 18, and it could go to council for approval on Monday, Jan. 22, if the committee recommends it.

VCU Health and VCU to walk in honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The Martin Luther King Jr. Community Walk and Celebration honors the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The walk will begin outside of Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU’s Children’s Pavilion on East Broad Street. Participants will walk to the Hermes A. Kontos Medical Sciences Building auditorium and will

celebrate Dr. King with music from a VCU choir and several speakers, with the keynote from the Rev. Marilyn J.D. Barnes, director of Spiritual Care at VCU Health and chair of the VCU College of Health Professions’ Department of Patient Counseling.

This event is free and open to the public.

To register for the event, visit https://vcuhealth.ticketleap.com/mlk2024/.

What: VCU Health Martin Luther King Jr. Community Walk and Celebration When: Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024; 4-6 p.m.

Where: 1000 E. Broad St. Who: The event is being coordinated by a collaborative effort of VCU Health Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and several groups across the health system and Virginia Commonwealth University.

Granddaughter of Dr. King releases new book

Free Press, wire reports

Six months ago, the 15-year-old granddaughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. announced that she was collaborating on a picture book tribute to the late civil rights leader and his wife, Coretta Scott King.

Yolanda Renee King’s “We Dream a World,” book includes illustrations by award-winning artist Nicole Tadgell, recently was released by Scholastic.

“I’m excited to share this love letter in his honor. This book lets every child rediscover my grandparents’ dream,” Yolanda, herself a social justice advocate, said recently.

The book’s release is timed shortly before what would have been Dr. King’s 95th birthday. He was assassinated in 1968, 40 years before his granddaughter was born.

Orchard Books/Scholastic via AP

This cover image released by Scholastic shows “We Dream a World” by Yolanda Renee King, granddaughter of Coretta Scott King and Martin Luther King Jr. The book was released on Jan. 2.

Scholastic describes the book as a “call for unity and equality.”

The publisher says “the book’s narrative expresses Yolanda’s deep love for her grandparents, while also speaking

to children everywhere about her hopes for a new future, as expressed through her call-and-response affirmation that brings thunderous participation at her public speeches and addresses: “Spread the word! Have you heard? We are going to be a new generation!”

Yolanda has followed in the footsteps of her grandparents and become an activist in her own right. At just 9 years old, she participated at March For Our Lives, a rally to end gun violence.

And now, she wants to help inspire the next generation to fight for what they believe in.

“The book pays homage to them and their work, but it also talks about the potential of our world,” she said in recent television interviews. “I want to provide encouragement that yes, we can still have this world ... we’re going to have to really work and stay strong.”

Richmond Free Press

Reliability rests on his shoulders.

There’s a source of energy in Virginia as reliable as any in the world: our employees.

It’s their hard work – braving storms, servicing power lines, and building a smarter and more secure power grid – that brings you the dependable electricity you’ve come to expect.

Our employees’ dedication to every community they serve is at the heart of everything we do.

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News

Commentary

Honoring MLK: The unfinished journey toward economic freedom

By Charlene Crowell Courtesy of Trice Edney News Wire

On Jan. 15 our nation again will observe the only national holiday designated as a day of service. The Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday was first observed in 1986.

But it took another 17 years for all 50 states to recognize the holiday, according to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture.

While Dr. King dedicated his life to the pursuit of freedom, peace, and justice for all Americans, too many economically marginalized people are reduced to fight-

ing over scraps while others enjoy the nation’s economic bounty.

In 2022, 37.9 million people — 11.5% of the nation — lived in poverty, according to the Census Bureau.

Additionally, Black individuals made up 20.1% of the population in poverty in 2022 but only 13.5% of the total population. Black individuals made up 20.1% of the population in poverty in 2022 but only 13.5% of the total population, according to the Census Bureau.

The federal minimum wage, currently at $7.25 an hour, has not increased since July 2009, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Standards.

And despite increases that take effect in many states in 2024, workers still earn only

Charlene Cromwell $7.25 per hour in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Wyoming, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

On Dec. 10, 1964, Gunnar Jahn, chairman of the Nobel Committee presented its Nobel Peace Prize to Dr. King saying in part, “[D]iscrimination will

still persist in the economic field and in social intercourse.

Realistic as he is, Martin Luther King knows this.”

Accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, Dr. King said, “I am mindful that debilitating and grinding poverty afflicts my people and chains them to the lowest rung of the economic ladder.

The tortuous road which has led from Montgomery, Ala., to Oslo bears witness to this truth,” Dr. King continued.

“This is a road over which millions of Negroes are traveling to find a new sense of dignity… I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education

and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down men other-centered can build up.”

“This faith can give us courage to face the uncertainties of the future,” added Dr. King.

“It will give our tired feet new strength as we continue our forward stride toward the city of freedom…Today I come to Oslo as a trustee, inspired and with renewed dedication to humanity. I accept this prize on behalf of all men who love peace and brotherhood. I say I come as a trustee, for in the depths of my heart I am aware that this prize is much more than an honor to me personally.”

Dr. King would urge Americans to remain vigilant and vocal in fighting attacks against diversity, equity, and inclusion.

A true tribute to Dr. King would be a renewed groundswell of advocacy that ensures our march towards full freedom refuses to go back; but instead moves forward in the same determination of his life’s work. Social equity cannot be sustained without economic parity.

As a people and as a nation, let us confront these and other challenges in his memory.

The writer is a senior fellow with the Center for Responsible Lending and a columnist for Trice Edney News Wire.

New speaker makes history as Virginia Legislature opens Continued from A1

Speaker Scott, a trial lawyer and Navy veteran, was sworn in as one of the House’s first acts. Speaker Scott, whom Democrats nominated for the role in November, made history, becoming the first Black person to serve in the role. His election was without opposition and greeted with rousing cheers and standing ovations.

“I’m very grateful. I know this is God’s favor,” said Speaker Scott, who referenced being incarcerated decades ago for a drug-related conviction, adding: “There are those who will tell you that you should be defined forever by a mistake. I am here to tell you — do not believe them.”

Speaker Scott will help guide an increasingly diverse Capitol as part of a new generation of leadership that in the Senate includes Democratic Leader Scott Surovell, an attorney from Northern Virginia.

Last year’s election cycle — when every legislative seat was on the ballot and candidates ran under newly drawn maps — led to tremendous turnover.

About a third of the current Assembly members are new to their respective chambers.

The Assembly also convened with a record-high percentage of female legislators, according to data maintained by the Center for American Women

and Politics at Rutgers.

Wednesday’s kickoff effectively marked the halfway point of Youngkin’s term. The governor, who ultimately did not mount a presidential bid after heaps of speculation in 2023 that he might, is prohibited from seeking a second consecutive four years in office.

“If we want Virginia to unleash opportunity, the second half starts now. It’s time to lead. And it’s time to lead together,” he said in his annual State of the Commonwealth address to lawmakers, delivered Wednesday afternoon in the House chamber.

In the two months since the GOP fell short of Gov. Youngkin’s stated electoral expectations — losing its House majority and failing to flip the Senate — the governor has begun to roll out his policy roadmap, including his proposed budget. Crafting the next two-year state spending plan will be one of the session’s biggest tasks, something lawmakers in recent years have failed to do on time.

In the his address, Gov. Youngkin reiterated a previous call to lower income tax rates while raising the state’s sales tax, a proposal that’s been greeted by skepticism from members of both parties. Gov. Youngkin, who has also said he wants to find a way to eliminate the state’s car tax, argued that further reductions to the tax burden would help reduce the number of

Steve Helber/The Associated Press

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, center, delivers his State of the Commonwealth address Wednesday before a joint session of the Virginia General Assembly as Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, top left, House Speaker Del. Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, and Senate President Pro Tempore Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, top right, listen.

Virginians leaving the state.

The governor told lawmakers that if they approved the framework of a deal he unveiled in December to move the NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Washington Capitals across the Potomac to Alexandria, “it will be a huge win” for the state, region and local small businesses.

Legislation that would create a government entity that could issue

around $1.5 billion in bonds to help finance the deal will be among the session’s most closely watched.

The governor called for lawmakers to continue working with him to transform the state’s mental health care system, and he vowed to veto any bill that would impact the state’s so-called “Right to Work” law, which states employers cannot require workers to be union members.

While Wednesday saw mostly procedural tasks, introductions and prepared remarks, the weeks ahead will be filled with long days as lawmakers take up hundreds of proposals.

Republicans, who have said they plan to hold Democrats accountable for any rush to the left, want to try again to pass a bill that would allow prosecutors to charge drug dealers with felony homicide if a user dies of an overdose.

They’re also promising a renewed effort to repeal an electric vehicle mandate Democrats enacted in 2021.

Democrats have filed a wide range of bills to tighten penalties for gunrelated convictions and limit access to certain types of firearms.

Those measures will face the prospect of a Gov. Youngkin veto, though the governor has been quiet enough on the issue that leading gun rights advocates have said they are uncertain of how he might act. In his address, he asked lawmakers to send him measures to toughen penalties for people convicted of gun-related crimes.

Democrats have filed measures that will put Gov. Youngkin on the record on other topics where he’s hedged, like same-sex marriage, as well as recreational marijuana retail sales, something he told reporters Wednesday “I really don’t have any interest in.”

Democrats also will be able to elect judges and fill other appointments.

Nation mourns former Texas Rep. Johnson

Secrecy over defense Les Weisbrod, her family’s attorney that he had gone to the facility after his Continued from A1 secretary’s hospitalization and Ms. Johnson’s longtime friend, said mother called to tell him she was getting the first Black woman to chair the House at a news conference that her death was no response from the call button. He said has White House defensive Committee on Science, Space, and Tech- caused by an infection in her spine that he arrived about 10 minutes later. nology, and she led the Congressional Black Caucus.

“A nurse by training, Congresswoman Johnson always used her position of leadership to bring healing and hope to the people she served,” Vice President Kamala Harris said in a video message played at the funeral.

Former President Bill Clinton also said in a video message that “the heat” never bothered Rep. Johnson. “She just stood up for what she thought was right,” Mr. Clinton said.

Born in Waco, she grew up in the segregated South. In 2019, Dallas’ oncesegregated Union Station was renamed in her honor in 2019.

Rep. Johnson left office in January after repeatedly delaying her retirement.

Before Congress, she served in the Texas Legislature. Her family’s attorney has said Rep. Johnson died from an infection she developed at a rehabilitation facility following back surgery in the fall.

developed after she was left in her own feces at Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation following back surgery.

In a statement Thursday, Baylor Scott & White Health called Rep. Johnson “an inspiration to all,” and said they are committed to working with her family and attorney.

Mr. Weisbrod said it’s a case that Rep. Johnson herself had asked him to pursue weeks ago after she began suffering from complications from the infection.

“I thought it was going to be a case for the pain that she went through and the additional procedures she went through and the medical bills and that she was going to recover,” he said. “And so it’s very distressing for me that she succumbed to this.”

On Sept. 21, her son found her lying in her own feces and urine at the rehabilitation facility, according to a news release from Mr. Weisbrod’s office. Kirk Johnson said at the news conference Thursday

“Deplorable,” he said. “She was being unattended to. She was screaming out in pain and for help.”

The news release said when Mr. Johnson couldn’t find any nurses on the floor, he went to the administration office and the CEO accompanied him to his mother’s room. When they arrived, staff members were cleaning up the feces.

The news release said Rep. Johnson’s orthopedic surgeon noted in his record that Rep. Johnson had some complications after the operation after being found in bed sitting in her own feces and three days later she began having “copious purulent drainage from the low lumbar incision.”

The surgeon performed a surgical repair on the infected wound, and she was moved to a skilled nursing facility on Oct. 18 and went home on hospice care in midDecember, the news release said.

The news release said that laboratory wound culture reports showed organisms directly related to feces.

Patients endure longer waits for ambulances Continued from A1

to all of our patients,” she continued, “and we strive to accommodate their needs as quickly as possible.”

Other hospitals, including VCU Health, did not offer statements.

The situation of hospitals is harder to determine given that databases that the state and Virginia Health Information previously supported to track hospital admissions, ventilator usage and intensive care unit bed availability are no longer being maintained.

The only view of the situation comes

from data that the Richmond Ambulance Authority complies and reports weekly on its Facebook page.

That data shows that on average, 20% of transports wait 30 minutes or longer to move a patient to a hospital bed. A wait of an hour or more is not uncommon, according to the RAA. For example, during the first week of January, RAA reported its ambulances responded to 853 emergency calls, transported 613 people and waited 30 minutes or longer on 143 of those calls or 23%.

Amir Patel, RAA deputy chief of operations, said the turnaround time for

ambulances to deliver patients to a hospital and be back in service “has grown worse” in the 16 years he has been employed by the authority.

Prior to the arrival of COVID-19 in March 2020, ambulance runs were relatively quick, according to Chip Decker, RAA’s chief executive officer. He said it was expected that ambulances could transport patients and be ready for the next call in 30 minutes or less.

As hospitals became clogged with COVID patients after the pandemic began, waits up to two hours became all too common and are on the rise again.

Wars, gun violence, racism push humanity to the brink Continued from A1

saying it remained a “blight” more than 50 years after her father was assassinated.

Overall, humanity was dangerously close to fulfilling her father’s prophecy that it could destroy itself through the misuse of its own instruments, she warned. But she also offered a solution.

The study and practice of her father’s

philosophy of nonviolence could teach people how to live together peacefully, she said. The events the King Center has planned this year for the week leading up to the MLK holiday, including a teach-in and training seminars, are therefore centered on the theme of shifting “the cultural climate” through “Kingian nonviolence.”

“We face individual and collective choices that will determine whether we

will continue to diminish and devastate humanity and the earth or if we will become co-conspirators to shift the cultural climate throughout our nation and world,” she said.

Dr. King said the center also plans to honor her mother, Coretta Scott King, with a virtual exhibit later this year that will highlight her work to advance civil rights and her husband’s legacy.

Continued from A1

one there, including President Biden, knew about the diagnosis until Tuesday.

“I think we all recognize — and I think the Pentagon has been very, very honest with themselves — about the challenge to credibility by what has transpired here, and by how hard it was for them to be fully transparent with the American people,” John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council, said Tuesday. “We all recognize that this didn’t unfold the way it should have — on so many levels.”

There is no government-wide policy in President Biden’s administration on how absences of Cabinet officials should be handled, according to people familiar with the matter, although there is a general expectation that the White House should be made aware of such circumstances. The people spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss government practices.

While there is no statutory requirement for public officials to disclose their medical histories, it has become common practice for presidential and vice presidential candidates and incumbents to do so. Many choose to share more about their health than a private citizen would.

Other top figures, though, have opted to remain cagey about their health, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell after recent incidents in which he froze up, and the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who delayed revealing her recurrence of pancreatic cancer or the seriousness of her condition before her death weeks ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

Disclosures to the public about a Cabinet official’s absence have varied between federal agencies. For instance, the Justice Department in 2022 announced that Attorney General Merrick Garland would undergo surgery to remove enlarged prostate tissue a week in advance of his procedure.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg cleared his parental leave with the White House after he and his husband adopted twins in 2021, but the leave was not disclosed publicly until he had returned to work.

Multiple current and former officials said White Houses generally aim to keep closer tabs on the whereabouts of the secretaries of state and defense due to their prominent positions in the line of presidential succession, and particularly in the case of the Pentagon.

Cedric Leighton, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, noted that the chain of command for the U.S. military runs from the president through his defense secretary to the combatant commanders, who then execute orders that could include command and control of any potential use of nuclear weapons.

He said it was “imperative” that the president, top administration and military officials, select members of Congress and even key allied counterparts be notified of even a temporary absence.

“It’s highly unusual for any Cabinet secretary not to notify the president, the White House chief of staff, or the NSC of any absence, especially a medical one,” he added.

Richmond Free Press

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Richmond Free Press

A6 January 11-13, 2024

Local News

Dr. Abdullah

Ms. Burks-Solomon

Dr. Johnson

Dr. Richardson

Mr. Russell

Mr. Sellers

Ms. Scott

JMI, VSU summit dips into global issues Best-selling author Bakari Sellers, former Google exec Jewel Burks-Solomon among speakers

Free Press staff report

Bakari Sellers’ 2020 memoir “My Vanishing Country,” is filled with delicious morsels that stay with readers long after they’ve been digested.

In his book, a New York Times best-seller, the former South Carolina lawmaker-turned CNN analyst and civil rights attorney deftly describes how to properly eat fried whiting in a Black country church: With white bread that likely will stick to your teeth.

It is a meal that local elected officials and visiting politicians have learned to enjoy while also learning to use their tongues to clean their teeth, he adds.

Another nugget shared by Mr. Sellers is the infinite wisdom of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends,” he writes quoting Dr. King.

More of Mr. Sellers’ reflections and thoughts will unfold today and tomorrow during the 2nd Annual Big Dipper Innovation Summit at Virginia State University. This year’s theme is “From Insight to Impact: Innovation for All.” The event, sponsored by Johnson Marketing Inc. (JMI) and VSU, will include panel discussions with thought leaders in

technology, sustainability, entrepreneurship, music and culture.

“This summit serves as a destination for creators, entrepreneurs, big dreamers, big thinkers, makers, and curators who seek conversations about innovation, new ideas, and the next frontier across major industries and emerging markets,” according to statements from JMI and VSU. “The backdrop of the Big Dipper experience is inspiring self-actualization,” said Brelan Hillman, lead content coordinator for Big Dipper and senior project manager at JMI. “It’s about taking ownership of the journey and finding the answers to how to unlock our intellectual and economic potential.

“The businesses these entrepreneurs and innovators want to build aren’t only going to help their communities,” he continued.

“When they’re successful, they’ll help the whole world — which is really the history of Black entrepreneurship.”

In addition to Mr. Sellers, speakers will include VSU President Makola Abdullah, Jewel Burks-Solomon, former head of startups for Google who now is founder and managing partner of Collab Capital, and H. Jerome Russell, Jr. of H.J. Russell & Company and Russell New Urban Development.® Also participating in the summit are RVA Community Fridges Founder Taylor Scott, teacher, artist and The Core Art Studio

Founder Lizzie Brown, W. Franklyn Richardson, pastor of Grace Baptist Church and chair of Virginia Union University’s Board of Trustees, Dr. Lydia Johnson, a Richmond-based dermatologist with more than 20 years of medical dermatology experience, and Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras.

The Summit will open with the Coffee and Conversation Spiritual Kickoff, followed by panel discussions on education, social innovation, visionary leadership, and the value of financial and cultural capital. Friday’s programming will feature strategies for community renewal and discussions on the economy, art, health care and new opportunities in tech.

The Summit’s organizers hope to not just encourage the cross-sharing of knowledge and experience among important figures, but to also raise the profile of VSU as a destination for discussion, innovation and inclusion.

“We’ll explore what entrepreneurs and innovators in their respective sectors need to know to achieve lasting, transformative success, not just personally, but in their businesses, organizations, and communities, and for the world,” said James Warren, founder and CEO of Share More Stories and vice president of brand strategy for JMI The full event schedule is available at bigdippersummit.com.

Sold: Mayo Island purchase completed

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Mayo Island is now part of the James River Park.

The city announced on Jan. 5 the completion of the $15 million purchase of the large James River island from the Shaia family.

Mayor Levar M. Stoney announced last spring the plan to purchase the 14.5-acre Downtown island that was once home to a Richmond minor league baseball team.

Plans call for the future demolition of the existing buildings that sit adjacent to the 14th Street Bridge along with the restoration

Mayo Island

of the the island to its natural state.

A portion of that work could remain on hold during the construction of a replacement bridge, expected to start this year. The upper portion of the island is anticipated to serve as a staging area for vehicles and materials.

The city used funds from its storm water utility to cover the purchase, with $7.5 million to be reimbursed from a grant from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.

The purchase of the island, described as the “green jewel” of the Downtown riverfront in a city planning document, has

been on the city’s wish list for decades as part of its goal to secure public control of the river’s shoreline and islands, particularly in the Downtown area.

While it went unmentioned in the city announcement, the road to the purchase was paved by the Capital Region Land Conservancy led by former City Councilman Parker C. Agelasto.

Mr. Agelasto reached an agreement with the Shaia family in December 2022 for the CRLC to purchase the island that the family had advertised for sale, and then he enabled the city to step in to take over from his organization.

A NATIONAL OVATION TO

L. DOUGLAS WILDER

A Tribute To Gospel Legend

Honoring 70 Years of Leadership & Public Service

RICHARD SMALLWOOD Dr. Henry Panion III, conductor with local community choirs For 40 years, the energy of GRAMMY®award-winning arranger Richard Smallwood has brought gospel and pop together. Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, and Destiny’s Child have performed his music. The Richmond Symphony presents this tribute to Richard Smallwood, with Dr. Henry Panion III conducting and featuring guest vocalists and Richmond’s finest gospel choirs. Be inspired by their sound!

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Richmond Free Press

January 11-13, 2024 A7

Local News

Richmond Symphony celebrates MLK weekend with three concerts

By Debora Timms

Dr. Henry Panion III, a Grammy-award winning arranger, composer, conductor, educator and producer, has worked with artists across the musical spectrum.

Stevie Wonder, The Winans, India Arie and Carrie Underwood are among the hit list of singers, producers and songwriters that stand out on his résumé, along with his work with renowned gospel songwriter and artist Richard Smallwood.

Dr. Panion also has worked with more than 50 different symphony orchestras all around the globe, including the Royal Philharmonic, the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra, the Birmingham (England) Symphony, the Orchestra of Paris, the Melbourne (Australia) Symphony, the Rio de Janeiro Philharmonic, the Ra’anana Philharmonic, the Nice Symphony, the Gothenburg Symphony, and the Boston Pops Orchestra.

Richmond Symphony audiences will hear the combined work of Dr. Panion and Mr. Smallwood this weekend during the Richmond Symphony’s three performances at the Dominion Energy Center’s Carpenter Theatre.

On Friday, Jan. 12, and Saturday, Jan. 13, the Richmond Symphony will present “A Tribute to Richard Smallwood” honoring the 75-yearold’s Grammy-award winning career that has spanned more than four decades. Along with the orchestra, the evenings also will feature a collection of some of the areas most outstanding gospel singers and solo performances by artists such as the Richmond region’s Desirèe Roots, herself a Grammy-nominated vocalist.

In a recent telephone interview, Dr. Panion shared his excitement at bringing what has come to be a signature for him, the combining of different genres such as gospel music together with orchestral performances, to Richmond audiences.

“Gospel music particularly is at the basic foundation of so much music that is played today throughout the world. It lends itself so well to orchestral presentations,” he explained. “Great rhythms, great melodies, lush harmonies and all the colors and textures that only an orchestra can present — especially in a live situation.

“I’m happy to be in the position where I can present gospel as a true, important art form, that really is an American art form,” Dr. Panion added, noting that these performances are especially meaningful for him as he arranged many of the works that will appear on the program for Mr. Smallwood himself.

Mr. Smallwood’s works have been recorded by artists such as Aretha Franklin and Destiny’s Child. Arguably some of his most popular songs have been his 1996 composition “Total Praise,” and “I Love the Lord,” which was performed by Whitney Houston in the film, “The Preacher’s Wife.” Both selections will be featured in the weekend’s performances.

Dr. Panion notes that one of the great things about melding together the gospel choirs and the orchestra is the opportunity to see these two communities come together and witness perhaps the first exposure of those who follow gospel to orchestral music or vice versa.

“I know what [the audience] is going to experience so I really get to enjoy the fact of that first experience for some of them,” he said.

“Especially when it is presented with great intentionality, they’re blown away.”

He says art, and especially music, has a way of being able to reflect. This is especially evident in the program he will present Sunday, Jan. 14, “Celebrate MLK.” One of the works he will present is Margaret Boyd’s “Montgomery Variations” which

About Dr. Henry Panion Henry Panion III, Ph.D, holds degrees in music education and music theory from Alabama A&M University and the Ohio State University, respectively, and serves as director of the Music Technology Program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Dr. Panion’s own works are programmed throughout the United States by many of this country’s major orchestras, including the New Dr. Panion York Philharmonic, Atlanta Symphony, Cincinnati Pops, Cleveland Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Nashville Symphony, Houston Symphony, and the National Symphony.

During the 50th anniversary of Selma’s Bloody Sunday in 2015, Dr. Panion served as Artistic Producer & Conductor for the BET/ Centric TV Special. In 2019 he concluded the city of Birmingham’s three-year commemoration of the state of Alabama’s Bicentennial, in which he served as chair.

The 2020 PBS concert-documentary Dreams of Hope: Birmingham’s Historic 16th Street Baptist Church Welcomes Violins of Hope was produced by Dr. Panion and has been broadcast repeatedly over 1000 times on PBS stations across America; received an unprecedented 13 Telly Awards; and has won in prestigious film festivals domestically and abroad in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Jerusalem, and Sydney. In 2021 Dreams of Hope picked up 2 Emmys for music composition and audio post

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was based on her trip to Birmingham, Ala., right after the 1963 bombing that killed four Black girls at 16th Street Baptist Church.

“You can hear everything she’s saying in the music without using a single word,” Dr. Panion said. “You can hear joy, Mr. Smallwood you can hear prayer, you can hear hope and sorrow come across.”

The Sunday afternoon event also will highlight music from other classical composers of African descent.

“All too often great music written throughout history by composers of African descent is seldom programmed,” he said, adding that he likes to take every opportunity presented to share the music he has discovered.

Additionally, the concert also will showcase works composed by Dr. Panion, including a reprisal of “Dreams of Hope for Solo Violin and Orchestra” by violinist Caitlin Edwards, which

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she has performed both live and for a 2020 PBS concert-documentary, as well as his “Ride on King Jesus,” which was originally recorded as part of 2006’s “Gospel Goes Classical” which charted as high as No.2 on both Billboard’s Crossover Classical and Gospel charts.

Dr. Panion said the performances will both celebrate the rich tradition of classical music and commemorate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “People can expect to be inspired by music that perhaps they have never heard and will leave refreshed and rejuvenated,” he ended. “It will of course commemorate the past, but really it is a celebration of our present and our future.”

Links for information and tickets to the weekend’s performances: Jan. 12 concert: https://www.richmondsymphony.com/event/a-tribute-to-richard-smallwood/2024-01-12/ Jan. 13 concert: https://www.richmondsymphony.com/event/a-tribute-to-richard-smallwood/2024-01-13/ Jan. 14 concert: https://www.richmondsymphony.com/event/celebrate-mlk-2/

production.

As a producer, composer, arranger, and orchestrator, Dr. Panion’s work has produced three Grammy Awards, two Dove Awards, and a host of other national music awards and nominations. From 1994 to 2000, Dr. Panion served as chair of the Department of Music at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He also serves as president and CEO of Audiostate 55 Recording Studios & Entertainment Company.

Other honors include a 1995 Distinguished Alumni Award from Alabama A&M University and a 1996 Distinguished Alumni of the Year Award from the Ohio State University. He is the 1996 recipient of the Caroline P. and Charles W. Ireland Award for Scholarly Distinction and the 2009 recipient of the Congressional Black Caucus’ Civic and Cultural Advancement Award. Dr. Panion was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame in 1995, the Alabama A&M University Hall of Fame in 2000, the Alabama Arts Hall of Fame in 2019, and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 2023.

Dr. Panion serves on the Berklee College of Music’s BCMN Advisory Board and was recently re-appointed by the governor of Alabama to the Alabama State Council on the Arts where he serves as Board Chairman. Current posts also include appointments to the boards of the Southeast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (The Emmy’s) and the Robert Moog Foundation. Most recently, Dr. Panion served as artistic director, composer, and orchestra conductor of The World Games 2022. Commissioned to compose its new theme music and all original music, Dr. Panion designed and produced the creative presentation for the Emmy-nominated opening and closing ceremonies, with a viewership of over 250 million people in 100 plus countries.

Richmond Free Press Rain-soaked leaves in Henrico County Editorial Page

A8

January 11-13, 2024

There’s a new Speaker in the House It’s official.

Amanda Pittman, press secretary, Office of the Speaker of the House of Delegates, penned it perfectly in a news release shortly after House Speaker Don Scott’s historical swearing-in on the opening day of the 2024 Virginia General Assembly on Wednesday.

“Today marks the opening of the 2024 legislative session in Virginia. Newly elected delegates and their friends and family filled the House chamber and gallery to witness the swearing-in of the first Black Speaker of the House of Delegates,” she wrote.

“In the years since his election to the House of Delegates, Delegate Don Scott from Portsmouth has established himself as a bold leader, and willing collaborator, Ms. Pittman continued. “As leader of the Virginia House Democrats, he was proud to work across the aisle to ensure bipartisan support of critical bills to move the Commonwealth forward.”

Having represented Portsmouth since 2020, Speaker Scott was elected Minority Leader in 2022.

Following last fall’s elections, he was unanimously nominated by his caucus to serve as the first Black Speaker in the history of the House of Delegates.

A veteran of the U.S. Navy and a law partner at Breit Biniazan P.C., he is active in his community, and serves on several boards and commissions.

No stranger to adversity, Speaker Scott is a shining example of one who has overcome obstacles, including imprisonment for seven years on federal drug charges.

A July 14, 2022, Free Press article chronicled how the Houston native who was raised in poverty became the first Black legislator to serve as House Minority Leader. The article, titled “Being underestimated … that’s my superpower,” hinted at his likely ascension to the Speaker role if the Democrats regained control in 2023.

They did and so did he.

But before the 58-year-old Speaker Scott stepped into his newest role, flashbacks to his infamous floor speech two years ago further provided clues of his might and will.

The then-Delegate Scott questioned the newly inaugurated Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Christian faith and accused him of sowing division because of the executive orders the governor signed during his first few days in office. Those orders included a ban on teaching any “divisive concepts,” a ban on critical race theory, for creating a parents’ tip line and using race overall as a political tool.

“I understand you found a winning issue, critical race theory, once again using the old Southern strategy to use race as a wedge issue,” Delegate Scott said on the House floor in January 2022 to the entire chamber.

“I am going to implore us to stop using Black people and critical race theory as a political tool and start governing.”

A subsequent speech after meeting with Gov. Youngkin to discuss the previous speech also helped set the stage for Delegate Scott’s unlikely rise to leadership, but the delegate unwittingly has been building on this moment for years,” wrote Lisa Vernon Sparks for the Free Press.

Fast forward to yesterday.

Following his nomination by Democrat Luke Torian and a motion seconded by Republican Terry Austin, Speaker Scott, who never is at a loss for words, thanked his wife, Dr. Mellanda Colson-Scott, his daughter, Peyton and his mother, Helen.

“It is an honor and privilege to be elected by my peers as the first Black Speaker of the House of Delegates,” he said. “Four hundred and five years after the founding of the longest, continuous democratily—elected body in the western hemisphere was founded.

“Also, four hundred and five years after the first enslaved people arrived—not far from here down in Hampton Roads, Virginia. I know I stand on the shoulders of those who came before me.

“There’s something about being the first to do something. I think about the folks that I look up to personally—who I still count as friends, who are brilliant. They are legislators, they are jurists, they are now colleagues and peers - and they have served in this body.

“And every time I look around this room I see the ghosts of those people who worked here, who may have been enslaved here, whose dignity and humanity was discounted right here in this room.

I see those people.

“I think about all of the people who never got their rights heard by people sitting in these seats centuries ago.

“I can imagine how proud they would be to see all the people who now serve in this chamber looking back at me. From different backgrounds, different faith traditions, different races, and ethnicities. And so many other differences that make our Commonwealth so very rich.”

Well said, Speaker Scott. Well said.

We at the Richmond Free Press wish you all the best moving forward.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Once forbidden history offers hope Even Ron DeSantis had to admit, when pressed at a CNN town hall, Jan. 6 was a bad day for America. Invariably, following this past week’s anniversary of the insurrection, we’re forced to ask ourselves: Will we ever be able to pull this country back together again?

It’s a reasonable question. The fissures run deep.

For the answer to that big, terrible question, I turn to the history books.

And to the history of our country that was long kept out of those books.

In the wake of the Civil War, America was still a tinder keg. In 1867, two years after the Civil War had ended and nine years before another almost erupted, Frederick Douglass laid out the argument for why, as Americans, we should remain optimistic about our future and our ability to come together.

In “Our Composite Nation,” Mr. Douglass explained, a nation’s character is defined by that nation at its best, not its worst. And America’s character (at our best), our geography, and our already diverse population “all conspire to one grand end” … to make us the most “perfect national illustration of the unity and dignity of

the human family, that the world has ever seen.”

It seemed a tall order in those tough times, as it does now. And yet close to 15 years after he gave that speech, a new movement erupted in Petersburg, Va. that swept across the old Commonwealth uniting freedmen and former Confederate soldiers in a shared quest to save the public schools.

The Readjusters Party emerged amid an attempt by the old plantation owner oligarchs to reassert

Ben Jealous their influence, following the Hayes-Tilden Compromise.

The Compromise – which both prevented the possible outbreak of a second civil war and unleashed the terror of the Ku Klux Klan – resolved a bitter dispute over the election of 1876 and re-enfranchised former Confederates.

With the Confederates’ votes restored, the old oligarchs presumed their political power was assured. But they made a fatal mistake. They tried to dissolve the free public schools created by Black-led Reconstruction governments, claiming war debt made them unaffordable.

With the Readjusters offering a haven, working-class white former Confederates fled the Democratic Party of the plantation

oligarchs to defend their children’s schools. At the same time, sparked by both President Hayes’ betrayal of Black communities in the South and the same concern over public schools, my grandmother’s grandfather, Edward David Bland, led an exodus of Black people from the Republican Party to join them.

The math of democracy necessitated that if they were going to save their children’s schools, they would have to join up with the white parents who shared their same fears.

The new Readjusters Party quickly took over the state and won the governorship, control of both houses of the legislature, and would appoint both US senators (state legislators still appointed U.S. Senators back then).

In four years, the Readjusters succeeded in saving the free public schools. They radically expanded Virginia Tech to make the college the working white person’s answer to the patrician University of Virginia, and aided the creation of what is now called Virginia State University – the first public university for the training of Black teachers. They also abolished the poll tax and the public whipping post, and even pushed the state out of a deficit into a surplus.

However, at the end of the one term any governor is allowed in Virginia, the Readjusters would be swept out of power by a political movement built on disinforma-

Haley’s hypocritical embrace “The Lost Cause mythology was more than bad history. It provided the intellectual justification for Jim Crow — not just in the former Confederacy, but everywhere systemic racism denied Black citizens equal citizenship and economic rights ... That’s why the recent retreat to Lost Cause mythos is troubling. One would think that a Republican candidate for the presidency might be proud of the party’s roots as a firmly antislavery organization that dismantled the “Peculiar Institution” and fomented a critical constitutional revolution during Reconstruction — one that truly made the country more free.”— Joshua Zeitz When she was inaugurated as South Carolina’s first woman and first non-white governor in 2011, Nikki Haley said, “It would be wrong to mention our greatness during the revolutionary period without noting the ugliness of much that followed.

The horrors of slavery and discrimination … remain part of our history and a part of the fabric of our lives.”

It would be wrong.

That didn’t stop Ms. Haley, now a presidential candidate, from flagrantly pandering to racists by lying about the cause of the Civil War during a town hall in New Hampshire.

When she told her questioner that answering him wasn’t “easy,” it wasn’t because she didn’t know that slavery was the

cause of the Civil War. It was because she knew that giving the correct answer would alienate voters who have embraced a false version of history.

In the Declaration of the Immediate Causes Which Induce and Justify the Secession of South Carolina from the Federal Union, issued Dec. 24, 1860, the government of South Carolina explained its reasons for seceding from the United States. Those

Marc H. Morial reasons bear no resemblance to Ms. Haley’s cowardly blather about “the freedoms” and “the role of government.”

Unlike Ms. Haley, South Carolina’s lawmakers were honest about their reasons for seceding. “An increasing hostility on the part of the non-slaveholding States to the institution of slavery has led to a disregard of their obligations” to return people who escaped from enslavement back to their enslavers.

All 11 states who seceded – and the pro-secession minority of legislators in Missouri and Kentucky—cited slavery as their reason.

Ms. Haley does not claim to be ignorant of this history. The day after her craven response in New Hampshire sparked national outrage, she declared, “Of course the Civil War was about slavery,” but quickly returned to her vague talking points about “the role of government” and “individual liberties.”

Ms. Haley’s pandering on the issue of slavery in New Hampshire appears to contrast with her

comments in 2015, after a white supremacist who draped himself in symbols of the Confederacy murdered nine Black worshippers at Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston. Announcing the removal of the Confederate flag from the State House grounds, she called it — for some — “a deeply offensive symbol of a brutally offensive past.”

But she has long been willing to overlook “the horrors of slavery” in discussing the cause of the Civil War. In a 2010 interview with an activist group called Palmetto Patriots, she said the war was a conflict between “tradition” and “change,” never mentioning that the tradition was slavery.

Interestingly, the reason why Palmetto Patriots asked the question of Ms. Haley, who is of South Asian ancestry, and none of the other candidates for governor, is rooted in racism. The other candidates were “Southerners whose families go back to beyond the war between the states, back to antebellum times, and they would have a deeper appreciation of Southern thinking and mentality,” a spokesman said.

As the daughter of Sikh immigrants from India, Ms. Haley’s loyalty to the false “Lost Cause” interpretation of history could not be assumed when she was running for governor. As a presidential candidate, she has proved that she is eager to defend white supremacy by distorting history and presenting racial gaps as the result of ‘merit” and “hard work” instead of systemic oppression.

The writer is president of the National Urban League.

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

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

tion, ruthless violence, and a call to white supremacy. The new political regime of Jim Crow then took steps to ensure that the history of the Readjusters would never make it into the lessons taught to Virginia school children.

Jim Crow politicians knew how much of a threat that example was to their power structure, built on lies and hate.

The story of Mr. Douglass’ optimism and confidence in America’s destiny, and the Readjusters’ courage in pursuing it, is a reminder that the people of our country were always more resilient and greater than most politicians were ever willing to bet on.

It also begs the question: If they could unite then in the interest of all their children, what is actually keeping us from uniting now in the interest of all of ours?

The writer is executive director of the Sierra Club and a Professor of Practice at the University of Pennsylvania.

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Richmond Free Press

January 11-13, 2024 A9

Commentary

What Claudine Gay’s resignation tells us about conservative activists’ playbook

Dr. Gay

In her dissent in last summer’s Supreme Court case striking down affirmative action, Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman on the court, wrote: “History speaks.

In some form, it can be heard forever.”

Last Tuesday, the country’s long history of misogynoir spoke again. Claudine Gay, the first African-American and second woman to serve as president of Harvard University, resigned.

It was the latest example of the affirmative reaction against Black women’s leadership.

Conservatives have long used a racist playbook as a guide to political victory. But at the start of another consequential election year in an America that remains deeply divided, it’s clear this is a strategy they remain committed to — and have refined four years into a national reckoning over institutional inequality. The white grievance stoked by Donald Trump on his path to the presidency in 2016 was narrowly defeated in 2020 —but has come roaring back in 2024 with a fresh set of culture warriors whose targets remain largely the same: women, people of color or both.

Against Black women specifically, the conservative agenda is clear: minimize their excellence and exaggerate their mistakes. Their identities and leadership become weaponized

and politicized. There is no room for error.

Dr. Gay’s exit came nearly six months to the day after she was installed president of Harvard. Her tenure is the shortest in Harvard history; it began the same week the Supreme Court issued its decision effectively banning racebased affirmative action in higher education — a case that included Harvard as a defendant.

In her historically short time at the helm of Harvard, Dr. Gay faced protests from students over the university’s response to the conflict between Israel and Palestine, criticism over her response to questions about antisemitism on college campuses during a congressional hearing and ongoing allegations of plagiarism in her scholarly record.

But the calls for her exit in recent weeks were largely not about legitimate concerns over antisemitism at Harvard, or about Dr. Gay’s citations — which the university investigated and Dr. Gay attempted to clarify.

The reaction made that clear.

On Tuesday, in a celebratory post on X, formerly known as Twitter, conservative activist

Chris Rufo — whose targets have included discussions of race and LGBTQ+ issues in education — bragged in racist terms that Dr. Gay’s exit was a “scalp.”

Dr. Gay was the second woman president to step down after she and two other women college presidents were questioned about campus antisemitism by a House committee in

Errin Haines December. Liz Magill resigned as University of Pennsylvania president less than a week after the hearing. When Dr. Gay did not, conservative activists including Mr. Rufo made clear that they would work to end her time leading one of the country’s top universities.

“We launched the Claudine Gay plagiarism story from the Right. The next step is to smuggle it into the media apparatus of the Left, legitimizing the narrative to center-left actors who have the power to topple her. Then squeeze,” he posted on Dec. 19.

Just last December, Dr. Gay, a qualitative social scientist with expertise in American political behavior who earned her Ph.D. in government from Harvard in 1998, was lauded as “a person of bedrock integrity” and “an inspired choice” by her predecessor, Larry Bacow.

But who’s surprised, really,

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that things went this way for Dr. Gay? Not the chorus of prominent Black women who also took to X to express their outrage over the outcome.

Attacks on Dr. Gay “have been unrelenting and the biases unmasked,” NAACP Legal Defense Fund President Janai Nelson posted.

“Academic freedom is under attack. Racial justice programs are under attack. Black women will be made to pay,” said Nikole Hannah-Jones, a New York Times Magazine reporter who created the Pulitzer Prizewinning 1619 Project that was lauded before it came under attacks led by Mr. Trump.

Author Luvvie Ajayi called the concept of Black excellence “a scam that doesn’t protect us from the systems of oppression that are sustained by our continued disrespect and discrediting.”

“In a world where we are being set up to fail, our excellence is not an armor,” Ms. Ajayi posted.

Many of the conservative critics of Dr. Gay and of affirmative action in higher education — taking race into account in admissions decisions — want to remain the gatekeepers of power and ideas.

This isn’t just about Harvard, and affirmative action was only the beginning. Less than two months after the Supreme Court’s ruling, conservative lawyer Edward Blum’s group,

the American Alliance for Equal Rights, filed lawsuits challenging DEI programs at a law firm and a venture capital firm that was issuing $20,000 grants to Black women entrepreneurs.

Former Trump adviser Stephen Miller, who helped to weaponize white grievance in his role in the administration, is advertising a “hotline” for people who “have been victimized by woke politics.” He’s offering free legal representation and touting himself as the founder of a “civil rights organization committed to defending the principle of full equality under the law.”

The specific circumstances and swiftness of Dr. Gay’s departure may be remarkable.

That she was attacked, by whom, and why, are not. The same credentials and career that qualified her to lead also made her a target.

To understand this does not require a Ph.D. in American political behavior. Black women pushing for a more free, fair and equal society are learning this lesson the hard way. But they are also recognizing what is happening, calling it out for what it is, and strategizing to figure out a response.

The opposing forces continue to mobilize headed into the 2024 election. The playbook — which has had mixed results in recent years, but has proven effective enough to still be seen as viable with voters

— is worth watching to see whose voices will be framed as “legitimate” and who will be labeled “dangerous.”

Because history speaks, and in this moment, Black women are refusing to let their voices be silenced.

The writer is Editor-at-large at The 19th.

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Richmond Free Press

A10 January 11-13, 2024

Sports Stories by Fred Jeter

Fla. A&M’s Simmons going to Duke For the second straight season, the View A&M. Overall his record is 66-24, SWAC football Coach of the Year is including 32-5 against conference foes. changing addresses.

Simmons was also an assistant coach Florida A&M coach Willie Simmons with Diaz at Middle Tennessee State. is headed for Duke University As a player, Simmons was where he will serve as running a quarterback at Clemson and backs coach under newly named The Citadel.

Head Coach Manny Diaz.

Simmons’ A&M salary was A year ago, Jackson State’s $300,000 with incentives worth Deion Sanders departed to beanother $135,000 that he earned come head coach at Colorado. this season. A&M upped the Simmons, 43 and a native of ante when it appeared Simmons Tallahassee, was 45-13 in six might be leaving, but it wasn’t Coach Simmons years at A&M, including 12-1 enough. this season with the Rattlers winning the No new Rattlers coach had been named SWAC and Celebration Bowl titles.

by Free Press deadline. The top assistants Prior to coaching at A&M, he was 21-11 were Associate Head Coach Ryan Smith and in three seasons at SWAC affiliate Prairie Assistant Head Coach James Colzie III.

STANDINGS Men’s Northern Division (through Jan. 7)

Lincoln Bluefield State Virginia State Elizabeth City Bowie State Virginia Union

CIAA 3-3 3-3 2-3 1-2 1-5 0-4

Overall 7-9 6-9 7-8 4-10 6-10 5-10

Next: Thursday, Jan. 11, VUU is at Fayetteville at 7 p.m. and VSU is at Livingstone at 7:30 p.m.

Women’s

Virginia State Bowie State Virginia Union Bluefield State Lincoln Elizabeth City

CIAA 5-1 4-2 4-2 3-3 3-3 2-3

Overall 13-1 10-6 10-5 9-5 7-6 8-5

Next: Thursday, Jan. 11, VUU is at Fayetteville at 5:30 p.m. and VSU is at Livingstone at 5:30 p.m.

HBCU history made in the snow

Two days after Christmas in 1892, a group of young men from Charlotte rode horse and buggy to Salisbury on a snowy winter’s day.

Football history was about to be made. It was to be the firstever college game between two historically Black institutions.

The traveling Charlotte party represented Biddle University, which became Johnson C. Smith University.

The home team was Livingstone College and the makeshift playing field was the front lawn of the Blue Bears’ Old Delta Grove campus.

Women in the schools’ industrial department made uniforms for their teams.

Livingstone prevailed, 5-0, with W.J. Trent scoring the lone touchdown on a fumble recovery. Biddle protested, to no avail, that Trent had recovered the fumble out of bounds with snow covering the field markings.

On Dec. 27, 1892, there were no video cameras and no instant-replay in those days. The call on the field stood.

The schools renew the ancient rivalry each year, alternating between Charlotte and Salisbury with the game being billed the Commemorative Classic. Smith won this season, 38-17, in the 89th all-time meeting.

The first football game between white colleges was in 1869 with Rutgers playing University of New Jersey, now Princeton. Football rules weren’t even printed until 1876.

Virginia Union got into

Judea ‘JuJu’ Watkins

Judea Watkins rides high with Klutch Sports Group

Livingstone and Biddle football, below

the football business in 1900, defeating Richmond A.A., 22-0, Nov. 23, on the Union campus.

There was little time to rest on their laurels.

The next day, Nov. 24, the Panthers traveled to Petersburg,

losing, 11-5. A touchdown was worth five points until 1912 when it became a six-point play.

The Saints are marching in No, that wasn’t a sonic boom or earthquake Richmonders heard coming from the west last Friday night.

It was St. Christopher’s felling the area’s perennial hoops giant, John Marshall. Timberrr!

In stunning fashion, the Saints – led

by VCU commit Brandon Jennings – took down the Justices, 53-50, in front of packedto-rafters, highly partisan Scott Gym. “It was an electric environment,” said Saints’ Coach Hamill Jones. “First as a kid, then as a player and now as a coach I’ve seen some mystical nights here … this is certainly one of them.”

It was many-times State champ JM’s first setback to an 804 opponent since losing to L.C. Bird Feb. 2, 2019, 57-55.

JM had won 45 straight games against Area Code 804 foes until falling to the Saints.

Now 9-3, the Justices other losses were to Myers Park, N.C., and Ridge View, S.C. St. Chris, 10-2, has losses against Grace Brethren, Md., and St. John’s, D.C. The madcap court Coach Jones rushing scene by students (and, yes, a few older folks, too) that followed reminded some of the 1971 upset in which Notre Dame ended UCLA’s 88game winning streak in South Bend.

Jennings had 24 points, including key baskets in the final seconds, with Stuart Cosby adding 15 (five 3-pointers) and Darius Gray seven points and 10 rebounds.

Gray’s early 3-pointer, a rare long-ball by the 285-pound center, got the home team going after falling behind 9-0.

Damon “Redd” Thompson led the Justices with 20 points. Aiden Argabright added a dozen.

The worm has turned. A year ago, JM routed the Saints, 100-58, on the North Side.

This game was not originally scheduled.

Coaches Jones and JM’s Ty White put it together on the fly Wednesday night. It wasn’t announced until Thursday.

“We were texting back and forth while we were driving back from a game in Northern Virginia,” said Jones. It helped that St. Chris students were back in school and jumped out their seats to hear of the challenge.

The game also was viewed live on Saint Chris’ in-house YouTube, STCTV. It is still available in replay.

“I think we’ll keep that up for some time,” Coach Jones said with a smile.

Gridiron star is hoopin’ it up Starting the season 10-2, St. Chris won the 804 Among the area’s top football prospects doubles Coaches for Change tournament over Hermitage, 67as a basketball standout.

51, at the Henrico Sports & Event Center.

Darius Gray is a difference maker in sneakers as They were just warming up for bigger and better. well as shoulder pads for St. Christopher’s School in Last Friday’s stunning upset over John Marshall ranks Richmond’s leafy West End. as perhaps the school’s greatest victory ever.

“He’s really quite remarkable,” said Saints’ veteran Gray transferred to St. Chris as an eighth-grader Coach Hamill Jones of his precocious, 16-year-old from Manchester Middle School in Chesterfield. sophomore. “He’s so powerful, yet so graceful.

As a sophomore, he’s averaging 13 points and eight “As big as Darius is, he can grab a rebound and Darius Gray rebounds while also having an intimidating defensive dribble himself into the front court.”

Gray wears red and gray jersey No. 74 in football and No. presence near the hoop.

Offensively he sets broad-shouldered picks that stifle oppos35 in hoops. At 6-foot-4 and 285 pounds, he’s hard to miss at ing defenses. either hangout.

“Darius and Brandon (Jennings) are very effective on the The son of Angelena and Decarlo Gray is best known nationpick ‘n’ roll,” Coach Jones said. ally as a two-way lineman on the gridiron.

Gray’s cousin, EB Brandon, is an athletic guard in Jones’ Earning first-team All-Prep, All-Metro and All-State this past fall, he already has full scholarship offers from the likes of rotation. Gray’s and Brandon’s mothers are twin sisters.

“Perhaps the only reason Darius might not be a top college Michigan, Alabama, Georgia, Virginia Tech and Virginia.

On the hardwood, Gray plays a power center spot for a squad basketball prospect is because he’s such a huge prospect in football,” Coach Jones said. that also includes 6-foot-3 VCU commit Brandon Jennings.

University of Southern California freshman Judea “JuJu” Watkins is lighting up scoreboards and already taking her earnings to the bank.

She may be the top attraction to hit women’s college basketball since Brittney Griner.

Great athletes once made their reputations in college and their money later in the pro ranks. Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) changed all that.

Just two months into her Trojans’ career, Watkins, still just 18, already has $158,000 in NIL revenue (most notably with Nike and Lids) plus a Mercedes EQS to drive for the 2023-24 season.

The cost of a Mercedes EQS starts at about $105,000.

“To be the first athlete to get a car is amazing,” she said in a YouTube video. “I’m super honored to have this blessing and I definitely hope many more women get this, too, in the future.”

Before enrolling at her hometown school in Los Angeles, Watkins became the first female athlete to sign with Klutch Sports Group, an LA-based agency that previously only handled financial affairs for male pros.

Klutch’s clients include NBA stars LeBron James and Draymond Green, and NFL standouts Jalen Hurts and DeAndre Hopkins.

So, what’s so special about Watkins? You name it, she’s got it.

The 6-foot-2 Watkins attended the same Sierra Canyon High in Los Angeles as Bronny James (LeBron’s son), another well-publicized USC freshman.

Watkins was a two-time California Ms. Basketball, leading Sierra Canyon to a 60-3 record as a junior and senior with two state championships.

She was National Gatorade Player of Year, MVP of the McDonald’s All-Star Game and the consensus top recruit in America. She chose USC over South Carolina and Stanford.

She hasn’t disappointed Trojans fans or her sponsors.

In her USC debut, she had 32 points in an 83-74 win over Ohio State in Las Vegas.

For the season, she has averaged 27 points and eight rebounds (with 25 steals) for the 10-1 Trojans. She hit 47% from the floor overall, 45% from beyond the arc and 78% at the foul line.

Few, if any, female players have burst on the scene like Watkins. Long before NIL sponsorship, 6-foot-9 Griner was an instant star at Baylor with similar high school accolades as Watkins.

Great as Griner was at Baylor, she only “got paid” after joining the WNBA. Watkins’ NIL loot to this point is just scratching the surface of her potential earnings.

LSU star Angel Reese has some $1.3 million in NIL with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, Starry, PlayStation and Raising Cane’s among her sponsors. Still, when Reese first enrolled at Maryland in 2020, the NIL hadn’t begun to take off like it has now.

Reese transferred to LSU in 2022, following two seasons at Maryland.

Then there’s Caitlin Clark at Iowa. Clark reportedly is taking about $1.5 million from the likes of H&R Block, Hy-Vee and The Vinyl Studio.

For the extraordinarily gifted, the old days of playing college sports for room, board and tuition have passed.

Michigan Wolverines greet screaming fans after victory over Washington Huskies The Associated Press

ANN ARBOR, Mich.

The national champion Michigan Wolverines returned home Tuesday night to thunderous applause and screaming fans following their 34-13 victory over the Washington Huskies.

“Thank you so much for being here,” Coach Jim Harbaugh said. “We had lofty aspirations and high goals, and we never lost sight of them.”

Defensive tackle Kris Jenkins also thanked the crowd.

“You don’t know how much we appreciate you all, from the bottom of our hearts, all the love and support,” Jenkins said.

“When the whole world doubted

us, when the whole world didn’t think we could do it, what did we say? Boom!”

Quarterback J.J. McCarthy was greeted with chants of “One more year!” asking the junior to return to help defend the national title next fall.

“Let me just say this: I don’t know how I could leave you all,” McCarthy said. “It says everything about this place that’s made it home for me.

And I just love every single one of you from the bottom of my heart.”

The university was set to announce details Wednesday morning regarding a formal celebration on Saturday in Ann Arbor.

January 11-13, 2024 B1

Richmond Free Press

Section

Happenings

B

When Lynne B. Hughes lost her mother and father at the age of 9 and 12, respectively, she struggled to find help after their deaths.

Her efforts to process her feelings and losses were stymied in part by a lack of support and options. Over the years she became more aware of how many others faced similar struggles.

“I realized there were no resources for grieving children,” Ms. Hughes says, “and I wanted to create a place where kids could realize they weren’t alone, gain tools to help them navigate their grief and get back to being kids again.”

Ms. Hughes would find inspiration soon after her loss at a youth summer camp that allowed her to process her grief.

The experience stayed with her during college, when she began researching summer camps in hopes of helping other children like she had been helped as a camp counselor.

Comfort Zone Camp, a program whose reach extends far beyond Virginia, is the result of Ms. Hughes’ desire to see children heal, grow and lead more fulfilling lives. She is the founder of the international camp that provides a space for children and young adults to process their trauma, find community and solidarity.

Since CZC began providing free weekend bereavement camps at rented sites, Ms. Hughes has seen it expand across the country and into Canada and the United Kingdom.

More than 23,000 children have been helped through the camps after its founding in Richmond in 1998, and she’s seen firsthand the impact it’s had in the lives of its participants.

“I’ve seen kids come back year after year and go from being on the fringe to being leaders and helping others.

Now one-third of our volunteers are former campers — paying forward what was given to

Personality: Lynne B. Hughes Spotlight on Comfort Zone Camp founder them.”

CZC has repeatedly expanded in response to moments of major trauma, hosting camps at sites in Washington, D.C., New York and New Jersey in the wake of the World Trade Center attacks. CZC also began offering virtual camps during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

And while the number of children helped through the program is substantial, Ms. Hughes believes the state of the world has continued to make CZC a necessary resource. She says she repeatedly has seen that youths aren’t properly prepared for tragedies and disappointments, and not given the right support when they occur.

“We live in a death-avoidant society where children aren’t encouraged to talk about their grief or their loss,” says Ms. Hughes, and points to a recent rise in suicides and deaths by overdose as major points of worry.

“By having kids come to a camp, with no distractions, it creates a ‘bubble’: where kids can ‘turbo-bond’ — everyone is there for the same reason and is leaning in and saying, ‘me too’.”

Ms. Hughes also believes children need better guidance for “life grief,” from parental divorce to academic struggles, romantic issues and other “unfair moments” big and small that may arise in their lives.

“They need a voice and a place,” she says. “I think all kids can really benefit from a comfort zone.”

Meet a longtime supporter of grieving youths and this week’s Personality, Lynne B. Hughes: Occupation: CEO and founder, Comfort Zone Camp.

Date of birth: April 28.

Where I live now: Rockville.

Education: Bachelor’s in communications from Michigan State University.

Family: Married to Kelly Hughes; son, Evan; daughter, Jamie.

Comfort Zone Camp is: A nonprofit bereavement camp that offers free weekend camps to children ages 7 to 17 and young adults.

Mission: Comfort Zone Camp’s mission is to empower children experiencing grief to fully realize their capacity to heal, grow and lead more fulfilling lives.

How Comfort Zone Camp works in a nutshell: We provide free weekend camps for children who’ve experienced the death of a close loved one.

We pair every child up with their own big buddy mentor who serves as their anchor/ friend throughout the weekend

as they do traditional camp activities but also participate in small support groups, called healing circles, where they tell their stories and talk about their feelings and gain tools to help them navigate their grief journey. Kids are able to attend annually.

Comfort Zone Camp attendees are: Children who have experienced the death of a parent, sibling, primary caregiver or friend due to death.

Comfort Zone Camp cost for campers: Camp is offered at no cost.

Comfort Zone Camp is funded: Through individual and corporate donations, grants and fundraising events.

Comfort Zone Camp’s 2024 No. 1 one goal or project: To serve more children! We want to reach more children in the Richmond area and surround area. We are adding five camps in 2024.

Strategy for achieving goals: Network with those who come in contact with children and families; primarily schools and also word of mouth. Also through the media.

No. 1 challenge: Creating awareness that kids do grieve even though it doesn’t look like adult grief and its important they work on their grief as children, which will allow them to be happier and healthier adults. Also understanding the importance of learning to drain our grief off in health ways. Also getting enough male volunteers. We need more males who want to come and change a child’s life.

They don’t have to have had a loss to be a volunteer — just a

heart for grieving kids!

Racial equity and Comfort Zone Camp: Comfort Zone Camp always has been open to all children and families of all backgrounds and races. A core tenet of our program is to offer camps free of charge so that cost is never a barrier to attend. When every child attending puts on the same Comfort Zone T-shirt and starts sharing what it’s like to lose someone and the feelings that come with that and they lean in and say, “it gets better” or “me too”, they realize they are all members of the same grief family.

Ways to get involved with Comfort Zone Camp as a volunteer or for a child/parent/ guardian in need: We need volunteers at camp and also in the office! The best way to get involved is to contract our office at 804-377-3430; email info@comfortzonecamp.org or visit our webage at www. comfortzonecamp.org Comfort Zone Camp partners with: Schools, churches, funeral homes, pediatricians, physicians and more!

Upcoming events: Camps in April, May, June, September and November. Virtual support groups for kids and parents four weeknights in February How I start the day: I start with a thank you prayer to God for letting me live to see another day and asking him to help me be a light to others.

The three words that best describe me: Resilient, caring and determined.

If I had 10 extra minutes in the day I would: Exercise!

If I could host a dream dinner party, my one special guest would be: My mom. She died when I was 9 and I never got

to know her as a person so I would love to see and talk to her through adult eyes!

Best late-night snack: Dark chocolate!

The music I listen to most is: ’70s music.

Something I love to do that most people would never imagine: Watch Hallmark movies! I love a happy ending!

A quote that inspires: “One person can make a difference and every person should try.”

— John F. Kennedy At the top of my “to-do” list: Prioritizing all the balls I have to keep juggling.

The best thing my parents ever taught me: My parents died when I was young but I do remember my Dad always encouraging me that I could be anything I wanted and I had the ability to leave my mark.

The person who influenced me the most: My parents and the lack of having them in my life influenced me the most.

Book that influenced me the most: “Motherless Daughters”

by Hope Edelman. I didn’t realize the impact that losing my mother had on me at a young age and the role mothers play in our lives. It also made an impact because the author was my age and it inspired me to take action in my own life.

What I’m reading now: “Start with Why” by Simon Sinek. My takeaway: “Discovering your own WHY can restore your passion to a degree multiple times greater than at any other time in your life. People don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it. Those who truly lead are able to create a following of people who act not because they were swayed but because they were inspired.”

Next goal: Work with communities to understand the unqiue needs of grieving children; how grief affects mental health and how Comfort Zone Camp can help.

Admissible: Shreds of Evidence

Presented in partnership with iHeartMedia and Story Mechanics, “Admissible: Shreds of Evidence” is a VPM original podcast examining how a key building block of our justice system – evidence itself – is often flawed, disputed, or even manipulated.

Photos courtesy of Story Mechanics

CONNECTED TO WHAT CHALLENGES THE STATUS QUO. CONNECTED TO WHAT MATTERS.

CONNECTED TO WHAT MATTERS. As Virginia’s home for public media, we bring you relevant news and local storytelling As Virginia’s home for public media, we bring you relevant news to foster a greater understanding of our state, our neighbors and our world. and local storytelling to foster a greater understanding of our state, VPM.org our neighbors and our world.

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Richmond Free Press

B2 January 11-13, 2024

Happenings Movie review: ‘The Color Purple’ is a stirring big-screen musical powered by its spectacular cast

By Jake Doyle The Associated Press

Exuberant performances from a cast led by Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson and Danielle Brooks breathe life into Blitz Bazawule’s stirring “The Color Purple,” adapted from the Tonywinning Broadway production.

Alice Walker ’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1982 novel, which Steven Spielberg turned into the 1985 film, may be an unlikely book for such bright adaptations. Ms. Walker’s novel, told through Celie’s letters penned to God, is harrowingly bleak in its tale of trauma, poverty, abuse and rape. Much of Ms. Walker’s “The Color Purple” doesn’t scream song and dance.

But the emotional triumphs of Ms. Walker’s novel and its soul-stirring tribute to the power of Black women lend themselves to Mr. Bazawule’s razzle-dazzle adaptation. The tragedy found in the book makes its final release all the more rousing.

It can still be an awkward mix, and, like Mr. Spielberg’s movie, not all of the tonal changes work in this version of “The Color Purple.”

But the payoff is immense, as are the thrilling performances at the movie’s center.

Ms. Barrino, who in 2007 took over the role on Broadway, plays Celie with a raw soulfulness. In the film’s opening scenes, she’s picked

by Mister (Colman Domingo) to be his wife, though her role at his messy, ramshackle home is much closer to servant.

Life with Mister, who regularly beats her, is a nightmare. That Mr. Domingo is able play such a loathsome, cruel character and yet still find subtle notes of woundedness and ultimately redemption in Mister is a testament to his dynamism as an actor. The roots of Mister’s barbarism are

traced to his own brutal father (Louis Gossett Jr.), one of the numerous ways in which “The Color Purple” contemplates cycles of abuse and inherited pain.

Celie, separated from her beloved sister Nettie (Halle Bailey), has little to look forward to.

But after years go by, signs of possibility begin entering the orbit of her savage rural corner of early 20th century Georgia.

First there’s Sofia (Ms. Brooks), the wife of Mister’s more sensitive son Harpo (Corey Hawkins), who builds a juke joint on a pier above a swamp. Ms. Brooks, reprising the role she played in the 2015 stage revival, is a revelation as the strong-willed, admirably reckless Sofia. Her forceful and funny entry (and her thundering song “Hell No!”) announce a female empowerment Celie hasn’t ever dared to imagine.

Mr. Bazawule’s film, penned by playwright Marcus Gardley, wavers most in the balance of its first half. The musical scenes, with kinetic choreography from Fatima Robinson, perhaps come too fast and furious, distracting from our connection with the meek Celie. The numbers are richly conceived — the juke joint (part of the excellent production design of Paul Denham Austerberry) is pierced with light shining through wooden planks. But some flights of fancy, like one number in which Celie is transported onto a giant turntable, make for a herky-jerky flow. The jumbled book-to-movie-to-musicalto-movie-musical path of “The Color Purple” sometimes shows.

But the film takes off when Shug (Ms. Henson) makes her show-stopping entrance. Shug, a glamorous singer who breezes in and out of their country lives, is whom Mister most pines for — and whom Celie has great affection for, as well.

The Associated Press

Fantasia Barrino, left, plays Celie and Taraji P. Henson is Shug in Blitz Bazawule’s stirring “The Color Purple,” adapted from the Tony-winning Broadway production.

Ms. Henson, outfitted sumptuously by costumer Francine Jamison-Tanchuck, gives “The Color Purple” a vivid, movie-star splash. Celie and Shug’s romance has often been downplayed — it was almost totally absent in Mr. Spielberg’s film. This version, while still falling short, does a little better thanks to their tender duet “What About Love?”

In this lengthy and star-packed musical (Ciara, Jon Batiste, H.E.R. and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor are just some of the cameos), there are more dramatic ups and downs to go. But the movie builds irresistibly toward the hard-earned eman-

cipation of Celie, and Ms. Barrino’s climactic, impassioned performance of “I’m Here.”

But it’s the movie’s own power trio of Ms. Barrino, Ms. Brooks and Ms. Henson that makes “The Color Purple” one of the most moving bigscreen musicals in recent years. Each in their own way transforms suffering into exhilarating portraits of survival and strength.

“The Color Purple,” a Warner Bros. release, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association for mature thematic content, sexual content, violence and language. Running time: 140 minutes.

Three and a half stars out of four.

Coco Jones talks earning Grammy nods, overcoming obstacles after Disney fame, Hollywood’s pay equity The Associated Press

Press about pushing through her rough patches, EGOT status posLOS ANGELES sibly being on her vision board Coco Jones was so obsessed and her thoughts after Taraji P. with fine tuning her skills as a Henson’s passionate words on singer that she tried to mimic Hollywood’s pay disparity.

Beyoncé’s Olympic-style trainAP: When you recorded ing of singing while running on your EP, did you foresee a treadmill.

Grammy nominaMs. Jones didn’t tions? own a treadmill, but Ms. Jones: I defiher father and former nitely didn’t think NFL player, Mike “How far could this Jones, had an elliptigo?” I was only focal machine she often cused on what was used as an alternain front of me, who tive. Since her Disney I wanted to present Ms. Jones child-star days, the myself to as in front singer-actor has been determined of the world. I hadn’t released to apply the same work ethic as music with a label since I was the best in hopes of breaking 16 years old, so my expectations through on her terms. were all over the place. I don’t For Ms. Jones, that time is even think I really understood now following several pivotal how it works as an adult to moments: After she starred on release a project and what it the 2012 Disney Channel musi- means to have a rollout. I was cal “Let it Shine,” she struggled a kid when all of those conto maintain stardom and fell out versations were being had way the spotlight until she created a above me. My expectation was new buzz through viral TikTok within myself and my leaving videos before unveiling her re- everything in this booth every shaped image as Hilary Banks time. I’m giving the world the on Peacock’s “Bel-Air.” most fearless version of myself.

Ms. Jones went on to earn … My expectations have been five Grammy nominations blown out of the water. through her well-received EP AP: How much did your fame “What I Didn’t Tell You.” It through “Bel-Air” play a role in was anchored by her hit bal- reestablishing yourself? lad “ICU,” which garnered a Ms. Jones: It really opened remix from Justin Timberlake. a lot of doors, because before She’s up for best new artist, my music came out, “Bel-Air” R&B album, traditional R&B came out. It’s always so helpful performance, R&B song and for people to see a rebranded R&B performance. version of you — especially In a recent interview, Ms. if you’re trying to change, if Jones spoke with The Associated you’re trying to give something DIAMONDS • WATCHES JEWELRY • REPAIRS 19 EAST BROAD STREET RICHMOND, VA 23219 (804) 648-1044 WWW.WALLERJEWELRY.COM

new. A very powerful way to be projected to the world is through TV and film as well as music. It all helped with shifting the narrative that I’m not that little kid from the Disney Channel anymore. I can be this upper echelon Bel-Air girl, and I can be an artist, and you’re going to respect both of them because they’re both going to hit hard in different way.

AP: You went through a phase after “Let It Shine” when you put out music with little fanfare. How did you maintain your confidence?

Ms. Jones: Finding confidence in the in-between stage was only through God. I had placed my value in this industry. If I had a great show, great movie, great song, anything worth talking about, then yeah, you should be confident. Look at what you’ve done. Look at what you’re presenting to the world. When I didn’t have those things, I didn’t really know what to say or what to sing about. I didn’t really fit into the roles that were being sent to me. I didn’t know when my next perfect match would be an opportunity that I didn’t feel like was forced or I could do better. I didn’t have much to brag about. I had to find a different version of value that really comes from my passion and my tenacity.

AP: Who helped you through those tough times?

Ms. Jones: I leaned on my mama the most during the rough patches of my career. My mom was my first everything.

She was my first vocal coach, first stylist, hair and makeup, glam manager, tour manager, first co-writer, first co-producer.

She was everything. When there was nobody to believe in me, she helped me prove myself and continue to push through those hurdles.

AP: Which is your biggest passion: Singing or acting?

Ms. Jones: If we’re talking in general, singing or acting.

Yes, singing for sure. It’s not about playing a role. It’s genuinely therapeutic to just peel back all the layers and say the rawest, realest version of your truth. I think that’s the most comfortable second nature. But acting. There are films and shows that just eat the content and the quality. ...

You get to relive a movie that just holds you tight.

AP: You’ve dealt with colorism in your career. What were your thoughts after hearing about Taraji P. Henson shedding tears regarding the gender and

racial pay gap in Hollywood cal about things that you want for Black women? to change, can always make Ms. Jones: Everything change and always inspire. It can and will get better. But it just makes your platform worth doesn’t get better if we don’t any meaning. That’s why I try to do anything, if we don’t say speak up so much on colorism anything, if we aren’t transparent and on being patient with your and honest. I think hiding and journey because we’re Black pretending that everything’s OK Ad women, and it does take a difSt. James’s MLK Evensong willRFP perpetuate stagnant energy. ferent path with us to get where 5.418" × 10" (w × h) But being honest and being vo- we rightfully deserve to be.

I’m so grateful for women like Viola (Davis) and Kerry (Washington) and Angela Bassett and Taraji. They all have paved a way for me, and it’ll just get better with time because they’ll continue to kill it at every opportunity and speak up and not be afraid to push back and be honest and demand more.

Celebrating the dream of Dr. King in music and in his own words MLK EVENSONG FEATURING

The Concert Choir of Norfolk State University & St. James’s Choirs.

And a special appearance by renowned organist and guest conductor Dr. Carl Haywood.

Sunday, Jan 14 ȴ 5 pm FREE Admission & Parking Hear live readings of speeches from Dr. King, including “I Have a Dream” read by Dr. Ronald Crutcher, President Emeritus, University of Richmond.

1205 WEST FRANKLIN STREET, RVA • (804) 355-1779 • doers.org

Church)

Richmond Free Press

January 11-13, 2024 B3

Faith News/Directory

Biden calls out ‘poison’ of white supremacy in address at Mother Emanuel in S.C.

By Adelle M. Banks Religion News Service

President Biden, taking his 2024 re-election campaign to South Carolina, denounced the white supremacy that he said led to deadly violence at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church almost nine years ago.

“The Word of God was pierced by bullets and hate and rage, propelled by not just gunpowder, but by a poison, a poison that has for too long haunted this nation,” he said in an address Monday at the historically Black church where nine people died in 2015 at the hands of a gun-carrying white supremacist they had welcomed to their Bible study.

“What is that poison? White supremacy. All it is is a poison.

Throughout our history, it’s ripped this nation apart. This has no place in America. Not today, tomorrow or ever.”

In his campaign appearance that mixed Scripture with election rhetoric, President Biden spoke about his record of affirming African-Americans and Black history. He cited his nomination of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and other Black women to federal courts, and his establishment of the Juneteenth holiday and a national monument that honors lynching victim Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till.

Without calling Donald Trump by name, President Biden called his Republican opponent a “loser” and criticized him for, after offering his sympathies and prayers about a recent school shooting in Iowa, saying, “We have to get over it.”

President Biden crossed himself after repeating his opponent’s words and then offered his views.

“My response is: We have to stop it,” he said, drawing applause, “so your children, your family, your friends — you can leave your home, walk the streets, go to stores, go to the grocery store and go to church, to be safe from gun violence.

There’s no excuse for this carnage. We have to ban assault weapons. I did it once before

The Associated Press

President Biden delivers remarks Jan. 8 at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C. where nine worshippers were killed in a mass shooting by a white supremacist in 2015.

and I’m gonna come back again and do it.”

President Biden’s remarks were interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters shouting for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. In return, people in the pews started calling out “Four More Years.”

“I understand their passion,” President Biden responded.

“And I’ve been quietly working,

been quietly working with the Israeli government to get them to reduce and significantly get out of Gaza, using all that I can to do.”

As he looks ahead to the Democratic primary to be held in South Carolina, President

Biden credited people in the state — including those at Mother Emanuel and the support of Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C. — with his 2020 election.

“Your voice was heard in shaping your destiny. That’s democracy. I’m proud to have

led the effort to make sure your voice, the South Carolina voice, will always be heard.

Because now you’re first in the primary,” he said, drawing more applause.

South Carolina’s Feb. 3 Democratic primary will be

the first official 2024 ballot with President Biden’s name on it, a change recommended

by President Biden and other Democrats who wanted the first primary to be held in a more diverse state.

While New Hampshire is still having primaries sooner, President Biden’s name will not be on the ballot as the state’s leaders did not opt to follow the national party’s directive to delay their primary until after South Carolina’s. Instead, Democrats in New Hampshire launched a write-in campaign for President Biden, Politico reported.

As he concluded his speech, in which he lauded the patriotism of the Black church, President Biden drew on a song popularized by gospel artist James Cleveland — “I Don’t Feel No Ways Tired” — to round out the president’s themes about truth, democracy and faith.

“This is a time of choosing, so let us choose the truth; let us choose America,” he said.

“I know we can do it together and, as the gospel song sings, ‘We’ve come too far from where we started. Nobody told me the road would be easy. I don’t believe he brought me this far to leave me.’ My fellow Americans, I don’t think the good Lord brought us this far to leave us behind.”

Moore Street Missionary Baptist Church

1408 W. Leigh Street · Richmond, Va. 23220 (804) 358—6403

Dr. Alonza L. Lawrence, Pastor

1858

The People’s Church

“Your Home In God’s Kingdom”

Riverview Baptist Church Sundays Sunday School - 9:30 A.M. Worship Service - 11 A.M. Via Conference Call (202) 926-1127 Pin 572890# In Person Sunday Service also on FACEBOOK and YouTube 2604 Idlewood Avenue, Richmond, Va. 23220 (804) 353-6135 • www.riverviewbaptistch.org Rev. Dr. John E. Johnson, Jr., Interim Minister

“The Church With A Welcome”

Sharon Baptist Church 500 E. Laburnum Avenue, Richmond, VA 23222 www.sharonbaptistchurchrichmond.org (804) 643-3825 Rev. Dr. Paul A. Coles, Pastor

Sundays Morning Worship 10:00 A.M.

Back Inside

Good Shepherd Baptist Church

1127 North 28th Street, Richmond, VA 23223-6624 • Office: (804) 644-1402

The Rev. Sylvester T. Smith, Ph.D., Pastor “There’s A Place for You” Join us at 11:00 a.m. each Sunday for in-person worship service or Live-stream on YouTube (Good Shepherd Baptist Church RVA).

Broad Rock Baptist Church 5106 Walmsley Blvd., Richmond, VA 23224 804-276-2740 • 804-276-6535 (fax) www.BRBCONLINE.org

“Please come and join us” Every Sunday @ 11:00 am.

Live Streaming Every Sunday At: BRBConline.org or YouTube(Broad Rock Baptist Church)

Bible Study online and in person Wednesday 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

“MAKE IT HAPPEN” Pastor Kevin Cook

216 W. Leigh St., Richmond, Va. 23220 Tel: 804-643-3366 Fax: 804-643-3367 (PDLO ṘFH#HEHQH]HUUYD RUJ ZHE HEHQH]HUUYD RUJ

Sunday Church School • 9am (Zoom)

Sunday Morning Worship • 11am (in-person and livestream on YouTube)

Wednesday Bible Study • 7pm (Zoom)

Please visit our website Ebenezer Baptist Church Richmond, VA for updates http://www. ebenezerrva.org

Dr. Wallace J. Cook, Pastor Emeritus

St. Peter Baptist Church

Dr. Kirkland R. Walton, Pastor

Worship Opportunities Sunday Worship Opportunities: 10 A.M. [In-person and Livestream] Sunday Church School Opportunities: Adults [In-person] at 8:30 A.M. Children [Virtual] online via our website.

Bible Study Opportunities: Noon [In-person] 7 P.M. [Virtual]; Please contact the church office for directives.

2040 Mountain Road • Glen Allen, Virginia 23060 Office 804-262-0230 • Fax 804-262-4651 • www.stpeterbaptist.net

“Working For You In This Difficult Hour”

k Joseph Jenkins, Jr. Funeral Home, Inc. 2011-2049 Grayland Avenue Richmond, Virginia 23220 (804) 358-9177

k

Joseph Jenkins, Jr., Founder (Dec. 19, 1938 - Dec. 9, 2006) Joseph Jenkins, III. • Jason K. Jenkins • Maxine T. Jenkins

7M\XL &ETXMWX 'LYVGL 8LIQI 1SFMPM^MRK *SV 1MRMWXV] 6IJVIWLMRK 8LI 3PH ERH )QIVKMRK 8LI 2I[ A 21st Century Church With Ministry For Everyone

We Embrace Diversity — Love For All! Come worship with us!

Back Inside Sundays Join us for 10:00 AM Worship Service Live on Facebook @ 4ixth #aptist $IVSDI 37" Live on Youtube @4#$ 37" Or by visiting our website www.sixthbaptistchurch.org

Rev. Dr. Yvonne Jones Bibbs, Pastor Rev. Dr. Yvonne Jones Bibbs, Pastor

400 South Addison Street Richmond, Va. 23220

(near Byrd Park)

(804) 359-1691 or 359-3498 Facebook Fax (804) 359-3798 `VeaUON]aV`aPUb_PU_cN www.sixthbaptistchurch.org

Antioch Baptist Church “Redeeming God’s People for Gods Purpose”

1384 New Market Road, Richmond, Virginia 23231 | 804-222-8835

SERVICES

SUNDAY WORSHIP HOUR – 10:00 A.M. CHILDREN’S CHURCH & BUS MINISTRY AVAILABLE SUNDAY SCHOOL (FOR ALL AGES) – 9:00 A.M. TUESDAY MID-DAY BIBLE STUDY – 12 NOON DR. JAMES L. SAILES PASTOR WEDNESDAY MID-WEEK PRAYER & BIBLE STUDY – 7:00 P.M. A MISSION BASED CHURCH FAMILY EXCITING MINISTRIES FOR CHILDREN, YOUTH, YOUNG ADULTS & SENIOR ADULTS BIBLE REVELATION TEACHING DIVERSE MUSIC MINISTRY LOVING, CARING ENVIRONMENT

Richmond Free Press

B4 January 11-13, 2024

Sports Plus

Tiger Woods, Nike end partnership after more than 27 years The Associated Press

Tiger Woods has gone from “Hello, world,” to saying goodbye to Nike.

Woods ended months of speculation by making it official Monday that the partnership between golf’s biggest star and the powerful Swoosh brand is ending after 27 years, a move that raises questions about the future of both in the sport.

Woods in a social media post thanked Nike co-founder Phil Knight for his “passion and vision” that brought them together when he turned pro.

“Over 27 years ago, I was fortunate to start a partnership with one of the most iconic brands in the world,” Woods wrote. “The days since have been filled with so many amazing moments and memories, if I started naming them, I could go on forever.”

Mark Steinberg, his agent at Excel Sports, confirmed the end of the deal that began in 1996 when Woods turned pro after winning his third straight U.S. Amateur.

“I guess, hello world, huh?” a 20-year-old Woods said at the Greater Milwaukee Open.

Nike launched a “Hello, World” campaign two days later, and Woods lived up to the hype. Within eight months, he already had four wins, including the watershed Masters victory that made him the first golfer of Black heritage to win a major.

“It was time for the next chapter,” Steinberg told The Associated Press. “Amazing run. Great partnership.”

Nike also posted to social media, saying in a photo, “It was a hell of a round, Tiger.”

“Tiger, you challenged your competition, stereotypes, conventions, the old school way of thinking,” the Nike post was captioned. “You challenged the entire institution of golf. You challenged us. And most of all, yourself. And for that challenge we’re grateful.”

Woods signed a five-year deal worth $40 million when he turned pro. It was shocking money at the time to most in the industry except Nike, and his father.

“Chump change,” the late Earl Woods once said, and he was proven correct. Woods renewed the deal believed to be worth over $100 million in 2001. His eight-year deal in 2006 was reported to be $160 million, and his latest deal was signed in 2013 for a reported $200 million.

As recognizable as any athlete in the world, Woods became the face of Nike Golf and had his own “TW” brand.

On the golf course, Woods set records as the youngest to win the Grand Slam at age 24, the only player to hold all four major titles at the same time and his 15-shot win at the U.S. Open, the largest margin for a major in golf history.

But there were signs in recent years of a fractured relationship.

The Associated Press

Tiger Woods, shown here in December 2023 during the PNC Championship in Orlando, Fla., announced Monday that his longtime partnership with Nike has ended after 27 years.

Woods returned from his February 2021 car crash that shattered bones in his right leg by wearing FootJoy shoes, saying it was a better feel considering his injuries.

Woods remained in them — Nike has a long history making shoes — even until the PNC Championship last month that he played with his son.

When asked about his deal with Nike, Woods replied, “I’m still wearing their product,” and sternly repeated the phrase when asked if this was the end of his deal.

More than just a face, Woods unwittingly delivered big moments for Nike, none greater than his 2005 Masters victory when he hit a pitch from below the 16th green that went up the slope and then rolled back toward the hole. The ball hung on the edge for a full second — the swoosh in full view — before it dropped. It remains one of the most famous moments in golf’s most-watched tournament.

He also was filming a commercial one year when between takes, Woods began bouncing the golf ball off his club. That led to a spot where he bounced the ball off the club, between his legs, behind his back, before hitting the ball in mid-air.

“Throughout the course of our partnership, we have witnessed along with the rest of the world, how Tiger not only redefined the sport of golf, but broke barriers for all of sport,” Nike said in a statement. “We watched him set records, challenge conventional thinking and inspire generations of people around the globe. We are grateful to have been a part of it. We wish him the best in the future.”

Woods has won 15 majors, second only to Jack Nicklaus (18), and his 82 career PGA Tour victories are tied with Sam Snead.

But he has been slowed in recent years by five back surgeries, shattered ligaments in his rebuilt left knee, the 2021 car crash and age. He turned 48 at the end of last year.

Legal Notices/Employment Opportunities Continued from previous column

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Richmond Free Press call

644-0496

Follow the Free Press on @FreePressRVA @RichmondFreePressUSA

City of Richmond, Virginia CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given that the Council of the City of Richmond has scheduled a public hearing, open to all interested citizens, on Monday, January 22, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber on the Second Floor of City Hall, located at 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, to consider the following ordinances: Ordinance No. 2023-371 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Fulton Montessori School grant contract between the City of Richmond and Fulton Montessori School for the purpose of stabilizing, continuing, and expanding operations of a licensed early childhood care and education program in Fulton Hill. (COMMITTEE: Education and Human Services, Thursday, January 11, 2024, 2:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2023-372 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Nurture grant contract between the City of Richmond and The OmMama Resource C e n t e r, I n c . , d o i n g business as Nurture, for the purpose of developing and promoting a webbased directory containing a searchable database of local pregnancy, birth, and early parenting resources. ( C O M M I T T E E : Education and Human Services, Thursday, January 11, 2024, 2:00 p.m.)

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Ordinance No. 2024-001 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to accept funds in the amount of $489,395.00 from the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, to amend the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Special Fund Budget by creating a new special fund for the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Richmond called the Operation Ceasefire Special Fund, and to appropriate the increase to the Fiscal Year 20232024 Special Fund Budget by increasing estimated revenues and the amount appropriated to the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Richmond’s Operation Ceasefire Special Fund by $489,395.00, for the purpose of funding upgraded software for receiving, reviewing, formatting, duplicating, and producing digital files for discovery and for the recruitment of a digital media forensic examiner to assist in reviewing digital files and preparing exhibits for trial.

Ordinance No. 2024-002 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Grant Contract Southside ReLeaf, a Non-Stock Corporation between the City of Richmond and Southside ReLeaf for the purpose of providing workforce development opportunities through the creation of greenspaces in the southside of the city of Richmond. ( C O M M I T T E E : Education and Human Services, Thursday, January 11, 2024, 2:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2024-003 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, t o exe c u t e a G ra n t Contract Groundwork RVA, Inc. between the City of Richmond and Groundwork RVA, Inc., for the purpose of providing workforce development opportunities through the creation of greenspaces in the southside of the city of Richmond. ( C O M M I T T E E : Education and Human Services, Thursday, January 11, 2024, 2:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2024-004 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Grant Contract Virginia Community Voice, a Non-Stock Corporation between the City of Richmond and Virginia Community Voice for the purpose of providing workforce development opportunities through the Continued on next column

Continued from previous column

creation of greenspaces in the southside of the city of Richmond. ( C O M M I T T E E : Education and Human Services, Thursday, January 11, 2024, 2:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2024-005 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to accept funds in the total amount of $1,599,897.00 from the Central Virginia Transportation Authority, to amend Ord. No. 2023073, adopted May 8, 2023, which accepted a program of proposed Capital Improvement Projects for Fiscal Year 2023-2024 and the four fiscal years thereafter, adopted a Capital Budget for Fiscal Year 2023-2024, and determined a means of financing the same, by (i) establishing a new project for the Department o f P u bl i c Wo r k s i n t h e Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n category called the “Manchester Connection to James River – Ped/ Bike” project and (ii) increasing estimated revenues from the funds received from the Central Virginia Transportation Author ity and the amount appropriated to the new Department of Public Works’ Manchester Connection to James River – Ped/ B i ke p r o j e c t i n t h e Transportation category by $1,599,897.00, all for the purpose of funding the implementation of a Manchester Connection to James River project to construct pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements for safe access to certain James River bridges and trails.

Ordinance No. 2024-006 To declare a public necessity for and to authorize the acquisition of the parcel of real property owned by Grove Avenue Partners LLC and located at 10 Belt Boulevard in the city of Richmond for the purpose of providing community services related to homelessness and housing alternatives.

Ordinance No. 2024-007 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a City of Richmond Grant Contract between the City of Richmond and the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay in the amount of $137,126.00 fo r t h e p u r p o s e o f implementing green infrastructure practices to increase stormwater detention as part of the Greening Greater Fulton project. (COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transpor tation, Tuesday, January 16, 2024, 3:00 p.m.)

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Ordinance No. 2024-008 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to accept a donation of a Jeep Wrangler Sport valued at approximately $40,711.74 from the Friends of The James River Park for use in the City’s James River Park System and other City parks. (COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transpor tation, Tuesday, January 16, 2024, 3:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2024-010 To designate the 2100 block of Venable Street in honor of Bishop M e l v i n W i l l i a m s, J r.

(COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n , Tuesday, January 16, 2024, 3:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2024-011 To amend Ord. No. 2023073, adopted May 8, 2023, which accepted a program of proposed Capital Improvement Projects for Fiscal Year 2023-2024 and the four fiscal years thereafter, adopted a Capital Budget for Fiscal Year 2023-2024, and determined a means for financing the same, by (i) establishing a new project for the Department of Economic Development in the Capital Investment Opportunities category called the “Belt Boulevard Homeless and Housing Alter natives” project and (ii) increasing the a n t i c i p a t e d r eve n u e from general obligation bonds by $3,650,000.00 and appropriating such amount to the Department of Economic D eve l o p m e n t ’s B e l t Boulevard Homeless and Housing Alternatives project in the Capital Investment Opportunities category, for the purpose of providing funding for the acquisition of the parcel of real property located at 10 Belt Boulevard in the city of Richmond for community services related to homeless and housing alter natives.

(COMMITTEE: Finance and Economic Development,Thursday, January 18, 2024, 1:00 p.m.)

Interested citizens who wish to speak will be given an opportunity to do so by following the instructions referenced in the January 22, 2024 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

City of Richmond, Virginia CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given that the Council of the City of Richmond has scheduled a public hearing, open to all interested citizens, on Monday, February 12, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber on the Second Floor of City Hall, located at 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, to consider the following ordinance: Ordinance No. 2024-009 To p r o v i d e fo r t h e granting by the City of Richmond to the person, firm or corporation to be ascertained in the manner prescribed by law of the franchise, right, and privilege, to use the streets, alleys, and public places of the City, and to acquire, erect, install, maintain, and use, and if now constructed, to maintain and use, poles, towers, wires, cables, c o n d u i t s, d u c t way s, manholes, handholes, meters, and appliances in, over, along, on, and under the streets, alleys, and public places of the City, for the purpose of distributing, transmitting, and selling electric current for light, heat, and power at any point within the corporate limits of the city of Richmond as the same now exist or may hereafter be extended or altered, in accordance with a certain Franchise Agreement.

(COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n , Tuesday, January 16, 2024, 3:00 p.m.)

Interested citizens who wish to speak will be given an opportunity to do so by following the instructions referenced in the February 12, 2024 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: RICHMOND CIRCUIT COURT 400 North 9th St., Richmond, VA 23219 Commonwealth of Virginia, in re REGIN M. JOHNSON v.

MIKAIL D. BANKS Case No.: CL23-5602 RBC ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to notify defendant of divorce.

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It is ORDERED that Mikail D. Banks appear at the above-named court and protect his/her interests on or before February 15, 2024.

An Extract, Teste: EDWARD F. JEWETT, Clerk

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 t h e d e fe n d a n t , w h o s e whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 6th day of February, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. 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 MICHELLE NALUMU, Plaintiff v.

ARNOLD SEGAWA, Defendant.

Case No.: CL23004180-00 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 of the Commonwealth of Virginia, appear here on or before the 21st day of February, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. 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 DARNESHA HENDERSON, Plaintiff v.

PEDRO HENDERSON, Defendant.

Case No.: CL23004035-00 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 6th day of February, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. 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 MALCOLM DODSON, Plaintiff v.

CLAUDIA MALDONADO MARTELO, Defendant.

Case No.: CL23004057-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION Continued on next column

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER KEEN TRINH, Plaintiff v.

MINH LE, Defendant.

Case No.: CL23003504-00 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 has been served with the Complaint by posted service appear here on or before the 6th day of February, 2024 and protect her interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Counsel VSB# 27724 The Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. 8460 Mount Eagle Road

Continued from previous column

Ashland, VA 23005 (804 798-9667

Custody VIRGINIA: IN THE JUVENILE AND DOMESTIC RELATIONS DISTRICT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND Commonwealth of Virginia, in re TRUST SMITH RDSS v.

Unknown Father FILE NO. JJ102076-09-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to: Terminate the residual parental rights (“TPR”) of the Unknown Father (Father) of Trust Smith, child DOB 12/08/2023. “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 Unknown Father (Father), to appear at the above-named Cour t and protect his/her interest on or before 02/01/2024, at 2:00 P.M, COURTROOM #3

ABC License Foodsquare LLC Trading as: Chefs Kitchen 1200 E Cary St Richmond, VA The above establishment is applying to the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage C ontrol (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Mixed beverages license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages.

Radha Kamarajuadda NOTE: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices. Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia. gov or 800 552-3200.

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