Richmond Free Press January 20-22, 2022 edition

Richmond Free Press © 2022 Paradigm Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

VOL. 31 NO. 4

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

www.richmondfreepress.com

Photos by Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

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Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee dies at 102 B4

January 20-22, 2022

Newly sworn-in Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin, third from right, caps off last Saturday’s inaugural ceremony with a prayer for the Commonwealth he delivered with his fellow GOP top office holders and their spouses.

They are, from left, Terence Sears, and his wife, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears; First Lady Suzanne Youngkin; Attorney General Jason Miyares and his wife, Page Atkinson Miyares. Below, The Virginia Union University Choir performs on the steps of the Capitol during the inaugural ceremony. The choir also had been invited by Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin to perform with the Richmond Symphony at the inauguration’s Spirit of Imagination Candlelight Dinner last Friday at the Science Museum of Virginia.

The choir is under the direction of David Bratton and Assistant Director Joel Lester.

Turning back time

Thousands of people attended last Saturday’s inauguration of Virginia’s new GOP leaders – Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and Attorney General Jason Miyares

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

“The spirit of Virginia is alive and well,” Glenn Allen Youngkin declared as after being sworn in as Virginia’s 74th governor.

Calling for an end to toxic politics and division, new 55-year-old Republican chief executive sought to strike a note of unity, saying, “No matter who you voted for, I pledge to be your advocate, your voice, your governor.”

But the wealthy businessman and newcomer to politics quickly shifted in his inaugural address Saturday to sniping at his predecessor, former Gov. Ralph S. Northam, finding the state’s condition grim as a result of the pandemic and saying the gloom could only be dispelled by resilient Virginians following the course he would chart to prosperity.

Gov. Youngkin, a lanky man who grew up in Hampton Roads and played college basketball, decried his Democratic predecessors’ failure to make Virginia the “the best place to live, work

Youngkin gets widespread pushback on attempt to lift mask mandate in schools

By Ronald E. Carrington

Just days after his inauguration, Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin is getting major pushback from legislators, parents and public school systems around the Commonwealth – including the Richmond area – over his executive order to end school mask mandates.

Gov. Youngkin issued nine executive orders just hours after his swearing in last Saturday as Virginia’s 74th governor, including one ending the statewide mandate that students, teachers, staff and visitors in all K-12 schools wear masks to protect against COVID-19.

The order is effective Monday, Jan. 24.

In the order, Gov. Youngkin called the mandates “ineffective and impractical.” He also said Please turn to A4

and raise a family,” but said he could make that happen.

And just a few minutes after he took the oath of office, he triggered an avalanche of criticism in issuing executive orders aimed ending state government’s involvement in measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in public schools and government offices and to remove the teaching

Related stories on A6, Photo feature A7 of “divisive” racial history from school systems across the state.

Many of his listeners embraced the optimism that coursed through his 20-minute inaugural address. Among them was Dr. Gregory Washington, the first Black president of George Mason University, who said he was buoyed

by Mr. Youngkin’s stress on innovation and Please turn to A4

Inmate receives conditional pardon by former governor, freeing him after 15 years of inequitable sentence

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Please turn to A4

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Students from Richmond’s Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School STEM program march in the inaugural parade last Saturday in Capitol Square. Democrats have accused Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin of ignoring science and state law with his executive order to lift mask mandates in public schools that were put in place to protect students, teachers and staff from COVID-19.

“Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, we are free at last.”

For Henry C. Brailey, those words have real meaning after his release from prison a week ago.

Just five days before he left office, former Gov. Ralph S. Northam issued a conditional pardon that reduced Mr. Mr. Brailey Brailey’s 93-year prison sentence for bank robbery to the 15 years he had served since his conviction in 2006.

Now living with relatives in Henrico County, Mr. Brailey is grateful for the governor’s action.

“I feel wonderful,” Mr. Brailey said Monday during the holiday for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who used the “Free at last” phrase to cap his famous “I Have a Dream” speech delivered at the March on Washington in 1963.

Mr. Brailey said he was waiting to get a haircut Jan. 10 at the State Farm Enterprise Unit, a prison work camp in Please turn to A4

Teacher raises, central office cuts are key to Kamras’ proposed 2022-23 RPS budget

By Ronald E. Carrington

Richmond teachers would get a 5 percent raise, the largest in years, while 33 new people would be added to the Richmond Public Schools payroll.

All it would take is a $22 million increase in the city’s contribution to public education, RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras told the School Board Monday night.

He spotlighted those proposals in rolling out his proposed budget for operations for the 2022-23 fiscal year that will begin July 1.

The board is expected to review the Kamras plan and make the final decision on how much to request from the city by mid-February so it can be included as part of the city’s new budget plan that will be issued in early March.

Free COVID-19 testing, vaccines Free community testing for COVID-19 continues.

The Richmond and Henrico health districts are offering testing at the following locations: • Community Testing Center, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday to Wednesday, Richmond Raceway, Gate 7, 4690 Carolina Ave. Appointments are required by calling (804) 205-3501 or going online at vase.vdh.virginia.gov • Thursday, Jan. 20, 2 to 6 p.m. – Southside Plaza WIC Office, 509 E. Southside Plaza. Walk-up testing; no appointment necessary

Please turn to A4

Mr. Kamras

To fund the Kamras plan, Mayor Levar M. Stoney would need to propose and City Council would need approve boosting public education expenditures from the current record $185 million in local taxpayer dollars to $207 million – a 12 percent increase.

Mr. Kamras issued the proposed spending plan on a night when the board also voted 8-1 to reaffirm Mr. Kamras’ mandate

requiring everyone entering school buildings to be masked, a clear rejection of new Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin’s order to leave masking decisions to parents.

Mr. Kamras said his proposal includes investing $19 million to cover Richmond’s share of 5 percent salary hike for teachers and school staff that has been proposed Please turn to A4

Go to www.COVIDtests.gov for free, at-home test kits Want a free at-home COVID-19 test?

The federal government is mailing up to four rapid-test kits per household to people who request them under a new Biden administration effort to help families avoid long lines for COVID-19 testing and low inventory of test kits during the current nationwide surge from the omicron variant.

To request free test kits, go to www.

COVIDtests.gov. The site will link to an order form managed by the U.S. Postal

Service, which will ship the kits within seven to 12 days.

Put in your name, address and delivery address. No credit card or health insurance information is needed. The kits and delivery are free.

Officials urged people to take the test if they are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, have had close contact at least five days earlier with someone who has tested positive for the virus or before attending

a gathering where other people will be present. The rapid test provides results within 30 minutes.

More than 750,000 people were accessing the website at the same time during Tuesday’s soft opening of the website, officials said.

The White House also announced Tuesday that it will make 400 million N95 masks available for free through pharmacies and community health centers across the country.

Details have not been released.

A2 January 20-22, 2022

Richmond Free Press

Local News

RRHA re-starts eviction process, impacting hundreds of families

Cityscape

Slices of life and scenes in Richmond

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

More than 700 families now living in Richmond’s public housing communities could be facing eviction in the coming months.

The landlord, the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority, has announced that it has lifted a 26-month moratorium on evictions and has sent 30-day notices to hundreds of households that are still in arrears on rent.

According to RRHA, households in arrears still have time to file for rent relief or come current because it is expected to take at least two months before RRHA can get cases scheduled and heard and evictions started.

The advocacy group Richmond for All is urging the city to intervene to prevent RRHA from proceeding. But so far, neither Mayor Levar M. Stoney nor City Council has introduced legislation that might block RRHA from proceeding.

As of Jan. 6, RRHA reported that 1,938 households, or about half of all RRHA households, had been in arrears by $2.18 million, or an average of $1,092 per household.

However, the state’s rent relief program has paid off $1.8 million for 962 households.

RRHA also reported that another 279 households have filed applications for relief and that those households would remain safe from eviction until the state program issues a decision.

That leaves 743 households, according to RRHA, that have not yet applied for relief and are in arrears $295,433, or an average of $397 per household.

RRHA stated the number fluctuates and could be higher if households that received relief have fallen behind again.

The authority first issued a moratorium on evictions in November 2019 after facing an uproar over its strict policy of seeking eviction even if tenants owed less than $50. The RRHA was found to be among the largest single operations seeking evictions and issued the pause to review its handling of tenant removals.

The moratorium continued into 2020 and became federal policy after the start of the pandemic to reduce the number of people becoming homeless. The ban on evictions imposed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that year extended through 2021 before being lifted at the end of the year.

No jail time for community organizer and housing advocate

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Veteran community organizer and housing advocate Omari Al-Qadaffi will not have serve any jail time for his role in an anti-eviction protest July 1, 2020, at the John Marshall Courts Building in Downtown.

Retired Newport News Circuit Court Judge David F. Pugh on Tuesday sentenced the 41-year-old activist to 30 days in jail on two misdemeanor counts stemming from the protest, but suspended all the time in placing him on probation.

Judge Pugh rejected the argument of assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Katherine Groover that Mr. Al-Qadaffi, who had entered the courthouse, led the protest or incited about 75 protesters outside to damage the building or attack deputies.

A deputy was injured and a large plateglass window was shattered as protesters became angered at Mr. Al-Qadaffi’s arrest.

A housing rights advocate with the Legal Aid Justice Center, Mr. Al-Qadaffi was at the courts building as a represenMr. Al-Qadaffi tative of the legal aid group seeking to encourage the courts to suspend hearings on evictions during the pandemic.

Judge Pugh found the video evidence Ms. Groover presented showed Mr. Al-Qadaffi only sitting on the floor inside the building before he was taken into custody and could not be blamed for the actions of others.

Mr. Al-Qadaffi pleaded guilty in October to misdemeanor charges of trespassing and resisting arrest; Tuesdays hearing was to determine his sentence. He had appealed his sentence from Richmond General District Court, where he had been given a total of 180 days in jail, with at least 120 days suspended.

Judge Push was assigned to hear the case after Richmond’s Circuit Court judges recused themselves.

Before imposing the sentence, Judge Pugh said he was impressed with the letters that people had written in support of Mr. Al-Qadaffi. The letters detailed Mr. Al-Qadaffi’s importance as a community organizer, for seeking to increase low-income residents’ access to healthy food and for his role in assisting people with housing issues.

Although he did not testify, Mr. Al-Qadaffi told the judge before he was sentenced that he did not intend any violence and regretted that a deputy sheriff was injured. He said he did not know how the protest that began peacefully got out of control and rued the chaos that occurred.

Photos by Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Crews with heavy equipment have started demolishing the former George Mason Elementary School at 29th and O streets in Church Hill. The school building, which is 99-years-old, was replaced by Henry L. Marsh III Elementary School.

Demolition was authorized in mid-2020 when City Council voted 6-3 to clear the old building and its two later additions.

The new adjacent school, which formally was opened in September, is named for Mr. Marsh, 88, a retired civil rights lawyer who was Richmond’s first Black mayor and a former state senator. He attended George Mason Elementary School decades ago. Supporters of the demolition said removing the building that dates to 1922 would provide needed space for an expanded playground for Marsh Elementary students. Foes of demolition saw the historic building as ripe for conversion to elderly housing that would have allowed young people at the school to interact with elders and create a stream of revenue for the public school system.

5th Annual Virginia Prison Car Caravan and Rally slated for Jan. 22 A caravan through Richmond and speeches in Monroe Park will highlight the 5th Annual Virginia Prison Justice Rally on Saturday, Jan. 22, it has been announced.

The Virginia Prison Justice Network, an organization of 21 prisoner advocacy groups, sponsors the yearly event that is said to be the largest gathering to support the human rights of prisoners.

This year’s gathering will focus on four policy initiatives: Encouraging the General Assembly to restore parole, to end the use of solitary confinement, to install third-party oversight of state

prisons and jails and to authorize “second look” re-sentencing to allow courts to shorten lengthy terms based on a review of a case and the person’s record during incarceration.

The caravan will begin gathering at 11 a.m. Saturday in the parking lot beside the Lumpkin’s Jail site, 15th and Broad streets in Shockoe Bottom, and begin traveling through the city at 11:45 a.m. The caravan will end at Monroe Park at Belvidere and Main streets for a 90-minute rally at 1 p.m.

Details:DefendersFJE@hotmail.com or (804) 644-5834, vapjn.wordpress.com or vapjn1@gmail.com.

BLM757 organizer announces run for Congress at Lobby Day gun rally

By Chip Lauterbach

Using the annual pro-gun rally on Lobby Day at the General Assembly as a backdrop, JaPharii Jones, lead organizer with Black Lives Matter 757, announced his intention to run for Congress in Virginia’s 3rd District, a seat that has been held by Democratic Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott since 1993.

Mr. Jones and several members from BLM757 were taking part in a gun rights rally organized Monday on the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday by the Virginia Citizens Defense League, a largely white group dedicated to advancing gun rights, and joined with several other gun rights groups to hold a canned food drive for local food banks.

Mr. Jones did not clarify if he would be running against Rep. Scott in a Democratic primary or if he plans to run as a Republican or independent candidate. The general election is in November.

Congressman Scott, the first AfricanAmerican elected to Congress from Virginia since Reconstruction, is the longest serving member of Virginia’s congressional delegation and currently is chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor.

The 3rd Congressional District includes several jurisdictions in Hampton Roads, including all or parts of Newport News, Hampton, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth and Suffolk.

“I’ve been an activist for over five years,” Mr. Jones said. “We’ve been trying to fight for what we feel is right. So I feel the next natural step is take my voice out of the streets and into office.”

He said while Congressman Scott has done great things for the 3rd District, “It is time to get some fresh blood and new perspectives in that office.”

Mr. Jones and BLM757 have been active establishing a dialogue during the past two years between Black Lives Matter activists and militia groups across Virginia, creating an unlikely alliance that Mr. Jones feels strengthens support for both causes and confronts misinformation around both communities.

The group gained notoriety by being among one of the few Black Lives Matter groups to attend protests and rallies in Richmond and Hampton Roads armed with rifles. Mr. Jones believes the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution giv-

A win for education. $11 billion to Virginia’s K-12 public schools since 1999.

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Black Lives Matter 757 organizer JaPharii Jones of Newport News, second from right, joins other gun rights advocates Monday for the annual General Assembly Lobby Day in Downtown. Police barricades and metal fencing were put up around Capitol Square, where no firearms were allowed. Because this group was carrying weapons, the Capitol Police officer asked them to move to the south side of 9th and Main streets, away from the state office buildings by the Capitol.

ing people the right to bear arms is “the most important part of the Bill of Rights because it affords us the ability to defend everything else we have against an overreaching government if need be.”

On Monday, Mr. Jones said he brought his AR-15 semiautomatic rifle but did not have it with him near the State Capitol.

Weapons are not allowed in Capitol Square or any of the surrounding government buildings, and Capitol Police were around to enforce the rules as about 60 people showed up in small groups around the area for Lobby Day. Ian Brown was among the gun rights activists who faced the cold Monday for the rally at which members of the Virginia Citizens Defense League made a few speeches inside the Pocahontas Building in Capitol Square where legislative committees meet.

Mr. Brown drove from Roanoke for the event.

“I had a feeling that it was going to be a smaller turnout than back in 2020,” said Mr. Brown, recalling when an estimated 22,000 people, many of them armed with an array of weapons, marched through Downtown and descended on the State Capitol for Lobby Day. “Either way, we still feel it’s extremely important that the people of Virginia come

out here to engage in a respectful manner with our state lawmakers,” he said.

That year, state lawmakers had pledged to pass new gun control measures in the wake of a mass shooting in Virginia Beach in May 2019 in which 12 people were killed. The measures, pushed by a Democratic-controlled legislature, including requiring background checks prior to all firearms purchases, a cap on handgun purchases to one per month, a ban on the sale and possession of assault weapons and restrictions on firearm magazines holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition.

This year, with the General Assembly returning with a new Republican governor, Glenn A. Youngkin, and the GOP in control of the House of Delegates and in a slim 2119 minority in the state Senate, gun rights advocates came to Lobby Day with the goal of pushing for the repeal of gun restrictions passed by the Democrats in recent years.

Legislation has been introduced by GOP members of the House and Senate to repeal the state law limiting handgun purchases to one per month. A bill proposed by Sen. Bryce Reeves of Spotsylvania County would allow for concealed weapons to be carried without a permit.

Capitol Police reported no arrests Monday.

Richmond Free Press

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A4 January 20-22, 2022

Richmond Free Press

News

Inmate receives conditional Thousands of people attended last Saturday’s inauguration Continued from A1 ernor, Winsome Earle-Sears, a Jamaican 19 while declaring that state mandates pardon by former governor immigrant and the first Black woman to aimed at preventing the spread of the virus Continued from A1

Powhatan County, when a counselor brought him to her office and told him the good news.

“I was surprised and relieved,” he said.

The 51-year-old said he is adjusting to life outside and seeking to regain his license to return to his former work driving trucks and other commercial vehicles. He said he is optimistic about his opportunities and looking “forward to a better future.”

Still, he wishes others serving time at the work camp could have received the same assistance.

“They have been in a long time and are fully rehabilitated,” he said. “They deserve to be released, too.”

His release culminates a campaign led his mother, Josephine Starks, seeking intervention from the governor, with assistance from former Richmond City Councilman Sa’ad El-Amin.

The Free Press spotlighted Mr. Brailey’s case in October 2020 based on the disparity Mr. El-Amin had found between Mr. Brailey’s sentence and the far shorter sentence a two-time bank robber, Tori K. Pollard, received for robbing the same SunTrust Bank in Hanover County four years later.

A first-time bank robber, Mr. Brailey, who is Black, was sentenced to serve 40 years in prison after 53 years were suspended, while Ms. Pollard, a white woman, was sentenced to serve only three years and nine months of her 20-year sentence.

Mr. El-Amin said he had gathered more than 300 signatures supporting Mr. Brailey’s release after detailing the huge disparity in sentencing on his online blog. He said he only learned of the release after Mr. Brailey called him Monday afternoon.

“I am elated,” Mr. El-Amin said.

Before he got the call, Mr. El-Amin said he had been stewing about a pardon Gov. Northam issued last week eliminating a misdemeanor conviction for Richmond state Sen. Joseph D. “Joe” Morrissey.

“Mr. Brailey was far more deserving due to the draconian nature of his sentence,” Mr. El-Amin said.

Given that state law requires prisoners to serve 85 percent of their sentence, Mr. Brailey and others like him are “essentially facing a life sentence when the sentences are so long,” Mr. El-Amin said.

Mr. El-Amin said the sentencing disparity in the Brailey case was so blatant that he expected Gov. Northam’s predecessor, Gov. Terry McAuliffe, to quickly act, but nothing changed. Mr. El-Amin said he despaired there would not be any action.

“It may have come late, but it is still good that it happened,” Mr. El-Amin said.

Free COVID-19 vaccines Continued from A1

• Friday, Jan. 21, 3 to 6 p.m. – Southwood Pool House, Southwood Parkway and Clarkson Road. Appointments are required by calling (804) 205-3501 or going online at vase.vdh. virginia.gov Call the Richmond and Henrico COVID-19 Hotline at (804) 205-3501 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday for more information on testing sites, or go online at vax.rchd.com.

The Virginia Department of Health also has a list of COVID19 testing locations around the state at www.vdh.virginia.gov/ coronavirus/covid-19-testing/covid-19-testing-sites.

Want a COVID-19 vaccine or booster shot?

The Richmond and Henrico health districts are offering free walk-up COVID-19 vaccines at the following locations: • Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. – Community Vaccination Center, Arthur Ashe Jr. Athletic Center, 3001 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

• Thursday, Jan. 20, 1 to 3 p.m. – Richmond Health Department Cary Street Clinic, 400 E. Cary St., Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson; 4 to 7 p.m. – Miles Jones Elementary School, 200 Beaufont Hills Drive, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson.

• Friday, Jan. 21, 4 to 7 p.m. – J.B. Fisher Elementary School, 3701 Garden Road, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson.

• Tuesday, Jan. 25, 3 to 6 p.m. – Second Baptist Church of South Richmond, 3300 Broad Rock Blvd., Pfizer and Moderna; 4 to 7 p.m. – Ginter Park Elementary, 3817 Chamberlayne Ave., Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson • Wednesday, Jan. 26, 9 to 10:45 a.m. – Henrico West Health Department Clinic, 8600 Dixon Powers Drive, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson.

• Thursday, Jan. 27, 1 to 3 p.m. – Richmond Health Department Cary Street Clinic, 400 E. Cary St., Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

Children ages 5 to 17 may only receive the Pfizer vaccine.

Vaccinations and booster shots are available for all eligible of any age on a walk-in basis.

No appointment is needed. However, people may schedule an appointment online at vaccinate.virginia.gov or vax.rchd. com, or by calling (804) 205-3501 or (877) VAX-IN-VA (1-877829-4682).

VaccineFinder.org and vaccines.gov also allow people to find nearby pharmacies and clinics that offer the COVID-19 vaccine and booster.

The Chesterfield County Health District is offering free testing at the following locations: • Friday, Jan. 21 and 28, 2 to 4 p.m. New Deliverance Evangelistic Church Annex Building, 1701 Turner Road.

• Tuesday, Jan. 25 and Wednesday, Jan. 26, 3 to 5 p.m. Faith & Family Church Community Center, 7900 Walmsley Blvd.

Vaccines and booster shots at available at the following location: • Community Vaccination Center, Rockwood Shopping Center (in the former Big Lots store), 10161 Hull Street Road, Midlothian, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are encouraged by going to www.vaccines.gov or call (877) VAX-IN-VA. Appointments are required for children ages 5 to 11.

A total of 12,480 new cases of COVID-19 were reported statewide Wednesday for the 24-hour period, contributing to an overall state total of 1,419,883 cases of coronavirus since the pandemic’s outbreak. As of Wednesday, there have been 446,627 hospitalizations and 15,835 deaths statewide. The state’s sevenday positivity rate was 32 percent on Wednesday. Last week, the positivity rate was 35.8 percent.

On Wednesday, state health officials reported that 68.5 percent of the state’s population has been fully vaccinated, while 78.6 percent of people have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

State data also show that roughly 2.3 million people in Virginia have received booster shots or third doses of the vaccine.

Among those ages 5 to 11 in Virginia, 257,607 children have received their first shots, accounting for 35.6 percent of the eligible age group in the state, while 190,785 children are fully vaccinated.

As of Wednesday, just under 108,000 cases, 880 hospitalizations and seven deaths have been recorded among children.

State data also show that African-Americans comprised 22.9 percent of cases statewide and 23.8 percent of deaths for which ethnic and racial data is available, while Latinos made up 12.8 percent of cases and 5.6 percent of deaths.

As of Wednesday, Richmond reported a total of 37,640 cases, 1,006 hospitalizations and 394 deaths; Henrico County, 54,485 cases, 1,323 hospitalizations and 754 deaths; Chesterfield County, 61,071 cases, 1,271 hospitalizations and 611 deaths; and Hanover County, 18,213 cases, 409 hospitalizations and 209 deaths.

technology.

Also impressed was William C. “Bill” Cleveland, the former vice mayor of Alexandria, who is Black. He cheered the new governor’s remarks as “uplifting.”

But environmental activists, who stood on the street outside the State Capitol where the ceremony took place, worried that Gov. Youngkin’s remarks made no mention of climate change. Gov. Youngkin remedied that Monday in his first State of the Commonwealth speech to a joint session of the General Assembly.

Among other things, he announced the creation of a new authority to address the impact of rising oceans on Hampton Roads and other coastal areas and vowed to find the money to finally end the discharge of raw and partially treated waste from Richmond, Henrico County, Alexandria and Lynchburg.

Others, though, saw a disconnect between Gov. Youngkin’s rhetoric and the policies he is pushing.

“I am extremely concerned,” Henrico Delegate Lamont Bagby, chairman of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, stated in a text to the Richmond Free Press.

He decried the decision of the new governor, who said he supports vaccination and sends his children to a private school that requires everyone to wear masks, “to be hands-off when it comes to tough decision to protect our students from COVID-19” and leave mask policies to local school divisions.

“And the war (he) has declared on Black history is dangerous to say the least,” Delegate Bagby continued.

He noted Gov. Youngkin’s declaration in his speech that the history lessons in schools should “tell the complete history (of Virginia and the nation) — good or bad. That is not what his flawed (executive order) and legislation says.”

The inauguration of the new governor capped a weekend of events that included the installation the most diverse group to hold the state’s three top offices. They include the first female lieutenant gov-

win statewide office in Virginia and also the third Black person to hold the office of lieutenant governor; and the first Latino attorney general, Jason Miyares, whose mother came to the United States from Cuba.

Their taking office signals the resumption of Republican rule after eight years of Democratic control, along with a Republican return to the majority in the House of Delegates. The only check is a narrow 21-19 Democratic majority in the state Senate.

Few governors have ever arrived so virtually assured of success in office, unlike many of the former governors who attended the ceremony.

For the next four years, Gov. Youngkin will be breaking ground and cutting ribbons on roads, bridges and transit projects that Gov. Northam initiated and that will be built with the huge stream of federal revenue the state has received from the American Rescue Plan and the infrastructure bill congressional Democrats passed and President Biden signed into law. Much of it, the governor’s fellow Republicans opposed.

Former Gov. Northam, who departed the inauguration with his wife, former First Lady Pamela Northam, after his successor was sworn in, also left Gov. Youngkin a surplus of nearly $10 billion in state tax revenues.

And the former governor left behind a budget proposal for the next two years that incorporates funding to carry out some of Gov. Youngkin’s campaign promises, including record investments in public school education, major increases in salary for state law enforcement and elimination of the state sales tax on groceries.

The new governor has not offered any praise, instead pointing to the hard road ahead and his hopes of turning things around.

“Virginians sent us here on a mission to restore trust in government and to restore power to the people,” he said.

Gov. Youngkin paid tribute to the 15,000 state residents who have died from COVID-

and overcrowding hospitals are dead. He said decisions on protection must be left to government workers, private individuals and parents of schoolchildren.

Despite his insistence that he would work to bind up wounds and end the toxic political atmosphere fueled by soundbites, Gov. Youngkin was labeled the soundbite man by James Downie, Washington Post digital opinions editor.

“Instead of recognizing policy nuances in ‘good faith,’ (Gov. Youngkin) repeats caricatures and talking points spread in right-wing outlets,” Mr. Downie wrote.

“And the policies he has highlighted since taking office are warmed-over GOP orthodoxy — tax cuts, deregulation, more tax cuts, increased funding for law enforcement and still more tax cuts.”

In his address, Gov. Youngkin focused on his campaign promises in touting his plans to expand the number of public charter schools in the state and to slash state taxes. He also promised to better Gov. Northam’s record of attracting $80 billion in new investment and 100,000 jobs by pushing increased incentives to attract companies to relocate to Virginia.

Gov. Youngkin, who already has hired a diversity director and will make her part of his cabinet, did make inclusion a hallmark of his inauguration. His speech used quotes from the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. And the ceremony, itself, put Black groups and individuals at center stage, including Virginia Union University’s choir, which performed during the ceremony and took part in the inaugural parade that followed.

The invocation was delivered by Pastor Calvin A. Duncan, the Black founding pastor of Faith and Family Church in Richmond, while Fairfax parent advocate Suparna Dutta, a native of India, deliver a reading.

Other touches included having a Latino pastor of a Northern Virginia church, Pastor Jonathan Avendano, deliver the benediction. No Muslim imams or Jewish rabbis were included, though.

Youngkin gets widespread pushback Continued from A1

in remarks made earlier this week that he planned to use all resources possible, including withholding state money from public schools, to ensure that the decision to wear masks is left to the parents of public school students.

In a news conference on Tuesday, Democratic lawmakers said Gov. Youngkin has no authority to lift the mask mandate.

They cited a measure, Senate Bill 1303, that was passed with bipartisan support and signed into law last year that directs local school boards to adopt in-person schooling policies that reduce the transmission of COVID-19 based on the guidance and recommendations of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC recommends universal indoor masking for students age 2 and older, teachers, staff and visitors in schools regardless of their vaccination status or the area’s COVID-19 transmission rate.

In a clear and succinct text Monday to the Richmond Free Press, Richmond Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras stated that RPS “will maintain its 100 percent mask mandate for students, staff and visitors.

The science is clear: masks work.”

The Richmond School Board backed up his message with an 8-1 vote at Tuesday night’s meeting to uphold the school system’s mandate for anyone age 2 and older to wear a mask indoors in school.

The board’s resolution also pointed out the existing Virginia law giving powers to local school boards to make their own decisions about certain policies.

Board member Jonathan M. Young, 4th District, cast the lone dissenting vote. He offered an amendment, which was voted down, that echoed Gov. Youngkin’s executive order giving parents the opportunity to exempt their child from any mask requirement when attending RPS. Mr. Kamras said keeping the mask

mandate is the right thing to do to ensure the health and safety of students, teachers and staff.

Henrico County Public Schools officials also issued a statement Monday noting that the county schools will “continue to follow the recommendations of health experts and require all students, staff and visitors to wear face masks at schools and facilities except during mealtime, when outdoors — with appropriate physical distancing — or when participating in designated athletic activities.”

Officials added that while the Henrico School Board and schools administration respects that parents make decisions for their families, school division leaders must make decisions for the collective safety of nearly 49,000 students and 10,000 employees and fulfill HCPS’ responsibility to provide in-person instruction.

Chesterfield County Public Schools officials indicated they are reviewing Gov. Youngkin’s executive order before making any decisions. Officials said they would communicate with staff and families by Jan. 23 with any updates.

At the same time, the Chesterfield County Branch NAACP’s Legal Redress Committee announced that the civil rights organization is opposed to any attempt by the new administration to circumvent existing Virginia law and masking recommendations by the CDC and other public health authorities when it comes to the health and safety of county students.

According to the Virginia Demarcates, school divisions across Virginia are rejecting Glenn Youngkin’s dangerous anti-science executive action and keeping mask requirements in schools to ensure the health and safety of K-12 students.

Several news reports pointed out that Gov. Youngkin’s son, Thomas, a junior at Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda, Md., has more protection at his school than the governor is allowing for

public school students in Virginia. According to reports, the prep school requires all persons, regardless of vaccination status, to wear masks while indoors on campus, except while eating meals or while residents are in their own dorm room.

Other school divisions across the Commonwealth also are defying Gov. Youngkin’s executive order, including school districts in Norfolk, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Fairfax, Loudoun, Arlington, Alexandria, Prince William, Charlottesville, Isle of Wight, Montgomery, Pulaski and Northampton County.

To add fuel to the fire, 13 parents whose children attend Chesapeake Public Schools file a lawsuit Tuesday asking the Virginia Supreme Court to block Gov. Youngkin’s executive order. The suit argues that Gov. Youngkin doesn’t have authority to make masks optional in schools and that his order also violates state law.

During a news conference on Tuesday, House and Senate Democrats criticized Gov. Youngkin’s threat to use all the tools at his disposal to ensure his executive order is followed. Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears suggested in an interview with FOX News that the tools include defunding schools that defy the governor’s executive order.

Democrats decried the threat to withhold state funding, saying the governor and his administration are playing politics with the health of the state’s public schoolchildren.

“As a parent of two children in Richmond Public Schools, I appreciate the school division’s efforts to keep our children and school staff safe during the latest and most contagious COVID-19 wave,” Richmond Sen. Jennifer McClellan wrote in an email to the Free Press.

She said she applauds other school divisions that have made it clear they will continue to follow CDC masking guidelines as required by law.

Teacher raises, central office cuts are key to RPS budget Continued from A1

in the state budget the General Assembly is considering. The state does not fully cover the cost.

If approved, the pay boost would raise the average pay for city schoolteachers to around $64,000 a year, Mr. Kamras said.

He said the additional personnel dollars would enable RPS to hire 17 additional custodians, 10 new bus drivers, three social workers, two staff for the new school construction office and a new personnel office employee.

Much of the rest of the money he wants from the city would replace the $7 million he said the state is likely to pull from its educational support, based on a state formula called the Local Composite Index that is used to determine a locality’s ability to pay.

Overall, he said his budget plan increases

school spending by $26 million. While he wants the lion’s share, $22 million, to come from the city, his proposal also calls for cutting central office spending by $4 million.

His plan calls for paring $1.9 million in expenses and $2.1 million in salaries for 16 positions. His proposed list of positions to be cut, as noted in the budget plans, includes one for the director of the future centers that assist high school students in making post-graduation plans; a manager of alternative education; and an associate director of curriculum and instruction.

“We really are cutting to the bone to keep schools harmless with no cuts,” Mr. Kamras said. RPS’ last cut to the central office was in 2019.

The cut in state spending is being fueled by surging property values in Richmond that have added more than $4 billion to Richmond’s reported property values.

Under the state LCI formula, that makes

Richmond wealthier despite having one in four residents living in poverty and despite 70 percent of its students qualifying for free and reduced-price lunch due to their families’ low income.

School Board member Liz B. Doerr, 1st District, called it unfair that far wealthier districts such as Fairfax County receive more funding per pupil than Richmond. One reason is that the formula does not subtract the value of extensive state and federal property in the state’s capital city.

Mr. Kamras said the formula does not take into account the high level of poverty within the city, though the state does provide a separate stream of funding for disadvantaged students who are at-risk for dropping out.

Still, the formula is the state’s major funding stream, and the eight other members of the School Board agreed with Ms. Doerr’s assessment.

Richmond Free Press

January 20-22, 2022 A5

Hundreds of Students.

Millions in Scholarships.

The inaugural class of Educational Equity Scholarship recipients is on the path to success. Because our communities are only as strong as our next generation, we’re investing in hundreds of young scholars across the states we serve—committing

millions of scholarship dollars to help students in minority and underserved communities realize their potential.

Students can learn more and apply at DominionEnergy.com/EquityScholarships.

Actions Speak Louder

Richmond Free Press

A6 January 20-22, 2022

Local News

New GOP leadership takes office to applause of largely white and conservative crowd

By Brian Palmer

By 9:30 a.m. last Saturday, a line of people extended outside the gate of Capitol Square from 9th and Grace streets all the way to 8th street as they waited to be screened by Capitol Police and allowed to enter the inauguration of Gov.-elect Glenn A. Youngkin.

Terry Mullins, a white man wearing a red Make Virginia Great Again cap, was near the front when the gates opened. He’d traveled from Clintwood in Dickenson County, with his wife and daughter to witness the inauguration of the Commonwealth’s 74th governor.

“I’m here to share this wonderful moment with my family,” he told the Free Press.

Enduring Freedom.

“I could see that his wife was a wonderful Christian lady that genuinely loves people, and that’s what we need.”

Vivian and Kenneth Miller, the couple the Adamses stopped to greet, also talked about “Christian values” when explaining their support for the new governor.

“Mr. Youngkin offers a difference” from the previous administration, said Mr. Miller, a former police chief in Petersburg who is now serving as the interim chief in Colonial Beach. He said he views Gov. Youngkin as a potential defender of law enforcement.

“And he’s going to lead our Commonwealth the right way,” Mr. Miller said.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears stands and waves to the crowd as she is recognized by Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin during his inaugural address. The new governor reminded the crowd of the diversity of the state’s newly elected GOP leadership.

Mr. Mullins said he voted for Gov. Youngkin, a Republican newcomer to politics and former private equity executive, not on any particular issues but because of “everything.”

The crowd gathered for the inaugural ceremony and festivities was largely white – and unmasked—despite the historic diversity of the incoming leaders, as Gov. Youngkin pointed out during the festivities.

Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is the first Black woman and first female elected as lieutenant governor, and Attorney General Jason Miyares is the first Latino to hold statewide office in Virginia.

Sheila and Kevin Adams, an African-American couple from Virginia Beach, stopped briefly on the walkway to greet another Black couple.

Mrs. Adams said Gov. Youngkin’s education agenda and his proposed economic policies made her and her husband Youngkin voters. Mr. Adams said he also felt a personal connection after meeting Suzanne Youngkin, the governor-elect’s wife.

“I knew then and there that I needed to get behind this man,” said Mr. Adams, who served in the Navy for 26 years. He was wearing a baseball cap identifying him as a veteran of Operation

“Strengthen the Spirit of Virginia Together” was the inaugural theme, yet Christianity was in fact the only religion openly represented in the inaugural program despite the diversity of faiths in the state.

After students from the Governor’s School for the Arts in Norfolk gave an operatic rendition of “America the Beautiful,” Pastor Calvin A. Duncan of Richmond’s Faith and Family Church and a former Virginia Commonwealth University basketball star, delivered the invocation.

“Heavenly Father, we invite your presence to this 74th inaugural ceremony. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on us. We ask for your peace, your protection, your guidance and your direction,” Pastor Duncan preached from the stage that had been set up next to the South Portico of the Capitol.

Behind him sat a relatively diverse array of guests when compared to the overall crowd. Among the dignitaries of color were former Democratic Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, honorary co-chair and an adviser to Gov. Youngkin’s transition team; Kay Coles James, one of three African-Americans named to Gov. Youngkin’s cabinet; Richmond Mayor Levar M. Stoney;

and several state lawmakers who are members of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus.

Ms. James, who also served on former GOP Gov. George Allen’s cabinet, is now state secretary of the commonwealth in the Youngkin administration.

A Republican duo from the General Assembly, Delegate Christopher T. Head of Botetourt and Sen. John A. Cosgrove of Chesapeake, sang an arrangement of “The Star-Spangled Banner” to loud applause.

The actual oaths of office by Attorney General Miyares, Lt. Gov. Earle-Sears, and Gov. Youngkin happened in just over six minutes, with Black judges swearing them in. Retired Richmond Circuit Court Judge Richard Taylor swore in Lt. Gov. Earle-Sears, Virginia Beach Circuit Court Judge Kevin Duffan swore in Attorney General Miyares while Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice S. Bernard Goodwyn began the process to swear in Gov. Youngkin.

Cheers erupted after Gov. Youngkin, with his hand on the Bible, repeated the oath of office, which was administered by retired Virginia Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth A. McClanahan.

Howitzers then blasted a loud salute and jets from the Virginia Air National Guard flew in formation overhead.

The new governor offered an inaugural address that was upbeat and filled with promises and optimism. But it also had its share of red meat and dog whistles.

“We will remove politics from the classroom and re-focus on essential math, science and reading,” Gov. Youngkin said. “And we will teach all of our history, the good and the bad.”

But shortly after the ceremony ended, Gov. Youngkin rolled out a list of executive orders, the first of which was to end “the use of divisive concepts, including Critical Race Theory, in public education.”

CRT, which is not part of Virginia’s public school curriculum, is a method of scholarly inquiry that examines the impact on our society of white supremacy and systems such as chattel slavery, Jim Crow, and voter suppression, from which generations of whites have benefited. Leading CRT scholar and Columbia University Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw says politicians and critics like Gov. Youngkin distort CRT and try “to use it to stoke fear and division.”

“It’s an effort to attach a term that people don’t know about to fears that they are fully in touch with,” she said in a recent post on the Association of American Law Schools’ website.

As the afternoon’s inaugural festivities wound down and the bleachers began to empty, members of Virginia’s Native American tribes performed a traditional ceremonial tribute to the new governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and their spouses.

People of color also marched in the inaugural parade, including a group of Vietnamese American, African-American, and Latinx supporters of Gov. Youngkin.

At the very end of the parade, after the ATVs of Spearhead Trails and the brigade of horses from Oakland Spring Farms had passed by, 21 members of the Virginian Union University Choir who had performed during the inaugural ceremony sang a cappella a short original song for the new governor. Its refrain: “We’re Virginia.

Strong Virginia. Love Virginia. One Virginia. We’re Virginia!”

While the stands had started to clear out, someone shouted to the choir, “Great job!”

During his campaign, Gov. Youngkin made stops at VUU and other HBCUs, including Virginia State, Norfolk State and Hampton universities. He pledged to give millions more in state funding to the schools.

“I’m cold,” one choir member said when asked how it felt to perform at the inauguration.

3 people of color in Youngkin’s cabinet

By Reginald Stuart

Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin began his new job this week promising bold steps in his “movement” to reverse the political agenda of the last decade and to put the state’s government back on conservative wheels.

He also has named three Black people to his 13-person cabinet. All the nominees must be approved by the General Assembly.

Kay Coles James, a graduate of Hampton University, was named secretary of the commonwealth.

A devout Republican who served as state secretary of health and human resources under former GOP Gov. George Allen, Ms. James was appointed by former President George W. Bush to head the U.S. Office of Personnel Management from 2001 to 2005.

Ms. James, who last year organized a group aimed at energizing Black people to get COVID-19 vaccinations, stepped down at the end of December as president of the Heritage Foundation, a well-known conservative think tank in Washington, D.C. She was a member of Gov. Youngkin’s transition team.

Ms. James is expected to give Gov. Youngkin an escort through the halls of Washington, where she worked with law and policy makers for more than a decade.

Gov. Youngkin also appointed Craig Crenshaw, a retired Marine Corps major general who specialized in logistics, as secretary of veterans and defense affairs.

A native of Pensacola, Fla., Maj. Gen. Crenshaw is president of Claxton Logistics Services based in Stafford.

He earned a bachelor’s degree from Southern University in Louisiana and master’s degrees from Webster University in St. Louis and the Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy.

On Wednesday, Gov. Youngkin named Angela Sailor as Virginia’s chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, a cabinet post started by his predecessor, former Democratic Gov. Ralph S. Northam.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Kay Cole James, Virginia’s new secretary of the commonwealth, and her husband, Charles E. James, right, stop for a photo with Richmond Mayor Levar M. Stoney during Saturday’s inaugural festivities.

Ms. Sailor served as Ms. James’ chief of staff at the Heritage Foundation. She has spent 20 years working on Capitol Hill and in the White House, and previously held positions with John Deere, NASCAR, Wells Fargo, Proctor and Gamble

and BET. She attended Spelman College and graduated from Central State University in Ohio. Ms. Sailor also has a master’s in broadcast journalism and public affairs from American University and a law degree from the University of Memphis.

One of Gov. Youngkin’s appointees, Andrew Wheeler, as state secretary of natural resources has come under fire from environmental groups because of his views and positions downplaying the urgent threats of climate change.

An experienced former U.S. Senate staff attorney on environmental issues, Mr. Wheeler has been a lobbyist for the coal industry. He served as former President Trump’s administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. More than 150 former employees of the federal agency sent a letter last week to the state Senate urging them to reject his nomination.

As state secretary, he would oversee policies on conservation, climate change, Chesapeake Bay restoration and several agencies, including the state Department of Environmental Quality, which handles environmental permits, monitoring and inspections.

Gov. Youngkin has been a strong opponent of rigid environmental protection rules.

Other cabinet nominees include: Secretary of Administration, Lyn McDermid; Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, Matt Lohr; Secretary of Commerce and Trade, Caren Merrick; Secretary of Education, Aimee Guidera; Secretary of Finance, Stephen E. Cummings; Secretary of Health and Human Resources, John Littel; Secretary of Labor, G. Bryan Slater; Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, Bob Mosier and Secretary of Transportation, Sheppard Miller.

Gov. Youngkin also named attorney Richard Cullen, a former Virginia attorney general and former chairman of McGuireWoods law firm, as his chief counsel. A fixture in Virginia politics who has worked with political leaders for several decades, Mr. Cullen has worked with such clients as former Vice President Mike Pence and Elin Nordegren, the ex-wife of golf superstar Tiger Woods.

Scandal-scarred Sen. Joseph ‘Joe’ Morrissey pardoned by Gov. Northam Free Press staff, wire report

Richmond state Sen. Joseph D. “Joe” Morrissey received a pardon from former Gov. Ralph S. Northam for his misdemeanor conviction eight years ago that stemmed from his sexual relationship with his 17-year-old receptionist who later became his wife.

Sen. Morrissey is among the record 1,200 Virginians whom Gov. Northam stated in a news release that he pardoned during his four years in office, including eight people who were exonerated due to wrongful convictions.

That total exceeds the number of pardons issued by the previous five governors combined

and is the most for any governor Myrna Pride Morrissey, are “delighted” since Virginia’s founding, historical as are “our four children, who will records show. understand it better in the years to The list includes the last two come.” men on Virginia’s death row, whose Now 64, Sen. Morrissey was sentences Gov. Northam converted to convicted in December 2014 of life in prison without parole. contributing to the delinquency of “I’m very grateful to the goverminor, a misdemeanor, because Ms. nor,” said Sen. Morrissey, a fellow Pride was under the age of consent in Sen. Morrissey Democrat. He was notified that his Virginia. The conviction led him to be petition for a pardon had been granted on Jan. disbarred from practicing law for the second 13, just two days before Gov. Northam left of- time in his career. fice and his successor, Republican Gov. Glenn For Sen. Morrissey, the pardon represents a A. Youngkin, was inaugurated. first step in his quest to have his law license Sen. Morrissey said both he and his wife, restored. He said his attorneys would be pursuing

restoration, which the Virginia Supreme Court ultimately would need to approve.

The conviction came while Sen. Morrissey was serving in the House of Delegates. He resigned his seat, won a subsequent special election and then, while locked up in a Henrico County jail, became the first legislator to commute from a jail cell to cast votes in the General Assembly.

He made an unsuccessful run for Richmond mayor in 2016, and then, in 2019, was elected to his current seat in the state Senate representing a district that extends from Richmond to Petersburg. He has since made criminal justice reform a signature part of the legislation he has introduced.

Richmond Free Press

January 20-22, 2022 A7

Photo Feature

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears takes the oath of office administered by retired Richmond Circuit Court Judge Richard Taylor, becoming the state’s first female lieutenant governor and the first Black woman elected to statewide office. Her husband, Terence Sears, holds the Bible as her daughters look on.

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin waves to a cheering crowd after delivering his inaugural address. He is the state’s 74th governor.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

A representative of Virginia’s Indian Tribes performs a blessing over newly inaugurated Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin following his inaugural address. Members of several tribes took part in the Blessing of the Ground in front of the State Capitol, which has become a traditional part of the state’s inaugural ceremonies. At right are Attorney General Jason Miyares and his wife, Page Atkinson Miyares.

Inauguration of Virginia’s 74th governor

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Jason Miyares waves to the crowd after he is sworn in as Virginia’s first Latino attorney general.

Former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder stands and waves to the crowd from his seat on the platform with other dignitaries after being acknowledged by Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin during his inaugural address.

Gov. Wilder, who served as an honorary co-chair and adviser to the gubernatorial transition team, was among eight former governors attending last Saturday’s official event. Also attending were former Govs. Chuck Robb; Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, who both currently serve in the U.S. Senate; George Allen; Jim Gilmore; and Bob McDonnell. Outgoing Gov. Ralph S. Northam ceremonially turned over the keys to the Executive Mansion and posed for a photo with the auspicious group of former leaders before the swearing in, and left the ceremony after the oath of office was administered. Former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who lost November’s election to Gov. Youngkin, did not attend.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Shirley Green of Fredericksburg stands and applauds following the a cappella rendition of the national anthem performed by state Delegate Christopher T. Head of Botetourt County and Sen. John A. Cosgrove Jr. of Chesapeake.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

A long line of people wait at the gate at 9th and Grace streets to go through security to enter Capitol Square for the inauguration.

Richmond Free Press

Nature’s sculpture in the West End

Editorial Page

A8

January 20-22, 2022

Buckle up It didn’t take long for new Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin to show us exactly who he is.

Just a short while after the pomp and circumstance of the Republican’s swearing in last Saturday afternoon and his country-themed, cowboy boot-wearing inaugural party Saturday night, Gov. Youngkin signed nine executive orders and two executive directives that already have spawned a lawsuit and have parents, lawmakers, public school districts and others in an uproar.

And we understand why.

Among other things, his orders essentially ban the teaching of how racism is embedded in the history of the United States and its laws and institutions; repeals a mask mandate in public schools, which was put in place to protect students, teachers and staff from the spread of COVID-19; rescinds the mandate that all state employees and those at public colleges and universities be vaccinated against the coronavirus; and replaces all the current members of the Virginia Parole Board with his own appointees. He said the previous members had released inmates who had been denied parole or been deemed ineligible for parole, raising “questions about the lawfulness of the abrupt reversals of these decisions.”

Never mind that Gov. Youngkin tried to come off during his inaugural address as someone who wanted to work in the spirit of bipartisanship for the good of all people in the Commonwealth.

“No matter who you voted for, I pledge to be your advocate, your voice, your governor,” he told the crowd in Capitol Square.

But we don’t put full stock into what he says. We watch what he does. And his first actions as governor incinerated any notion of bipartisanship.

The executive orders he immediately drew up were like red meat thrown to his supporters in Saturday’s stands – a largely white and unmasked crowd, who elected the political neophyte and Trump supporter on the basis of his anti-vax, antimask and anti-Critical Race Theory positions.

If the past few days are any indication, the next four years are likely to be an epic battle. His actions signal he is willing to ignore or subvert state law when it comes to school mask policy to appease his followers.

A measure passed last year by the General Assembly requires that local school boards follow measures recommended by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The CDC guidelines recommend masks for everyone age 2 and older in a school buildings.

By eliminating mask and vaccine mandates, Gov. Youngkin is putting children’s, teachers’, families’ and workers’ health at risk, allowing personal preferences to override the scientifically proven protections that masks and vaccines provide.

Even going so far as to threaten to withhold money from public schools shows that Gov. Youngkin cares more about making a political statement than the health and safety of the people of the Commonwealth.

Hospitals in the state already are overburdened by the latest surge in COVID-19 cases from the highly transmissible omicron variant. According to the latest state health department numbers, 1 in 3 people testing for the virus are found to be positive. Those figures are bound to go up if our best protections against the virus – requiring people to wear masks and to be fully vaccinated and boosted – are eliminated.

We also are concerned about the strident message Gov. Youngkin is sending with his stance against Critical Race Theory and his appointment of one of its opponents, Angela Sailor, a Black conservative, as Virginia’s new director of diversity, equity and inclusion.

In his executive order, Gov. Youngkin called CRT “political indoctrination,” proving that he doesn’t understand the concept and cares little about anti-racism efforts and promoting equity and truth-telling in education.

CRT, he stated in the order, “denies our students the opportunity to gain important facts, core knowledge, formulate their own opinions and to think for themselves. Our children deserve far better from their education than to be told what to think.”

Gov. Youngkin knows that CRT is not taught in public schools. It is a graduate level course of study. But his executive order shows that he is willing to weed from the state’s public education system any lessons, books and programs about the true history of this nation, which has been bound up with race since 1619 and the arrival of the first Africans on Virginia’s shores at Port Comfort not as free citizens, but enslaved people.

We have little trust in Gov. Youngkin, his administration and his appointees, including the new state superintendent of public instruction, Jillian Balow, to offer an honest, fair and complete history of race in this nation and its continuing impact in current events and policy. Ms. Balow has been in the news this past year for leading the fight against CRT in Wyoming, where she was the elected superintendent of public instruction.

The people of Virginia deserve better. People of conscience and goodwill in Virginia must gear up now for the fight of the next four years.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Lessons from warrior lawyer Lani Guinier Lani Guinier, the amazing attorney, law professor, lawyer, author and activist made her transition on Jan. 7, 2022, even as Black folks and our allies were engaged in the legislative battle to solidify our voting rights.

In a unique act of personal and political betrayal, former President Bill Clinton first nominated Ms. Guinier to be assistant attorney general for civil rights, then bowed to right wing pressure to withdraw her nomination. If Ms. Guinier had her way, she would have preferred to defend her record against inaccurate attacks. Instead, she went on to write brilliant books and provocative articles. Her theme: Often the tyranny of the majority.

The loonies on the right who vilified Ms. Guinier might take a more careful look at her work. They called her a “Quota Queen” and ridiculed her views on cumulative voting as “antidemocratic.” Cities like New York and San Francisco now use ranked-choice voting to elect leaders. Both Mayor London Breed in San Francisco and Mayor Eric Adams in New York City won their seats thanks to ranked-choice voting. Legacy,

Ms. Guinier.

Some Republican minorities who attacked Ms. Guinier might find some solace in her views. She wrote that a 51-49 split should not mean that the 51 percent gets all the power.

Instead, there have to be methods of power-sharing.

Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and his cronies don’t get that. They want it all. Ms. Guinier wanted to find a way to share power, manage compromise and ensure that the 49 percent had a say.

Julianne Malveaux Republicans have so rigged the rules that they flex majority muscles even when they are in the minority.

Democrats have forgotten how to fight back, complacently leaning into an unfair process that includes filibusters, gerrymandering and downright theft.

Ms. Guinier was inspired

by Constance Baker Motley, the first woman to work for the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund when she was hired in 1946. Ms. Guinier had many others to inspire her, including Elaine Jones, director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund from 1993 through 2004, and the first woman to lead the organization.

Ms. Guinier benefited from Ms. Jones’ mentorship and, as an

LDF attorney, won 31 of the 32 cases she prosecuted.

I’m not trying to write an obituary. I’m just thinking out loud about an amazing woman who blazed trails, made a difference, shrugged off adversity and fought passionately for the Black vote. As she makes her transition, we are struggling.

One of her contemporaries, fellow Harvard Law grad and civil rights attorney Gail Wright Sirmans, observed that we “recycle our struggles.” From the end of enslavement, the issue of Black voting rights has been a challenge to our nation.

There were grandfather clauses and poll taxes, and when they were eliminated, there were other hurdles to clear.

This is not just a Black thing.

To discourage disabled voting, some polling places have been put on a hill, challenging to navigate in a wheelchair. People can’t bring absentee ballots to their grandmothers and grandfathers to discourage elder voting. To prevent youth voting, students who spend the majority of their year in their college town have to clear hurdles to have the right to vote. Not to mention the shenanigans, the robocalls that say voting will be the next day, the threat that immigration officials will show up at a voting place to check citizenship and the ways that polling places change at the last minute.

Ms. Guinier was down for

‘We call him Mr. Poitier’ Actors, poets and graphic/ visual artists are engaged in a continual quest to touch the hearts, minds and souls of their audiences. It’s a daunting challenge and, if successful, leads to respect, admiration and adoration.

I can’t imagine that when writing the poem, “A Dream Deferred,” Langston Hughes could recognize the lasting impact it would have on our society.

Many in the civil rights community say that “A Dream Deferred” was the inspiration for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

Nor can I imagine that when writing the play, “A Raisin in the Sun,” Lorraine Hansberry knew that the line she took from Mr. Hughes’ poem could so powerfully communicate the emotions of a people.

When I played Ruth Younger in a Grambling University production of “A Raisin in the Sun,” I never imagined meeting Ruby Dee, the actress who played that same role in the initial production. She congratulated me for participation in the play.

We both agreed that “A Raisin in the Sun” was a timeless expression of the challenges

— then and now — of many Black families.

Central to the story was the character Walter Lee Younger, and central to the expression of his character was the powerful portrayal by Sidney Poitier.

Over 60 years later, viewing his portrayal of Walter Lee still evokes a torrent of emotions from the bonds of expe-

Dr. E. Faye Williams rience and an understanding of traditional challenges. In his characterization of Walter Lee and a myriad of others in his long career, Sidney Poitier escorted the Black community to a wide variety of places and experiences and, as the “only” Black male lead in Hollywood, afforded white America the privilege of understanding the Black community with more than the typically held monolithic viewpoint.

One would be mistaken if he/she were naïve enough to think of Mr. Poitier as just an actor. While he was an actor par excellence, he was much more than that. He is known as a principled gentleman who, in selecting roles, chose only those roles that served to elevate the image of the Black male.

His Academy Award-winning role as Homer Smith in “Lilies of the Field” is just one of numerous roles that rejected

and reversed the Hollywood standard of portraying Black men as shuffling, stumbling and bumbling buffoons.

Although I’ve not seen all of Mr. Poitier’s films, I can attest to the fact that I’ve never seen him perform in a film for which he had reason to be ashamed or that caused me to leave a theater with a sense of embarrassment or regret.

In a time when “successful Negroes” were reluctant to upset the status quo, Mr. Poitier was front and center in support of and participation in protesting racial discrimination.

He not only loaned his professional reputation to the struggle, he gave financial support. Undoubtedly, he understood that Black people and those of color were bound in circumstance and that even their greatest achievements were diminished by the imposition of contrived limitations.

He has undoubtedly earned the disdain of many who recognize his contributions to the “leveling of the playing field” and who, because of his efforts, are less secure in their whiteness. Paraphrasing the words of his “In the Heat of the Night” character, Virgil Tibbs, with respect and honor, “We call him Mr. Poitier!”

The writer is national president of the National Congress of Black Women.

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.

this fight, and she was aware of the attacks on our right to vote. She represents a long line of Black warrior lawyers like Constance Baker Motley, Elaine Jones, Sherrilyn Ifill, Kristen Clarke, Barbara Arnwine and others. Warrior lawyers are necessary in these times. We count on them to strap on their armor and prepare for this next fight. There are no rights without voting rights.

President Biden, step up.

You said you had our backs.

Vice President Kamala Harris, continue to speak up.

Lani Guinier, rest in peace and power. Guide our leaders, through your spirit, to do the right thing.

The writer is an economist, author and dean of the College of Ethnic Studies at Cal State University, Los Angeles.

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January 20-22, 2022 A9

Letters to the Editor

Recognizing the real Dr. King As we commemorate the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., let us remember all that he stood for and all that he fought against.

The sanitized, watered-down recollection of Dr. King, popular among many, is wholly divorced from the reality of his life. He was a freedom fighter who knew struggle, a visionary who pushed forward against seemingly impossible odds and a truth teller who challenged entrenched power.

Yes, his was a life of service. But his service was about activism — an engaged leadership that brought our country closer to its stated ideals.

Dr. King’s activism taught us that those who care about freedom must take action to shake loose equality from whatever stands in the way, including cynicism and complacency with the status quo.

In that spirit, and on this day of remembrance,

we will redouble our efforts to defend voting rights and save our democracy.

Although lawmakers are at an impasse on critical voting rights legislation, we will not allow them to be satisfied with the status quo or comfortable in hiding behind arcane procedural rules or traditions that hurt the cause of justice.

We will not stop agitating, mobilizing and fighting for our rights and we call on all people of conscience to join us in this fight.

Today of all days, let us together embrace the spirit of activism.

DAMON HEWITT Washington, D.C. The writer is president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

No more ‘bites of the apple’ on the Richmond casino

Re “Councilwoman Trammell takes steps toward 2nd referendum on city casino,” Free Press Jan. 13-15 edition: I see where Richmond City Councilwoman Reva Trammell formally introduced a resolution to revive Richmond’s casino referendum.

How can this be?

Even though I was a proponent for the casino, I was resigned to the fact that the voters have spoken, thus ending this idea.

Councilwoman Trammell is trying to defy the will of the voters and bring this up again.

This is not how democracy works. This, to me, is double dipping when you do not like a decision rendered by the voters.

No matter how large or small the margin of victory or defeat, the outcome still stands. One does not get another bite of the apple if you do not like or agree with the majority of the voters.

The voters have spoken.

This topic should have been put to rest and not revisited due to Councilwoman Trammell’s displeasure with the majority of voters.

ERNEST PARKER JR. Richmond

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The meeting will be held in the Auditorium of Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School, located at 1000 Mosby Street, Richmond, VA 23223.

Additional details regarding this meeting will be available at the RPS BoardDocs website:https:// go.boarddocs.com/vsba/richmond/Board.nsf/Public.

Pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, any person requiring special accommodations to participate in this proceeding should contact the Clerk of the School Board no later than three (3) business days prior to the meeting at (804) 780-7716 or prichard@ rvaschools.net. If you are hearing or speech impaired, please contact the agency by calling the Americans ZLWK 'LVDELOLWLHV $FW 2I¿FH 77< 5HOD\ &HQWHU DW

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A Message from Senator Jennifer McClellan The 2022 Legislative Session Has Begun Last week, the 2022 Virginia General Assembly Session convened to begin a 60 day session to address a number of bills and adopt a 2-year budget. This session sees a divided government return to Virginia, with a new Republican majority in the House and a Democratic majority in the Senate.

That isn’t the only change this year.

Saturday saw the inauguration of Glenn Youngkin as the 74th Governor of Virginia, Winsome Sears as Lieutenant Governor, and Jason Miyares as Attorney General.

Governor Youngkin and House Republicans have wasted no time seeking to roll back the progress we’ve made on a number of issues. In his first act, Governor Youngkin signed 11 executive actions that attempt to roll back progress on educational equity, keeping state employees, school children and staff safe from COVID, and addressing climate change.

Many of his actions are beyond his authority as Governor, such as his unilateral attempt to undermine local school division mask mandates and to withdraw Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Moreover, his order banning critical race theory from public schools is meaningless, since critical race theory is not part of any public school curriculum in Virginia. In short, the Governor cannot undo by executive order laws passed by the General Assembly or local school supervision adopted by local school boards.

House and Senate Republicans have already introduced bills to repeal or undermine the Virginia Clean Economy Act, the Reproductive Health Protection Act, parts of the Domestic Worker Bill of Rights, laws making it easier to vote and address gun violence, future increases in the minimum wage, and laws allowing individuals to present evidence of mental health conditions in criminal trials. I am confident Senate Democrats, who have a 21-19 majority in the chamber, will hold the line against these efforts to roll back the progress Virginia has made over the past two years.

challenges as we rebuild from and face the ongoing impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

My bills include fully funding the Standards of Quality (SB 490) which would set minimum staffing levels for every school and address mental health and loss of learning with increased support staff. I introduced four bills (SBs 471, 473, 472, 481) to address longoverlooked school construction, renovation, and maintenance needs.

I am working to establish the Center for Firearm Violence Intervention and Prevention (SB 487) to collect/report data on gun violence, provide resources for localities and community-based organizations addressing it, and coordinate responses to it.

Another bill (SB 477), would change eligibility requirements for maintenance and preservation support of AfricanAmerican cemeteries through the Virginia Historical African American Cemeteries and Graves Fund. This would make Woodland Cemetery in Henrico County, which was founded in 1916, eligible for the fund. You can find my full legislative agenda on my webpage at www.jennifermcclellan.com.

As a reminder, in this government by, of, and for the people, your participation matters to the legislative process. Please feel free to share your views on legislation with me at district09@senate.virginia.gov or (804) 698-7509. You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram at @JennMcClellanVA or on Facebook at @Senjennifermcclellan.

This session, we must defend our progress and continue to work for a fairer Virginia with opportunity for all. I have filed 28 bills for the 2022 General Assembly session and these bills focus on investing in Virginia families and communities who are facing new PAID FOR AND AUTHORIZED BY FRIENDS FOR JENNIFER MCCLELLAN

Richmond Free Press

A10 January 20-22, 2022

Sports Stories by Fred Jeter

VUU beats VSU 88-70 in rivalry without fans Minus any roar of the crowd or stomping feet, to the court with claws out.

Virginia Union University made all the noise it Tate, a transfer from Niagara University, shared needed in last Saturday’s game against Virginia State the spotlight in Ettrick with many others. The University, swishing balls through the nets.

Panthers’ Robert Osborne had 18 points and eight In the strangest of statistical quirks, VUU’s rebounds; Jordan Peebles had seven rebounds to Keleaf Tate scored 24 points, nearly matching the go with 18 points; Raemaad Wright chipped in 13 official attendance of 27 people at points and 10 rebounds; and Darius VSU’s eerily empty Multi-Purpose Hines had five assists.

Center.

For the hosts, Francis “B.J.” Because of COVID-19 restricFitzgerald’s 23 points for the Trojans tions, only “essential personnel” were decorated by five 3-pointers. were allowed inside the 5,000-plus Tate’s career-high 24 markers seat facility for the game. was built on 9-for-14 from the field VUU’s 88-70 victory over the and six-of-10 behind the arc. The Trojans came before what was likely physical 6-foot-3 guard is also a one of the least attended contests key man on the perimeter in VUU’s in an intense rivalry dating to the signature “circle zone” defense that B.J. Fitzgerald early 1900s. has confused and haunted the PanIn absence of any fans in the stands, the stars thers’ opponents since the late 1970s. came out in force for the visiting Panthers, who VUU Coach Jay Butler learned the fine points improved to 11-3 overall and first place 4-0 in the of the defense playing for VUU in the 1990s under CIAA Northern Division. Two of VUU’s losses Coach Dave Robbins. this season were in overtime.

VUU entered the VSU game boasting the NCAA Coach Lonnie Blow’s Trojans fall to 5-8 overall Division II’s fifth-ranked defense in terms of aland 2-4 in the CIAA. The teams will have a rematch lowed shooting percent -- 38.2 percent.

Saturday, Feb. 5, at VUU’s Barco-Stevens Hall.

VSU had little success penetrating the maize.

Following a 2020-21 season of “hibernation” The Trojans shot 37.5 percent from the floor with due to the pandemic, the Panthers have returned 34 of the 72 attempts launched from a distance.

Deion Sanders wins Eddie Robinson Award; son wins Jerry Rice Award Coach Deion Sanders is going to need to clear more room in his family trophy case.

The second season head coach at Jackson State University was presented the FCS Eddie Robinson Award on Jan. 7 in Frisco, Texas.

The Robinson Award, named after the legendary College Football Hall of Fame coach at Gramb l i n g S t a t e University from 1941 to 1997, is presented to the top c o a c h Coach Sanders on the NCAA Division I FCS level.

Coach Sanders’ Jackson State Tigers won the SWAC Championship this past season while posting an overall 11-2 record. Jackson State lost to South Carolina State in the Celebration Bowl.

On the same stage on Jan. 7, Coach Sanders’ son, Shedeur Sanders, was named winner of the Jerry Rice Award, which goes to the top freshman at an FCS school.

The young Sanders, a quarterback for Jackson State, passed for 3,231 yards with 30 touchdowns in his first college season.

The traditional January meeting between VUU and VSU preceding Dr. Martin Luther King Day doesn’t look the same as in the past.

For many years, the matchup was held at the Richmond Coliseum on a Sunday night and billed as “The Freedom Classic,” with many auxiliary events. Crowds approaching 8,000 were common.

That all changed when the Downtown facility was shuttered in February 2019. Since then, the VUUVSU matchups have been played on campus at VSU and/or VUU with smaller crowds and less fanfare.

The Panthers are on a Trojans thumping roll. In 2019-20, VUU defeated VSU twice, 82-62 at the VSU Multi-Purpose Center and 83-78 at Barco-Stevens Hall.

The annual CIAA Tournament is set for Feb. 22 through 26 in Baltimore, with VUU looking like the favorite for now.

Keleaf Tate

VSU women’s team comes back to post 62-59 win over VUU Lady Panthers

Kaaliya Williams

The tide has turned, at least temporarily, in the women’s basketball rivalry between Virginia Union University and Virginia State University.

Last Saturday, the VSU Trojans overcame a 21-point halftime deficit to rally and defeat the Lady Panthers 62-59 at the VSU Multi-Purpose Center in Ettrick.

The comeback broke a streak of 10-straight VUU victories in the rivalry. VSU improved to 9-7 overall and 5-2 in the CIAA; VUU fell to 2-6 overall and 1-2 in the CIAA. Few people saw the game, however. Attendance was listed

Taniah Johnson

at 16 people because of COVID-19 safety restrictions. Officials at both schools have banned fans from the games until later this month.

Senior Kaaliya Williams led VSU with 18 points, followed

by Natalia Leaks with 16. Williams starred at L.C. Bird High School in Chesterfield County and transferred to VSU from St. Augustine’s University in Raleigh, N.C. Leakes is a 5-foot-9 senior from Miramar, Fla. VUU’s Taniah Johnson, a 5-foot-7 sophomore from Roanoke, led all scorers with 21points.

Kelee Ringo gives Georgia Bulldogs another reason to bark Herschel Walker was the freshman sensation in 1980 when the University of Georgia won the national college football title.

On Jan. 10, another freshman—albeit a redshirt freshman—has given the Bulldogs the rights to bark loudly and proudly clear into next season.

Kelee Ringo was the nation’s highest rated cornerback two years ago, coming out of Scottsdale, Ariz. The ratings have proven to be spot on.

Calling it an “indescribable moment,” the 19-year-old Ringo intercepted University of Alabama quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young and returned the ball for 79 scream-out-loud yards to put the finishing touches on a 33-18 Georgia victory for the College Football Playoff Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Defending champ Alabama

was down 26-18 prior to Ringo’s pick six and looking to tie the game with a touchdown and two-point conversion with under a minute left.

Alabama’s legion of fans never got to say “Roll Tide.”

Ringo foiled Alabama’s plans in grand style with the longest return in College Football Playoff annals.

Ringo arrived in Athens, Ga., in the summer of 2020 but sat out his true freshman season with a shoulder injury.

He waited his turn and was a full-time starter this season.

No doubt about it this time: On Jan. 1, 1981, Walker ran for 150 yards and two touchdowns as Georgia defeated Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl to clinch the mythical (meaning voted on by news agencies) national title.

It was much more cutand-dry this go-round thanks to Ringo, who had six solo tackles in addition to his daz-

NFL’s Black head coaches dwindle to one

If the NFL were to throw a party today for its Black head coaches, just one invitation would be sent.

With the firings of Coach Brian Flores of the Miami Dolphins and Coach David Culley of the Houston Texans, that leaves just one Black head coach—the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Mike Tomlin—out of 32 franchises.

That could change quickly, however, and with a Virginia flavor.

Coach Jerod Mayo, the linebackers coach for the New England Patriots, has emerged as a leading candidate— perhaps the leading candidate—for both Coach the Denver and Houston openings.

Coaches Mayo and Tomlin have something in common: Both are from Hampton.

Coach Mayo, 35, starred at Kecoughtan High School before going on to play at the University of Tennessee and then for the NFL. Coach Tomlin was born in Hampton, went to nearby Denbigh High School in Newport News and later to the College of William & Mary.

He has been the main man on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ sidelines since 2007.

Coach Culley never had a chance during his one season in Houston. The Texans went 4-13 with an offense ranked 31st in the league.

Houston’s star quarterback Deshaun Watson sat out the season with legal issues and his backup, Tyrod Taylor, was injured in the early going.

Coach Flores’ pink slip in Miami was more surprising. His Dolphins were 5-11, 10-6 and 9-8 in his three seasons. Despite the dismissal, Coach Flores is just 40 and remains a prime candidate right now for other top jobs. He already

has interviewed for the Houston job.

Black coaches aren’t the only ones to get relieved of their duties.

Coach Joe Judge was shown the door by the New York Giants after two seasons and a 10-23 record. In Chicago, Coach Matt Nagy was ousted after four seasons and a 34-31 mark (6-11 this season).

Coach Vic Fangio was let go after a 19-30 record (7-10 this year) with the Denver Broncos. And Coach Urban Meyer didn’t even last a season in Jacksonville. The Jaguars dismissed Coach Meyer after going 2-11, with four games left.

Mayo Coach Jon Gruden resigned from the Las Vegas Raiders after posting a 22-31 record over parts of four seasons. Gruden left under pressure after racist, homophobic and misogynistic remarks he made were discovered in his emails dating back from 2011 to 2018.

While Coach Mayo appears the best bet among Black coaches to land a head coach job, don’t forget about Coach Eric Bieniemy, the Kansas City Chiefs’ ultrasuccessful offensive coordinator since 2018. Coach Bieniemy has been interviewed for numerous head coaching jobs the last few seasons without ever getting the call.

Other Black candidates, either this year or in near future, might be: • Defensive assistant Teryl Austin of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

• Marcus Brady, the Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator.

• Green Bay Packers defensive backs Coach Jerry Gray.

Kelee Ringo

zling interception and return.

Since 2014, college football has decided its champion in a four-team playoff.

Feeling a draft: Many “Dawgs” will have their names called in the first two rounds of the NFL draft April 28 through 30. The likely first to be picked will be 6-foot-6, 340-pound nose guard Jordan X. Davis, a consensus All-American and a religion major. According to Georgia statistics, Davis did not

miss a tackle all season.

Others going pro will be cornerback Derion Kendrick, linebacker Nakobe Dean, edge rusher Travon Walker. Dean was the Butkus Award winner for being the nation’s top linebacker.

Changing south: In 1971, Georgia introduced its first African-American football players, Richard Appleby, Clarence Pope, Horace King, Chuck Kinnebrew and Larry West.

The quintet returned to campus last March as a group and received a warm homecoming from top officials including President Jere Morehead.

In 1980, Walker, who is from nearby Wrightsville, Ga., was still a distinct minority on Coach Vince Dooley’s roster.

Fast forward: When the Bulldogs took the field Jan. 10 in Indianapolis, there were some 77 African-Americans on the team counting walk-ons. All 11 starting defensive players were Black.

Can’t please everyone: Despite winning college football’s highest honor, two Bulldogs are packing their bags. Defensive back Ameer Speed and receiver Jaylen Johnson, both part-time starters, have entered the transfer portal.

Looking ahead: The Dawgs will open their 2022-23 season on Sept. 3 against the University of Oregon at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The Ducks are a dangerous opponent. This past season, Oregon opened with a win over Ohio State.

The CFP championship game will be in January 2023 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. Is there another future freshman star out there in waiting?

Cristhian Vaquero, 17, signs with Washington Nationals

Cristhian Vaquero

Most 17-year-old baseball players are looking forward to their junior or senior season of high school play.

By contrast, Cuban native Cristhian Vaquero is headed to the bank and to the professional diamonds.

Nicknamed “The Phenomenon,” the 6-foot-3 outfielder has signed a contract with the Washington Nationals for $4,925,000.

Vaquero, who turns 18 on Sept. 13, grew up in Havana but has been training in the Dominican Republic. He throws right and bats left, but has been practicing switch hitting.

He will start his pro career working out at the Washington Nationals’ Dominican Academy in Santo Domingo.

Richmond Free Press

The future will be built on the wings of giants.

Reducing carbon emissions is a big, complex challenge. And so it requires big, bold solutions. That’s why we’re building the largest offshore wind farm in the United States. The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project will help turn Hampton Roads into a hub for wind power development. Once operational in 2026, CVOW will create over 1,000 jobs and generate more than $200 million a year in economic impact.

And, as a national leader in solar as well, we’re forging ahead to achieve our goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. Big challenges, meet bigger solutions.

January 20-22, 2022 B1

Richmond Free Press

B2 January 20-22, 2022

Happenings

‘Who We Are’ offers a searing view of racism in U.S. Free Press wire report

“If you’ve ever owned a slave, please raise your hand,” Jeffery Robinson asks a live audience at the beginning of “Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America,” a searing documentary based on a lecture he has spent a decade perfecting.

Obviously, nobody in the auditorium raises a hand. This is 2018 New York. But the few seconds that follow the question are probably the only chance these audience members have to put some distance between themselves and the country’s sorry record of racial oppression.

No, explains Mr. Robinson, slavery may not be our fault, but it is “our shared history.”

And then Mr. Robinson, a longtime criminal defense lawyer and former deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, launches his harrowing journey through centuries of institutionalized racism. Along the way, he points out both the well known (the plantations, the lynchings, the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre) and the less widely known (the troubling third verse of “The Star-Spangled Banner” or the advertised offer by future President Andrew Jackson of $10 extra for any 100 lashes given his escaped slave).

No matter how much you think you already know, you’re bound to learn new things from “Who We Are,” a 117-minute documentary directed by Emily and Sarah Kunstler and

released by Sony Pictures Classics. And to be stunned, at some point.

How did this lecture come about?

Mr. Robinson explains that he became a father in 2011, when his sister-in-law died and her son, then 13, moved in. Suddenly, Mr. Robinson needed to teach a Black teen about racism. In educating himself, he says, he was stunned by what he himself — lucky enough to have a stellar education, including a Harvard law degree — didn’t know.

He began sharing his findings wherever he could — in community centers, churches, con-

Preview ference rooms. The directors, after hearing him speak, suggested a movie. Their resulting film is anchored by the 2018 lecture in New York’s historic Town Hall and filled out with archival footage, photographs and current-day interviews with the likes of 107-year-old Lessie Benningfield Randle, one of the last survivors of the Tulsa massacre, and Gwen Carr, mother of Eric Garner, whose death from a police chokehold became a rallying cry for Black Lives Matter.

Mr. Robinson also argues briefly with a man holding a Confederate flag, who insists the Civil War had nothing at all to do with slavery.

At a slavery museum in Charleston, S.C., Mr. Robinson examines two pairs of shackles.

One is adult-sized, the other toddler-sized. We

Jesse Wakeman/Sony Pictures Classics via AP

This image released by Sony Pictures Classics shows Jeffery Robinson and Josephine Bolling McCall, right, in a scene from “Who We Are.”

also see an oak “hanging tree” — and later, photographs of white Americans standing next to the bodies of Black people who have been lynched, a sight Mr. Robinson says was once “normal and accepted” in America.

But despite the many references to painful periods in U.S. history, it’s also the smartly placed sprinklings of Mr. Robinson’s own life experience that help personalize the proceedings and give the film its emotional wallop.

A number of these moments take place in Memphis, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968 but also where Mr. Robinson grew up. He travels back to his hometown, where, he tells us, his parents tried to buy a house in a white neighborhood but were turned away, until white friends went and bought it for them. Then, when the family moved in, a neighbor showed up with freshly baked chocolate chip cookies for “the lady of the house” — but turned and left, cookies in hand, when Mr. Robinson’s Black mother came to the door.

In another scene, a white high school friend confesses he never told Mr. Robinson that they’d

all once been denied entry to a basketball game because of Mr. Robinson’s race; a pastor intervened, without Mr. Robinson ever knowing. Both men are reduced to tears at the story.

Mr. Robinson closes on a note of tentative hope. The Black Lives Matter protests united people of all races in American streets, he observes: “The possibility of radical change is in the air.” But he also warns: “The things they’re saying about Black Lives Matter today are the exact same things they said about Martin Luther King in the ’60s.”

If the format of a lecture is inherently limiting, the directors do a superb job of weaving a compelling visual — and emotional — experience. One can only hope they, and Mr. Robinson, get the wide audience the film deserves. The documentary is part of a broader educational initiative, the Who We Are Project.

Mr. Robinson’s final point is that we’re at another tipping point — just as we were in the late 1960s. Will we fall back again, he asks?

“Or, will this generation decide to do something different?”

Pharrell Williams calls for economic equity during MLK event Free Press wire report

VIRGINIA BEACH Singer and music producer Pharrell Williams is challenging corporate America to “do more” by supporting entrepreneurs of color and adopting economic equity measures.

In remarks Monday during the Urban League of Hampton Roads’ annual Martin Luther King Jr. awards program, Mr. Williams said big businesses need to invest in people of color and noted that some of

them already are.

“Not all businesses,” Mr. Williams added. “The smart ones — the ones that will be here in 50 years.”

Mr. Williams singled out the Japanese Mr. Williams financial and venture capital group SoftBank that he said attended a forum in October at Norfolk State University. He said the group was investing in

founders of color, who could then create generational wealth and change their cities for the better.

Mr. Williams, who was born in Virginia Beach, also urged businesses and philanthropists to support the Urban League and thanked the local chapter for their work in financial wellness, health and housing.

The event, which could not be held in person because of COVID-19, was livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube. Several local leaders were honored for representing Dr. King’s legacy of social justice.

Elvatrice Belsches to speak on history of Black Richmond Jan. 29

Ms. Belsches

Public historian, researcher and author Elvatrice P. Belsches will speak about the history of Black Richmond during a virtual event 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 29, hosted by the League of Women Voters of the Richmond Metro Area’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.

Ms. Belsches will share stories, rare photographs and documents giving an overview of the history

of the Black experience in Richmond, followed by a Q&A with the audience.

Ms. Belsches is author of the book, “Black America Series: Richmond, Virginia,” which details the city’s legacy of achievement among African-American residents who were pioneers in areas of civil rights, medicine, education, religion, business and banking. The book was

updated in 2021 to include new and corrective scholarship.

The event is free and online, with registration at https://www. eventbrite.com/e/235081815037.

Ms. Belsches’ book also is available for purchase and signing by contacting Doris M. Bey, the league’s diversity, equity and inclusion director, at imdmbey7@gmail. com or (804) 955-0398.

Sidney Poitier suffered from multiple health problems Free Press wire, staff report

Presidential Medal of Freedom, which was awarded to him by former President Obama in 2009. He also won a Grammy for narrating his autobiography, “The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography,” published in 2000.

He is survived by his wife, Joanna Shimkus, a retired actress from Canada; and five daughters: two — Anika and Sydney Tamiaa — with Ms. Shimkus; and three — Beverly, Pamela, and Sherri — with his first wife, Juanita Hardy. His daughter, Gina, died in 2018.

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Academy Award-winning actor Sidney Poitier, who died Jan. 6 at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif., at age 94, suffered from several health issues, according to information listed in his death certificate that was obtained Tuesday by TMZ and several other media outlets.

The death certificate, which was issued by Los Angeles County, listed cardiopulmonary failure, or heart failure, as his cause of death, but also noted that Mr. Poitier had Alzheimer’s dementia and prostate cancer.

The document also stated that he would be cremated.

Mr. Poitier’s film career spanned over five decades, with his first film role as an extra in “Sepia Cinderella” in 1947. His major debut was three years later in 1950 with the film noir, “No Way Out.” He starred in a string of landmark films in the 1960s, including “A Raisin in the Sun,” “A Patch of Blue,” “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” “In the Heat of the Night,” and “To Sir, with Love.

He was the first Black man to win an Academy Award for best actor for his role as Homer Smith in the 1963 film “Lilies of the Field.” He would remain the only Black man to win that Oscar until Denzel Washington in 2002.

Mr. Poitier also directed at least nine films, including several comedies – “Uptown Saturday

Night,” which he also starred in with Harry Belafonte and Bill Cosby, “Let’s Do It Again” and “Stir Crazy,” which starred Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder.

A Bahamian-American, Mr. Poitier retired from acting in 2000 and went on to write several books, including “Life Beyond Measure: Letters to my Great-Granddaughter” in 2008.

He also served as the Bahamian ambassador to Japan from 1997 to 2007.

He received numerous honors, awards and accolades during his lifetime, including the

Maggie L. Walker

Harriet Tubman

Granville Woods

Rosa Parks

Oliver W. Hill

Sojourner Truth

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Richmond Free Press

January 20-22, 2022 B3

Happenings Personality: James W. Warren Spotlight on chairperson of the board of directors of BridgePark Foundation Amid the ongoing transformation of Richmond’s landscape and infrastructure, James W. Warren is looking to create bridges in more ways than one.

The newest chairperson of the board of directors for the Richmond BridgePark Foundation, or BridgePark RVA, is eager to put the plans and vision for a better, more connected city into action during his three-year term that started Jan. 1.

“I’ve long believed in the unique potential that Richmond has — and the unique role that only our city can play — in healing and equity racially, economically and socially,” Mr. Warren says about why he took on the role.

“I also love the James River and believe that creating equitable access to the river — to connect, to reflect, to enjoy — is crucial for all of Richmond, especially our historically excluded and intentionally separated communities and neighborhoods.”

BridgeParkRVA’s mission is to transform a part of 9th Street in Downtown, including the Manchester Bridge, into “an inspiring centerpiece for everyone to connect to the river, our stories, new opportunities and each other,” Mr. Warren says, “while serving as a national model for racial reconciliation through public space.”

As envisioned by BridgeParkRVA, a linear portion of the Manchester Bridge would become a pedestrian park, event space and walking and biking avenue to connect to nature and more—all designed to provide an economic, cultural and social boost for Richmonders. On a larger scale, Mr. Warren sees the potential for BridgePark to be “a system of bridges and parks that unifies our city in ways we’ve never attempted.”

“Our vision is that BridgePark

will be more than a place,” Mr. Warren explains. “It will be an intentional disruption of old divisions; a path to deepen our connection with nature; an economic engine, and an uplifting destination that fosters culture and community. It will span out to connect and celebrate the neighborhoods that have always been the cultural heart of our region, and it will become a national model of Black and Brown community placemaking and place-keeping.”

He acknowledges that the vision will take buy-in from all segments of the community and government, but he is committed to the inspiration of BridgePark’s founders, the late Mike Hughes and the late Ella Kelley, who started it all in 2012 with the idea to create an outdoor locale similar to The High Line park in New York City.

He said BridgeParkRVA is finalizing its schedule for the year ahead, with upcoming events to focus on equity initiatives developed last year, with a storytelling component that will put a spotlight on undertold stories from communities BridgePark wants to aid.

Mr. Warren sees his biggest goal as board chair as building the necessary awareness and support for the project and ensuring equity throughout.

“The project depends on so many things outside of our direct control. That’s why we’re so focused on proceeding in an aligned way through extensive engagement,” Mr. Warren says.

“This has to be representative of what our city desires, not just what a few people want it to be.”

Meet a Richmond bridge builder and this week’s Personality, James W. Warren: No. 1 volunteer position: Chairperson, BridgePark Foundation

or BridgePark RVA. Other volunteer positions: Member of the board of directors of the YMCA of Greater Richmond.

Occupation: Vice president of brand strategy for JMI, a marketing and consulting firm focused on community engagement; founder/CEO of Share More Stories, a human experience research company.

Date and place of birth: June 1972 in Nashville, Tenn.

Education: Studied economics and English literature at Princeton University and creative writing at Columbia University.

Family: Spouse, Darcy R. Warren; three sons, Christian Warren, Jordan Warren and Evan Warren; and daughter, Alexis Warren.

Richmond BridgePark Foundation, or BridgeParkRVA, is: BridgePark will be Virginia’s front porch — a world-class destination in the form of a beautifully designed linear park and a welcoming symbol of our

vision for the future. We envision transforming the Manchester Bridge from an over-built division between north and south into a hub of connection.

BridgeParkRVAmission: Our mission is to transform the Manchester Bridge into an inspiring centerpiece for everyone to connect to the river, our stories, new opportunities and each other, while serving as a national model for racial reconciliation through public space.

Our purpose is to help unify our city. We aim to do this in an audacious way, based on our belief that bridges can be parks, and parks can be bridges.

Rather than repeating our past of inequality and intentional separation, we choose to seize on possibility and the collective will to build a better future.

Why I accepted position: I’ve long believed in the unique potential that Richmond has — and the unique role that only our city can play — in healing and equity racially, economically and socially.

I also love the James River and believe that creating equitable access to the river — to connect, to reflect, to enjoy — is crucial for all of Richmond, especially our historically excluded and intentionally separated communities and neighborhoods.

No. 1 goal or project as BridgePark RVA board chair: Increase alignment and buy-in for the first stage of BridgePark with key stakeholders in order to complete an equitable design phase in 2022 and move into the build phase as we approach 2023. We’ll do this by involving and rallying the community in new ways around a unifying big project for the city.

Strategy for achieving goal: Together with BridgePark’s president and our incredible board of directors, we will work to raise public awareness and support, embed equity throughout the project, secure funding and achieve government alignment and approval.

What BridgeParkRVA is doing during the pandemic as it relates to green spaces and racial equity: We participated in the development of an Equitable Impacts Framework project as one of just six park projects across North America chosen for this 2021 cohort. Through this work, we are leading a national model for best practices in equitable development of public space.

This yearlong project paired us with free consulting from the High Line Network, the Urban Institute, and the Harvard Graduate School of Design. We also launched Richmond’s version of the “Insectageddon” program in partnership with the Department of Education, The High Line in NY, sister parks across the country, Partners in the Arts and Richmond Public Schools.

How BridgeParkRVA reimagines Monument Avenue where the Confederate statues formerly stood: If we think beyond the immediate and look forward 100 years from now, how do we want Richmond to talk about these sites? That makes it purposeful. That makes it visionary. I have no idea what the answer is because no one person should. But I do believe that if we try to answer that question together from the perspective of the future, I think we can get it right for the city. This is also why we’re so focused on the potency of BridgePark, as a place and space that connects past, present and future — from the ruins, to redlining, to the river

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

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running through all of it — and connects us to one another in new ways.

What I like most about Richmond: Potential and culture.

What I like least about Richmond: Sometimes we get stuck in our ways, limited by what we see or have seen versus what might be.

A perfect day for me: Time with family; writing accomplishments with my team and clients; cooking and enjoying a great meal; and laughing.

What I am learning about myself during the pandemic: I crave structure more than I realized.

Something I love to do that most people would never imagine: Sing karaoke (Prince) and occasionally do a little hip-hopera performance.

Quote that inspires me: “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” — Maya Angelou Friends describe me as: Fun and funny, a talker, someone who’ll have their back.

Best late-night snack: Chocolate-covered salted caramel.

Best thing my parents ever taught me: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” So I never give up, no matter how hard things get.

What I’m reading now: Two books — “Strategic Doing: Ten Skills for Agile Leadership”

by Edward Morrison, Scott Hutcheson, Elizabeth Nilsen, Janyce Fadden and Nancy Franklin and “The Messy Middle: Finding Your Way Through the Hardest and Most Crucial Part of Any Bold Adventure” by Scott Belsky.

Next goal: Run a 10k. It will be my third time, but first since 2019.

Richmond Free Press

B4 January 20-22, 2022

Faith News/Obituaries

Judge rules pastor improperly fired church trustees, finance committee chair

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

A Richmond judge ruled Tuesday that the pastor of historic but embattled Fourth Baptist Church in Church Hill acted without proper authority when he fired six members of the church’s Trustee Board and the chair of the Finance Committee 19 months ago.

Siding with the ousted plaintiffs who had sued Dr. William E. Jackson Sr., the pastor, and other church leaders, Judge W. Reilly Marchant also ruled that any further attempt to remove those officials would need be handled under court supervision.

He notified both sides that if another attempt is made, he would appoint a special commissioner “to direct and oversee a properly noticed and conducted meeting, according to

the governing documents, where the tion to pay the part-time employees termination of the plaintiffs” could and fire the objecting trustees and be considered. finance chair passed 46-24, or two Last April, Judge Marchant reinvotes short of a required two-thirds stated the church officers who were majority. Dr. Jackson, nonetheless, removed until he heard evidence used the vote to oust the trustees and issued a final decision. His and finance chair. ruling caps 15 months of litigation In his 13-page opinion, Judge that began in March 2020 after the Marchant agreed with the plaintiffs’ Dr. Jackson pandemic hit. attorney, William F. Seymour IV, that Dr. Jackson found himself at odds with the Dr. Jackson and the six deacons pushing for the trustees, who objected to his effort to continue removal did not provide proper notice of the paying part-time employees when the church meeting as required by the church’s constituwas shut down under state orders during the tion and bylaws. coronavirus outbreak. The main issue in the Judge Marchant also found the vote did not lawsuit involved a special virtual church meeting meet the standards laid out in Roberts Rules of held June 8, 2020, to settle the matter.

Order, the third document the church uses, as After a five-hour session, a combined mo- Mr. Seymour had argued.

As a result, the vote did not cloak Dr. Jackson with the authority to proceed with removal, Judge Marchant ruled, because an insufficient number of church members voted in support of their ouster.

The lawsuit has divided the church, which was founded before the Civil War in 1859 and is now struggling, like many mainline churches, to attract younger members. According to the church rolls, the average age of the 356 members listed is 70.

The lawsuit also has taken a financial toll.

According to documented information the Free Press has obtained, the church has remained closed because its insurance provider canceled its liability coverage after paying a $25,000 claim the church filed to cover legal expenses in defending the firings.

Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee dies at 102

Col. McGee

Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Charles E. McGee, a Tuskegee Airman who flew 409 fighter combat missions over three wars, died Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022, in Bethesda, Md. He was 102.

Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III announced his death on Twitter, both of them calling Col. McGee an American hero.

“While I am saddened by his loss, I’m also incredibly grateful for his sacrifice, his legacy, and his character.

Rest in peace, General,” wrote Mr. Austin, who did not specify where Col. McGee died.

As a Tuskegee airman, Col. McGee was among more than 900 men to train in rural Alabama from 1940 to 1946 after the Army Air Corps was forced to admit Blacks pilots. About 450 deployed overseas and 150 lost their

lives in training or combat.

Col. McGee was one of only a few pilots — white or Black — who flew combat missions in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, on Dec. 7, 1919, Col. McGee enlisted in the Army in 1942 and earned his wings in 1943. During his 30-year active career in the military, he flew tactical missions attacking enemy airfields and top secret rescue missions. He retired on Jan. 31, 1973, with more than 6,300 hours of flight time and 409 combat missions.

He was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio, in 2011, and received an honorary promotion to brigadier general in December 2019 under a congressional measure signed by then President Trump.

On Feb. 2, 2020, Col. McGee was given the honor to flip the coin to kick off Super Bowl LIV – the Kansas City Chiefs versus the San Francisco 49ers at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. He was among four 100-year-olds — all veterans of World War II — to participate in the coin toss in celebration of the NFL’s 100 season.

Days later, on Feb. 4, 2020, Col. McGee was honored

by President Trump in Washington during the State of the Union address. He and his great-grandson, Iain Lanphier of Scottsdale, Ariz., were recognized in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol.

“You could say that one of the things we were fighting for was equality. Equality of opportunity. We knew we had the same skills, or better,″ he told The Associated Press in a 1995 interview.

Rayford L. Harris Sr., longtime educator, policymaker, adviser and GOP activist, dies at 97

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Rayford Lee Harris Sr., who touched the lives of untold thousands of Virginia students as an educator and policymaker, has died.

A kindly, mild-mannered man, Mr. Harris was a former chairman of the Richmond School Board and was involved in the creation of the initial Virginia Standards of Learning as a member of the state Board of Education during the mid-1990s.

He also was well known for promoting career and technical education at Virginia State University, where he trained legions of students in woodworking, metalworking and other industrial arts during his 32 years as a professor.

A native of Stonesboro, S.C., who lived most of his adult life in Richmond, Mr. Harris died Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022, at his North Side residence. He was 97.

A service celebrating his life will be held 1 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 20, at Scott’s Funeral Home Chapel, 116 E. Brookland Park Blvd.

“My father was always a gentleman and always was very serious about his work, his faith and his family,” said his son, Rayford L. Harris Jr., retired Richmond city budget director. “If he made a promise, he would keep it.”

The eldest of nine children, Mr. Harris was finishing his senior year in high school when he was called up for military service during World War II. He served in the Navy and then returned to complete his high school

education and enrolled in Hampton in politics and worked on various University. After graduation in campaigns to support the election 1952, he and his new wife, the late of GOP candidates at the state and Frances Richardson “Vonnie” Harnational levels. ris, began their educational careers He also was the first Black member in Richmond. of the Richmond First Club, then an While his wife taught elementary influential group in city politics. school students, he taught shop “He always wanted to be certain courses at what was then Blackthat African-Americans had a seat at well Junior High School, with his the Republican table when discusstudents earning accolades for the sions were had and decisions were items they produced that would be being made,” his son said. displayed annually in storefronts on He often provided governors Mr. Harris Hull Street. with recommendations for Black In 1959, Virginia State University tapped appointees as directors and members of state him to lead its new industrial arts and technical boards and commissions and was consulted on education teacher training program. During his policy issues by top state officials. tenure, he ensured students had access to the best Recognized for his quiet influence, he secured in machinery and tools, and he was proud that the appointment to the Richmond School Board overwhelming majority of industrial arts teachers through City Council member Roy A. West and in the city came through his program. chaired the board from 1990 to 1992.

He also was proud that future four-star Mr. Harris was appointed to the state Board Gen. Dennis Via was among the graduates, as of Education in 1994 by then-Gov. George Alwere Sam and Posey Young, who took over len, a Republican who was seeking to increase the teaching program after he retired in 1991. educational accountability. During the adminHe was well known as a mentor and for as- istration of Republican Gov. Jim Gilmore, Mr. sisting young people to enroll in VSU. The Harris also was named to serve on the State university honored his contributions when he Council of Higher Education. retired by awarding him an honorary doctorate He also served on state commissions that deof humane letters. veloped recommendations on training technology A lifelong Republican and longtime mem- teachers, adult education and literacy and on the ber of the state Republican Party and the city National Advisory Committee on Accreditation Republican Committee, Mr. Harris was active and Institutional Eligibility.

Mr. Harris also belonged to national and local organizations involved with industrial education, including the advisory board of the Richmond Technical Center.

A voting rights advocate, he was a member of the Richmond Branch NAACP and the Richmond Crusade for Voters and also served a term overseeing elections as a member of the Richmond Electoral Board.

Mr. Harris also was a longtime member of the Richmond chapter of the Hampton Alumni Association and was a 72-year member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and served in various offices at the local and regional level.

His son said his father loved playing golf and cards, talking politics and traveling. During his life, his son said Mr. Harris visited 48 states and every continent except Antarctica.

“He walked through China’s Tiananmen Square just a week before the 1989 uprising and often talked about its effect on humanity,” his son said.

In addition to his son, survivors include his daughters, Laurita H. Portee and Sonia Harris; sisters, Mable Mickle and Wilma Jean Roscoe; a brother, Chalmers Harris; and five grandchildren.

The family requests that memorial donations be made either to the Rayford L. and Frances R. Harris Endowed Scholarship at Hampton University or to the Rayford Harris & William Reed Endowed Scholarship at Virginia State University.

Comfort Anderson-Miller, whose charity helped thousands in Liberia, dies at 60

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

For 30 years, Chesterfield County resident Comfort Yjakpai Anderson-Miller led a charity that shipped essential supplies and educational materials to her native Liberia.

The founder of the nationally recognized Robert and Mary Anderson Charitable Organization succumbed to cancer after a 16-month fight on Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021.

She was 60.

Family and friends will celebrate her life and efforts to help people at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 22, at Beulah United Methodist Church, 6930 Hopkins Road, where she was a member for more than 30 years.

Final tributes also will paid to her in a separate service in Liberia, where she will be interred.

Born in Monrovia, Liberia, Mrs. Anderson-Miller came to the United States in 1987 to earn a master’s in computer science at Clark Atlanta University and stayed in the country after marrying in 1989 now retired Army Master Sgt. Elijah Miller. The couple met earlier while he was assigned to serve at the U.S. embassy in Liberia and she worked at a hotel.

A county and state employee in computer security, Mrs. Anderson-Miller began her mission to Liberia in 1991 during a trip to visit her mother and she took a few boxes of toys and clothes, according to Points of Light, an international group founded by former President George H.W. Bush to recognize volunteer service.

In a 2003 citation honoring her, the organization stated that she was shocked to see the poverty and devastation left by a long civil war and was motivated to do more.

Mrs. Anderson-Miller created the Robert and Mary Anderson Charitable Organization, which she named for her parents, and began to regularly collect and send thousands pounds of rice, clothing, computers, books and other necessities to Liberia.

In 1998, she secured support from Converted Rice Co., owner of the Ben’s Original brand, which has donated more than 150,000 pounds Mrs. Anderson- of rice to her cause, Miller Points of Light stated in its citation. Through the years, her organization’s donations served more than 10,000 people, Points of Light stated.

“Mrs. Anderson-Miller also became instrumental in helping Liberian children receive medical attention,” the organization noted, including arranging for five Liberian children to travel to the United States for corrective surgeries.

She and her husband adopted one of the children, a boy whom she brought to this country for surgery to replace his nose that had been amputated due to disease.

“She was a humanitarian who loved

Liberian people and culture and helped individuals from all walks of life,” her family said.

Known by various nicknames, including “Kpai,” “Sweet Comfort,” “Comfee,” “Sis Comfort,” “Kpai Lady” and “Goray,” Mrs. Anderson-Miller also had the support of her church, Beulah United Methodist, whose members collected and donated items and helped store them before shipment.

Mrs. Anderson-Miller also was honored by the YWCA of Richmond for her work.

She was known for her generosity to family and friends, said her sister, Cecilia Anderson-McGee. She would bake and mail out her signature Red Velvet cakes.

After the pandemic began, she sought to keep people safe, her sister said. “She went out and bought hand sanitizer and masks” and sent them to more than 50 people in her circle, Ms. Anderson-McGee said. “She wanted the best for everyone.”

Mrs. Anderson-Miller loved to cook, and even as she battled cancer, she prepared a spread for Thanksgiving for family and friends.

In addition to her husband and sister, survivors include the couple’s adopted son, Edward Sando-Miller; and four other siblings, Leona Anderson-Waiwaiku, Elizabeth Anderson-Bowen, Marian AndersonIvy and Yolanda Anderson-Browne.

The family requests that memorial donations be made to the Robert and Mary Anderson Charitable Organization. Email her niece, Charlene McGee, at yjakpai@ aol.com for details.

Bodybuilder Chris Dickerson, first Black Mr. America and Mr. Olympia, dies at 82 Mr. Dickerson

By Fred Jeter

Bodybuilder Chris Dickerson, the first Black Mr. America and Mr. Olympia, died Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Mr. Dickerson was 82 and died of heart failure.

The native of Montgomery, Ala., won the Mr. America crown in 1970 and the Mr. Olympia title in 1982, breaking previous racial barriers.

Mr. Dickerson, who was openly gay and stood just 5-foot-6, competed professionally from 1966 to 1994, winning dozens of titles all over the world. His nickname was “Diamond Calves.”

He was much more than just a muscleman. Mr. Dickerson trained in opera, ballet and acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Manhattan. The theatrical training gave him an edge in posing on the bodybuilding stage. He also was a model for many products associated with gyms and weight lifting. He was featured on the cover and as the centerfold of countless magazines.

Mr. Dickerson finished second twice in the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness, or IFBB, Mr. Olympia contest, losing to Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1980 in Sydney, Australia, and in 1981 to Franco Columbu in Columbus, Ohio.

In 1982 in London, Mr. Dickerson defeated Frank Zane for the IFBB Mr. Olympia title, the world’s most prestigious physique title and $25,000 top prize.

He retired in 1994 but continued to train, conduct seminars and guest pose at major competitions.

Mr. Dickerson broke a hip in 2020 and had been residing in a retirement home in Florida prior to his death.

Richmond Free Press

January 20-22, 2022 B5

Faith News/Directory

Red Lip Theology: Candice Benbow’s love letter to Black women in the Black church

By Adelle M. Banks Religion News Service

Candice Marie Benbow came to be a theologian by way of the death of Whitney Houston, who she considers “the ultimate church girl.”

Dressed like they were there, Ms. Benbow said, she watched the famous singer’s funeral on TV with her mother and grandmother and wondered how and why Ms. Houston was once hailed by the Black church, dissed by it when she had addiction and marriage troubles and later reclaimed by it. When the service ended, Ms. Benbow started writing an application to seminary.

Fast-forward a decade, and Ms. Benbow is now a public theologian out with a new book called “Red Lip Theology: For Church Girls Who’ve Considered Tithing to the Beauty Supply Store When Sunday Morning Isn’t Enough.”

Both spiritual and religious, Ms. Benbow offers a critique of the overall Black church but remains a member of an Atlanta congregation affiliated with the National Baptist Convention, USA. Ms. Benbow, 40, has her own style of practicing and writing about faith, even as she challenges the Black church “to be its best self.”

She lowercases “bible” and doesn’t refer to God with pronouns. And she preaches a theology that calls on Black women in particular to move beyond shame into “a much more holistic understanding of what it means to be human and what it means to realize that we will not get it right all the time.”

Her book, which was released on Tuesday and was recently named among Amazon editors’ picks for best nonfiction, echoes the title of Ntozake Shange’s “For Colored Girls Who Have

Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf,” which was published in 1975.

“That choreopoem was one of my first introductions of what it looks like to blur sacred and secular and how Black women do that so beautifully in a way that allows us to just genuinely speak to the full interior of our lives,” said Ms. Benbow, the new lifestyle, education and health writer for Grio, a digital news outlet about Black culture.

She talked to Religion News Service about her writing about God and Black women, being “spiritually fluid” and moving past an affair with a married man.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Over the course of your book, you explain how you developed what you call “red lip theology.” How would you sum up what that is and how it compares to other theologies?

Red lip theology, for me, is the way I see and understand myself as a Black millennial woman of faith. I was formed as much by the church as hip-hop culture. The ways I would say it differs from other theologies is that there are very few that speak to women of my generation. Even just womanist theology, a lot of theology writ large, is about drawing from writers who contextualize their experiences and us trying to pull from that to fit us, but this actually centers us in a way others didn’t.

You are a strong critic of the Black church, including houses of worship like your childhood congregation that disparaged women, such as your mother, who had you “out of wedlock.” What is your principal charge against it? And do you have any hope for change within it?

I think part of what has always been unfortunate about

Worship With Us This Week!

Candice Marie Benbow

Black church spaces is how necessary it has always been to center Black men and their truths and realities at the expense of women and girls.

And I don’t think that will ever change, unfortunately. I think the Black church is committed to being a safe space for Black men, cishet Black men (who identify with the gender assigned to them at birth and are heterosexual). And I think in their commitment to being a safe space for them to lead, that means it is a dangerous space for everyone else. While I have friends who work very hard to change their individual church culture, I am not that optimistic about the entirety of the church as an institution.

We’ve seen too often where church leaders, mostly men, have galvanized around issues of Black men being harmed, but have not done a lot concerning Black girls and Black women when they’ve been in the exact same situation and for women, for me, it becomes a final straw.

Later in your book, you acknowledge that you love the Black church. What do you give it credit for, even as you point out its faults?

Kennedi Carter

I will always love and revere the Black church because, one, even as my mom needed to walk away from one, she found refuge at another one.

My oratory skills, my writing skills, a lot of those were honed in church.

How would you describe yourself right now, denominationally, since you said you are a part of a church?

I’m a member of a Black Baptist church here in Atlanta.

But my faith is rooted in the teachings of Jesus, the wisdom of my ancestors and the power of Black womanhood.

I am spiritually fluid. There are traditions I draw from that also work in tandem with Christianity for me. I deeply revere the customs of the African traditional religions and ancestral veneration. I met with a Buddhist spiritual community every Sunday for a year and a half. There are practices from that community I still hold and engage in. I consider myself to be a seeker. And so I believe Spirit is everywhere.

So what is Spirit to you?

Spirit is God. It is the divine power that guides all of our life. I use God and Spirit interchangeably. In church

contexts, I’ll just say “God.” But in a much broader context, I say “Spirit.” For me, Spirit is the best way to articulate the force that grounds my fluidity and is always calling me home and is always calling me higher.

And that Spirit is what I have been able to find everywhere I have looked for it.

You note that you reached a settlement with a predominantly white seminary that refused to give you leave after your mother’s death or to give you a different apartment after you suffered a sexual assault. How did that shape your view of institutional theological education and your future in general?

It first taught me that within theological education, that people can write and preach about Jesus all day and not know him. At the end of the day, these are still rich, white powerful institutions and I’m still a Black woman. And in this country and in this world, rich, white powerful institutions despise free Black women. I would be lying to you if I said that experience did not scar and jade my perspective of theological institutions.

You reveal you used to be involved with a married man who divorced and then married another woman. How do you relate your personal experience to the Gospel of John’s account of the woman caught in adultery?

I had to put myself in that moment. I put myself in John’s

account and I was like, ‘OK, so what got Candice here?’

Believing the things he said to me got me there. But there were also parts of my brokenness — dealing with my nonexistent relationship with my father, not ever believing I was good enough.

It was about doing the work, doing the work to expose the broken parts of me and wounded parts of me that caused me to make those kinds of decisions and then press toward healing those so that I made decisions that are always rooted in life and in light.

Your table of contents labels each of your book’s chapters with beauty supplies, from skin care to setting spray. What part of what you call “makeup therapy” is most important to you and is there a way you relate it to spirituality?

Even if I don’t do a full face of makeup, I’m always going to do my lips. From a faith perspective, I always want to speak the truth and I always want to speak boldly and confidently. And I always want to be able to say when I’m wrong and to apologize when I need to.

But sometimes we need the courage to be able to say when we’re wrong, the courage to be able to name when we’re questioning, the courage to be able to name when we’re struggling. And so, for me, that’s what I always want to endeavor to do is tell the truth.

Moore Street Missionary

Riverview

Baptist Church

Baptist Church

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

Dr. Alonza L. Lawrence, Pastor

Via Conference Call (202) 926-1127 Pin 572890# Virtual Sunday Morning Service on FACEBOOK and YouTube 2604 Idlewood Avenue Richmond, Va. 23220 (804) 353-6135 www.riverviewbaptistch.org

“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

Sunday School – 9:30 AM Sunday Services – 11:00 AM

#

“Your Home In God’s Kingdom”

Rev. Dr. Stephen L. Hewlett, Pastor

Good Shepherd Baptist Church 1127 North 28th St., Richmond, VA 23223 s Office: (804) 644-1402 Dr. Sylvester T. Smith, Pastor “There’s A Place for You”

+PJO VT BU ". FBDI TU BOE SE 4VOEBZ GPS JO QFSTPO XPSTIJQ TFSWJDF <RX PD\ FRQWLQXH WR OLYH VWUHDP RQ <RX7XEH *RRG 6KHSKHUG %DSWLVW &KXUFK 59$

https://youtu.be/qqzhnIEQyQc for inspirational messages from Pastor Smith

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

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

“Due to the Corona Virus Pandemic, Services Are Cancelled, until further notice; but, please join us, by visiting BRBCOnline.org or YouTube (Broad Rock Baptist Church).”

“MAKE IT HAPPEN” Pastor Kevin Cook Weekly Worship: Sundays @ 10:30 A.M. Church School: Sundays @ 9:00 A.M. Bible Study: Wednesdays @ Noon & 6:30 P.M.

C

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

Thirty-first Street Baptist Church

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

Back Inside Sundays Join us for 10:00 AM Worship Service

e with Reverence elevanc R g in Rev. Dr. Joshua Mitchell, Senior Pastor bin ❖ om

The doors of the church are open for worship!

No registration required.

Join us in person or online on Facebook or YouTube

10:30 a.m. Sundays

Live on Facebook @sixthbaptistrva Live on Youtube @sixthbaptistrva Or by visiting our website www.sixthbaptistchurch.org 400 South Addison Street Richmond, Va. 23220

(near Byrd Park)

Rev. Dr. Yvonne Jones Bibbs, Pastor

(804) 359-1691 or 359-3498 Facebook Fax (804) 359-3798 sixthbaptistrva www.sixthbaptistchurch.org

823 North 31st Street Richmond, VA 23223 (804) 226-0150 Office

Richmond Free Press

B6 January 20-22, 2022

Legal Notices/Employment Opportunities

Candice D. Reid City Clerk

Citizens are encouraged to provide their comments in writing Continued on next column

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BEFORE THE RICHMOND REDEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING AUTHORITY ON PROPOSED PRIVATE ACTIVITY BOND FINANCING FOR SWANSBORO APARTMENTS MULTIFAMILY HOUSING FACILITY

The public hearing, which may be continued or adjourned, will be held at 6:00 p.m. on January 26, 2022, before representatives of the Authority. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, in accordance with applicable federal and Virginia law, the public hearing will be conducted through conference call. Members of the public may witness and participate in the public hearing by using the dial-in number and conference code set forth below.

DIAL-IN NUMBER: 1-415-655-0001 CONFERENCE CODE: 24364501577# The public hearing will provide an opportunity for interested persons to be heard. Interested persons wishing to express their views on the issuance of the proposed private activity bonds may also submit written comments prior to the time of the hearing to the Authority’s co-bond counsel, Michael W. Graff, Jr., Esq., 1750 7\VRQV %RXOHYDUG 6XLWH 7\VRQV 9LUJLQLD DQG 1DQF\ *ULI¿Q &KDPEOLVV Esq., 707 East Main Street, Suite 1000, Richmond, Virginia 23219. The hearing shall provide the fullest opportunity for the expression of opinion and for argument on the merits on the issuance of the proposed private activity bonds.

RICHMOND REDEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING AUTHORITY

to the Richmond Free Press City _____________ State____ Zip _______

The proposed private activity bonds will not pledge the credit or the taxing power of the Authority or the City of Richmond, Virginia, but will be payable solely from the revenues derived from the Borrower and pledged therefor.

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Address ______________________________

Notice is hereby given that the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority (the “Authority”), the address for which is 901 Chamberlayne Parkway, Richmond, Virginia 23220, will hold a public hearing on the request of VST Swansboro LLC, a Virginia limited liability company (the “Borrower”), whose address is 101 West Commerce Road, Richmond, Virginia 23224, for the issuance E\ WKH $XWKRULW\ RI XS WR RI LWV UHYHQXH ERQGV WR ¿QDQFH RU UH¿QDQFH D portion of the cost of acquiring, constructing, renovating, rehabilitating and equipping a multifamily residential rental housing project consisting of three buildings containing approximately 62 dwelling units representing approximately 45,635 net rentable square feet to be known as Swansboro Apartments (the “Project”) located on approximately 2.205 acres at 3600 and 3601 East Broad Rock Road in the City of 5LFKPRQG 9LUJLQLD 7KH 3URMHFW ZLOO PHHW WKH UHTXLUHPHQWV RI D TXDOL¿HG UHVLGHQWLDO rental project within the meaning of Section 142(d) of the Internal Revenue Code of DV DPHQGHG 7KH 3URMHFW ZLOO EH RZQHG E\ WKH %RUURZHU RU DQ DI¿OLDWH RI WKH Borrower.

Mail completed coupon(s) to: Richmond Free Press, P.O. Box 27709, Richmond, VA 23261

Copies of the full text of all ordinances are available by visiting the City Clerk’s page on the City’s Website at http:// www.richmondgov.com/ CityClerk/index.aspx.

Interested citizens who wish to speak at the Richmond City Council meeting will be given an opportunity to do so by following the public participation instructions provided on the February 14, 2022 Richmond City Council Formal meeting agenda.

Continued on next column

This notice is to notify all entities government and nongovernment that the fictitious name/trade name/DBA name KRYSSEAN ROMAN SMITH has been registered with the State of _VIRGINIA_ under Registration/file #2103183050764 and in the American Republic/ International with CitySide Records under Registration# 655847989865. The name is claimed and held under Trust.

Infringement fees apply for violators.

For a copy of the full Registration Notices or if you have any adverse claim, you may contact Trustee Prince Saladine of the KRYSSEAN ROMAN SMITH TRUST at (757)977-9712 or write to: 663 Orly, Dorval, Quebec, Postal Code H9P 1G1

Your name____________________________

Citizens are encouraged to provide their comments in writing to CityClerksOffice@RVA. GOV in lieu of commenting by teleconference or video conference. The person responsible for receiving comments in writing is Candice D. Reid, City Clerk. All comments received prior to 10:00 a.m. on Monday, February 14, 2022, will be provided to Council members prior to the meeting and will be included in the record of the meeting.

The agenda for the Richmond City Council meeting is accessible through the City’s legislative website at the following web address: https://richmondva. legistar.com/Calendar. aspx. To view the agenda at the web address provided, find and click the link that reads, “Agenda” associated with the February 14, 2022 Richmond City Council Formal meeting listed in the calendar.

Continued on next column

NOTICE

1 year $95

Interested citizens who wish to speak at the Richmond City Council meeting will be given an opportunity to do so by following the public participation instructions provided on the February 14, 2022 Richmond City Council Formal meeting agenda.

The meetings will be streamed live online at the following web address: https://richmondva. legistar.com/Calendar. a s p x . To w a t c h a meeting’s live stream at the web address provided, find and click the link that reads, “In Progress” in the farthest right hand column entitled, “Video”.

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HENRICO MOHAMED S. MAHMOUD, Plaintiff v.

MINA BIAD, Defendant.

Case No.: CL21-7502-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit, brought by Mohamed S.

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE COUNTY OF HENRICO ERIC L. CHANDLER, and LORRAINE M. CHANDLER Plaintiffs, v.

NORMA JEAN DAVIS; COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES DIVISION OF CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT; COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA; LVNV FUNDING LLC; MCV PHYSICIANS fka MCV ASSOCIATED PHYSICIANS; HENRICO FEDERAL CREDIT UNION; BROAD STREET VETERINARY HOSPITAL PC aka BSVH INVESTMENTS, INC.; THE COUNTY OF HENRICO, VIRGINIA; CLARENDON WOODS HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION;

GIVE ONE

The agenda for the Richmond City Council meeting is accessible through the City’s legislative website at the following web address: https://richmondva. legistar.com/Calendar. aspx. To view the agenda at the web address provided, find and click the link that reads, “Agenda” associated with the February 14, 2022 Richmond City Council Formal meeting listed in the calendar.

The meeting will be held through electronic communication means pursuant to the current ongoing declaration of a local emergency concerning the COVID-19 pandemic confirmed by Res. No. 2020-R025, adopted March 16, 2020, and as permitted by section 2.2-3708.2(A)(3) of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. The meetings will be open to participation through electronic communication means by the public and closed to in-person participation by the public.

Less than a quorum of Richmond City Planning Commission members and Richmond City Council will assemble in City Hall, located at 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, and most members and other staff will participate by teleconference/ videoconference via Microsoft Teams.

PROPERTY

I am enclosing a check

Video of the meeting will be streamed live online at the following web address: https:// r i c h m o n d v a . l e g i s t a r. com/Calendar.aspx. To watch the meeting’s live stream at the web address provided, find and click the link that reads, “In Progress” in the farthest right hand column entitled, “Video”.

Ordinance No. 2022-019 To authorize the special use of the property known as 729 St. Christopher’s Road for the purpose of athletic fields illuminated by lighting structures in excess of 35 feet in height, upon certain terms and conditions. The City’s Richmond 300 Master Plan designates the future land use category for the subject property as Institutional. Primary Uses: Institutional, cultural, government, and open space. Secondary Uses: Retail/office/ personal service and multi-family.

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER OLAKEKAN OGIDI, Plaintiff v.

SHANIKA MCNEAL, Defendant.

Case No.: CL21004133-00 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 not a resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia, appear here on or before the 2nd day of March, 2022 at 9:00 AM and protect her interests.

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

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER CHRISTINE GRAY, Plaintiff v.

STEPHEN GRAY, Defendant.

Case No.: CL21004046-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months.

It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 14th day of February, 2022 at 9:00 AM and protect his interests.

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

or money order in that amount.

This meeting will be held through electronic communication means pursuant to the current ongoing declaration of a local emergency concerning the COVID-19 pandemic confirmed by Res. No. 2020-R025, adopted March 16, 2020, and as permitted by section 2.2-3708.2(A)(3) of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. This meeting will be open to participation through electronic communication means by the public and closed to in-person participation by the public.

Less than a quorum of Richmond City Council will assemble in the Council Chamber on the Second Floor of City Hall, located at 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, and most Council members and other staff will participate by teleconference/ videoconference via Microsoft Teams.

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER NAPOLION GETACHEW ABEBE, Plaintiff v.

MAHLET SOLOMON Defendant.

Case No.: CL22000053-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months.

It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 8th day of March, 2022 at 9:00 AM and protect her interests.

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

Please send a gift subscription to: Name______________________________________ Address___________________________Apt._____ City__________________State______ Zip_______

Ordinance No. 2022-016 To amend City Code § 2-331, concerning employee compensation and biennial review, for the purpose of requiring the submission of the results of the review to the Mayor and the Council on a quarterly basis, instead of on a biennial basis, and to add a requirement for the inclusion of information on pay increases and bonuses. (COMMITTEE: Governmental Operations, Wednesday, January 26, 2022, 2:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2022-018 To authorize the special use of the property known as 1127 North 29th Street for the purpose of up to eight singlefamily dwellings and up to four two-family dwellings, with off-street parking, upon certain terms and conditions. The City’s Richmond 300 Master Plan designates the future land use category for the subject property as Neighborhood Mixed Use. Primary Uses: Single-family houses, accessory dwelling units, duplexes, small multifamily buildings (typically 3-10 units), and open space. Secondary Uses: Large multifamily buildings (10+units), r e t a i l / o ff i c e / p e r s o n a l service, institutional, cultural, and government.

The density of the proposed development is approximately 34 units per acre.

Divorce

My order will come to: $__________

Ordinance No. 2021-371 To amend ch. 27, art.

V, div. 1 of the City Code by adding therein a new section 27-132, concerning the use of photo speed monitoring devices in highway work zones and school crossings. (COMMITTEE: Public Safety, Tuesday, January 25, 2022, 12:00 p.m.)

Candice D. Reid City Clerk

Please send my subscription to: Name______________________________________ Address___________________________Apt._____ City__________________State______ Zip_______

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 14, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. to consider the following ordinances:

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-city-clerk.

GET ONE 1 year $99

City of Richmond, Virginia CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC NOTICE

Ordinance No. 2022-017 To r e z o n e c e r t a i n properties along West Broad Street from the B-2 Community Business District, B-3 General Business District, R-53 Multifamily Residential District, R-73 Multifamily Residential District, RO-1 Residential-Office District, and RO-2 ResidentialOffice District to the TOD-1 Transit-Oriented Nodal District, and to designate certain street blocks as “priority streets” and certain street blocks as “street-oriented commercial streets” along and near West Broad Street.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE This constitutes actual and constructive notice of the copyright protections for the assume name/ tradename/trademark/ ÀFWLWLRXV QDPH '%$ .5<6($1 520$1 60,7+ 5HJLVWHUHG ZLWK the state of Virginia under ,' 1XPEHU DQG LQ WKH $PHULFDQ 5HSXEOLF LQWHUQDWLRQDO ZLWK &LW\VLGH 5HFRUGV XQGHU UHJLVWUDWLRQ QXPEHU RULJLQDO expression created on or DERXW $XJXVW ZLWK DOO ULJKWV UHVHUYHG KHOG E\ .U\VHDQ 5RPDQ 6PLWK IRU WKH .5<66($1 520$1 60,7+ (67$7( DQG .5<66($1 520$1 60,7+ 75867 KHUHLQ DIWHU 7UXVW GRPLFLOLQJ 6DLQW 1RUIRON 9LUJLQLD 5HSXEOLF 6DLG FRPPRQ ODZ WUDGH QDPH WUDGH PDUN PD\ QRW EH XVHG SULQWHG GXSOLFDWHG WUDQVPLWWHG GLVSOD\HG QHLWKHU LQ ZKROH QRU SDUW QRU LQ DQ\ PDQQHU ZKDWVRHYHU ZLWKRXW WKH SULRU H[SUHVV ZULWWHQ FRQVHQW DQ DFNQRZOHGJHPHQW RI WKH 7UXVW KHUHLQDIWHU ´6HFXUH 3DUW\ µ :LWK WKH LQWHQW RI EHLQJ FRQWUDFWXDOO\ ERXQG DQ\ MXULVWLF SHUVRQ DV ZHOO DV WKH DJHQW RI VDLG MXULVWLF SHUVRQ DVVHQWV FRQVHQWV DQG agrees that neither said MXULVWLF SHUVRQ QRU WKH agent of said juristic SHUVRQ VKDOO GLVSOD\ QRU RWKHUZLVH XVH LQ DQ\ PDQQHU WKH WUDGHQDPH WUDGHPDUN QRU WKH FRPPRQ ODZ FRS\ULJKW GHVFULEHG KHUHLQ QRU DQ\ GHULYDWLYH YDULDWLRQ and/or spelling and SULQWLQJ RI .5<66($1 520$1 60,7+ DQG QRW OLPLWHG WR DOO GHULYDWLYHV YDULDWLRQV LQ WKH VSHOOLQJ DEEUHYLDWLQJ XSSHU ORZHU FDVH UHQGHULQJ DQG ZULWLQJ RI VDLG WUDGH QDPH WUDGHPDUN 6HFXUHG 3DUW\ QHLWKHU DVVHQWV QRU FRQWHQWV QRU DJUHHV ZLWK QRU JUDQWV QRU LPSOLHV any authorization for; any unauthorized use of WUDGHQDPH WUDGHPDUN and all unauthorized use LV VWULFWO\ SURKLELWHG 0XWXDO $VVHQW ,PSOLHG DQG ([SUHVV &RQWUDFW ([HFXWHG E\ 8QDXWKRUL]HG 8VH RI 6HFXUHG 3DUW\·V &RPPRQ /DZ &RS\ULJKWHG 3URSHUW\ 6HOI ([HFXWLQJ 6HFXULW\ $JUHHPHQW LQ (YHQW RI 8QDXWKRUL]HG 8VH RI 6HFXUHG 3DUW\·V &RPPRQ /DZ &RS\ULJKWHG 3URSHUW\ %\ WKHH WHUP ERWK WKH person and the agent of said person engaging in unauthorized use of FRS\ULJKWHG SURSHUW\ hereinafter jointly referred WR DV WKH ´,QWHUORSHUµ GRHV DVVHQW FRQVHQW DQG agree that any use of the WUDGHQDPH WUDGH PDUN except the authorized XVH DV VHW DERYH constitutes unauthorized XVH XQDXWKRUL]HG UHSURGXFWLRQ FRS\ULJKW LQIULQJHPHQW DQG FRXQWHUIHLWLQJ RI 6HFXUHG 3DUW\·V &RPPRQ /DZ &RS\ULJKWHG 3URSHUW\ LV FRQWUDFWXDOO\ ELQGLQJ upon said Third Party ,QWHUORSHU VHFXULQJ an interest in said ,QWHUORSHU·V DVVHWV ODQG and personal property for equal consideration and not less than EDVHG on the estimated value of the secured tradename/ WUDGH PDUN DW WLPH RI WKLV QRWLFH $Q\ SHUVRQ FODLPLQJ DQ DGYHUVH LQWHUHVW FKDOOHQJLQJ RU UHEXWWLQJ the rights of the Secured 3DUW\ PD\ ZULWH WR WKH 7UXVW LQ FDUH RI .U\VHDQ 5RPDQ 6PLWK F R 3URHVFKHU 6W 1RUIRON 9LUJLQLD 5HSXEOLF QRQ GRPHVWLF ZLWKRXW WKH 86

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VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER CHRISTOPHER MOORE, Plaintiff v.

JESSICA DAMERON, Defendant.

Case No.: CL21004026-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months.

It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 14th day of February, 2022 at 9:00 AM and protect his interests.

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

Commonwealth of Virginia

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to CityClerksOffice@ r i c h m o n d g o v. c o m i n lieu of commenting by teleconference or video conference. The person responsible for receiving comments in writing is Candice D. Reid, City Clerk. All comments received prior to 10:00 a . m . o n M o n d a y, February 14, 2022, will be provided to Council members prior to the meeting and will be included in the record of the meeting.

The People’s Paper.

644-0496

Continued from previous column

LENDMARK FINANCIAL SERVICES; CAPITAL ONE BANK USA NA; HEIRS OF W.B. DAVIS The Unknown heirs, descendants, devisees, assigns, and/ or successors in title to W.B. Davis, if any there be, the consorts of any of the said unknown heirs who are married, the lien creditors of the said unknown heirs, if any, and other persons who may have an interest in the subject matter of this suit, whose names are unknown and are included in the general description of “UNKNOWN HEIRS and PARTIES UNKNOWN”; and PARTIES UNKNOWN Defendants.

Case No.: CL-21-7912 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to sell a certain parcel of real property situated in the County of Henrico, being originally owned by W.B. Davis and Eric L. Chandler and Lorraine M. Chandler, husband and wife, more particularly described as follows:

ALL that said piece or parcel of land with all the buildings and improvements thereon, situate, lying and being in the County of Henrico, State of Virginia, on the Central Turnpike (sometimes known as Darbytown Road) containing three acres, more or less, being the same property conveyed to Charles Gordon, deceased, by John R. Pocklington and E. G. Pocklington, his wife, by deed dated July 10, 1885, and recorded in the Clerk’s Office of the Circuit Court of Henrico County, Virginia in Deed Book 11, page 44.

W.B. Davis and the unknown heirs, devisees, and/or successors in title to W. B. Davis, may have an interest in the property by deed, by inheritance, or by duly recorded liens.

Affidavit having been made and filed that due diligence has been used without effect to ascertain the identities and/or locations of certain parties to be served, and that there are or may be persons whose names are unknown, interested in the subject matter of this suit;

It is ORDERED that W.B. Davis, et al., if then living or if dead, their heirs, devisees, assigns, or successors in title, and other unknown heirs or parties who have an interest in the subject matter of this suit, who are proceeded against as UNKNOWN HEIRS OF W.B. DAVIS and PARTIES UNKNOWN, appear before Court on or before February 28, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. to protect their interests, if any, in this suit.

I ask for this: Curtis D. Gordon, Esquire, V.S.B. # 25325 DANKOS, GORDON & TUCKER, P.C. 1360 E. Parham Road, Suite 200 Richmond, Virginia 23228 Telephone: (804) 377-7424 Facsimile: (804) 262-8088 Email: cgordon@dankosgordon.com Counsel for Plaintiffs

Richmond Free Press

call

Continued from previous column

Mahmoud, is a Complaint for Divorce.

It appearing from an affidavit that the Defendant, Mina Biad, is a nonresident individual; it is hereby ORDERED that the Defendant appear before this Court on or before the 7th day of February, 2022, to protect her interest herein.

An Extract Teste: HEIDI S. BARSHINGER, Clerk

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Richmond Free Press

PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given that the City of Richmond Planning Commission has scheduled a public hearing, open to all interested citizens, on Monday, February 7, 2022 at 1:30 p.m. and the Council of the City of Richmond has scheduled a public hearing on Monday, February 14, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. to consider the following ordinances:

Continued from previous column

For your convenience, the Richmond Free Press offers you the opportunity to receive the Richmond Free Press in the mail.

To advertise in the

City of Richmond, Virginia CITY COUNCIL

4GSWGUV HQT 3WCNKƂECVKQPU HQT %QPUVTWEVKQP /CPCIGT CV 4KUM 5GTXKEGU Virginia Museum of Fine Arts New Expansion and Renovation 2TQLGEV The Department of General Services is seeking sealed Construction Manager at Risk SWCNKƂECVKQPU HQT 8KTIKPKC /WUGWO QH (KPG #TVU approximately 173,000 sq. ft. New Expansion and approximately 45,000 sq. ft. Renovation.

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EMPLOYMENT

CarMax Auto Superstores Services, Inc. seeks a Senior Data Engineer in Richmond, VA to work with store associates. Reqs. ^нϱ LJƌƐ͘ ĞdžƉ͘ ϭϬϬй ƚĞůĞĐŽŵŵƵƟŶŐ͗ Reports to company headquarters in Richmond, VA. Can work remotely or telecommute. Applicants can apply on ŚƩƉƐ͗ͬ​ͬĐĂƌĞĞƌƐ͘ĐĂƌŵĂdž͘ĐŽŵ͘ :Žď ƉŽƐƟŶŐ ƌĞƋƵŝƐŝƟŽŶη :ZͲϬϴϮϱϳϴ͘

Thank you for your interest in applying for opportunities with The City of Richmond.

To see what opportunities are available, please refer to our website at www.richmondgov.com.

EOE M/F/D/V

Minister of Children and Youth Salary Commensurate with Experience Mount Olive Baptist Church in Glen Allen is seeking a part-time Minister of Children and Youth to oversee the children and youth ministry.

Must possess strong interpersonal and communication skills. Preferred candidate must be a license minister with a consistent Christian character and lifestyle.

This position will be opened until filled.

Previous applicants do not need to reapply.

Applicants may pick up an application from the church office or submit a resume in lie of an application to: Mount Olive Baptist Church, 8775 Mount Olive Avenue, Glen Allen, Virginia 23060. The e-mail address is mstyles@mobcva.org, and the fax is (804) 262-9614 ext. 227 For more information please call (804) 262-9614 A Criminal History Background Check is required.

Senior Systems Engineer: Perform mechanical engineering duties in the planning, analysis & design of industrial centrifugal pumping systems, processes & controls: analyze systems requirements, evaluate systems feasibility & create system & process designs, specs. & simulations; develop models of alternate designs & perform systems & performance testing to ensure quality, completeness & suitability; advise on systems commissioning, startup & maintenance; & implement operating procedures & practices for the operation & maintenance of pumping systems. Req. a Bachelor’s Degree (a U.S. degree or a foreign degree equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree) in Mechanical Engineering, plus at least 2 years (24 months) of experience as an engineer (any job title(s) acceptable) responsible for the mechanical engineering of industrial centrifugal pumping systems, processes & controls (including at least 24 months of exp. responsible for advising on or overseeing systems commissioning, startup & maintenance, & 24 months of exp. implementing operating procedures & practices for the operation & maintenance of pumping systems). Will accept a U.S. degree or a foreign degree evaluated to be equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree in Mechanical (QJLQHHULQJ E\ D TXDOL¿HG FUHGHQWLDOV HYDOXDWLRQ service. Geographic area of employment (worksite): Henrico, VA (Richmond, VA metropolitan area).

Address of worksite (place of employment) is 4415 Sarellen Road, Henrico, VA 23231. Send resume or report to: KSB, Inc. (Attention: Susan Brooks), 4415 Sarellen Road, Henrico, VA 23231 or fax to (804) 441-8227 or email to susan.brooks@ksb.com IT: Glen Allen, VA: Senior Software Engineer: Dsgn, devel, test, & impl bus apps using Ab Initio, Alteryx, IBM Optim, Hydrograph, DataStage.

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