Richmond Free Press July 13-15, 2023 edition

Free Press

In Creighton Court

August

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

One of Richmond’s most colorful figures in entertainment and politics has died.

August Moon, a dancer, singer, producer and R&B pioneer who also garnered wide attention for his radio and TV talk shows on city politics, succumbed to ill health that had plagued him for years early Wednesday, July 12, 2023 his family said. He was 85.

Named Alexander Randolph when he was born into a poor Richmond family in 1937, Mr. Moon would go on to perform and record under a variety of stage names, “Mr. Wiggles,” “Little Red” and “Dickie Diamond.”

He ultimately adopted — and stuck with — August Moon. He chose the name because it included his birth month, and he likened Moon as something involved with entertainment.

Standing between the old and the new Creighton Court communities on Tuesday are members of the Creighton Court Tenants Council. Sharon Herman, 66, left, a Creighton Court resident for more than 20 years, is the Creighton Court Tenant Council’s secretary; Marilyn Olds, 73, center, has been a resident of Creighton Court since she was 4 years old and a lease holder for at least 55 years. She is the president of the Richmond Tenant Organization and the Creighton Court Tenant Council. Jayne Harris, 66, who became a resident of Creighton Court as a fifth-grader and has lived there on and off as an adult, is the Creighton Court Tenant Council’s treasurer.

Built out or left out?

By Darlene M. Johnson

After 69 years, Marilyn Olds, president of both the Richmond Tenant Organization and the Creighton Court Tenant Council, has bid farewell to her home in Creighton Court.

Now 73, she said she “cried like a baby” when she saw the foundation and trees gone from where she lived almost her entire life.

“It hurt,” Ms. Olds said. “The thing about it is when they build it back up and you drive by and can’t get in, it’s going to hurt.”

Ms. Olds’ unit was one of 32 units demolished as part of phase one of the Creighton Court redevelopment, which will be rebuilt with 68 new apartment units.

Daddy’s girl

She chose to temporarily relocate to a different part of Creighton Court until the redevelopment of her former residential area is complete. The installation of new infrastructure

started earlier this year and will continue through 2024, even as initial construction of new residences begins, according to the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority.

Under RRHA’s plan, the installation of new infrastructure, which includes new streets, alleys, underground piping and electrical systems, will be done in three phases, while the development of the new apartments and homes will be accomplished in 11 phases.

Residents in phase two of the infrastructure replacement program are in the process of being relocated, RRHA has stated.

Residents had the option to stay in Creighton Court, receive vouchers to

In the music world, he is most associated with “Seven Minutes of Funk” which he co-produced with Richmond performer Tyrone Thomas while managing the interracial Richmond-based group The Whole Darn Family.

The extended song with its distinctive bass line has been recognized as a foundational sampling piece for rap and hip-hop. The online Discogs reports the music’s use in 34 popular pieces, including recordings from the likes of Grandmaster Flash, Wu-Tang Clan, Coolio, Redman, Jay Z, Foxy Brown, Gravediggaz, ThaAlkholiks, Faith Evans, Dru Down, Jodeci and EPMD.

Mr. Moon may have been best known in his hometown for his “Tell It Like It Is” television talk show that ran for more than eight years on Comcast’s public access channel. He interviewed activists, city officials, police and fire chiefs

Free community testing for COVID-19 continues

The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following locations:

• Thursday, July 13, 1 to 5 p.m. - Henrico Arms Apartments, 1566 Edgelawn Circle.

• Friday, July 14, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Southside Women, Infant and Children Office, 509 E. Southside Plaza.

Please be aware that the above dates are pending, and testing events may be canceled.

Call the Richmond and Henrico COVID-19 Hotline at (804)

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Judge dismisses lawsuit seeking reparations for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre

The Associated Press

An Oklahoma judge has thrown out a lawsuit seeking reparations for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, dashing an effort to obtain some measure of legal justice by survivors of the deadly racist rampage.

Judge Caroline Wall on Friday dismissed with prejudice the lawsuit trying to force the city and others to make recompense for the destruction of the once-thriving Black district known as Greenwood.

The order comes in a case by three survivors of the attack, who are all now over 100 years old and sued in 2020 with the hope of seeing what their attorney called “justice in their lifetime.”

Naomi Folks, 3, and her father, Royce Folks, both of Midlothian, enjoy an art activity during the Virginia Folklife Program of Virginia Humanities celebration last Saturday at the Library of Virginia. In between the fun activities, Naomi delighted the crowd with her moves while dancing to the sounds of Kadencia’s Afro-Puerto Rican music. More photos on B2.

Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum said in a statement that the city has yet to receive the full court order. “The city remains committed to finding the graves of 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre victims, fostering economic investment in the Greenwood District, educating future generations about the worst event in our community’s history, and building a city where every person has an equal opportunity for a great life,” he said.

A lawyer for the survivors — Lessie Benningfield Randle, Viola Fletcher and Hughes Van Ellis — did not say Sunday whether they plan to appeal. But a group supporting the lawsuit suggested they are likely to challenge Judge Wall’s

decision.

“Judge Wall effectively condemned the three living Tulsa Race Massacre Survivors to languish — genuinely to death — on

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School Board considers safety plan after shooting

By George Copeland Jr.

The Richmond School Board is considering a multimillion dollar plan to ensure safety and security following a fatal shooting after Huguenot High School’s graduation in Monroe Park last month. Two people were killed and five others were wounded. The Care & Safety Plan was presented this week during the board’s regular meeting.

The plan outlined a 24-page, 15-point series of proposals totaling more than $2.5 million to address gaps in security and ways to improve student, teacher and community welfare. Proposals include more X-ray scanners and metal detectors, collaboration with the police and fire departments for external

reviews, and hiring 24 more mental health professionals to meet the needs of students and teachers.

However, the plan failed to provide what several board members believe are necessary solutions.

“It seems like this presentation is a Band-Aid right after one incident where we made national headlines and we lost two lives,” 2nd District School Board Member Mariah White said. “You were not prepared for this event. You were not ready.”

Ms. White added that the plan outlined so far lacked consid-

eration for mutual aid, ESL students and the local organizations that could collaborate on safety initiatives, with undue focus on less important problems and flawed solutions like metal detectors. She also stressed the need for training among RPS officials for events like the shooting and others.

Board Chair Stephanie Rizzi said several of the measures proposed were too punitive for her liking, and risked treating students as potential threats over recognizing their actions as the result

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Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Mr. Moon

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

‘Just because we’re public housing (residents) does not make us any less’

Ms. White

Moon, a man of many names and vocations, dies at age 85

Viola Ford Fletcher and Hughes Von Ellis are survivors of the Tulsa Massacre.

Ms. Rizzi

Librarian of Virginia announces retirement plans

Search begins for her successor

Free Press staff report

The Library of Virginia Board will embark on a national search for the 10th librarian of Virginia after Sandra Gioia Treadway announced her intent to retire by the end of the calendar year. Dr. Treadway has spent 45 years with the agency.

“We are profoundly grateful for Dr. Treadway’s outstanding service and dedication to the Library of Virginia,” said C. Paul Brockwell Jr., chair of the Library Board. “It is essential that we find a new leader who can build on Sandy’s legacy and keep moving the Library’s work forward as it reaches and serves new audiences across the commonwealth.”

A renowned historian, Dr. Treadway has served as librarian of Virginia for the past 16 years and was deputy librarian for 11 years prior to that. She joined the Library in 1978 as an associate editor of publications and went on to serve in various positions before being named the state librarian in 2007. In this role, she oversees the Library’s comprehensive collection of print and manuscript materials documenting the history, culture and government of Virginia.

During her tenure, the Library achieved significant growth in the digitization and accessibility of its records, opening new windows to the past for diverse audiences through projects such as Virginia Untold:

The African American Narrative and Making History with LVA, a volunteer transcription program. The Library also expanded onsite public programming to draw new audiences to its facility and strengthened outreach to communities statewide with the launch of its mobile van, LVA On the Go, in 2023. Her retirement comes as the Library prepares to conclude a yearlong celebration of its 200th anniversary with a special series of events and programs.

“It has been an honor to lead an organization of such importance to the commonwealth and the nation,” Dr. Treadway said. “As a librarian and a historian, I appreciate the richness and scope of the Library’s vast collections and the extraordinary expertise of our dedicated staff. It has been exciting to watch our progress over the years in making the Library’s holdings more widely accessible through innovative programs, exhibitions and digital projects.

“Working to strengthen relationships within state government and the wider library and cultural community has been immensely gratifying. And I can’t think of a better way to cap off my career than to help the Library share the stories of Virginians from all corners of the commonwealth and all walks of life as we celebrate our 200th anniversary.”

Dr. Treadway also led the Library’s involvement in several of Virginia’s most important historical commemorations, such as the work of Jamestown 2007; the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission; the Virginia Bicentennial of the War of 1812 Commission; and American Evolution, 2019.

“We are thankful for Sandy’s steadfast leadership and for her work to build a capable, dedicated and enthusiastic team to carry out the Library’s important missions,” said Blythe Ann Scott, vice chair of the Library Board. “She is admired across the country for her wealth of historical knowledge and passion for unlocking inspiration and new knowledge in the Library’s vast collection of Virginia history.”

Mr. Brockwell has appointed a search committee comprised of board members that is organizing this month to begin the search for Dr. Treadway’s successor. He said he looks forward to collaborating with the Office of the Secretary of Education on the effort to recruit the next state librarian.

“Sandy will be a tough act to follow and leaves big shoes to fill,” Mr. Brockwell said. “Our board is committed to finding an excellent tenth Librarian of Virginia who can continue her hallmarks of outstanding servant-leadership for the Library and the many people it serves across Virginia.”

For the fifth consecutive year, the Virginia War Memorial is honoring the nearly 12,000 Virginia men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice in service to Virginia and the United States by planting 12,000 American flags on the hill alongside the Shrine of Memory. The flags were placed on the hill June 23 by more than 150 volunteers, including Virginia’s First Lady Suzanne Youngkin, soldiers from Fort Gregg-Adams and various Boy Scouts troops. Volunteers are needed to help removed them tomorrow.

Cityscape Slices of life and scenes in Richmond

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

“We are again asking for your assistance in helping the Virginia War Memorial recruit volunteers to assist in removing the flags on Friday, July 14, at 8 a.m.,” said Jeb Hockman, senior communications adviser, Virginia Department of Veterans Services.

Volunteers may show up at Virginia War Memorial, 621 S. Belvidere St. to help with this effort. More information is available at www.vawarmemorial.org/events/ hillofheroesday/ or by calling 804.362.2333.

Average White Band headlines this year’s 2nd Street Festival

Beloved festival celebrates 35 years in Historic Jackson Ward

Free Press staff report

The 2nd Street Festival will marks its 35th anniversary when it returns Oct. 7-8 to historic Jackson Ward.

Over the years, the Venture Richmond Events festival has grown to be one of the MidAtlantic’s largest street festivals during which thousands visit Historic Jackson Ward to reminisce about the days when 2nd Street was the heart and soul of Richmond’s African-American community and was known as “the Harlem of the South.”

The 2nd Street Festival is an annual celebration that features three stages of live musical entertainment along with a Kidz Zone, popular food vendors, a marketplace and Artists Row to shop, and the Richmond Metropolitan Antique Car Club.

This year’s festival features the headlining Average White Band on Saturday, Oct. 7, and several other artists will be showcased over the two-day event.

By Caroline Reinhart

A GRTC bus makes a splash at the intersections of Broad Street and Commonwealth Avenue after a torrential downpour in Richmond and surrounding areas on July 8.

Such rainfall, causing flash flood warnings, is caused by warm air masses that can hold much more moisture than cooler ones, leading to a longer, heavier rainfall. As climate change worsens, Virginia and other parts of the world must prepare for frequent and extreme weather events. For example, the world experienced the hottest average global temperatures

Average White Band

Saturday’s Headliner

Average White Band Regarded as one of the top soul, R&B and jazz-funk groups, and first known for the timeless instrumental hit “Pick Up the Pieces,” the Average White Band’s appeal lies in their diverse songwriting and unique approach to rhythm and blues. With multiple gold and platinum albums and three Grammy nominations on the legendary Atlantic label, they were the first Brits to top the U.S. Top 100 singles, albums

for four days straight during the first week of July. In Richmond, July historically is the hottest month in Richmond, and next week will follow that pattern with 90-plus temperatures and periodic thunderstorms.

Meanwhile, extreme heat seen in other parts of the country is caused by anthropogenic climate change and is exacerbated by El Niño, the naturally occurring warming phase of the surface waters in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. These two factors are likely to not only raise temperatures for the rest of the summer but also increase the risk of flooding.

Jury decides 2014 document found in

The Associated Press PONTIAC, Mich.

A document handwritten by singer Aretha Franklin and found in her couch after her 2018 death is a valid Michigan will, a jury said Tuesday, a critical turn in a dispute that has turned her sons against each other.

It’s a victory for Kecalf Franklin and Edward Franklin, whose lawyers had argued that papers dated 2014 should override a 2010 will that was discovered around the same time in a locked cabinet at the Queen of Soul’s home in suburban Detroit.

The jury deliberated less than an hour after a brief trial that started Monday. After the verdict was read, Aretha Franklin’s grandchildren stepped forward from the first row to hug Kecalf and Edward.

“I’m very, very happy. I just wanted my mother’s wishes to be adhered to,” Kecalf Franklin said. “We just want to exhale right now. It’s been a long five years for my family, my children.”

Aretha Franklin was a global star for decades, known especially for hits like “Think,” “I Say a Little Prayer” and “Respect.” She did not leave behind a formal, typewritten will when she died five years ago at age 76.

But documents, with scribbles and hard-todecipher passages, emerged in 2019 when a

A Pontiac, Mich., jury deliberated for less than an hour after a brief trial that started Monday involving a dispute among Aretha Franklin’s children about the validity to a will dated 2010 and another dated 2014. After the verdict favoring the handwritten 2014 will was read, Ms. Franklin’s grandchildren stepped forward from the first row to hug Kecalf and Edward Franklin, two of the late singer’s sons.

niece scoured the home for records.

In closing arguments, lawyers for Kecalf and Edward Franklin said the fact that the 2014 papers were found in a notebook in couch cushions did not make them less significant.

“You can take your will and leave it on the kitchen counter. It’s still your will,” Charles McKelvie told the jury.

and R&B charts.

The six-piece band took their instrumental cues from R&B giants Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Al Green and Stevie Wonder to create their own authentic R&B blend, which, with the tongue-in- cheek name, happily surprised both black and white audiences alike.

Their singles, “Cut The Cake,” “Queen Of My Soul,” “Walk On By,” “Atlantic Avenue” and “Let’s Go Round Again” had major chart action around the world. Fast-forward two decades and AWB’s unlikely contribution to hip-hop, rap, and modern R&B was sealed by the massive use of their samples from Erik B, Rakim, TLC, IceCube, Diddy and many others. AWB will perform on the

Main Stage at the 2nd Street Festival.

Sunday’s Closing Performance, I Would Die

4U: A Musical Tribute to Prince

As a returning crowd favorite, this musical tribute band brings the electric joy and eclectic funk of Prince’s music to the stage with the recreations of Prince’s greatest hits, funkiest jams and most soulful ballads. Accompanied by his incredibly talented band, Anthony Cosby Jr. takes you on an unforgettable musical journey. Mr. Cosby is a musical theater performer based in Richmond who has performed in over 30 musical productions, including “The Wiz,” “A Chorus Line,” “Sister Act,” “Dreamgirls,” “The Color Purple” and many more. He also has appeared in several episodes of AMC’s hit series “TURN,” the PBS series “Mercy Street,” and Hulu’s latest production, “Dopesick.” More information on the 2nd Street Festival and additional artists performing will follow later this summer, according to Venture Richmond. For up-to-date information about the 2nd Street Festival, please visit: https://venturerichmond. com/our-events/2nd-streetfestival/

I Would Die 4U: A Musical Tribute to Prince

Aretha Franklin’s couch is a valid will

Another lawyer, Craig Smith, pointed to the first line of the document, which was displayed on four large posters in front of the jury.

“Says right here: ‘This is my will.’ She’s speaking from the grave, folks,” Mr. Smith said of Ms. Franklin.

Kecalf and Edward teamed up against brother Ted White II, who favored the 2010 will. Mr. White’s attorney, Kurt Olson, noted the earlier will was under lock and key. He said it was much more important than papers found in a couch.

“We were here to see what the jury would rule. We’ll live with it,” Mr. Olson said after the verdict.

The jury found that the 2014 version was signed by Aretha Franklin, who put a smiley face in the letter “A.”

There still will be discussions over whether some provisions of the 2010 will should be fulfilled and whether Kecalf Franklin could become executor of the estate. Judge Jennifer Callaghan told all sides to file briefs and attend a status conference next week.

Ms. Franklin’s estate managers have been paying bills, settling millions in tax debts and generating income through music royalties and other intellectual property. The will dispute, however, has been unfinished business.

There are differences between the 2010 and 2014 versions, though they both appear to indi-

cate that Ms. Franklin’s four sons would share income from music and copyrights.

But under the 2014 will, Kecalf Franklin and the grandchildren would get his mother’s main home in Bloomfield Hills, which was valued at $1.1 million when she died but is worth much more today.

The older will said Kecalf, 53, and Edward Franklin, 64, “must take business classes and get a certificate or a degree” to benefit from the estate. That provision is not in the 2014 version.

Mr. White, who played guitar with Aretha Franklin, testified against the 2014 will, saying his mother typically would get important documents done “conventionally and legally” and with assistance from an attorney. He did not immediately comment after the verdict.

The sharpest remarks of the trial came from Mr. Smith, who represented Edward Franklin. He told the jury that Mr. White “wants to disinherit his two brothers. Teddy wants it all.”

Kecalf Franklin sat near Mr. White during the trial but they did not appear to speak to each other.

“I love my brother with all my heart,” Kecalf Franklin said outside court when asked if there was a rift.

Aretha Franklin’s other son, Clarence Franklin, lives under guardianship in an assisted living center and did not participate in the trial.

The air up there

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Dr. Treadwell

Bright Minds RVA to enlighten teens with chess

The Bright Minds RVA Chess Classes and Tournament for Richmond area teens will take place Aug. 7 through 17 at the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, 122 W. Leigh St.

The classes, Monday through Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., seek to teach students of all experience levels the fundamentals of chess as they participate in classes and a friendly competition tournament. The deadline to enroll is July 28.

Created in 2020 and officially launched in 2021, Bright Minds RVA was formed by Bernice

Free Press staff report

The Library of Virginia’s Carole Weinstein Author Series continues this summer with free talks from experts on regional culture and history.

Erica Abrams Locklear will discuss her book “Appalachia on the Table: Representing Mountain Food and People” at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 27. She will be followed by historian Kidada Williams, with her book, “I Saw Death Coming: A History of Terror and Survival in the War Against Reconstruction,” at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 2. Both discussions will take place at

Travers, president of the Bernice E. Travers Foundation, and Fleming E. Samuels, a former Richmond Public Schools administrator and creator of multiple chess clubs for local schools. Mr. Samuels will be the instructor during the two-week training in which participants, ages 14 to 16, will be placed in beginner, intermediate and advanced sections based on their experience.

Participants will be trained to compete in the RVA

the Library of Virginia, 800

E. Broad St.

Mrs. Locklear is a professor of English and the Thomas Howerton Distinguished Professor of Humanities at the University of North CarolinaAsheville. Her book focuses on the representation of foods consumed, implied moral judgments about those foods and how those judgments shape reader perceptions of those depicted. She also is the author of “Negotiating a Perilous Empowerment: Appalachian Women’s Literacies.” Ms. Williams, an associate professor of history at

Wayne State University, is a writer and historian who studies what happened to African-American survivors of racist violence. Her book presents a re-examination of the struggle for survival in the Reconstruction-era South. Ms. Williams offers a revelatory and, in some cases, minute-

City-Wide Scholastic Chess Tournament in which cash prizes and trophies will be presented, according to the event organizers. Classes will culminate in a tournament that will award first, second and third place finishers with monetary prizes and trophies for each section. At the end of the two-week period a ceremony and reception will celebrate the achievements of each student.

All classes are free and open to enrolled public school students. Lunch and snacks will be provided.

For more information, please call (804) 814-4434 or email brightmindschessclub@gmail.

by-minute record of nighttime raids and Ku Klux Klan strikes, discussing how the effects of these attacks would linger for generations to come, according to a Library of Virginia news release.

The Carole Weinstein Author Series supports the literary arts by bringing both new and well-

Free Press staff report

Free workshop for clearing records Erica Abrams Locklear, Kidada Williams lead Library of Virginia author talks

known authors to the Library of Virginia. The series focuses on Virginia authors and subjects across all genres and is made possible through support from the Carole Weinstein Endowment for Virginia Authors.

For more information, visit www.lva.virginia.gov/public/ weinstein.

The Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorneys office, Nolef Turns, Justice Forward Virginia and the Richmond Public Law Library will present a free informational workshop on expungement from 1 to 3 p.m., Saturday, July 15, at the Richmond Public Library, 101 E. Franklin St. Refreshments will be provided. Attendees will learn about updates to state law that took effect July 1 and updates to come in 2025. Information on who currently qualifies for expungement and who will benefit from the upcoming changes to the law will also be provided. Experts will cover the necessary steps for expungement. Register at bit.ly/VAExpungeInfo.

What is Unclaimed Property?

Your Primary Care Is

• Primary residence

property

• This program is only available in select market areas

• Available for purchases and eligible refinances

• Gift funds can be used

• Household income limits apply

• Homeownership counseling certificate required prior to closing if a First Time Homebuyer • Can be used in conjunction with other down payment assistance

Ms. Travers

Ms. Locklear Ms. Williams

August Moon, a man of many names and vocations, dies at age 85

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as well as local and national political figures and popularized locally the saying, “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”

Everything was grist for his show, and nothing was off the record. “If I smell it, I’m gonna tell it,” said Mr. Moon, who billed himself as the “Mouth of the South.”

“Richmond lost a giant today,” James E. “J.J.” Minor III, president of the Richmond Branch NAACP, wrote in an email to the Free Press.

“August Moon was not afraid to stand up for what’s right, even if it meant standing alone,” Mr. Minor stated, noting that Mr. Moon “started the ‘Stop The Violence’ movement” in the early 1990s when the city had one of the country’s highest murder rates.

‘He was a voice for the community, South Side and the Hull Street corridor’

Built out or left out in Creighton Court?

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relocate to other developments off-site or move to other RRHA housing, the authority stated.

Ms. Olds, who lives on a fixed income, said it was easier for her to stay in the community than it was to try to start over elsewhere.

She expects some residents living on fixed incomes will experience hardship transitioning out of public housing, given Richmond’s high rents.

The agreement will limit the number of subsidized affordable apartments for households with incomes at 30% or less than the area median income to 126 units. It also will limit the number of units provided to households with annual incomes 60% or less than the area median income to 177 units.

Court since she was a child, does not consider the redevelopment as gentrification but simply necessary renovations.

Mrs. Harris will be relocated as part of the phase two infrastructure work for the Creighton Court redevelopment. She has not received information about exactly where or when she will be relocated.

“His passion and dedication to everything he did was an inspiration,” Mr. Minor continued. “He will forever be imprinted in our hearts.”

She added that she is already receiving calls from residents who do not know where to go after Creighton Court.

“A lot of them are scared and worried,” Ms. Olds said. “You can feel the depression in the air, you can almost see it. This is what happens to a community that’s dying.”

— Enjoli Moon, daughter

“We viewed our dad as a force, who, when he had a vision, followed through,” said his daughter, Enjoli Moon, who spoke for the family.

“He was a voice for the community and for South Side and the Hull Street corridor,” said Ms. Moon, assistant curator for film and public programs at VCU’s Institute for Contemporary Art. She also is the founder and organizer of Richmond’s Afrikana Film Festival and co-founder of the JXN Project to promote Jackson Ward’s history with her sister, Dr. Sesha Joi Moon. Dr. Moon is the director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion with the U.S. House of Representatives.

“We are thankful to have had his example and for being given his spirit,” Ms. Moon said. “We learned from him through his triumphs and through his challenges. He was amazing, though imperfect, and brought everything to the table with love.”

Born during The Great Depression, Mr. Moon grew up in what others described as a two-room shack at Fourth and Maury streets, also known then as Blackwell Bottom.

He dropped out of school, served in the Navy and then found his entertainment calling after returning to Richmond.

As described in a Richmond Magazine article, he became a protégé of Richmond’s pioneering black DJ Allen Knight after repeatedly winning talent shows that Mr. Knight staged at the Hippodrome Theater.

Mr. Knight was able to arrange for “Little Red” to sing and dance on package tours with entertainers such as Ruth Brown, Chuck Berry and Fats Domino. He landed in New Jersey where he appeared in local venues near New York.

Self-taught, Mr. Moon also learned about music production and recording, and would release at least 18 albums on his own labels under his preferred stage name, Mr. Wiggles, as well as recordings for others.

School Board considers safety plan after shooting

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of experiencing pain, and providing ways of mitigating this.

“It looks like we’re headed to a dystopian future,” Ms. Rizzi said. “I don’t want to believe that that is where we’re headed.

“I would like to know or believe that we can address what is harming our students, why they’re acting out this way, so that we don’t have to have these kinds of things as permanent measures.”

For nearly 40 minutes several opinions were shared among board members about ways to bring students into safety discussions, the value of certain proposals over others not proposed and how much responsibility RPS leadership should be taking on or delegating to ensure the safety of schools.

Free COVID-19 vaccines

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205-3501 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday for more information on testing sites, or go online at vax.rchd.com.

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

Want a COVID-19 vaccine or booster shot?

The Richmond and Henrico health districts are offering free vaccines for COVID-19 and more at the following locations:

• Thursday, July 13, 1 to 4 p.m. - Fox at Clark Spring Elementary School, 1101 Dance St., TDAP, Meningitis and HPV shots. Walk-ups welcome but appointments encouraged.

• Saturday, July 15 , 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. - George Wythe High School, 4314 Crutchfield St., TDAP, Meningitis and HPV shots. Walk-ups welcome but appointments encouraged.

• Wednesday, July 19, 2 to 4 p.m. - Henrico West Health Department, 8600 Dixon Powers Drive., Bivalent Moderna boosters for ages 6 years and older, Bivalent Pfizer boosters for ages 5 years and older, Novavax primary shots for ages 12 and older, JYNNEOS shots and Moderna/Pfizer baby bivalent boosters. Walk-ups welcome but appointments encouraged.

People can schedule an appointment online at vase.vdh. virginia.gov, vaccinate.virginia.gov or vax.rchd.com, or by calling (804) 205-3501 or (877) VAX-IN-VA (1-877-829-4682). VaccineFinder.org and vaccines.gov also allow people to find nearby pharmacies and clinics that offer the COVID-19 vaccine and booster.

Those who are getting a booster shot should bring their vaccine card to confirm the date and type of vaccine received. RHHD also offers at-home vaccinations by calling (804) 2053501 to schedule appointments.

The Pfizer booster is approved for ages 12 and up, while the new Moderna booster is for ages 18 and older.

As with previous COVID-19 boosters, the new doses can only be received after an initial two vaccine shots, and those who qualify are instructed to wait at least two months after their second COVID-19 vaccine.

The Richmond and Henrico Health Districts also offer bivalent Pfizer and Moderna boosters to children between the ages of 5 and 11. Children in this age range will be eligible after at least two months since their last vaccine dose.

Compiled by George Copeland Jr.

As the Free Press previously reported, there will be 196 mixed-income units added to the former 504 units.

RRHA signed an agreement with The Community Builders to restrict the number of low- and very low-income residents allowed to live in the 105 townhomes and 626 apartments to be built.

TCB will develop 506 affordable apartments to replace the former Creighton units and 120 market-rate apartments, according to the Creighton redevelopment plan that City Council has approved.

These limits also will apply to 55 townhomes being built as affordable for households with incomes 80% or less than the area median income. Thirtythree townhomes will be built for those with incomes 60% or less than the area median income. “The mayor talks about mixed-income, affordable housing but nobody can answer the question ‘what is affordable housing?’” Ms. Olds said. “Affordable for who?”

Sharon Herman, 66, secretary of the Creighton Court Tenant Council, also relocated. She has lived in Creighton Court for over 20 years.

The redevelopment could be considered gentrification, Mrs. Herman said. The improvements benefit the new people who will join the community and make the city look better more than it will benefit the residents who already lived there. Resident displacement is just the “tip of the iceberg,” she said.

Jayne Harris, 67, a resident of Creighton

“I’m just going to miss my old development but everything has to change,” Mrs. Harris said.

Mrs. Herman raised concerns about how long it will take for the redevelopment to conclude.

“They told us this process is going to take five to 10 years,” she said. “Where are people going to be at five, 10 years from now?”

People relying on government assistance such as subsidized housing are not supported in the way they have been, and the future of public housing is uncertain, Ms. Olds said. Former residents are being “built out,” in her view.

“The whole culture is changing, and those of us that don’t fit into the new changes are going to be left out,” she said.

Despite the challenges, Ms. Olds, Mrs. Herman and Mrs. Harris are ready for something new.

“We are humans. We deserve the same equality as everybody else,” Mrs. Herman said. “Just because we’re public housing (residents) does not make us any less.”

Judge dismisses lawsuit seeking

reparations for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre

Continued from A1

Oklahoma’s appellate docket,” the group, Justice for Greenwood, said in a statement. “There is no semblance of justice or access to justice here.”

Judge Wall, a Tulsa County District Court judge, wrote in a brief order that she was tossing the case based on arguments from the city, regional chamber of commerce and other state and local government agencies. She had ruled against the defendants’ motions to dismiss and allowed the case to proceed last year.

Local judicial elections in Oklahoma are technically nonpartisan, but Judge Wall has described herself as a “Constitutional Conservative” in past campaign questionnaires.

The lawsuit was brought under Okla-

homa’s public nuisance law, saying the actions of the white mob that killed hundreds of Black residents and destroyed what had been the nation’s most prosperous Black business district continue to affect the city today.

It contended that Tulsa’s long history of racial division and tension stemmed from the massacre, during which an angry white mob descended on a 35-block area, looting, killing and burning it to the ground. Beyond those killed, thousands more were left homeless and living in a hastily constructed internment camp.

The city and insurance companies never compensated victims for their losses, and the massacre ultimately resulted in racial and economic disparities that still exist today, the lawsuit argued. It sought a detailed accounting of the

property and wealth lost or stolen in the massacre, the construction of a hospital in north Tulsa and the creation of a victims’ compensation fund, among other things.

A Chamber of Commerce attorney previously said that the massacre was horrible, but the nuisance it caused was not ongoing.

Ms. Fletcher, who is 109 and the oldest living survivor, released a memoir last week about the life she lived in the shadow of the massacre. It will become widely available for purchase in August.

In 2019, Oklahoma’s attorney general used the public nuisance law to force opioid drug maker Johnson & Johnson to pay the state $465 million in damages. The Oklahoma Supreme Court overturned that decision two years later.

In this 1921 image provided by the Library of Congress, smoke billows over Tulsa, Okla. An Oklahoma judge has thrown out a lawsuit seeking reparations for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, dashing an effort to obtain some measure of legal justice by survivors of the deadly racist rampage.

A lifetime of racism makes Alzheimer’s disease more common in Black Americans

By Kat Stafford The Associated Press FREDERICKSBURG

Constance Guthrie is not dead yet, but her daughter has begun to plan her funeral.

It will be, Jessica Guthrie said, in a Black-owned funeral home, with the songs of her ancestors. She envisions a celebration of her mother’s life, not a tragic recitation of her long decline.

As it should be. Ms. Guthrie has lived 74 years, many of them good, as a Black woman, a mother, educator and businesswoman.

But she will die of Alzheimer’s disease, a scourge of Black Americans that threatens to grow far worse in coming decades.

Black people are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than white people in the United States. They are less likely to be correctly diagnosed, and their families often struggle to get treatment from a medical system filled with bias against them.

About 14% of Black people in America over the age of 65 have Alzheimer’s, compared with 10% of white people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disparity is likely even more, because many Black people aren’t correctly diagnosed.

And by 2060, cases are expected to increase fourfold among Black Americans.

While some risk factors may differ by race, the large disparities among racial groups can’t be explained just by genetics.

The problems start much earlier in life. Health conditions like heart disease and diabetes are known risk factors. Both are more common among Black populations, because of where they live in relation to polluting industries, lack of healthy food choices, and other factors. Depression, high blood pressure, obesity and chronic stress can also raise the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s. So can poverty. A question of quality care

Across the board, Black people don’t receive the same quality of health care throughout life as white people.

So they don’t get high quality treatment — or any treatment — for all those conditions that are risk factors. Then, at

the end, they’re less likely to get medication to ease the symptoms of Alzheimer’s and dementia-related disorders.

And there’s the insidious impact of a life experiencing racism.

Racism is trauma that can lead to increased stress, which can in turn cause health problems like inflammation, which is a risk factor for cognitive decline, said Dr. Carl V. Hill, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer of the Alzheimer’s Association.

“But because of this structural racism that creates poor access to health, medication, housing, those who experience racism and discrimination are not provided a pathway to lower their risk,” Dr. Hill said.

It is, he said, “a one-two punch.”

For Jessica, it has meant the final years of her mother’s life have been filled not with peace, but heartache and frustration, as she navigates doctors who don’t believe her when she says her mom is suffering. In the slow, plodding walk that is her mother’s final years, she has few health care partners.

“It has been pervasive across multiple doctors, emergency rooms and hospital doctors,” Jessica said. “Not being listened to, not believed, not given the full treatment.”

“To be a caregiver of someone living with Alzheimer’s is that you watch your loved one die every day. I’ve been grieving my mom for seven years.”

A series of polaroid photographs in a photo album showing a young Ms. Guthrie Guthrie dressed up with a fluffy white jacket and a shiny silver blouse.

Old Polaroid photos of Ms. Guthrie Guthrie dressed up for an event are collected in a family photo album.

The salon was called “Hair by Connie,” and for 18 years it was the place to go in Alexandria, Va., if you were a Black woman who wanted to look her best.

Reigning over the shop was its owner, Ms. Guthrie.

In the 1990s, she made the difficult decision to move and close her beloved salon. She bought a home in Fredericksburg so her daughter could attend the best schools, and later became a paraprofessional in the local school district, which allowed her to have a schedule where she never missed oratori-

Constance Guthrie, who is 74, sits in a hospital-style bed propped up by a pillow. Her daughter, Jessica Guthrie, stands next to the bed, smiling. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at age 66. About 14% of Black people in America over the age of 65 have Alzheimer’s, compared with 10% of white people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disparity is likely even more, because many Black people aren’t correctly diagnosed.

cal contests or choir recitals.

Her mother’s hard work paid off. Jessica became a teacher and later moved to Dallas to build her own life and chase her dreams, where she was a successful chief program officer for an education service.

Then, seven years ago, Ms. Guthrie began her descent into dementia.

A pair of flashcards, pink on top and green on the bottom, with multiple reminders to not drive.

Notes handwritten by Jessica in the early years of her mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis indicate reminders to Ms. Guthrie that she should not drive anymore and that it is unsafe to do so.

She started to forget simple things, like where her keys were. She lost her way coming home from work on a familiar route she traveled almost daily for 18 years. She got into a car accident.

The frequency of troubling incidents began to increase, worrying Jessica who was still hundreds of miles away in Texas.

When memory fades

They tried to use Post-It notes to remind Ms. Guthrie of daily tasks. Some of the colorful notes still line the walls of the family’s home.

For a woman who had grown accustomed to being so independent, it was hard for her to accept that she needed help.

“She spent so long trying to hide it,” Jessica said. “Like, ‘Oh, I’m good, I’m fine. I just forgot.’ But you could tell that a lot of her anxiety and stress was because she was trying to cover this up from other people.”

A neurologist confirmed she was suffering early cognitive decline and that it was likely Alzheimer’s.

She was just 66 when she was diagnosed.

Soon after, Jessica made the tough decision to pack up and leave Dallas behind to care for her mother full time. She recently began working remotely again after taking an extended leave of absence to care for her mother.

Ms. Guthrie never had diabetes nor high blood pressure — which are common risk factors. She was fairly active and healthy, and would often walk around her neighborhood. But in 2015, Ms. Guthrie suffered a transient ischaemic attack, or a “mini stroke,” which is a brief disruption in the blood supply to part of the brain. Jessica believes the mini stroke could have been caused in part by the heavy stress her mother endured at her job, where she worked for 18 years as a special education paraprofessional.

She also questions the role genetics played in her mother’s diagnosis. Her mother’s aunts are all living with the disease.

Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi has FDA approval now That means Medicare will pay for it

By Matthew Perrone

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON

U.S. officials granted full approval to a closely watched Alzheimer’s drug in late June, clearing the way for Medicare and other insurance plans to begin covering the treatment for people with the brainrobbing disease.

The Food and Drug Administration endorsed the IV drug, Leqembi, for patients with mild dementia and other symptoms caused by early Alzheimer’s disease. It’s the first medicine that’s been convincingly shown to modestly slow the cognitive decline caused by Alzheimer’s.

Japanese drugmaker Eisai received conditional approval from the FDA in January based on early results suggesting Leqembi worked by clearing a sticky brain plaque linked to the disease.

The FDA confirmed those results by reviewing data from a larger, 1,800-patient study in which the drug slowed memory and thinking decline by about five months in those who got the treatment, compared to those who got a dummy drug.

“This confirmatory study verified that it is a safe and effective treatment for patients with Alzheimer’s disease,” said FDA’s neurology drug director, Dr. Teresa Buracchio, in a statement.

The drug’s prescribing information will carry the most serious type of warning, indicating that Leqembi can cause brain swelling and bleeding, side effects that can be dangerous in rare cases. The label notes that those problems are seen with other plaque-targeting Alzheimer’s drugs.

The process of converting a drug to full FDA approval usually attracts little attention. But Alzheimer’s patients and advocates have been lobbying the federal government for months after Medicare officials announced last year they wouldn’t pay for routine use of drugs like Leqembi until they receive FDA’s full approval. There were concerns that the cost of new plaque-targeting Alzheimer’s drugs could overwhelm the program’s finances, which provide care for 60 million seniors. Leqembi is priced at about $26,500 for a year’s supply of IVs every two weeks.

The vast majority of Americans with

Alzheimer’s get their health coverage through Medicare. And private insurers have followed its lead by withholding coverage for Leqembi and a similar drug, Aduhelm, until they receive FDA’s full endorsement. An FDA decision on full approval for Aduhelm is still years away.

Medicare administrator, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, said in a statement Thursday the program will begin paying for the drug now that it has full FDA approval. But the government is also setting extra requirements, including enrollment in a federal registry to track the drug’s realworld safety and effectiveness.

Medicare “will cover this medication broadly while continuing to gather data that will help us understand how the drug works,” Brooks-LaSure said.

Some Medicare patients could be responsible for paying the standard 20% of the cost of Leqembi, though the amount will vary depending on their plans and other coverage details.

Eisai has told investors that about 100,000 Americans could be diagnosed and eligible to receive Leqembi by 2026. The drug is co-marketed with Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Biogen.

Studies show they are less likely to receive dementiarelated medication that can help ease symptoms like hallucinations and depression that make the disease particularly terrifying for families.

Among non-white caregivers, half or more say they have faced discrimination when navigating health care settings for their care recipient. Their top concern: Because of their race, providers or staff do not listen to them.

And there are barriers to even being diagnosed properly.

Her mother’s brother, who was a doctor, has started to experience cognitive decline.

Lost in her own mind, Ms. Guthrie can no longer testify to the difficulties she endured — as a mother and a Black entrepreneur running a business on her own.

But her daughter, Jessica, can attest to the struggles she’s had, as a Black caregiver, trying to ensure that her mother receives appropriate care.

In 2018, her mother started pointing at her stomach, repeatedly, trying to tell her daughter she was in pain. Jessica took her to her primary care physician, who is white and brushed the concerns aside.

“My mother couldn’t articulate that there was significant pain in the moment and the doctor of the practice basically said, ‘Oh, well, you know, sometimes they just come in and put on a show and it seems like she’s fine,’” Jessica said. “They asked, ‘Are you sure she’s in so much pain?’”

They sent her home without performing further diagnostic tests. But the pain persisted.

Jessica took her mother to the emergency room the next day and a Black male doctor ordered the necessary imaging. She needed emergency surgery to correct a painful, protruding hernia.

Then there was the time she took her mother to the emergency room for intense leg pain. She had arthritis in her knee but Jessica suspected something more serious.

The doctor told her she likely just needed rehab for her bad knee. Jessica advocated for more testing and it turned out Ms. Guthrie had a blood clot in her leg.

“Racism is implicit and deeply rooted in the air that we breathe,” said Jessica, who has started an Instagram account to chronicle her experiences.

The problems Black people face getting medical care are pervasive. Black people living with serious illnesses get less help managing pain and other symptoms, and they have worse communication with doctors, according to the Center to Advance Palliative Care.

A recent study found that Black participants in Alzheimer’s disease research studies were 35% less likely to be diagnosed than white participants. Part of the problem is a lack of Black doctors. Just 1 in 3 of the nation’s physicians is Black, Indigenous, Hispanic or Asian. That lack of representation has had a compounding effect on the care that Black people receive — especially later in life when older Americans suffering from illnesses like Alzheimer’s lack the ability to advocate for themselves.

Blacks’ burdens

All these things put an outsized burden on Black families providing care.

Through her Instagram, Jessica regularly hears from other Black caregivers, mostly women, who have eerily similar stories of not being heard, feeling isolated or being denied proper treatment.

“I think that part of my journey would have looked significantly different if I were a middle-aged white person or a white male,” she said. “I would have been listened to the first time.”

Jessica has spent the past several months preparing for her mother’s imminent death, making sure every detail is perfect.

But in an unexpected twist, she learned in February that her mother would be discharged from home hospice care in early March. Medicare typically covers hospice care for those who are terminally ill, with a life expectancy of six months or less.

Although she remains in the last stage of Alzheimer’s disease, Constance has been deemed stable.

On the surface, this is good news. Jessica’s relishing every extra day she has with her mother.

Still, the discharge feels like a slap in the face.

Losing hospice services means Jessica will lose all equipment and supplies, including the hospital grade bed that her mother sleeps in, the lift she uses to get her out of bed and her wheelchair. She has lost the weekly nurse visits, vital checks, the social worker and the extra services that her mother loved — music and massage therapy.

“Everything’s gone and it feels like I’m back at square one again,” she said. “I feel like the system’s failed us and has failed so many other caregivers.”

This story is part five of an AP series examining the health disparities experienced by Black Americans across a lifetime.

The Associated Press

Early voting’s pivot as Youngkin’s pawn

Why are Republicans like Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin suddenly supportive of early voting and same-day registration after spending the past legislative session fruitlessly seeking to get rid of those options?

Because there is a strong prospect that Democrats could win a majority in the Virginia House of Delegates and maintain their majority in the Senate.

And if Republicans are to get rid of all the changes Democrats have pushed through that have turned Virginia into one of the states where voting is open and easy, they have to get more of their supporters to turn out.

A Free Press look at the upcoming contests suggests that Democrats are already on track to win 47 House seats and need only win an additional four seats to gain full command of the chamber. Republicans appear to be assured 39 seats. That accounts for 86 of the 100 seats.

That leaves 14 competitive seats, of which the GOP must win 12 to keep control of the House.

In the Senate, Democrats appear likely to win 19 seats, while Republicans appear on track to claim 17, with the decision on control to be decided by the results in four contests.

That prospect is making the governor nervous, which is why he is organizing to get more Republicans to vote prior to Election Day. Democrats have previously outstripped Republicans in voting early.

House Democratic Leader Don Scott rightly considers the GOP’s new focus on early voting “hypocrisy.”

He called it remarkable that Republicans are now supportive of a program “that they tried to prevent from ever existing.”

He noted that Republicans have spent the past decade “feeding their base conspiracy theories about voter fraud and working to make it harder for Virginians to vote at every turn.”

Virginia has a long history of working to keeping ordinary citizens from voting. Prior to 2020 when Democrats gained control of both houses, Virginia ranked 49th for ease of voting. In other words, this state was near the bottom. Republicans would like to roll back the changes Democrats initiated that have pushed Virginia to the 11th easiest state in which to cast a ballot. The GOP goal is to restore the barriers in order to reduce voter participation.

During the 2023 session, Delegate Scott stated that the GOP House majority voted to shorten the early voting period, ban absentee ballot drop boxes, reinstate a strict photo ID law, end same-day registration, cancel the voteby-mail option and increase purges of voter rolls.

All of the changes died in the Senate.

The bottom line: Supporters of the new and improved voting system in Virginia cannot be complacent.

Anyone who thinks this state is better for making it easier and simpler for people to vote has to turn out and vote to keep Democrats in control of at least the Senate or the House, and possibly both, to preserve the new approach.

In this area, just as is the case for abortion rights and sensible gun laws, the space for compromise has simply disappeared.

We stand with those who want to make it simple and easy for people to participate in choosing our leaders.

Lady Soul’s legacy

Many of us have experienced family feuds upon the death of a loved one. Often, before the dearly departed’s body “is cold,” as they say, fights, both physical and verbal, occur.

The reason? Money.

Mad scrambles to find insurance policies, wills or even cash stuffed away in grandma’s closet have played out in families—rich, poor and in all colors.

In the case of Aretha Franklin, the late, great Queen of Soul, talks about her will and estate made almost as much news as her wardrobe changes during her days-long funeral services five years ago.

Disputes among her offspring about the legitimacy of her wills wound up in a Pontiac, Mich., courtroom. A jury swiftly delivered its decision two days ago.

The verdict?

A document handwritten by singer Aretha Franklin and found in her couch after her 2018 death is a valid Michigan will, a jury said Tuesday, a critical turn in a dispute that has turned her sons against each other, according to various news reports.

The discovery signaled a victory for two of her sons, Kecalf Franklin and Edward Franklin, whose lawyers had argued that papers dated 2014 should override a 2010 will that was discovered around the same time in a locked cabinet at the Queen’s home in suburban Detroit.

Kudos to the jury for arriving at a quick decision in just two days.

Now, perhaps, Ms. Franklin can rest in peace, knowing that she forever will be cherished and remembered by her adoring fans, while leaving a layer of security for her children and grandchildren.

Nick Cannon and Eddie Murphy, you better think, take note and do right.

Clarence Thomas hates Black people

As a child in Pinpoint, Ga., Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was hazed by his classmates with the moniker “America’s Blackest Child.”

Such hazing may have had long-term effects, rendering Justice Thomas incapable of transcending his background. It may have given him an inferiority complex that expresses itself in his self-hatred, hatred of other Black people and self-absorption.

While I’m no psychologist or psychiatrist, watching someone who used affirmative action to get into Yale Law School so vociferously attack the policy is fascinating. But, as Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson noted in her dissent in Students for Fair Admissions (a misnomer if I ever saw one) v. Harvard case, Justice Thomas has carried out a “prolonged attack” against affirmative action. His June opinion in Students for Fair Admissions was just one of his many attacks on affirmative action.

His distaste for affirmative action seems to stem from his

own experiences at Yale, an experience that none of his classmates have verified. Justice Thomas seemed to feel that white students assumed he was an affirmative action admitted student (he was) and thus not as capable as they were (there is no evidence of that).

Thus he thinks affirmative

action stigmatizes Black students, so the Supreme Court should eliminate it. Many of us who were affirmative action admits (I was) don’t much chafe about any stigma. Instead, we celebrate the opportunities affirmative action offered, realizing that while affirmative action opened the door, it did not pass our comprehensive exams, our bar exams, or any other qualifiers. Affirmative action opened the door to some elite institutions, but it did not do the work to get us out.

Justice Thomas has a way of making public policy personal. People look down on him, he thinks, and he is hurt and angry, just as he was when people called him America’s Blackest Child. To make himself feel better, Justice Thomas has surrounded himself with the wealthy elites of the Horatio

Alger Society, who believe that hard work is all you need to get ahead in this country.

Some of the hardest-working people I know are moms who receive public assistance, but Justice Thomas and his ilk would look down on these folks and describe them as lazy (just as he did his own sister during his confirmation hearings). In his narrow mind, he was looked down on. Thus, he must prove that he is “fair,” “colorblind,” and a proponent of “equal protection.”

If there were fairness and equal protection under the law, Justice Thomas wouldn’t be sitting on the bench at all. Not only did he use affirmative action to get into Yale Law School, but he also used old-fashioned political patronage to get himself on the bench. His patron, Sen. John Danforth (R-Mo.), aggressively championed his career, making sure he got plum assignments, including the chairmanship of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (where he once said that affirmative action made a difference in his life) and a judicial appointment that primed him up for the Supreme Court nomination. Black America was ambivalent, but Justice Thomas effectively used his “up from poverty” back story to convince

Pence is wrong about inequity in education

“Decades of research indicate that racism undergirds our public institutions and shapes various aspects of our contemporary society, including public policies. These policies, in turn, shape local school practices that impact the day to day experiences of students in classrooms. Even as schools are shaped by broader trends of racial inequality, they serve to maintain – or in rare cases disrupt – racial inequality for students and families.” – The Inequality Project, Columbia University.

Former Vice President and current presidential candidate Mike Pence, who presided during the most aggressive rollback of civil rights in more than a century, brazenly told the nation this week he doesn’t believe there is racial inequity in the nation’s education system.

Confronted with evidence to the contrary, he ducked the question. “I haven’t seen your studies. I don’t know the numbers.”

We do know the numbers. And Mr. Pence is dead wrong.

The National Urban League’s most recent Equality IndexTM for education was 74.3. Inspired by the Three-Fifths Compromise of 1787, which counted Black

Americans as “three-fifths” of a person. The Equality Index is the National Urban League’s semiannual calculation of the social and economic status of Black Americans relative to white people. Under full equality, the Index would be 100.

Because of the lag in data

collection and analysis, the most recent Equality Index does not capture the full effect of the learning disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic, which hit Black students the hardest.

But even before factoring in the pandemic, Black students haved lost ground since 2005, when the education Index was 77.2.

More than 100 separate metrics are used to calculate the education Index, and Black Americans have achieved parity with white people in almost none of them. About twice as many Black students are taught by unqualified or underqualified teachers. Black boys are twice as likely as white boys to be suspended from school, and Black girls are three times as likely to be suspended. Black students are more than twice as likely as white students to live in a home without broadband internet access.

A more recent study found that school districts where the majority of students enrolled are students of color receive $23 billion less in education fund-

ing than predominantly white school districts. Districts with a high percentage of students of color receive, on average, 16 percent, or about $2,200, less per student than largely white districts.

Unsurprisingly, the relative lack of resources and heavier disciplinary burden for Black students contribute to a persistent racial achievement gap: pre-pandemic, fewer than 15% of Black eighth-graders were reading at or above proficiency, compared to 42.5% of white eighth-graders. Only 13.6% of Black students were at or above proficiency in math, compared to almost 44% of white students.

Whether Mr. Pence really doesn’t “know the numbers” as he claims, we cannot say. But his choice not to acknowledge racial inequity in education aligns with the so-called “antiwoke” movement some extremist politicians have embraced, hoping to capitalize on a wave of white grievance and racial resentment.

Fortunately, a solid majority of Americans still reject the notion that racial inequality doesn’t exist. But if Mr. Pence and his fellow distorters of history have their way, the next generation of Americans will grow up oblivious to the effects of historic and systemic racism and allow white supremacy not only to persist, but flourish.

The writer is the president and CEO of the National Urban League.

The Free Press welcomes letters

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folks like Dr. Maya Angelou that he would represent Black interests on the court. Instead, the New York Times described him, in 1992, as “the youngest and the cruelest” justice. All Americans must deal with this self-hating justice, whose outdated opinions threaten civility, inclusion, and decency in our nation. Black America is significantly affected by his anti-blackness. Hopefully, the Department of Justice will investigate Justice Thomas’ financial shenanigans and remove this depraved man from the Supreme Court. Dr. Julianne Malveaux is an economist, author, and Dean of the College of Ethnic Studies at Cal State LA. juliannemalveaux.com

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Julianne Malveaux

Marc Morial

Gun buyback programs are ‘waste of time’

Jeremy Lazarus is correct when he reported that gun buy-back programs do not work; they do nothing to stop gun violence. Democratic politicians know this. The question then is, “Why waste money conducting programs that do not work?” The answer is complex.

First, most voters do not know that gun buyback programs are a waste of time and money. So, conducting a gun buyback program temporarily quells the calls to “do something” about the crime epidemic.

Second, Democratic politicians do not want to put an end to crime. More on this later. Instead, their primary goal is to disarm

and take away the Second Amendment rights of honest people, not criminals. This way honest people will have no way to protect themselves and will become more dependent on government and afraid of becoming a victim of crime. As more and more people become increasingly concerned about their safety, the government will promise a solution to gun violence in exchange for more tax money and more power. Your safety is not the goal. The goal is to get re-elected and gain more power over your life.

The police could put an end to crime in short order if Democrats

would allow them. However, that would mean arresting and putting constituents and the children of voters in prison. In other words, risking the probability of not getting re-elected. I am amazed that voters in Richmond and other Democratic-run cities vote against their best interest. That is, if you vote for Democrats, the epidemic of gun violence will continue; children will be killed. Do you want to be a citizen or a subject?

MIKE WILSON Richmond

Justices teach when the Supreme Court isn’t in session

The job doubles as all-expenses-paid trip

By Brian Slodysko

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON

For decades, the University of Hawaii law school has marketed its Jurist-In-Residence program to the Supreme Court as an all-expenses-paid getaway, with the upside of considerable “down time” in paradise.

The justices have enthusiastically participated.

“Your colleagues who were here most recently were Justices (Ruth Bader) Ginsburg, (Anthony) Kennedy, and (Stephen) Breyer, and I believe they all would recommend the experience highly,” the law school’s then-Dean Aviam Soifer wrote in a 2010 email trying to draw Justice Sonia Sotomayor to the school in Honolulu. “We will, of course, cover first-class airfare, excellent hotel accommodations, and all other travel expenses.”

Teaching is encouraged as a way to demystify the nation’s highest court while exposing the justices to a cross-section of the public. For decades, they have traveled the globe during court recesses to lecture. It is a permissible practice so long their earnings are less than the court’s roughly $30,000 cap on outside income.

In a statement responding to questions, the Supreme Court noted the $30,000 figure and added that “teaching must be at an accredited educational institution or continuing legal educational program and must be approved in advance by the Chief Justice (or by the Associate Justices if it involves teaching by the Chief Justice).”

Documents obtained by The Associated Press through public records requests reveal that some all-expenses-paid trips — to Italy, Iceland and Hawaii, among others — are light on classroom instruction, with ample time carved out for the justices’ leisure.

“This is a level of luxury that most Americans will never see. And the fact that the justices are receiving it by virtue of their positions seems to be outside ethical bounds,” said Gabe Roth, the executive director of Fix the Court, a nonpartisan watchdog group dedicated to following the Supreme Court.

The particulars of these excursions are often shrouded from public view because the justices are only required to offer a spare accounting on their annual financial disclosure forms.

But details obtained by the Associated Press reveal that these trips, which would cost the justices thousands of dollars if paid out of pocket, are in some cases subsidized by anonymous donors to the schools whose motivations can be difficult to assess.

Dan Meisenzahl, a spokesman for the University of Hawaii, said the school is so isolated from the continental United States that offering first-rate accommodations to the justices is one way to ensure they will make the trip.

“As a public university in one of the most isolated places on Earth, our Jurist-InResidence program would not be possible without our donors and we thank them for their support.” Mr. Meisenzahl said in a statement.

While locking in details before Justice Samuel Alito’s 2011 visit to Honolulu, a University of Hawaii law school official, Cyndi Quinn, promoted the program’s flexibility.

“We would like to propose a schedule that suits his prefer-

ence (eg. time of day to start, other activities such as golf, snorkeling, hiking, cano(e) paddling, etc.) as well as activities and visits Mrs. Alito would prefer,” Ms. Quinn wrote Justice Alito’s staff. “What I do recall is that Justice Alito would prefer starting his day after 10 a.m. and leave some ‘down time’ for some much-needed, no doubt, rest and relaxation?”

Besides Justices Ginsburg, Kennedy, Alito and Breyer, Justices Antonin Scalia and Sotomayor also participated in the program, which the local law firm Case Lombardi currently helps sponsor.

Soon after being seated on the Supreme Court, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh joined the faculty of the Antonin Scalia School of Law at George Mason University in Virginia.

As required, they both reported their teaching contracts and compensation, which climbed to about $25,000 a year. But the justices were not a regular pres-

ence at the school’s Arlington, Va., campus, which lies just across the Potomac River from the Supreme Court. Instead, they were in classrooms in Italy, Iceland and England, according to emails and other documents, which show the public university also paid the justices’ travel and living expenses there.

Under the arrangement, Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh, nominated to the court by former President Trump, each taught a roughly two-week-long summer course that largely limited hours of instruction to mornings, leaving them and their families ample time for leisure and exploration.

Their contracts coincided with a significant expansion of the law school made possible through tens of millions of dollars in contributions from conservative donors, some of whom gave anonymously through George Mason’s foundation. A $20 million contribution

The Associated Press file photo

Teaching is encouraged as a way to demystify the nation’s highest court while exposing the justices to a cross-section of the public. Documents obtained by The Associated Press through public records requests reveal that some all-expenses-paid trips — to Italy, Iceland and Hawaii, among others — are light on classroom instruction, with ample time carved out for the Supreme Court justices’ leisure. Members of the Supreme Court are, seated from left, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Samuel Alito and Justice Elena Kagan. Top row, from left, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Justice Neil Gorsuch, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

from an anonymous donor in 2016, which has been widely reported, was made contingent on renaming the school for Justice Scalia, as well as hiring roughly a dozen new faculty members, according to records the school

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC OF AN APPLICATION BY VIRGINIA ELECTRIC AND POWER COMPANY

D/B/A DOMINION ENERGY VIRGINIA FOR APPROVAL OF A RATE ADJUSTMENT CLAUSE:

RIDER GV, GREENSVILLE COUNTY POWER STATION, FOR THE RATE YEARS COMMENCING APRIL 1, 2024, AND APRIL 1, 2025 CASE NO. PUR-2023-00094

Virginia Electric and Power Company d/b/a Dominion Energy Virginia (“Dominion”) has applied for approval to revise its rate adjustment clause Rider GV.

In this case, Dominion has asked the State Corporation Commission (“Commission”) to approve Rider GV for the rate years April 1, 2024, through March 31, 2025, for Rate Year 1, and April 1, 2025, through March 31, 2026, for Rate Year 2.

For Rate Year 1, under a 2058 retirement scenario, Dominion requests a total annual revenue requirement of $132,230,015, which would not change the monthly bill of a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per month.

For Rate Year 2, under a 2058 retirement scenario, Dominion requests a total annual revenue requirement of $135,402,153, which would increase the monthly bill of a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per month by $0.07 compared to Rate Year 1.

For Rate Year 1, under a 2045 retirement scenario, Dominion requests a total annual revenue requirement of $144,191,103, which would increase the monthly bill of a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per month by $0.23.

For Rate Year 2, under a 2045 retirement scenario, Dominion requests a total annual revenue requirement of $147,738,760, which would increase the monthly bill of a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per month by $0.07 compared to Rate Year 1.

• A Hearing Examiner appointed by the Commission will hold a telephonic hearing in this case on November 14, 2023, at 10 a.m., for the receipt of public witness testimony.

An evidentiary hearing will be held on November 15, 2023, at 10 a.m., in the Commission’s second floor courtroom located in the Tyler Building, 1300 East Main Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, to receive the testimony and evidence of the Company, any respondents, and the Staff.

Further information about this case is available on the SCC website at: scc.virginia.gov/pages/Case-Information

On June 1, 2023, Virginia Electric and Power Company (“Dominion” or “Company”) filed with the State Corporation Commission (“Commission”) a biennial update of the Company’s rate adjustment clause Rider GV (“Application”) pursuant to § 56-585.1 A 6 of the Code of Virginia. Through its Application, the Company seeks to recover costs associated with the Greensville County Power Station, a natural gas-fired combinedcycle electric generating facility in Greensville County, Virginia, and 500 kilovolt transmission lines, a new switching station, and associated transmission interconnection facilities in Brunswick and Greensville Counties, Virginia (collectively, “Greensville County Project” or “Project”).

In Case No. PUE-2015-00075, the Commission approved Dominion’s construction and operation of the Greensville County Project and approved a rate adjustment clause, designated Rider GV, for Dominion to recover costs associated with the development of the Project. The Greensville County Project commenced commercial operations on December 12, 2018.

In this proceeding, Dominion has asked the Commission to approve a biennial update to Rider GV for the rate years beginning April 1, 2024, and ending March 31, 2025 (“Rate Year 1”), and beginning April 1, 2025, and ending March 31, 2026 (“Rate Year 2”). The two components of the proposed revenue requirement for Rate Year 1 are the Projected Cost

previously released.

To ensure the school complied with the agreement, the donor and the school agreed that Leonard Leo, then an executive vice president of the Federalist Society, would

serve as an overseer, records show. An additional $10 million was contributed through the arrangement by the Charles Koch Foundation, which was founded by billionaire conservative donor Charles Koch.

of the proposed Rider GV on April 1, 2025, for Rate Year 2, will increase the monthly bill of a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours per month by approximately $0.07 compared to Rate Year 1. Dominion indicates that under the 2045 retirement assumption, implementation of the proposed Rider GV on April 1, 2024, for Rate Year 1, will increase the monthly bill of a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours per month by approximately $0.23. The Company states that under the 2045 retirement assumption, implementation of the proposed Rider GV on April 1, 2025, for Rate Year 2, will increase the monthly bill of a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours per month by approximately $0.07 compared to Rate Year 1.

Interested persons are encouraged to review Dominion’s Application and supporting documents in full for details about these and other proposals.

TAKE NOTICE that the Commission may apportion revenues among customer classes and/or design rates in a manner differing from that shown in the Application and supporting documents and thus may adopt rates that differ from those appearing in the Company’s Application and supporting documents.

To promote administrative efficiency and timely service of filings upon participants, the Commission has directed the electronic filing of testimony and pleadings, unless they contain confidential information, and has required electronic service on parties to this proceeding.

The Commission entered an Order for Notice and Hearing that, among other things, scheduled public hearings on the Company’s Application. On November 14, 2023, at 10 a.m., a Hearing Examiner appointed by the Commission will hold a telephonic hearing, with no witness present in the Commission’s courtroom, for the purpose of receiving the testimony of public witnesses. On or before November 8, 2023, any person desiring to offer testimony as a public witness shall provide to the Commission (a) your name, and (b) the telephone number that you wish the Commission to call during the hearing to receive your testimony. This information may be provided to the Commission in three ways: (i) by filling out a form on the Commission’s website at scc.virginia.gov/pages/Webcasting; (ii) by completing and emailing the PDF version of this form to SCCInfo@scc.virginia.gov; or (iii) by calling (804) 371-9141. This public witness hearing will be webcast at scc.virginia.gov/pages/Webcasting

Beginning at 10 a.m. on November 14, 2023, the Hearing Examiner will telephone sequentially each person who has signed up to testify as provided above.

On November 15, 2023, at 10 a.m., in the Commission’s second floor courtroom located in the Tyler Building, 1300 East Main Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, a Hearing Examiner appointed by the Commission will convene a hearing to receive testimony and evidence offered by the Company, any respondents, and the Staff.

An electronic copy of the Company’s Application may be obtained by submitting a written request to counsel for the Company: Lisa R. Crabtree, Esquire, Dominion Energy Services, Inc., 120 Tredegar Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, or lisa.r.crabtree@dominionenergy.com

Interested persons also may download unofficial copies from the Commission’s website: scc.virginia.gov/pages/Case-Information

On or before November 8, 2023, any interested person may submit comments on the Application electronically by following the instructions on the Commission’s website: scc.virginia.gov/casecomments/Submit-Public-Comments. Those unable, as a practical matter, to submit comments electronically may file such comments by U.S. mail to the Clerk of the State Corporation Commission, c/o Document Control Center, P.O. Box 2118, Richmond, Virginia 23218-2118. All comments shall refer to Case No. PUR-2023-00094.

On or before September 8, 2023, any person or entity wishing to participate as a respondent in this proceeding may do so by filing a notice of participation with the Clerk of the Commission at: scc.virginia.gov/clk/efiling. Those unable, as a practical matter, to file a notice of participation electronically may file such notice by U.S. mail to the Clerk of the Commission at the address listed above. Such notice of participation shall include the email addresses of such parties or their counsel, if available. A copy of the notice of participation as a respondent also must be sent to counsel for the Company. Pursuant to 5 VAC 5-20-80 B, Participation as a respondent, of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure (“Rules of Practice”), any notice of participation shall set forth: (i) a precise statement of the interest of the respondent; (ii) a statement of the specific action sought to the extent then known; and (iii) the factual and legal basis for the action. Any organization, corporation or government body participating as a respondent must be represented by counsel as required by 5 VAC 5-20-30, Counsel, of the Rules of Practice. All filings shall refer to Case No. PUR-2023-00094.

On or before October 6, 2023, each respondent may file with the Clerk of the Commission, at scc.virginia.gov/clk/efiling, any testimony and exhibits by which the respondent expects to establish its case. Any respondent unable, as a practical matter, to file testimony and exhibits electronically may file such by U.S. mail to the Clerk of the Commission at the address listed above. Each witness’s testimony shall include a summary not to exceed one page. All testimony and exhibits shall be served on the Staff, the Company, and all other respondents simultaneous with its filing. In all filings, the respondent shall comply with the Rules of Practice, including 5 VAC 5-20-140, Filing and service, and 5 VAC 5-20-240, Prepared testimony and exhibits. All filings shall refer to Case No. PUR-2023-00094.

Any documents filed in paper form with the Office of the Clerk of the Commission in this docket may use both sides of the paper. In all other respects, except as modified by the Commission’s Order for Notice and Hearing, all filings shall comply fully with the requirements of 5 VAC 5-20-150, Copies and format, of the Commission’s Rules of Practice. The Commission’s Rules of Practice, the Company’s Application, the Commission’s Order for Notice and Hearing, and other documents filed in this case may be viewed on the Commission’s website at: scc.virginia.gov/pages/Case-Information

VIRGINIA ELECTRIC AND POWER COMPANY d/b/a DOMINION ENERGY VIRGINIA

Stories by Fred Jeter

Highland Springs’ Greg Dortch heads to DMV in Cardinals vs. Commanders game

The Washington Commanders’ team colors are mostly burgundy and gold.

But when the NFL squad opens its season Sept. 2 at FedEx Field, you may see sprinkles of Highland Springs High School’s black and gold in the stands.

The Commanders will open against the Arizona Cardinals, which features rising star Greg Dortch, a 25-year-old receiver with plenty of upside.

Springers’ fans haven’t forgotten the elusive speedster. He was the State Class 5 Player of the Year in 2015, helping Highland Springs to the state title.

Dortch starred at Wake Forest in 2017 and 2018 before entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent.

At 5-foot-7 and 175 pounds (Combine

measurements), Dortch is among the NFL’s smallest players, but also among the most exciting. He has re-signed with Arizona through the 2023 season.

After playing mostly on practice squads with the New York Jets, Carolina, Los Angeles Rams and Atlanta, the former Springer found a home in the desert. Working with quarterback Kyler Murray, Dortch (jersey No. 83) caught 52 passes for 467 yards and two touchdowns. That came with just four starts and having lined up for just 45 percent of the plays.

His lineup rate figures to increase this season with the likely departure of DeAngelo Hopkins, now exploring free agency.

Dortch made receptions on 52 of the

Cuban stars come out to shine

Baseball is extremely popular among young Black athletes in Cuba. That was obvious during the July 11 Major League All-Star Baseball Game in Seattle in which there were 25 international players in this year’s game.

Cuba, a nation of about 11 million, led the way with eight selections, followed by the Dominican Republic with seven, Venezuela with five, Curacao with two and Japan, Canada and Puerto Rico with one each.

The “Cuban invasion” comes despite the still shaky diplomatic terms between the U.S. and Cuba. The U.S. cut off diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1961. They were restored to some degree in 2015.

Yet, Cuban athletes continue to find their way to U.S. ballfields, often after defecting to Mexico, South America or another West Indies Isle.

HavanaRichmond rivalry

From 1954 to 1960, the Havana Sugar Kings (affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds) played in the International League with the Richmond Virginians (Yankees affiliate).

In 1959, amid the Revolution that saw Fidel Castro take power in Cuba, the Sugar Kings defeated Richmond for the Governor’s Cup crown, four victories to two.

At that point, the Cuban-born players may sign international contracts with American franchises, an opportunity unavailable in Cuba.

One can only wonder how many Cubans would be playing pro ball in the U.S. were it not for political hurdles.

The 2023 Cuban All-Stars include:

Randy Arozarena, outfield, Tampa Bay; Yandy Diaz, first base, Tampa; Luis Robert, outfield, White Sox; Yordan Alvarez, first base, Houston.

64 throws targeted to him. That’s 81.3 percent and seventh best among all NFL receivers.

The former Springer/Demon Deacon was also active last season on Cardinals special teams. He returned 11 kickoffs for a 20-yard average and 26 punts for a 6.6-yard norm.

Highland Springs has a long affiliation with the NFL. In addition to Dortch, current Springers alumni playing in the NFL are Mekhi Becton (Jets) and K’Von Wallace (Eagles). Other black and gold grads who have played in NFL include Marcus Burley, Ron Burton, Jim Davis, Victor “Macho” Harris, Waddey Harvey, Emmanuel McNeil, Brian Washington and Ed Perry. Also, Thomas Haskins ranks among the greatest ball carriers in Canadian Football League annals.

VCU Rams’ Asare makes Team Canada

Mary-Anna Asare plays basketball for VCU but will represent Canada July 15-23 in the FIBA U-19 Women’s World Cup in Madrid.

Asare, a 5-foot-7 sophomore guard from Ontario, is one of five native Canadians on Coach Beth O’Boyle’s Rams roster. She will play basketball for Team Canada in Spain. The United States has won the 16-nation, every-other year event eight of the past nine times. Canada was third in 2017.

In Madrid, Canada will play in Group D

with Egypt, China and the Czech Republic.

VCU has a pipeline to Canada.

Asare is joined on the Rams roster by fellow Canadians Sarah Te-Biasu, Janika Griffith-Wallace, Keowa Walters and Samantha Robinson. VCU has some history with Canadian men’s players, too. Sherman Hamilton, from Toronto, was the Rams’ point guard 1994 to 1997, under Coach Sonny Smith, and later played on the 2000 Canadian Olympic team.

HBCUs recognized in Seattle

Also, Yennier Cano, pitcher, Baltimore; Adalis Garcia, outfield, Texas; Jorge Soler, outfield, Miami, Lourdes Gurriel, outfield, Arizona.

Both Robert and Arozarena competed in the July 10 HomeRun Derby in Seattle.

Also, the Dodgers’ J.D. Martinez, Cincinnati’s Nick Castellanos and St. Louis’ Nolan Arenado were born in the U.S. but are of Cuban ancestry.

It’s the most Cuban AllStars since 1968 when Jose Azcue, Bert Campaneris, Leo Cardenas, Tony Oliva, Tony Perez and Luis Tiant were selected.

All those players were in the American big league system (some in minor leagues) prior to 1961.

The Cuban success (as well as Dominican) underscores how talented Black athletes are at playing baseball, assuming they are introduced to the sport and given a fair chance.

Baseball is on the backburner in most Black neighborhoods in America. Young people prefer football and basketball by a wide margin.

That explains why only six African-Americans were on this year’s All-star rosters.

They were Washington pitcher Josiah Gray, Texas outfielder Marcus Siemen, Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts, Milwaukee pitcher Devin Williams and Cubs pitcher Marcus Stroman.

HBCU baseball players had the spotlight on June 7 at T-Mobile Field in Seattle.

That was the setting for the inaugural HBCU Swingman All-Star Classic, hosted by baseball legend Ken Griffey Jr., who began his big league career in Seattle.

A total of 50 players, including several white players, represented 17 HBCUs, with the American League defeating the National League, 4-3. All 12 schools in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) were represented.

The winning run scored in the eighth when Randy Flores of Alabama State doubled, stole

third and came home on a wild pitch.

This was MLB’s effort to stimulate baseball interest among young Black players. According to The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES), only 6.2 percent of this season’s Major Leaguers are African-American, meaning born in U.S.

By contrast, when Griffey Jr. played with his father, Ken Sr., in 1991 with Seattle, the African-American percentage was 18%. Griffey Jr. has a connection to HBCU’s. His son, Tevin, is a football defensive back at Florida A&M.

Young sprinter sets world record

Melanie Doggett is a young girl who is going places – fast!

The 12-year-old, rising seventh-grader at Landmark Christian School near Atlanta has set the world record in the 100-meter dash for her age group.

Competing in the Adidas Outdoor Nationals last month in Greensboro, N.C., she ran a sizzling, wind-legal 11.67.

That broke the old age 12 mark of 11.75 set by Payton Payne in 2018. It also broke the world sixth-grade record of 11.77 set by Tamari Davis (now pro) eight years ago.

Doggett was considered a sixth-grader at

Olympic champion Caster Semenya wins human rights testosterone case

The Associated Press

Champion runner Caster Semenya won a potentially landmark legal decision for sports on Tuesday when the European Court of Human Rights decided she was discriminated against by rules in track and field that force her to medically reduce her natural hormone levels to compete in major competitions.

The ruling by the Strasbourg, Francebased court questioned the “validity” of the contentious international athletics regulations in that they infringed Semenya’s human rights.

“Caster has never given up her fight to be allowed to compete and run free,” Semenya’s lawyers said in a statement. “This important personal win for her is also a wider victory for elite athletes around the world. It means that sporting governance bodies around the world must finally recognize that human rights law and norms apply to the athletes they regulate.”

But the two-time Olympic champion’s success after two failed appeals in sports’ highest court and the Swiss Supreme Court came with a major caveat. Amid her bid to be allowed to run again without restriction and go for another gold at next year’s Olympics in Paris, Tuesday’s judgment did not immediately result in the rules being dropped.

That might still take years, if it happens at all.

The South African athlete’s challenge against the testosterone rules has taken five years so far.

It has gone from the Switzerlandbased Court of Arbitration for Sport to the Swiss Supreme Court and now the European rights court. The 4-3 ruling in Semenya’s favor by a panel of human rights judges in the unusual position of ruling on a sports issue merely opened the way for the Swiss Supreme Court to reconsider its decision.

That might result in the case going back to sports court CAS in Lausanne. Only then might the rules enforced by World Athletics be possibly removed.

The 32-year-old Semenya, who has been barred by the rules from running in her favorite 800-meter race since 2019 and has lost four years of her career at her peak, has only 13 months until Paris. The world championships, where she has won three titles, are next month.

World Athletics showed no sign of changing its position, saying soon after the verdict was published that its rules would “remain in place.”

“We remain of the view that the ... regulations are a necessary, reasonable and proportionate means of protecting fair competition in the female category as the Court of Arbitration for Sport and Swiss Federal Tribunal both found,” World Athletics said.

World Athletics also said it would be “encouraging” the government of Switzerland to appeal. Switzerland was the respondent in the case because Semenya was challenging her last legal loss in 2020 in the Swiss Supreme Court. Switzerland’s government has three months to appeal.

The Swiss government also was ordered to pay Semenya 60,000 euros ($66,000) for costs and expenses.

The ruling could have repercussions for other high-profile Olympic sports like swimming, and soccer, the world’s most popular sport, is reviewing its eligibility rules for women and could set limits on testosterone.

While Semenya has been at the center of the highly emotive issue of sex eligibility in sports for nearly 15 years and is the issue’s figurehead, she is not the only runner affected. At least three other Olympic medalists also have been impacted by the rules that set limits on the level of natural testosterone that female athletes may have. There are no testosterone limits in place for male athletes.

Semenya was identified as female at birth, raised as a girl and has been legally identified as female her entire life. She has one of a number of conditions known as differences in sex development, or DSDs, which cause naturally high testosterone that is in the typical male range.

the time of the race at the Adidas meet at North Carolina A&T.

To put Doggett’s time into perspective, she would have been faster than any of the six champions this past spring in the Virginia High School League State meets.

The fastest of Virginia’s six winners was Indian River’s Brianna Selby, who won Class 5 in 11.81. Other winning times in Virginia were 11.89, 12.07, 12.13, 12.55, 12.82. This past winter, Doggett also set an age group world record for 60 meters when she won the Bama Showcase in Birmingham in 7.74. The previous record was 7.81.

Semenya said her elevated testosterone should simply be considered a genetic gift, and critics of the rules have compared it to a basketballer’s height or a swimmer’s long arms.

While track authorities can’t challenge Semenya’s legal gender, they said her condition includes her having the typical male XY chromosome pattern and physical traits that make her “biologically male,” an assertion that has enraged Semenya. World Athletics says Semenya’s testosterone levels give her an athletic advantage comparable to a man

competing in women’s events and there needs to be rules to address that.

Track has enforced rules since 2019 that require athletes like Semenya to artificially reduce their testosterone to below a specific mark, which is measured through the amount of testosterone recorded in their blood. They can do that by taking daily contraceptive pills, having hormone-blocking injections, or undergoing surgery. If athletes choose one of the first two options, they would have to do so for their entire careers to remain eligible to compete regularly.

Greg Dortch

Mary-Anna Asare

Melanie Doggett

Ken Griffey Jr.

Randy Arozarena Yennier Cano Adalis Garcia Lourdes Gurriel

Arizona Cardinals rising star Greg Dortch will return to bring his skills back to the DMV when the Cardinals play the Washington Commanders on Sept. 2 at FedEx Field. Dortch is a former Highland Springs High School standout football player.

The Associated Press Champion runner Caster Semenya wins a potentially landmark legal victory Tuesday when the European Court of Human Rights decided she was discriminated against by sports rules that force her to medically reduce her natural hormone levels to compete in major competitions.

Several years ago, Beth Furgurson began paying closer attention to what she and her family were eating when she was experiencing some health issues. She started visiting farmers’ markets, learned about local foods, volunteered at a farm and began working with local food organizations.

Now she is part of the board of the Birdhouse Farmers Market, serving as co-chair alongside Erin Lingo, and helping to provide several programs and activities to the community. A popular program is the weekly farmers market that runs 3 to 6:30p.m. every Tuesday afternoon from May through November in the Randolph Community’s Petronius Park.

“I have a passion for supporting local farmers, healthy eating and building community,” the Bon Air resident said. “Serving on the Birdhouse board felt like the perfect way to continue to fuel my passion for supporting healthy foods.

The weekly outdoor market provides access to both organic produce and everyday items from more than 30 vendors in an area, including several that are Black or minority-owned. Because the area lacks access to a grocery store, Birdhouse helps meet community needs by providing fresh produce and healthy foods.

“Birdhouse also is committed to reducing food inequities in our community. We operate a Food Pantry Support Program that connects BFM farmers and producers with the local food pantry at Second Baptist Church (on Idlewood Avenue) located adjacent to the market. The program includes two facets — direct donations from weekly market vendors,” says Mrs. Furguson. “And a USDA grant that aims to support long-term relationships between producers, food assistance organizations, and customers to help reduce

Personality: Beth Furgurson

Spotlight on Birdhouse Farmers Market board co-chair

food insecurity across the Commonwealth.

Mrs. Furgurson says Birdhouse Farmers Market is working to support its core value of “strengthening us all by feeding us well.”

The group manages a yearround online market and addresses food insecurity by partnering with a neighborhood food pantry to help more than 200 families per week. Its latest project is the Birdhouse Community Garden — a space that organizers hope will become a permanent resource for community members to grow healthy food and learn about gardening and cooking.

“Beds have been prepped, plants have gone in the ground, and we’re currently working on adding benches and more to create a welcoming and inviting space for all to enjoy,” Mrs. Furgurson says.

The past several years have seen a lot of growth and change for Birdhouse. Mrs. Furgurson says managing that growth while continuing to act as a hub in the community’s local food system is a big challenge.

“Birdhouse changes lives every single day,” adds Mrs. Furgurson. “The value of human connection and interaction enabled by farmers markets cannot be overstated.”

Meet a Richmond community advocate for healthy eating and healthy living and this week’s Personality, Beth Furgurson:

Volunteer position: Board co-chair, Birdhouse Farmers Market.

Occupation: Business support coordinator with the InnerWill Leadership Institute.

Date and place of birth: July 30 in Richmond.

Where I live now: Bon Air.

Education: Bachelor’s degree, James Madison University; associate degree in photography,

Art Institute of Atlanta.

Family: Husband, Ryan; son, Brycen. Birdhouse Farmers Market is: The hub of an ecosystem of healthy, food-related community activities designed to strengthen our local food system and improve the health and well-being of our community. The anchoring activity of that hub is the farmers market — a friendly, open-air, all-weather, mid-week, foodfocused, SNAP-accepting market promoting healthy eating and a love of the environment.

Mission: Strengthening our local food system to improve the health and well-being of the Richmond community.

Brief history: Birdhouse Farmers Market began as Byrd House Market, a project of the William Byrd Community House in 2007 in Oregon Hill. In addition to the farmers market, WBCH included a community garden, cooking classes, a mini farm, and nutrition education for children and local families. Our goal is to recreate

the critically important work of WBCH in our new home in Randolph, an area just a few blocks west of our original home.

Founder(s): After the closing of the William Byrd Community House a group of vendors along with Ana Edwards, the last WBCH market manager, joined forces to found Birdhouse Farmers Market. Within six months a volunteer advisory board was formed to oversee the organization, which included Patty Parks and Dominic Barrett, both long-time food access and community engagement leaders.

How Birdhouse Farmers Market serves the Randolph community: Birdhouse Farmers Market is a weekly event where people can gather as a community to purchase healthy food options in an area that lacks access to a grocery store. We are proud to accept EBT/SNAP at both our in-person and our online market. Additionally, we participate in the Virginia Fresh Match Program, doubling the purchasing power for our SNAP customers.

How Birdhouse Farmers Market works to have diverse racial representation of its vendors and shoppers: Birdhouse is a part of the Racial Equity Workgroup of the Virginia Farmers Market Association. This group, formed in 2022, comes together to address among other things, the recruitment and retention of minority owned farms and businesses in our markets. How I became involved with Birdhouse Farmers Market: Prior to joining Birdhouse Farmers Market, I was the executive director of a local food organization focused on making connections and growing the local food system – Real Local RVA. This

organization operated similar to a small chamber of commerce. I have a passion for supporting local farmers, healthy eating, and building community.

Number one goal or project: Birdhouse has seen tremendous growth over the last few years, implementing 2-3 new programs in a short amount of time. My goal is to help Birdhouse continue to do what it does well and stabilize the growth we’ve had over the last few years.

No. 1 challenge facing Birdhouse Farmers Market: Birdhouse’s growth over the past four years has exceeded all expectations. Managing our growth is proving to be our greatest challenge. While it is gratifying to see hundreds of customers flock to our outdoor market on Tuesday afternoons, we are also managing a year-round online market, while serving an ever-increasing number of SNAP recipients, addressing food insecurity by partnering with our neighborhood food pantry, and operating an educational garden.

Other ways to become involved in the Birdhouse Farmers Market: There are lots of ways to get involved! We are always looking for volunteers. All of the information to volunteer, sponsor or join Friends of Birdhouse is on our website, https://birdhousefarmersmarket. org.

Upcoming events:

• Saturday, July 15, building compost bins, making signs and garden markers.

• Saturday, Aug. 19, prepping for the berry patch, installing rain barrels.

• Sunday, Sept. 17, The Birdhouse Farmers Market’s 6th Annual Farm Dinner at ZZQ Restaurant in Scott’s Addition.

How I start the day: I try to start my day with some type of exercise, a walk, yoga or strength training.

The three words that best describe me: Organized, pragmatic, empathetic.

If I could host a dream dinner party, the one special guest I would invite: My dad who passed in 2018. It would have to be a simple dinner party though — he was a meat and potatoes kind of guy.

Best late-night snack: Sea salt dark chocolate.

The music I listen to most:

I just attended an Ed Sheeran concert!

Something I love to do that most people would never imagine: Watch Premier League Soccer — or any soccer really!

A quote that inspires me:

“There is always light. If only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.” — Amanda Gorman.

At the top of my “to-do” list: Complete our basement renovation.

The best thing my parents ever taught me: The importance of family.

The person who influenced me the most: My mom.

Book that influenced me the most: In terms of my food journey, “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle,” by Barbara Kingsolver. I was inspired to start shopping at farmers markets and learning more about the local food available in our area. I started to volunteer at a local farm and the rest is history.

What I’m reading now: “Homegoing” by Yaa Gyasi. Incredibly written, emotional, beautiful and gut wrenching all wrapped up into an amazing work of art.

Next goal: This year involves a lot of changes for me and my family. New responsibilities, new jobs, new schools and new schedules. My goal is to find some stability in all the chaos life brings.

SPARKS CONVERSATION.

Making space for history

By Craig Belcher

Shakia Gullette Warren said the story of African-Americans begins in Virginia. That’s part of the reason she’s excited about being the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia’s executive director. She began work in May, succeeding former interim executive director Marland Buckner, who stepped down in June 2022.

Mr. Buckner took the helm after Adele Johnson, the center’s longtime executive director, died in April 2021.

Ms. Warren joined the BHMVA after serving as director at The Concord House Museum and Historic Site in Prince George’s County, Md. She also was director of African American History Initiatives for the Missouri Historical Society in St. Louis, and was curator of exhibitions at the Banneker-Douglass Museum for the Maryland Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives. She earned a bachelor’s in history from Fisk University, and has worked as a public historian for more than 10 years, according to a news release about her appointment.

BHMVA faces some challenges as her tenure begins. Some of them are small, such as the front door that was sticking on a recent visit. Others are quite monumental, such as what to do with the Confederate statues the museum was gifted from the city and the fact that the two-story center is short on space. During a conversation in her sparsely decorated office at the museum,

Feel that bomba beat

Ms. Warren said she “hit the ground running in different directions,” and that community engagement is a major priority.

Free Press: What attracted you to Richmond?

Ms. Warren: Richmond and Virginia are really the seat of the beginning of the story for African-Americans here in America. And if you study anything that revolves around enslavement, all roads lead you back to Virginia and Richmond.

I saw this as a wonderful opportunity to kind of combine everything that I’ve done throughout my career in one position.

Free Press: What are some of the challenges that the museum faces?

Ms. Warren: Space. As we continue to grow and figure out … how do we hold space for the community here – we

need more space. So that means that we will have to start taking programming and taking some of our history lessons outside of the walls.

Free Press: Do you see the museum as more of a gathering space or do you see it more as this archive of Richmond’s Black history?

Ms. Warren: I am definitely leaning more so toward the historian side, but I think we do have to honor our name. So, we are here to meet the needs of the community. And sometimes that means that we have to open ourselves up and operate specifically as the center half of our name. But in terms of the museum half, we are always going to keep the history first, the history of AfricanAmerican people and people of the diaspora here in the state of Virginia.

Free Press: Is there anything you would like to add?

Ms. Warren: Just my excitement to be here. I’m looking forward to strengthening some of our pre-existing collaborations and partnerships that we have and also creating new ones. I’m open to learning, listening and just being a part of the community. That is what I’m most looking forward to, learning about our neighbors and finding new friends.

The BHMVA will screen “Our Inspiration,” a documentary about Maggie L. Walker, 6 p.m. Friday followed by a reception. This event is free and registration is requested. Please visit: https:// blackhistorymuseum.org/

Healing the hurt

Initiatives of Change gathered for an “I AM HERE” community-wide healing circle last Friday at Monroe Park near the Altria Theater where two men, Shawn Jackson and Enzo Smith, were shot and killed at Monroe Park on June 6 after leaving Huguenot High School’s graduation ceremonies. Nearly a dozen others were injured. An alleged gunman, Amari Ty-Jon Pollard, 19, was arrested.

An Eventbrite announcement for the “I AM HERE” healing circle read: “May the many lives that our city has lost from this tragic shooting and throughout our city over the years from Monroe Park to Mosby Court inspire all of us as a city and society to do the spiritual, societal, and yes systemic homework that have been divinely assigned to each of us in this moment in order to graduate from this cycle of violence in our city and beloved community.”

Kadencia, which performs bomba and Mayagüez-style plena music to promote and preserve Afro-Puerto Rican music, gets the crowd moving and grooving during a two-day celebration presented by the Library of Virginia and the Virginia Folklife Program of Virginia Humanities last Friday and Saturday. Kadencia is led by father-and-son duo Maurice Sanabria-Ortiz, foreground, and Maurice Tito Sanabria, left on the congas. The celebration, which attracted appreciative crowds each day, also featured documentary screenings and art activities.

“While we have become accustomed to seeing Black women journalists on screen, there are so many who are lesser known and unsung, but who have paved important paths in the field.

Bonnie Newman Davis lifts their names and tells their important stories.”

—Tamara Jeffries Journalist, Former Executive Editor

Essence Magazine

ERICA ABRAMS LOCKLEAR

Thursday, July 27 Registration required: lva.virginia.gov/public/weinstein

Appalachia on the Table: Representing Mountain Food and People

KIDADA E. WILLIAMS

I Saw Death Coming: A History of Terror and Survival in the War Against Reconstruction Wednesday, August 2

6:00–7:30 p.m. | Library of Virginia Lecture Hall | Free Book signings will follow the talks.

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Shakia Gullette Warren assumed her role as the new executive director of the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia on May 1.

Clement Britt

Regina H. Boone/ Richmond Free Press

Book by Douglas McGrath Words and Music by Gerry Goffin & Carole King Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil Music by Arrangement with Sony/ATV Music Publishing Directed

Christine King Farris, the last living sibling of Martin Luther King Jr., dies at 95

The Associated Press

Christine King Farris, the last living sibling of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., died Thursday, June 29, 2023, at age 95.

Her niece, Dr. Bernice A. King, tweeted a photo of herself with Mrs. Farris, writing, “I love you and will miss you, Aunt Christine.”

A three-day tribute to her life began Tuesday at Spelman College, where she lies in state. The services continue 10 a.m. Saturday at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where she also will lie in state. A Celebration of Life will be held at the church at 5 p.m.

For decades after her brother’s assassination in 1968, Mrs. Farris worked alongside his widow, Coretta Scott King, to preserve and promote his legacy. But unlike her high-profile sister-in-law, Mrs. Farris’ activism and grief often were behind the scenes.

“She may not have always been on the line of the march, but that was true with a lot of the heroes of the Civil Rights Movement,” said Marcellus Barksdale, a Morehouse College history professor in a 2009 Associated Press interview about Mrs. Farris.

Mrs. Farris was born Willie Christine King on Sept. 11, 1927, in Atlanta. She was the first child of the Rev. Martin Luther King Sr. and Alberta Christine Williams King.

Mrs. Farris helped Coretta Scott King build The King Center

and helped teach Dr. King’s philosophy of nonviolence. For years, her dignified presence was a mainstay at the ecumenical service celebrating her brother’s birthday at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where her grandfather and father also preached, and where Mrs. Farris remained a member.

The King Center tweeted Thursday that it mourns the loss of Mrs. Farris, a founding board member, former vice chair and treasurer.

Martin Luther King III tweeted that he, his wife and his daughter had been able to spend time with his aunt in her final days.

“Aunt Christine embodied what it meant to be a public servant. Like my dad, she spent her life fighting for equality and against racism in America,” he tweeted. “No stranger to adversity, Aunt Christine used the tragedies of the assassinations of her mother and brother to fight for change in America.”

Mrs. Farris outlived many of the people she loved, including her parents, her two brothers, her sister-in-law and her niece, Yolanda. She graduated from Spelman College in 1948 with a degree in economics on the same day Dr. King earned his degree in sociology from Morehouse College.

A decade later, Mrs. Farris returned to Spelman, where she worked for over 50 years. In 1960, she married Isaac Newton Farris. The couple had two children, Angela Christine Farris Watkins

and Isaac Newton Farris Jr.

“Our hearts are heavy in Atlanta today, with the news that Christine King Farris has died,” Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement. “As the last of the King siblings, she spent much of her life advocating for equality. She once said that her brother Martin simply gave us the blueprint, but it was our duty ‘to carry it out.’”

Mrs. Farris wrote two children’s books about her life and in 2009, she wrote a memoir, “Through It All: Reflections on My Life, My Family and My Faith.”

Many African-American SBC churches have women pastors on staff

Will they be expelled next?

By Bob Smietana

Religion News Service

Earlier this year, Southern Baptists expelled five churches from the nation’s largest Protestant denomination for having women as pastors.

Now, the leader of a fellowship of African-American Southern Baptist pastors wonders if their churches will be next.

In a letter last week, the president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s National African American Fellowship asked to meet with the denomination’s president, saying the SBC’s recent decisions to expel churches with women pastors had caused “division

within the SBC and may disproportionately impact NAAF affiliated congregations.”

“Many of our churches assign the title ‘pastor’ to women who oversee ministries of the church under the authority of a male Senior Pastor, i.e., Children’s Pastor, Worship Pastor, Discipleship Pastor, etc.,” wrote the Rev. Gregory Perkins, pastor of The View Church in Menifee, Calif. and president of the NAAF.

He also said a proposed amendment to the SBC’s constitution to bar churches with women pastors violated the autonomy of local churches — a vital Baptist belief.

During the recent SBC an-

Riverview Baptist Church

nual meeting, local church delegates, known as messengers, voted to affirm the decision to expel Saddleback Church in Southern California — one of the denomination’s largest churches — and Fern Creek Baptist Church in Louisville.

Three other expelled churches — including two predominantly Black churches where women had succeeded their late husbands as pastors — did not appeal.

Messengers also voted to change the SBC’s constitution to bar churches with women pastors.

The Associated Press

For decades after her brother’s assassination in 1968, Christine Farris worked alongside his widow, Coretta Scott King, to preserve and promote his legacy.

Messengers vote June 13 during the first day of the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.

Plaintiff v. rAHMEL BrOWN, Defendant. case No.: cL23001806-00 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.

is ORDERED that the defendant, whose has been served with the Complaint by posted service, appear here on or before the 30th day of August, 2023 and protect his interests.

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 31st day of August, 2023 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