June 23 25, 2016 issue

Page 1

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Gravely out at state NAACP?

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Richmond Free Press © 2016 Paradigm Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

VOL. 25 NO. 26

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

www.richmondfreepress.com

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Jack W. Gravely appears poised to resign as executive director of the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP, the Free Press has learned. Mr. Gravely, a radio talk show host and former state NAACP executive director who returned to the leadership position in April 2015, was not immediately available for comment. However, a source close to events said Mr. Gravely is expected to call a news conference Friday, June 24, to announce

his decision to leave, ending his efforts to rebuild the slumping civil rights group. According to the source, Mr. Gravely is ready to depart because of strained relations between him and several key state executive board members, including the current president, Linda Thomas of Caroline County, and James E. Ghee of Farmville. “Jack feels he has been relegated to being an office boy,” the source said, describing the situation as a struggle over Mr.

June 23-25, 2016

House sit-in Mr. Burt

Family photo

Orlando victim to be buried in Amelia

Scores of Democratic lawmakers, led by civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis, refuse to leave the U.S. House of Representatives until gun control measures are passed

Free Press staff, wire report

By Bonnie V. Winston

The last time Marie Morton Hart of Richmond saw her grandnephew, Darryl Roman “DJ” Burt II, it was a joyous time. “We had a family reunion last July at Andrews Air Force Base, and DJ flew in from his home in Jacksonville to surprise his mother,” the 79-year-old South Side resident said. It was a special time for DJ and his parents, Darryl Burt, a military retiree who grew up in Richmond’s Church Hill, and his wife, Felicia Jackson Burt, who grew up in Amelia County. This weekend, the Burt family will reunite — surrounded by a cadre of family and friends and uplifted by an outpouring of support — to bury DJ in Amelia County. The 29-year-old Mr. Burt, an outgoing hard worker, community volunteer and financial aid officer at Keiser University in Florida, was killed in the June 12 deadly shooting rampage at Please turn to A4

Reuters

Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts tweeted a photo from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday showing the sit-in demanding common sense gun control legislation to keep suspected terrorists from buying guns and tightening background checks. Sitting on the floor in the center is Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, who led the historic action.

Democratic lawmakers, using 1960s tactics to press their point, staged an surprise sit-in on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, demanding the chamber remain in session until the Republican leadership agrees to a vote on gun control legislation. Nearly 200 legislators, including several members of the Senate, joined in the protest led by Democratic Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, a veteran of the Civil Rights Movement and one of the original Freedom Riders who led the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, student sit-ins and voter registration drives throughout the South that paved the way for the historic Selma to Montgomery march in Alabama in 1965. Chanting “No bill, no break!” the lawmakers disrupted the House session and occupied the floor of the chamber. Photos of the action were sent via Instagram, Twitter and other social media alerting the public, even after the House cameras that broadcast the sessions were turned off. “We have been too quiet for too long,” Rep. Lewis told his colleagues. “We will be silent Please turn to A4

Siblings win ‘Teacher of the Year’ Coach Lancaster By Bonnie N. Davis

As teachers for Richmond Public Schools, siblings Gilbert Carter Jr. and Ridgely Carter-Minter took different paths to the classroom. Yet, their recent recognition as Teacher of the Year at their respective schools is singularly rooted in a Richmond family legacy known for teaching excellence. Mr. Carter, 34, was named Teacher of the Year at Boushall Middle School in South Side, where he teaches eighth grade special education. Shortly after learning about her brother’s honor in May, Mrs. Carter-Minter, 31, also was named Teacher of the Year — at Woodville Elementary School in the East End, where she teaches fifth grade. Each school in Richmond selects an

outstanding teacher to compete for Richmond Public Schools’ “Teacher of the Year.” Those teachers, selected by peer review within their school, are chosen on the basis of contributions they make to students, the school division and the community. An awards ceremony selecting Richmond’s overall Teacher of the Year will take place later this year. Mr. Carter and Mrs. Carter-Minter are products not only of Richmond Public Schools, they come from a large, extended family whose members are replete with their own recognition as classroom teachers and school administrators. The Carter siblings’ father, the late Gilbert L. Carter Sr., taught law at Virginia State College (now University) and was assistant dean of student life at Virginia Commonwealth University. He

Sandra Sellers/Richmond Free Press

Ridgely Carter-Minter and her brother, Gilbert Carter Jr., were named Teacher of the Year at their respective schools in Richmond. Mrs. Carter-Minter teaches fifth grade at Woodville Elementary School, and Mr. Carter is a special education teacher at Boushall Middle School.

later worked for the City of Richmond and Virginia Union University. Herman L. Carter, Mr. Carter Sr.’s brother and the Carter siblings’ uncle, taught chemistry at Armstrong High School before becoming a principal at Kennedy and John Marshall high schools. The family ties to education don’t stop there. Sheron Carter-Gunter, the Carter siblings’ first cousin and Herman Carter’s daughter, currently is principal at Franklin Military Academy in Richmond. Other family members serve as an English specialist and in the performing arts for Richmond Public Schools. Mr. Carter said both his father and uncle would be proud of his and his sister’s accomplishments. Their father died in October 2015, nine months after the death of their uncle. For both men, education was a high priority and they encouraged their children to enjoy the process and rewards it can offer, Mr. Carter said. Mr. Carter said their influence “without a doubt” fueled his zest for teaching, even though he did not immediately follow that path. Growing up, Mr. Carter dreamed of an engineering career, which led him to Virginia Tech, where he graduated in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies and an engineering minor. After graduation, he worked for three years as an industrial engineer for UPS. Looking to switch careers, he hadn’t thought much about teaching, although family members often told him to give it a try. “I kept denying it, denying it and denying it,” he said. An eventual visit to his sister’s classroom as a volunteer reader led to him “falling in love with teaching,” he said. He later became a substitute teacher before enrolling in and completing Virginia Union University’s Teacher Licensure Program. He joined Boushall Middle School seven years ago, and considers his career switch “one of the best decisions I ever made.” Please turn to A4

starts new chapter By Fred Jeter

George Lancaster says he has retired. Officially he has after 37 seasons and two Virginia championships at Highland Springs High School in Henrico County. But the more the 71-year-old coaching legend talks, the more you learn another chapter may yet unfold. Coach Lancaster is in the process of moving back to his hometown of Chase City in Mecklenburg County, where he just may pop up with a whistle around his neck at Bluestone High School. “The girls (varsity coaching) job is available and I’ve talked to the principal about it,” Coach Lancaster told the Free Press. “I’ve got a vested interest. I have a granddaughter who plays softball at Bluestone, and many relatives and old friends living there.” He added: “And if I’m not the head coach, I’d be happy to be an assistant,” he said, noting his interest in assisting Bluestone High’s boys Coach Ben Sizemore. “Actually, I coached Ben’s older brother,” Coach Lancaster said. Girls, too: Records show Coach Lancaster is leaving Highland Springs High with 704 boys’ victories, the fourth highest in state public school annals. The first 30 wins came in three seasons at Richmond’s Huguenot High School before moving to Highland Springs High in 1979. But there are more victories that don’t show up, at least initially, on the ledger. Along with the boys’ wins, he picked up an additional 53 victories as the Springers’ girls coach. He coached Highland Springs’ girls basketball two years, Please turn to A4


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