RICHMOND FREE PRESS 48 NOVEMBER 26-29, 2025 EDITION

“It’s an honor and a blessing to be put in situations where we can help one another.”

— Tony Williams

Stranger turned hero brings families together after long wait

Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger looks on as a new chart appears on the projector as she follows along with Sen. Ryan McDougle, R-Hanover, and Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, chair of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, during the committee’s annual retreat on Nov. 20 at Kyle Hall on the campus of Radford University.

Slashed federal funding, rising costs could affect Abigail Spanberger’s agenda

By Jahd Khalil VPM News

Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin said a group of corporate executives that advise him on how much tax revenue Virginia’s economy can expect are “cautiously optimistic” about the coming budget cycle.

By George Copeland

I just hugged him.” For both men, who never reconnected after the crash, the chance reunion was a moment of joy and celebration that has grown in the weeks since into

By George Copeland Jr.

in time,” said Executive Director Sandra Antoine. “It was during these times that our resilience, dedication to service

GACRE forecasts the amount of taxes the Commonwealth will take in after deciding how well the council expects the economy to perform. It is the one of the final pieces of information Youngkin will consider as he crafts a budget he will propose to the General Assembly next month.

“We will be prudent, and I do believe that will leave some upside for the next ad-

The regularly scheduled Governor’s Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates meeting comes days after the Virginia House and Senate’s money committees heard that the Commonwealth could need to dip into a one-time surplus to cover projected expenses.

ministration, which I think is appropriate,” Youngkin told reporters after the GACRE meeting on Monday. “The scenarios that were being discussed at both the House and the Senate retreats were overly negative from a revenue standpoint.”

The “overly negative” presentations were given at annual gatherings of the state legislators who ultimately draw up the Commonwealth’s two-year budget — and said the General Assembly needed to be cautious. Slashed federal funding, increasing behavioral health bills for Medicaid and updates to the cost of K-12 education are tightening Virginia’s financial situation, which has leeway due to a surplus and previous additional balances of about $1.8 billion. (Virginia’s fiscal 2025-26 state budget was passed at roughly $188 billion.)

‘We’re toast’: Virginia GOP erupts in finger-pointing after sweeping Democratic wins

By Markus Schmidt

Rick Buchanan didn’t expect to walk out before the first session even ended.

The chair of the 5th Congressional District GOP Committee had arrived at the Donald W. Huffman Advance — the Republican Party of Virginia’s annual flagship gathering — at The Forum Hotel in Charlottesville on Dec. 6, 2024, hoping the event would offer a clear roadmap

heading into a pivotal election year.

Instead, he said, he witnessed what felt like an early coronation of Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, who had launched her gubernatorial bid that September and, in his view, had already been handpicked by Gov. Glenn Youngkin as his successor. “I sat there and watched it,” Buchanan said. “I had breakfast, and then went to the first real gathering of the troops, at lunch, and that’s when the coronation began. And I

packed my stuff up and left, I didn’t want to hear any more.”

The program, he said, offered little for local organizers seeking help to compete in difficult districts.

“There was nothing for us grassroots supporters,” he said. “You know what the program was about?

Furthering Youngkin’s agenda.” One year later, after Democrats swept all three statewide offices this

Holiday closings

In observance of Thanksgiving Day, please note the following closings: Federal offices will be closed Thursday, Nov. 27. State offices will be closed Wednesday, Nov. 26 through Friday, Nov. 29. City of Richmond offices will be closed Wednesday, Nov. 26 through Friday, Nov. 29. Henrico and Chesterfield county offices will be closed Thursday, Nov. 27 and Friday, Nov. 28. Hanover County offices will be closed Wednesday, Nov. 26 through Friday, Nov. 29. Richmond courts will be closed from Wednesday, Nov. 26 at noon through Friday, Nov. 28. Henrico courts will be closed Thursday, Nov. 27, and Friday, Nov. 28. Chesterfield courts will be closed from Wednesday, Nov. 26 at noon through Friday, Nov. 28. Hanover Circuit Court will be closed Wednesday, Nov. 26 through Friday, Nov. 28, and General District Court will be closed Wednesday, Nov. 26 at noon through Friday, Nov. 28. Public schools in Richmond, Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico will be closed Wednesday, Nov. 26 through Friday, Nov. 28. Richmond Public Library will be closed Wednesday, Nov. 26 through Friday, Nov. 28. Henrico County Public Library will be closed Thursday, Nov. 27 and Friday, Nov. 28. Chesterfield County Public Library will be closed Wednesday, Nov. 26 at 5 p.m. through Friday, Nov. 28. Hanover County Public Libraries will be closed Wednesday, Nov. 26 through Friday, Nov. 28. The Library of Virginia will be closed Wednesday, Nov. 26 at noon through Saturday, Nov. 29.

Trash and recycling collections will not occur Thursday, Nov. 27. Collections for Thursday and Friday will be delayed by one day. The U.S. Postal Service will not deliver Thursday, Nov. 27. Department of Motor Vehicles customer service centers will be closed Thursday, Nov. 27 through Saturday, Nov. 29.

GRTC buses will operate on a Sunday schedule Thursday, Nov. 27, and resume a weekday schedule Friday, Nov. 28. Virginia ABC stores will be closed Thursday, Nov. 27, open

Program offers high school seniors free access to HBCU applications

Free Press staff report

Richmond high school seniors are getting an opportunity to apply to historically Black colleges and universities without paying application fees, thanks to a partnership between KR Scholars and Richmond Public Schools.

The program provides 500 seniors with a single, no-cost application through the Common Black College Application, which allows students to apply to more than 50 HBCUs. Application fees, which typically range from $20 to $40 per school, have often posed financial challenges for students and families.

“Richmond’s students are ready to seize the opportunities that HBCUs provide, and we are committed to removing any obstacles in their path,” said Kristen Johnson, executive director of KR Scholars. “This initiative is about more than just waiving fees; it’s about opening doors to transformative educational experiences and future success.” HBCUs are known for their academic programs and cultural legacy, and the initiative is designed to help students focus on preparing for college rather than worrying about application costs, according to a news release from the nonprofit organization. Students can apply at commonblackcollegeapp.com using the promo code KRS1. The program highlights broader conversations around college affordability and educational equity while supporting local students in pursuing leadership and achievement opportunities.

City to install pedestrian hybrid beacon at Cary and Commonwealth

Free Press staff report

The city will install a pedestrian hybrid beacon at Cary Street and Commonwealth Avenue to improve access to Mary Munford Elementary School and the nearby playground.

The Department of Public Works said the project is part of Richmond’s Vision Zero effort to eliminate fatal and serious-injury crashes. Construction is expected to begin in early December, weather permitting, and finish by summer.

The beacon will remain dark until activated by a pedestrian or bicyclist. Once the call button is pressed, motorists will see a flashing yellow signal, then a solid yellow, followed by a solid red that requires drivers to stop. Pedestrians will receive a walk signal once traffic is stopped. The beacon then shifts to a flashing red before returning to dark mode.

The project includes new signal mast arms, a high-visibility crosswalk, countdown indicators, push-button activations and ADA-accessible ramps. Intermittent lane and sidewalk closures are expected during construction. The $275,000 project is funded through the Central Virginia Transportation Authority. For more information, visit rva.gov/public-works.

The 140-year-old

Cityscape

School

stands behind Linwood

in the Hermitage Road Historic District. Built around 1885 as a brick farmhouse and later used by Richmond Public Schools for special education and office space, the structure has been vacant for nearly 20 years and is deteriorating. A School Board committee has recommended a one-year window for community proposals before demolition is considered.

Avula proposes collaborative approach to Richmond public housing

By George Copeland Jr.

Mayor Danny Avula urged Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority officials on Nov. 19 to put residents at the center of public housing decisions, calling for more cooperation, transparency and community involvement in developments like Gilpin Court.

Speaking briefly at the board’s meeting alongside City Council President Cynthia Newbille, Avula outlined proposals aimed at reshaping how the city and RRHA collaborate on redevelopment projects.

“This really is about putting the residents of our communities at the center of our work together,” he said.

A major focus was Gilpin Court, where Avula suggested using the Jackson Ward Community Plan as a guide and replacing all 781 units with voucher-based housing. He also called for revitalizing the Gilpin

Informed Neighbors group to gather community input and creating a Joint Gilpin Transformation Working Group of RRHA officials, city leaders, residents and development partners. Avula also requested for detailed information on RRHA finances, resources, programs and the physical condition of its properties, signaling a push for greater transparency in the agency’s operations.

“I expect that our staff, our collective board, will put our minds together to meet this challenge,” Board Chair Eddie Jackson Jr. said after Avula’s presentation.

Later in the meeting, RRHA approved changes to the board of its nonprofit, the Richmond Development Corporation, which had been proposed to take ownership of Gilpin Court. Avula criticized the proposal, requesting its withdrawal until city and resident representation concerns are addressed. While his request did not affect the RDC vote, RRHA CEO Steven Nesmith emphasized that the board’s structure is not finalized and further adjustments are possible. RRHA officials have until Dec. 17 to respond to Avula’s proposals.

Gilpin Court’s redevelopment has been a central concern for city leaders this year, as some have questioned RRHA’s plans and their potential impact on residents. Advocates have raised concerns over affordability, displacement and whether community voices are adequately represented in planning decisions. RRHA officials have expressed a willingness to increase transparency and cooperation, a stance they maintained during Wednesday’s meeting.

McClellan names 2025 Veteran of the Year for 4th District

Free Press staff report

U.S. Rep. Jennifer McClellan recently announced U.S. Air Force Col. William Woodard Butler as the 2025 Veteran of the Year for Virginia’s 4th Congressional District.

“My Veteran of the Year Program seeks to celebrate our district’s veterans, their loved ones and their service community,” McClellan said in a statement. “This year, I am honored to recognize U.S. Air Force Colonel William Butler as our Veteran of the Year for Virginia’s Fourth Congressional District.

“With over 30 years of service between active duty and reserves, Colonel Butler has devoted his entire military career and beyond to improving the lives of our service members, advancing medical research and giving back to his community. I thank him

for his service to our nation and admire all he has done for those he swore to protect and defend.”

Butler served for more than three decades in active duty and reserve roles focused on surgery, tropical medicine, hyperbaric medicine and aerospace medicine. He logged more than 980 flight hours, including more than 65 hours in combat, and completed overseas deployments to Okinawa and Qatar. He later taught aerospace medicine at the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, earning international recognition for his work on altitude-induced decompression sickness and aeromedical evacuation.

After his retirement, Butler continued a decade of service as an aerospace medicine consultant for the Air Force. He has authored more than 150 publications, including a 200-plus-page academic monograph on aeromedical evacuation of critically ill and injured patients. In the Tri-Cities, Butler serves as a trustee of the John Randolph Foundation and sits on the Hopewell City Planning Commission. He also helped create a permanently endowed scholarship for students in Chesterfield, Hopewell and Prince George who are pursuing medical careers. His work as a theater validating flight surgeon, aeromedical evacuation researcher and professor has influenced “hundreds, if not thousands” of people in the region, according to McClellan’s office. McClellan announced the honor during a speech on the House floor on Nov. 20.

New Richmond Code Refresh draft pulls back on upzoning proposals

By Keyris Manzanares VPM News

Richmond planners rolled out a revised version of the city’s Code Refresh zoning map on Nov. 18, pulling back on several proposals from the first version — including limits on height, density and where additional units can be built — as they try to balance neighborhood concerns with a growing demand for housing amid a shortage.

While the proposal still moves toward allowing more “middle housing,” such as duplexes and small, multifamily buildings in areas traditionally limited to single-family homes, several elements of upzoning that fueled excitement and criticism in the first draft have been narrowed.

One of the most notable changes is a shift in how additional units can be added to existing homes. The first draft permitted two units plus an accessory dwelling unit — like a detached in-law suite, a converted garage or a separate basement apartment — on almost any residential lot in the city.

Under the revised version, homeowners can still add an extra unit, but only if the original house remains standing.

In a September City Council meeting, some praised the plan for opening up the city’s density. But the majority of speakers raised concerns about the city’s infrastructure capacity, environmental stewardship and the potential impacts of upzoning on affordable housing and property assessments.

The city also received nearly 700 pages of emails since the release of the first draft map in June. The major-

ity opposed upzoning, saying it favored developers over residents and historic preservation. One email called on city planners to consider incremental zoning changes to prevent displacement, while another brought forth concerns of residents wanting their community to stay the same while subjecting others to upzoning.

“It is this Not In My BackYard (NIMBY) attitude that concentrates poverty, displaces Black and Brown communities from their homes, and minimizes what is great about Richmond’s neighborhoods. Our community, as much as I wish it wasn’t, is segregated,” wrote Amelie Rives in an August email.

The second draft marks a significant shift in the city’s effort to modernize its 50-yearold zoning code. Planning Director Kevin Vonck said in a Nov. 18 release that the newly proposed map makes it possible for Richmond to better align with current and future economic conditions, social preferences and environmental realities.

“The zoning rules the City has relied on since 1976 no longer reflect the housing needs of Richmonders today,” Vonck said. “The proposed updates encourage a greater range of housing types and mixing of compatible uses that will lead to more vibrant neighborhoods for more Richmonders.”

City residents voiced their concerns opposing upzoning by-right in certain areas like the 1st District via emails and map comments. Others felt that duplexes and upzoning should be allowed citywide, noting that affluent neighborhoods like Windsor Farms and Westhampton shouldn’t be

immune to increased density.

Housing affordability advocates said that while the second draft still represents forward momentum, added constraints could come at a price.

“As written, the draft would allow duplexes on lots currently zoned for single detached homes only if the existing home is preserved. In many cases, that requirement may limit or prevent the creation of new, more affordable homes,” said Laura Dobbs, director of policy at Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia.

At the same time, Dobbs said, the updated proposal allows single-family homes to be demolished and replaced with larger, pricier “McMansions” — creating obstacles for creating the more affordable, more abundant housing options Richmond needs.

Earlier this month, HOME

of Virginia joined a newly formed coalition to ensure that Code Refresh creates opportunities for all. Dobbs said Homes for All Our Neighbors will take a closer look at this draft’s proposed approach and study its potential impact.

The city’s second draft was crafted around four goals that balance new development while preserving the character of existing neighborhoods: New homes or buildings should complement the existing neighborhood; build thriving, walkable neighborhoods; preserve existing homes while also expanding housing options; and align zoning with existing building and safety codes.

Under the updated map, new residential homes and mixed-use buildings must complement the existing neighborhoods by fitting the scale of their block.

Larger apartment build -

ings will be permitted only in areas where similarly sized buildings already exist and any newly created lots must face the main street.

The city is also encouraging walkable neighborhoods by allowing small conveniences like markets and restaurants in certain areas.

“Great cities aren’t built for a moment, they’re built for generations,” said Angie Rodgers, Richmond’s director of economic development.

By allowing more neighborhood-serving retail in strategic places, Rodgers said Code Refresh strengthens walkability and improves access to daily needs.

In areas zoned for mixed use, rules require upper-floor step-backs so taller buildings don’t overwhelm the street, along with design standards to include wider sidewalks and more trees. Heights will also be aligned with what safety

and building codes already allow — not beyond.

But Charles Pool, a longtime resident of Oregon Hill who reviewed both drafts closely, said the second draft is actually worse than the first for his neighborhood. Pool, a member of the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association and a resident since 1976, said the proposed increase in zoning in alreadydense neighborhoods like his are counterproductive: “We’re very concerned that they’re not following their own designated instructions to have the heights and setbacks that complement what’s already on the block.”

Pool said the neighborhood association is not against formalizing the upzoning of single-family homes, because most of Oregon Hill is already experiencing this. For Pool, the new issue introduced in the second draft is the proposed RM-A zoning in the neighborhood’s historic district of two-story dwellings — which has a higher density and higher height limit than what currently exists. For Jovan Burton, executive director of the Partnership for Housing Affordability, the second draft represents the city’s best attempt to respond in a more acute way to the concerns that have been elevated on many sides: from preservation to density to housing urgency. Burton said it’s important to look beyond the parts of Code Refresh that have generated the most contention and focus on the components of the plan that are essential to the city’s future success. The next Zoning Advisory Council meeting is scheduled for Dec. 10.

Stranger turned hero brings families together after long wait

Continued from A1

“It was a joyful moment for me, you know what I mean?” said Williams, who still remembers the sight of the car flipping over and Minor’s body being thrown from the vehicle on a clear December evening. “This man is my brother, this man is my brother for life.”

Williams, who was in the area when Minor’s crash occurred, said he felt guided by “God’s intuition” to help, and both men said they see a sense of divine blessing in the wreck and in their reunion 20 years later.

“I just think it’s amazing,” Minor said, speaking Sunday afternoon alongside Williams and their families at Minor’s mother’s home in Midlothian, just a few miles from the AutoZone where Williams works. “You don’t ever expect to go to a store and find a brother.”

Williams’ actions were crucial to Minor’s survival, according to him and his mother,

Shirlene Douglas Staves. Doctors said he was at risk of severe brain damage without immediate help, and he could have emerged from the crash a very different person.

critical turning point, leading him to change his life for the better.

Continued from A1 a strong kinship between the two and a growing relationship between their families.

Instead, Minor was able to rebuild his life after surgery for shoulder, knee and head injuries, a month recovering in the hospital, physical therapy at Sheltering Arms and months at his mother’s house that included reading and writing practice sessions.

Obstacles prevented Minor and Williams from reconnecting before 2025. Williams had tried to find out if Minor had recovered but was stymied by the commonness of his name.

Minor had been in a coma due to his injuries, waking up later with a gap in his memory of the wreck. He was also the only person in his car during the crash, leaving him and his family unaware of Williams’ assistance.

“We had no idea somebody else was involved,” Staves said. “We are very, very thankful for this man.” Minor sees the wreck as a

Local tradition returns with Giving Heart’s Thanksgiving Day feast

and love for others motivated each of the Giving Hearts staff and volunteers to expand our reach.”

This year’s event will bring back the traditional sit-down meal, while also providing delivery services for seniors and others unable to attend in person.

The event also holds a special place for GRCC as well, according to officials, as it has hosted the feast since the beginning of the annual event.

Meals will be served starting at 11 a.m., and free parking is available in the GRCC’s deck at 3rd and Marshall streets. For more information, visit thegivingheart.org.

Continued from A1

month and picked up more than a dozen seats to solidify a 64-seat House of Delegates majority, Buchanan’s concerns have become the center of a widening debate inside a party struggling to process the magnitude of its losses — and to figure out what comes next. Statewide collapse mirrored national trend

The scale of the GOP’s collapse stunned both parties.

Democrat Abigail Spanberger defeated EarleSears by a commanding 15-point margin in the governor’s race, while Democrats flipped more House seats than most analysts predicted — a sweeping repudiation of Republican candidates and messaging.

Attorney General Jason Miyares, the Republican incumbent, fell short in his bid for a second term, losing to Democrat Jay Jones despite efforts to make his campaign about the law and order contrast and highlighting Jones’ resurfacing text-message scandal.

Veteran political analyst Bob Holsworth said the results were part of a national pattern.

“First and foremost, this election was a national wave,” he said, pointing to Democratic gains in New Jersey, Mississippi, Pennsylvania and Georgia. But Virginia’s situation, he said, reflected deeper structural problems for Republicans.

“You had Abigail Spanberger, a seasoned candidate who ran an extraordinarily disciplined campaign,” Holsworth said. In contrast, he argued Earle-Sears “spent most of the campaign as a culture warrior … and she just wasn’t where people are.” Federal budget cuts and the prolonged government shutdown also played a role, he added. “We were ground zero in Virginia,” Holsworth said. “You saw an increased level of not only Democratic votes, but turnout in general in Northern Virginia.”

Holsworth also credited House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, with orchestrating one of the most effective legislative campaign operations he has seen in recent Virginia politics.

“He raised enormous sums of money, targeted 13 races and pitched the perfect game,” he said.

Tensions grow over Youngkin’s influence Inside GOP circles, much of the lingering

“I’m in a much better place, spiritually, physically, emotionally,” he said. “Had I stayed where I was, I wouldn’t be the person that I am today, and I could very well not be here.”

Minor married his wife, Tracy, in 2006. Their second daughter, Veronica, was born in 2009. Years later, what began as a small, thoughtful gesture — checking their older daughter Olivia’s car to make sure it had enough oil for a trip — turned into a memorable moment for the family.

“We had never really heard the full story of the accident,” Olivia said, sitting with her sister across from Williams and his wife, Cynthia. “To hear that somebody stopped to call 911 to help him, we are so appreciative because our dad wouldn’t have been here, and so we can’t thank you enough.”

For Williams, the reunion is a reminder of what he believes all people should do for one another. He and Minor hope

others are inspired by his example and the stories of the two families.

“It’s an honor and a blessing

to be put in situations where we can help one another,” Williams said. “I feel like that’s what we’re supposed to do. It doesn’t

have anything to do with race, color or anything like that. We are all supposed to be here to help each other.”

Continued from A1

A House of Delegates presentation said “needs beyond mandatory spending will only be met because of the availability of carry-forward balances.”

And the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee said, “Mandatory budget pressures outpace revenue growth and will require attention to achieve structural balance” and that “large one-time balances can temporarily bridge the gap but should not be relied upon long-term.”

Generally, structural balance is paying for ongoing expenses with ongoing revenues, and using one-time money for one-time expenses.

It is common for the General Assembly to account for excess funds and surpluses from previous years in its future spending plans — Virginia has had large such amounts at its disposal in recent years.

Both the House and the Senate committees are forecasting that the Commonwealth’s next budget will have about $4 billion more in resources than the current budget’s $65 billion general fund.

anger is aimed at Youngkin.

Buchanan and other activists say Youngkin’s early public support for Earle-Sears discouraged other potential candidates — particularly Miyares — from entering the primary for the top spot of the Republican ticket.

Holsworth said that criticism is “well placed.” Miyares, he argued, “would have been a far stronger candidate,” with more experience and a broader ability to compete in suburban regions where Democrats dominated.

Youngkin’s decision to urge Republican lieutenant governor nominee John Reid to withdraw from the race — after controversy over an old social media post — further inflamed the perception that top leaders were shaping the ticket rather than allowing a competitive, open primary process.

“Youngkin did that,” Holsworth said, adding that the move made it “impossible” for Reid to fundraise or establish a statewide operation.

Peake: ‘We don’t coronate someone’

Republican Party of Virginia Chair Mark Peake flatly rejects the idea that Youngkin or party leadership pushed challengers aside.

“We don’t have the authority or the ability to just coronate someone,” Peake recently told The Mercury in a phone interview.

Peake also noted the timing: he took office in April 2025, just weeks before filing deadlines.

“Primaries were open to anyone,” he said.

“Nobody can make you not run.”

Peake said candidates who jumped in late simply failed to gather enough signatures to qualify.

“If you’ve got to have somebody else give you approval to run, then you’re not a leader,” he said.

He added that the party spent months strengthening turnout infrastructure: “All RPV has done is reach out to grassroots, reach out to voters, and go after the Trump supporting voters. That is what RPV is.”

But many activists say the party’s efforts lacked message discipline and statewide unity — a contrast to Democratic campaigns that emphasized abortion rights, cost-of-living issues and government stability.

Grassroots anger erupts into open revolt

Possibly no Republican voice has been louder in the weeks since the election than Loudoun County GOP Chair Scott Pio.

However, the Virginia Senate’s outlook anticipates an additional $200 million for the upcoming budget cycle, which runs from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2028.

While Democrats expanded their majority in the House in the recent elections, it looks as though portions of the party’s agenda will have to compete for funding.

It raises the question about whether Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger will be able to put forward an affordability agenda without raising additional revenue through new or adjusted taxes.

The governor-elect declined to comment after the GACRE meeting; a member of her staff cited scheduling concerns.

In an interview Thursday, Senate Finance Chair Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, said Virginia Democrats might not be able to fund all of the legislation they passed before Youngkin vetoed hundreds of bills. Among the bills were legislation that would have legalized a retail cannabis market, allowed for public sector collective bargaining and raised Virginia’s minimum wage.

“Over the years, it always seems to

turn out this way. At a time when we can probably get them passed, we probably won’t have the money to fund a lot of them,” she said at Radford University on the sidelines of an annual retreat for the Senate’s money committee.

“That’s gonna be the big part of it, is trying to find the funding for a lot of the initiatives that got vetoed that we want to get past this cycle.”

During a September interview, Spanberger said she was trying to determine which revenue sources might add to the Commonwealth’s finances, but also if any taxes could be eliminated.

General Assembly Democrats passed a budget that closed a sales tax loophole on digital services that would have raised $1 billion over the two-year budget. After a long standoff, Youngkin and legislators agreed in 2024 to not adjust that tax.

Many debates have floated around Capitol Square when it comes to taxes, including changing Virginia’s tax brackets, issuing a wealth tax and allowing localities to raise funds with greater flexibility.

sweeping Dem wins

In a lengthy post on X, formerly Twitter, Pio accused state party leadership of failing to build a coherent statewide message and of instructing unit chairs not to engage in issuebased communication.

“So while the Democrats have a messaging machine … the Republican Party personally mandates that they are not allowed to talk policy,” Pio wrote.

He then demanded the resignation of Peake, in addition to the GOP State Central Committee’s executive leadership and any member who “has taken a check from a candidate in the last five years.”

Peake pushed back against Pio’s move.

“The best step would be for Pio to resign,” he said in the interview, calling him “part of the problem” and saying he “has not gotten over that crushing defeat I delivered to him” in the RPV chair election in the spring.

Pio, in an interview with The Mercury, rejected that characterization.

“Why didn’t [Peake] find all the House of Delegate candidates?” he asked. “It’s unforgivable that he’s just blaming other people.”

He also said the party is failing to reach fast-growing voting blocs — particularly Latino, Muslim, Arab, Indian and younger voters — and warned the GOP will continue to lose unless it modernizes.

“There needs to be a fundamental rewriting of the Republican Party in Virginia,” Pio said. “If they don’t get their act together, it’s over.”

Leadership tensions spill into the House

The Republican post-election reckoning is also affecting the General Assembly.

Del. Mike Cherry, R-Colonial Heights, challenged Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Scott, for his leadership position in a recent closed caucus meeting but was unsuccessful. Cherry declined to comment for this story.

Kilgore did not respond to messages but said in a statement after the vote that Republicans would “rebuild, reconnect, and deliver a message that resonates with voters across Virginia.” Democrats, meanwhile, are already moving to consolidate their gains. Just days before the election, they advanced a constitutional amendment that could allow the General Assembly to redraw Virginia’s U.S. House districts ahead of the 2026 elections — sidestepping the independent redistricting commission voters approved

in 2020. The move immediately alarmed Republicans, who warned that a mid-decade map rewrite would deepen the party’s struggles with candidate recruitment, messaging and suburban competitiveness at the very moment they are trying to regroup.

In the days since their sweeping victory, Virginia Democrats have wasted no time launching a progressive agenda.

They have unveiled a fresh slate of bills that include raising the state minimum wage to $15 by 2028, mandating paid sick leave statewide, enshrining access to birth control, creating a task force to remove barriers to energy-efficient upgrades for low-income households and giving localities first right of refusal on affordable housing sales.

Among these is a bill from Sen. Jennifer Carroll Foy, D-Prince William, to fully repeal Virginia’s right-to-work law — a move that could stir intraparty tensions as moderate Democrats and business-friendly factions raise alarms.

Despite these challenges, Peake believes the party can recover from its election losses. He predicts Democratic proposals on gun regulation, labor law and social policy will spark voter backlash.

“Republicans in Virginia are never done,” he said. “We will always fight.”

He also rejected the idea that Virginia is now reliably Democratic. “I disagree with that assessment completely,” Peake said. “It’s just a matter of organizing and getting our message out there.” Holsworth, the political analyst, was more guarded.

“They need a party that can compete in the suburbs,” he said, noting that Virginia’s population centers — Northern Virginia, Henrico and Chesterfield, and parts of Hampton Roads — now strongly favor Democrats. Still, he said, Republicans could regain competitiveness with strategic recalibration.

“Things can change,” he said. “But they need a rethinking that’s along the lines of Virginia demographics.”

For Buchanan, who left last year’s Republican Advance convinced the party had lost touch with its voters, the message is simple and unvarnished.

“Once we select personality over policy, we’re toast,” he said.

Oldest survivor of Tulsa Race Massacre dies at 111

The Associated Press

By Jamie Stengel

Viola Ford Fletcher, who as one of the last survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre in Oklahoma spent her later years seeking justice for the deadly attack by a white mob on the thriving Black community where she lived as a child, has died. She was 111.

Her grandson Ike Howard said Monday that she died surrounded by family at a Tulsa hospital. Sustained by a strong faith, she raised three children, worked as a welder in a shipyard during World War II and spent decades caring for families as a housekeeper.

Tulsa was mourning her loss, said Mayor Monroe Nichols, the first Black leader of Oklahoma’s second-largest city. “Mother Fletcher endured more than anyone should, yet she spent her life lighting a path forward with purpose.”

She was 7 years old when the two-day attack began on Tulsa’s Greenwood district on May 31, 1921, after a local newspaper published a sensationalized report about a Black man accused of assaulting a white woman. As a white mob grew outside the courthouse, Black Tulsans with guns who hoped to prevent the man’s lynching began showing up. White residents responded with overwhelming force. Hundreds of people were killed, and homes were burned and looted, leaving over 30 city blocks decimated in the prosperous community known as Black Wall Street.

“I could never forget the charred remains of our once-thriving community, the smoke billowing in the air, and the terror-stricken faces of my neighbors,” she wrote in her 2023 memoir, “Don’t Let Them Bury My Story.”

As her family left in a horsedrawn buggy, her eyes burned from the smoke and ash, she wrote. She described seeing piles of bodies in the streets and watching as a white man shot a Black man in the head,

then fired toward her family.

She told The Associated Press in an interview the year her memoir was published that fear of reprisals influenced her years of near-silence about the massacre. She wrote the book with Howard, her grandson, who said he had to persuade her to tell her story.

“We don’t want history to repeat itself so we do need to educate people about what happened and try to get people to understand why you need to be made whole, why you need to be repaired,” Howard told the AP in 2024. “The generational wealth that was lost, the home, all the belongings, everything was lost in one night.”

The attack went largely unremembered for decades. In Oklahoma, wider discussions began when the state formed a commission in 1997 to investigate the violence.

Fletcher, who in 2021 testified before Congress about what she went through, joined her younger brother, Hughes Van Ellis, and another massacre survivor, Lessie Benningfield Randle, in a lawsuit seeking reparations. The Oklahoma Supreme Court dismissed it in June 2024, saying their grievances did not fall within the scope of the state’s public nuisance statute.

“For as long as we remain in this lifetime, we will continue to shine a light on one of the darkest days in American history,” Fletcher and Randle said in a statement at the time. Van Ellis had died a year earlier at age 102.

A Justice Department review, launched under the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act and released in January 2024, outlined the massacre’s scope and impact. It concluded that federal prosecution may have been possible a century ago, but there was no longer an avenue to bring a criminal case.

The city has been looking for ways to help descendants of the massacre’s victims without giving direct cash payments. Some of the last living

survivors, including Fletcher, received donations from groups but have not received any payments from the city or state.

“The fact that she died without any meaningful redress — not for herself, her family or her community — isn’t just a legal failure. It’s a moral one,”

Damario Solomon-Simmons, an attorney for the survivors and the founder of the Justice for Greenwood Foundation, said in a statement.

“She would not want her passing to be the end of the fight,” he said.

“She would want it to light a fire under all of us.”

Fletcher, born in Oklahoma on May 10, 1914, spent most of her early years in Greenwood. It was an oasis for Black people during segregation, she wrote in her memoir. Her family had a nice home, she said, and the

community had everything from doctors to grocery stores to restaurants and banks.

Forced to flee during the massacre, her family became nomadic, living out of a tent as they worked in the fields as sharecroppers. She didn’t finish school beyond the fourth grade.

At 16, she returned to Tulsa, where she got a job cleaning and creating window displays in a department store, she wrote in her memoir. She then met Robert Fletcher, and they married and moved to California.

During World War II, she worked in a Los Angeles shipyard as a welder, she wrote.

She eventually left her husband, who was physically abusive, and gave birth to their son, Robert Ford Fletcher, she wrote. Longing to be closer to her family, she returned to

Oklahoma and settled north of Tulsa in Bartlesville.

Fletcher wrote that her faith and the close-knit Black community gave her the support she needed to raise her children. She had another son, James Edward Ford, and a daughter, Debra Stein Ford, from other relationships. She worked for decades as a housekeeper, doing everything in those homes from cooking to cleaning to caring for children, Howard said. She worked until she was 85.

She eventually returned to Tulsa to live. Howard said his grandmother hoped the move would help in her fight for justice.

Howard said the reaction his grandmother got when she started speaking out was therapeutic for her.

“This whole process has been helpful,” he said.

Jimmy Cliff, reggae giant and star of landmark film

By Hillel Italie

The Associated Press

Jimmy Cliff, the charismatic reggae pioneer and actor who preached joy, defiance and resilience in such classics as “Many Rivers to Cross,” “You Can Get it If You Really Want” and “Vietnam” and starred in the landmark movie “The Harder They Come,” has died at 81. His wife, Latifa Chambers, confirmed his death Monday. Chambers and Cliff’s three children also posted a message on his social media sites that he died from a “seizure followed by pneumonia.” Additional information was not immediately available.

‘The Harder They Come,’ dead at 81

“To all his fans around the world, please know that your support was his strength throughout his whole career,” the announcement reads in part. “He really appreciated each and every fan for their love.” Cliff was a native Jamaican with a spirited tenor and a gift for catchphrases and topical lyrics who joined Kingston’s emerging music scene in his teens and helped lead a movement in the 1960s that included such future stars as Bob Marley, Toots Hibbert and Peter Tosh. By the early 1970s, he had accepted director Perry Henzell’s offer to star in a film about an aspiring reggae musician, Ivanhoe “Ivan” Martin, who turns to crime when his career stalls. Henzell named the movie “The Harder They Come” after suggesting the title as a possible song for Cliff.

“Ivanhoe was a real-life character for Jamaicans,” Cliff told Variety in 2022 on the film’s 50th anniversary. “When I was a little boy, I used to hear about him as being a bad man. A real bad man. No one in Jamaica, at that time, had guns. But he had guns and shot a policeman, so he was someone to be feared. However, being a hero was the manner in which Perry wanted to make his name — an anti-hero in the way that Hollywood turns its bad guys into heroes.”

“The Harder They Come,” delayed for some two years because of sporadic funding, was the first major commercial release to come out of Jamaica. It sold few tickets in its initial run, despite praise from Roger Ebert and other critics. But it now stands as a cultural touchstone, with a soundtrack widely cited as among the greatest ever and as a turning point in reggae’s worldwide rise.

For a brief time, Cliff rivaled Marley as the genre’s most prominent artist. On an album that included Toots and the Maytals, the Slickers and Desmond Dekker, Cliff was the featured artist on four out of 11 songs, all well placed in the reggae canon.

“Sitting in Limbo” was a moody but hopeful take on a life in restless motion. “You Can Get It If You Really Want” and

the title song were calls for action and vows of final payments: “The harder they come, the harder they fall, one and all.” Cliff otherwise lets out a weary cry on “Many Rivers to Cross,” a gospel-style testament that he wrote after confronting racism in England in the 1960s.

“It was a very frustrating time. I came to England with very big hopes, and I saw my hopes fading,” he told Rolling Stone in 2012.

The music lives on

Cliff’s career peaked with “The Harder They Come,” but after a break in the late 1970s, he worked steadily for decades, whether session work with the Rolling Stones or collaborations with Wyclef Jean, Sting and Annie Lennox, among others. Meanwhile, his early music lived on. The Sandinistas in Nicaragua used “You Can Get It If You Really Want” as a campaign theme, and Bruce Springsteen helped expand Cliff’s U.S. audience with his live cover of the reggae star’s “Trapped,” featured on the millionselling charity album from 1985, “We Are the World.” Others performing his songs included John Lennon, Cher and UB40.

Cliff was nominated for seven Grammys and won twice for best reggae album: in 1986 for “Cliff Hanger” and in 2012 for the well-named “Rebirth,” widely regarded as his best work in years. His other albums included the Grammy-nominated “The Power and the Glory,” “Humanitarian” and the 2022 release “Refugees.” He also performed on Steve Van Zandt’s protest anthem, “Sun City,” and acted in the Robin Williams comedy “Club Paradise,” for which he contributed a handful of songs

to the soundtrack and sang with Elvis Costello on the rocker “Seven Day Weekend.” His other honors included induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Jamaica’s Order of Merit. In 2019, the Jamaican government renamed Montego Bay’s popular “hip strip” roadway Jimmy Cliff Boulevard. Two years later, Jamaican officials presented Cliff with an official passport in recognition of his status as a Reggae Ambassador. He was born James Chambers in the parish of Saint James and, like Ivan Martin in “The Harder They Come,” moved to Kingston in his youth to become a musician. In the early 1960s, Jamaica was gaining its independence from Britain, and the early sounds of reggae — first called ska and rocksteady — were catching on. Calling himself Jimmy Cliff, he had a handful of local hits, including “King of Kings” and “Miss Jamaica,” and after overcoming the kinds of barriers that upended Martin, was called on to help represent his country at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York City.

“(Reggae) is a pure music. It was born of the poorer class of people,” he told Spin in 2022. “It came from the need for recognition, identity and respect.”

Approaching stardom

His popularity grew over the second half of the 1960s, and he signed with Island Records, the world’s leading reggae label. Island founder Chris Blackwell tried in vain to market him to rock audiences, but Cliff still managed to reach new listeners. He had a hit with a cover of Cat Stevens’ “Wild World” and reached the top 10 in the U.K. with the uplifting “Wonderful World, Beautiful People.” Cliff’s widely heard protest chant, “Vietnam,” was inspired in part by a friend who had served in the war and returned damaged beyond recognition. His success as a recording artist and concert performer led Henzell to seek a meeting with him and flatter him into accepting the part: “You know, I think you’re a better actor than singer,” Cliff remembered him saying. Aware that “The Harder They Come” could be a breakthrough for Jamaican cinema, he openly wished for stardom, although Cliff remained surprised by how well known he became.

“Back in those days, there were few of us African descendants who came through the cracks to get any kind of recognition,” he told The Guardian in 2021. “It was easier in music than movies. But when you start to see your face and name on the side of the buses in London that was like: ‘Wow, what’s going on?’”

Associated Press journalist John Myers Jr. in Kingston, Jamaica, contributed to this report.

Richmond Free Press

November

The Prayer of Thanksgiving

Today, I make my Sacrament ofThanksgiving.

I begin with the simple things of my days: Fresh air to breathe, Cool water to drink, The taste of food, The protection of houses and clothes, The comforts of home.

For all these I make an act of Thanksgiving this day!

I bring to mind all the warmth of humankind that I have known:

My mother’s arms, The strength of my father

The playmates of my childhood,

The wonderful stories brought to me from the lives

Of many who talked of days gone by when fairies

And giants and all kinds of magic held sway;

The tears I have shed, the tears I have seen;

The excitement of laughter and the twinkle in the

Eye with its reminder that life is good.

For all these I make an act of Thanksgiving this day

I finger one by one the messages of hope that awaited me at the crossroads:

The smile of approval from those who held in their hands the reins of my security;

The tightening of the grip in a simple handshake when I

Feared the step before me in darkness;

The whisper in my heart when the temptation was fiercest

And the claims of appetite were not to be denied;

The crucial word said, the simple sentence from an open

Page when my decision hung in the balance.

For all these I make an act of Thanksgiving this day.

I pass before me the main springs of my heritage:

The fruits of labors of countless generations who lived before me,

Without whom my own life would have no meaning;

The seers who saw visions and dreamed dreams;

The prophets who sensed a truth greater than the mind could grasp

And whose words would only find fulfillment

In the years which they would never see;

The workers whose sweat has watered the trees,

The leaves of which are for the healing of the nations;

The pilgrims who set their sails for lands beyond all horizons,

Whose courage made paths into new worlds and far off places;

The saviors whose blood was shed with a recklessness that only a dream

Could inspire and God could command.

For all this I make an act of Thanksgiving this day.

I linger over the meaning of my own life and the commitment

To which I give the loyalty of my heart and mind:

The little purposes in which I have shared my loves,

My desires, my gifts;

The restlessness which bottoms all I do with its stark insistence

That I have never done my best, I have never dared

To reach for the highest;

The big hope that never quite deserts me, that I and my kind

Will study war no more, that love and tenderness and all the

inner graces of Almighty affection will cover the life of the

children of God as the waters cover the sea.

All these and more than mind can think and heart can feel, I make as my sacrament of Thanksgiving to Thee,

Our Father, in humbleness of mind and simplicity of heart.

Why giving Tuesday matters for Black communities

It’s the end of the year, which means you are being barraged by requests to give. Whether it is your alma mater, your church, a charity you gave to once upon a time — even a long, long time ago — you are getting repeated requests to give. Giving Tuesday this year is Dec. 2, and the encouragement to give is not a bad thing.

The Giving Tuesday concept began in 2012, when the United Nations Foundation and New York’s 92nd Street Y, a Jewish cultural and community center in New York, saw it as relief from the rampant consumerism that defines this so-called holy season. The frenzy begins on or before Black Friday, where in the past fools lined up to score bargains on electronics, sometimes so frantically that they rushed into big-box stores, stampeding guards and fellow consumers. It continues to Cyber Monday, where people are encouraged to buy online. Giving Tuesday is an attempt to center on giving, not spending. It has even spun into a nonprofit organization that encourages giving.

Let’s put this in context, though. Black people are givers. Proportionately we give more

than most. We give because that’s how we got over. From mutual aid societies during and after the enslavement period through the fried chickens and pound cakes that sustained our historically Black colleges and universities “back in the day” (and even now), giving is a core value for African American people. We don’t necessarily need the nudge to give on Giving Tuesday. Black folks always

give, even when we have less than the majority community does. Instead, this day serves as a reminder that most philanthropy reflects the structural inequity that defines our predatory capitalistic society. And Giving Tuesday focuses on collective philanthropy, which includes giving money, time, advocacy or support to those in need. Right now, with the global, national and local challenges we face, the spirit of Giving Tuesday is important now more than ever.

Let’s not overlook the inherent inequality in the philanthropic space. Charity can relieve symptoms, but it cannot repair structural inequality. The roots of the racial wealth gap — land theft, labor exploitation, exclusion from credit, and racially targeted policy — go far deeper than any one day of goodwill can touch.

Still, Giving Tuesday offers an important window. It calls us to remember that philanthropy is not the exclusive province of billionaires. Black communities have always given out of necessity, solidarity and survival. We gave when the Freedmen’s Bureau failed us. We gave when federal farm policy dispossessed Black farmers. We gave through churches, benevolent societies, burial clubs, freedom schools, mutual aid and community defense. Our giving was not episodic; it was infrastructural. It kept our communities alive when state violence sought to extinguish them.

Giving Tuesday becomes not just a day of donations but a chance to interrogate where our dollars go, why our communities still need so much, and how we can align generosity with justice. Instead of reacting only to crises, we can think strategically — supporting organizations fighting voter suppression, advocating for reparations, training Black economists, building cooperative enterprises and holding policymakers accountable for the inequities they continue to produce.

Pelosi’s leadership marked by democracy and equity

“When I left home to run for Congress, I had to know why I was doing that. My why was one in five children in America lives in poverty, goes to sleep hungry at night. That was my why.” NaNcy Pelosi

laying the foundation for better economic and health outcomes in communities that too often lacked both.

If the measure of public service is how deeply one fights for the most vulnerable among us, then Nancy Patricia Pelosi stands among the most consequential leaders of our era. From her early days in elective office to becoming the first woman speaker of the House, she carried the hopes of working families, children, communities of color and low-income Americans into the halls of power. She carried them into those halls not as tokens but as rightful partners in shaping America’s future. Her record of legislation is impressive, but what makes her stand out is her willingness to navigate hard moments. When the financial crisis struck in 2008, she led a divided House to approve the rescue package that helped stabilize the economy and protect jobs and incomes in neighborhoods long underserved. When health care reform seemed stalled, she marshaled her caucus to pass what became the Affordable Care Act, extending coverage to tens of millions of Americans and

But beyond those landmark laws, her leadership in defending democracy was equally unyielding. When the right to vote and fair representation came under threat, she refused to accept that

silence or delay was an option.

She guided her caucus to take on efforts to restore protections for voting rights and ensure that barriers to the ballot were resisted. She said publicly that our democracy is strongest when every voice is heard and every vote is counted. She traveled to schools and colleges and urged young people to exercise their civic power and to believe fully in the promise of equality.

In the realm of diversity, her impact was equally clear. Under her leadership, the Democratic caucus in the House grew substantially more reflective of America’s rich mosaic. She remarked with pride that her caucus was “about seventy percent women, people of color, LGBTQ.” She helped ensure that women and people of color gained not only seats but leadership roles, shifting the composition of leadership from a narrow group into a broader reflection of the nation. This was not about optics. It was about making sure the people

who have borne the burdens of inequality are included in designing the solutions.

What makes Pelosi’s legacy powerful for the National Urban League is that she fused all three pillars the organization champions: democracy, diversity and economic opportunity. She treated the fight against poverty not as separate from the fight for justice and equality. She treated access to health care, wages that lifted families, education that opened doors and representation that broadened power as interconnected pieces of the same mission.

As she steps away from Congress, she leaves a living blueprint. Democracy is not self-executing. Inclusion is not automatic. Opportunity is not guaranteed. It requires leadership that refuses to stand down, that believes every child deserves a fair start, and that lifts up people and communities often unseen.

Nancy Pelosi’s service reminds us that leadership is judged not by the offices held but by the lives improved. She looked at the long lines of children hungry for opportunity and chose to act. For the National Urban League, her legacy is a call to carry on — to defend voting rights, to broaden participation, to open doors of access and to sustain an inclusive democracy that works for every American.

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

Giving Tuesday as not just an appeal from nonprofits but an invitation to reflect: How do we build the world we deserve? What might generosity look like when it centers systemic repair, not performative benevolence?

Giving Tuesday began as a social media campaign. It has become, at its best, a moment of collective pause. Use it — whether by giving, advocating or simply asking harder questions about how our nation allocates abundance. Generosity guided by justice is not just charity. It is strategy. So if you are African American and you participate in Giving Tuesday, give Black. If you are an ally and concerned with social and economic justice, give Black. If you care about historical inequities, give Black. Really, you never need an excuse or a reason to give Black. The writer is an economist and author.

Charity alone cannot undo the legacy of lynching culture, economic envy and policy violence — central forces in the theft of Black land and Black futures. But a day that encourages Americans to pause the spending frenzy and consider generosity is not without value. We can reclaim

The first Thanksgiving is a key chapter in America’s origin story – but what happened in Virginia four months later mattered more

Remembered and retold as an allegory for perseverance and cooperation, the story of the first Thanksgiving has become an important part of how Americans think about the founding of their country.

But what happened four months later, starting in March 1622 about 600 miles south of Plymouth, is, I believe, far more reflective of the country’s origins – a story not of peaceful coexistence but of distrust, displacement and repression.

As a scholar of colonial New England and Virginia, I have often wondered why Americans tend to pay so much less attention to other English migrants of the same era.

The conquest and colonization of New England mattered, of course. But the Pilgrims’ experience in the early 1620s tells us less about the colonial era than events along Chesapeake Bay, where the English had established Jamestown in 1607.

A compelling origin story

The Pilgrims etched their place in the nation’s history long ago as plucky survivors who persevered despite difficult conditions. Ill-prepared for the New England winter of 1620 to 1621, they benefited when a terrible epidemic raged among the Indigenous peoples of the region from 1616 to 1619, which reduced competition for resources.

Having endured a winter in which perhaps one-half of the migrants succumbed, the survivors welcomed the fall harvest of 1621. They survived because local Wampanoags had taught them how to grow corn, the most important crop in much of eastern North America. That November, the Pilgrims and Wampanoags shared a three-day feast. This was the event that now marks the first American day of Thanksgiving, even though many Indigenous peoples had long

had rituals that included giving thanks and other European settlers had previously declared similar days of thanks – including one in Florida in 1565 and another along the Maine coast in 1607. In 1623, Pilgrims in Plymouth declared a day to thank their God for bringing rain when it looked like their corn crop might wither in a brutal drought. They likely celebrated it in late July. In 1777, in the midst of the Revolutionary War, the members of the

Continental Congress declared a day of Thanksgiving for Dec. 18. The Pilgrims didn’t even get a mention.

In the 19th century, however, annual Thanksgiving holidays became linked to New England, largely as a result of campaigns to make the Plymouth experience one of the nation’s origin stories. Promoters of this narrative identified the Mayflower Compact as the starting point for representative government and praised the religious freedom they saw in New England – at least for Americans of European ancestry. For most of the last century, U.S. Presidents have mentioned the Pilgrims in their annual proclamation, helping to solidify the link between the holiday and those immigrants. In Virginia, a tenuous peace shatters

But the events in Plymouth in 1621 that came to be enshrined in the national narrative were not typical.

A more revealing incident took place in Virginia in 1622. Since 1607, English migrants had maintained a small community in Jamestown, where colonists struggled mightily to survive. Unable to figure out how to find fresh water, they drank from the James River, even during the summer months when the water level dropped and turned the river into a swamp. The bacteria they consumed from doing so caused typhoid fever

and dysentery.

Despite a death rate that reached 50% in some years, the English decided to stay. Their investment paid off in the mid1610s when an enterprising colonist named John Rolfe planted West Indian tobacco seeds in the region’s fertile soil. The industry soon boomed.

But economic success did not mean the colony would thrive. Initial English survival in Virginia depended on the good graces of the local Indigenous population. By 1607, Wahunsonacock, the leader of an alliance of Natives called Tsenacomoco, had spent a generation forming a confederation of roughly 30 distinct communities along tributaries of Chesapeake Bay. The English called him Powhatan and labeled his followers the Powhatans.

Wahunsonacock could have likely prevented the English from establishing their community at Jamestown; after all, the Powhatans controlled most of the resources in the region. In 1608, when the newcomers were near starvation, the Powhatans

provided them with food. Wahunsonacock also spared Captain John Smith’s life after his people captured the Englishman.

Wahunsonacock’s actions revealed his strategic thinking. Rather than see the newcomers as all-powerful, he likely believed the English would become a subordinate community under his control. After a war from 1609 to 1614 between English and Powhatans, Wahunsonacock and his allies agreed to peace and coexistence.

Wahunsonacock died in 1618. Soon after his passing, Opechancanough, likely one of Wahunsonacock’s brothers, emerged as a leader of the Powhatans. Unlike his predecessor, Opechancanough viewed the English with suspicion, especially when they pushed on to Powhatan lands to expand their tobacco fields.

By spring 1622, Opechancanough had had enough. On March 22, he and his allies launched a surprise attack. By day’s end, they had killed 347 of the English. They might have killed more except that one Powhatan who

had converted to Christianity had warned some of the English, which gave them the time to escape. Within months, news of the violence spread in England. Edward Waterhouse, the colony’s secretary, detailed the “barbarous Massacre” in a short pamphlet. A few years later, an engraver in Frankfurt captured Europeans’ fears of Native Americans in a haunting illustration for a translation of Waterhouse’s book.

Matthäus Merian’s woodcut print depicted brutal bloodshed in Jamestown, shaping European attitudes toward Native Americans. Waterhouse wrote of those who died “under the bloudy and barbarous hands of that perfidious and inhumane people.” He reported that the victors had desecrated English corpses. He called them “savages” and resorted to common European descriptions of “wyld Naked Natives.” He vowed revenge. Over the next decade, English soldiers launched a brutal war against the Powhatans, repeatedly burning the Powhatans’ fields at

harvest time in an effort to starve them and drive them away. Conflict over cooperation

The Powhatans’ orchestrated attack anticipated other Indigenous rebellions against aggressive European colonizers in 17th-century North America. The English response, too, fit a pattern: Any sign of resistance by “pagans,” as Waterhouse labeled the Powhatans, needed to be suppressed to advance Europeans’ desire to convert Native Americans to Christianity, claim Indigenous lands, and satisfy European customers clamoring for goods produced in America. It was this dynamic – not the one of fellowship found in Plymouth in 1621 – that would go on to define the relationship between Native Americans and European settlers for over two centuries. Before the end of the century, violence erupted in New England too, erasing the positive legacy of the feast of 1621. By 1675, simmering tensions exploded in a war that stretched across the regioan. On a per capita basis, it was among the deadliest conflicts in American history.

In 1970, an Aquinnah Wampanoag elder named Wamsutta, on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of the arrival of the Mayflower, pointed to generations of violence against Native communities and dispossession. Ever since that day, many Indigenous Americans have observed a National Day of Mourning instead of Thanksgiving. Today’s Thanksgiving – with school kids’ construction paper turkeys and narrative of camaraderie and cooperation between the colonists and Indigenous Americans – obscures the more tragic legacy of the early 17th century.

The writer is a Professor of the Humanities and Professor of History and Anthropology at USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences and the Linda and Harlan Martens Director of the USC-Huntington Early Modern Studies Institute.

A Thanksgiving reminder that fighting poverty should rise above party lines

kept my promise. And in him I found a creative problem-solver and courageous ally.

The world of our screens has many of us dreading Thanksgiving. The things old friends and family members post on social media convince us in an instant that they’ve lost any semblance of sanity. But time in person quickly reminds us that we actually love them and still have far more in common than we don’t. Today’s media makes me long for the leaders who once shaped our public discourse before social media and 24-hour news seemingly distorted it beyond repair. As Congress grows louder and louder with increasingly extreme declarations — threatening another shutdown after the recent crisis already shuttered agencies and disrupted vital food support for poor families — I find myself missing Jack Kemp more than ever. As a Democrat, I miss Kemp most of all because he was a Republican who believed that fighting poverty and protecting civil rights were American obligations, even when his party didn’t have much appetite for either.

When I became the youngest president in the history of the NAACP at 35, the first assignment our then-chairman, Julian Bond, gave me was to go meet Jack Kemp. I must admit I was a little baffled as to why I was being sent to meet with a Republican so quickly — let alone one who was no longer in office. Bond explained he had personally tapped Kemp to co-chair a commission advising the NAACP on its future direction because lasting change demands bipartisan consensus, not just partisan warfare. Kemp made one request to me: “No surprises.” I

With Kemp’s encouragement, I repeatedly reached out to Republican leaders when I led the NAACP with great success: We abolished the death penalty in the first state south of the Mason-Dixon Line, helped shrink prison systems in Georgia and Texas, and led a final push in a successful effort to restore voting rights for thousands of formerly incarcerated people in Virginia — each time with

support from top Republicans willing to be courageous on civil rights.

Still, Kemp had a special way of making his commitment to courage plain. Bond once told me a story to explain why he trusted Kemp so deeply. During Kemp’s presidential run, Bond recalled, a reporter pressed him on how he could seek the Republican nomination while being described as a card-carrying member of the NAACP. Kemp didn’t hesitate. “I can’t help but care about the rights of the people I used to shower with,” he said. That level of candor — that shared investment in defending human decency regardless of party — is vanishing from American politics.

Recently, 24-hour news had me all but convinced Kemp’s brand of compassionate conservatism had died with him. Then I visited Holly Knoll. There have always been political leaders who understood that beneath the noise, we share the same hopes. Kemp was one of them. He found a kindred spirit in Kay Coles James, who shared his vision that free enterprise could lift all boats. James fondly remembers Kemp once declaring, “I am a Kay James Republican”—

high praise from a man who rarely followed anyone else’s lead. Their unlikely alliance — a white quarterback turned politician and a Black woman who’d risen from Richmond’s housing projects — embodied America’s promise.

Holly Knoll in Gloucester is where James keeps Kemp’s brand of conservatism alive.

Built in 1935 by Robert Russa Moton — Booker T. Washington’s successor at Tuskegee and a man who rose from slavery’s shadow to advise five presidents — this York River estate became a secret strategy center of the civil rights movement. Under its 400-year-old oak, some have said Martin Luther King Jr. found inspiration for his “I Have a Dream” speech. In its rooms, Black leaders and white allies talked strategy for Brown v. Board of Education.

James knows this history in her bones. As a child in Richmond’s housing projects, she spent summers at Holly Knoll when wealthy relatives brought her to experience what was possible. While public pools barred Black children, Holly Knoll’s pool welcomed them.

When James purchased the crumbling property in 2005, she wasn’t simply saving real estate — she was preserving an approach that’s increasingly rare. Through her Gloucester Institute, she champions what Kemp called “bleeding-heart conservatism”: market solutions with moral purpose, enterprise with empathy. Kemp would have smiled seeing his friend transform Holly Knoll into a laboratory for the ideas they’d championed together. I imagine Booker T. Washington would’ve smiled as well.

Like Kemp, James speaks uncomfortable truths: Civil rights matter to all of us; the Black community must work with allies across ideological lines. Her candor matches

Kemp’s locker-room honesty — rooted not in calculation but in lived experience.

During the Obama years, while others in her party sought the harshest soundbite, James says she never publicly condemned the president — not because she agreed with his policies, but because she held to an old tradition: Black people stand together when glass ceilings shatter, even across ideological lines.

This costs something in today’s Republican Party, where the Kemp wing — focused on enterprise, skills development and homeownership — is increasingly eclipsed by voices offering grievance over solutions.

Yet Holly Knoll endures as both refuge and reminder. Here, practical solutions matter more

than political theater. Here, James proves that conservatism at its best doesn’t defend the castle — it extends the drawbridge.

No surprises. Just the steady work of making America’s promise real for everyone. The kind of work that reminds us, when we meet face to face rather than screen to screen, that we’re all still trying to solve the same kitchen-table issues for our families and our nation. That’s the Holly Knoll way. That’s what Kemp believed. That’s what America needs another helping of now — especially at Thanksgiving. The writer is a professor of practice at the University of Pennsylvania, and former national president and CEO of the NAACP.

VUU falls 27–24 to California (PA) in NCAA Division II playoff

Free Press staff report

Virginia Union University rallied in the fourth quarter but came up short, losing 27-24 to California (PA) in Saturday’s NCAA Division II playoff at Willie Lanier Field at Hovey Stadium.

After a rough first quarter that saw VUU fall behind 14-0, the Panthers outscored the Vulcans 17-6 in the second quarter to cut the halftime deficit to 20-17. Running back Curtis Allen rushed for 128 yards on 21 carries, including a 2-yard touchdown that sparked VUU’s comeback.

Special teams provided one of the game’s highlights when Zyaire Tart returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, bringing the Panthers within 27-24 with 9:41 remaining. VUU forced two consecutive punts, giving the team chances to tie the game, but a late drive stalled at the Vulcans’ 27-yard line with just over a minute to play.

California controlled the clock, holding a 36:46 to 22:07 edge in time of possession and running 71 offensive plays to VUU’s 49. The Panthers’ defense produced several key stops, including sacks by Mesa Pennix and Lamumba Howard, who also led the team with 12 tackles.

Offensively, RJ Rosales and Myles Derricott combined for 85 passing yards, including a 20-yard touchdown reception by Derrick Pauling-Outlaw in the second quarter. Tart added 51 receiving yards and 149 kickoff return yards.

Coach Alvin Parker praised his team’s effort and highlighted Allen’s performance.

“We depend on Curtis Allen for that average yardage. He had about 6.1 yards per carry today, and his 128 yards came in only three quarters because he didn’t touch the ball in the first quarter,” Parker said. “If we could have come out of the gate a little better, then his numbers would have been even more impressive.”

The loss ends Virginia Union’s season at 9-3, marking the program’s fourth straight NCAA playoff appearance.

Julianne Tripp Hillian/Richmond Free Press

VCU’s Lannah Price bumps the ball in the championship finals against Loyola. The Rams celebrate a hard-fought 3-0 victory over Dayton that sends them to the A-10 Championship match for the first time since 2020.

Virginia State bench fuels 82-64 road win over UDC

Free Press staff report

Virginia State’s bench provided a spark Saturday as the Trojans pulled away for an 82-64 victory over the UDC Firebirds.

The Trojans (2-2) got 31 points from non-starters while Jor dan Lambert led the team with 21 points, seven assists and two steals. Brandon Hilliard added 10 points, and Amare Wimbush contributed nine points, six rebounds and three steals.

Virginia State’s ball movement was on full display, recording 23 assists on 28 made field goals. Lambert’s seven assists paced the team. Defensively, the Trojans limited UDC to 32.8% shoot ing from the field and 28.6% from three-point range, holding Ty Williams to 10 points on 3-of-12 shooting.

After a 17-17 tie early, Virginia State went on a 10-0 run late in the first half, capped by a Lambert three-pointer, to take a 27-17 lead. The Trojans entered halftime with an 11-point cushion, aided by 14 points from the bench.

The second half saw Virginia State extend the lead to 57-43, then a 6-0 run pushed the margin to 63-43 with 8:38 remaining. The Firebirds closed slightly, but the Trojans cruised to the final 82-64 score, with non-starters contributing 17 more points after intermission.

VCU stuns Dayton,

falls in five-set

A-10 final to Loyola Chicago

The VCU women’s volleyball team made a statement in the Atlantic 10 Tournament before coming up just short in the championship match at the Siegel Center on Sunday.

Fourth-seeded VCU upset top-seeded Dayton 3-0 (27-25, 25-17, 26-24) on Saturday to reach the A-10 championship for the first time since the 2020 season. Senior Kalina Pylinska led the charge with 13 kills and three aces, including key points to rally VCU from two set points in the opening frame. Senior opposite Julia Rienks added 16 kills and six digs, while sophomore middle Letizia Galli hit .500 with seven kills and a solo block. Graduate setter Elif Ozsoy contributed 40 assists, and junior middle Nina Boledovicova had five kills and five blocks. Dayton, the A-10’s top-rated defense, fell to 23-7 (18-0 Atlantic 10), missing the championship match for the first time since 2013.

Virginia State shot well from three-point range, making seven of 15 attempts, and never trailed in the game. The team also held a 43-33 advantage on the boards, tallied seven blocks and got six rebounds each from Wimbush and Davian Coleman.

Kickers announce initial returning roster for 2026 season

Free Press staff report

The Richmond Kickers have announced their initial group of returning players, pending league and federation approval, as the club prepares for its 34th consecutive season in 2026.

The first group of nine includes standout winger Darwin Espinal, as well as Richmond natives Griffin Garnett, James Sneddon, Beckett Howell, Landon Johnson and Josh Kirkland. Some members of the 2025 squad remain in talks to return. Players returning under contract are Espinal, Garnett and Sneddon.

The Kickers re-signed Hayden Anderson, who agreed to a restructured contract, along with Kirkland and Dakota Barnathan.

The club exercised options on Howell, Johnson and Nils Seufe. Richmond finished the 2025 season with a strong showing but fell short of the playoffs, leaving the club eager to build on its momentum in 2026.

Terry ‘Tornado’ Richard

VCU’s thrilling run ended the next day in a five-set A-10 title match against second-

seeded Loyola Chicago, 3-2 (25-27, 27-25, 25-27, 25-21, 15-12). Seniors Alicja Jaryszek and Elif Ozsoy turned in career performances. Jaryszek led the Rams with 21 kills on 49 swings, her third 20-kill match of the season, while Rienks added 17 kills, six digs, four blocks and an ace for 20 points. Pylinska recorded a double-double with 15 kills and 12 digs along with four aces, and graduate libero Haruka Sugimoto finished with 21 digs to improve her season total to 424.

For Loyola Chicago, Kaitlyn Burke had 20 kills, and tournament MVP Ann Marie Remmes added 17 kills with a .593 hitting percentage. VCU finished with 11 aces to eight for the Ramblers but struggled slightly in efficiency, hitting .287 with 21 attack errors. The championship match featured 46 ties and 23 lead changes.

Rienks and Jaryszek earned Atlantic 10 AllTournament honors, with Rienks moving into fifth all-time in program history with 463 kills and Pylinska ranking fourth all-time in service aces per set (0.52) with her four aces in the final.

Terry ‘Tornado’ Richard named to Global Football Total’s ‘Ideal XI’

Free Press staff report

Richmond’s Terry “Tornado”

Richard has been named to the October “Ideal XI” by Global Football Total, a Spanish-based organization that develops young soccer talent.

The 15-year-old, who moved to Spain in September to play for Global Football Total’s under-16 team in Valencia, was the only American selected. The monthly honor recognizes 11 players worldwide for dedication, talent and leadership both on and off the field.

Richard recorded two goals and two assists in four victories during October. He joins players from Colombia, Japan, Jordan, the Philippines, Russia and Venezuela on the list.

“Playing overseas has been an incredible experience and has really pushed me to grow as a player and as a person,” Richard said.

“Being named to October’s Ideal XI is a great honor, but it’s also motivation to keep

improving and contributing to my team’s success.” Richard began playing in Virginia Beach in 2014 and advanced quickly through local and travel leagues. From 2021 to 2024, he starred for Richmond United, competing against some of the region’s top youth players. He also frequently guest-played with elite East Coast teams, earning national recognition.

In January, Spanish sports management firm TheFutbol.office noticed Richard’s talent, leading to three months of training with Global Football Total and Real Sporting in Gijón. His performance earned him a spot on Global Football Total’s under-16 team.

In the coming weeks, Richard is expected to join Patacona CF, a reserve youth team affiliated with Levante UD, which plays in LaLiga alongside Barcelona and Real Madrid.

“I’m really excited about what’s ahead,” Richard said. “I feel like I’m just getting started, and I can’t wait to keep building on what I’ve learned and see how far I can take my game.”

Richmond Floorball Club has new partner

Free Press staff report

The Richmond Floorball Club (RFC) recently wrapped up its fall season at Barton Memorial Rink in Hanover County and is entering the winter with a new partnership with River City Sports & Social Club (RCSSC). The collaboration is aimed at expanding access to floorball and strengthening Richmond’s growing community around the sport.

The partnership builds on RCSSC’s yearround league structure and adds beginner sessions, learn-to-play nights, demo days and single-day events across Central Virginia. RFC’s rotating event schedule includes free community sessions, ensuring that cost does not prevent new players from trying the sport.

RFC is now hosting free floorball sessions at the RCSSC Annex, 7505 Ranco Road, every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. for the next two months. The sessions are open to anyone interested in meeting the group and trying

Photo courtesy of Richmond Floorball Club

Richmond Floorball Club players after a recent session at the RCSSC Annex, where the club offers beginner-friendly pickup games and league play for the growing local floorball community. the sport.

On Nov. 15, RFC and RCSSC co-sponsored a womenfocused HerShot Fund clinic led by Suzi Lindquist, forward for the USA Women’s National Floorball Team. The clinic, held at the RCSSC Annex, offered drills, scrimmages and hands-on instruction for newcomers and returning players.

“The players keep showing up. Once people try this sport, they tend to stay with it,” said Nick Baldaino, RFC president.

“That’s why we build free sessions into our rotating event structure. This partnership with RCSSC now gives newcomers a seamless path from discovery to organized league play all year round.”

Lindquist has also helped raise the sport’s visibility in Richmond, appearing on NBC12, CBS 6, and “Elliot in the Morning” while competing in France’s top women’s floorball league, where she has earned multiple MVP honors. The USA Women’s National Floorball Team is preparing to compete at the IFF Women’s World Floorball Championships in Czechia, opening Dec. 6 against Singapore. Players often fund their own travel, lodging and competition costs. RFC awarded the inaugural HerShot Grant to the team through its official GoFundMe campaign in recognition of their dedication and leadership in the sport.

“It’s absolutely amazing what the Richmond community is doing, and we’re so thankful,” Lindquist said. The HerShot Grant is awarded to athletes or programs demonstrating leadership, impact or need in advancing women’s floorball. For more information, visit richmondfloorballclub.com

Personality: IBe’ Bulinda Hereford Crawley

IBe’ Bulinda Hereford Crawley, a researcher, artist and retired educator, grew up knowing that service to her community would guide her life. Acts of service permeated her childhood neighborhood in Danville, where close relatives and a busy church served as a guiding force.

“Service is teaching, mentoring and creating for me,” Crawley said. “I take from that church and neighborhood experience. It’s not about self-reward, but ensuring that our community has examples of survival and resilience that future generations will know.”

That commitment to service led her to create IBe’ Arts Institute in 2021 after retiring from teaching history. The gallery serves as a community space devoted to visually telling untold African American stories and fostering cultural preservation. Located in a school building in Hopewell that was built in the 1830s, the institute is supported primarily through sales of her artist books. She prefers the independence of a for-profit model that allows her to work on her own terms.

“I have a nontraditional approach to this business because it looks like social justice,” she said. “I don’t want to ask people for money.” Crawley has gained recognition for her artist books. Her award-winning debut, “11033,” published in 2022, chronicles the story of a Black woman in the Virginia State Penitentiary in 1921. While the book tells a compelling story, it is also a work of art, constructed from handmade flax and abaca paper

Spotlight on the founder of IBe’ Arts Institute

with pages shaped like the silhouette of a pregnant body. The textblock incorporates a central clay figure that provides structural support for the book to stand upright and evokes the enclosure of a prison cell.

Her latest book project, “Exchange: Shockoe, Richmond,” examines the little-known history of free Black residents in Shockoe Valley during slavery.

“I’m not making art for art’s sake,” she said. “I’m doing this to inspire and teach and to be an example of what’s possible.”

Crawley earned a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s in education from VCU before pursuing a career in education. She taught history in Fairfax County Public Schools for 25 years and, after retiring, she and her husband moved from the Washington, D.C., area and settled in Church Hill.

Throughout her years in public education and now in retirement, Crawley continues to draw on her upbringing in Danville. Her commitment to teaching, creating and mentoring shapes her ongoing work to document stories of African American survival and resilience for future generations.

What is IBe’Arts Institute?

It’s an art space dedicated to visual and oral storytelling. It’s a repository that houses a permanent collection of original and limited-edition art — a place where I can continue to create. It belongs to the community, so we, as African Americans, can have our own spaces. We opened in 2023, and we’re located in Hopewell.

What is IBe’ Arts Institute’s mission?

Our mission is to preserve and document stories that reflect our community’s history and culture, ensuring these narratives are passed down and celebrated for generations to come.

How did you come up with the idea for IBe’Arts Institute?

I’ve always been a storyteller. I started carving wood in college, but I had kids and stopped. When my sons were teenagers, they encouraged me to do more with my art. When I retired in 2016 as a history teacher, I wanted to continue being an artist, engage with kids and build community. My husband and I moved to Richmond, and I began looking for studio space.

What inspired your vision for IBe’ Arts Institute?

It’s for women to own a space and a place where they

Richmond Symphony to open holiday season with ‘Let It Snow’ concerts

Free Press staff report

The Richmond Symphony will launch its annual holiday concert tradition Thanksgiving weekend with two performances of its “Let It Snow” program at the Dominion Energy Center’s Carpenter Theatre.

The concerts are scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 29 at 2 and 7 p.m. The program features the Richmond Symphony, the Richmond Symphony Chorus and vocalist Laura Ann Singh of the duo Miramar. Hae Lee will conduct.

Singh, a multilingual singer known for her interpretations of música popular brasileira and Latin boleros, joins the symphony for this year’s program. Her performances have spanned Europe, Russia and South America, along with featured appearances on NPR’s

“Tiny Desk” and at New York City’s globalFEST. Organizers say she brings global flair and a warm, expressive vocal style to the holiday program.

The family-friendly concerts will include a mix of carols and seasonal classics. Santa is also expected to be in the lobby for photos, and tickets start at about $15.

Selections on the program include Jeff Tyzik’s

“A Christmas Overture,” arrangements of “Jingle Bell Rock” and “The Christmas Song,” John Rutter’s “Jesus Child,” Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus,” Edward Elgar’s “Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus” and Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride,” among other holiday favorites.

Both concerts will take place at the Carpenter Theatre, 600 E. Grace St. For more information, visit richmondsymphony.com.

Virginia Rep staging holiday production of ‘A Christmas Carol’

Free Press staff report

Virginia Repertory Theatre presents a holiday production of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” adapted and directed by Artistic Director Rick Hammerly. The show starts Friday and runs through Dec. 28 on the Arenstein Stage at the November Theatre in downtown Richmond as part of the Jessie Bogese Family Season. The story follows Ebenezer Scrooge’s journey through Christmas Past, Present and Future, celebrating the human spirit and the power of generosity and kindness.

“I chose ‘A Christmas Carol’ because its themes of generosity, transformation and hope feel especially resonant right now,” Hammerly said. “For Virginia Rep, it’s a chance to welcome audiences of all ages and to ground our 2025 season in a beloved classic that honors Dickens while embracing fresh theatrical choices.”

Thomas Adrian Simpson, known for “Sweeney Todd” at Olney Theatre Center in Maryland and “Crazy for You!” at Signature Theatre in New York City, plays Ebenezer Scrooge. He is joined by Jonathan Spivey as Jacob Marley, Kylee Márquez-Downie as the Ghost of Christmas Past and Dorothy Dee-D. Miller in a supporting role. David Janosik and Katrinah Carol Lewis play the Cratchit parents, and 12 local performers share six child roles, including Tiny Tim. Set design is by Daniel Conway, costume design by Kendra Rai and lighting by Joe Doran. Mark Costello and Anne Nesmith make their Virginia Rep debuts in media and wig design. Original sound design is by Joshua Schmidt and adapted for this production by Jonathan Pratt.

Tickets are available at www.va-rep.org or by calling the box office at (804) 282-2620.

can do their work; it’s a rare opportunity. I want women to know that it’s not always about getting a job or starting a family. I was late getting into the arts, but men seem to do it all the time. My practice isn’t based on making a living. It’s based on creating the work. Tell me about the building that houses IBe’ Arts Institute.

I wanted something separate from my home, so I began to look for studio space. I found the property in Hopewell, a school building built in the 1830s that served as a hospital during the Civil War. Despite its poor condition, I used some of my retirement savings to purchase and rehab the property, transforming it into a creative space. It took three years, and the renovation earned a Historic Preservation Award from Preservation Virginia in 2024, reflecting my commitment to preserving history.

What organizations do you work with?

IBé Arts Institute works with institutions, organizations and individuals to document and preserve historic narratives, including the National Park Service at the Frederick Douglass House in Washington, D.C., and Petersburg Battlefield Park; the John C. Campbell School of Craft in North Carolina; the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C.; and Oakwood Arts in Richmond.

How is IBe’ Arts Institute funded?

The business sustains itself.

My art books do well. Having a residency allows us to pay the taxes and current bills.

Why is this project important to you?

The way we maintain a youthful mind is by finding something meaningful and immersing ourselves in that. Art allows me to have communities, read, write, research, think and create a body of work that will live beyond my lifetime. I want to leave a legacy that will be meaningful to future generations. I don’t want it to be lost. We have to be intentional. I believe it’s important.

Tell us more about the book you’re currently working on.

“Exchange: Shockoe, Richmond” is so exciting because I knew there were African American people who were free. The majority of free Black people lived in Shockoe Valley, where I-95 and I-64 are located. I went to the Richmond tax office looking for the Black people who were paying taxes. I found a whole community that was living there. People are literally driving over these Black communities. It’s the power of research, and it will be on display at CODEX [a biennial international book fair] in San Francisco in February.

Why combine your artistry with well-researched books?

I knew I wanted to create resources for young people to fill in the gaps and give them visual images that they could be proud of. Our history tells us that the only thing Black people have ever done is be slaves, but there were a lot who were free. I want to tell

these stories.

What was it like as an African American woman teaching history in Fairfax County Public Schools?

It was frustrating because I wanted to teach something about African American history, but I couldn’t add the nuances of diversity. How do you start the day?

I wake up and do some stretching. A good eating regime is important. Meditation. I write every day, and I write about my day. I want to be accountable to myself.

What do you do in your downtime?

I like reading and doing research. I like being part of the community. I go to art shows. I enjoy spending time with family, as well as music, art and theater.

What inspires you?

There are so many African American stories, particularly those of women, that haven’t been documented. I want to keep them from being lost to history. Who has influenced you the most in your life?

My grandfather and uncle, who were arrested during the Civil Rights struggle.

What’s your favorite book?

I’ve read “Sula” 19 times to understand looking at African American women another way. What’s next?

In 2026, I’ll be speaking at CODEX. There will be a tour of books, including one of mine, at the San Francisco Center for the Book. I also have a fellowship with CODEX in the summer.

Main Street Station to

Families can celebrate the season with festive activities, shopping and live entertainment at Main Street Station’s second annual Holiday Magic Open House on Sunday, Dec. 7 from noon to 5 p.m. at 1500 E. Main St.

New attractions this year include a petting zoo, face painting, a Department of Public Works trash truck and firetruck showcase and a GRTC articulated bus on-site experience. The All City Band will provide live music throughout the day.

Two workshops will require advance tickets, available at The Sweetest Thing RVA: a cookies and cocoa baking workshop for children and a cookies and mocktails workshop for adults, both hosted in the Main Street Station kitchen. Returning favorites include children’s arts and crafts in partnership with the Visual Arts Center of Richmond, shopping with local artisans, gift

The

Lester’s portraits capture the labor, pride and legacy of Jackson Ward

By Karen Newton

Those who recall the Jackson Ward of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s likely remember a neighborhood in flux.

Rents were cheap, squatting was cheaper and more than a few musicians and artists called the ramshackle Richmond Dairy building home. Gentrification was on the horizon but years away, and the historically Black neighborhood and its businesses were thriving.

Enter Alvin Lester, an MFA student at Virginia Commonwealth University, and his medium format camera. Starting in 1989 and working through 1991, Lester set out to produce intimate portraits of the people who not only provided essential services to residents but also constituted the social fabric of the Ward. Twenty of those photographs make up “Alvin Lester: Portraits from Jackson Ward and Beyond,” currently on view at the VMFA.

Anyone who’s lived in Jackson Ward knows Moizelle’s Cleaners, a mainstay on 1st Street since at least 1920.

“Robert Charles: Dry Cleaning Proprietor” shows Charles leaning on an ironing board beneath a row of wire hangers, completely at home in his domain. Lester himself was the son and grandson of men who had been dry cleaners, which undoubtedly contributed to how well he related to Charles, who’d started at Moizelle’s when he was 13 and in 1968, purchased the business.

Lester made a point to photograph people in their workplace as a means of underscoring the value and dignity of everyday labor. With rattail comb in hand and perfectly coiffed hair, the photograph of “Belinda Brockenbrough, Beautician” could be an ad for her obviously skilled services. She exudes confidence and competence in her white

jacket against a white wall, a plant-topped fluted column adding simple elegance to the background. Medium format cameras required careful, deliberate setup and Lester’s documentary portraits come across as grounded in trust and collaboration. Taking inspiration from the photographers who came before him, including Walker

Evans, Lewis Hine, Dorthea

Lange and James Van Der Zee, Lester captured the complexity, dignity and pride of Black neighborhoods, their business owners and residents.

The ”Beyond” part of the exhibition’s title refers to Church Hill and Northside, which Lester photographed to a lesser degree. “George Miller, Baker” shows a man with one hand on bags

of flour and the fingers of the other hand coated in flour, a bread mixer as tall as he is in the background. Miller’s bakery was on 25th Street in Church Hill. Booker’s Upholstery opened in Northside in 1970, helmed by skilled craftsman Wilford Booker. In “Wilford Booker, Furniture Upholsterer,” the viewer sees a no-nonsense kind of guy, banded hat on head, drill in hand, leaning on the backside of a piece of furniture he was probably then working on. There’s not even a hint of a smile, but why would there be with all the furniture and antiques behind him awaiting his attention?

For sheer sartorial splendor, it’s hard to beat the elegantly dressed man in “James Williams, Hairstylist.” Gazing at the camera confidently from his hair salon near Abner Clay Park, Williams projects pride and professionalism. But there’s an overlay, a deliberate emphasis

on style and self-care, from the pleated white pants to the natty striped tie and gold wristwatch. This is a man who got noticed on the streets of Jackson Ward.

It wasn’t by accident that Lester’s photographs carry so much emotional and historical weight. “My goal was to describe the reality of people working long, hard hours, sometimes more for pride than profit,” he wrote. “With these photographs, it is my determination to render an understanding of that reality.”

“Alvin Lester: Portraits from Jackson Ward and Beyond” runs through March 30, 2026 at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. This story originally appeared on Styleweekly.com.

Zion Baptist Church honored for community service

Free Press staff report

Rev. Darrin Johnson and Tonya Johnson

Zion Baptist Church of South Richmond was one of two churches in Virginia recognized with a 2025 Servant Award for its work supporting the community. Senior Pastor Darrin Johnson and his wife, Lady Tonya Clark Johnson, accepted the award during the 7th Annual Servant Awards ceremony on Nov. 15 in South Hill. The awards were part of a two-day event hosted by Christians United Congregation. Zion Baptist Church has long been active in outreach through several ministries. The Zion Missionary Ministry tends to the needs of the sick, shut-ins and others in the community. The ministry provides visits, prayers and cards for bereaved members and delivers Christmas gifts to seniors and the homebound. Through its partnership with Caritas, a nearby organization serving people experiencing homelessness by offering drug rehabilitation and job training, the church donates clothing, toiletries and other items to support residents. The Zion Outreach Ministry works with the Richmond City Resource Office to distribute hygiene products to unsheltered individuals and residents at the Salvation Army Shelter on Chamberlayne Avenue.

Since the pandemic, Zion has combined its outreach efforts into one annual Christmas celebration during the first week of December. The event provides meals, gifts for seniors and people experiencing homelessness, toys and gift cards to help families with food and holiday needs.

Hands and hearts at work as families receive holiday meals

DIVORCE

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE COUNTY OF HENRICO 4301 EAST PARHAM ROAD HENRICO, VA 23228 A’NIJA MARIE ANDERSON v. MILDRED JANELL HUGHES Case No.: CL25007630-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to: DIVORCE (NO-FAULT, ONE YEAR SEPARATION) It is ORDERED that MILDRED JANELL HUGHES appear at the above-named court and protect his/her interests on or before December 28, 2025 PROPERTY

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE CITY OF RICHMOND John Marshall Courts Building FRANCES L. TEASLEY Plaintiff, v. DAVID TEASLEY, JR., et als. Defendants. Case No. CL 21-5354-DED ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to seek to quiet title to real property in the City of Richmond, Virginia, known and described as 1709 Stockton Street, Richmond, Virginia, partition of same, and in the alternative sale/ allotment of same in lieu of partition.

IT APPEARING that there are parties designated in the Complaint as “Unknown”; specifically, Unknown Heirs of Lavelle Teasley and Unknown Heirs of John Teasley, as well as one Defendant whose whereabouts remain unknown after due diligence, namely Lavon Teasley, and that an affidavit has been duly filed requesting entry of an Order of Publication to effectuate service and notice upon said individuals and parties designated in the Complaint as “Unknown” and whose whereabouts are presently unknown. UPON CONSIDERATION WHEREOF, this Order of Publication is granted, and it is ORDERED that this Notice shall be published once per week for 4 successive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation serving the City of Richmond, Virginia, and the aforesaid individual(s) are hereby ORDERED to appear before this Court on or before December 19, 2025, at 10:00 A.M., to do what is necessary to protect their interest. EDWARD F. JEWETT, Clerk I ASK FOR THIS: Bryan K. Streeter (VSB #44578) THE LAW OFFICE OF BRYAN K. STREETER, PLLC 6958 Forest Hill Avenue Richmond, Virginia 23225 Telephone: (804) 729-4106 Facsimile: (804) 729-4164 bryan@bstreeterlaw.com

Earning two wheels

Richmond

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE CITY OF RICHMOND John Marshall Courts Building HANNA HOMES LLC Plaintiff, v. MICHELLE R. DANIELS, et als. Defendants. Case No. CL25002522-00RDC ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to seek to quiet title to real property in the City of Richmond, Virginia, known and described as 104 E. 15th Street, Richmond, Virginia 23224, declaratory relief,

to this IFB, please logon to the Richmond website (www.RVA.GOV).

Bid Due Date: December 23, 2025/Time: 11:00 AM

Pre-Bid Conference Call Meeting: December 11, 2025 /Time: 2:00PM

Information or copies of the above solicitations are available at the City of Richmond website www.rva.gov or https://procurement.opengov.com/ portal/rva. The City of Richmond encourages all contractors to participate in the procurement process.