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VOL. 71, NO. 13 NOV. 19, 2025 THE INDEPENDENT PRESS OF VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY
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‘A FIRST STEP’
VCU issued a land acknowledgement; but in historic visit chief calls for curriculum focus, scholarships
Chickahominy Chief Stephen Adkins speaking at VCU’s Cabell Library on Nov. 18, the first instance of a federally recognized tribal chief speaking at the university. Photos by Kieran Stevens and Catt Brito. Collage by Quinn Lysek.
MOLLY MANNING News Editor Some faculty, leaders and the Chief of the Chickahominy, one of Virginia’s 11 native tribes, are calling for the university to create more opportunities for Indigenous students and teach a fuller version of their history. VCU and VCU Hea lth adopted a formal Land Acknowledgment in November 2024, stating a commitment to relationships with the 11 tribes. Chief Stephen Adkins said that it is an important
step, but should only be the beginning of greater efforts to reconcile. “I would like to see the university be more aggressive in its outreach to potential Native American students,” Adkins said during a visit to VCU on Tuesday. Adkins, a VCU alum, visited his alma mater to discuss his tribe’s history and role in Virginia’s past, present and future as faculty and leaders across departments prepare to introduce a new minor in Native American and Indigenous Studies next fall. Adkins outlined the past of Indigenous nations in Virginia, including the Chickahominy, noting historical events
that he said ought to be in school books. It is the responsibility of education institutions to ensure they teach a correct history to their students. “I’m not a fan of the Native American history month, because were history taught as it should be, we wouldn’t need a special month,” Adkins said. “If it’s part of the ongoing lesson plans in classrooms from pre-K through Ph.D., we don’t need the special time. So I want you to hold hands and push forward to ensure that textbooks teach history.” Beginning with Manifest Destiny, Adkins explained the timeline of events
that eventually brought the Chickahominy Nation to federal recognition in 2018, including the 1614 treaty between settlers and the Native tribes, the 1622 uprising against settlers throughout Virginia and the eviction of the Chickahominy people from Chickahominy Ridge. Adkins shared how his parents travelled to Washington, D.C. to marry because of the 1924 Racial Integrity Act, a Virginia law that prohibited interracial marriage until the Loving V. Virginia case in 1967. In the same year, the Indian [...] See CHICKAHOMINY on page 3
VCU altered scholarship for descendants of enslaved people following Trump’s DEI cuts BRYER HAYWOOD Contributing Writer ANDREW KERLEY Executive Editor VCU adjusted the scope of a scholarship program intended to benef it students descended from enslaved people in order to comply with President Donald Trump’s
orders to end Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives. The Gabriel Scholars Program — named after the enslaved Richmond man who started a slave revolt — was launched as a result of a law passed in 2021 requiring Virginia’s five oldest institutions to reckon with their legacy of slavery. The program was originally intended to benef it Richmond Public Schools graduates, who grew up in close proximity to the MCV Campus, according to VPM
News’ initial report. There, the remains of Black people whose bodies and corpses were used for illegal experiments were discovered in 1994. “It was common for students to bring their slaves with them to college,” said Shawn Utsey, chair of VCU’s Department of African American Studies. VCU hired an outside firm following Trump’s orders to review remaining DEI language in their policies, including seven scholarships. The firm recommended [...] See GABRIEL on page 3
Leaders of the VCU NAACP chapter. From right to left: President Ashley Brown, first vice president Jordan Hill and second vice president Ciara Norfleet. They decried VCU’s changes to the Gabriel Scholars Program. Photo by Andrew Kerley.
Illustration by Jaz Sisouvong.
Stop being weird about Rama Duwaji KATIE MEEKER Opinions & Humor Editor The recent New York City mayoral election has caused quite a stir not only in the city but across the nation. People from all over the world have weighed in on the discourse surrounding the mayorelect Zohran Mamdani, a democraticsocialist who made history by being the city’s first Muslim mayor, and the youngest Mayor in over a century. This attention — both the good and bad — has also been directed at Mamdani’s wife: artist, advocate and VCUarts alum Rama Duwaji. There is a very thin line between admiration and obsession, though, and when it comes to Gracie Mansion’s new prospective residents — especially [...] See RAMA on page 14
Rams charge past Howard 69-66
Students play politics in capitol simulation
William Atkins IV brings awareness to Tourettes syndrome
see SPORTS page 6
see SPECTRUM page 10
see FEATURES page 12