Compliments of WCLM Radio 1450am February/March 2016

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Compliments of WCLM Radio 1450am February/March 2016
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20162016
Compliments of WCLM Radio 1450am February/March 2016
Some black business owners say they’ve seen growth in Richmond, but are frustrated at not being included in
major economic development projects. Heart & Soul Editor, Preston Brown says minority-owned businesses
are not getting their fair share of contracts, despite the growth of business in the city.
“There’s billions of dollars being spent, both in public,
private partnerships, and African-Americans aren’t being
called to the table,” said Brown. “Nor is there a discussion
on how to include black-owned businesses, minority
businesses, and women-owned businesses.” Diversity in
business has its advantages.
Bobbie Williams say’s former President
Bill Clinton is my son daddy. (Page 4)
“The great strength of supplier diversity is that when you
have folks of different backgrounds, you have folks who
see things from a different way, folks that do things a little
differently, and not everyone’s the same,” said Brown.
Legislators working for you or Dominion Virginia Power?
This Black Cowboy was portrayed in
movies as a white cowboy. (Page9)
Dominion Virginia Power’s clout in Virginia is long-standing. Routinely the biggest corporate donor to
politicians besides candidate and political party committees, the company gave about $650,000 to politicians
and their causes last year, according to data compiled by the Virginia Public Access Project. This marks a
radical departure from current state policy, which empowers the State Corporation Commission to review
utility rates every two years and order Dominion to refund a portion of any overcharges to its customers. That
has been a critical consumer protection in recent years when Dominion has racked up hefty overcharges:
$523 million in 2009, $123 million in 2011 and maybe as much as $280 million this past year.
The General Assembly took away the State Corporation Commission’s authority to order customer rate
cuts or refunds through 2022. The new request is opposed by Attorney General Mark R. Herring (D), as well
as environmental and customer advocates. They argue that Dominion is going back on its promise to continue
the normal inspection of its books even with the new legislation, which allows it to skip certain financial
reviews that sometimes lead to rate cuts. “Now Dominion wants to hide the very financial information that
would allow the SCC and the public to determine the cost of implementing the EPA rule and the extent to
which Dominion is overcharging its customers,” said Glen Besa, Virginia director of the Sierra Club.
Dominion is required to open its books to the State Corporation Commission every two years to ensure it is
not charging us more than it is entitled to. When Dominion does overcharge us under current law, the SCC
orders Dominion to give the excess back to us in the form of a credit on our monthly bills. (Except that
Virginia law allows Dominion to keep 60 percent of the overcharge; we see only 40 percent returned to us.)
Check out the Famous Brown TV Show on CW Richmond 65 Sunday 2 AM & Monday 5AM
The other side of Governor McAuliffe budget proposal
Governor McAuliffe’s budget proposal saves substantial money by closing the coverage gap, only to
direct much of it to misguided tax cuts for large corporations and higher-income Virginians that won’t
help the state economy. A better idea is to spend the savings from closing the coverage gap in ways
that promote the prosperity of all Virginians – not just a few.
Under the governor’s proposal, the largest portion of the $157 million net savings from closing
the coverage gap – $64 million – would be used to lower the corporate income tax rate to 5.75
percent from 6 percent. The theory that lowering the tax rate will encourage businesses to relocate
to and expand in Virginia runs squarely up against evidence showing this won’t work as well as
promised.
According to a 2010 report by JLARC, tax rates ranked low among factors that influence business
relocation and expansion. Having the right workers and infrastructure, which require investments in
schools and transportation, dominated the rankings. More money for tax cuts means less for teachers
and trains. What’s more, two-thirds of corporations don’t pay income taxes in Virginia. And 85
percent of the revenue generated from the corporate income tax comes from the tiny fraction of
corporations that report Virginia profits in excess of $2 million.
Simply put, this tax cut does nothing to help, small homegrown businesses and working families. The second largest use of the savings, $42 million,
would be spent to increase the personal/dependent exemption to $1,000 from $930 and aged/blind exemption to $900 from $800.
On the surface this sounds like a windfall for all Virginians – everybody gets a tax cut. But in reality the impact is negligible and limited to people with
higher incomes. Virginia households with an average annual income of $59,000 would save an average of just $6.45 per year – less than the price of a movie
ticket. And households making roughly $14,000 a year would save an average of only $1.32 per year per household. That’s barely enough to buy the local
newspaper. In fact, less than a third of people making $24,000 or less would get any benefit from the enhanced exemptions. That’s in large part because in
Virginia individual filers who make less than $11,950 and couples who make less than $23,900 don’t even have to file taxes because they make so
little. Meanwhile, at the top end, households making $1.67 million would save an average of $14.32 per household per year, 10 times what low-income
people get, but still barely enough for a 15-pack of golf balls.
Strengthening Virginia’s earned income tax credit is a much better way to help small businesses and hard-working Virginians.
The EITC increases take-home pay, boosts the economy, and encourages work. And it’s targeted, meaning the investment gets to working people who need
it the most and where it can do the most overall good. But the EITC could do more to bridge the gap between hard work and low wages if people who make
so little they owe no state income tax could get the credit too. For example, a single parent earning the minimum wage with two kids would get back more
than $200 each year. That’s clothes and school supplies, a utility bill, or groceries for a month. And since Virginia’s economy falters when families can’t
make ends meet, putting this money in the pockets of those struggling to meet essential household expenses boosts the economy. Furthermore, the EITC
encourages work since a family has to earn income to get the credit, and the amount increases, up to a point, as more income is earned. Closing the coverage
gap is common sense ways to help up to 400,000 Virginians get quality, affordable health care while saving money. But it’s not enough to stop there. The
savings need to be spent in ways that promote prosperity in the commonwealth. –Aaron Williams, Research Assistant
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Governor McAuliffe’s recently proposed tax break for big, profitable corporations won’t help Virginia’s economy.
Here are six things about Virginia’s tax structure that show why:
1. Roughly two-thirds of corporations already don’t pay any income taxes in Virginia despite this being a time of record high corporate profits.
2. The percentage of corporations not paying the corporate income tax has increased over time. Some argue that the recession is to blame for the rising
share of corporations with no tax liability, but corporations’ bottom lines have more than recovered in recent years while the share that pay corporate
income taxes hasn’t.
3. Cutting the corporate income tax will benefit large, profitable corporations and have negligible benefit for Virginia’s economy. That’s because 85
percent of the revenue generated from the corporate income tax comes from the tiny fraction of corporations that report Virginia profits in excess of $2
million. While paying less in corporate income taxes will pad corporations’ bottom lines, this will do nothing for small, home-grown businesses and
middle-class Virginians.
4. Tax rates aren’t at the top of the list for companies deciding where to locate. According to JLARC’s 2010 report on Virginia’s Corporate Income Tax,
“Although taxes are an important component of their cost of doing business, corporations tend to rank several other business factors as more critical to a
project’s success.” And Virginia’s corporate income tax rate and overall structure compare favorably against the states we compete against most often.
5. Corporate income tax cuts don’t result in massive job growth and Virginia’s most recent experience proves that. Supporters of the corporate tax cut
say it will help bring jobs. But checking in with Virginia’s most recent corporate tax cut shows that’s not the case. In 2009, Virginia tax law was
changed for manufacturers to reduce how much they are taxed in Virginia under the assertion that it would boost manufacturing employment.
Unfortunately, the manufacturing sector has not been revived by the tax cut while the vital revenue stream from the corporate income tax declined by
almost $60 million a year. That’s money that could be used for schools, transportation, and other investments that really make a state more attractive to
businesses. Most recently, corporate income tax collections for the first three months of this budget year were down 9.0 percent because a few large
corporations paid less, possibly due to the continued phase-in of the tax cut.
6. There’s a better investment in local businesses and hard-working Virginians. While corporate profits have been soaring, the wages for most
Virginians have been flat. The governor should be proposing a bottom-up tax cut for working families by strengthening the state’s earned income tax
credit. This would help families who work hard and are paid too little to make ends meet keep more of their wages. By doing that, Virginia’s hardworking families will have more money in their pockets, which they typically spend at local businesses. That would truly help our economy grow
stronger— See more at: http://thehalfsheet.org/#sthash.t2nAZdaA.dpuf
Budget and our schools
Because of changes to how Virginia determines support for public schools, students in Virginia are being shortchanged by $800 million per year. Many of
the cuts stem from changes legislators made to the state’s funding formula. But those changes were not made to improve its accuracy. Rather, they were
tactics used to reduce state support in a time of financial strain, and they ignore the actual costs of educating Virginia’s students.
Among the changes, lawmakers imposed a cap on the number of support staff the state will help pay for at levels below how many staff schools truly need;
they ignored inflation during the recession; they eliminated support for certain equipment and staff travel; and they assumed a longer lifespan for buses.
Though these changes helped balance the state budget, they do not reflect the realities facing Virginia’s schools. The cuts threaten the ability of schools to
provide the high-quality education that the state is directed to ensure by the state’s constitution and that is essential for Virginia to build a strong economy.
Virginia’s K-12 schools are funded by a combination of federal, state, and local dollars, with the bulk of support coming from the state and localities. But
it’s the state that’s in charge of determining how much support schools must receive to be able to provide a high-quality education as directed by the
Constitution of Virginia, which says the state must “seek to ensure that an educational program of high quality is established and continually maintained.”
Virginia’s formula for supporting school divisions – called the Standards of Quality (SOQ) – was designed to make sure that all of Virginia’s schools
receive a baseline level of support necessary to meet the state’s educational standards. The SOQ formula uses minimum staffing standards and other
associated costs with projected student enrollment to estimate the total cost school divisions must spend. The state then provides a portion of this funding
and requires local governments to provide the rest.
Since 2009, cuts to the state’s education funding have cost schools across the state about $800 million every year. And these cuts are showing up in the form
of fewer teachers and support staff, larger class sizes, and deteriorating school facilities. At this time of rising revenue lawmakers need to begin to plot a
course to return the SOQ formula to where it accurately reflects the real costs of running schools and educating our kids. One-time infusions will not be
enough. We need real changes that provide sustained funding so that our children, and our children’s children, can have the best opportunity for a bright
future. Failure to do so jeopardizes the future of Virginia’s schools, workforce, and economy.
Heart and Soul Believe it or not!
Danny Williams alleged Bill Clinton is my father!
Everyone knows that Bill Clinton loved the ladies. He has also been known to keep a little
extra chocolate in his pocket. The wild stories of Bill Clinton’s sex life go far deeper than
Monica Lewinsky and also include tales of having several women at once, and women of all
professional backgrounds. This story is one that has surfaced in the past, but unlike before, the
alleged secret son is now speaking up to the public, stating that Bill Clinton is his dad.
Not only does the so-called son back his story to the end, he also has the smile and good looks
to prove it. His mother was an alleged “lady of the evening” in Little Rock, where Clinton was
from. She says that she helped the president enjoy himself on multiple occasions. Now, both
mother and son are saying that it’s time for the truth to come out and for Bill to acknowledge his
seed. If it is true, it makes sense that they would push for the son to be acknowledged. Who
would deny someone’s right to know his real dad all for the sake of politics? Bill, you’re an old
man now, maybe you can go to the grave with a clean slate.
Bill has had a great political career, but we know that he has more demons in his closet than
most of us. Maybe he should at least address the rumors to confirm or deny if they are true, so
that people aren’t telling the story after he’s dead. President Thomas Jefferson also loved black
women, so it would be no surprise if another President likes black women too.
Chef Edwin G. Hall
Garfield’s Catering
Dine In & Take Out
2615 Midlothian Turnpike
(804) 233-9124
Hours: Mon-Fri– 11A.M. to 7P.M.
Sat– Noon—5P.M.
RRHA rejects audit findings!
On Friday January 29 T.K. Somanath office scheduled at 4:30pm to meet with WCLM Radio Promotional
Manger Earl Bradley.
The meeting was scheduled three weeks after the initial conversation at the Woodville Elementary School, after
several left messages and speaking on Jack Gravely Show that morning. Mr. T.K. Somanath scheduled the
meeting to be able to say RRHA has reached out, which is the practice of RRHA. That is why the audit
findings revealed that over $6.5 million dollars was awarded that did not have documentation of efforts to
pursue competitive bids for dozens of contracts.
Somanath, started the meeting by implying that RRHA has resolved the concerns of the audit and that he
rejects the OIG findings. The major problems with RRHA is that they are in denial and do not comply with
HUD requirements, but with the policies that the local RRHA implement out of convenience. Mr. Dalton
Fonville, was also at the meeting and he was identified as being responsible to update the CEO and the Board
of Commission on Section 3 progress.
Mr. Dalton acknowledged that RRHA has about 40 contractors for maintenance and the developments are done
by third parties. They state that contractors utilize the residents and they have fulfilled RRHA job
responsibilities. Mr. Dalton stated that they have just reviewed the local RRHA policies and he has finally
implemented the preference several months ago, which have been a part of the requirements since 1968.
Somanath, was presented RRHA Section 3 Plan that only allows 10 points in the evaluation for section 3 participates. It appeared that if it was the first
time that Mr. Dalton and Mr. T.K. Somanath saw RRHA Section III Plan. Mr. Dalton then acknowledged that the 10 points are for section 3 participates
and SWAM. This shows that Mr. T.K. Somanath and Mr. Dalton Fonville are in the dark and RRHA has not complied with the federal, state and local
requirements. The State requires 30 points for SWAM. RRHA Section III Plan #3 Section 3 Contracting Policy and Procedures: states that the Minority
Business and Section 3 Participation Commitment Form requires for each recipient to outline the percentage of each. RRHA has decided to combine the
points and not even honor the VPPA requirements for SWAM. Somanath relies on Mr. Dalton Fonville to fix the problems and that will not happen. As,
long as Somanath denies the audit findings we can look forward to history repeating itself again. That is why three peat offenders are jailed or sanctioned. .
Somanath appears to be hiring people that was in the past of RRHA leadership and was part of the problem. While saying he is looking to the future. The
Heart and Soul Newspaper will pursue FOIA to get all the information needed to identify the changes and fixes that was conveyed.
HUD'S Office of Inspector General has failed to sanction a three peat offender after the October, 2015 audit findings. David E. Kasperowicz, the regional
inspector general found that the authority did not have documentation of efforts to pursue competitive bids for dozens of contracts. Kasperowicz
concluded that the authority did not comply with HUD requirements and had no assurance that more than $6.5 million in public housing operating funds
paid under 58 contracts was fair and reasonable. Kasperowicz, also concluded that RRHA was not fully aware of HUD procurement requirements and
mistakenly believed that it was properly procuring services. So, the question is how were the developers and contractors for the East End Transformation
hired. T.K. Somanath wants us to just except that he will be the savior and retrain the department without any oversight or transparency. They went
through the retraining after the first offense in 2007, then in 2009 and now 2015 please! HUD's OIG has confirmed that an agency should not be
investigating the complaints because a three peat offender gets a fourth opportunity to continue the status quo without any oversight.
By Earl Bradley
Keeping it real: Letter from RRHA C.E.O. T.K.Somanath to Earl Bradley
Dear Mr. Bradley,
Thank you for meeting Mr. Dalton Fonville and me last Friday to discuss RRHA's Section 3 programs that helps low-income residents gain the skills and jobs needed to
become self-sufficient and provides opportunities for qualified low-income business owners to receive preference in bidding on HUD-funded contracts.
With all due respect to your passion and persistence in advocating for Section 3 programs at RRHA, I write you to correct the misinformation contained in your
numerous email missives of late. I should also caution that if your objective is to secure a contract to support RRHA’s Section 3 efforts, this campaign of public bullying,
replete with egregious distortions of the truth is counterproductive. As a threshold matter, your emails repeatedly mischaracterize past findings of the HUD Office of Inspector
General (“HUD OIG”). In your email dated January 8, 2016, you referenced RRHA’s “pass [sic] history of section 3 violations in 2007, 2009, and now 2015 with no
sanctions.” As you know, reports of audit findings are publicly available on the HUD OIG’s website. Even a cursory review of the audit reports you reference reveals that
Section 3 issues are not among the findings. Your mischaracterizations demonstrate a failure to comprehend the very HUD OIG Audit Reports you are relying on to make
your argument, or a deliberate attempt to mislead your audience in furtherance of your own agenda. Whether resulting from ineptitude or chicanery, the promulgation of such
falsehoods has no place in responsible civic discourse.
There is no question that RRHA has room for improvement in its areas of operation. Since taking the helm at RRHA one year ago, I have prioritized efforts to improve
RRHA services, balance the organization’s budget, and reaffirm its commitment to Richmond’s most vulnerable citizens. RRHA is emerging from a period of great tribulation,
and the HUD OIG audit findings illustrate just some of the challenges RRHA has faced in recent years. To set the record straight, the audits covering 2007 and
2009 concerned RRHA’s administration of its Housing Choice Voucher Program. None of the findings from these audits referenced or implicated
Section 3. Likewise, the recent HUD OIG audit of RRHA’s procurement department did not result in any findings regarding Section 3.
In response to the recent procurement audit, RRHA is pleased to report that, after careful review with the local HUD Field Office and the HUD OIG, preliminary indications
are that substantially all of the $6.5 million in contracted payments will be approved as fair and reasonable. Although not a finding of the audit, it is worth noting that a
significant portion of the payments at issue were related to contracts with Section 3 businesses or employees. If anything, the deficiencies cited in the HUD OIG report risked
conferring undue benefit to Section 3 businesses and employees. Suffice it to say: your criticisms are unfounded and miss the mark entirely.
RRHA is resolute in its commitment to both the spirit and letter of its Section 3 obligations. A recent internal review revealed at least ninety-one Section 3 individuals
employed under RRHA contracts, including twenty-two RRHA public housing residents. As construction gets underway on pending RRHA redevelopment projects, these
numbers should increase substantially. RRHA in collaboration with City's Office of Community Wealth Building will be implementing programs to increase opportunities for
public housing resident owned businesses and employment opportunities.
At present, RRHA’s plans for the redevelopment of Creighton Court are still very much in the pre-development phase. RRHA, through its partnerships with The Community
Builders and the City of Richmond, will be undertaking significant efforts to engage Section 3 businesses and employees for these development projects. For RRHA, this is
about much more than meeting the dry language of statutory requirements, but about providing meaningful economic opportunities to citizens and communities most in need.
RRHA welcomes constructive ideas for improving its efforts to engage Section 3 businesses and employees, and is by no means above reproach. RRHA looks forward to
building meaningful relationships with community partners with proven track record who act with professionalism and a sincere concern for our city’s impoverished and
disadvantaged citizens.
Regards,
TK
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Letters to Editor:
Dear Heart & Soul:
Trust is a: Firm belief in the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing; confidence or reliance.
Communities across the country have lost TRUST in a system or process that continues to allow the breakdown of the internal control structure of their local
government. The two party systems have allowed money to control a strategic obstruction of any regulations or laws that benefit the poor. Our annual income
defines and identifies the piece of the pie that we have to fight to keep. The lack of transparency and oversight within the governing process has been exposed
all across the United States. The failure to enforce the internal control structure and lack of oversight continues the bigotry and discrimination being imposed by
career civil servants.
The problem with that position is that we do not TRUST ourselves. The government is: We the People of the United States that ordained and established a
constitution for the United States of America. The two party systems can only control what we allow them to control and so far, Mr. Donald Trump is correct in
calling all of us STUPID! When you know better you do better.
We allow the media to build up how much money raised as a determination of who should win. Mr. Donald Trump has again, exposed that it is not the money
but the message. Whether that message is for those that are for a movement, angry, frustrated, alienated or just disappointed in a two party system that does not
hear OUR voices. Time to wake up and accept responsibility for who we have elected to represent us and make a difference. Making a phone call or email
makes a difference, when the voting block speaks about issues strategically. The November election will show our participation in changing the process and
demanding transparency and oversight. The Black elected legislators across the United States must now stand on principle for JUST US!! or the Democratic
Party will dismiss President Obama's legacy Have you talked with your representatives about your concerns?
W.Brandon
Henrico County
Greetings,
After reading the article in the RTD, about Del. McQuinn, filing the proposal to increase salary of Richmond City Council.
Even, when the measure was never part of the city's formal legislative agenda. Del. Delores McQuinn introduced the measure,
because she believes being a council member is a full-time job and could attract more people, if the pay was more in line with
responsibilities.
The Richmond City Auditor has reported time and time again the failures of the internal control structure in the City. The
HUD OIG findings in 2007, 2009 and 2015 also found lack of internal control structure in the implementation of Section 3.
This City Council has failed to respond to recommendations from the City Auditor. This City Council has failed to enforce the
oversight needed to protect the taxpayers’ dollars or federal assisted dollars for economic development.
The next City Council & Mayor will need to address the same concerns that this Council refuses to address in any meaningful way. We have had Council write
ordinances, but the lack of enforcement and oversight is never a part of the equation. Going through the motions are no longer acceptable. The political
parties have always filed proposals that will benefit the party, family and friends.
The part of the Democratic Party that Del. McQuinn represents continues to dismiss the needs of the citizens in order to benefit themselves, family and friends.
The legacy problem of Mayor Dwight Jones is directly due to this attitude. But, when the smoke clears everyone will see that it goes right back to the internal
control structure. This is how elected officials, whether White or Black award their supporters. Is there anyone on this City Council that will stand for the
people and not self interest. If, the money is the motivation to serve and not the Will to serve the people, results in an acceptance of a broken internal control
structure. This allows the career civil servant to be influenced, by those that appoint or hire them. The career civil servant has shown throughout the country
that they will impose their beliefs above the law.
Whether, Democrat or Republican the party is over and everyone needs to decide on whether they are for the people or self interest. So, far self interest and I
close with this question. Will Del. McQuinn son, Mr. Minor run for City Council?
Peace Be With You,
W. Earl Bradley
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The Shadow Knows!
He shook Richmond Black leaders up when he ran against Senator Henry
He shook Richmond Black leaders up when he ran against Senate Henry Marsh.
Marsh!
I hate to bring this up, but it needs to be talked about. Richmond’s Black leaders and politicians
will not acknowledge it. I’m referring to the disturbance that Preston Brown caused when he
challenged Henry Marsh for the Virginia senate seat. We need change in our leadership, and we
need more people like Mr. Brown to challenge the system. There are those who cannot (or will not)
acknowledge this shake up because to do so would mean facing the fact that they, themselves have
failed their Black communities.
The main pitfall of our leaders is a lack of comprehensive purpose. BLACK LEADERSHIP
HAS BEEN SUCKED UP INTO MAINSTREAM Richmond through a little money and power,
while the masses have suffered from poverty, racism, and political as well as legal injustices. The
historical strength of the Black churches has been silenced through government grants, poverty
programs and fear of losing money.
Our Democratic Party didn’t have much to say during redistricting. Now they want to complain
because they lost seats. Many leaders found it hard to say “no,” especially after taking corporate
lobby contributions during election time.
Mayor Jones said he wanted minorities to get 40% of the new city contracts, but when the results
of the Virginia Disparity study was brought to light, it proved discrimination is still alive and
kicking when it comes to minorities and woman. And once again, our leaders got quiet.
Our White leaders, like Joe Morrissey, Reva Trammell and Doug Connors in the past had picked up the fight for us, while the only Black voices
speaking up for Blacks was coming from radio station WCLM 1450, where the Black leaders won’t support. When are our Black leaders going to get a
backbone and stand up! Corporate Richmond has definitely “brought and sold” so many of you in order to contain and control the masses.
And to all the leaders who will be asking the Shadow what I propose as a solution to our problems, my answer is a simple one: Get involved
with the transformation of the lives of the people. Simply put, do something that will improve our condition and advance our position as a people.
As for the everyday people who continue to put their trust in our old leaders, you must realize that change will only come with the political education of
the people. It is when the masses of people withdraw their vote from a party affiliation, and vote for the independent person who can make the things
happen for the people and not the party. This kind of action will send notice to our leaders that they better shape up or be voted out. Ask yourself, what
has my party done for me lately? You have high taxes, outrageous light bills, phone bills, and water bills. Your rent is going up again, you need a better
job, and the bank won’t lend you any money, so you use payday loans.
We must take control of our vote. It is then and only then, that our children will get a decent education, our youth will attend colleges instead of
prisons, and our neighborhoods will be safe and prosperous. It is then and only then that more jobs will be created, money will be available for afterschool
programs, all communities will prosper and crime and drugs will decrease. It is them and only then that the people will control the elected seat and not the
person in the seat.
We must also call into account what type of religious message our Black ministers are feeding us. It must be a spiritual message that transforms reality.
One that has as its foundation a vision of prosperity, a vision that pushes us into the future, not into a graveyard. When we give back to our communitieseverybody wins.
The Shadow…………..
Something to Think about?
A Legend in Black History
The most famous black cowboy of all, Nat Love
Nate Love, also known as Deadwood Dick and “the most famous black cowboy of them all,” was born a slave in 1854 in Davidson County, Tennessee. He
was somewhat educated in that he could read and write while he had a love of the free and wild life on the range. Soon, he was known as a good, all around
cowboy. Nate found a Texas outfit that had delivered its herd and was preparing to go back down to Texas. There were several good black cowboys in the
outfit. After sharing breakfast with the crew, Nate asked the trail boss for a job. The boss agreed if Nate could break a horse named Good Eye, the wildest
horse in the outfit. Bronco Jim, another black cowboy gave Nate some pointers and Nate rode that horse. He said later that it was the toughest ride he had
ever had.
Nat Love, like all other cowboys, often found himself fighting off attacks by Indians, but one tale stands out from the rest, showing us once more that his
strength of character and bravery had earned him the respect of friend and foe alike. In one story, Love tells of a particularly violent fight with the Yellow
Dog's tribe, in which he runs out of ammunition, yet keeps on fighting, getting severely wounded in the process. The story takes an unexpected turn when
Love is then brought back to the Indian village and his wounds are tended to. Love reasons that they may have spared him because he fought bravely, or
that he was spared since the Yellow Dog's tribe was comprised of many "half-breeds" and that "there was a large percentage of colored blood in the tribe".
Once he was well enough, Nat Love took part in tribal activities and was even offered 100 ponies to marry the Chief's daughter. Of course, Love did not
accept, opting instead to find one choice pony, and make his escape, riding 100 miles without a saddle.
Nat Love didn't only survive fights with the Indians, he also fought Mexicans, and most importantly, fought against mother Nature in an effort to survive the
many perils which presented themselves during his journeys. In one story, he recalls being stranded on the prairie, starving, and thirsty; he survives by
slitting the throat of a calf, drinking its blood, and eating its meat. In another incredible tale, he tells of being frozen to the point of losing his toenails, and
much of the flesh from his extremities to frostbite. Whether these tales have been exaggerated for the benefit of the reader or not, they remain fine examples
of courage and character, of larger-than-life heroism which is now almost only seen in movies, television, or within the pages of novels and comic books. In
fact, Nat Love's stories are all written in a clear, concise style which made them easy to recall and relate to friends, tall tales made taller like all the other
legends of the American West.
Nate had a forty-five and he took every chance he could to practice with it and he got very good with it. There came a time when he could shoot better than
any of his friends. Nate left the Texas Panhandle, and rode into Arizona where he got a job working for an outfit on the Gila River. He had ridden many of
the trails of the southwest and he believed that he was a capable cowboy. While in Arizona working with Mexican vaqueros, he learned to speak Spanish
like a native and he became very good at reading brands.
In the spring of 1876, Nate Love's outfit received orders to deliver three thousand steer to Deadwood City in the Dakota Territory. They arrived July 3rd.
The town was getting ready for the 4th of July. The mining men and gamblers had gotten together and organized a contest
with $200 prize money. Nate said that six of the dozen men in the contest were Black. Each black cowboy was to rope,
throw, tie bridles, and saddle a mustang in the shortest possible time. The wildest horses were chosen for this event. Nate
roped, threw, tied bridles, saddled, and mounted his mustang in exactly nine minutes. The next competitor took twelve
minutes and thirty seconds. In the rifle and Colt events, shooting at 100 and 250 yards with 14 shots, Nate placed all of
his shots in the bull’s eye and 10 of the 12 pistol shots in the bull’s eye. Nate Love was the obvious winner and along with
the prize money, the town gave Nate the title of "Deadwood Dick". In 1907, Nat wrote his life history, an autobiography
entitled “The Life and adventures of Nat Love, Better Known in the Cattle Country as ‘Deadwood Dick.'” It is still a
classic because of the insight into the life and times of black cowboys. Nat Love died in 1921 in Los Angeles, CA.
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The first black-owned bank chartered in the United States started in Richmond, Virginia.
The Savings Bank of the Grand Fountain United Order of True Reformers was the first bank owned by
African Americans in the United States. It was founded on March 2, 1888 by Reverend William Washington
Browne and opened on April 3, 1889. Although the True Reformers bank was the first black-owned bank
chartered in the United States, the Capitol Savings Bank of Washington, D.C. was the first to actually open on
October 17, 1888.
Born in 1849, Browne was a former Georgia slave who escaped joined the Union Army in the North. After the
Civil War, he founded the Grand Fountain United Order of True Reformers, a black fraternal organization. In
1887 when Browne visited Charlotte County, Virginia to establish a local branch of the True Reformers, he
encountered problems. The branch arranged to keep its savings with a white shopkeeper in the county, but with
racial tensions high after an 1887 lynching, the shopkeeper told other white residents that local blacks were
organizing and raising funds, and the branch was forced to disband. Browne decided the True Formers would
have to found and run a bank itself so that its finances could not be monitored by whites.
The Savings Bank of the Grand Fountain United Order of True Reformers Bank opened a year after its
founding, initially operating out of Browne’s home at 105 West Jackson Street in the Jackson Ward district of
Richmond, Virginia. The first day’s deposits totaled $1,269.28. In 1891, the bank moved several blocks away
to 604-608 North Second Street. The new location housed the various operations of the order. The building
contained the bank, several business offices, three stores, four large meeting rooms, and a concert hall. The
largest building in the city owned by blacks, it was also constructed entirely by African Americans. By that
time the order’s membership approached 10,000, and it soon acquired a hotel, published a weekly newspaper,
ran a general merchandise store, and operated a home for aged members. From its humble beginnings as a
temperance society Browne built the order into the largest black fraternal society and black-owned business in the country. The impressive new True
Reformers’ Hall in Richmond symbolized the order’s premier position. The bank grew and survived the financial panic of 1893, during which it was the only
bank in Richmond to maintain full operation, honoring all checks and paying out the full value of accounts.
Rev. Browne died in 1897 but the bank continued to thrive after his death. New branches opened as far away as Kansas, and by 1900 the bank was operating
in 24 states, owning property valued at a total of $223,500.
After the turn of the century, the bank's prospects began to falter under its new president, Reverend
William Lee Taylor. Distant branches were poorly regulated, and the strict rules the bank had required
for its operations in its first years were allowed to grow lax. Under Taylor, the bank made large,
unsecured loans to finance lodge projects. Those loans often defaulted. When the bank’s cashier, R.T.
Hill, was discovered to have embezzled $50,000 from the company, the resulting scandal brought down
the bank, and most account holders lost their savings.
The bank examiner of the banking division of the State Corporation Commission ordered the closure of
the bank on October 20, 1910. True Reformers Bank was placed into receivership six days later.
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Learn Black History too!
Richmond Black History
Nationally famous tap dancer Pleasants Roper "Snowball" Crump was born and raised in
Richmond. While a student, he observed the young men who danced in Jackson Ward, the
center of Richmond’s African American community. A self-taught dancer, Crump performed as
the "Dancing Busboy" in local black nightclubs. He offered tap-dancing lessons at community
centers and entertained at the city's white clubs. By 1926 he had obtained engagements as far
away as New York.
Crump went to New York City early in the 1930s to study with Richmond-born dancer Bill
"Bojangles" Robinson. They danced together at prominent New York hotels and nightclubs.
Skilled at clog, buck and wing, and fancy tap techniques, Crump displayed a distinctive flashing,
energetic, and bold dancing style. In 1938 he won first place on the Major Bowes Amateur
Hour. As a result he joined Bowes’s Rodeo Rhythm Revue, a vaudeville road show that toured
the nation. Crump later asserted that he was the first black entertainer to tour with the troupe.
About 1940 Crump returned to Richmond. During World War II he toured with United
Service Organizations troupes. Crump’s travels took him throughout the United States and also
to other countries. Crump was among the first African Americans to appear on such early television programs as The Bob Hope Show, The Ed
Sullivan Show, and What’s My Line?
Crump worked as a clerk for the Internal Revenue Service until he retired in 1960. In the years that followed he had several part-time jobs, but
he kept performing well into his eighties. For more than forty years he danced to "Tea for Two" and "Sweet Georgia Brown" on top of the dugout
at Richmond’s minor-league baseball fields, including the inaugural game at the Diamond in 1985. Known as the unofficial mayor of Southside
Richmond, Crump was highly regarded for his community work at churches, schools, and nursing homes and also for tutoring aspiring dancers. In
1991 the Retired Senior Volunteer Program of the United Way presented him with an award for service at the South Richmond Senior Center. He
died at his home in Richmond in 1995 and was cremated.
Rev. John Jasper
Reverend John Jasper is arguably one of the most famous black ministers of nineteenth-century
Richmond, Virginia, who gained popularity for his electrifying preaching style and his ability to
spiritually move both black and white Baptists. He began his career in the early 1840s, preaching at
funerals of slave and free black parishioners and giving occasional sermons at the First African Baptist
Church. His popularity grew quickly and not only among Richmonders; after giving a guest sermon to
the Third African Baptist Church in the nearby city of Petersburg, Jasper was invited by that
congregation to preach every Sunday. Jasper’s accomplishments are even more remarkable given the
fact that he was a slave in the tobacco factories and iron mills of Richmond during the first 25 years of
his ministry work during a time when Virginia law expressly prohibited blacks from preaching.
Following the Civil War, Jasper became a full-time pastor and in 1867 organized the Sixth Mount
Zion Baptist Church in Richmond, ministering to hundreds of local black Baptists, but many whites as
well. His sermons continued to attract eager audiences, but none seem to draw more listeners than his famous discourse, “De Sun Do Move”
given in 1878. Faithful followers, devoted fans, curious onlookers and even news reporters gathered at the church for a standing-room only
lecture on the powers and mysteries of God. Though not all were convinced by Jasper’s geocentrism, his orating skills mesmerized most. Jasper’s
work extended far beyond preaching to the devoted and attempted to minister to all black Richmonders; the Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church
became active in providing community services including aid to the elderly and the destitute. Jasper continued in this capacity until 1901 at the
age of 88, after half a century of serving God.
Celebrating Black History
John Hanson First Black President
A "Black" Man, a Moor, John Hanson was the First Black President of the United States! 1781-1782 A.D.
George Washington was not the first President of the United States. In fact, the first President of the United States
was one John Hanson. Don't go checking the encyclopaedia for this guy's name - he is one of those great men that
are lost to history. If you're extremely lucky, you may actually find a brief mention of his name.
The new country was actually formed on March 1, 1781 with the adoption of The Articles of Confederation. This
document was actually proposed on June 11, 1776, but not agreed upon by Congress until November 15, 1777.
Maryland refused to sign this document until Virginia and New York ceded their western lands (Maryland was
afraid that these states would gain too much power in the new government from such large amounts of land).
Once the signing took place in 1781, a President was needed to run the country. John Hanson was chosen
unanimously by Congress (which included George Washington). In fact, all the other potential candidates refused
to run against him, as he was a major player in the revolution and an extremely influential member of Congress.
As the first President, Hanson had quite the shoes to fill. No one had ever been President and the role was poorly
defined. His actions in office would set precedent for all future Presidents.
He took office just as the Revolutionary War ended. Almost immediately, the troops demanded to be paid. As
would be expected after any long war, there were no funds to meet the salaries. As a result, the soldiers threatened
to overthrow the new government and put Washington on the throne as a monarch. All the members of Congress
ran for their lives, leaving Hanson as the only guy left running the government. He somehow managed to calm the troops down and hold the country
together. If he had failed, the government would have fallen almost immediately and everyone would have been bowing to King Washington. In fact,
Hanson sent 800 pounds of sterling silver by his brother Samuel Hanson to George Washington to provide the troops with shoes.
Hanson, as President, ordered all foreign troops off American soil, as well as the removal of all foreign flags. This was quite the feat, considering the
fact that so many European countries had a stake in the United States since the days following Columbus. Hanson established the Great Seal of the
United States, which all Presidents have since been required to use on all official documents. President Hanson also established the first Treasury
Department, the first Secretary of War, and the first Foreign Affairs Department. Lastly, he declared that the fourth Thursday of every November was
to be Thanksgiving Day, which is still true today. Article of Confederation only allowed a President to serve a one year term during any three year
period, so Hanson actually accomplished quite a bit in such little time.
Six other presidents were elected after him - Elias Boudinot (1783), Thomas Mifflin (1784), Richard Henry Lee (1785), Nathan Gorman (1786), Arthur
St. Clair (1787), and Cyrus Griffin (1788) - all prior to Washington taking office. So what happened? Why don't we ever hear about the first seven
Presidents of the United States? It's quite simple - The Articles of Confederation didn't work well. The individual states had too much power and
nothing could be agreed upon. A new doctrine needed to be written - something we know as the Constitution. And that leads us to the end of our
story. George Washington was definitely not the first President of the United States. He was the first President of the United States under the
Constitution we follow today. And the first seven Presidents are forgotten in history.
John Hanson is on back of two dollar bill
Businesses Profile
WCLM 1450AM RADIO Multi-Media Connection
WCLM the only Soul radio station in Richmond, Petersburg and surrounding counties has grown into more than just a radio station but an icon in the Black
community because of its commitment to be the voice of the community. WCLM stands alone in a programming diversity that satisfies everyone needs. The
station is evolving into a strategic centralized multimedia connection for the community. WCLM stands alone in being able to provide a strategic rallying voice
for community activists, churches, organizations, businesses and legislators to make connection and get their message out to the people.
The station programming has a wide range of music and talk shows that engage the community awareness and provides live streaming on the worldwide
internet. Under the leadership of Preston Brown, WCLM has also expanded onto television with the Famous Brown TV Show on CW Richmond 65. The Heart
& Soul Newspaper provides the written print of current issues and events that affect the community. Basically WCLM is a one stop shop! WCLM continued
to expand its programming to include Sports, Gospel, Classic Country, and Latin music.
Faced with racism in advertising, Preston Brown has been able keep WCLM Radio a force for over 20 years, receiving awards from Governor of Virginia,
Mayor of City of Richmond to being named the 2008 City of Richmond Department Minority Enterprise Visionary of the Year.
WCLM Radio 3203 Hull Street
Richmond VA 23224
(804) 231-7685
Southside Community Development & Housing Corporation
SCDHC’s mission is to use a holistic approach to create viable, thriving and sustainable communities. There purpose is to provide quality residential and
commercial development, supportive resources, services and programs throughout the Central Virginia region. Southside Community Development & Housing
Corporation (SCDHC) has more than twenty-five (25) years of experience as a nonprofit community development corporation and HUD approved housing
counseling agency. SCDHC has served and is currently serving as a Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) in the City of Richmond and the
Counties of Chesterfield and Henrico, Virginia.
SCDHC has constructed more than 300 Earthcraft Certified single family affordable housing units throughout the Richmond Metropolitan Area offering down
payment and closing cost assistance. Our staff specializes in pre-purchase counseling, homebuyer education, financial literacy training and counseling, default
mortgage and foreclosure prevention counseling. SCDHC’s community outreach services extend to schools, churches, small business organizations, financial
institutions, and various for-profit and not-for profit organizations.
Our Services
• Affordable Residential Homes
• Multi-Family Developments
• Commercial and Mixed Used Developments
• Down Payment and Closing Cost Assistance
• Home-Ownership Counseling
1624 Hull Street
Richmond, VA 23224
(804) 231-4449
Black History
Chris Baker: Janitor-turned-Anatomist
He was hated in the black community, but was respected by the white elite, including Virginia state governor William Cameron, who pardoned Baker after he
was caught robbing graves. He was totally comfortable prowling cemeteries, but ran and hid at the first hint of lightning. As one future doctor wrote of the
legendary keeper of the bones, "he was a small man, bald, and wore a black skull cap that made him so distinguishable that Negroes avoided him like the
plague." But Chris Baker was one of the key figures in the early years of what became the Medical College of Virginia. This janitor-turned-anatomist served the
college from the late 1860s until a few years before his death in 1919. He was likely born in the basement of the Egyptian building, where it is believed his
father worked as a janitor. The Egyptian Building, which still stand today at 12th and E. Broad Streets, was one of the first buildings erected by the college. Its
strange aspect would only add to the sense of foreboding about what was going on inside. Baker would spend nearly his entire life in the building, in the midst
of the bones from the graves that he robbed. It was said that anatomy is the foundation of medicine, and dissection has long been the way to learn anatomy.
After the Civil War, medical science marched forward dramatically as dissection became more common. That meant there were men like Chris Baker at many
of the nation's medical schools; men who could bring in fresh bodies, cheap - about $5.00 - and not many questions asked. Grave robbers. Body-lifters.
Resurrectionists. "MCV actually began as the medical department of Hampden-Sydney College and it began here in Richmond because there was an abundance
of clinical material," said Jodi Koste, archivist at the Tompkins-McCaw library at Virginia Commonwealth University. "And that meant there were people
without families, there were free blacks, there were people working for hire in the city and you'd have ready access to patients and also ready access to
cadavers." But Ole Chris, as he was called, also became a master of anatomy. Dr. R.B. Ware, class of 1895, said because Ol' Chris was "living with bones all of
his life, he knew as much about anatomy as any professor." And the self-taught, taciturn anatomist also had a keen eye for the living humans who came to him
for skulls and information. "It was said that he could usually tell which medical students were going to make it through anatomy," said Koste.
Before electricity the dissections occurred under a skylight on the fourth floor of the Egyptian building. As was customary, budding doctors posed with the body
that taught them about life. Chris Baker was often invited into those photographs. Those photos show a small man, standing eerily in the background or off the
side a man apart. The college needed new bodies for every new group of four or five students. Medical schools did require fresh subjects. But the crude
methods of embalming meant a ferocious odor, particularly in the basement where Chris Baker lived and worked,
dissolving flesh and tissue off the bones in his vat of quicklime. It’s alleged he attended funerals as a mourner to
scout for fresh subjects. Many Richmonders believed he carried a rubber bag to silence the screams of the living he
captured in dark alleys. In December of both 1882 and 1883, Baker and others were arrested for disinterring
corpses at Oakwood and Sycamore cemeteries. Illustrating the unspoken approval of officials, Baker and his
companions were convicted in Richmond court on 20 December 1882 and pardoned by Governor William
Cameron the next day, a speedy exoneration indeed.
Thousands of bodies were stolen from Richmond's black cemeteries and sold to medical schools, including
institutions outside the state, such as the University of Pennsylvania. MCV was no different, and to handle its dirty
work the medical college relied on Baker. In some cases, they felt like he went out at night and deliberately killed
people to obtain bodies. After snatching the bodies, he soaked them in vats of chemicals for preservation until they
reached the classroom. If a body was too decomposed for dissection, the flesh from the cadaver's bones was
removed and used for other medical research. The 1890 census lists Baker's occupation as “Anatomical Man.
Rev. Curtis Holt Sr. “The man who changed Richmond City Council”
The Rev. Curtis Holt Sr.
Holt was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina in 1920. He was one of eight children in a relatively poor family. His father was a farmer, but when Curtis
was 13, he died. His mother then moved the family to Richmond, Virginia in 1934. Holt ended up starting working at a young age to support his family. He
later married and had children. In 1941 he was injured at a construction job at Virginia Union University. He was out of work for 3 years because of the
injury. In 1963 he fell down an elevator shaft, causing another injury, which put him out of work for the long term, and put him on social security disability.
His family and he then had to move into public housing. In Richmond, Public housing is controlled by the Richmond Housing Authority. The experience of
public housing increased his awareness of inequalities and started his activism. During the mid-1950s, when Curtis Holt moved into Creighton Court; he
quickly discovered that living conditions were poor and repressive for the tenants. For instance, the RRHA prohibited tenant organizations, and tenants could
not meet on Creighton Court property. While he could have lived a life without confrontation, or taken his activism just to RRHA and stop, he continued. An
example of this was his attempt to organize the tenants of Creighton Court into a tenant’s association in the mid-1960s. For this he received an eviction
notice. However, the eviction notice stated that the reason for the eviction was unreported income on Holt’s part. Holt fought this and was proven to be in the
right. His refusal to back down is inspiring. In 1970 Holt became an ordained minister, and “Holt hoped to transform his faith into a vehicle of liberation”.
Holt went to the March on Washington, and also met with Martin Luther King Jr. He became involved in the NAACP and Richmond Crusade for Voters
leaving his mark in Richmond’s black history. A civil rights activist and president of the Creighton Court Civic Association, the Rev. Curtis Holt sued to
block Richmond's annexation of 23 square miles of Chesterfield County, saying it diluted black voting strength, a violation of the 1965 Civil Rights Act. The
suit suspended City Council elections from 1972-1977. In 1977, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the annexation but mandated a ward-based voting system.
The 1977 ward elections gave African-Americans their first council majority and first black mayor, Henry Marsh III. After unsuccessful attempted mergers
with Henrico County, Richmond in 1969 annexed a portion of Chesterfield County. The annexation, secretly planned by both sides, was to solve the issue of
Richmond's eroding white population by adding 47,000 residents, 97 percent of whom were white. Richmond paid Chesterfield $7.8 million for the land and
assumed $19.3 million of county debt. The annexation caused an urgent wave of white flight. Because of Curtis Holt Sr. suit under the Voting Rights Act of
1965, the U.S. Supreme Court replaced Richmond's at-large election system with a ward arrangement to provide adequate representation that still stands
today.
Virginia public school received $534 million from the Virginia Lottery
Virginia’s public school system received $534 million from the Virginia Lottery in fiscal 2015, only the second time in the Lottery’s 27-year history its
annual payout to schools topped a half-billion dollars. Virginia law requires all lottery profits benefit K-12 education in the commonwealth. Lottery profits
make up about 8 percent of Virginia’s public schools budget. The Virginia Lottery says players won a record $1.1 billion in prizes in fiscal 2015. The 5,300
retailers selling lottery tickets earned $104 million in commissions, which is also a record. Total Virginia Lottery sales in fiscal 2015 were more than $1.84
billion. Scratcher ticket sales account for most of Virginia’s lottery business, with sales surpassing $1 billion for the first time in a single year.
“Many people don’t realize that it’s not those headline-grabbing Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots that make up the largest part of our sales,” Virginia
Lottery Executive Director Paula Otto said in a statement. “It’s the quiet and steady sales of Scratcher games.” A total of 28 lottery tickets won at least $1
million in fiscal 2015. The largest prize was a $5 million Mega Millions ticket bought by Herndon resident Andy Ciaccio.
More than $12.4 million in Virginia Lottery prize money went unclaimed in fiscal 2015. By law, unclaimed prize money goes to the state’s Literary Fund,
which is used for educational purposes like upgrading technology in schools and teacher retirement funding. Lottery proceeds don’t pay for every day
education. Instead, the money funds specific initiatives like the school breakfast program, special education, and early reading intervention. According to
Gruber, “the General Assembly can decrease what they gave to public schools before from the general fund because now they can use the lottery money as
part of the base of what they fund public schools.” “Whether you call it money or extra money there would still be a half billion dollar hole in the state’s
education budget without lottery funds,” maintains Hagerty. Right now, lottery profits make up about nine percent of Virginia’s $6.1 billion education
budget. While some like to say education funding by the Commonwealth has risen, the amount it spends per student has dropped. Virginia ranks 41st in state
per pupil funding.
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Dr. William Ferguson Reid
Dr. William Ferguson Reid, a surgeon, co-founded the Richmond Crusade for Voters in 1956 to register and mobilize
black voters during Massive Resistance. A dozen years later, Reid became the first black member of the Virginia
General Assembly since Reconstruction. Reid's support cut across racial lines as he garnered the most votes among the
winners on the Democratic ticket.
The election was good for whites as well as blacks because it gave whites an opportunity to be exposed to blacks who
could compete with them. Reid represented Richmond and Henrico County in the House of Delegates from 1968 to
1973. He was unseated by Howard H. Carwile.
"Fergie" Reid was born in Richmond on March 18, 1925. He graduated from Armstrong High School in 1941 and
received his bachelor's degree from Virginia Union University in 1946. He earned his medical degree from Howard
University and served his internship and residency in St. Louis. Later, he became a lieutenant in the Navy. He served
with the 1st Marine Division in Korea and at the Bethesda (Md.) Naval Hospital.
Returning to Richmond, he became active in civic and professional affairs. This was an era of poll taxes, literacy
tests and other mechanisms to weaken black political clout. The entrenched Byrd political machine stood in
defiance of change.
Reid, John Mitchell Brooks and Dr. William S. Thornton began meeting daily at the old Slaughter's Hotel, a popular segregation-era gathering place for black
Richmonders in Jackson Ward. The outgrowth of these strategy sessions was the Richmond Crusade for Voters.
"It was obvious that the only way to get things changed was to put politicians in there who would obey the laws," Dr. Reid said in a 1991 interview.
The Crusade helped guide a black political maturation that culminated with the election of the first black majority on Richmond City Council, which picked
Henry L. Marsh III as the city's first black mayor in 1977. That same year, surgeon Reid left the area to join the Foreign Service, which took him to such
posts as Bogota, Colombia; La Paz, Bolivia; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; the Philippines; and Ivory Coast.
Preston Brown presented “Ban the Box” idea in 2011
“BAN THE BOX” PASSES VIRGINIA SENATE; MAKES ITS WAY TO HOUSE
Senator Rosalyn Dance’s (D-Petersburg) “ban the box” bill, SB335, passed through the
Virginia Senate and now makes its way to the Virginia House for deliberation. Said Senator
Dance, “So often, our fellow Virginians who have paid their debts to society get judged on their
past mistakes rather than on their future potential. We need to make sure that our brothers and
sisters have the ability to demonstrate their skills, knowledge, and abilities for appropriate jobs,
rather than being repeatedly denied a second chance. I am heartened that my colleagues have
voted to write this protection into state law.”
THE TRUE BACKGROUND OF THE BILL
The idea for ban the box came from Preston Brown in 2011 when he challenged Senator
Henry Marsh for his seat. It was later picked up by City Council President Michelle
Mosby and put into law for the City of Richmond.
SB 335 generally bars state agencies from inquiring into a job candidate’s criminal background
before making a conditional offer of employment, and it prevents them from withdrawing such
an offer unless a past conviction relates to the duties and responsibilities of the relevant position.
The bill also guarantees local public employers’ ability to ban the box, without mandating that
they do so.
Black History
John Mitchell ran for Governor of Virginia in 1921
African Americans had a reason to be disillusioned with both political parties early in the twentieth century. Virginia's
Democrats at the Constitutional Convention of 1901–1902 disenfranchised a large portion of the state's black men as well as
many thousands of poor white voters. In 1912 Virginia native Woodrow Wilson was elected president and under his
sanction many government offices in Washington D.C. were segregated and African Americans lost federal positions across
the country. By then, most southern white Republicans had little interest in black voters, who were not numerous enough to
help them win elections, and Democrats routinely mounted successful attacks against Republicans who sought African
American support.
These changes in the Republican Party were evident in Virginia. Congressman C. Bascom Slemp, from southwestern
Virginia, was one of the most influential southern Republicans. He believed that the Republican Party could not be viable in
the Virginia until it was no longer identified as "the party of the Negro." This conclusion led to the exclusion of black voters
from the state's Republican Convention in Roanoke in 1920, and at the 1921 convention in Norfolk African Americans were
refused admittance to as spectators, and the party did not seat some black delegates. The party's nominee for governor Henry
W. Anderson was committed to promoting a "lily-white" image.
John Mitchell Jr., since 1884 the editor of a Richmond African American newspaper the Planet, argued that black voters were faced with three options.
They could boycott the election and not vote at all. They could support the Democratic candidate, E. Lee Trinkle. They could nominate their own
candidate. Mitchell opted for the third choice after being offered the top position. On September 5, 1921, a convention of about 600 black delegates in
Richmond officially nominated an all-black Republican ticket. John Mitchell Jr. was the nominee for governor, Theodore Nash of Portsmouth for
lieutenant governor, Maggie L. Walker of Richmond for the superintendent of public instruction, Joseph Thomas Newsome of Newport News for attorney
general, Thomas E. Jackson of Staunton for treasurer, F. V. Bacchus of Lynchburg for secretary of the commonwealth, J. L Reed of Roanoke for State
Corporation Commissioner, and A. P. Brickhouse of Northampton County for commissioner of agriculture. At the convention, Mitchell refused the label
"lily-black," to describe the ticket, and sought support from Republicans from both races. He insisted that he, not Anderson, was the true candidate for the
Republican Party.
Not all black Virginians supported the ticket. P. B. Young, editor of the Norfolk Guide and Journal, refused the nomination for lieutenant governor, spoke
out against the third party, and criticized his old rival, Mitchell, during the campaign. Young feared that an all-black ticket could result in as much racial
strife as an all-white one. Young publicly supported Trinkle. As his candidacy was a largely symbolic move, Mitchell did little campaigning and finished a
distant third in the election. Following the loss, Mitchell sent Trinkle a congratulatory telegram, and subsequently, Trinkle had a good working relationship
with both Mitchell and Maggie Walker. After Trinkle's term, there were rumors that the "lily-black" ticket had been a Democratic invention, motivated by a
feared renewal of the Republican Party, but there is no firm evidence of Democratic connivance to split black and white Republicans. The split within the
Republican Party created divisions among African American voters. The lily-white stance of the Republican Party forced these voters to reevaluate their
traditional party loyalty. As a result, throughout the 1920s African Americans began to align themselves with the Democrats.
John Mitchell once owned the Booker-T Theater
In 1919, John Mitchell Jr., a banker and the "fighting editor" of the Richmond Planet weekly newspaper, purchased The Strand for $113,000. Blacks could
attend the theater, but they had to enter through a separate entrance and sit in the balcony. The Hippodrome, built in 1915 (and recently restored), catered to
black audiences. Jake Wells' $8,000-a-year lease was set to run until 1922, but Mitchell persuaded him to make a special presentation of Mary Pickford's
Pollyanna for black children in April 1920. This was the first time in the Empire's history that African-Americans entered through the front door. Whites
were rankled by Mitchell's acquisition of the grand, prominent building. A story circulated — maybe apocryphal — that white businessmen offered to
purchase the theater from Mitchell, who refused. A 1927 fire in The Strand's rafters closed the building for a time. (Scorch marks from that blaze remain
visible.) The Strand reopened in 1934 as the Booker-T., and two years later, the adjacent Little was rechristened by contest as the Maggie Walker, for the
Jackson Ward community organizer and businesswoman. The Booker-T. hosted music and dance performances, but during the 1960s, the management,
keen on inexpensive maintenance, removed the original façade embellishments. Thus the theater turned a blank face to its future. The Booker-T. closed in
1974.
It’s more to Black History than just slavery………
Bill & Hillary Clinton rumors!
There's a new rumor floating around the Internet claiming that Chelsea Clinton is not the daughter of
former President Bill Clinton. The rumor also states that Chelsea's real father "is the best unkept secret is
Arkansas. According to the gossip site, many people were stunned when news spread that Bill Clinton
was not Chelsea's biological father, but the people of Little Rock, Ark. have reportedly known the truth for
decades. It’s claim that Webster Hubbell, former mayor of Little Rock, is Chelsea's real father. Reportedly,
years ago Bill admitted to having an affair with a local Little Rock woman after rumors surfaced that the
woman was pregnant with his baby. Bill denied the allegations and revealed that he's sterile. He said he
had measles as a kid and that rendered him sterile.
In the 1992 campaign Bill’s aide Betsy Wright had a list of a whopping 26 women who were potential
“bimbo eruptions” who might come forward and say they had had sex with wild Bill. In Clinton terms
these were all nuts, sluts & liars. In reality, these were just the tip of the iceberg of the women who Bill
Clinton has had sex with. Before we talk about Chelsea being the biological daughter of Webb Hubbell
and not Bill Clinton, let’s take an extended tour through the war zone of the Bill and Hillary relationship as well as Bill’s lifetime of unhinged sexual
promiscuity and even rapes and serial sexual assaults. Several of Bill’s sex assaults have involved biting the victim’s lips. Juanita Broaddrick, Elizabeth Ward
Gracen and a woman victim from Arkansas who author Roger Morris interviewed at length. It is important to learn about Hillary’s bisexual adulteries as well
as her sexual affairs with both Webb Hubbell and Vince Foster. Even though Hillary had Chelsea with Hubbell in 1980, by the late 1980’s and early 1990’s
Vince Foster had become Hillary’s “significant other” - so close that the best description of Hillary and Vince is that they were emotional husband and wife
and in a very hot and heavy affair.
It’s alleged that in order to cover up all this uber dysfunction, the Clintons have used a variety of tactics ranging from terror campaigns, run by nasty so-called “private
detectives” to public relations and coordinated smear campaigns to terrify Bill’s sex victims and former mistresses into silence. In Hillary’s authoritarian mind these
women have the “right to remain silent” because anything they say “can and WILL be used against you.” In other words - shut up or face the wrath of the Hildebeast. Bill
and Hillary basically had a dysfunctional 1970’s “open marriage” from day one. That is how pretty much how it has been for about 40 years: Bill has had sex with
(or tried to have sex with) hundreds of women from all shapes, sizes, backgrounds and races. Very attractive women, ugly women, horny women, even unwilling women.
Bill has had perhaps a dozen long term girlfriends who he has cheated with for decades in addition to hundreds of "one night stands." Bill also has a long history of rape
and sexual assault. In 1999 Capitol Hill Blue published an important article titled “Juanita isn’t the only one: Bill Clinton’s long history of sexual violence against
women dates back some 30 years” by Daniel Harris and Theresa Hampton. On April 25, 1978, Arkansas Attorney General Bill Clinton, the state’s highest law
enforcement official, raped Juanita Broaddrick (without a condom), and while doing so he savagely bit her top lip to subdue her. Juanita was a county coordinator for Bill
and a volunteer in his ’78 gubernatorial campaign. Juanita says she will never forget Bill putting his sunglasses on afterwards then telling her to put some ice on her
mangled lips.
Furniture at the Venus
1420 Hull Street
(804) 232-3500
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1433 Hull Street
(804) 232-3599
Bring this ad and get:
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To get the keys to your dream home, it's necessary to clean up messy credit.
There are few things more important for home buyers than having good credit. Since your reputation as a debtor is the main
deciding factor for a lender in determining your interest rate and reliability, it's logical for home buyers to be very conscientious
about their credit score. Without a good credit history and score, lenders can also deny a loan outright, make the loan more
expensive or heavily reduce your borrowing amount. If you think you have bad credit, there are a few things you can do to fix it.
1. Get a credit report. Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, the three main credit-reporting companies, provide U.S. citizens a free
credit report annually on request. Go to the Annual Credit Report website, or print out a form through the Federal Trade.
Commission’s website to obtain your free copies electronically. Otherwise, call toll-free at 877-322-8228, or send a request to:
Annual Credit Report Request Service P.O. Box 105281 Atlanta, GA 30348-5281 877-322-8228 annualcreditreport.com.
2. Investigate and correct mistakes on your report. The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act states that if proved wrong,
the credit bureau and creditor must make necessary corrections for free. If you discover a mistake on your report, get in touch with
the consumer bureau and creditor immediately. Once proved, the mistake must be repaired within 30 days.
3. Manage your current debts. If new debt is pulling down your FICO score, you need to create a plan to pay it off. Talk to your creditors and let them know
about your financial situation to come up with a reasonable payment plan that's acceptable to all parties. Make sure to make all payments as agreed or your score
will show the consequences.
4. Ask for help from trained debt professionals. If you're having a hard time managing debts, you can always ask for advice from a credit counselor. Look for
a nonprofit organization that has a good reputation and avoid businesses that promise a quick fix for a steep prepaid fee. Be careful to always examine your
contract carefully for any hidden costs, fees or other clauses that can short-circuit your repair plans and budget.
Kimberly Ocasio Realtor, ABR
Napier Realtors ERA
14361 Sommerville Court
Midlothian, VA 23113 Licensed Realtor in Commonwealth of VA [email protected]
Cell: 804.218.0779 | Fax: 888.225.9140
REQUESTS FOR RESUME & CONSTRUCTION OPPORTUNITIES
Southside Community Development & Housing Corporation is seeking Resumes from Licensed
Contractors experienced in New Construction and Heavy Rehabilitation of “gutted single-family
houses. Contractors must have a minimum of three (3) years’ experience in single-family
Construction and rehabilitation. We are also seeking HVAC, Electrical, Plumbing, Framing and
Drywall subcontractors that can qualify as Section 3 residents or resident owned businesses.
These are federally funded construction projects, all that apply and their sub contractors will be required to
participate in Davis Bacon Wage reporting.
These are federally funded projects; Section 3 businesses and/or businesses that employ
Section 3 residents are strongly encouraged to respond with their Resume.
Email Resume to Jim Chambers, Director of Housing Development Program,
[email protected] or mail 1624 Hull Street, Richmond, VA 23224.
This is an “open” invitation for funding year 2016.
Southside Community Development & Housing Corporation is an Equal Opportunity Employer