A proposed Richmond ordinance calls for a 1.3-acre section of the more than 31- acre Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground site to be formally established “as a cemetery to assure its perpetual protection from disturbance and to memorialize it as a solemn and sacred landmark in the City of Richmond and for all residents and visitors to the city of Richmond.”
The Virginia Defender
Established in 2005 as The Richmond Defender, The Virginia Defender is a free community newspaper, published quarterly for the Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality. Print distribution is currently 12,000 and statewide. The online publication launched in Summer 2020.
VMFA to greatly expand space for African art
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, located on Arthur Ashe Boulevard in Richmond, has announced plans for a $261 million expansion, the largest in its history. The addition of a new, five-story McGlothlin Wing II will make the museum the fourth largest in the country, with the second-largest exhibit space for African Art.
Richmond’s planned waterfront amphitheater stirs controversy
It has been announced by partners Live Nation and Red Light Ventures that Richmond’s new amphitheater, to be located next to the American Civil War Museum by the James River, will be named Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront, after the venue’s title sponsor, Allianz Partners.
Screening of “Blood Like Water” (2023), November 29, 2024
Join the Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality for a free screening of the award-winning short film by Palestinian filmmaker Dima Hamdan, “Blood Like Water,” on November 29, 2024 at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. Doors at 6:30pm. Performances and a screening to follow.
Updates and Announcements: September 23, 2024
The September 23, 2024 issue of the Updates and Announcements newsletter.
The Workers Assembly Model Comes to Virginia
The Southern Workers Assembly, founded in 2012 and based in North Carolina, is a social justice organization fighting to organize unorganized workers across the South.
Protesters Target Virginia Israel Advisory Board
Earlier this evening, a group of about 60 people met in Monroe Park to rally against the Virginia Israel Advisory Board, which is headquartered right in downtown Richmond. VIAB is a business promotion entity, funded by Virginia taxpayer money, that works to bring Israeli businesses to the Commonwealth.
The Virginia Defender 