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.
As of this writing, in mid-March, Richmond historical institutions are getting ready to mark the anniversary of the day the city was liberated from Confederate rule and slavery: April 3, 1865. But the state historical marker that stood at the site where Union troops enter Richmond has now been missing for more than a year.
A group of Kroger workers in Virginia and West Virginia have filed a class action lawsuit against the giant grocery chain, charging that the company’s payroll software has been systematically shorting workers their rightful pay.
In this issue of the Defender we’re devoting a lot of space to the issue of Palestine, for two reasons.
The D.C.-Metro chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace held a protest March 12 outside a D.C. hotel where Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, an extremist settler leader, was speaking to the Israel Bonds’ leadership.
Dr. Ali Jawhar provides his analysis of Israeli apartheid policies, Zionism, and a path to peace in Palestine in this editorial.
An opinion piece on life in Gaza from Ahmed Nasser, a young Palestinian man who was raised and lives in the Gaza Strip. Gaza has been under Israeli military blockade since 2006.
Our proposal for a People’s Tribunal on Virginia’s Prisons and Jails, to be held Saturday, October 7. At this hearing, we suggest that distinguished judges would hear testimony on conditions facing prisoners in the state’s prisons and jails.
The Virginia Defender 