The protests that erupted after the public police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis have grown into the broadest and most sustained rebellion against racism in U.S. history.
LESSONS FROM THE REBELLION
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.
COVID-19 CASES FOUND IN RICHMOND JAIL; ACTIVISTS HAD PRESSED FOR TESTING
Yes, there are COVID-19 cases in the Richmond city jail. And not all those infected are showing symptoms.
ARREST OF HOMELESS MAN LEADS TO PROTEST AT WILLOW LAWN
If you’re sitting at a table outside a restaurant, you’re expected to buy something. That’s understood. But if you’re homeless and it’s a really hot day and the unused table is in the shade, you might think it wouldn’t be a big deal to rest there a bit.
VIGIL FOR LEBANON
Around 100 people attended a Candlelight Vigil for Lebanon Aug. 8 at Richmond’s Monroe Park in a show of solidarity with the people of Beirut.
Odessans celebrate victory over fascism
This past May 9 was the 75th anniversary of the day the German military surrendered to the Red Army and partisan forces in the Eastern Front of World War II. The date is celebrated there as the official victory over fascism.
RICHMOND TO PARTICIPATE IN AUG. 3 ‘NATIONAL DAY OF RESISTANCE’
Organizers with the education advocacy group Virginia Educators United have scheduled an “Education Equity Or Else Motor March” in Richmond for Monday, Aug. 3, to promote progressive reforms dealing with both public schools and the community at large.
RICHMOND MAYOR COMMITS $3.5 MILLION FOR SHOCKOE BOTTOM MEMORIAL PARK
RICHMOND, VA, July 29 — In a major milestone in the decades-long struggle to reclaim and properly memorialize the downtown area that once was the epicenter of the U.S. domestic slave trade, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney has publicly committed $3.5 million in City money to create the Shockoe Bottom Memorial Park.
The Virginia Defender 