This past Christmas Eve, customers looking for a hot cup of coffee at many Richmond-area Starbucks were met with the warmth and energy of striking workers.
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.
NLRB immobilized by Trump administration
On Jan. 27, the Trump administration fired National Labor Relations Board Acting Chair Gwynne Wilcox and General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo.
NLRB sides with fired Mom’s Siam workers
Firing workers because they fight for better pay is illegal. That’s what the National Labor Relations Board told the owner of Mom’s Siam, a Thai food restaurant in Richmond’s Carytown district. (There is a second Mom’s Siam in downtown Richmond that is not linked to this story.)
Winter/Spring 2025 Issue
The Winter/Spring 2025 edition of The Virginia Defender was published March 26, 2025.
From life in prison to commutation
An editorial by conscious prisoner Uhuru Rowe, regarding his thoughts on what led to the commutation of his life sentence in 2022.
And mental health
A letter to the editor from Shaka Shakur, incarcerated at Buckingham, regarding mental health in the prison system.
Letters to the Editor: Wants to help
A letter to the editor from Madeline Ivey, a Richmond resident moved to help by accounts of the crisis at Red Onion.
The Virginia Defender 