Monthly Archives: June 2017

Put Schools First, Breaking Records and the Status Quo

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While some Richmonders discuss how to deal wth the past, others are acting on its future.

The Richmond Crusade for Voters (a historic black civil rights group) gathered over 6,000 signatures on primary election day, which may be a new record for petitioning on one day! The signatures are for www.PutSchoolsFirst.org, a petition for a future voter referendum to make school modernization first priority in the City budget planning. It’s important to note that this is revenue-neutral and allows for proper adjustment with City Council’s input. For the petition language, please visit the website.

In addition, The Sierra Club Falls of the James, an (almost all white) environmental group, is supporting the www.putschoolsfirst.org petition/referendum campaign, adding that school modernization should include green building and solar energy (other Virginia localities like Charlottesville and Arlington are doing it, why not Richmond?).

Despite some of the projections in the local corporate media, this school modernization effort is not ‘against’ anyone, not Mayor Stoney, not his ‘Education Compact’. It is neutral other than stating that the status quo is unacceptable.
It’s worth noting the grassroots aspect of this and it comes after many previous grassroots movements, including from Oregon Hill’s Open High School.

Right now, the Richmond Crusade for Voters is reaching out to black churches across the City, and the Sierra Club is reaching out to like minded environmental organizations. Hopefully more progressive groups will reach across racial lines and join this very important school modernization effort. To paraphrase Dr. King again, If not now, when?

Marking the 1st year of Small Richmond!

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From post:

This week is the 1st anniversary of the launch of Small Richmond, a collection of 16 independent online new sites covering the city.

It’s nothing fancy, but we think it’s a great way to get your most local of news.

Check out the site for your daily feed, and follow Small Richmond on Twitter and Facebook.

Contact John Murden at murden@gmail.com or (804)564-1360 to suggest a site for inclusion, if you would like to set up a community blog for your area, or for more information.

Reminder: The reason why this community news site was hastily started back in 2007 (with John Murden’s help) was in response to slanted coverage in the local corporate media about VCU encroachment in Oregon Hill and to make sure neighborhood leaders had a platform to respond.

Vinyl Conflict Customer Appreciation Day Flyer

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From Vinyl Conflict:

CLEAR YOUR CALANDERS
Established in 2008 Vinyl Conflict still stands strong as Richmonds hub for all things Hardcore Punk Metal.

Customer Appreciation Day is where we give BACK to you, not a ploy to sell you items you think you need.

This year we join forces with our new neighbors REST IN PIECES to bring you a duel customer appreciation day, its time yall met!

STUDIO TWO THREE mobile print shop will be set up this year! Make your own VC or RIP swag! Learn to screen print! Support an awesome organization!

BLACK RABBIT TATTOO will be doing VC and RIP flash sheets all day over at their location.

CHARM SCHOOL will be set up with Regular and Vegan Ice Cream treats!

MORE INFO TBA:
– BANDS
– FOOD
– SCREEN PRINTING
– CONTESTS
and much more to be announced in the weeks to come.

Make sure you can be around for this!

Trash/Recycling Pickup Tomorrow

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This Wednesday is a “Red Wednesday”, which means trash and recycling pickup. Ideally, rolling recycling containers are stored and deployed in the back alleys along with trash cans. Please make sure you pick up containers after pickup tomorrow night.

If you have not done so already, don’t forget to sign up for your Recycling Perks.
In order to take your recycling to the next level, read this: 10 ways to improve your recycling.

Library Goes Hoopla

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From press release:

Richmond Public Libraries Connects with Digital Media Service Hoopla

Richmond, VA – Earlier this month, Richmond Public Libraries (RPL) connected with digital media service provider Hoopla in order to make more content available to city residents. Hoopla currently offers about 600,000 items on its website, allowing visitors to instantly borrow digital movies, TV shows, music, audiobooks, eBooks and more 24/7 using their library card. With new content being added daily, and no waiting, titles can be streamed immediately or downloaded.

“Today’s technology driven culture expects instant access to their favorite artists, shows and movies,” said Mayor Levar M. Stoney. “It is great to see Richmond Public Libraries implementing new services to provide more options for our residents to stay connected.”

Library card holders will be able to borrow up to four times a month from Hoopla without charge.

“Richmond Public Libraries is proud to offer content beyond the walls of the library and make your library card even more powerful,” said RPL Director Scott Firestine. “This will be invaluable to families as they are now able to instantly stream iconic TV shows like Sesame Street to smartphones, tablets and computers through Hoopla’s multi-format experience.”

For more information on services offered by Richmond Public Libraries, visit RVALibrary.org

John Banister Tabb

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This post comes courtesy of Hollywood Cemetery’s FaceBook page:

John Banister Tabb was an American poet who received national and international recognition for his poems.
At the age of 17, he joined the Confederate Navy as a blockade runner, bringing supplies from Bermuda and Nassau to the Carolinas. He was eventually captured by Union troops and imprisoned at a Federal prison camp in Maryland. There he met fellow prisoner, Georgia poet-musician Sidney Lanier. Bound by their talents in music and poetry, Tabb and Lanier shared a life-long friendship.
Tabb went on to become a Roman Catholic priest and a professor of English. His poems were widely published in various prestigious magazines, and he became one of just two American writers admitted to the Oxford University Press Garland Series of Epigrams (1916).
He was buried in Hollywood Cemetery, Section 20, Lot 62 following his death in 1909. One of his poems is engraved on his tombstone:
If life and death be things that seem
If death be sleep and life a dream
May not the everlasting sleep
The dream of life eternal keep