Category Archives: community

St. Andrew’s Bell Toll For National Day of Mourning

Posted on by
Reply

From announcment:

St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church is joining with faith communities around the nation in marking a National Day of Mourning. We mourn the lives lost in this pandemic. We mourn the livelihoods and economic security that has been lost in the pandemic. We mourn the countless lives lost to systemic racism. We mourn the pain and fear that our siblings of color experience on a daily basis. We mourn that we have not made enough progress in creating a world of justice for all.
At 3:00 p.m. this afternoon, the bell at St. Andrew’s will toll for ten minutes to express our grief. Wherever you are, I invite you to pause as you are able, either at 3:00 or at another point in the day, as we acknowledge our collective grief.

8 pm Curfew

Posted on by
Reply

As reported from VPM News:

After a second night of protesting the death of George Floyd in Richmond, Gov. Ralph Northam authorized an 8 p.m. curfew Sunday in the city. The Virginia National Guard is also on alert and will step in if the city needs assistance.

Overnight Saturday, hundreds of people marched near the Capitol and on Broad Street. Police officers were seen in riot gear, dispersing the crowd with what appeared to be pepper spray. After midnight, the Daughters of the Confederacy headquarters on Arthur Ashe Boulevard was set on fire. The building was tagged with graffiti, along with Confederate statues on nearby Monument Avenue.

“I hear you. I know your pain is real. We have all seen too many people harassed, abused, and killed by law enforcement officers, in too many places, for too long—just for being black. I also know that others are exploiting this pain and are now causing violence,” Northam said in his first a statement on the demonstrations over the weekend. He released a statement Friday about the deaths of Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery.

The curfew lasts from 8 p.m. Sunday through 6 a.m. Monday. City officials say it applies to public spaces. People may only be out in public to go back and forth from work, seek medical attention or assistance from first responders.

Brown’s Island Protest Today

Posted on by
Reply


Downtown Richmond has been rocked by protests against the murder of Minneapolis citizen George Floyd and police brutality across the nation in general. While there was a peaceful protest Friday evening that started in Monroe Park, a later riot the same evening burned a police car and a GRTC bus. Richmond is not alone, as cities across the United States have seen protests and riots which some have called a national uprising. All of this is happening as the COVID-19 pandemic is still a threat.

Mask Up!

Posted on by
Reply

Saw this report from a friend:

A face-masked walk on Belle Isle yesterday was a real eye opener for me. It was really crowded with people, uncomfortably so even for non-covid times, and I estimated that maybe 1% of the people had masks or any coverings on their faces! I fear that this does not bode well for our community…

Regardless ofwhat the government does, its important to recognize that the coronavirus pandemic is still raging and is still in danger of intensifying.

VCU Libraries offers free 30-minute community Zooms starting April 30

Posted on by
Reply

Neighbors: If you’re seeking diversion, conversation, connection, join in a new series of community Zooms offered by VCU Libraries. Topics range from Preservation Week to factchecking Convid-19 info, from how to enjoy the libraries’ online the libraries new website to what is everyone reading. We’ll help you hook up to Zoom if it’s new to you. A series of brief virtual events designed for the VCU Libraries community, highlighting timely subjects, celebrating achievements, practicing creativity and more.

Sessions are held Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. and last approximately a half hour to 45 minutes each. Some sessions will be good for high schoolers studying at home. The lineup: https://www.library.vcu.edu/about/events/2019-20/community-zooms.html

Neighbor Wins ‘Unsung Hero’ Award

Posted on by
Reply

Richmond Magazine reports on Pine Street neighbor:

In recognition of her focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, Varina Library (Henrico County Public Library) Assistant Manager Cristina Ramirez will be recognized with the Unsung Hero award from the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government & Public Affairs at VCU.

Excerpt:

As one of the area’s few Spanish-speaking librarians, she’s seen firsthand the hindrances that language barriers can create, along with the value of cultural representation. Latinos accounted for just under 10% of the nation’s librarians in 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“One of the big messages I’ve tried to let every system I’ve worked in know is we have great resources, but we need to also have more people that … the public can relate to,” Ramirez says.

Riverfront Events Cancelled Or Postponed

Posted on by
Reply

From Venture Richmond’s webpage:

Friday Cheers fans are devoted and unwavering, but in these times we must all be mindful that the COVID-19 virus has dramatically changed our daily social interactions and we must all follow the directives of Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s stay-at-home executive order through June 10.
​
The governor’s order prohibits all public and private in-person gatherings of more than 10 individuals.
​
With these guidelines, and for the safety of both our patrons and staff, we have made the following changes to the May Friday Cheers schedule:
Jade Bird with Sweet Potatoes that was previously scheduled for Friday, May 1, 2020 is cancelled.
Billy Strings with Andrew Alli and Josh Small is rescheduled for Wednesday, August 26, 2020.
RVA Music Night – Palm Palm is rescheduled for Friday, May 21, 2021.
Jay Som with Angelica Garcia – We are working to reschedule this show for Friday Cheers 2021 and will provide details when finalized.
Venture Richmond Events staff is working to reschedule Friday Cheers’ early June artist performances, and remain cautiously optimistic about performances later in June.

From the Riverrock Festival’s webpage:

In conjunction with Governor Northam’s recently-issued statewide Stay At Home Order, Sports Backers and Venture Richmond are very disappointed to announce that the 2020 Dominion Energy Riverrock festival planned for May 15-17 at Brown’s Island and Historic Tredegar is cancelled.

​