In Richmond, you walk into Kroger or Food Lion for the usual and walk out $80 lighter with barely a bag and a half. No steaks. No extras. Just the basics you’ve been buying since you first learned how to cook on a crooked burner in a Fan apartment. And now you’re...
Should circuit court judge Brett Kavanaugh be appointed to the Supreme Court, the lives of women throughout the U.S. will change, starting with the court being overshadowed by a man who clearly has a proclivity for lying about sexual assault, straight through to the great Republican fantasy of repealing Roe v Wade. And at the center of this...
About nine months ago, I was applying for a scholarship to Capitol Debate’s American University residential program. I didn’t know what to expect, but was interested in the central goal–to encourage public speaking and debate. In a fortunate coincidence, though, I spent time this summer researching a topic that would be central to...
Update: Legalize Virginia has been rescheduled to next week, starting Sept. 18. Last week the Board of Pharmacy Ad Hoc Committee met to determine which companies will be the first to be able to open medical cannabis dispensaries in Virginia. Yes, they met behind closed doors. And no, the current law is not enough. But that doesn’t change the...
Anthropology is the study of humans, and what it means to be human. Given its interweaving lenses, you cannot study humanity without inevitably diving into the interplay of biology and culture. Because being human is both: We are biological organisms and products of evolution, just like any other species on the planet, yet we are the only...
Dockless scooters: Oh, the outrage. Oh, the pearl-clutching. Oh, the incredulity. This story would be equal parts comedy and tragedy if not for the actual tragedy of two mid-major cities feigning outrage that these scooters are an affront to the decent folks of the Commonwealth. Fact check, they’re not. Welcome to the gig economy....
Bike shares have never been more popular in America. But even as national programs see record numbers of riders, Richmond’s RVA Bike Share seems completely stalled, and a major expansion is on an indefinite hold. Bike sharing first rolled onto Richmond’s streets to dazzle visitors during the 2015 UCI Road World Championships as part of a...
As a journalist, the Remote Area Medical clinic in Wise, VA, was an event teeming with stories and lives waiting to be uncovered. But as a sociologist, it was a textbook case of yet another rural community suffering from systemic disenfranchisement. Global and national forces have trapped the communities within Southwest Virginia in the cycle...
Progressive yard signs are visible throughout my neighborhood of Church Hill, declaring “Black Lives Matter” and “Hate Has No Home Here.” Those signs help to foster a sense of community; there’s comfort that comes from feeling that our neighbors are interpreting this moment in our country in similar ways. However, there...
This op-ed comes from Chelsea Higgs Wise of Women and Politics and Francesca Leigh-Davis of RVA Dirt and Municipal Mania. We all have our morning routines, but in many corners of RVA, there are black women that wake up ready to talk community. It’s a built-in strategy for getting our superwoman gear secured physically and mentally, in order to...
