by Alexis Jackson I am a Black queer woman, a wife, a mother, a licensed therapist, and a doula in Virginia. And before anything else, let me be clear: my family is not outside of the norm. Love, intention, and care are not radical ideas. They are the foundation of...
[Editor’s note: This essay by contributing writer Rachel Scott Everett was originally published on her Medium site back on Election Day in November; it was written with no idea what was to come in the days that followed. However, in light of the earthshaking events we’ve seen since then, the points made within remain very important...
With Thanksgiving coming soon, The Highland Support Project want to remind us that we can celebrate the holiday mindfully, by striving for a collective harmony that celebrates Indigenous cultures alongside American culture. Giving thanks is a sacred cornerstone of Indigenous culture. When we host engagement trips to rural Indigenous...
In the face of allegations of impropriety from both the mayor’s office and her 2020 election opponent, David Dominique writes that Councilmember Reva Trammell may be taking desperate measures to save her political career. Last week, Richmond City Councilmember Reva Trammell’s campaign allegedly weaponized information extracted from one of my...
Richmond Third District School Board candidate Kenya Gibson has come under fire in the run-up to her election campaign. To Richmond community organizers Monique Drake and Brionna Nomi, the critiques are misleading and disingenuous. At a time when people in Richmond and across the country are awakening to issues of systemic racism and racial...
An anonymous protester tells the story of how they got arrested at Marcus-David Peters Circle, and reveals the essentially random and arbitrary nature of police enforcement throughout Richmond’s summer of protest. It never hurts to show up with a case of beer, so I stopped at Lombardy Kroger on my way to the Circle and picked up some...
For Caroline Woods, a protest-related arrest turned into a weekend of misery inside Richmond’s jail system — and created some long-term health issues. This is her story. What they put us through was psychological — and physical — trauma for the sole purpose of extinguishing our spirit. This is how it started. I...
For Madison Sweitzer and Ben Blevins of the Highland Support Project, buildup of militarized border protections, overpolicing of poor and minority populations, and massive wealth inequality all have a common root: the US’s colonialist settler-state mentality. The United States is a settler state. Settlers enter into the territory and...
Transplanted Richmonder Vince Kane misses the days when people had never heard of his hometown, Kenosha. But he also knows that the same problems plaguing his hometown exist all over America — including right here in Richmond. I’m a Richmonder who grew up in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It’s funny — you never think that your small town will...
“Backwards or Forward? COVID-19 challenges us to incorporate a public health lens when approaching justice for youth and public safety,” writes Gary Broderick, Legislative Coordinator of RISE For Youth. This past month, the Sentencing Project released a new report tracking the spread of COVID-19 through juvenile detention centers...
