It’s now been about a month since I had this conversation with Tim Cywinski. It has remained relevant despite the century of news that has transpired since then. Donald Trump just announced he was going to wipe the 5000+ years-old Iranian civilization off the map....
Last week, President Trump signed a sweeping executive order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” calling for the review—and potential restoration—of monuments removed from public land since 2020. While the order doesn’t name specific cities, its intent is clear: to challenge the widespread removal of Confederate symbols, many...
Last weekend in Church Hill, Richmond did something that only Richmond can do — it let history walk and talk right in front of us. Inside St. John’s Church, the scene was familiar. A reenactor delivered Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty or give me death” speech to an attentive audience, a ritual that’s been part of the city’s cultural calendar for...
A protest has been organized for Sunday, March 23rd, at Patrick Henry Park in Richmond, coinciding with the annual reenactment of Patrick Henry’s famous “Liberty or Death” speech at St. John’s Church. The demonstration, themed “250 Years of No Kings in America,” draws on the Revolutionary War-era spirit to oppose President Donald Trump. The...
Sixty-five years ago, a group of brave young Black Richmonders walked into a department store, sat down at a lunch counter, and refused to leave. That’s what they did. That’s what got them arrested. They just sat in a segregated space where their presence alone was considered a crime. https://vimeo.com/9827740?share=copy That moment—the...
In December, we wrote an article for the Richmonder with five issues we would be talking about in 2025, and one of those issues was that community outreach would be critical with a new Mayor in office. We were hopeful that Mayor Avula would establish “real and regular outreach to the community and its neighborhoods. It could come in the...
Several hundred demonstrators gathered at Capitol Square Park on Saturday for the International Women’s Day - Unite & Resist march, voicing opposition to policies that threaten civil rights and marginalized communities. The rally, which began at noon, drew advocates from across the region calling for gender equity, reproductive rights, free...
In a rare public statement of solidarity from a city government, the City of Richmond has aligned itself with a coalition of LGBTQ+ organizations, vowing to push back against policies that threaten the rights, health, and safety of queer and transgender individuals. The statement, shared on the city’s official Instagram account,...
A social media post circulating online, allegedly from Donald Trump, declares that all federal funding will be cut for any college or university that “allows illegal protests.” The statement also warns that “agitators” will be imprisoned or deported, while American students could be permanently expelled or arrested. The message ends with a blunt...
By now, everyone has seen the clips of the infamous press conference between President Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “Awkward,” might be an understatement. But alas, here we are, only 43 days into the next four years. The news these days feels like an exercise in capitulatory self-harm—or as...
