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Black Legacy Commemorated With Proposed Richmond Planet Newspaper License Plate

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A former Black community newspaper will be commemorated in a special license plate if Virginia House lawmakers give the bill its final stamp of approval.

Sen. Joseph D. Morrissey, D-Richmond, introduced Senate Bill 753, which will authorize the issuance of a special license plate celebrating The Richmond Planet newspaper. Lawmakers in the Senate passed the bill unanimously. The House Transportation committee unanimously approved the measure Thursday, and it will now be considered by the entire House. 

The Planet was founded in 1882 by 13 formerly enslaved men, most who were Virginia public school teachers, according to the Library of Congress. A Black flexed bicep with shock waves emanating from the arm served as the masthead design. The same symbol and the title of the newspaper will be incorporated into the license plate.

Edwin Archer Randolph, the first Black man to graduate from Yale Law School, served as The Planet’s first editor, according to the Library of Congress. Two years later, John Mitchell Jr. assumed power and led The Planet for the next 45 years. Mitchell was considered the “fighting editor” for his fight against injustice through his work.

The front page of The Richmond Planet when editor John Mitchell Jr. died. Photo from the Library of Virginia.

Reginald L. Carter launched the effort to have the special plate. He was in search of a license plate for his personal vehicle, but Carter said he was uninterested with the available options. He came across the idea of creating a new plate in celebration of Black excellence. Carter described the process as “tedious but not impossible.”

Carter said he also worked on other projects in his hometown of Tappahannock. He worked to remove a Confederate statue, which the town council later voted to contextualize, and memorialize a lynched man from Essex County with a highway marker.

Mitchell’s family supports the idea.

“His great, great nephew, who’s also named John Mitchell, is on the board for The Richmond Planet Foundation,” Carter said. “They’re in full support of the plate, so I couldn’t have asked for a better family or representative to develop a plate after.” 

The Planet covered local, national and worldwide news. It fought for all things Black — equal rights, education, voting and segregation, according to Black Virginia, a project by University of Richmond students which highlighted the newspaper’s importance. The paper also offered advice and positive news. 

The Planet was bought in 1938 by The Baltimore Afro-American, according to the Library of Virginia.

Journalist Hazel Trice Edney previously worked for the Richmond Afro-American and Richmond Free Press newspapers. Edney said she conducted an independent study at Harvard University to compare the “fighting editor” styles of Mitchell and Raymond Boone, who established the Richmond Free Press in 1992. Boone was known as a “crusader of justice” and had a strong voice in the Black community.

“To have him on a license plate established in the former capital of the Confederacy and around the commonwealth of Virginia says that we do understand the fight that John Mitchell undertook,” Edney said.

The distribution and approval of the use of the new license plate is based on the ability to acquire and submit at least 450 prepaid applications, according to the bill impact statement. Carter set up an email where application and preorder inquiries were sent.

Dream for a Purpose, a marketing agency, designed the plate. 

The JXN Project, an organization to preserve and explain the pivotal role of the Jackson Ward neighborhood as one of the nation’s first historically registered Black urban neighborhoods, supports Carter’s endeavor. 

“We felt a responsibility to help Reggie and his campaign become the first license plate of its kind,” Sesha Moon, executive director and director of research of The JXN Project, stated in an email. 

Carter worked tirelessly to collect signatures traveling throughout the state, according to Moon. He recruited Morrissey to introduce the legislation. 

Sen. Joe Morrissey

Mitchell’s great, great nephew, Carter and Morrissey spoke in support of the bill during the Senate hearing. Morrisey reported earlier in the month that Carter had 497 prepaid orders for the plate.

The estimated cost is expected to be just over $16,000 and will require 218 staff hours, according to the bill impact statement. Revenue from the cost of the plates — $10 for a standard plate and $20 for personalized — and future sales will cover the cost of implementation.

The plate can stay in production if 200 plates are issued within five years for the Department of Motor Vehicles to continue the issuance of plates, according to Virginia’s Legislative Information System.

“My end goal is contextualization,” Carter said. “You can’t tell American history without telling African American history, and you can’t tell Virginia’s history without telling The Richmond Planet’s history or John Mitchell’s history.”

Written by Faith Redd, Capital News Service. Top Image: Proposed license plate commemorating the Richmond Planet.

Real ID Deadline Extended Until 2021 Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

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This delay is good news in particular for LGBTQ people who might need to do some work to get their documentation in order, and are currently unable to leave the house in order to do so.

The deadline for Real IDs has been extended until October 2021. The move was prompted by widespread Department of Motor Vehicle customer service center closures during the coronavirus pandemic, the Department of Homeland Security said Thursday.

The deadline for the IDs was Oct. 1. After the deadline, the licenses will be required to access federal facilities, board domestic flights, and enter nuclear power plants.

The application process must be completed in person, but Virginia has closed DMV customer service centers until April 2 to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. DMV closures and restricted access nationwide will prevent people from receiving Real IDs. Gov. Ralph Northam added a 60-day extension to any license or registration expiring before May 15.

“The federal, state, and local response to the spread of the Coronavirus here in the United States necessitates a delay in this deadline,” acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf said in a news release. “Our state and local partners are working tirelessly with the Administration to flatten the curve and, therefore, we want to remove any impediments to response and recovery efforts.”

A regular driver’s license can still be used for driving, voting, and verifying identity. Real IDs are marked by a black or gold star symbol in the top-right corner of the license.

The Real ID application process requires multiple forms of identity, such as:

  • U.S. passport or birth certificate
  • Social security card or W-2 form displaying social security number
  • Two of the following: valid Virginia driver’s license, recent utility bills, mortgage statements or leasing agreements
  • Proof of name changes if applicable

Non-U.S. citizens must show proof of identification and legal presence, such as an unexpired passport and visa, permanent resident card or employment authorization document. Virginians who do not have a Real ID must have federally accepted identification, such as a passport, to board a domestic flight or enter a secured federal facility.

The DMV at 2300 W. Broad St. in Richmond has a sign regarding the statewide closures caused by the coronavirus outbreak. Photo by Hannah Eason

Farmville resident Ethan Bowman, who was left unemployed by the coronavirus outbreak when he was unable to start a new political marketing job, has not received a Real ID, but said an extension will help him.

“I don’t have a copy of my birth certificate,” Bowman said. “So I would have to get that somehow before the deadline.”

Right now, there are other things on Bowman’s mind. He said his two roommates are out of work due to the pandemic, and the two grocery stores in the town of 8,000 were low on food Wednesday.

“We sent my cousin out for food and he just sent a bunch of pictures back to our little group chat, and it was just empty shelves, everywhere,” Bowman said of the Walmart Supercenter in Farmville.

Casey Tharpe, a respiratory therapy major at Radford University Carilion, received a Real ID in January after an eight-hour day of computer issues at the DMV in South Boston.

“You just had to check this box for Real ID, but honestly I really have no use whatsoever for Real ID,” Tharpe said. “I’ve been on a plane once in my life.”

Wolf stated that extending the deadline would also allow the Department of Homeland Security to work with Congress and implement the “needed changes to expedite the issuance of Real IDs.”

Written by Hannah Eason, Capital News Service. Top Photo by Hannah Eason.

Birth Certificate Modernization Bills Pass Both Houses of General Assembly

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Good news for Virginia’s trans and non-binary community — bills allowing non-binary gender markers on state IDs and changing of name and gender markers on birth certificates are headed to the governor’s desk.

Being transgender or non-binary in our less-than-accepting society can lead to a lot of difficulties, but two bills currently awaiting Governor Northam’s signature will make at least one aspect of trans and non-binary Virginians’ lives a little easier: getting legal identification that matches your gender identity and outward presentation.

The struggle to update Virginia’s gender marker change procedure is a fight that Virginia’s LGBTQ advocates and their allies in the state legislature have been having for years, to no avail. However, in this first General Assembly session to feature a Democratically-controlled GA, the difference has been like night and day. For one thing, the Virginia Values Act, which prohibits discrimination in housing, employment, and public accomodation on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, is on its way to the governor for his signature. For another, two less discussed but just as important bills making it easier for transgender and non-binary Virginians to obtain correct ID documents are headed for Gov. Northam’s desk.

The first is SB 246, a bill introduced by state Senator Scott Surovell which will allow Virginians to identify themselves as non-binary on driver’s licenses and identification cards. The bill specifically requires DMV to offer a third option, “non-binary,” along with “male” and “female” on the form designating an applicant’s sex as listed on DMV-issued identification. Virginia would then join 15 other states and DC in offering legal recognition to non-binary gender identities.

The second is SB 657, introduced by Delegate Jennifer Boysko, which allows trans people a much easier path to change the name and gender markers listed on their birth certificate. Boysko has been attempting to pass a similar bill for years; the bill she introduced in 2018 with a similar goal was passed by indefinitely by a House subcommittee. This year’s model would allow for a transgender person requesting a birth certificate with updated name and gender marker to submit a form completed by a health care provider stating that the person making the request had “undergone clinically appropriate treatment for gender transition.”

This would replace the current legal requirement for “a certified copy of a court order indicating that the sex of the person has been changed by medical procedure,” both allowing applicants to avoid the lengthy process of obtaining a court order, and, most importantly, eliminating the need for a “medical procedure,” generally understood to mean gender-reassignment surgery, in order to update their birth certificate.

Real ID driver’s license vs. non-Real ID driver’s license (Images via DMV)

This isn’t a minor change; while surgical procedures associated with gender transition are often part of the public discourse about transgender people, the fact is that for most, such surgeries are economically out of reach. Many health care plans do not offer coverage for them, and such surgeries are not available anywhere in Virginia, thereby requiring interstate travel and the ability to obtain longterm convalescence away from home.

And, as advocates have pointed out, many trans people do not feel the necessity to have surgical procedures done in order to live as their true gender.

“Not all trans people look to have medical surgery to identify as trans,” said Nationz Foundation founder Zakia McKensey in a 2018 interview with GayRVA. “Being trans can be legal, it can be medical, and it can be social — Legally changing your name, or socially having people identify you as your new name, or changing the way you dress… it shouldn’t be a requirement to have a surgical procedure to identify you as transgender.”

By easing the path toward a change of gender markers on birth certificates, SB 657 will by extension make some issues that have cropped up for transgender Virginians with the arrival of Real ID easier to navigate. It will enable trans Virginians who’ve had their gender markers updated through DMV (which does not require a certificate of medical procedure) to ensure that all of their legal documents match, and that no unwanted red tape will prevent them from being able to fly.

In the end, what these bills mainly demonstrate is that elections have consequences, and sometimes they are very good ones. Within two months of the new Democratic General Assembly being sworn in, many positive changes that LGBTQ Virginians have struggled to obtain for years have already come to pass. It’s hard not to be excited about that.

Top Photo: A rainbow flag was raised on Sept. 23, 2019, along with a trans flag and the Philly Pride Flag, for Richmond Pride. (Photo from City of Richmond Flickr account)

More Pedestrians Are Dying on Virginia’s Roads

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2018 saw the highest number of pedestrian deaths on Virginia roads in ten years. Two major Richmond-area roads were among the deadliest in the state.

On a Friday night in October, Katelyn Tilts was walking to a convenience store with a group of friends when she saw headlights coming at her.

“A car came around the corner really quickly and was swerving. The driver was swerving but started going directly at me and hit me head-on,” Tilts later told WTVR. “I remember thinking that it hurt so bad that I didn’t know how I would be able to make it until the ambulance got there.”

The hit-and-run incident left Tilts, a freshman at Virginia Commonwealth University, hospitalized and on crutches. She survived, but many pedestrians hit by vehicles do not.

According to data from the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Department of Motor Vehicles, 123 pedestrians died on the state’s roads in 2018 — the highest death toll in 10 years. 2019 also has been deadly: As of mid-December, 112 pedestrians have been killed in traffic accidents in the commonwealth.

Not only are more pedestrians being killed, but they also are making up a greater proportion of all traffic fatalities:

  • In 2015, 10 percent of the people killed in roadway accidents in Virginia were pedestrians.
  • That figure jumped to 16 percent the following year. Last year, it was 15 percent, according to VDOT and DMV data.

“The vast, overwhelming majority of people who die on our streets are killed by drivers of cars,” noted Ross Catrow, executive director of RVA Rapid Transit, an advocacy group for regional public transportation.

“And the further sad truth is that these deaths and serious injuries often go unnoticed, underreported, and, even worse, usually nothing is done to build better streets and make them safer for people,” Catrow wrote on Streets Cred, his website about urban issues affecting mid-sized American cities.

Catrow has pointed out that some people say pedestrians are at fault for the rising number of traffic accidents. He rejects that notion.

“I’m so ultra-tired of engineers, elected officials and everyone else blaming ‘distracted pedestrians’ for the increase in injuries on our roads,” he said on his “Good Morning, RVA” podcast.

Catrow advocates traffic-calming measures such as painted curb bulbs and posts that can narrow intersections, increase visibility, and slow down drivers to prevent pedestrian accidents.

Some people blame elderly drivers for causing accidents. But 25 percent of the motorists involved in traffic accidents that have killed pedestrians since 2013 were in their 20s — and half of them were under 40. About 22 percent of the drivers involved in pedestrian fatalities were 60 and older.

Ralph Aronberg, a traffic engineer consultant in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, said some people in their early 20s have poor driving habits.

“Drivers in that age group are more likely to use social media such as Instagram on their cellphone, are more likely to have groups in vehicles leading to distractions, and are less likely to realize the consequences of taking their eyes off the road,” he said.

Aronberg, whose firm focuses on accident reconstructions, said people in their early 20s are also more likely to drive at night, drink and drive, or be under the influence of THC or other mind-altering substances while operating a car.

Pedestrians killed in traffic accidents in Virginia since 2013 have ranged in age from infants to 96. About a third of the victims were under 30; slightly over a third in their 40s and 50s; and the rest 60 or older.

Since 2013, Fairfax has had the most pedestrian deaths — more than 80, according to VDOT data. Then come Henrico County (43), Norfolk (40), Richmond (31) and Newport News (27).

The roads with the most pedestrian fatalities during that time period were:

  • Jefferson Avenue, Newport News — seven
  • Route 11, Washington County — three
  • South Street, Front Royal — three
  • Southbound Route 288, Goochland County — three
  • Chamberlayne Avenue, Richmond — three

Weather was not a factor in most pedestrian deaths.

“Most vehicle-pedestrian accidents happen in good weather,” said Daniel Vomhof, a traffic safety expert in California and a member of the Accreditation Commission for Traffic Accident Reconstructionists.

More than 85 percent of the pedestrian fatalities in Virginia happened in clear or cloudy weather conditions, the VDOT data showed. About 13 percent occurred in rain, mist, or fog, and 1 percent in snowy weather.

To stay safe, Vomhof recommends that pedestrians wear white or reflective shoes at night and light-colored clothing that doesn’t blend in with the surroundings.

“Visibility increases when the object is in eye contrast to the background,” Vomhof said.

About the data in this report

The data for this project was downloaded from the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Virginia Crashes | Virginia Roads website. It covers every vehicle crash in the state from 2013 to July of this year.

The data set contains more than 828,000 records. We filtered it for pedestrian accidents (about 11,000) and then for fatal pedestrian accidents (660).

We analyzed the data using Microsoft Excel, aggregating the data by locality, weather conditions and other columns in the spreadsheet.

We also used the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicle’s online “Traffic Crash Data” tool to confirm and refine our analysis. We also ensured that the numbers were consistent with those published in the DMV’s report, 2018 Virginia Traffic Crash Facts.

Written by Kelly Booth and Judi Dalati, Capital News Service. Top Photo by Andre Benz on Unsplash

VA Animal Shelter Makes Last Push for ‘Team Tommie’ License Plate

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A few more pre-orders and a General Assembly sponsor are all Richmond Animal Care and Control needs to establish a license plate design commemorating Tommie the pit bull.

A Virginia animal shelter wants to release a license plate in memory of Tommie the pit bull, who died after he was tied to a fence post and lit on fire, and the organization said it needs a final push to make it happen.

Richmond Animal Care and Control announced on its Facebook page late last month a license plate honoring the dog that captured hearts around the world. If approved, the plate would include a picture of an animated pit bull with the hashtag #TeamTommie and the organization’s logo.

Robin Young, RACC outreach coordinator, said the procedure to introduce a license plate into the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles is standard. First, at least 450 license plates must be preordered. If that goal is reached, a bill can be submitted to the General Assembly in 2020. 

The proposed license plate design. (Image via Richmond Animal Care and Control)

Young said that as of Thursday over 270 applications were received, with more coming in every day. 

“We’ve definitely had a lot of support,” she said. “Now we just wait and see and promote it at this point to see if we can get the numbers.” 

Young said $10 per plate would go directly to the Tommie Fund, along with portions of the annual renewal fee. The Tommie Fund was implemented recently to help other shelters across the state cover emergency medical costs for animals in their care. 

It’s been almost a year since Tommie died. Jyahshua A. Hill was convicted of felony animal cruelty for chaining Tommie to a fence post in February, dousing him in a flammable liquid and then setting him on fire, after saying the dog attacked his child. 

Tommie was rescued by the firefighters stationed across the street, who ran over with a fire extinguisher, RACC said. The pit bull suffered burns on 40 percent of his body. RACC helped get Tommie to the Virginia Veterinary Center, and the VCU Medical Center Evans-Haynes Burn Trauma ICU assisted in his care as well. He died five days later, but not before his story spread globally and generated thousands of dollars in donations.

Tommie the pit bull was rescued after he was set on fire while tied to a pole. (Photo via Richmond Animal Care and Control)

Enough money came in that the shelter could offer a $25,000 reward to help find and convict his attacker. After his death, both chambers of the General Assembly unanimously passed a bill — already introduced before Tommie’s attack — to increase the penalty for animal abuse from a misdemeanor to a Class 6 felony, which can draw up to five years in prison. Senate Bill 1604, introduced by Sen. Bill DeSteph, R-Virginia Beach, became known as “Tommie’s Law.” 

Tommie’s story lives on through fundraisers, commemorations — a patio and a beer named in his honor — and t-shirts. All of which combined has raised well over $100,000 to continue funding RACC’s community work. 

Katie Wittman, manager at Three Notch’d Brewing’s Broad Street location, said that Tommie’s Beer was a huge success and people from all over the East Coast called to ask about it. Portions of the beer sales were donated to Tommie’s Fund. 

RACC has until Dec. 31 to collect and submit the 450 preordered license plate applications needed before legislation can be introduced in the General Assembly for the official plates in 2020. The cost is $25 for a regular plate and $35 for a personalized plate.

Tommie the pit bull’s memorial at Abner Clay Park in Richmond. (Photo via VCU CNS)

As of now, no legislators have agreed to sponsor the legislation, but Young is confident there won’t be any issues getting someone to sign on and getting the plates released. 

Young said Tommie’s case has been “kind of above and beyond the norm for us.” 

“We expected people to be touched and outraged by it, but the amount of support and outrage received was even surprising for us — the level we got.”

Written by McKenzie Lambert, Capital News Service. Top Photo: Tommie the pit bull’s memorial at Abner Clay Park in Richmond, via VCU CNS

Real ID Is Coming Soon. For The Trans Community, It’s A Complicated Situation

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Getting a Real ID-compliant driver’s license isn’t a huge hassle for most people, but if you’ve had your legal name and/or gender markers changed, things get difficult quickly.

Beginning next year, boarding a plane is just one of the things that will be more difficult to do without a Real ID-compliant driver’s license or ID. On Oct. 1, 2020, federal agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration, will no longer accept non-Real ID driver’s licenses or identification cards as valid forms of identification. Travelers without a Real ID will need to present a passport to access TSA security checkpoints, regardless of whether they will be flying internationally or not. 

While the deadline to acquire a Real ID-compliant driver’s license or identification card quickly approaches, the law which mandates Real ID has been in place for over a decade. The 9/11 Commission recommended that Congress establish minimum safety standards for state-issued IDs, and in 2005 Congress passed the Real ID Act.

Real ID-compliant driver’s licenses won’t look too different from driver’s licenses of the past (the only visible difference is the presence of a star in the corner), but according to the Department of Homeland Security, the security standards for Real ID include “information and security features that must be incorporated into each card; application information to establish the identity and immigration status of an applicant before a card can be issued; and physical security standards for facilities where driver’s licenses and applicable identification cards are produced.”

To obtain a Real ID-compliant driver’s license or identification card, applicants must provide the following to the DMV:

  • One proof of legal identity and legal presence
  • Two proofs of Virginia residency
  • One proof of social security number
  • A current driver’s license if moving from another state and seeking to obtain a Virginia driver’s license for the first time.

Over 700,000 Virginians have already acquired a Real ID. But for many in Virginia and throughout the country, acquiring a Real ID is not as simple as merely providing the documents listed above.

“As I understand it, the DMV will turn you away if all your legal documents don’t match,” said Imogen Alsheskie, a transgender woman who is seeking to change her name legally.

People who have changed their name in the past will not be able to acquire a Real ID without additional documentation that shows proof of the name change. This can be presented to the DMV in the form of a marriage certificate, divorce decree, or a court order.

But acquiring a Real ID can be particularly tricky for people like Alsheskie, who does not have proof of a name change. Without the document showing proof of a name change, Alsheskie may not be able to obtain a Real ID due to the fact that other required documents may list different names.

“I’m going to try to get one by Oct. 2020,” Alsheskie said, noting that she would like to be able to visit family in Los Angeles with ease. “It’s difficult because I have to first legally change my name, which costs an extra $40 or so that I don’t have.”

Real ID driver’s license vs. non-Real ID driver’s license (Images via DMV)

For transgender and non-binary people, the obligation to acquire a Real ID by Oct. 2020 to access federal facilities poses a real problem on account of how difficult it can be to change your name. And for people that have documents with different genders listed, things can be even more complicated. Whereas the Virginia DMV includes a section on how to prove a name change in its guide on obtaining a Real ID, the guide entirely neglects to mention how individuals whose gender markers are listed differently on different documents can go about obtaining a Real ID.

What’s more, differing standards in different governmental departments can result in those differing gender markers being impossible to reconcile. GayRVA Editor-in-Chief Marilyn Drew Necci is listed as female but as male on her birth certificate. Since the state of Virginia requires certification of gender-confirming surgery, which she hasn’t had, in order to change the gender marker on her birth certificate, she’s stuck with documents that list two different gender markers.

“The surgery is very expensive, more than I can afford,” said Necci. “And now I have to worry that I’ll lose the female gender marker on my license if I try to get a Real ID using my birth certificate. The federal passport office has the same standard [requiring surgery in order to change gender markers], so even with a passport, I have the same problem.”

Alsheskie noted how frustrating the process is, saying that it has made part of her life more difficult.

“The process of changing my name feels as if I’m a character in a Kafka novel,” Alsheskie said. “The absurdity of bureaucracy stresses me out.”

Top Photo via VCU-CNS