April 21 Newsletter: More on ousted VCU adviser
Weather: A high of 80 kicks off a humidity-filled week.
On this date in 1904, Black Richmonders boycott the city’s streetcars after segregated seating is introduced. Seating had been integrated following an 1867 protest, but a new General Assembly law allowed companies to choose to resegregate the seating. The boycott lasts six months and bankrupts the streetcar company, but seating was still not integrated.
Former Gov. Doug Wilder accused ex-Wilder School adviser Bill Leighty of ‘prejudicial’ conduct before he was fired, emails show
Emails obtained by The Richmonder provide more detail on the firing of Virginia government expert Bill Leighty from VCU's Wilder School.
The school's namesake, former Gov. Doug Wilder, sent the school’s dean an email on March 20 accusing Leighty of “prejudicial” behavior after Leighty refused to ask specific questions of Mayor Danny Avula at an event.
Wilder has previously blasted VCU Health’s failed building project as a wasteful boondoggle. Avula addressed the city's relationship with VCU during the event, but not the building project directly.
Read more on the event, and Leighty's dismissal, here.
John Marshall basketball coach leaving for Petersburg High
John Marshall boys basketball coach Ty White, who turned the small Richmond high school into a national powerhouse, will announce Monday afternoon he is leaving to become the head coach at his alma mater, Petersburg High School.
- Five days after the season ended, Petersburg's City Council went into closed session to discuss "the award of a public contract involving the expenditure of public funds" to White's travel team organization, Team Loaded.
Read more here, including details on White's introductory events today.
Richmond’s trans community embraces an underground literary form: the zine
A new publication is a collaboration between trans and nonbinary Virginians who shared stories of experiencing joy with artists who brought their stories to life.
- Zines have a long history among marginalized communities, who are often overlooked by large media outlets.
- "I just want to honor that tradition of creating something that is affordable, accessible, and can be shared with everyone without any barrier for them to have it," said the project's creator.
Read more on the project here.
No charges will be filed in Munford principal’s bike accident
Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney Colette McEachin said a review of the details surrounding Mary Munford Principal Greg Muzik's bicycle accident did not yield enough evidence to prosecute.
Read more on the accident, and the conclusions of the investigation, here.
In other news
- Richmond Restaurant Week starts today (official site)
- For the first time ever, the VCUarts MFA Thesis Exhibition comes to the ICA (Style Weekly)
- Highlights from 2025 Easter on Parade (CBS 6)
The editor's desk
The Virginia state flag nudity debate has returned. I learned from this article that the bared breast didn't make its first appearance until 1901.
Michael Phillips, founding editor
mphillips@richmonder.org
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