For seven days, Henry Turnage circled the monument on the lawn of the Franklin County Courthouse. Walking in circles was a symbolic journey. “That’s a huge representation of what it’s like to be a black...
This summer has been an awakening for me. The deaths of George Floyd and Breanna Taylor and countless others have mobilized an army of activists fighting against systemic racism and police murders in our country....
Dear Family, It’s never just one event that sparks a movement. There are many. Suddenly, though, there is that one that is so powerful that we have no choice but to address. We can name those events,...
Many of us are spending more time at home these days - working, providing childcare, foregoing gatherings of family and friends- to help protect co-workers, parents and children – everyone in our community...
The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color requires the urgent integration of equity into emergency management. Disasters amplify existing inequities on a larger and more visible...
The impact of Covid-19 and the subsequent quarantine, is being felt by everyone in some capacity. Some people are able to work from home and may suffer the occasional bout of boredom. Others, however,...
By now you’ve likely heard the radio ads, seen the TV commercials or passed the strategically placed billboard reminding residents to complete the 2020 Census. If you live in an apartment, own a house,...
With so much confusion around COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, several questions remained unanswered for Roanoke Valley residents. How can people protect themselves from the virus? How am I going...
This is the fourth installment in a multi-part series regarding proposed land use development for the Evans Spring area – the largest remaining open space in the City of Roanoke. The land is located...
In the opening Note of his book, The Souls of Black Folks, W. E. B. Du Bois wrote, “The problem of the Twentieth Century is the color-line.” There are no truer words. For millennials or people born...
