By Kevin Johnson It’s exactly 468 steps from the corner of 2nd Ave. and Burns St. to the traffic circle at Six Points, the commercial and spiritual center of Highland Park. As I walked this route one afternoon, I felt the heat of the sun scorching the already sun-bleached sidewalk. I counted my steps to Read more about Changemakers[…]
By Thess Pfferr Every child has a favorite toy. Mine was a black plastic horse named Fury. He was the strongest and bravest horse I have seen in my life. Together we lived through adventures in hostile unexplored territories—under the kitchen table, or my mother’s office. Kids need toys, and not every kid has them. Read more about Ostriches and Books[…]
By Thess Pfferr Jesus is coming, and the crowd is growing excited. It’s just before sunset on Easter, at the end of a beautiful day. The streets outside Sacred Heart Church are crowded with dozens of people, milling about in expectation. The church is putting on a live Easter pageant, and hundreds of people are Read more about Jesus Walks on Perry Street[…]
By Rebecca Fisher “People first, then restaurants, then retail.” Kristy Cotter was talking about the revitalization of Church Hill, which has gone from a rundown area synonymous with urban decay to one of Richmond’s trendiest neighborhoods. First came the urban pioneers, mostly white and well-educated, who bought stately old Victorian homes in disrepair, fixed them Read more about Dear Neighbor: The Trendy Trinkets of Church Hill[…]
By Rebecca Fisher “Give me Liberty or Give me Death!” Those iconic words, proclaimed by Virginia colonist Patrick Henry, ring true today in Church Hill just as they did in 1775, when Henry himself addressed a crowd that consisted of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and other important figures of the American Revolution , with that Read more about Where Liberty Found Its Voice[…]
By Maggie Latimer On the corner of East Brookland Park Boulevard and 2nd Avenue, nestled between Six Points Express Mart and a dry cleaner’s shop, stands a large, sandy brick building. Look closely and you may see the faint imprint of lettering left on the front door, detailing the bank’s hours of operation. Those hours Read more about Don’t Bank On It[…]
On a rainy Monday afternoon, our team walks through Chestnut Hill, a cluster of streets at Highland Park’s southernmost tip. Among the schools, cemeteries and old Victorian houses, there are a thousand stories waiting to be told. —Maggie Latimer Permanent link For more updates on our walking team, follow @urhighlandpark on Instagram and track #UREdenWalkers.
By Thess Pfferr and Brooke Warner You might not notice them at first: The dozens of people who pick their way along paths worn in the grass and rocky ground along Jefferson Davis Highway as traffic zooms past. If you look closely, you’ll see that many are carrying bags of groceries, schoolbooks, or tools of a trade. These Read more about Foot Traffic[…]
By Brooke Warner Dominick “DJ” Dandridge (left) sat on the steps outside reading a children’s book the first time we visited the Sacred Heart Center. When we had trouble opening the door, he jumped up to help. Thanks, we said, as he followed us inside. “I work here,” he said, in a gentle raspy voice. “Sort of.” It is Read more about The Gatekeeper[…]
By Brooke Warner CONOZCA SUS DERECHOS, reads the title of the flyer. Know your rights. Know what to do if the police stop your vehicle, if they ask about your immigration status, if they put you into the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), if they separate you from your children. In 2017, this legal knowledge Read more about Conozca sus Derechos[…]