In closing the Determined series, we wanted readers to hear from Mayor Nikuyah Walker. Born and raised in Charlottesville, and having devoted much of her life to serving others, Walker is in a unique position that affords her daily conversations with the region’s most determined residents, and those who are often not prioritized by our […]

Author Archives: Jordy Yager
Jordy Yager is a freelance journalist raised in Charlottesville, who earned his M.A. in journalism from Boston University. For six years, he covered Congress and the federal government in Washington, D.C. Since 2013, Jordy has focused on issues of equity and racial disparities in his hometown.
Determined to Be Free
About the Artist: Sahara Clemons Stacey Washington feels blessed these days. She’s 41 years old, has six healthy children — five adults and an 11-year old — and three grandkids. She works for the city of Charlottesville’s Office of Economic Development and makes a decent amount of money. She’s got some savings and a place […]
Determined to Thrive
About the Artist: Sahara Clemons Last September, Rachel Gregory went to the doctor. She was working at a local assisted-living facility and for months her left hip had been hurting. Since she was 17 years old, Gregory, like her mother before her, has worked in nursing and geriatric care. “I love the joy of seeing […]
Determined to Stay
About the Artist: Sahara Clemons Matthew Murphy needed to clear his head. The week before the response to the COVID-19 pandemic hit Charlottesville, the 43-year old took a job as a housing navigator at The Haven day shelter. All day every day, he has worked the phones, trying to find housing for people without any. […]
Soundboard: The Historical Roots of COVID-19’s Impact in Charlottesville
Related Articles: Determined: Stories of resilience in a broken ecosystem Determined to work Determined to Be Nourished The Historical Roots of COVID-19’s Impact in Charlottesville Credit: WTJU This week, we’re talking with Sarad Davenport and Jordy Yager about the joint Charlottesville Tomorrow-Vinegar Hill Magazine series, Determined. Determined explores how Charlottesville’s history of racial injustice has […]
Determined to Be Nourished
About the Artist: Sahara Clemons Every Friday since Charlottesville started responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rosa Key has been on Hardy Drive. “Come get a bag of groceries!” she hollers. Key knows most of the Black residents or their parents. “Oh, you’re Mary’s boy,” she says when a young man tells her his last name. […]
Determined to work
About the Artist: Sahara Clemons On March 23, Gov. Ralph Northam stepped up to a press conference podium in Richmond. Flanked by two large signs reading, “Do your part, stay at home,” Northam declared thousands of businesses closed. “We are taking additional actions to keep Virginians safe,” he said. At the time, there were 254 […]
Determined: Stories of resilience in a broken ecosystem
About the artist Learn more about the artist – Sahara Clemons The word “health” conjures everyday personal decisions — what we eat, how much we exercise or sleep or how often we go to the doctor — things that appear to be under our control. But instead of looking at what we choose to eat, […]
The Reimagining of Friendship Court
The redevelopment of Friendship Court is slated to be the largest new construction of low-income housing undertaken in Charlottesville in more than two decades. The plan alone is groundbreaking, having been created by current Section 8 residents in partnership with Piedmont Housing Alliance.