Category: Commentary/Opinion

In a recent opinion essay, a former Charlottesville police officer, who reached the rank of captain, asserted that there is and has been no racism in the Charlottesville Police Department for decades. He’s wrong, and this false narrative will only fan the flames of aggressive, warrior type police officers.  Black people in Charlottesville know from […]

Like no time before, the past 18 months have shown us all just how important our homes are.  Speaking from personal experience, I’ve spent more time at home during the course of the pandemic than in the past 20 years combined, or so it seems.  The stability and security that my home has provided my […]

While we are just beginning to learn all the ways the pandemic has affected the mental health of children, there is a growing consensus among child development and health experts that the best way to promote recovery is simple: Play. Children rely on play to make sense of their world and to develop coping strategies. For children, […]

As the critical dialogue around future land use in Charlottesville heightens, Cultivate Charlottesville Food Justice Network  partners reflect on the urban agriculture land lost to necessary redevelopment at Friendship Court, South First Street and, after this season, Sixth Street. In recent years, there were up to 25,000 square feet of green growing space accessible to […]

I am a lifelong resident of Charlottesville who grew up in the Vinegar Hill neighborhood before it was destroyed. I have been disappointed in recent weeks by reactions from Charlottesville residents to the proposed land use map. These reactions include Ruth Barolsky’s June 1, 2021, letter to the editor of The Daily Progress, which likened […]

I was born to a family of educators, domestic workers and laborers. My parents were raised during the Depression under the tyranny of Jim Crow, where they faced racism in education, economic opportunity and their ability to vote. But despite the hardships they faced, they witnessed the powerful force of the New Deal and watched […]

I grew up in Petersburg, Virginia, one of the poorest communities in our commonwealth. Petersburg is a strong community thanks to the people I grew up with: our faith leaders; my teacher, Sgt. Maj. Frost; and my grandmother, Mary Lee. People in our community fought to keep Petersburg alive when politicians of the past turned […]

I have a clear memory of the first Earth Day. It was April 22, 1970. I was in seventh grade, and rather than riding the bus to Hubbard Trail Junior High in Crete, Illinois, I walked to school, along with my bus mates, over 4 miles. It was an adventure, so unusual to be walking along the […]

What if you could grow your money by investing in companies whose missions align with your own? Whether that means improving the environment, housing, education or health care, “impact investing” is appealing because it combines the traditional ideas of investing and philanthropy, allowing investors to make social impact as well as financial return. The Global […]