For nearly a year, Isabella Gibbons has peered over Charlottesville. Inscribed into the rough-hewn granite of the University of Virginia’s Memorial to Enslaved Laborers, her eyes not only draw attention to the cruel realities of slavery—but ask what we are going to do to rectify them. As UVA continues to atone for its racist history, […]
In the best of times, it’s difficult to balance the big-ticket projects in Charlottesville’s Capital Improvement Plan, the city’s five-year budget schedule for large infrastructure projects. That’s only become more challenging during the pandemic, when municipal coffers have taken a hit. Last week the Planning Commission debated the merits of a variety of upcoming projects, […]
For decades, activists around the state and country have been fighting to abolish the death penalty in Virginia. In 2019, the issue rose to the forefront when Democrats won control of the Virginia General Assembly. On Friday, the House of Delegates voted 57-41 to end the death penalty, with three Republicans joining all the Dems […]
City Hall’s recent struggles have been well-documented. A series of high-profile positions have gone unfilled for extended stretches, and councilors have publicly clashed. Those challenges have prevented the city from carrying out one of its main duties: fully supporting its boards and commissions. Charlottesville’s Human Rights Commission and Office of Human Rights, a volunteer board […]
Since the spring, Charlottesville City Schools has given out hundreds of free to-go breakfasts and lunches daily. But for many students, particularly those with special dietary needs, these meals have not been enough to alleviate food insecurity—now at an all-time high. “Families are struggling to put enough nutritious fresh foods on the table…and the meals […]
LaQuinn Gilmore felt sick to his stomach. He had not eaten enough before taking the antibiotics his doctor had prescribed him for a hand infection, and knew he needed to throw up. While driving down Monticello Avenue on the night of January 11, Gilmore pulled over, got out of his car, and leaned over next […]
At UVA’s Memorial to Enslaved Laborers, some people are remembered by name: Billy, Jane, Lewis. Others are remembered by occupation or relationship: Woodcutter, grandmother. And others still are represented by nothing more than gashes in the hard rock, denoting a life’s worth of details lost to history. Standing in front of the wall, Myra Anderson’s […]
Despite ample warnings from health experts, millions of people traveled across the country to visit family and friends for the holidays. Now, COVID cases have reached an all-time high—and health care workers are paying the price. “The ICU has been completely full or close to full for most of the surge period, which really kicked […]
“We are treated like animals, and are told that we have no rights, and we sure feel like we don’t,” reads the final paragraph of the letter. “I have great concern for the safety of myself and others here at [the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail].” The handwriting, in pencil, is large, legible, soft; the paper’s rounded […]
Two weeks ago, the far-right riot at the U.S. Capitol—fueled by President Donald Trump’s false claims that he won the election—shocked people across the world. But for many, it was a familiar scene. As the country looks ahead to a new administration and beyond, Charlottesville’s leaders and activists have hard-won advice for President Joe Biden. […]