Refugees welcome Over the weekend, activists gathered in downtown Charlottesville to draw attention to the crisis in Afghanistan, where extremist Taliban forces recently seized control of the government following U.S. withdrawal of troops after two decades of war. The activists called for the United States and the Charlottesville area specifically to accept as many Afghan […]
Keep everyone safe from COVID Starting this week, both city and county schools will have most students physically in class five days a week, for the first time since the pandemic hit in March of 2020. The districts have worked to put COVID mitigation measures in place as school resumes. The city decided to hold […]
Mystery machine: Finish up your summer reading list with a bang during an evening with mystery author Elle Cosimano. She’s got a stack of young-adult thrillers to her name, and the recently published Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is the debut novel in her mystery series for adults. The reading is hosted by Bluebird Books, […]
Face forward: Soul of Cville wants to “bring the soul back to the city” with a celebration of Black excellence and culture in Charlottesville. The event includes a market featuring African American artwork and crafts, a showcase celebrating local community members, a fashion show, and lots of music. Headliner E&J Band is joined on the […]
Setting the tone: The contributions of Black musicians to bluegrass and Americana are often ignored, and Jake Blount is here to change that. An acclaimed fiddler, Blount centers Black, Indigenous, and queer experiences at the heart of his music, paying tribute to the integral role those voices have played in the formation of Appalachian music. […]
Expanded memory: With a range of work that explores “decolonization, memory, language making, transnationality, Afrofuturism, and radicalization of the imagination,” it’s fair to say that multi-media artist Adama Delphine Fawundu takes a broad approach. But her genius lies in powerful details: a transformative shower, a vivid line of paint, an indigenous mask, the light across […]
Make room: City, county see population growth in 2020 Census It’s not your imagination—it is getting more crowded around here. Charlottesville and Albemarle are both more populous than they were a decade ago, according to newly released census data. The 2020 census was delayed thanks to the pandemic, but the Census Bureau shared its first […]
Despite support from city firefighters and bus drivers, on Monday Charlottesville City Council unanimously voted not to approve the collective bargaining ordinance proposed in March by Greg Wright of the Charlottesville Professional Firefighters Association. Instead, councilors adopted a resolution allowing City Manager Chip Boyles to draft a new collective bargaining ordinance, as Boyles recommended. “I […]
By Julia Stumbaugh On August 23, 2020 a Kenosha, Wisconsin, police officer shot a 29-year-old Black man named Jacob Blake in the back. In the days that followed, Charlottesville actor and director David Vaughn Straughn sat down to write a play. “I felt this anger and intolerance and frustration,” says Straughn. “I knew that was […]
Summer breeze: Like the turquoise sparkle in a backyard pool or the gritty glimmer of oceanside city lights, the music of Magic City Hippies perfectly captures that drowsy, summertime vibe. Hailing from Miami, the trio creates a dreamy haze with lonesome slide guitars, vintage organs, and languid, sun-drenched vocals. The band’s restrained cool can be […]