Keys-Gamarra, McKay: Will the Biggest Vote Winners in Fairfax Run for Congress; VCU's First Black Nurse; Brown v. Board Flyer
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VCU's First Black Nursing School Grad: Charlotte Anne Wynn Pollard
I was just going to school. I never thought about the fact that this was integration. I just want to be a nurse, and this was the school nearest to me.
Below: Charlotte Anne Wynn Pollard in 1958
Charlotte Anne Wynn Pollard of Glen Allen, was the first African American to be accepted to the Medical College of Virginia School of Nursing. The Medical College would become part of VCU in 1968. In 1958, Pollard became a registered nurse working primarily with psychiatric patients during her career. Pollard would later work as a nursing instructor. She would also assist in writing the psychiatric rotation curriculum for the nursing schools at John Tyler Community College and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College
Below: Virginia Humanities’ Rosel Schewel Fellow, Dina Weinstein, tells part of Pollard’s story. Pollard passed away on August 18, 2001.
Podcast 48 🎙️ Fergie Reid, Jr. on the 2025 Virginia House Races
Opinion: Brown v. Board Flyer with Virginia Guvs Wins Attention for the Wrong Reasons
By Sophia Nelson. I received an email about an event happening on May 17, 2025, at Virginia Commonwealth University, marking the 71st anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, which dismantled segregation in schools nationwide, hosted by the Virginians for Reconciliation Project.
What struck me immediately — and not in a good way — was that the panel consisted entirely of white men. It stopped me cold. Everyone on the email thread I was on was outraged too.
That is, until I realized that the panelists were all former governors of Virginia. And in case you didn’t know, Virginia has only ever elected one Black governor, L. Douglas Wilder, in 1989. Every other governor since the 1600s has been a white man.
My initial reaction was to criticize the lack of diversity on the panel, which seemed ironic since they were supposed to be discussing one of the most pivotal moments in American history that diversified classrooms in Virginia and beyond. Why not include former Gov. Wilder, now in his 90s? Or the current Black Speaker of the House? Or the Senate Majority Leader, a Black woman? Or the sitting Lt. Governor, a Black Republican woman? The only Black woman involved is the moderator — a sitting state delegate from Richmond — but she’s not on the panel itself.
Let’s be honest: A panel of all white men cannot reflect the full breadth of Virginia’s past — or its future. But these men did hold the highest office in the commonwealth. They shaped Virginia’s policies, laws, and institutions, for better or worse. And if we are serious about reconciliation, we must be willing to hear from those who held power, even when that power excluded us. Read entire at The Virginia Mercury
Race for the 11th District: Will Fairfax’s Big Vote Winners Keys-Gamarra and McKay Run for Congress?
On April 28, Rep. Gerry Connolly, who represents Virginia’s 11th congressional district, announced he would not be running for re-election in 2026. The popular northern Virginia congressman has been dealing with a health challenge after being diagnosed with esophageal cancer.
KEYS-GAMARRA, McKAY HAVE WON BIG VOTE TOTALS IN FAIRFAX. Yesterday, Rep. Connolly’s former chief of staff tossed his hat in the ring and, as was widely expected, Connolly endorsed him. But there will be other candidates in the race. Two potential candidates could be the two top vote earners in the district who have served in public office over the last six-plus years. They are Karen Keys-Gamarra who was elected to the At-Large seat on the Fairfax County School Board. The other possibility is Jeff McKay, who is the Chair of the Fairfax Board of Supervisors. Congressman Connolly served in the same position from 2003 to 2009 before running for Congress in 2008.
Below: McKay, Walkinshaw, Pekarsky, Keys-Gamarra, Helmer, Salim and Boysko
Attorney Karen Keys-Gamarra was elected twice to the At-Large member seat of the Fairfax County School Board and earned over 175,000 votes. Keys-Gamarra was also a former Planning Commissioner. She is now a member of the House of Delegates representing HD-7.
TOP VOTE WINNERS. Delegate Keys-Gamarra and Board Chairman McKay have earned the most votes in recent pervious elections in Fairfax than anyone currently in the conversation for the 11th district congressional race with over 170,000 votes. Will they toss their hats in the ring for Congress? Only time will tell. Every election has its own unique trajectory. There’s ample time for candidates to consider and plan a competitive run for federal office.
Along with Fairfax Supervisor James Walkinshaw, who announced yesterday, there are several others who are likely considering running for Congress in the 11th. They are State Senators Saddam Salim, Stella Pekarsky and Jennifer Boysko and Delegate Dan Helmer. In 2023, Senator Salim rocked Virginia politics with a smartly run and energetic primary campaign victory against a veteran Virginia Senator.
Delegate Helmer and Senator Boysko were battle tested last year when both ran for Congress in a crowded Democratic primary for the tenth congressional district. Senator Pekarsky is coming off of a big legislative win after her consumer protection bill to eliminate hidden junk fees was signed into law by Gov. Glenn Youngkin on May 2.
Of course there are several other candidates who may pop up into consideration as the battle for the 11th District slowly gets underway.
May 22, 2025: LG Debate in Woodbridge
DEI Deception: White Women Benefit, Black Americans Blamed
Falsely painting it as favoritism for Black Americans. Yet, according to experts and multiple studies, white women have long been the ones gaining the most from these very initiatives
By Stacy Brown for Black Press USA. While President Donald Trump and his allies at the Heritage Foundation work to gut diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs across America, a dangerous narrative continues to spread—that DEI is some handout to Black Americans. But the truth, backed by decades of data and recent studies, reveals a different picture entirely: the primary beneficiaries of DEI have not been Black people, but white women. Since returning to the White House, Trump has waged a relentless war on what his administration calls “woke” policies. His rhetoric has stoked resentment against DEI, falsely painting it as favoritism for Black Americans.
Yet, according to experts and multiple studies, white women have long been the ones gaining the most from these very initiatives. “Actually, everyone but Black folks benefit [from DEI],” Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett said in an earlier published interview. “We were always the intended target to benefit, but the way that most policies are written, people learned how to game the system.” Read entire at Black Press USA
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