Richmond Casino Lawsuit Coming? BBQ King, Mayor and #Beyonce Fan Derrick Wood, #Richmond Planet Plate Has Arrived! #Virginia
Richmond Casino Lawsuit?
Is a lawsuit about to drop regarding the proposed Richmond casino that’s coming up for a second vote after being voted down by Richmond voters in 2021? Paul Goldman is out of town and unavailable for comment. On August 4, Jon Baliles wrote on the “no bid” contract issue regarding the casino, which may result in a legal challenge. In July, a judge ruled that a second vote could take place. New casinos in other cities in Virginia, notably Portsmouth and Bristol, appear to be thriving. Community carveouts and potential benefits to local economies are issues activists often bring up regarding a casino in Richmond.
Some have wondered about whether the casino remains “black owned” but provided no evidence one way or the other that it wasn’t. An entity called RVA Entertainment Holdings, a joint venture between Urban One Inc. and Churchill Downs would be the operators if a casino is approved by the voters. Will update…
On TV: Beyonce Fan, BBQ King and Dumfries Mayor Derrick Wood
Dyvine BBQ owner, Beyonce fan and Dumfries Mayor Derrick Wood was recently on TV showcasing his award winning BBQ. Dyvine BBQ, located at 3940 Acts Ln, Dumfries, VA also features catering packages and an assortment of BBQ spices and rubs.
The Richmond Planet Plate is Here
▶️ RELATED: Documentary Birth of a Planet on The Richmond Planet
Now Available at Your Local Virginia DMV! As first reported last year by the historic Black-owned Richmond Free Press by Jeremy Lazarus, the special The Richmond Planet license plate is now here. The commemorative tag will honor the storied Black-owned newspaper that featured a firebrand editor. The plate was designed by Reginald Carter.
The Richmond Planet was founded by 13 formerly enslaved Richmonders in 1882 and was first edited by Edmund Archer Randolph, the first African American to graduate from Yale Law School. In 1884, 21-year-old John Mitchell, Jr., succeeded Randolph and continued as the editor for the next 45 years. Mitchell also made history as the first Black person in Virginia to run for Governor.
Mitchell focused on lynching during his leadership at the paper. He was a strong and vocal voice against injustice for the Black community.
In 1904, The Richmond Planet reached a weekly circulation of 4,200.
Library of Congress: Hoping to influence change from within, Mitchell rose to considerable prominence within banking circles as well as the Republican Party and served on the Richmond city council from 1888 to 1896. But he gradually lost faith in any chance of blacks and whites uniting politically or in the cause of labor solidarity. After the segregation of Richmond’s streetcar system in 1904, Mitchell’s frustration and anguish erupted— “Let us walk.”
“A people,” he added, “who will willingly accept discrimination . . . are not sufficiently advanced to be entitled to the liberties of a free people.” It is not surprising then that in editorial after editorial Mitchell increasingly shunned the more moderate strategies of leaders such as Booker T. Washington. He thereafter repeatedly positioned the Planet as one the South’s most forceful black voices, even once advising blacks to arm themselves in self-defense. The Planet thus reached far beyond Richmond, achieving prominence—and a degree of notoriety—throughout the South
There was a recent documentary on the Richmond Planet newspaper:
SEPTEMBER 1 in NORFOLK:
➡️ SUBSCRIBE TO BLACK VIRGINIA NEWS. “One had better die fighting against injustice than die like a dog or a rat in a trap.” —Ida Wells. 👨🏽💻 Send your press releases, submissions, tips, pitches, comments and corrections to BlackVirginiaNews@gmail.com.