Something in the Water; We Shall Not Be Moved Event in Hampton; Problems at Red Onion State Prison; Barrett-Peake Heritage Foundation
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Monday, Nov. 25 in Hampton
Something in the Water Contract Signed
The city of Virginia Beach will pay the creators of the Pharrell Williams’ music festival Something in the Water $1.5 million in three payments of $500,000 to plan and execute the popular festival.
A new contract for the Something in the Water was arrived at after a grumpy Bobby Dyer announced his desire to see a signed contract by Friday, Nov. 15. After the festival lineup is released for the festival and tickets go on sale the excitement around the event will build. In past years, Something in the Water has featured Usher, Lil Wayne, Lil Uzi Vert, Machine Gun Kelly, Nile Rodgers, the Jonas Brothers and many others. The festival was cancelled last year but will likely recover to its previous prominence.
Work of the Barrett-Peake Heritage Foundation
An update on the ongoing renovations to the historic home of the Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Clubs. You can support the Barrett-Peake Heritage Foundation's capital campaign at http://barrett-peake.org
The ongoing renovations to the historic building can be seen in person at 123 East Pembroke Ave. in Hampton, Va.
Problems at Red Onion State Prison in Virginia
Two reports this week from Red Onion State Prison indicate serious problems regarding conditions for inmates.
“At Red Onion State Prison in Virginia, incarcerated journalist Kevin Rashid Johnson reported that on September 15, two men, Ekong Eshiet and Trayvon Brown, lit themselves on fire in the prison’s solitary confinement unit, demanding an end to the unbearable isolation, racism, and brutality,” reported Solitary Watch on Nov. 13.
Today, Latin Times reported that, “twelve Black inmates at Red Onion State Prison, Virginia's first super-maximum security prison, have reportedly set themselves on fire since September in a bid to get transferred away from abusive guards, according to current inmates.”
Red Onion State Prison is located in Virginia in Wise County near the Kentucky border.
Campus Protests: Virginia Lawmakers Set Groundwork for Response
By Nathaniel Cline for Virginia Mercury | House lawmakers studying how some of Virginia’s universities handle campus protests and free speech policies faced criticism Wednesday after arranging a hearing that some in attendance felt leaned heavily toward institutional and pro-Israeli perspectives.
However, House Majority Leader Charniele Herring, D-Alexandria, who chairs the House Select Committee tasked with reviewing campus safety and free speech at Virginia’s colleges and universities, addressed public concerns by emphasizing that this was just the first in a series of meetings aimed at providing a comprehensive review.
Herring said the next meeting is slated for December with a final report due afterwards.
“We are not here to solve the issues that spark conversations, protests and public displays. We are not equipped to do that in this venue,” Herring said. “However, we are here to make sure that we are working toward campuses continuing to be safe places and learning for all of our students, while ensuring there are safe places to speak out and engage in civil discourse.”
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