BLACK VIRGINIA NEWS

EP24 - Interview with attorney Paul Goldman. On this episode of the Black Virginia News podcast Richmond attorney and activist Paul Goldman shares his views on why he is against the casino and resort project that is on the ballot as a referendum in Richmond. Goldman and other activists in Richmond defeated the casino the first time the question appeared on the ballot in 2021. This time he has form...

EP24 - Interview with Urban One CEO. On episode 23 of the Black Virginia News podcast we interviews Urban One CEO Alfred Liggins. Liggins is the CEO of Urban One and the son of Radio One founder Cathy Hughes. Voters in Richmond are deciding, for a second time, on a casino and resort project Liggins owns along with Churchill Downs. The first referendum on a casino in Richmond was narrowly defeated...

EP23 - Interview with Leader Don Scott. On episode 23 of the Black Virginia News podcast we feature Virginia House Democratic Leader Don Scott. Leader Scott is a member of the storied Alpha Phi Alph fraternity, a former Naval officer and a prominent trial attorney. Leader Scott has enjoyed a meteoric rise to power after winning a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates in January 2020 and then bec...

Politics and democracy has been challenged with the problem of misinformation and disinformation in an age of growing extremism. EP22 - Fighting Extremism and Lying in Politics: Penny Edwards Blue of Red Wine & Blue. Lying has always been part of political strategy. But the deceleration of disinformation and misinformation in the age of social media and Donald Trump has put that strategy into hype...

Richmond Casino Presser on August 31, 2023 EP21 - Richmond Casino Press Conference. On August 31, 2023, Urban One CEO Alfred Liggins III and Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen presented their case for a casino and resort in Richmond, Virginia. Last week, a judge cleared the way for a second referendum to appear in the ballot on November 7, 2023 for voters to consider for a second time. Though the...

EP20 - Glenn Youngkin, Black Issues, Race and the GOP ...White House Run? Lauren Burke and Maurice Hawkins discuss the political strategics around a possible run for President by Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin. They’ll also discuss how Gov. Youngkin has handled policies on the Black agenda in Virginia and discuss the modern Republican party and race. As everyone can plainly see, this isn’t the R...

National NAACP Board Chair Leon Russell speaks at the virtual Virginia NAACP voter symposium on August 19, 2023. Russell, who is from Virginia, is the Chair of the Board of the National NAACP and has server on the Board since 1990. Before joining the board, Russell served as president of the NAACP Florida State Conference of Branches for 4 years after serving for 15 years as the first vice preside...

FORMER DELEGATE JAY JONES. ➡️ On Episode 18 of the Black Virginia News podcast, Lauren Burke and Maurice Hawkins interview someone who will play a big role in the future of Virginia’s politics: Jay Jones . Jones is a former member of the Virginia House of Delegates who represented parts of the second largest Black city in Virginia: Norfolk. In 2021, Jones ran an exciting race for Attorney General...

Lauren Burke interviews House District 19 candidate Makya Little on her lawsuit against the Democratic Party of Virginia. Link to lawsuit. On June 20, Woodbridge resident and former FBI employee Makya Little lost her party's nomination for House District 19 by only 49 votes. Little was in a competitive race against Rozia Henson , who won, and Natalie Shorter . On July 25, Little sued the Democrati...

Lauren Burke and Maurice Hawkins do a quick and dirty analysis of competitive State Senate races in the Commonwealth of Virginia in 2023. We will return with another analysis of Virginia State Senate races after the unofficial kickoff of the political season in Virginia a few weeks after the annual Bobby Scott Labor Day Cookout on September 4, 2023. Early voting in Virginia starts on September 22....

On July 26, the first day of their 97th general convention in Dallas, Texas, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity , announced they were pulling their 2025 convention from Florida. Alpha Phi Alpha’s current president, Willis Lonzer , is from Richmond. The fraternity is the oldest African American intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African American men. The fraternity had planned to hold...

Black Virginia News podcast EP14 — Talking to six Black candidates who will be on the ballot this cycle. Early voting begins in Virginia on September 22, 2023. Election Day is November 7, 2023. On Episode 14 of the Black Virginia News podcast features six clips of six Democrats who will be on the ballot for in 103 days in Virginia. The question: What issues are they hearing on the doors and how is...

WILL GOV. YOUNGKIN RUN FOR PRESIDENT? 🤔 If Virginia’s Governor Glenn Youngkin bounces to compete in the 2024 presidential race it could lead to a historic ascension for Virginia’s first Black woman Lt. Governor, Winsome Sears. Lauren Burke and Maurice Hawkins are going to toss around that hypothetical scenario, unlikely thought it may be, on episode 13 of the Black Virginia News podcast. Is Young...

On episode twelve of the Black Virginia News podcast Lauren Burke and Maurice Hawkins will discuss twelve races for the Virginia House of Delegates that will decide which party wins the majority.  Election Day 2023 is 115 days away. Democrats and Republicans are gearing up for what will be a tough battle for control of the Virginia General Assembly. A historic number of African Americans are on th...

➡️ EP11 of the Black Virginia News podcast is on rural politics in #Virginia. Our guests are Jade Harris, who is running in the third Senate District of Virginia and Lynlee Thorne, Political Director of Rural Groundgame. On this episode of the Black Virginia News podcast Lauren Burke and Maurice Hawkins discuss rural political strategy with two guests who are currently working in rural Virginia ri...

➡️ Episode 10: Lauren Burke and Maurice Hawkins comment on the Blue Commonwealth Gala held in Richmond, Virginia on June 23, 2023 and the incredible political odyssey of Central Park/Exonerated Five member Dr. Yusef Salaam. ➡️  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, s...

Episode Nine of Black Virginia News 👊🏽 features an interview with Fergie Reid, Jr., the son of a historic figure in Virginia: Ferguson Reid, Sr. Reid, Sr. was the first Black elected to the Virginia General Assembly since Reconstruction in 1968. Reid, Sr. also founded the Richmond Crusade for Voters and 90for90.org . 🚩 Dr. Fergie Reid, Jr. was the first Black student to attend St. Christopher’s...

➡️ Yesterday’s June 20, 2023 primary in Virginia was one of the most exciting and historic in recent years. 🏃🏾‍♂️Enjoy this podcast with Lauren Burke and Maurice Hawkins on the politics and the players involved in this political moment in time as well as what to expect next. ➡️  SUBSCRIBE TO BLACK VIRGINIA NEWS .  “One had better die fighting against injustice than die like a dog or a rat in a t...

Join Lauren Burke and Maurice Hawkins for an analysis of the key races for the June 20, 2023 primary in Virginia. Follow Lauren Burke at @LVBurke and Maurice Hawkins @HawkDiesel1906. The chart below features Black candidates running in the primary cycle in 2023. ➡️  SUBSCRIBE TO BLACK VIRGINIA NEWS .  “One had better die fighting against injustice than die like a dog or a rat in a trap.” —Ida Well...

“Portsmouth is winning.” Portsmouth, Virginia Mayor Shannon Glover makes a speech at the opening of the Rivers Casino in Portsmouth, Va. on Jan. 23, 2023. Black Virginia News will be looking into whether the local community financially benefits from a casino complex and where the money goes. This podcast is the audio of Mayor Glover’s speech on the morning Rivers Casino opened its doors to the pub...

On Feb. 4, 2023 at  Cafe Sazon  in Arlington on Columbia Pike former Arlington NAACP President  J.D. Spain kicked off his bid  to serve on the Arlington County Board. He was joined by two key supporters: fmr. Delegate and candidate for Governor Jennifer Carroll Foy and fmr. Delegate and candidate for Attorney General Jay Jones. BLACK VIRGINIA NEWS 👊🏽 is reader supported. Consider a free/paid sub...

On January 21, 2023, the funeral of Father🌹Joe Green, a community legend over several decades in Norfolk, Virginia, took place at Christ and Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church. During the funeral service the choir sang many songs. Three are featured on this podcast. They are: At start 🎺 Lift Every Voice and Sing At 3mins and 40 secs 🎺 Oh How He Loves You and Me At 9mins and 30 secs 🎺 There is a Bal...

ARLINGTON, VA — Civil rights leader and close associate of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rev. Otis Moss , spoke at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Arlington yesterday (Jan. 16) as part of the church’s King Holiday events. 👨🏽‍💻  We will cover what others ignore.  Send your press releases, submissions, tips, pitches, comments and corrections to BlackVirginiaNews@gmail.com. Get full access to BLACK V...

🎙 :00 start — State Senator Jennifer McClellan of Virginia. The day after her massive Democratic primary win on 12/21/22, State Senator Jennifer McClellan was asked about what her priorities would be in Congress. 🎙 :50 secs — Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) speaks on historic funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities on 12/23/22. 🎙 1 min, 16 secs — Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) speaks on saving p...

UPDATE ON VOTING LAWSUIT. “I expect more plaintiffs to join,” Richmond attorney Paul Goldman told Black Virginia News on Jan. 7 regarding a lawsuit filed in Dec. 2022 before the Dec. 21 Democratic primary held to nominate a candidate for Congress for the fourth congressional district. A hearing in the case of Paul Goldman, etal v. Glenn Youngkin, etal (3:22-cv-789) is scheduled for Jan. 18 in fron...