Richmond Racial Equity Essays: Individual Essays

Individual essays from the book Richmond Racial Equity Essays: 24 Visions for Racial Equity in Richmond, edited by Ebony Walden and Meghan Z. Gough, published September 2021.

Printing is not supported at the primary Gallery Thumbnail page. Please first navigate to a specific Image before printing.

Introduction

Ebony Walden and Meghan Z. Gough

Introduction to the book Richmond Racial Equity Essays by the editors Ebony Walden and Meghan Z. Gough. The book is a collection of essays on creating racial equity in Richmond, Virginia.
Black and Brown Centered Placemaking Rooted in Identity and Ownership

Ebony Walden

The author outlines ideas for advancing racial equity in Richmond through creating neighborhoods and communities rooted in Black and Brown cultural identity, while supporting Black and Brown ownership and entrepreneurship.
Expanding the Geography of Opportunity and Ownership

Maritza E. Mercado Pechin

The author, a city planner, defines an equitable Richmond as a city where all Richmonders have equal or equivalent access to goods, services, status, rights, power, and amenities. She outlines four ideas to help Richmond expand physical and ownership access: rewriting the zoning ordinance; reconnecting the city; establishing programs that increase generational wealth; expanding engagement and education of city planning.
Neighborhood Self-Determination and the Vision for Racial Equity

Michael H. Smith

The author outlines his ideas of how values of the Black Baptist church can inform the development of racial equity in methods of engagement, decision-making, and economic investment in Richmond neighborhoods. These values are respect of elders, solidarity in the pursuit of joy, trust and love of one's neighbor, and determination for collective liberation.
Housing is the Root of Wealth Inequality: Building an Equitable Richmond

Heather Mullins Crislip

The author examines how the dramatic differences in homeownership between white and Black households are not largely a function of income, as many often assume. There are structural barriers, both historic and contemporary, that deliver this result. An equitable Richmond would give all households the opportunity for stability and growth. The first step in this would be to have housing available that people can afford, distributed across the region to allow for choice, and opportunities for sustainable homeownership. A thriving Richmond would also break down racial and economic segregated housing patterns to create an integrated community.
There Goes the Neighborhood: Combatting Displacement in Richmond’s Historically Black Neighborhoods

Mariah Williams

The author examines the national trend in gentrifying legacy Black cities and neighborhoods across the country (wealthy, white families moving to non-white, predominantly Black neighborhoods). As the city of Richmond undergoes significant transition, achieving racial equity means implementing policies to combat involuntary displacement of Black residents and to preserve the culture embedded within historic Black communities. Creating an equitable Richmond means being intentional about promoting policies that combat involuntary displacement, ensuring that Black households truly have a choice in remaining in their communities and that they can reap the benefits of reinvestment as much as their white counterparts.
A Rich Education

Benjamin P. Campbell

The author outlines the background of Richmond (and Virginia)'s educational inequity, stating that the most direct route to racial equity in metropolitan Richmond is what he calls a Rich Education for all, by way of Rich Schools. He demonstrates how poverty must be addressed to bring about racial equity, by first addressing educational equity, which must address educational wealth.
Toward a Vision of Racial Equity in Richmond Schools

Taikein Cooper and Genevieve Siegel-Hawley

The authors present their vision for racial equity in Richmond schools, including real integration, enabled by stronger and more inclusive advocacy. It is based on their collective personal and professional experiences, research, and best practices from around the country. They believe these strategies will lead us toward greater racial equity in Richmond and the education all of our children deserve.
Between Two Litanies: Equity and Public Education in Richmond, VA

Dennis Williams II

The author examines white backlash (white resistance to and prevention of racial and educational equity), calling it a social mechanism as persistent as the struggle for racial equality itself.
From Red Lines to Brown Circles, Again: Reviving the Legacy of Maggie L. Walker for Inclusive Economic Liberation

Shekinah Mitchell

The author uses the legacy of Maggie Walker as a background for her proposal for radical, community-based intervention, shifting to a brown circles mindset that pushes Richmond to be a more racially equitable place benefiting everyone struggling to find the on-ramp to traditional pathways of wealth building. The tethered relationship of capitalism and racism requires that the dialogue about a more racially equitable Richmond include an honest conversation about money and wealth.
The Role of the Business Community in Creating a More Equitable Richmond

Brian Anderson

The author discusses the recommendations of the task force formed by ChamberRVA, the regional Chamber of Commerce for Greater Richmond, following the murder of George Floyd. The task force defined three primary strategic imperatives for the business community, which they believe will create a more equitable Richmond region. They believe the business community needs to: 1) Adopt more equitable policies and processes and make a commitment to embed diversity, equity and inclusion into their organizations. 2) Develop initiatives that elevate students of color to create more pathways to viable careers and economic mobility. 3) Remove barriers in the supplier ecosystem so that more Black and Brown businesses have access and greater capacity.
Peace for Communities of Color: A Conversation Between a Black Woman and a White Woman on Shifting Power and the Need for Radical Imagination in the Nonprofit Sector

Lea Whitehurst-Gibson and Bekah Kendrick

The authors discuss their nonprofit sector work towards equity in Richmond, stating that achieving equity requires a culture shift within the nonprofit and philanthropic sector and noting that despite an increasingly diverse nation, white people make up the majority of nonprofit executive leadership.
Reframing Equity: The Gift of Being a Giver

Damon Jiggetts

The author focuses on the power of giving, seeing equity as being achieved when those perceived as having little power, resources, or gifts can give of themselves in ways that are not only meaningful to someone else or to the community, but also in ways that evoke a sense of pride, self-worth, and value in themselves.
Reparative and Equitable Practices and Partnerships

Meghan Z. Gough

The author's vision of a racially equitable Richmond is one in which resourced institutions, such as higher education, invest in reparative and equitable practices that respect lived expertise and are built on partnerships. As we rethink our roles and responsibilities, we should invest in reparative and equitable planning practices that include 1) acknowledging structural racism as a societal problem; 2) prioritizing lived expertise; and, 3) building long-term and mutually-beneficial partnerships.
The Dream and Reality of an Afro-Latina: El Sueño y la Realidad de una Afrolatina

Shanteny A. Jackson

The author explores the state of Latinos and Afro Latinos in Richmond in the context of her goal of creating culturally sensitive spaces for dialogue and celebration of Latino ancestry, history, and culture; promoting leadership that reflects the community being served; and establishing equitable distribution of power.
The Case for Meaningful Language Access

Tanya M. González

Through her experience working with the immigrant community in Richmond, the author makes the point that the Richmond metropolitan area needs a comprehensive immigration integration policy that centers language access services and that is implemented by localities, nonprofits, and other human service providers to begin to move towards racial equity for immigrant families.
“Si, yo Hablo Español”: Empowering Spanish-Speakers with Culturally and Linguistically Accessible Services

Gabriela Telepman

Based on her experience with the agency Latinos in Virginia Empowerment Center, the author defines an equitable Richmond as a city that recognizes the needs of the Spanish speaking population and commits to meeting those needs by providing adequate Spanish language services, with service providers service providers must act with empathy and imbed a bilingual, bicultural, and trauma-informed approach within their organizations.
Intentionally Connecting with the Other

Oscar F. Contreras Telón

The author advocates for communication as a means to combat racism and bias. As Richmonders, we need to seek out conversations, even if they are not initially comfortable, so we can learn about each other and act with compassion. This is true, especially if we find ourselves in a position of influence or privilege. One way to connect across cultures is by creating cross-cultural community spaces for joy, healing and sharing experiences.
Massive Resilience: An Emergent Strategy for Racial Equity in Richmond, VA

Ram Bhagat

To counteract the educational harms caused by racism and poverty, transformative cultural experiences designed to increase social emotional competence and eliminate racist policies are required. One such experience is Massive Resilience, a framework and set of practices the author developed to build resilience for challenging systemic racism based on the universal values of Ubuntu, Sawubona, and Sankofa; centered on the principles of interconnectedness, inter-relatedness, and inter-resilience, which collectively promote compassion, courage, and creativity.
When Black [Girls’] Lives Really Matter

Angela Patton

The author outlines ways Richmond can support Black women and girls. Her vision of an equitable Richmond is one where we see, hear, and celebrate Black girls. It’s one where we experience Black girl “magic,” and we give them every opportunity and resource to achieve and thrive.
Incarceration and Violence: Time for a Change

Ashley Diaz Mejias

The author explores the racist underpinnings of the prison system and states that if we, as a nation and as a local community, are serious about addressing the lasting harms of mass incarceration and reducing our prison population, and if we are serious about accountability and public safety, we have to address the relationship between incarceration and violence.
Radically Reimagining Our Systems

Danny TK Avula

The author recommends ways organizations can do the difficult and sustained work it requires to realize equity in the Richmond Region: recognize that our systems perpetuate disparity; develop cross-sector solutions; drive change with data; partner with the people.
Spaces to Breathe

Ryan Rinn

The author's vision is of a racially equitable Richmond that looks like every resident having the mental and physical health benefits of green space easily walkable from where they live. He outlines ideas for achieving this vision, with Black and Brown-led onboarding of new parks in neighborhoods and communities where no greenspaces exist within walking distance. Community-led creation of public open space is the inverse of annexation; it is an anti-racist land use strategy that empowers residents to build and enjoy places for the people.
Climate Resilience and Justice in Richmond

Jeremy Hoffman

The author examines climate change inequity in Richmond and discusses strategies to deal with it in the long and short term in ways that would lead to climate resilience policy decisions that incorporate the values of community members, demonstrably improve community health and wellbeing, and bolster socioeconomic equity across the city.
The Bus Should Be Free

Wyatt Gordon and Faith Walker

The authors advocate zero-fare transit for the Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC) bus system.
From Ideas to Action

Ebony Walden and Meghan Z. Gough Ph.D.

Conclusion to the book Richmond Racial Equity Essays by the editors Ebony Walden and Meghan Z. Gough. The book is a collection of essays on creating racial equity in Richmond, Virginia.