| When Conor Collins teaches his Advanced Placement U.S. History class about Reconstruction, he asks his students to think about some of the challenges Black people could face after American enslavement was abolished. He talks about the period when Black people could participate in the political sphere for the first time in history. But he also talks about the white backlash in the southern states through exploitative legislation like the Black Codes and the formation of the Klu Klux Klan. When educators have asked policymakers what would be considered a divisive concept, they were redirected to an executive order that outlines what could fall under the blanket term. Collins didnât find any answers when he reviewed the Jan. 15 order, only an open-ended criteria that led to more questions. But he assumes lessons like his, although based on historical facts, could be considered divisive.  Read more in the Sunday Main News section Twice a week 15-year-old Lianna Schmieder scrutinizes centuries-old scrawl. She and her classmates at Roadstead Montessori High School in Ghent drag out stacks of folders containing printed copies of documents including receipts of slave sales and ship manifests. They parse the names of men, women and children who were shipped South. The work is meticulous. But the callousness behind the paperwork never ceases to strike Schmieder: enslaved babies and pregnant women listed next to cargo items. âItâs not really real until you see all these names on paper,â she said. âYou see these people who were 9 years old. It makes it much more real. There are so many names we have and thereâs probably more that werenât even written down.â The task of Schmieder, a freshman, is âquality control.â She compares the names transcribed by other students against a spreadsheet to find any mistakes. The students have dedicated hours over the past several years to decipher the writings of people in 1800s involved in the flourishing local slave trade. Theyâre helping Troy Valos, special collections and supervising librarian with the Norfolk Public Libraryâs Sargeant Memorial Collection; heâs worked the past dozen years to document Norfolkâs long-overlooked and outsized role in the domestic slave trade. The region sent more than 21,000 enslaved people to New Orleans â more than any other port, according to his research. Read more in the Sunday Main News section This week, ex-Virginia Beach economic development director Warren Harris walked out of a city courtroom without ever having to serve a single day in jail after admitting to embezzling $80,000 during his 11 years with the city. He was ordered to pay the money back but will be allowed to use his unused leave time in the reimbursement. Read more in the Sunday Main News section
A North Carolina motorcyclist who lost his leg as a result of a collision with an Amazon delivery truck in Virginia Beach is suing the e-commerce giant, alleging that unrealistic expectations on delivery drivers led to negligence behind the wheel. Justin Hartley was driving his 2007 Harley Davidson motorcycle south on Blackwater Road in Virginia Beach on Oct. 4 when a rented Hertz truck with an Amazon logo turned directly into his lane of travel. The truck struck Hartley and he sustained severe injuries, including fractures to his left wrist and left leg. Doctors were unable to save Hartleyâs left leg and had to amputate it just below the knee. According to the Virginia Beach Police Department crash report, the Amazon delivery driver, Christopher Gill of Chesapeake, admitted to authorities that at the time of the crash, he was looking down at GPS directions that were supplied by Amazon on his Amazon supplied navigation device.
Read more in the Sunday Main News section
During the modern civil rights movement, many people took a stand for human rights. Some, like Mildred Smith, Patricia Taylor and Agnes Stokes, took a seat. Nearly 50 years ago, the nurses defied rules at Dixie Hospital in Hampton that required them to dine in a segregated and inferior space. Feb. 21 through 27, a film chronicling the story of their act of civil disobedience will be screened at the Hampton History Museum. âThe Dixie 3: A Story on Civil Rights in Nursingâ is a 35-minute film written and produced by Denetra Hampton and starring registered nurses Melanie Outlaw, Angela Mitchell and TâWanda Lowery. In the early 1960s, Dixie Hospital, later known as Sentara Hampton General, was segregated. Black patients, with the exception of newborns, were treated on the second floor. The other five stories were for whites. Segregation extended to the employees. After buying meals in the cafeteria, whites could remain in the cafeteria. Blacks had to take their meals to a small classroom where some had to eat standing up.
Read more in the Sunday Break section
Manan Shah, CEO of Pashm Global, said 2020 was the worst â with substantial challenges and financial impacts shaking the hotel industry to its core. Shah manages 16 hotels on both sides of the water and as far south as Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Involved in the industry for more than a dozen years, he said the summer of 2021 was phenomenal as people began to resume their travels. âPeople were hesitant to travel internationally so domestic tourism was very good,â he said. âWe look forward to a normal year in 2022.â Read more in the Sunday Work & Money section Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer - Final Season of Killing Eve Parade Picks - Small Gardens, Big Joy What America Eats - Saucy Skillet Chicken Live Smart - Tummy Troubles 411
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