Portfolio of Work FINAL

JOURNALISM PORTFOLIO

Jason Fuller [email protected]

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Table of Contents

Audio Journalism (click links to listen) Page 2

Written, produced and edited by Jason Fuller

o WAMU Howard’s ‘Epic Homecoming’

o WAMU Maryland Hoop Legend

o WAMU A Boxer’s Future

o WAMU A Boxing Hub

o WAMU Anacostia Unmapped

o Being LGBTQ Post Orlando

o Industrial Prison Complex

Visual Journalism (click links to listen) Page 2

Written, produced and edited by Jason Fuller

o Video Reel of professional work

o Cosmetic Diversity in Academia: Students

o Gentrification or Urban Renewal

o Cosmetic Diversity in Academia

o NPR Next Generation Radio

Articles

o Disproportionate Suspensions Page 3

Published by Truth-out.org

o Virginia Senate Race Funding Page 7

Published by WRIC-TV

o Greek Festival

Published by Richmond Times-Dispatch Page 11

o Trump Tower Climber Page 13

Published by New York Daily News

o Frederick Douglass Op-ed Page 15

o Cosmetic Diversity in Academia Page 18

o Urban Renewal or Re-Gentrification Page 21

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http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/35544-disproportionate-suspensions-of-black-students-reveal-racism-in-school-discipline

Disproportionate Suspensions of Black

Students Reveal Racism in School

Discipline

From suspensions to arrests, Black students are more likely to be disciplined in US public schools than white students.

(Image: Jared Rodriguez / Truthout)

By Jason Fuller, Ashley Jones and Rarione Maniece, Truthout

April 9, 2016

The nearly 50 million students in the US public school system are not all at equal risk of facing

harsh disciplinary measures: Black students are more than three times more likely than white

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students to be suspended or expelled from school, according to our original analysis of data

compiled by the US Department of Education.

The data also includes statistics on other ethnic groups, but in our investigation we focused in

particular on the glaring and well-documented disparity between white and Black students using

data collected by the department's Office for Civil Rights for the 2011-2012 academic year. The

statistics show that nationwide 15 percent of Black students received out-of-school suspensions,

compared with 4 percent of white students.

In several states, the disparities were especially alarming: Wisconsin suspended 26 percent of its

Black students, but just 3 percent of its white students. In Minnesota, Connecticut, Iowa and

Nebraska, Black students were six times more likely than white students to be suspended from

school.

Virginia's statistics were similar to the national numbers: 14 percent of the commonwealth's

Black students received suspensions, versus 5 percent of white students.

Expulsions are far less common than suspensions, but the pattern is the same. Nationwide, 1.6 of

every 1,000 white students were expelled from school in 2011-2012, compared with five of

every 1,000 Black students.

Ultimately, national data suggest that Black students are the overwhelming likely candidates for

expulsions in comparison to their white counterparts -- even in school districts where

demographically Black students are the unequivocal minority.

Virginia: A Case Study in Disproportionate Discipline

In Virginia, about two of every 1,000 African-American students were expelled, versus one of

every 1,000 white students.

Other journalists also have looked at the US Education Department's Civil Rights Data

Collection. The Center for Public Integrity, for example, focused on the number of students who

were arrested or referred to police.

Its reporters found that Virginia had the highest rate in the United States for calling police on

students: Of every 1,000 students in the commonwealth, almost 16 were arrested or referred to

law enforcement in 2011-2012. Nationwide, the figure was about six in every 1,000 students.

Virginia's tendency to call the cops on kids has led Gov. Terry McAuliffe to initiate

"Classrooms, not Courtrooms" in order to reduce disproportionate police referrals for students of

color and students with disabilities. McAuliffe's new state initiative comes as the Center for

Public Integrity reports that Virginia leads the nation in police and court system referrals.

McAuliffe's policy sets out to eliminate suspensions for minor offenses, such as cursing and

refusing to sit down, in order to keep students in the classroom. Suspensions of this nature

contribute to the "push-out" - not dropout - rate in schools, where students fall behind

academically due to time out of school on account of behavior. "We cannot have our schools

viewed as hostile environments where children are branded as criminals," McAuliffe said.

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The data shows racial disparities when police get involved with students. In Virginia, for

instance, about 25 of every 1,000 African-American students were arrested or referred to police,

as opposed to 13 of every 1,000 white students.

In conjunction with the disproportionate suspensions of students by race nationally lies a

disparity among students within the commonwealth's school districts. For instance, on a micro

level, Greensville County Public Schools has a 64 percent Black student suspension rate -- in

contrast to Hispanic students at 25 percent and white students at 30 percent of students

suspended.

Virginia's percentage rate of expelled students is not indicative of any disproportionate targeting,

due to the racial makeup of certain school districts, but larger school districts such as Henrico

and Fairfax have glaring disparities.

The existence of this polarity has many reformers and advocates of school policy uniting with

parents in order to address this disparity.

Efforts to Reduce Disparities

Daniel Losen, director of the Center for Civil Rights Remedies, conducts research on this very

topic and fosters comprehensive reform of school policy. In the publication "Discipline Policies,

Successful Schools, and Racial Justice," he recognized that nationwide more than 3 million

students were suspended at least once during the 2006 school year. This is approximately 7

percent of students enrolled in both primary and secondary public schools.

Solutions to this epidemic are outlined in Losen's publication, where he recommends that school

districts with high rates of exclusions implement technical assistance in classrooms and

behavioral management.

Evandra Catherine, 32, has a son with a disability enrolled in Richmond Public Schools. She

expressed a concern that her child is vulnerable to the school district's policies.

"I am aware of my son's school district's financial plight when it comes to managing normal

students," Catherine told Truthout. "So I have to be extra vigilant of his treatment, because of the

lack of resources in play, which may recommend discipline instead of accommodating him."

Dr. Russell Houck, executive director of student services for Culpeper County Public Schools in

Virginia, is an advocate of case-by-case disciplinary policy. He believes mild and moderate

violations should receive mild and moderate levels of punishment.

"We work really hard to give students help, not punishment," Houck told Truthout. "For kids

who have a chronic history of disruption, we have a students' assistance program where they can

receive counseling and stay in school."

Houck said that this framework allows students to stay in school and by doing so prevents them

from falling behind in class.

"Discipline in my world means to teach," he said. "We need to find new ways to teach them

coping skills in order to get to the root of the problem, both behaviorally and instructionally."

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Note: The national and Virginia-based statistics on racial disparities in discipline rates in this

article were respectively calculated based on data from the Center for Public Integrity and the

Civil Rights Data Collection. This spreadsheet presents our original calculations of these racial

disparities.

***

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http://wric.com/2015/10/16/virginia-senate-hopefuls-get-cash-from-party-groups/

Virginia Senate hopefuls get cash from party

groups By Jason Fuller

October 16, 2015

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — As the Nov. 3 election approaches, the candidates for the District

10 seat in the Virginia Senate are asking not only for your vote but also for your financial

support. And in the money race, Republican nominee Glen Sturtevant is catching up to his

Democratic opponent, Dan Gecker.

During September, Sturtevant received $374,525 in cash donations, mostly from Republican

Party organizations, according to campaign finance reports filed Thursday. That means he has

raised $622,530 during the campaign.

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Gecker received $187,054 in cash donations last month, mostly from Democratic Gov. Terry

McAuliffe’s political action committee, Common Good Virginia. For the entire campaign,

Gecker has now raised $770,712.

Moreover, both candidates received a lot of in-kind contributions — donated goods and services,

such as mailings and canvassing — in September. Gecker’s in-kind donations totaled $241,656,

largely from the state Democratic Party, the Virginia League of Conservation Voters and the

Planned Parenthood Virginia PAC. Sturtevant’s in-kind contributions totaled $70,412, almost all

from the state Republican Party.

Gecker, a member of the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors, and Sturtevant, a member of

the Richmond School Board, are vying to succeed retiring Sen. John Watkins of Chesterfield.

Watkins is a Republican who has sided with Democrats on some issues such as expanding

Medicaid.

Also on the ballot are Carl Loser, a Libertarian who has raised $5,634, and Marleen K Durfee, an

independent who has raised $17,466.

From Jan. 1 through Sept. 30, Sturtevant has received nearly 60 percent of his campaign funds

from three groups:

$180,000 from the Republican State Leadership Committee in Washington

$97,000 from the Middle Resolution PAC in Mechanicsville

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$91,709 from the Virginia Senate Republican Caucus

About 23 percent of Sturtevant’s donations have come from individuals and the rest from

political organizations and businesses.

Gecker’s largest cash donor is Common Good Virginia. In addition, he has contributed $95,000

to his own campaign. And Urban Development Associates, a Richmond business that revitalizes

and preserves historic areas and is co-owned by Gecker, gave his campaign $60,000.

Other large donors include Trustworthy Real Estate LLC of Richmond, $30,000; Sonjia Smith of

Charlottesville, $25,000; and the Rebkee Co., a Midlothian developer, also $25,000.

Gecker has received 43 percent of his cash donations from individuals and the rest from PACs

and businesses.

The 10th Senate District includes Powhatan County and parts of Chesterfield County and the city

of Richmond. It is one of a handful of Senate districts that political analysts say is up for grabs.

Donations are important in helping candidates get their message to the public and get their

supporters to the polls, said Dr. Stephen Farnsworth, a professor of political science and

international affairs at the University of Mary Washington.

“Money is used for advertisements, campaign mailings and door-to-door messaging,” he said.

The 10th District election could decide which political party controls the Virginia Senate,

Farnsworth noted.

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“The Senate is divided 21 to 19 in favor of Republicans,” he said. “If the Democrats win the 10th

District seat and hold their current seats, then it will be 20 to 20.” That would give Democrats the

edge because tie votes in the Senate are decided by the lieutenant governor — currently Ralph

Northam, a Democrat.

But if Sturtevant wins the 10th Senate District seat, the Republicans will cause trouble for

McAuliffe.

“It would make things tough for the governor to get anything done over the next two years,

forcing a possible gridlock in Richmond,” Farnsworth said.

***

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http://www.richmond.com/news/local/article_f3a91045-b437-54a8-b637-be1949d98d22.html

As many as 30,000 expected as Greek Festival

turns 40

By Jason Fuller

May 28, 2016

To some, the word “Greek” brings to mind history and mythology, conjuring up images of

philosophers and gods. But in Richmond, the word is increasingly tied to good times and good

food, thanks to the Richmond Greek Festival.

The 40th annual festival kicked off Thursday and runs through Sunday.

St. Constantine and St. Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral has hosted the event since 1976. It has

seen the Richmond-area community gravitate to its cause and cuisine, both of which started off

as small-scale initiatives.

The festival gives away $5,000 a day to various charities — Richmond Friends of the Homeless

on Thursday, C2 Adopt today, Autism Society Central Virginia on Saturday, and Elijah House

Academy on Sunday.

As many as 30,000 people now make their way to the event each year, which can present a

challenge when it comes to the logistics.

Scott Stolte, an executive committee member and participant of 10 years, oversees this aspect,

and this year, 200 volunteers are being enlisted each day to ensure fluidity.

“Forty years is 40 years — it’s a long time for a festival,” Stolte said.

Stolte got involved by accident as he saw his mother-in-law, Pat Soto, overwhelmed at her pastry

booth.

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“I asked her did she need some help, she said sure, and I’ve been involved ever since,” he said.

“I do it out of love for her.”

Over its four decades, the festival has acclimated to the growing crowds by establishing a drive-

thru.

“This dates back approximately 20 years,” said Manny Juranis, operations coordinator of the

drive-thru.

He recalls serving visitors from as far away as South Carolina and New York.

“They’ve gotten outside of their cars and started taking photos and recording everything out of

amazement,” Juranis said.

The food keeps people coming back year after year, thanks to traditional favorites like Greek

cheesecake, gyros and Greek honey dumplings, and newer fare such as calamari, pistachio

(Greek lasagna) and Greek yogurt pops.

“There’s one request upon your arrival,” Stolte said. “Bring your appetite, family and friends.”

***

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http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/man-scaled-trump-tower-changed-article-1.2747133

Trump Tower climber: Everything we know

about 19-year-old daredevil Michael Ryan

Michael Ryan made it up to the 21st floor before an elite NYPD Emergency Services Unit team yanked him into a window

they had opened.

By Jason Fuller, Rocco Parascandola, Larry McShare

August 11, 2016

The Trump-loving teen busted for scaling The Donald’s namesake tower skipped a family

vacation and assumed a new identity before launching his strange skyscraper odyssey.

Michael Ryan of Great Falls, who hoped to meet with Donald Trump, instead spent time

Thursday with Bellevue Hospital doctors for a psychiatric evaluation.

Ryan, 19, a high school dropout whose track career ended with foot surgery, was working at a

Virginia gardening center before making the 242-mile pilgrimage to Trump Tower, cops and

neighbors said.

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His parents returned Wednesday night from a European getaway to discover their son was

arrested by the NYPD after wall-crawling to the 21st floor of the 58-story Midtown building.

Cops said his only reason for making the trip in his Honda Accord was to grab some face time

with Trump. The teen, who used handheld suction cups for the climb, was charged Thursday

with reckless endangerment and criminal trespass in the bizarre stunt.

“I don’t understand why he would do something that dangerous,” said Richard Coyle, who lives

two doors down from the Ryans.

Tom and Carolyn Garofalo, who live next door in the neighborhood of $1 million homes, said

Ryan seemed fine when they invited him over for dinner this week. He was left alone when the

rest of his family toured Naples, Pompeii and Rome.

“Just keep them in your prayers,” Carolyn Garofalo said.

The daredevil’s mom, Gina Ryan, told cops her son might be autistic, a police source told the

Daily News. The climber’s father is a Navy captain.

Sources said the teen was worried about appearing on camera during his painfully slow, nearly

three-hour excursion.

Despite the chaos caused by Ryan’s climb, the teen’s conservative politics and spotty academic

record might be enough to spark a bromance with Trump.

“I love the poorly educated,” Trump declared in March, when polls indicated he had the most

supporters of any candidate among voters with a high school education or less.

The day before his daring climb, Ryan posted a YouTube video saying he wanted a meeting with

Trump. He also asked people to vote for the Republican presidential nominee.

Ryan checked into the $305-a-night Bowery Hotel before heading to Midtown with his

collection of suction cups. He arrived carrying newly minted IDs under the name Stephen

Rogata, police sources said. The name change was possibly done to cover his tracks in the likely

event of Ryan’s arrest.

Ryan worked at Pots and Plants, a gardening store.

“He was on vacation for a week and was supposed to come back Wednesday,” said the owner,

who asked not to be identified. “And when we saw the news, we figured he wouldn’t be in.”

Ryan’s Facebook page indicated he started working for the Fairfax County Republican

Committee in 2013. The group said “a Michael Ryan was an intern with our organization some

time before 2014.”

***

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Turning to Frederick Douglass

Newly-erected statue of Frederick Douglass on the University of Maryland’s campus, Douglass was born in

Tuckahoe, MD

By Jason Fuller

RICHMOND—Black History Month serves as an opportunity to pay homage to innumerable

African-American pioneers across professions whose tireless efforts manifest today. And as

February approaches, celebrations and ceremonies commemorating our heroes and sheroes will

ask a question such as “Are Black Americans truly free from the injustice, persecution, and in all

honesty, slavery?”

The advent of technology allows the African-American community to document senseless and

unwarranted acts of violence inflicted by law enforcement. However, the ultimate unsavory

entrée served to African-American communities are grand juries’ failure to see criminal

malfeasance. How should Black Americans cope with this plight with absolutely no end in sight

to this injustice? How should we cope with this?

As a millennial born in the late 1980s, I found strength, solace, empowerment, hope, gusto and

zeal not from music, but from reading. I have found the greatest source of answers from looking

back into history through the eyes of Frederick Douglass.

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In the Narrative of Frederick Douglass, Douglass illustrates the horrors and bleakness of life as

an enslaved person in the early 19th century. Society should learn from Douglass’ first hand

experiences, because notwithstanding his egregious circumstance, he stayed persistent and was

able to sit at the table of humanity and taste freedom.

One of Douglass’ foremost quotes reads “I prayed for twenty years but received no answer until I

prayed with my legs.” In other words, he no longer wished to serve as anyone’s inferior and was

determined to be the captain of his fate. Unfortunately, Douglass was stuck in a state of

hopelessness and it took a watershed moment to awaken his mind, body and soul to do wonders.

This moment led to his epoch showdown with his cruel and dehumanizing overseer, Covey.

During this preeminent clash, he was determined to inflict reciprocal retribution to his

oppressors. It led to a David versus Goliath stalemate, Douglass summoned his eternal warrior

spirit and in doing so seized Covey by the throat. Simultaneously and concurrently, this threshold

moment of virility catapulted him into the thinking of a freeman. Standing up to his nemesis was

liberating and hence there after served as a baptism by fire after effect where Douglass was

forever looking over his shoulder; a price he was willing to pay.

Fast forwarding to

contemporary times,

who or what is Black

America’s showdown

with? Who is the

Covey of today? This

can be both a

complex and a

straightforward task.

Systematic, personal,

and internalized

racism must be noted,

addressed and

ultimately eliminated.

However, combatting

this means

marginalized people

must, like Douglass,

be prepared to fight and agitate the opposition while teaching and empowering one another.

In order to empower, we must embrace ideologies from various movements orchestrated by

African-Americans and to those who wish to aid us in these movement. Somehow, a fissure was

conceived between Black Lives Matter and some African-American communities mainly because

of a disagreement in strategy and usage of polarizing rhetoric. We must coalesce even if we are

not congruent with every approach because, if not, we will suffer as a community.

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Black History Month is typically designated as a time to revel in the accomplishments of our

ancestors, their struggle and how we presently reap the benefits of their efforts. African-

Americans and allies for racial equality can cement their place in history if we are able to

cohesively strategize and erect strong institutions of economics, education, and agriculture in

order to unilaterally move upward. This must be the call to action this February.

Last November, a statue was erected of Frederick Douglass on the University of Maryland’s

campus. It is worth noting that during Douglass’ illustrious career as an orator, abolitionist,

journalist and U.S. Marshal, Douglass never made an appearance on this campus, but the fruits

of his harvest do.

***

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Easy to Get in, Hard to Graduate

By Jason Fuller

RICHMOND–Despite the seemingly endless options of colleges and universities to attend (more

than 7,000), some students are finding a lack of cultural diversity on their campuses.

Every year, U.S. News & World Report’s ranks colleges and universities based on numerous

criteria, but they do not include cultural diversity as a ranking factor. The influential publication

excludes this factor despite the growing number of students becoming first-generation college

students from underrepresented groups.

From 1996 to 2012, college enrollment among Hispanics ages 18 to 24 increased by 240 percent

and increased by 72 percent among African-Americans, according to the Pew Research Center

(PRC). However, the PRC noticed Hispanics only represented nine percent of adults between the

ages of 25 to 29 with a bachelor’s degree, because of Hispanics decreased chances of being at

four-year colleges and securing full-time student status.

As a result, many insist that the full effects of diversity can’t be measured. “We are at a state of

emergency,” said Dr. Don Trahan Jr., diversity and inclusion specialist and multicultural

clinician at The University of New Mexico. He said that the statistics are disheartening and point

to a structural issue.

“Diversity is any cultural factor—cultural factors being used loosely—that one may [be

presented] with, and the intersectionality of cultural factors of what make up one’s unique lens or

world view. That world view is diversity.”

Dr. Trahan argues that academia limits this definition, and presents diversity as a dominant

cultural factor like race or ethnicity.

Ron McNeal, a 31-year-old Florida State University alumni and graduate of NYU’s international

affairs program, is a Filipino American and views diversity at NYU from a different paradigm.

“Although I am a Filipino, I consider myself to be an American. In my NYU program I felt like I

was the minority because everyone else is not an American. I was the only one without an

accent,” he said.

Vierka Vasquez is a 25-year-old graduate student at NYU studying international affairs and an

alumnus from CUNY. She lamented on her polar opposite academic experience.

“Our program was mostly full of white American students and international transfer students

from Asia. Very few Hispanics and African-Americans,” said Vasquez. “We never had an

African-American professor at NYU. Our professors were mainly male – white/European

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professors with their PhDs. I won’t generalize because I’m not sure of NYU’s undergrad

population, but CUNY was very diverse – full of African-Americans, Hispanics and Asians.”

After speaking with numerous minority students, many from large public institutions found

getting accepted into school easy; however, finishing presented the biggest challenge. It turns out

that an unsafe learning environment in tandem with being one of the only students of a certain

demographic contributes to low or delayed graduation rates.

Comparing Schools

Using Trahan’s diversity framework, 10 institutions were selected where their graduation and

retention rates, demographics and diversity initiatives would be analyzed side-by-side. The

following institutions were selected: Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), University of

Illinois at Chicago (UIC), University of New Mexico (UNM), Georgetown University, John

Hopkins University, New York University (NYU), City University of New York (CUNY),

Prairie View A&M University, Florida State University (FSU) and Howard University. The

selected schools were chosen to determine if diversity was present across the country, regardless

of school prestige.

The analysis featured data collected from the National Center for Education Statistics and its

2006 incoming cohort class as well as 2013-2014 fiscal allocation breakdown. Below is a

juxtaposition of the institutions.

Cosmetic Diversity: Who’s Doing Good in Class Create bar charts

The aforementioned chart can be partitioned into three categories based on 4-year graduation

rates: High (Georgetown, NYU, and John Hopkins), Medium (Florida State, Howard, Illinois-

Chicago and VCU), and Low (University of New Mexico, Prairie View A&M and CUNY). Five

of these schools are classified as “peer institutions” (UIC, VCU, FSU, UNM and NYU).

Zane Berge and Yi-Ping Huang’s 2004 article, A Model for Sustainable Student Retention: A

Holistic Perspective on the Student Dropout Problem with Special Attention to e-

Learning, demonstrates this issue in academia and calls for more attention to completing a

program and student success.

Dr. Cherese Fine, program coordinator at Clemson University’s Charles H. Houston Center for

the Study of the Black Experience in Education, recognizes the need for more emphasis on

student success and creates strategies at Clemson to promote this. She faces an uphill climb.

“We tend to get dinged when it comes to diversity. We excel in all other areas – just not

diversity,” she said. “African-Americans are 30 percent of the state’s population but only

represents 6 to 8 percent of the study body.”

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In addition to the lack of cultural diversity among Clemson’s student body, their faculty do not

appear to represent of the state or country’s makeup. “We have about 1,200 instructional faculty

members. Of those, 1,000 are Caucasian, 36 are African-American, 105 [are] Asian-American

and 21 [are] Hispanic faculty members,” said Fine.

This framework of magnifying students is housed under student services and academic support.

Analyzing the data from the surveyed institutions shows that only Georgetown has double-digit

funding allocated toward student services. The data underscores a significant gap where

Georgetown University students graduate at a rate nearly 7.5 times more than University of New

Mexico students in a four-year span.

Michael Perkins is a second year Ph.D. student of Public Policy at Virginia Commonwealth

University and attributes his success to his academic prowess and mentorship from African-

American professors. Perkins recognizes he was lucky to find mentors of color in his program

because his program is not culturally representative of VCU.

“Before me, my program’s cohort didn’t have African-Americans for at least two cycles,”

Perkins said.

Perkins believes that diversity in academia has many layers and will remain a hot topic for years

to come.

“I’d be remised if I didn’t applaud VCU’s diversity effort. It’s just a new plight of inequality in

society, but I’m hopeful.”

***

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Urban Renewal or Re-Gentrification:

Reconstructing Richmond

By Jason Fuller

RICHMOND — While residents of Richmond acknowledge that change and opportunities have

come to their city some are finding it harder to either reside in or relate to their community.

While many Richmonders welcome the arrival of new businesses and revamped housing, others

view the changes as signs of more than just simply renewing old spaces, but instead as

gentrification. Gentrification is the process of buying and renovating property in urban

neighborhoods by upper- and middle-class families, which improves the property value but often

displaces low-income families and businesses

People move to Richmond for its opportunities, convenient location and family oriented vibe.

The city is sandwiched by several areas that Forbes lists as “boom cities.” Many believe these

surrounding realities are responsible for Richmond’s transformation.

Where there was once blight now lies new businesses, and previously crime-filled areas now are

housing dorms for college students. These changes seem to have given Richmond a new identity;

hence the RVA bumper stickers that now flood the city.

Richmond has quite a few transforming historic neighborhoods. The 2000 and 2010 U.S. Census

found that Shockoe Bottom, one of the country’s historic slave trade docks, is experiencing over

a 200 percent population growth due to housing renovations. According to City-Data, the rental

rates in Carver, a historically working class Black neighborhood, have skyrocketed to $1,000 a

month, among the highest in the city.

Though many Richmonders support redevelopment, many others believe that the sense of

community and history should not be demolished for capital gain.

Sylvio and Matilda Lynch are a couple whose lived in the city for over 40 years and have

witnessed Richmond’s significant and progressive changes. Sylvio Lynch is also conscious of a

systematic trend at work.

“People are being pushed out of Southside simply by buying up property and increasing the rent

and taxes of those properties. People who stay in those communities can no longer afford to live

there, and as a result, they have to leave.”

He also added that gentrification is always done for two reasons. To progress an area and make a

profit, which impacts our taxes, our daily commute.

Despite these implications of re-gentrification or urban renewal, Sylvio Lynch recognizes the

positive aspects of the phenomenon in the greater Richmond area.

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“On the progressive side, the opportunities for young people are expanding because of the large

university area and new corporate offices relocating here,” Sylvio Lynch said.

Sylvio Lynch and Regan both acknowledge how gentrification adversely impacts educational

equity and how it prevents Richmond from fully turning over a new leaf.

“[Bellevue] is full of young families, I noticed that once the kids reach middle school, the

families move out to Midlothian, where their child can get a quality education,” Regan said.

The Virginia Department of Education documented the gap that Regan mentions. In 2014, the

Chesterfield Public Schools graduated over 90 percent of their high school graduates, in

comparison to 70 percent in Richmond Public Schools.

Richmond has made valiant attempts to renovate many of its current structures and institutions

except the public school system.

Nana Esparza moved to Richmond in 1973 as a teenager and graduated from Armstrong High

School. She says she has not seen much change to the school system or its demographics.

“In terms of the demographics there hasn’t been a change. They’ve switched buildings several

times, and teachers have floated around. But no, no real change,” Esparza said.

A trend that has caught Esparza’s attention is the new citywide developments that often exclude

natives, but are defended by the promise of creating more jobs.

“Typically when gentrification occurs it's because people move in who have a particular income.

Typically, jobs are the driving force,” Esparza said.

Fayeruz Regan, a Richmonder and VCU alumni, welcomes the city’s new changes and attributes

them to a much-needed urban renewal.

Regan says that she approves of the city’s revamping because VCU and the city were not as safe

20 years ago.

“When I went to VCU there was a lot of crime. I mean it was the ‘90s. Shots would sound off on

campus and students would go running into the Fan. You couldn’t take night classes and walk

home by yourself because there were a few rapes near campus,” Regan said.

Like other urban cities, Richmond has seen a higher number its suburban residents flock to the

inner city. This migration back to the city has increased income to Richmond, largely attributed

to recent economic development and re-investment in housing infrastructure.

Matilda Lynch realizes that the new changes in Richmond are needed, but heritage should not be

sacrificed. Jackson Ward, one of Richmond’s more historic neighborhoods, has suffered as a

result.

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“We used to shop there, eat lunch there… The marketplace that we use to frequent was pub for

dialogue exchange. There was this restaurant on 2nd Street, Anderson’s Grill. Everybody who

was anybody came in there. From Doug Wilder, to Henry Marsh to Oliver Hill,” Matilda Lynch

said. “It galvanized the community and you would hear everything from politics to crime. It was

an integral spot as far as community communication goes.”

***