Back for 2025, Getting Word’s Black Family History Lab is a two-day program highlighting the interconnectedness of Black family legacies in the spirit of Ubuntu, an African philosophy meaning, “I am because we are.”
On Friday, February 21, join us for our Black Family History Lab Symposium at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center. The symposium will explore the interwoven ties that bind together local and familial African American histories in Central Virginia and beyond. Engage in enriching panels, interactive workshops, and connect with others to foster a deeper sense of community, connection, and care.
For the full Symposium schedule and free registration, please visit this link.
On Saturday, February 22, come out for our Black Family History Lab Expo at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, where the richness of history meets the power of community! This event brings together a diverse mix of community-based organizations and local specialists to build a comprehensive network of support, inspiration, and resources tailored to help you safeguard your family’s legacy for the next generation.
Finally, the culminating event of the Black Family History Lab, the Jubilee Celebration, will take place at the Carver Recreation Center, featuring music, dance, and poetry performances by local organizations and artists that honor our heritage through their chosen medium.
Be sure to also check out our Facebook event page for other information and updates.
Local Black women business owners are not just participants in the business world —they are leaders, innovators, and changemakers!
Erin StanleyJanique WashingtonKeona Knight
RICHMOND, Va., Feb. 7, 2025 – Richmond is buzzing with entrepreneurial spirit, and leading the charge are dynamic Black women entrepreneurs who are reshaping the business landscape.
In a groundbreaking initiative, five phenomenal Richmond-area women have graduated from the largest cohort yet of Goldman Sachs’ program, “One Million Black Women: Black in Business.” Launched in February 2022, this program offers a free, tailored business education program in partnership with NYU Stern School of Business to empower sole proprietors to overcome challenges and thrive. In a recent survey of Black in Business graduates, 65% of alumni reported increasing revenues, 90% believe the program gave them tools to innovate, and 94% of Black in Business alumni are optimistic about future growth.
The legacy of trailblazers such as Maggie L. Walker and MBL continues to inspire new generations of entrepreneurs.
Meet the trailblazers who are December 2024 graduates of the “One Million Black Women: Black in the Business” program:
· Keonna Knight, the inspiring CEO and courage coach of Heal with Keonna;
· Erin Stanley, the compassionate psychotherapist and founder of Honey Bee Therapy;
· Janique Washington, the innovative cranial prosthetics specialist at The Chic Studio.
These women describe their experience with the “Black in Business” program as “phenomenal,” “transformative,” and “life-changing.” Keonna Knight likened it to a hands-on business school, emphasizing the practical, actionable insights she gained. Joli Aslan shared how the program fueled her confidence to dream bigger, while Shirley Crawford is already revamping her business with newfound passion and fire.
The program not only equipped the women with a one-year action plan, but also connected them to a vibrant network of like-minded entrepreneurs, a crucial support system for solo entrepreneurs. As Janique Washington noted, this sense of belonging is invaluable.
“I was honestly blown away,” Aslan said, noting she sees her developed confidence to dream bigger dreams as a payoff already.
But it wasn’t only good feelings that participants left with. They each also developed a one-year action plan over the 12-week course and already began the first steps in implementing it.
Crawford has begun changing her website and creating new programs.
“It [the program] has helped me to really think about my business from scratch and revamp my focus,” she said. “I’m feeling super passionate and so on fire.”
Stanley’s focus has been on time management – something she says the program taught her is paramount if she wants to expand her impact and her income. However, she gained something else – a wide network of women from different backgrounds and fields to connect with.
This was a bonus important to all five women because, as Washington added, being a solo entrepreneur can be lonely.
“Just having people available gives you a sense of belonging, and that’s something that I didn’t have before,” she said.
When asked what encouragement they have for other Black women with entrepreneurial dreams, the resounding answer of the group was, “Go for it!”
“There are lots of opportunities available and out there,” Stanley said. “So use your voices because they matter.”
Image of the forthcoming Obama Presidential Center scheduled to open in 2026 in Chicago.Bonnie Newman Davis, Dr. Chrystal Moten, Vinara Mosby and Erin Stanley.
What an honor for my BND Institute of Media and Culture Inc. to be a Community Partner with VCU Libraries last evening where Dr. Crystal M. Moten spoke about the forthcoming Obama Presidential Center! Dr. Moten, the Center’s Curator of Collection and Exhibitions, walked us through the facility set to open next year. “Building a Home for Change: The Obama Presidential Center,” was last night’s theme. Dr. Moten explained how the center is rooted in a larger, complex discussion about democracy, and the historical predecessors who made President and Mrs. Obama’s stories possible. She also shared the center’s storytelling goals as they relate to the events, policies, challenges and accomplishments of the Obama Presidency. Other aspects of the center, to be housed on the windy city’s south side, will include a basketball court/athletic facility, a community fruit and veggie garden, and a BRANCH OF THE CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY!! How cool is that? We had a lovely time and I thank Dr. Irene M.H. Herold, Sue Robinson, Dr. Carmen Foster, Antonia Vassar and the super staff at VCU Libraries for making this event so special for me, several of my dear friends and for my daughter, Erin Stanley, who earned her master’s degree in social work from the University of Chicago. I told Dr. Moten that Michelle Obama and Valerie Jarrett probably were instrumental in making sure that students such as my Erin were able to further their education at UofC. I can’t wait to attend next year’s Obama Presidential Center opening!! Go online and read more about this monumental project that will honor America’s first Black president!
Reclaiming my time to reflect and serve during Black History Month. Michele Norris and Melody Barnes provided nuggets of wisdom—and hope— Thursday night at Charlottesville’s Paramount Theater. We learned more about Norris’ book, “Our Hidden Conversations: What Americans Really Think About Race and Identity.” I also received updates about VCU’s East Marshall Street Well Project yesterday at Richmond’s Black History Museum. This horrific history involving stolen Black bodies that were callously discarded in a well after being used for medical research has no redeeming qualities aside from a team of descendants and young researchers of color who continue to work and unravel the truth. Boosting Black Authors and supporting Black women’s philanthropic efforts also top my to-do list this month. Praying for the losses and thankful for the sacrifices—Asheville, NOLA, L.A., Reagan International, Philly, Richmond and Henry L. Marsh. It’s a lot, but better than succumbing to the travesty that uninformed voters gave us in November 2024.
Bonnie Newman Davis shares her journey since publishing her award-winning book two years ago
Welcome to The Power and Presence of Black Women Journalists event! Join us on Wed, Feb 26, 2025 at 6:00 PM for an evening celebrating the incredible contributions of Black women in journalism who are highlighted in Bonnie Newman Davis’ award-winning book, “Truth Tellers: The Power and Presence of Black Women Journalists Since 1960.”The event will take place at 1401 N Laburnum Ave, where we will hear from inspiring speakers, engage in meaningful discussions, and network with like-minded individuals. Don’t miss this opportunity to be empowered and inspired by the stories and experiences of Black women journalists. For details, email bonnienewmandavis@gmail.com . See you there! Please register on EventBrite!
The East Marshall Street Well Project works to address some of the exploitative medical practices perpetrated by Virginia Commonwealth University on Richmond’s Black communities since the 1800s. Representatives from the community and VCU will contextualize this history and discuss efforts to create oral history and memorialization projects that work toward reparative justice. Please join us during Black History Month to reflect upon important local Black history in the making.
Lucinda McDermott performs in her one-woman play “O’Keeffe Jan. 25-26, 2025 at Richmond Triangle Players theater. Ticket information and time is here.
Reviews of Lucinda’s stage portrayal of Georgia O’Keeffe:
“McDermott’s one-woman play gets to the very heart of one of the enduring questions surrounding the art and life of Georgia O’Keeffe: how much credit does Alfred Stieglitz deserve for the critical and commercial success of his foremost protégé? It is a question that McDermott has O’Keeffe pose from beyond the grave, with all the insight and wit of a woman brought truly to life, both as an artist and as a captivating personality.” -Ariel Plotek, Curator of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum
Georgia O’Keeffe has summoned an audience to help answer the question, “Was it me or was it Stieglitz?” We journey with O’Keeffe from 1915 when she tears up her work to date, and starts over in black and white to discover her own style. She revisits key moments in her life to reveal hidden truths, but the shadow of manager and husband Alfred Stieglitz looms heavy over her. Was it his nude photographs of her that enticed the art world to her, or was it her own excellence of craft? Would she have been noticed if he hadn’t exhibited her? Georgia rejects claims by the male dominated art world about what drives her art, but when a Stieglitz affair gets too intense, and a very public commission collapses, her world falls apart. Georgia rallies, determined to survive and paint again, but some difficult decisions must be made. In the end, the truth that lies deep in Georgia’s heart is revealed— and it’s as devastating as it is honest. O’Keeffe! is a revealing critically acclaimed drama about the beloved and complex American icon.
*Newly Revised Script and production* Written and performed by Lucinda McDermott. Directed by Jan Powell with soundscape by Jon Piro.
“Powerful, funny, emotional, dramatic and very high quality. . .The audience was riveted to every word from beginning to end and gave Ms. McDermott a well-earned standing ovation! . . .Ms. McDermott established a connection with audience members right from the beginning and kept them in the palm of her hand for the entire show. . . . The emotional and the ultimately uplifting performance left a lasting impression on our community! . . .Ms. McDermott arrived early for load in and rehearsal and her set up was very smooth. Minimal set & props enhanced the actor’s storytelling without distracting from her work. She was very specific about her technical requirements, but also flexible to work with. I would encourage any venue to book this performance!”
-Elizabeth Bracey, Managing Director, Franklin Performing Arts Center
Concert/Performance Description
“O’Keeffe!” is designed to be presented in a variety of settings ranging from state-of-the-art theatres to galleries or other open spaces. Preference is for a professional sound system with stage lighting, however, we can be flexible in most circumstances. Please contact artist for specifics.
Recent history and future community-building will be the focus of VCU Libraries’ annual Black History Lecture Feb 4, 2025, “Building a Home for Change: The Obama Presidential Center.”
The Center’s Curator of Collections and Exhibitions, Dr. Crystal M. Moten, will provide an overview of the Obama Presidential Center focusing on the center’s museum exhibits. She will: explore the ways the exhibits are rooted in a larger, complex discussion about democracy; highlight the historical predecessors who made President and Mrs. Obama’s stories possible; and share the museum’s storytelling goals as they relate to the events, policies, challenges and accomplishments of the Obama Presidency. In harnessing the power of storytelling, the Center hopes to inspire all of its visitors to push for change within their own communities.
The Obama Presidential Center (OPC) will open in Chicago in spring 2026. Set in historic Jackson Park, in the heart of the city’s south side, the center spans 19 acres and will feature a fruit and vegetable garden; an athletic, programs, and events facility; a world-class museum; an auditorium; a branch of the Chicago Public Library; and more.
The Center, through its mission, museum and programs, will be a physical demonstration of how making change at home is the most meaningful way to participate in democracy and impact the world.
The speaker is a public historian, curator and writer who focuses on the intersection of race, class and gender to uncover the hidden histories of Black people in the Midwest. In 2022, Moten joined the Obama Foundation as the inaugural Curator of Collections and Exhibitions on the Presidential Center Museum team. She plays a key role in the collaborative effort to complete the design and implementation of the inaugural exhibits while also serving as the primary steward and subject matter expert of the Obama Foundation Museum Collection. Moten supervises and manages the curatorial team and its activities.
She has been researching African American life, history, culture, politics and work for nearly two decades and sees her work at the Obama Center as a “culminating moment in terms of bringing together the personal, professional, and the intellectual.”
In an online interview, Moten put the project in perspective:
“For the Obama Presidential Center, we really want people to understand that it was a collective set of actions that got President Obama to where he is today. We are telling the story and the history of President Obama becoming the nation’s first Black president. We are explaining the buildup that happened way before 2008, focusing on what led to President Obama’s historic victory, diving into the eight years of his administration, the pushback and the obstruction that happens at the end of his administration, and civic action that empowers everyone to engage in democracy.
“We want to show that together we can create the change we desire. All of our small actions added together is what moves the mountain. What history tells us is that change takes time. And I think that’s what the Presidential Center also shows. The way in which we agitate for change and the time that it takes, it’s not going to happen immediately. It didn’t happen over eight years. There’s still work to be done.”
Prior to joining the Obama Foundation, Moten served as Curator of African American History in the Division of Work and Industry at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, DC. There, she stewarded collections as they related to the history of African Americans in business and labor; collaborated on several exhibitions; wrote for the Museum’s blog; and helped start, produce, and host “Collected,” a Smithsonian Podcast on African American History. She also reviewed and appeared on documentaries for the Smithsonian Channel including, She the People: Votes for Women.
The recipient of numerous awards and honors, Moten has taught at colleges and universities across the country including the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; Dickinson College; Macalester College; and American University. Her research has appeared in books, journals, documentaries and other media.
A lifetime member of the Association of Black Women Historians, she serves on the Board of Directors for the Midwestern History Association and the Labor and Working Class History Association; the Executive Committee of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History; as well as the Board of Editors for the American Historical Review.
Her most recent, award-winning book is Continually Working: Black Women, Community Intellectualism and Economic Justice in Postwar Milwaukee (Vanderbilt University Press, 2023).
She studied African American Studies and anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis and received a master’s degree in African-American Studies and a doctorate in history from the University of Wisconsin Madison.
Registration is now open. The lecture is free and open to all. Seating is limited. The lecture will be held at James Branch Cabell Library at 7 p.m. Feb. 4, 2025.
VCU Libraries’ Black History Month Lecture is supported by the Francis M. Foster Fund. [https://www.support.vcu.edu/give/fund?fund=4924] Francis Merrill Foster Sr., DDS, was an assistant professor of general-practice dentistry at Virginia Commonwealth University and a retired Richmond dentist. The unofficial historian of Jackson Ward, Foster was known for his health-care advocacy and for his desire to improve the lives of those around him.
Michele Norris will deliver the 2025 Community MLK Celebration keynote address on January 30, 2025. An on-stage discussion with Melody Barnes, executive director of UVA’s Karsh Institute of Democracy, will follow.
January 30, 2025 at 6:00 PM
The Paramount Theater
This event is free and open to the public. Tickets are available via the Paramount Theater website here.
Michele Norris, MSNBC Senior Contributing Editor, former Washington Post columnist, former NPR “All Things Considered” host, Peabody Award-winner An award-winning journalist, New York Times bestselling author, and one of the most recognized voices in radio, Michele Norris engages audiences in candid discussion about current events, social issues, and bridging the divide in America.
From the radio airwaves of NPR to The Washington Post to her current role as MSNBC Senior Contributor, Michele Norris is one of the most trusted voices in American journalism.
For a decade, as host of National Public Radio’s longest-running program, “All Things Considered,” she captivated audiences nationwide while earning some of journalism’s highest honors. As a Washington Post Opinions Columnist, Norris sparked important dialogue on current events, social issues and the power to make change. At MSNBC she brings her compelling insights to cover current events as a Senior Contributing Editor.
Norris is also host of “Your Mama’s Kitchen,” an acclaimed podcast produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s media company. With an incredible range of guests including actors, authors, chefs, and musicians, she explores family histories, memories, and cultures through rich conversations flowing from the simple prompt: “Tell me about your mama’s kitchen.”
On stage, Norris inspires open and honest dialogue, with memorable stories and fascinating perspectives drawn from her personal journey, investigative research, and interviews with world leaders, Nobel Laureates and influential newsmakers. She makes complex and taboo issues remarkably accessible. Audiences walk away empowered to stimulate discussion around challenging topics within their communities.
Melody Barnes, Executive Director, UVA’s Karsh Institute of Democracy As the founding executive director of the University of Virginia’s Karsh Institute of Democracy, Melody Barnes guides the organization on an action-oriented path to realizing democracy in both principle and practice.
Barnes is a dedicated public servant with more than 25 years of experience crafting public policy. She served in the administration of President Barack Obama as assistant to the president and director of the White House Domestic Policy Council. Earlier in her career, Barnes was executive vice president for policy at the Center for American Progress and chief counsel to the late Senator Ted Kennedy on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. Barnes started her career in New York as an associate at Shearman & Sterling.
Barnes earned her BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she graduated with honors in history, and her JD from the University of Michigan. In addition to her role at the Karsh Institute, Barnes is the J. Wilson Newman Professor of Governance at UVA’s Miller Center of Public Affairs, a distinguished fellow at UVA’s School of Law, and co-founder of the domestic-policy strategy firm MB2 Solutions. She is an inaugural recipient of the 2024-25 Chautauqua Perry Fellowship in Democracy, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and serves on the boards of directors of several corporate, non-profit, and philanthropic organizations.
Presented by the Division for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in partnership with the School of Data Science and the Karsh Institute of Democracy.
The University of Virginia is committed to providing universal access to all of our events. Please contact Shai Sawyer at skb2gj@virginia.edu to request disability-related accommodations. Examples of accommodations may include real-time captioning, ASL-English interpreting services, accessible digital copies of programs, accessible seating, and accessible parking. Advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accommodations. Please contact us at least seven days prior to the start of this event.
A tribute to the sacrifices of the past and celebrate the achievements of today
Dear Friends and Supporters, We are excited to invite you to an inspiring program Faith to Freedom Black History Month Program, a moving tribute to celebrate the rich heritage and the founding of the Black churches in Cumberland County, led by the exceptional AMMD Pine Grove Project Student Ambassadors. Date: Sunday, February 23, 2025 Time: 3:00 PM Location: Mt. Olive Baptist Church283 Sugar Fork Road, Cumberland, VA 23040.
This impactful program will celebrate the profound history of our community and honor the faith and determination that fueled the ancestor’s pursuit of founding houses of worship, freedom, and equality. Through dynamic presentations and reflections, our Student Ambassadors will shine a light on the courage, strength, and enduring spirit of our ancestors. RSVP Here:https://tinyurl.com/ammdpgpeventsreg
Be part of this significant gathering as we pay tribute to the sacrifices of the past and celebrate the achievements of today. Let’s come together as a community to reflect, remember, and reaffirm our commitment to preserving our shared history.After the program, please join us for light refreshments and take a moment to explore the historical display. We can’t wait to welcome you on February 23rd @ 3:00 PM. Looking forward to seeing you there! With gratitude, Sonja, President Kamira, AMMDPGPSA President
BND Institute of Media & Culture 