Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality

Haga clic aquí para ver el comunicado en español. Immigrant Support Work Should Not Put Vulnerable Communities in Harm’s Way STATEMENT BY THE VIRGINIA DEFENDERS CONCERNING THE PARTY OF SOCIALISM & LIBERATION Jan. 20, 2026 - Richmond, Virginia In the 24-year history of the Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality, we have never once felt the need to publicly criticize another progressive organization. We have had our differences, but always believed it was best to avoid infighting in the movement and instead demonstrate our own politics and practice by our actions and writings. However, an escalating series of events has led us to the conclusion that we can no longer be silent about the actions of an organization that has deliberately put vulnerable people in real danger. Jan. 7 Rally On Jan 7, 2026, the Richmond chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) held a rally at Richmond’s Monroe Park to protest the fatal shooting of an unarmed legal observer...

SUNDAY, JAN. 18: EMERGENCY PROTEST: ICE OUT! In response to reports of a large influx of ICE agents, Richmond-area immigrants rights activists to hold rally In response to a noticeably sharp increase in the presence of ICE agents in the Richmond area, local immigrant rights organizations are calling for a rally at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 18 at Richmond’s Monroe Park, in the 600 block of West Main Street. The organizations co-sponsoring the rally are Virginia Immigrants for Life, Liberation, Autonomy and Solidarity (VILLAS) and The Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice and Equality.  Credible sources have reported that the federal government has sent around 180 Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to Richmond as of Friday, Jan. 16. ICE has been here for years and recently has been more visible on the streets, but this seems to be a sharp escalation in their numbers.  We’re holding the rally to call on state and local elected officials including Gov. Abigail Spanberger and R...

 Click here or link in menu above.

Updates & Announcements A service of  THE VIRGINIA DEFENDER   newspaper.  Editorial Board: Ana Edwards & Phil Wilayto January 3, 2025 Emergency protest TODAY in Richmond: 3 pm at the  Federal Courthouse No War on Venezuela! Free President Nicolas Maduro & Cilia Flores! No Blood for Oil! Hands OFF Latin America! The Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality are calling for an emergency protest in response to the U.S. attack on Venezuela and the  abduction of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The protest will take place at 3 pm in front of the Federal Courthouse at 701 E. Broad St. in downtown Richmond. The demands of the protest are: No War on Venezuela! Free President Nicolas Maduro & Cilia Flores! No Blood for Oil! Hands OFF Latin America! In the current edition of The Virginia Defender, the Defenders called for a “day after” protest in the event of any  attack against Venezuela. The attack took place la...

  Updates & Announcements A service of  THE VIRGINIA DEFENDER   newspaper.  Editorial Board: Ana Edwards & Phil Wilayto December 30, 2025 One more thought before the End of the Year Dear friends, Yes, you’re right - this is another end-of-the -year Appeal for donations. We know you’re getting a lot of them, but we’d like to make our case. The  Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality  is an all-volunteer organization working for the survival of our communities through education and social justice projects. Since our founding in 2002, we have played leading roles in: the decades-long struggle to reclaim and properly memorialize Shockoe Bottom, once the epicenter of the U.S. domestic slave trade; the expanding movement to expose and address injustices in Virginia’s prisons, jails and detention centers; the critical movement to support immigrant communities, especially during the current racist attacks; supporting labor struggles in ...

BREAKING ELECTION NEWS: If you live in Virginia's 77th District then you know there's a Firehouse Primary Election happening TODAY. The Virginia Defender doesn't endorse candidates very often, but we are endorsing Charlie Schmidt for the seat recently vacated by Delegate Michael Jones (D). Charlie has a solid, long-standing resume of working for the good of people. Check him out at charlie4va.com.   The Summer/Fall Issue of The Virginia Defender is out!  VDEF (Volume 21, No. 2, Issue 77) went to press Thursday afternoon. By 8 pm it delivered and by 6 pm the next day, it was uploaded to  virginiadefender.org  AND on its way to distributers who cover 200+ drop spots across Virginia.  So look for the paper at a local spot near you over the next week.  VDEF meeting in Norfolk, VA. Yes, we distribute in Tidewater! If you would like to be a distributor of this all-volunteer progressive communication project in your community, aka  The Virginia Defender ...