U&A Nov. 18, 2025: An Inside Look at Iran | No War on Venezuela | ICE: "We Aint Buying It!" campaign

 

Updates & Announcements A service of THE VIRGINIA DEFENDER  newspaper.  Editorial Board: Ana Edwards & Phil Wilayto Nov. 18, 2025 Nov. 18 - On this date in 1977, Robert Chambliss became the first of three members of the KKK to be convicted in the Sept 15, 1963, bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala. A fourth Klansman died before he could be brought to trial. The bombing, which took the lives of four young girls and wounded many others, shocked the country and contributed to support for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

We acknowledge that we live on land that was stolen from the Powhatan people and worked by stolen African labor. Reparations are long overdue. UPCOMING EVENTS Thurs., Nov. 20 - “AN INSIDE LOOK AT IRAN” - Join the Defenders for the first Richmond showing of “Ameneh’s Golden Blood,” an Iranian film about a gravely ill college student whose family carries out an international search for the rare blood type that can save her life. The film will be followed by a discussion on contemporary U.S.-Iran issues with longtime antiwar activist Phil Wilayto, editor of the Virginia Defender and author of In Defense of Iran: Notes from a U.S. Peace Delegation’s Journey through the Islamic Republic. Copies of the book will be available for purchase. 7 pm, Afterglow Coffee Cooperative, 1719 Summit Ave. in Richmond’s Scott’s Addition. See the Facebook page “An Inside Look at Iran.” For more information, email DefendersFJE@hotmail.com or call or text 804.644.5834. IN DEFENSE OF IRAN: After Israel and the Trump regime bombed Iran, the Defenders reissued our book In Defense of Iran: Notes from a U.S. Peace Delegation’s Journey through the Islamic Republic. To purchase a copy, send your name, address and a check or money order for $15.85 (includes tax) made out to “Virginia Defender Press LLC” to: Defenders, PO Box 23202, Richmond, VA 23223. Sat., Nov. 22 - PROTEST: “U.S. TROOPS OUT OF THE CARIBBEAN! END THE EXTRAJUDICIAL MURDERS NOW!” - The U.S. has positioned a huge Naval force off the coast of Venezuela and is threatening war. Already, more than 20 small boats have been blown up and more than 80 people have been killed. The Trump administration claims, without offering any proof, that this is a war against drugs. In fact, it’s simply an attempt to bring down the government of Venezuela, the country with the world’s largest known oil reserves. That oil is owned by the government, which is attempting to use the profits to benefit the people, not U.S. oil companies. Many of the Navy ships threatening Venezuela are based in Norfolk, including the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest and most advanced aircraft carrier. Protests are being held around the country, but this one in Norfolk, sponsored by a wide range of organizations including the local chapter of Veterans for Peace, is especially significant. Join the Defenders in a car caravan to the protest. We leave from Richmond at 9 am and will be back sometime that afternoon. To sign up, email DefendersFJE@hotmail.com or call or text 804.644.5834. Thurs., Nov. 27 - 20th ANNUAL COMMUNITY “THANKSGIVING” DAY FEAST – “This free event focuses on inviting all to partake in the meal, with an emphasis on our elderly neighbors, those in homeless or less fortunate situations, local military or first responders, and anyone who would normally spend Thanksgiving alone." 10 am - 3 pm, Greater Richmond Convention Center, 403 North 3rd St., Richmond. Sponsored by the Giving Heart organization. For more information or to volunteer to help: 804-749-4726 or inquiries@thegivingheart.org. Nov. 27 – Dec. 1 – WE AIN’T BUYING IT – “Pause on shopping from major companies that are enabling this administration. … This action is taking direct aim at Target, for caving to this administration’s biased attacks on DEI; Home Depot, for allowing and colluding with ICE to kidnap our neighbors on their properties; and Amazon, for funding this administration to secure their own corporate tax cuts.” More information on the We Ain’t Buying It campaign here. Wed., Dec. 10 - PUBLIC MEETING ON THE FUTURE OF SHOCKOE BOTTOM AFRICAN BURIAL GROUND MEMORIAL - The Shockoe Project will present an update to the Memorial for the African Burial Ground. Your input is critical! 6 pm at the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia, 122 W. Leigh St., Richmond. RSVP requested. Click here for flyer.  For the background of the decades-long community struggle to reclaim and properly memorialize Shockoe Bottom, see the Sacred Ground Historical Reclamation Project Thurs., Dec. 11 - SUMMER / FALL EDITION OF THE VIRGINIA DEFENDER! - Packed with community news, reports from Virginia’s prisons, the latest on support for our immigrant communities, labor, antiwar struggles and much more! With 15,000 copies distributed in 16 cities and counties, we’re always looking for more people to help distribute the newspaper. If you can spare one, two or three hours, please contact us today. Email DefendersFJE@hotmail.com or call or text 804.644.5834. Sat. Dec. 13 - NORFOLK MEETING WITH THE VIRGINIA DEFENDERS - The Virginia Defenders will hold a meeting for members and friends in the Hampton Roads area. We hope to deepen our relations with other activists, and we’ll have the new edition of The Virginia Defender! Noon to 1:30 pm at the Jesus House of Prayer for All People, 1320 Brambleton Ave., Pastor Rodolfo Trotter and First Lady Henrietta Trotter. We’ll be serving refreshments, so please RSVP so we’ll know how much to order. Email DefendersFJE@hotmail.com or call or text 804.644.5834. Fri., Dec. 26 – UMOJA KWANZAA CELEBRATION – “Drumming, Cooperative Economics, Calabash Village and more.” 5-9 pm, 464 Byrne St., Petersburg. Sponsored by United Parents Against Lead (UPAL) and the Tribe of Shabazz. For more information: 804.370.1143 – Pcr.hub22@gmail.com

ONGOING STAND UP FOR GAZA! IN RICHMOND: Join a protest every Friday from 8-9 am and 5-6 pm at the intersection of West Broad Street and North Belvidere. Initiated by the Virginia Defenders and sustained by a broad range of individuals and organizations. IN NORFOLK: Hampton Roads for Palestine holds a protest every Saturday from 2-4 pm at the intersection of St. Paul's Boulevard and City Hall Avenue.