Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality

  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 ...