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 ...