Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality

"Wednesday, May 25, 2011, was a day of victory for us and the community. We wish to thank whatever higher power we believe in, our lawyer, Steve Benjamin, and the community for showing up at the Manchester Courthouse to support us. The courtroom was filled to capacity with supporters. It was awesome to see the room empty out when we left. We also thank those who were not able to come but were there in spirit. To Virginia Commonwealth University, we say that “actions speak louder than words.” A true good-faith gesture would be to donate $123,000 to be used for the development of the African Burial Ground. This is the amount VCU is saving because of the generosity of several companies that are donating their time, energy and equipment to remove the asphalt from the African Burial Ground at no cost. In addition, VCU should donate all the parking fees they collected over the past three years to the African Burial Ground. That money was to recover the cost of purchasing the land, but ...

Three members of the Defenders made the 3am/Apr 9 - 1am/Apr 10 drive from Richmond to New York City and back again to participate in the only national anti-war demonstration to take place this year. Click "Anti-War" link above to see a slide show of the 2 rallies and march in NY with 10,000 people participating. A sister demo was held on April 10 in San Francisco.

Tuesday, April 12, community advocates succeeded in shutting down the VCU parking lot that continues to desecrate Richmond's African Burial Ground! For an hour and a half no cars were allowed to park on this sacred site. Now we appeal to you to support the right to defend the Burial Ground by attending our trial, scheduled for 10 am, Wednesday, May 25, at Richmond General District Court, 920 Hull St., Richmond, VA 23224. News Coverage: "Four arrested for blocking VCU parking lot" 4/13/11

Today at Noon, DefendersLIVE: a wrap up of Sunday, April 3rd's Emancipation Day celebration and Open Mic rally and report back from the Richmond African Burial Ground Community Organizing Committee. Listen online at wrir.org or on the radio at 97.3 FM. "... think back to the day the history books still refer to as the "Fall of Richmond." Confederate troops had fled the city, setting fires as they retreated. Thick, dark clouds billowed up to the sky. Men, women and children, Bklack and White, free and slave alike, came out onto the streets to see what would happen next.    And then came the Black troops, marking and riding into the capitol of the Confederacy.     Richmond didn't "fall" -- it was liberated." -excerpt from 2001 booklet, "They Marched Into Richmond, a brief tribute to the struggle against slavery, including the participation of black union soldiers in the defeat of confederate forces in Richmond, Va."

REPRISE: DefendersLIVE today at 2pm online at www.WRIR.org Co-Host Phil Wilayto is joined by Host Ana Edwards calling in from Rhode Island for an update important upcoming events and report on Sunday's meeting of the Richmond African Burial Ground Community Organizing Committee.

Richmond's Slave Trail Commission meets the first Thursday of every month at 4pm East District Initiative Center 701 North 25th Street, Church Hill Richmond, VA 23223-6539 (804) 646-4599 NEXT MEETING: March 3, 2011, 4pm GUESTS Dr. Michael Blakey, Institute for Historical Biology , College of William & Mary, lead researcher for the New York African Burial Ground Representative, Virginia Department of Historic Resources