Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality

Sat., Sun., Oct. 6-7 – Second Street Festival – From the organizers: “... one of the Mid-Atlantic's largest street festivals. Nearly 50,000 people visit historic Jackson Ward to reminisce about the days when 2nd Street was the heart and soul of Richmond's African American community. Attendees enjoy jazz, R&B, fashion shows, gospel music, the children’s area and performances by community groups on four stages. They also enjoy the marketplace, delicious food and reuniting with family, friends, classmates and acquaintances.” Sponsored (unfortunately) by Altria (cancer-causing cigarettes) and Dominion (high electric bills and dangerous nuclear power plants). Information at: http://www.venturerichmond.com Sun., Oct. 7 – Public Forum: “U.S. HANDS OFF SYRIA, IRAN & MALI! We need JOBS not WAR!" – Is the U.S. preparing to attack Syria & Iran? Is it preparing to intervene in the West African country of Mali? Can we stand by as the lives of millions more people ar...

Thu., Sept. 13 – Sentencing hearing for Ashley Williams – 10 am, Courtroom 311, John Marshall Court Building, 400 N. 9th St., downtown Richmond. Ashley Williams will go to trial on Nov. 30 on charges connected with the tragic death of her 2-year-old son D'Sean. Richmond's Commonwealth's Attorney's office is trying to put her away for many years for supposedly allowing D'Sean to starve to death. There is no evidence for this, but there is evidence that D'Sean suffered from an undiagnosed genetic disease that can prevent the body from processing food. Three of D'Sean's close relatives exhibit signs of the same disease. Mass community support has so far kept the courts from railroading Ms. Williams, but we can't let up in this struggle. The sentencing hearing on Sept. 13 deals with a separate case.  On July 17, Ms. Williams pleaded guilty to an unrelated charge, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. At the time of her arrest on that charg...

Defender Interview with Ousmane Simaga, Mayor of Segou, Republic of Mali By Phil Wilayto Translation by Ana Edwards RICHMOND, VA; Aug. 1, 2012  – Ousmane Simaga is the mayor of Segou, the second largest city in the Republic of Mali, West Africa. The city of 135,000 is located in southern Mali near a bend of the Niger River, just as Richmond, with its 204,000 people, sits on a bend of the James. Segou and Richmond have an official Sister City relationship. It's not the only connection. As pointed out by local Richmond columnist Michael Paul Williams, the majority of Africans brought to Virginia to be sold into slavery came from the nine West African countries that once were part of the great Malian Empire. Mayor Simaga was in Richmond from July 24 to Aug. 1 to try and raise funds to help deal with a humanitarian crisis now facing his city. Since March, 7,238 people, nearly 4,000 of them children, have arrived in Segou, displaced by the civil war raging hundreds of miles to the n...

City cooling shelters are opened when the temperature and/or heat index reaches or exceeds 95 degrees .  For more information regarding cooling services, residents can contact the Department of Social Services Fuel Assistance Office at (804) 646-7046. Elderly residents with heat related issues can contact the Adult Protective Service Unit at (804) 646-0501. In the event of a heat related emergency, please call 9-1-1. All residents should take measures to stay hydrated and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat during the day. Public announcements (tv, radio and newspaper) are published when cooling shelters are to be opened. Always double-check!   City cooling shelters are opened when the temperature and/or heat index reaches or exceeds 95 degrees. Typically city cooling shelters will open from Noon to 5 p.m.during the week and are located at: Southside Community Services Center, 4100 Hull Street Road Department of Social Services, 900 East Marshall Street E...

DefendersLIVE, weekly on WRIR 97.3 FM, Monday at Noon, live streamed at WRIR.org.

Back in the seat of the Live Room Studio B, your host will chat about the week's issues. On her mind today: the myriad of terms born every 20 years or so to justify displacement of poor people from their homes, even a reach back to when that meant displacement of our primal homes (our lives). If we don't assert the collective right to self-determination of our oppressed bodies (aka human rights) what have we?

Today on DefendersLIVE Part 2 of 2-part interview with Lois Leveen, author of "The Secrets of Mary Bowser"- Continuing the conversation about Mary Bowser's work with Elizabeth Van Lew as a Civil War Union spy in the White House of the Confederacy. Why would an educated, free Black woman in Philadelphia risk all to return to the city of her birth, and her enslavement, to do this work? How is a culture of secret-keeping a key to survival while enslaved as well as in espionage... Why symbolic truth is as important for the oppressed as it is for the oppressor... Tune in at 12 noon - live streamed at WRIR.org or on your radio at 97.3 FM (LP). You can hear past shows at DefendersLIVEradio.blogspot.com (2011-2012) and Radio4all.net (2011 and earlier) Comments or questions? Email defenderslivehost@gmail.com