Observation. Information. Analysis. Critical Thinking. One of the Defenders most effective tools of education and social justice is to convene
public forums on topics of national and local relevance. The following is a list of Public Forums the Defenders have held to date:
-------------------------------------------------------------------
MARCH 26, 2005
Discussion: No Stadium
in Shockoe Bottom
Presentations and discussion on why Shockoe Bottom is the wrong site for a baseball stadium, including
organizing strategies and materials for campaign to generate public opposition, and to discuss an alternative plan for the
area. Imagine an historic district all Richmonders would have a reason to visit. Asbury United Methodist
Church, 29th & E. Marshall at 7:00 pm.
DECEMBER 3, 2004
The
Defender's First Annual Fighting Fund & Awards Dinner
Award
recpients: Zakia Shabazz of UPAL for her dedication to eradicating lead poisoning as a danger to the children of Richmond
and across the country; Wyatt Kingston, former program director of Hillside Boys & Girls Club, for his continuous commitment
to employment opportunities for youth; and V Johnson for the Johnson Family, for their courage in the struggle to obtain justice
following the 2002 fatal shooting of Mr. Johnson's son Verlon by a Richmond police officer.
OCTOBER 10, 2004
Gabriel Historical Highway Marker Unveiling
Program
SEMINAR ON SLAVERY IN VIRGINIA, RICHMOND'S
ROLE IN THE U.S. SLAVE TRADE & GABRIEL'S REBELLION. Centenary United Methodist
Church, 411 E. Grace St., Downtown Richmond. Moderator: Reginald E. Gordon,
Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality. Panelists (in order of
presentation): Dr. Philip Schwarz, professor of history, retired, Virginia Commonwealth
University: "The history and extent of the slave trade in Virginia" ---- Elvatrice Parker Belches, author, lecturer:
"Slave trading in Shockoe Bottom" ---- Ana Edwards, Defender, artist, descendant of two ancestors sold
from auction houses in Shockoe Bottom: "The meaning of Richmond's History to the African American Community in the US" ----
Dr. Michael Blakey, professor of anthropology, W&M College; director, study of the N.Y. Burial Ground - "The significance
of burial grounds in understanding African-American history." ---- Elizabeth Cann Cambourian, historian, discovered existence
of the Burial Ground for Negroes: "History and facts about the Burial Ground for Negroes" ---- Dr. Douglas
Egerton, professor of history, Le Moyne College; author, "Gabriel's Rebellion: The Virginia Slave Conspiracies of 1800 and
1802": "Gabriel's Rebellion" ---- Dr. Haskell Bingham, descendant of Gabriel; family historian; VP of academic
affairs, Virginia State University: "The story of Gabriel's ancestors and descendants" ---- Phil Wilayto, Defenders;
reporter who has written about Gabriel and the Burial Ground: "Reviving the Spirit of Gabriel's Rebellion"; MARCH TO 15TH & BROAD, site of Gabriel's execution
on Oct. 10, 1800; UNVEILING CEREMONY
of the state historical marker titled "Gabriel's Execution" ---- Libation ceremony by the Janine Bell of the Elegba Folklore
Society. Comments by Ana Edwards of the Defenders, Vice Mayor Delores McQuinn, chairperson of the Slave Trail Commission
of Richmond City Council, and Dr. M. Catherine Slusser, Virginia Dept. of Historic Resources, Unveiling by Dr. Haskell Bingham.
MAY 27, 2004
The Real Story Behind The Overthrow Of President Aristide
This forum will examine the real forces behind the recent
coup that removed Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide from office. Featuring
Pat Chin, a Jamaican-born journalist and photographer who has written extensively on political developments in the Caribbean.
Now based in New York City, Ms. Chin is a co-editor and contributing author of the recently released book "Haiti: A Slave
Revolution, 200 Years After 1804." Copies will be available for purchase at the forum.
Also scheduled is a screening of the award-winning documentary "Bitter Cane." Filmed clandestinely in Haiti during
the dictatorship of "Papa Doc" Duvalier, this video examines Haiti’s neo-colonial economy and includes footage of the
first U.S. occupation of the island from 1915 - 1934.
APRIL 1, 2004
Report Back to the Community: Lead-Safe Richmond
Representatives of UPAL, the Defenders, the Richmond Branch NAACP and other speakers will discuss
the progress of Lead-Safe Richmond, Mr. Kronzers investigation and the whole issue of lead poisoning in Richmond. The public
forum, sponsored by the Defenders, is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at Asbury United Methodist Church, 324 N. 29th Street in
Church Hill. Scheduled speakers include
Zakia Shabazz, UPAL’s founder and national director; Roy Bryant, first vice president of the Richmond Branch NAACP; Reggie Malone Sr.,
7th District Richmond School Board member; and Phil Wilayto of the Defenders.
MARCH 10, 2004
The Struggle
for Self-Determination: From Palestine to Iraq to Haiti
This public
forum was part of the build-up to an International Day of Protest against the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq that was held March
20 in cities and towns across the globe. Held at Asbury UMC, speakers included: Jameel Abed, board
member, Islamic Center of Virginia and Virginia PAC; former president, Greater Richmond American Arab Anti-Discrimination
Committee, Mr. Abed has recently returned form a two-week visit to his home village in West Bank and presents his observations.
Larry Syverson, the father of two sons now serving with the U.S. Army in Iraq, Mr. Syverson is a member of Military Families
Speak Out. Ana Edwards, presented the history of U.S. involvement in Iraq. Reggie Gordon spoke on the Right to Self-Determination.
Phil Wilayto spoke on the political crisis in Haiti.
October 10, 2003
Reclaiming Our Stolen History: A Celebration for Gabriel Dr.
Haskell Bingham of Petersburg, a great-grandson of the slave rebellion leader Gabriel, will be the featured speaker at a public
meeting to be held Friday, Oct. 10, the 203rd anniversary of Gabriel’s execution in Richmond. Dr. Bingham, a former NAACP field organizer in Mississippi, is a genealogist and family historian who has
worked to keep alive the oral tradition of Gabriel and his struggle for freedom. Other speakers will include former city councilman
Sa’ad El’Amin, who successfully introduced a council resolution declaring Gabriel a “freedom fighter”
and a “patriot;” Elizabeth Kambourian, a Richmond historian who discovered the existence of the long-forgotten
“Burial Ground for Negroes” at 15th and East Broad streets; and Phil Wilayto, a staff reporter for
the Richmond Free Press who has written about Gabriel and the burial ground. Following the program, participants will walk
the 15 blocks to 15th and Broad streets to lay a wreath at the former site of the Richmond gallows where Gabriel
was executed on Oct. 10, 1800.
August 21, 2003
Report Back to the
Community: Richmond City Jail & Johnson Family Court Watch This
forum reported the progress on the following activities the Defenders took on in early 2003: Anti-War Work (TJ Plummer);
Upcoming Gabriel Memorial public meeting information by Ana Edwards, Defender; Efforts to Improve Conditions in Richmond
City Jail by Ben Plummer, Defender; Court Watch in Support of the Family of Police Shooting Victim Verlon M Johnson by Verlon's
father V Johnson & Defender Ana Edwards; and closing remarks by Asbury UMC Pastor, Rev. Brian Brown.
MARCH 16, 2003
The War Abroad – The
War at Home: Building a United Anti-Racist Movement Foreign policy is a direct extension of domestic
policy - A panel discussion of issues facing the Black Community. Topics and speakers: Erosion of Voting Rights – Reverend Brian Brown, Pastor Asbury United Methodist Church; Affirmative
Action – Ana Edwards, artist,
Defender; Homelessness & the Black Community – Reggie Gordon, advocate for the homeless; Racial and Religious Profiling/Homeland Security – Keisha Bardlavens; Jail and Prison Conditions – Ben Plummer, Veteran, Retired Marriott; Lead Poisoning – Zakia Shabazz, United Parents Against Lead. This workshop was part of "RECLAIM
- A Statewide Conference Against War, Oppression & Poverty" a three day conference held March 14-16, 2003, just days
before the US invaded Iraq on March 19.
FEBRUARY 15, 2003
Public
Speak Out - If the US Goes to War in Iraq, How will it Affect Us? The Defenders first public meeting offered the opportunity to discuss how the pending US administration's pending
invasion of the sovereign nation of Iraq would impact domestic affairs and local social issues: Who will fight? Who will die?
Who will pay for it? Including a special report on efforts to improve conditions in the Richmond City Jail, this meeting led
to the presentation of a workshop during RECLAIM, a statewide anti-war conference held the next month.
|
