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Building equity
When BB&T recruited Thomas Ransom, a Black economics student at Hampden-Sydney College, to join its management development program in the late 1990s, he quickly had to pick up the world of banking and its culture. The Urbanna native says he’d never met a banker before starting at BB&T and certainly didn’t know what moves to […]
Bridging the gap
At the beginning of 2020, A Family Affair Event Management had already filled its schedule for the year with an array of weddings and corporate, social and destination activities. Then COVID-19 struck, wiping the Stafford event planning company’s calendar clean. “It greatly impacted us,” says Tortica Anderson, owner of A Family Affair Event Management. “We […]
Diversity Leadership Series: Ron Carey and Brian Robertson
Brought to you by Virginia Business and Bank of America, join us every other month for the Diversity Leadership Series — virtual fireside chats with a diverse group of Virginia business leaders sharing their insights and thoughts on leadership, their career paths, and diversity and equity. Our series kicked off on July 20 with Brian […]
What’s good for HBCUs is good for Virginia business
Earlier this year, I issued a call for the commonwealth to confront and reassess its disproportionate support of its historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). I wrote a letter to the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and the respective leadership of the General Assembly. At this juncture, I have not received any acknowledgment or response […]
VMI report released; calls school ‘traditionally run by white men, for white men’
A long-awaited state report on an alleged culture of racism at Virginia Military Institute was released Tuesday afternoon, concluding that “VMI has … traditionally been run by white men, for white men,” although the state-funded military institution in Lexington has made “incremental steps towards a more diverse, inclusive VMI.” In a statement Tuesday, Virginia Gov. [[...]
VMI alums and cadets report racial slurs used on ‘regular basis’
In an interim report, investigators looking into reported racist incidents at Virginia Military Institute say some alumni and current cadets have reported hearing racial slurs “on a regular basis” at the state-funded military college in Lexington. The Washington, D.C.-based law firm Barnes & Thornburg LLP, which submitted the report Monday to Peter A. Blake, director […]
Four community banks launch $1M minority business fund
The Bank of Clarke County announced Tuesday the launch of the Banking on Diversity initiative, a minority business funding program backed by Bank of Clarke County, BCT-Bank of Charles Town, The Fauquier Bank and First Bank. The four community banks have collectively committed up to $1 million in interest-free loans to help startup and existing […]
Carilion Clinic to form diversity, equity, inclusion office
Roanoke-based Carilion Clinic announced Monday it will establish an Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and has named Nathaniel L. Bishop, the former Jefferson College of Health Sciences president, to lead it. The office will work with community leaders to address equity and social justice as it relates to health care in the Roanoke region […]
Wells Fargo makes $1.5M donation for small business loans
Wells Fargo & Co., Virginia’s third-largest bank by 2019 deposits, announced Thursday it has donated $1.5 million to Richmond-based nonprofit Virginia Community Capital (VCC) to help local minority and/or woman-owned small businesses stay open and save jobs amid the pandemic. During the next two years, the VCC will disburse $1 million of the funding in […]
Why the Richmond Fed has zero Black Ph.D. economists
The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond is one of only five Fed banks that employs zero Black Ph.D. economists, according to a New York Times report this week. Of the 12 Federal Reserve banks, seven employ only one or two Black Ph.D. economists, which Fed officials blame on lack of Black talent in the economics […]
Facing her own censure, Chase plans resolution to censure Lucas
As state Democrats seek to censure her for participating in the Jan. 6 pro-Trump rally that preceded the violent breach of the U.S. Capitol, state Sen. Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield County, said she planned to file a resolution Monday to censure Democratic colleague Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, for taking part in a social justice protest last […]
Del. Torian elected chair of Virginia Minority Business Commission
Del. Luke Torian has been elected chair of the newly organized Virginia Minority Business Commission at its inaugural meeting on Thursday. The commission was created by the 2020-2022 biennial state budget to promote growth and competitiveness of minority-owned businesses in Virginia and evaluate best practices to expand minority business ownership. “This commission’s objectives will be [&h[...]
