The City of Richmond’s Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) will unveil a new content initiative, “Portraits of Immigrant Voices,” onRVAStrong to honor National immigrants’ Day on Wednesday, October 28.

OMA will publish three portraits the first day and will continue to publish one portrait every weekday through Thanksgiving. Click here for the online gallery of available portraits, which will be updated daily.

Artist Alfonso Pérez painted each portrait and writer Joe Kutchera interviewed the subjects and wrote the life story that accompanies each portrait. Virginia Humanities and the City of Richmond’s Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) have funded the project.

“We are excited to launch this art and storytelling initiative to tell the stories of 24 immigrants who have come to Richmond from around the world,” says Karla Almendarez-Ramos, the manager of the Office of Multicultural Affairs. “Not only do these stories exemplify the diversity of immigrant experiences in our city, but they humanize OMA’s mission: to create equitable opportunities for all residents across the City of Richmond by overcoming cultural and language barriers.”

“There’s no one story of Richmond, and that’s what makes our city vibrant,” said Mayor Stoney. “I’m so proud of the work of OMA and grateful we’ve been able to partner with such talented local creatives to give all of us a more complete understanding of the experiences of our neighbors.”

National Immigrants’ Day has been celebrated since 1986, mostly in larger metropolises like New York City. OMA brings this celebration to the City of Richmond to highlight the city’s cultural diversity and the variety of languages spoken. The stories shed light on the challenges of migration and displacement as well as the commonalities of learning to speak English and acculturating to America.

About the Artist and Author:

Alfonso Pérez Acosta is a Colombian artist and muralist who serves as the art program director at Sacred Heart Center as well as the co-director of the ARCA project (Art, Reconciliation and Civic Advocacy) with RVA Thrives, bridging African American and Latin American youth through public art.

Joe Kutchera is a writer, bilingual digital content advisor and the author of three books. He has lived in Richmond, VA since 2013 with his wife, who is from Mexico.

“Every person I have interviewed is grateful to call the peaceful city of Richmond, Virginia home,” says Kutchera. “Our subjects truly appreciate America’s freedom, democracy and the way their neighbors have accepted them. They have changed how I see our own city and country. And so, the overall theme of gratitude has become clear, which is why we decided to extend the exhibit through Thanksgiving.”

Exhibit details:

The virtual exhibit of “Portraits of Immigrant Voices” will appear at RVAStrong.org/portraits, on the Office of Multicultural Affairs Facebook page as well as on Alfonso Pérez’s Instagram page, A Drawing Table and JoeKutchera.com.

The in-person exhibit will take place at Studio Two Three in Scott’s Addition (3300 W. Clay Street Richmond, VA 23230) in its large picture windows from November 23 through December 7. Richmonders can walk or drive by to see the portraits during this time of social distancing. Studio Two Three will also project Alfonso Pérez’s paintings after dark on the studio’s building for the opening of the exhibit on November 23.

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Today, in front of George Wythe High School, Mayor Stoney announced that the Southside high school will be the next major school facility project to benefit Richmond’s students.
 
The Dreams4RPS Strategic Plan, supported by the School Board and funded in full by the Stoney administration, identified Wythe as the next facility in need of reinvention and rebuilding after the three new schools the administration unveiled this summer: Cardinal Elementary, Henry Marsh Elementary and River City Middle.
 
With the commitment, the School Board has the responsibility to lead a rigorous community engagement process to ensure plans for the school reflect the values and priorities of the community.
 
“Just this summer, we’ve proven this is possible when we put aside the self and focus on the community,” said Mayor Stoney of the school redesign process. “Together, we’ll build a high school that reflects the potential, innovation and spirit of the students inside.”
 
Mayor Stoney was joined by Councilmember Stephanie Lynch, School Board Chair Linda Owen, School Board Vice Chair Cheryl Burke and former School Board Chair Dawn Page, as well as members of the George Wythe and Richmond Public Schools Administration.
 
George Wythe High School opened its doors on Midlothian Turnpike in 1960. With the exception of one renovation in the early 1980s, the building has not undergone improvement since.
 
Wythe serves 1300 students. In the words of the mayor, “Wythe is the space where these students will spend four of the most formative, consequential years of their lives. These years that are so impactful on their futures shouldn’t be spent in a building stuck in the past.”

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Mayor Stoney recommends City Council allocate funding to mental health pilot, doula fund, gun violence prevention 

The Stoney administration, working alongside Richmond City Health District, has proposed $500,000 of special purpose reserves from the projected FY2020 budget surplus go to funding three distinct public health efforts in the city.

The mayor is proposing the following:

1. $200,000, Resource Center Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Pilot, partnering with Richmond City Health District, Richmond Behavioral Health Authority. The yearlong pilot will fund a full-time clinician, a licensed substance use disorder counselor and a peer recovery specialist to work out of RCHD’s resource centers and provide necessary services to residents in their communities. 
2. $150,000, Richmond Doula Fund, partnering with Richmond City Health District. The Doula Fund will reimburse doulas for services and fund doula training with the goal of decreasing racial disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes. 
3. $150,000, Gun Violence Prevention Framework, partnering with Richmond City Health District. These funds will support the development of a hybrid gun violence prevention model based on national best practices and community input. With this funding, the model will be finalized in early 2021. 

“The pandemic has highlighted a troubling network of health disparities that threaten quality of life for many Richmonders,” said the mayor. “With these three proposed allocations, Richmond City Council has the opportunity to support our effort to address these disparities, building a healthier city for all.”

The Richmond City Council will discuss the potential allocations at the informal meeting on Monday, October 12. The council will have the opportunity to reach consensus on using surplus funds to support these three innovative and detailed public health efforts.

Mayor Stoney indicated on September 15, 2020 that he would propose special purpose reserves be allocated in part to address health disparities in the city. All three of the above projects aim to allocate more resources to historically underserved communities.

For more details on the three efforts this allocation would fund, click here.

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For the first time, the City of Richmond Finance Department will pick up application materials for those interested in applying for the city’s Tax Relief for the Elderly and Disabled Program.
 
“Due to the ongoing pandemic, we know some seniors are uncomfortable visiting public spaces like a post office or City Hall,” said Finance Director John Wack. “We want everyone eligible for this program to participate, but transportation and public health concerns are very real barriers to participation. With curbside document pickup, we can remove that barrier.”
 
If applicants request curbside service, Department of Finance staff will visit the provided address to retrieve application materials from residents. Pickup will be contactless to comply with public health best practices.
 
At the Monday, September 28 meeting of Richmond City Council, the council approved the Stoney administration’s request to extend the deadline for the Tax Relief for the Elderly and Disabled Program to October 30.
 
Participants interested in curbside pickup should call 804-646-6015 to request the service. The service can be requested through October 28.
 
This service is available to first time applicants and residents applying for recertification.
 
To learn more about the program, visit the Finance Department’s Announcements page here.

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The City of Richmond has received a grant from Capital One through the company’s recently launched Impact Initiative, a program that seeks to close gaps in equity and promote social and economic opportunity in the Richmond region.
 
The support from Capital One will help the city fund an equity study, equity and inclusivity training for city staff, and the development of action plans to operationalize solutions throughout city policies, practices and procedures.
 
“Our goal is to normalize racial equity and justice within city conversations, work and culture and operationalize them so that equity and justice are visible in everything our city does,” said Mayor Stoney. “We are truly grateful for the support of partners like Capital One helping to expand our capacity to do this critical work.”
 
“Richmond was once the second largest epicenter of the domestic trading of enslaved Africans, served as the former capital of the confederacy and was a stalwart of Massive Resistance, so it is unequivocally clear that racism has been intentionally built into systems and structures within this city that have harmed Black, brown and Indigenous people for generations,” said Osita Iroegbu, Senior Policy Advisor for Community Engagement, Inclusion and Equity. “It is now our obligation to be just as intentional about creating new systems that work for, and no longer against, those communities.”

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