Moderator: When Run Richmond comes around every year, people ask “Why Richmond?” Why do you feel that Richmond is the place for this run, and why does it bring people together in a way that may not happen in other spaces? 

Mayor Avula: You can't tell the story of Virginia, of America, of Blackness in this country without coming through Richmond. There's a harsh reality of the place that Richmond has in history. This effort of Run Richmond 16.19 has to be anchored in the reality of that history. There is something special about being in those spaces, about actually walking and running through these places of history, where horrific things happened, but also amazing things happened. Being able to touch and feel and smell those things is important, as we build our memory and build our vision of where Richmond and our country are heading in the future. Richmond has a very unique place in that history  

Moderator: I want to go deeper on something the Mayor just said around our responsibility in telling these stories, and the responsibility of Richmond. Richmond carries some of the most painful chapters of American history, alongside extraordinary stories of Black achievement and resistance. What responsibility does the city have to tell that full story? 

Mayor Avula: I don't think we can achieve true healing and true forward progress without being honest about the fullness of our history. We need to delve in and make sure that people know that history so that we can then move forward. The reality is that today, we still see the trappings of that history. In 2026, we still see significant disparities in health outcomes for Black Americans and in wealth accumulation for Black Americans. We see rampant residential racial segregation in our neighborhoods across the city and across the country. Those are all a result of intentional policies and practices that have been layered on for years and years in the history of our country. Our responsibility is to make sure that we know that story, that we're telling that story, and that we're translating that knowledge into the active untangling and dismantling of policies and practices that have gotten us where we are. 

Moderator: What does it take for a city to turn history into a living community experience rather than something we simply commemorate? We keep hearing this word ‘commemoration,’ but how do we get beyond simple commemoration?  

Mayor Avula: It takes events like Run Richmond 16.19. It takes these communal events that bring people, not just from Richmond, but from all over this country, together to be exposed to and to learn this history together. It takes the actual physicality of the race and walking through neighborhoods and walking through history to take in the power of what happened here. It takes cultural institutions, like BHMVA, to continue uplifting and telling those stories, to be able to weave the public narrative, the narrative arc of Virginia history and of Black history. In our strategic plan, we have seven pillars. The seventh pillar is we want to be a city that tells its stories. The importance of that storytelling, the importance of uplifting examples of incredible resistance, resilience, excellence, is healing. It is knowing where we come from to know where we're going. It is healing the atrocities of our past. 
 

A huge part of my job over my time as a public health doctor was really looking at the health and well-being of communities, looking at why it is that certain communities have longer life expectancies or higher rates of hypertension and diabetes. As you start to peel back the layers of what contributes to those disparate outcomes, it is our history. It is the redlining and why certain neighborhoods were inaccessible to Black folks. It is the adoption of a racialized zoning code back in the 1920s.
Richmond was the second city in America, second only to Baltimore, that actually had explicit language in its residential zoning code saying that Black people cannot live in these neighborhoods. We have a lot of work to do today to fix that history and to unwind that zoning code. That's why the 7th pillar of telling our stories keeps it in the consciousness of our community, so that we know we have policies to solve.
We have investments we need to make. We have work in neighborhoods that still needs to be done because we haven’t solved this. 

Moderator: I’m going back to commemoration. I want to spend some time on the 250th anniversary of our nation. I want us to connect what feeling you want the runners to get out of it this year, specifically as we commemorate the 250th anniversary. If you could sum it up in one word, what do you want the runners to feel this year? As people are coming into Richmond specifically, what do you want them to feel? 

Mayor Avula: I want them to feel the groans of history. I want them to feel hope for the future. My greatest aspiration for this city, and I think events like this really help us move there, is that we are somehow able to participate in the redemption of Richmond’s story. I hope that the history of being the capital of the Confederacy, of being the birthplace of the domestic slave trade in this country, of hundreds of years of oppression, has given birth to amazing regenerative things. I think the story of Virginia Union is probably one of the best examples of that. The fact that Lumpkin slave jail, one of the most brutal slave jails in our country, where thousands of enslaved people came through and were brutalized on their way to being sold and sent further south. That slave owner, Robert Lumpkin, married a Black woman, Mary Lumpkin, one of his slaves. When he died, that property went to her. She had befriended a pastor in town and said, “let's do something good with this,” and she started leasing it to him. That was the origin of the seminary that became Virginia Union University. I think that story is such a vivid example of how this horrific place could be redeemed for a beautiful addition to our community and something that has deep history and significance, not just in Richmond, but across the country. My hope is that Richmond follows that arc, that it would become a place that is known internationally as a place of hope and healing.  

Moderator: Five years from now, what do you hope Run Richmond 16.19 will have changed here in Richmond, and how people have engaged in Black history or how people feel connected to Black history? 

Mayor Avula: Djimon often talks about this race, and this city, as a place of pilgrimage. Sesha mentioned that one in four African Americans can trace their history back to Richmond. It really does have a unique place in this country's history. My hope is that 5 years from now, that this event and this place have gotten so much national and international attention that people see this as a pilgrimage, as a way to come back and to know their story. I think that's true for Black Americans, but I'm not Black, and I care deeply about the city, about the story. Some of that comes from growing up as an immigrant kid and feeling othered. It comes also from learning the story of our country and realizing how intentional and terrible our history has been for Black people in this country. It comes from this fundamental belief that the tapestry of humanity is not an accident. I really believe our creator did this with intention, with hope, with a nod to the beauty of what humanity can be. As Djimon talks about reconciliation, that is what I hope for this race, for the city, and for our country in 5 years, that this is a place of healing, a place of pilgrimage, and a place of acknowledging the beauty that is humanity. 

This notice is being provided to alert the public that an Electoral Board meeting is scheduled.

Date: Wednesday, September 16, 2026
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location:
City of Richmond Office of Elections
2134 W. Laburnum Avenue
Richmond, VA 23227
2nd Floor Conference Room

The agenda for this meeting will be posted once it has been reviewed and approved by the Electoral Board. Please note that the agenda is subject to change. Items may be added, removed, or modified prior to or during the meeting, as permitted by law.

Members of the public who wish to speak at the meeting must submit their request by email to Executive Assistant, Caitlin Shelton, at [email protected] no later than Tuesday, September 15, 2026 at 4:00 p.m.

This meeting will be recorded.

Additional updates related to meeting logistics will be communicated as necessary.

Agenda

"On behalf of the City of Richmond Department of Transportation, I want to express our concern for the people injured during yesterday morning’s incident at the temporary GRTC Downtown Transfer Station. We are grateful that the injuries reported were not life-threatening, and our thoughts remain with those who were affected.

We want to thank the quick actions of first responders, including Richmond Police, Richmond Fire and Richmond Ambulance Authority, and emergency personnel who responded immediately, cared for those injured, secured the area, and helped restore safe conditions. We also recognize the outstanding work of GRTC staff, who maintained transit operations during a challenging emergency event and worked diligently to minimize disruptions for riders.

A bus trip is an extension of a walking trip, which means transit operations and pedestrian safety are closely linked. The City remains focused on improving safety throughout Richmond’s transportation network, particularly in high-activity transit areas where thousands of people walk, wait, and transfer every day.

This incident occurred at the temporary Downtown Transfer Station, a facility that continues to play a critical role in connecting riders while Richmond and GRTC advance plans for a permanent Downtown Transit Hub immediately adjacent to the current site. The future transit hub represents an important investment in safe, reliable access to increase the comfort of the riders' experience. We look forward to continued progress on this transformative project, which will provide modern facilities designed to better serve both transit riders and the surrounding region for decades to come.

As part of ongoing efforts to evaluate operations and enhance safety, the Downtown Transfer Station will undergo a full safety review and targeted improvements. To support this work, additional planned closures of the transfer station will occur from August 31, 2026, through September 11, 2026. During this period, bus routes will continue operating from designated temporary transfer locations nearby.

Before the closure begins, riders will receive a detailed map showing where each route will stop within the temporary transfer area, and signage will be installed throughout the area to help customers navigate the temporary changes. We encourage people to pay close attention to posted information and GRTC service announcements during this period.

We thank everyone for their patience and understanding. The City of Richmond and GRTC remain committed to providing a safe, reliable access to all the places Richmond offers while continuing to invest in the long-term improvements that will strengthen transit service throughout our region."

The City of Richmond has completed installation of its pilot Safety Camera Program, bringing the program to 13 school-zone speed cameras and 10 red-light enforcement intersections across the city.

The program is designed to deter dangerous driving, encourage compliance with traffic laws and reduce serious and fatal crashes, and data from the school-zone cameras show measurable reductions in vehicle speeds at most locations.

A 29-month analysis of the City’s 13 school-zone camera locations found that 10 schools experienced measurable reductions in vehicle speeds after cameras were installed. Three schools maintained speeds at or below the 25-mph school-zone limit throughout the analysis period. At Richmond High School for the Arts, the largest improvement was recorded, with average speeds dropping from 41-mph to 33-mph. 

“Every mile per hour matters when it comes to safety, especially near our schools where children are walking, biking, and crossing streets,” said Andy Boenau, Director of the Richmond Department of Transportation. “Safety cameras are not about revenue, they are about changing driver behavior and saving lives, and the data shows they are working.”

The final red-light camera in the pilot program has been installed at Fairfield Avenue and Mechanicsville Turnpike. A 30-day warning period begins August 27, 2026. During the warning period, motorists who run a red light at the intersection will receive a warning notice rather than a citation.

Following the warning period, registered vehicle owners who receive a red-light violation captured by the safety camera will be issued a $50 citation, in accordance with the Code of Virginia.

The addition of Fairfield Avenue and Mechanicsville Turnpike brings the red-light enforcement portion of the pilot program to completion, with 10 safety cameras installed and operational or entering the warning period:

• Fairfield Avenue & Mechanicsville Turnpike
• Hull Street Road & East Belt Boulevard
• Midlothian Turnpike & German School Road
• 25th Street & Main Street
• Belvidere Street & Cary Street
• Chamberlayne Avenue & Brookland Park Boulevard
• Chamberlayne Avenue & Laburnum Avenue
• Hull Street & Warwick Road
• Hull Street & Cowardin Avenue
• Commerce Road & Maury Street

Drivers are encouraged to:

• Slow down as traffic signals turn yellow. Yellow means prepare to stop, not speed up.
• Stop fully at red lights. Entering an intersection after the light has turned red is a violation.
• Stay alert and avoid distractions while driving.
• Plan ahead and allow extra time to reach your destination safely.

Red-light running contributes to hundreds of deaths and tens of thousands of injuries across the country each year. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, more than 1,000 people are killed and more than 100,000 are injured annually in crashes involving drivers who run red lights.


For more information about Richmond’s Safety Camera Program, visit rva.gov/police/safety-camera-program.

For more information about Richmond’s Vision Zero efforts, visit rva.gov/public-works/vision-zero.

***PLEASE ADVISE: This meeting has been canceled.***

The City of Richmond Office of Elections will be closed from 9:00 a.m to 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 27, 2026 for a staff meeting. 

Please plan accordingly. We appreciate your understanding. 

For voter and election information, visit

rva.gov/elections