The Byrd Theatre Foundation has launched a fundraiser to help with the up-keeping of Richmond’s historic Byrd Theatre.

For more information, visit the foundation’s website:
http://byrdtheatre.com/fundraising-home/

Also, help restore the Byrd by voting for it here:
http://www.refresheverything.com/theb…

Filmed/Edited by Claudia Siu Orellana
Script by Audra Shreve and Ebony Mosley

Running on biodiesel, the innovative taxi company offers a greener alternative to get around town.

For more info go to :
www.richmondbiotaxi.com/​

Filmed/Edited by Claudia Siu Orellana
Script by Audra Shreve and Ebony Mosley

Richmonders took the streets Saturday to commemorate the second annual May Day parade, calling for more civilian and governmental action to remedy social injustice in the city.

By Claudia Siu Orellana

Hundreds of people gathered at Abner Clay Park in Richmond

’s Jackson Ward neighborhood to celebrate workers and denounce inequality. Waving a sea of black and red flags, the crowd chanted in protest of political and social oppression.  Children and baby boomers marched together to the beat of drums and string instruments through the streets of Richmond. Members of the Virginia socialist party and other leftist groups were also part of Saturday’s parade.

“It’s time to raise consciousness about these problems that are affecting us today,” said filmmaker and founder of Militant Pedestrian Productions Jen Lawhorne. “There’s a lot of work that has to be done to improve conditions for workers but we have to start somewhere.”

The May Day celebrations started on Friday with workshops offered by endorsing groups such as the Virginia Peoples Assembly and the Richmond Peace Education Center. The worshops offered lectures in self-reliance as well as information on other political movements in Virginia. Saturday’s events consisted of a rally followed by the parade which started on Clay street and continued into Broad street.

Unlike last May Day, this year’s parade was authorized by the Richmond police department. May Day organizer and founder Kenneth Yates spontaneously started the parade with Bizhan Khodabandeh in 2009, but they were soon confronted by the city’s police. Yates says the special events division of the Richmond’s police department wanted them to pay for off duty officers if they wanted to hold the event this year.

“We saw this as an infringement on our First Amendment Right to peaceably assemble and free speech,” said Yates. “We decided that we did not want to set the precedent, and we also did not have the budget to pay for officers.”

The May Day organizers obtained a permit after an extensive letter writing campaign to the chief of police and the city mayor.

“May Day is an important day for the working class,” said Yates. “There aren’t any holidays celebrating the achievements of the people around social justice issues pertaining to workers rights and human rights in general.  We thought it to be a good opportunity to help unify the various causes in Richmond that were increasingly losing foot in the community.”

May Day is also known as International Workers Day a holiday that is observed worldwide to commemorate the accomplishments of the labor movement in the late 1880s. Historically, May Day marks the anniversary of the strike that prompted the 1886 Haymarket massacre which resulted in the deaths of many labor movement activists. Since 1890 labor activists, socialists and anarchists have celebrated May 1 as a holiday to improve the status of workers around the world.

Richmond’s May Day celebrations addressed issues that affect the community and the city’s working class. Topics at Saturday’s rally were varied and ranged from gentrification to reproductive justice and prison reform. Although different from each other, all speakers at the rally emphasized the need to fight for equality.

“These disparate issues are the cause of many other problems like classism, homophobia and racism,” said Brennan Chambre a Virginia Commonwealth University student and member of Students For Social Action at VCU. “We all need to come together as part of a greater struggle.”

Many attendees recognized the struggle that immigrant workers face. Speakers at the rally condemned the recent passage of Arizona’s new immigration law. Many attendees believed that the new law will increase and promote racial profiling as well as other right infringements.

“Laws like this is why we need to come out to events like today’s,” said Luis Oyola, a University of Virginia student and member of the Charlottesville Food not Bombs. “We can change the domination and oppression by congregating and taking back the streets.”

The supporters at the parade Saturday are clearly taking back the streets but they’re not the only ones. 2010 has proven to be highly political for the city. The second May Day parade coincidentally took place only month after the Second Tea Party Rally was held in downtown Richmond. The right-wing tea party is almost a counter to the May Day sympathizers on the left. However, to May Day organizers the important thing is political action.

“There are numerous people who are being oppressed,” said Daniel Bickett a student at VCU and a May Day organizer. “If you’re not affected by it now you will soon and that’s why we need to take action now.”

For more information on the May Day demonstrations go to www.maydayrva.org

A photo essay on how Binford Middle School in Richmond’s Fan neighborhood is being affected by state-wide educational budget cuts.

By Claudia Siu Orellana

Opening a restaurant in the middle of a recession didn’t seem like a good idea to his family, but Kevin Roberts, owner of The Black Sheep, had high hopes and a vision. In the heart of the carver neighborhood, The Black Sheep has become a staple of Richmond and a showcase of its very diverse inhabitants.

By Claudia Siu Orellana

The Black Sheep has garnished so much recognition that it has been featured in the New York Time’s “36 hours in…” and in the Travel Channel show Man v. Food. Besides marking this exciting event for the restaurant, the date also marks the second year anniversary of the Black Sheep’s opening. Two years after its inauguration, Roberts says the restaurant has surpassed all his expectations.

“I didn’t know what to expect when I opened the restaurant,” said Roberts. “I could’ve never dreamed of managing 25 employees.”

Originally from Roanoke, Roberts attended Virginia Commonwealth University in 1988 seeking a degree in Painting and Printmaking. He dropped out of art school to work full time with food, which was increasingly becoming his passion. In his way to Arizona’s Scottsdale culinary school, Roberts made a stop in New Orleans and ended up staying there for over four years. This is where he met his business partner and girlfriend, Amy Hess. They came back to Richmond and began to work in fine food restaurants again. After working at many restaurants and traveling he returned to VCU once again and finished his degree in 2004. Roberts says that he simply took “a very long spring break.”

Roberts worked in many restaurants before landing a job as head Chef of the governor’s mansion of Virginia under ex-governor Mark Warner. Roberts says he learned everything he knows by observing and working in the profession. But more importantly, the connections he made in his 18-year-career in the Richmond restaurant business.

“I was hesitant at the beginning, it seemed a little too daunting and starting costs seemed unattainable,” said Roberts, “but we made a lot of contacts and friends.”

However, the DIY die-hard constructed the entire restaurant with some help from his family. From the interior of the restaurant to the fencing in the back area, it was all built by Roberts and although he doesn’t make the type of art he used to, Roberts says crafting food is not too far from crafting a painting.

“You get a feel for what works and what doesn’t,” said Roberts. “It’s just a different set of tools and materials.”

The Black Sheep is a display of Roberts’s artistic background. Every part of the restaurant’s décor and even the building’s façade exhumes a bohemian feel. The house where the restaurant is currently located used to be a confectionary. The walls are replete with paintings and illustrations. Some from Roberts’s personal collection, some he found at thrift stores and some his own creations.

Much of the food in the Black Sheep menu also represents Roberts’s background. The mixture of Global and traditional food with heavy southern roots make up a very extensive list of options for the costumer. Also, the dishes’ names are usually a reference to some historical element or some ingredient used in the dish.

The Black Sheep also gets its name from its locations history. Roberts says that he and Hess have always felt like the misfits of their families. He also wanted the restaurant to be different from the chain restaurants on Broad St. However his decision to adopt the name “Black Sheep” came when he found that the Carver neighborhood was called Sheep Heel. Carver was also the first neighborhood settled by emancipated slaves in Richmond.

“History permeates and it’s important to think about who has been here and what happened here,” said Roberts.

Roberts has seen Richmond change a lot since he moved here to attend to VCU. In the late 80s VCU was a lot smaller but it has since increased immensely in size and student count. Roberts says that when he first came to Richmond, Grace St. was inhabited by bikers, deadheads and Rastafarians and people wouldn’t go near Carver. VCU’s expansion is seen to Roberts as a good and bad thing.

“It has turned some of these neighborhoods around,” said Roberts. “We’re very involved with the community and we’re not trying to come in and force people out, we just want to make the neighborhood better.”

Roberts says the Black Sheep is successful at bringing people from all types of life in Richmond, from students to downtown office workers and dwellers of the Fan. On a busy day, The Black Sheep fills up with tattooed young adults as well as older folks. Roberts says he’s happy that the restaurant allows for such an inviting atmosphere. For a Black Sheep costumer, however, there’s something missing.

“I like the actual restaurant,” said Amber Erickson, a Black Sheep costumer. “I just wish they had more vegetarian and vegan options.”

Roberts says they’ve reached a plateau of growth since they are unable to expand in their current location. They would need to relocate or open a second location, which Roberts says isn’t likely to happen in the near future.

“We try to keep prices affordable, good quality and portions descent,” said Roberts. “I think we deliver all.”

Two days after the Hatiti earthquake the New York Times ran a cover that displayed a corpse lying across the front cover. As time progressed, the images started to pour in from all news outlets. TV news, Internet sources and newspapers were filled with blood and haunting images from the tragedy. As grotesque as they might be, such images seem to attract readers. We all know that horror sells. The American public seems to have a taste for the graphic horrors depicted by the news we consume. I sat and read through that New York Times edition and stared at the cover.

By Claudia Siu Orellana

The Haiti earthquake serves a bizarre and disturbing function in our society, as many other disasters tend to do. It fulfills our seemingly obsessive attraction to violent images. Perhaps it’s easier and more sociably acceptable to observe these images from a distance, the New York Times would’ve never ran a cover with a corpse of an American (or maybe they would, I guess I don’t know). The media’s effort to satisfy our brutal thirst for these images probably devastated the family of the dead person in our newspapers front pages.

This argument may seem rather shallow given the gravity of Haiti’s quake, but I can’t help to wonder if there is a way to show the devastation in Haiti without depicting unnecessary and possibly disrespectful images. Are we covering news or are we just turning them into sensationalism? And by doing so, are we further desensitizing our already apathetic society? Is this kind of coverage helping the people of Haiti or are they just being exploited for their tragedy? Maybe the answer lies within the understanding of our own nature.

By Claudia Siu Orellana

Hundreds of high school students as well as potential transfer students waited in line at the VCU fine arts building Saturday. For many, it served as a grounding experience concerning their expectations of the always romanticized art school.

What is it?

Prospective art students are asked to bring 20 of their best works to be reviewed by representatives from various art institutions. This review delineates the things that the student needs to work on to get accepted into these institutions. For some students this insight is essential when determining if the school is right for them.

“I’d like to figure out what it is I’m doing right and wrong,” said Aly Janka a senior in James Madison High School.  “I think that if a school says they really don’t like my stuff that’s a pretty good sign that that school isn’t the best choice for me.”

Although decisions on acceptance into the institution aren’t made on the spot, students can determine the condition of their portfolio.

A family affair

National Portfolio Day provides an opportunity for families to not only tour facilities but also ask important questions about an art education.

“She is very talented you know, but I’m not sure as to how she’d make a full-time career from art,” said Maurilee Collins, Mother of a prospective VCU student.

A flash from the past

An art critique can be a very intimidating experience, especially if it’s from something as important as a college of choice. Current VCU students in the building Saturday were reminded of their own portfolio day.

“I was super nervous when I had my portfolio reviewed. It was a big reality check,” said Cassie Cornier a graphic design junior at VCU. “After one review I felt like I hated art.”

National Portfolio Day takes place every year in November and it’s open for anyone interested in applying to an art school.

VCU’s first E-festival aims to promote the dialogue on environmentally important issues in the community.

By Claudia Siu Orellana

The E-festival started Thursday Oct. 1, with the film screening of “The Next Industrial Revolution,” a documentary on the relationship between commerce and nature followed by a panel discussion.

The first festival of its kind to be held at VCU is a two-day series of events that include film screenings, lectures, performances and discussions. The E-festival is sponsored and organized by VCU’s Science, Technology and Society program, STS. The festival’s objective is to encourage public engagement to benefit the community.

“We hope to engage people in a broader discussion on these important issues that affect not only Virginia, but the World,” said Karen Rader, director of STS and co-organizer of the event.

The E-festival is part of VCU’s year of the environment, which focuses on the integration of sustainable practices in the university. The university is completing a climate action plan that would strive for carbon neutrality, the elimination of all of the school’s carbon emissions by 2050.

But VCU is not only going greener, it’s also going bigger. During Thursday’s discussion, VCU’s plans of expansion stirred questions of whether its plans for a greener school are achievable. “The Next Industrial Revolution,” was chosen among other movies because it discusses the potential of green growth. But some people questioned the reality of expanding without hurting the environment.

“There is just a certain amount of growth that a society can have without risking environmental damage,” said John Powers, assistant director of STS and co-organizer of the festival. “Real ‘green’ growth requires people to completely change the way they view certain things.”

The organizers encouraged active participation by asking attendants’ opinions of the film. The discussion also included participants’ views on topics raging from consumerism in our society to possible alternatives to the climate crisis.

“It’s good that students are thinking and talking about these issues,” said Ryan Johnson a VCU graduate who attended the event.  “It’s important that people critique the information they receive.”

Besides student input, E-festival organizers recognized the importance of involvement by the Richmond community in general, since people outside the VCU community might be underrepresented in an event that takes place in the school.

“Our community is so varied that we need everyone’s opinions to reach real answers and solutions,” said Rader. “There’s a big variety of people in this city and we want to involve as many people as possible.”

The E-festival is also an effort to stimulate discourse between academic disciplines.

“There are many different aspects of the community that we wanted to bring into the discussion,” said Marian Moser Jones, VCU faculty and a member of STS. “We want the festival to help people cross disciplinary boundaries to find practical conclusions.”

According to Jones, the festival works at stimulating discourse because it includes music, film, art, science and the public input in every event. She also said that the festival comes at a very important time in our country.

“We need to address our need for energy for its political and economical consequences,” said Jones. “This is the time to start talking about these urgent environmental problems.”

Saturday marked the second day of the second Richmond Folk Festival. Richmond residents and visitors came together at the James River to celebrate its very varied culture.

By Claudia Siu Orellana

In spite of the rain there’s a massive flood of people entering the parking lot overlooking the river in downtown Richmond. From afar one can hear a tune coming from a xylophone being played by a curly haired woman who sings in a foreign language. Walking by, a man with a purple suit and a beard that reaches his belly button wall and the sweet scent of kettle corn is incapable. All these sights come together at the entrance where the overhead sign reads “Richmond Folk Festival 2009.”

Saturday Oct. 10, marked the second day of the second Richmond Folk Festival. The festival takes after the National Folk festival which was held in Richmond from 2005 to 2007.

The festival is mostly run by Volunteers.

Last year, 185,000 people attended the festival, not counting volunteers and performers. The success of the festival could be attributed to its large amount of personnel, including performers, volunteers, coordinators and vendors.

One of these vendors is Donald Pike, who has been selling festival food at the folk festival for five years. Pike and his partner Bill opened “Cool Concessions” and have been working in festivals and fairs since 1987.

“I enjoy working in the festival,” said Pike. “The organizers are all friends, and if you see all these people here, I’ve known them since forever.”

Like Pike, many attendees feel that it is this sense of community which makes the festival feel like more like a big family gathering than just a festival. As if all residents of Richmond get together to celebrate in the friendliest of manners, the city in which they live.

“One of the reasons I chose VCU over other schools was the fact that I love Richmond’s strong sense of community,” said Katie Keane, a junior at Virginia Commonwealth University who was volunteering for one of the store kiosks in the crafts marketplace. “Every other week there’s something going on where you can go and celebrate Richmond and I love being part of that.”

The festival offers many ways to get involved. From volunteer opportunities to many ways to interact with fellow attendees, the festival goes to great length to engage all parts of the community.

“It brings everyone together,” said Ashley Seay, a Radford University graduate who now works in Richmond and attended the festival. “I have not been bored for a second, there’s so much to see and so many people to share it with.”

Alongside the fun and community engagement, the festival offers a massive amount of culturally rich entertainment from around the world, as well as free movie screenings. This year some of the performers included throat singers from Tuva and a slide guitar player from India.

A Tuvan throat singer performing at the festival Saturday.

“It’s refreshing to see all these performers,” said Brent Williams, a Richmond engineering consultant. “The festival is an economic boost to the city, while still being free and providing cheap, quality entertainment.”

But not all attendees were completely satisfied with the festival. Tara Lewis, a worker at a local daycare said that “the parking situation was difficult and parking spots were located too far from the event.” Lewis was also not too content with the date of the event and said that October is “too cold” for an event outside.

Aside from these minor altercations, festival attendees were satisfied with the event. Rhonda Beale, a Richmond homemaker who attended the festival said she loved all the bands performing and the food sold, except the alligator meat.

“Don’t buy the alligator meat,” she recommended me. “I know alligator meat and what they’re selling is just chicken.”