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Teen from Virginia was Recognized for Mowing Lawns for Disabled and Elderly Neighbors for Free
During its “GMA Gives Back” segment, Good Morning America teamed together with Honey Bunches of Oats to recognize and honor 13-year-old Phoenix Brown of Chesapeake, Virginia. Brown had intended to build a computer with some pals, but his perseverance led him down a more hospitable route. “At one point it was basketball, at another point, […] More
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in News
Historic Mural for Black was Vandalized at Washington University
Officials at Washington University reported a mural on campus depicting important Black people was destroyed with racist symbols this weekend. Still, the mural’s creators claim that this isn’t the first time the piece has been vandalized. The civil rights activist and former United States Senator are depicted in the picture. According to the school’s student […] More
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in Business
Owner of the First Black-Owned Bank was Once a Slave
The tale of Rev. William Washington Browne, a former Georgia slave who formed the first-ever Black-owned bank in America, is told in the history of The Savings Bank of the Grand Fountain United Order of True Reformers. The bank, which was founded in 1888, opened with more than $1,269 in deposits on the first day. […] More
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in News
Virginia man is set to be free after being sentenced to 1,823 years
Lawrence Stephens was an 18-year-old homeless restaurant waiter when he and three others committed a home invasion robbery in the Seaford region of York County in 2001. No guns were fired, and no one was hurt, according to his lawyer. The Hampton man and several others were apprehended and brought to trial, but the sentence Stephens received from York County Judge Prentis Smiley Jr. violated sentencing guidelines by hundreds of years. Smiley withdrew from the bench and died in 2008, according to a Daily Press report. He presided over Daryl Atkins’ capital murder trial in 1998.As a result of the outcome, a U.S. In 2002, the Supreme Court issued a judgement prohibiting the execution of people with intellectual disability. Gaylene Kanoyton, the president of the Hampton NAACP, enlisted the help of attorney Rebecca Winn, the legal redress chair, to investigate and file a petition for a conditional pardon this year. The Stephens case is only one of the civil rights organization’s ongoing investigations. Winn stated in his appeal that both the prosecution and the defense had provided insufficient representation. She expressed herself as follows: “I was especially alarmed to read that the prosecutor was not even sure of the full scope of the role that Mr. Stephens played during the acts in question apart from the role played by his co-defendants.” Furthermore, Winn stated that Stephens’ court-appointed attorney was later found guilty of failing to adequately represent his client. “He actually eventually [was] convicted by the […] More
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