Richmond Free Press

Richmond Free Press The Richmond Free Press is a locally owned weekly newspaper targeting the city's Black community.

A little rain won’t stop Richmond — the city came alive this weekend with music, food, and community.Saturday morning, t...
09/28/2025

A little rain won’t stop Richmond — the city came alive this weekend with music, food, and community.

Saturday morning, thousands joined the fourth annual Run Richmond 16.19 cultural run-walk at Kanawha Plaza. Organized by actor and humanitarian Djimon Hounsou and the Djimon Hounsou Foundation, the event takes participants through 400+ years of Black history, honoring the sacrifices and achievements of African Americans.
📸: Julianne Tripp-Hillian (.t.h.photos) / Richmond Free Press

Black culinary talents were featured Saturday afternoon at The Function, a barbecue and fish fry celebrating Virginia’s food traditions and African American chefs, at Charlotte’s in Downtown. 📸: Sandra Sellars () / Richmond Free Press

Many braved the rain for Virginia Pride Fest 2025 Saturday afternoon at Midtown Green on West Leigh Street. The festival featured vendors, food and drinks, plus all-day performances on two stages, including headliners Saucy Santana, trans pop singer Mila Jam, Kevin Aviance and RuPaul’s Drag Race star Ajaa. The event wrapped up a week of VA Pride celebrations for Richmond’s LGBTQ community.
📸: Julianne Tripp-Hillian (.t.h.photos) / Richmond Free Press

Richmond celebrated its homegrown musical talent at the RVA East End Festival—moved indoors to Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School—with performances by Keeping It Movin Line Dance, Dap Mallory Band, the Richmond Symphony with guest conductor Naima Burrs, and more.
📸: Sandra Sellars () / Richmond Free Press

“Voices and Votes” brought good food, great music and real conversations to Maywill Street in Henrico. Hosted by Birth in Color, the event connected reproductive justice advocacy with voting rights education, featuring Virginia legislative leaders and community activists, on-site voter registration, and interactive town hall pods, storytelling sessions and civic engagement stations designed to inspire real action.
📸: Sandra Sellars () / Richmond Free Press


Please meet our Personality of the Week: Djimon Honsou, actor, humanitarian, founder of the Djimon Honsou Foundation ()....
09/25/2025

Please meet our Personality of the Week: Djimon Honsou, actor, humanitarian, founder of the Djimon Honsou Foundation ().

Our latest edition is out— online and in our boxes, on stands and in local libraries, some churches, stores and more. If...
09/25/2025

Our latest edition is out— online and in our boxes, on stands and in local libraries, some churches, stores and more. If you are having challenges with finding a copy of our newspaper please call us in the newsroom: 804-644-0496. We will happily assist you with getting a copies. 📰Newspapers can also be picked up in the box in front of our building or inside our office. 🏢We are located at 422 East Franklin Street in Downtown Richmond. Thank you for being devoted readers. Have a news tip ? Email: [email protected]
Have an issue you would like to share with our editor, Craig Belcher , please send a concise Letter to the Editor: [email protected].
Want to advertise your biz, looking to hire advertisements, share a celebration, an obituary or need to advertise mostly anything, then please contact our advertising coordinator: Cynthia Downing : [email protected].

Underground Kitchen – Community First (UGK-CF) hosted its 2nd annual Harvest Day yesterday at the Annie Giles Community ...
09/24/2025

Underground Kitchen – Community First (UGK-CF) hosted its 2nd annual Harvest Day yesterday at the Annie Giles Community Center on Oliver Hill Way — a celebration of locally grown food and seasonal recipes. Partnering with F.T. Valley Farm, UGK-CF shared fresh local apples for visitors to take home. Chef Steve Glenn (Season 20 of Hell’s Kitchen) offered samples of his creations.

“This day is our day to bring the community together to celebrate the harvest, but also to start ushering in the new Nourish, our new food pantry,” said Micheal Sparks, Founder & CEO, UGK - CF. 

Guests got a sneak peek of UGK-CF’s newest initiative Nourish Provisions, a meal service program farm fresh food and nutrition fir seniors and families managing chronic illnesses and experiencing food insecurity.

“And by the spring we will be the only licensed medical food pantry and kitchen in central Virginia supporting doctors and patients who are suffering from severe diseases,” Sparks added.
 
UGK-CF is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to addressing food insecurity among Richmond’s vulnerable populations by creating sustainable solutions while fostering economic growth and career opportunities in the culinary industry. Some of their programs include Future Foodies, From Scratch, and Smart Soul Food. 

“Here will be a place where you have hands-on treatment for heart-healthy meals, diabetes, and cancer and cancer recovered. Also supporting our senior community and families that support them.”

📸 Highlights:
1️⃣ Carlise Talley gathers apples for her church pantry at St. John’s Church.
2️⃣ Leah Flores, 7, searches for the biggest apple.
6️⃣ Jasmine Sheffield helps kids Messiah, 5, and Parker, 3, top caramel apples.
8️⃣ UGK-CF employees pose at the fall-themed photo booth.
9️⃣ Chef Tyler Brightwell & Micheal Sparks in the new Nourish kitchen.
🔟 Mrs. James of Glen Allen taste-tests apples for her baked goods.

Photos by Julianne Tripp-Hillian (.t.h.photos) / Richmond Free Press

Please meet our Personality of the Week : Kristin Harris , CEO and founder of Cancer Retreat Centers at Blanton House. P...
09/18/2025

Please meet our Personality of the Week : Kristin Harris , CEO and founder of Cancer Retreat Centers at Blanton House. Photo by Julianne Tripp Hillian/ Richmond Free Press.

Our latest edition is out today on the streets and online! 📰🗞️📷🚨💻Check out what our newsroom has worked on for you, our ...
09/18/2025

Our latest edition is out today on the streets and online! 📰🗞️📷🚨💻
Check out what our newsroom has worked on for you, our respected readers.

Please meet our Personality of the Week: Kristin Janssen, the new executive director at Maggie L. walker’s Governors Sch...
09/11/2025

Please meet our Personality of the Week: Kristin Janssen, the new executive director at Maggie L. walker’s Governors School for Government and International Studies (). Photo by Julianne Tripp Hillian / Richmond Free Press.

Our latest edition is out! Please read what our newsroom has worked on for you along with state and national news storie...
09/11/2025

Our latest edition is out! Please read what our newsroom has worked on for you along with state and national news stories too. Pick up a copy and or read us online. Dint forget to share both and tag us too.

The Well Collective hosted the inaugural THE WELL Fest on this weekend bringing together Richmond’s arts, culture and mu...
09/07/2025

The Well Collective hosted the inaugural THE WELL Fest on this weekend bringing together Richmond’s arts, culture and music scene with a full day of well-being and cultural events. The weekend opened Thursday with “Rooted: A Taste of Culture Through Jazz and Culinary Art,” blending live jazz with a gourmet dining experience. On Friday, a live panel, “Rooted in Richmond: A Social + Cultural Conversation,” was held in partnership with Conversations Unearthed. Saturday began with Morning Wellness, a movement, breath and sound experience, followed by a full day at Main Street Station with vendors and performances.

Photos from Saturday’s event:
1: The Sainted Trap Choir closes out THE WELL Fest with a lively performance.�2: Ashley Williams, CEO of The Well Collective, and Ariane McKeller-Crosby, founder of Green Vibes RVA, dance during the Sainted Trap Choir’s performance.�3: Priyah Bhagat and Jowanda Sampson talk with artist Sydne Moseley about her work at her booth.�4: Aunah Edmonds-Howell, 6, climbs a rock wall.�5: Lahjae White-Patterson contributes to Mending Wall’s community conversation board.�6: Faith Wilkerson buys a wellness drink from Tiffany Robinson, owner of The Te Spot, which sells teas, tonics and more.�7: Lennox Atkins, 10, left, and Jaylyn Love, 12, right, climb a rock wall.

Photos by Julianne Tripp-Hillian (.t.h.photos) / Richmond Free Press�

Volunteers gathered at North Side’s Matchbox Mutual Aid yesterday afternoon for RVA Community Fridges’ Community Cook Da...
09/05/2025

Volunteers gathered at North Side’s Matchbox Mutual Aid yesterday afternoon for RVA Community Fridges’ Community Cook Day.

These Cook Days began in Jan 2024 as an extension of RVA Community Fridges, a mutual aid organization founded in 2021 by Taylor Scott (photo 5) to combat food insecurity in Central Virginia. The group now maintains 14 fridges in neighborhoods across Richmond. Cook days are held once a week to prepare meals for the fridges. Harmony Pierce has served as cookday coordinator since the summer of 2024.

“It started with just farm donations,” said Pierce. “We started getting so many donations and partnerships from local farms that we couldn’t even fit in the fridges. So we were taking whatever we got and making meals out of it.” 

Five volunteers turned out for Thursday’s cookday, chopping fruits and vegetables for Greek pasta salad, a bean salad, and yogurt parfaits. No cooking experience is required to volunteer; in fact, Pierce said some come in with little to no kitchen background and leave having learned something new.

“I get to come here and learn from other people,” said volunteer K. Russel (photo 3) who added that they find these cookdays especially valuable amid the nation’s current political turmoil. “In light of the drastic changes happening top down, I think it’s important to actually have community in the city for real.

This cookday produced around 300 meals for 3-4 fridges. On typical evening cookdays, when more volunteers turn out, the group is able to prepare about 600 meals for 6-8 fridges.

RVA Community Fridges shares a monthly schedule on IG and posts signups a week out of each cookday. For those interested in more regular involvement, the group also hosts a Discord channel. Next cookday is scheduled for Wednesday, Sep 5, from 5 to 8 p.m. Find full details and signups .

Photo 1: Andrew Huynh and Demitry Edwards prepare onions and basil. In photo 7 Elian Williams and Annabelle Fisher chop tomatoes.

Photos by Julianne Tripp-Hillian (.t.h.photos) / Richmond Free Press

Please meet our Personality of the Week, Kenneth Hunter, lead organizer at the Virginia Consensus for Higher Education i...
09/04/2025

Please meet our Personality of the Week, Kenneth Hunter, lead organizer at the Virginia Consensus for Higher Education in Prison. Photo by Julianne Tripp Hillian/ Richmond Free Press .

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