This weekend Richmond, VA will be the center of attention as community and civil rights organizations from across Virginia come together in the Journey for Immigrant Justice. This Journey comprises four days of activities all designed to send one unified message to the Virginia legislature. Virginia�s economy and quality of life depend on the contributions of Virginia�s hardworking immigrants. Virginia�s elected officials must reject the dozens of anti-immigrant bills that are before the House and Senate. These bills attack the human and civil rights of both immigrants and citizens who support them. They range from bills that would allow every law enforcement official from state troopers to game wardens to serve as immigration agents to legislation making it a felony to assist an immigrant that is undocumented with humanitarian aid. The bills would burden our faith-based organizations, encourage racial profiling, and divert scarce resources from the core missions of our state agencies and non-profits.

"As a patriotic American proud to serve the nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to support the prompt withdrawal of all American military forces and bases from Iraq . Staying in Iraq will not work and is not worth the price. It is time for U.S. troops to come home."

A press conference was held at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Norfolk on January 15, 2007 (Martin Luther King Day) to formally announce a military "Appeal for Redress" in connection with the conduct of the Iraq War. Members of active duty military and National Guard, Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), Veterans for Peace (VFP), Military Families Speak Out (MFSO) and the Virginia Antiwar Network (VAWN) were among those who spoke to the public and press.

appealforredress.org || View photos by Garrie Rouse

Today, the education subcommittee in the Virginia General Assembly approved another hateful piece of legislation against the queer community (HB 1727 by a 5-3 vote), this time targeting queer youth. The intent of the legislation is clear: to deny queer youth access to desperately needed support groups in public schools such as Gay Straight Alliances (GSA's) by requiring parental consent to attend said support meetings.

The Virginia General Assembly has just begun, but the bills that affect a woman's right to choose have been piling up....

While the 2007 General Assembly session has been underway for less than a week, legislators are hard at work already. Issues that are critical to constituents, such as transportation, security, healthcare, and education, have taken the back-burner for certain legislators intent on eliminating a woman’s right to choose.

Over the past few months, The City of Richmond has spent half a million dollars of the general maintenance budget to polish the controversial monument to Confederate General Robert E. Lee in time for the Sons of Confederate Veterans to celebrate his birthday.

On Friday, a concerned group of Richmonders came out to show their disapproval of the city's decision to financially support the SCV's celebrations of General Lee.

It’s 2007: Time to tell the truth about Robert E. Lee

The Real Robert E. Lee

VAWN Protests R. E. Lee Brethren

The Sordid Political History of the Sons of Confederate Veterans

This Friday, January 12th at noon the Sons of Confederate Veterans will be gathering in front of the Robert E. Lee monument to celebrate Lee's 200th anniversary. The Virginia Anti-War Network is calling for a counter protest to show our disgust and contempt for the racist ideas that Lee has come to epitomize.

No More Prisons in Virginia
Fund Education and Rehabilitation Not Warehousing

Join Grayson County, VA residents and prison justice organizations to stop the construction of a $100 million dollar prison along the New River.

As the clock struck 12:00 last night hundreds of soldiers from Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN in spanish initials) and hundreds more civilians from the Zapatista civil society organizations assembled on the basketball court before the mainstage of the International Meeting between the Zapatista People and the People of the World. Around the perimeter of the zapatistas were thousands of international supporters and rebels who had come to participate in the meetings. In this crowd of internationals were representatives from organizations working in Virginia, including the Woodbridge Workers Committee, The Committee of Indigenous Solidarity, Mexicanos Sin Fronteras, The Snails Pace Collective, and Richmond Indymedia. Moments after midnight, dozens of members of the EZLN comandancia dramatically took the stage...

Brutal attack against Ricardo Dominguez, adherent to the Other Campaign

The Minutemen group is planning a trip to Harrisonburg, Virginia in February.

Washington, DC | December 22, 2006| This week a controversial letter from Virginia Congressman Virgil Goode was released to the press. In his letter to constituents, Goode expressed his opposition to using the Koran during an unofficial and optional swearing-in ceremony for the nation's first elected Muslim congressman, Member-Elect Keith Ellison of Minnesota. Goode also expressed his, "fear that in the next century we will have many more Muslims in the United States if we do not adopt the strict immigration policies that I believe are necessary to preserve the values and beliefs traditional to the United States of America and to prevent our resources from being swamped."

Thursday, December 21
7:00PM
William Byrd Community Center
224 S. Cherry St.

- A presentation of the film, "El Enimigo Comun" ("The Common Enemy") from Austin, TX Indymedia & talk with Richmond Indymedia activist Jen Lawhorne, currently living and reporting in Mexico.

Hosted by Richmond Indymedia Center

Easy steps for adopting a vegetarian lifestyle by converting dishes that you already are familiar with and enjoy, gradually changing your meals, and exploring new foods and recipes.