Welcome to the Monday Rundown, where Richmond magazine's editors share their picks for the best things to see, do and experience in the region over the week ahead.
For the week of Jan. 15, 2018:
MLK Commemorations
Martin Luther King Jr. (Photo courtesy Library of Congress)
Richmond will observe the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday honoring the slain civil rights leader on Monday with a ceremony from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., followed by a Day of Service. Titled “In Pursuit of the Dream,” the ceremony will take place at Brookdale Imperial Plaza, 1717 Bellevue Ave., with Mayor Levar Stoney giving the keynote address. Day of Service projects include the Bryan Park floodplain cleanup, Broad Rock Community Garden improvements, Charles Gilpin Community Farm, Evergreen Cemetery beautification and leaf raking and bagging for senior citizens.
(Jan. 17 update) A talk that was scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 17, by King’s oldest son, Martin Luther King III at Virginia Commonwealth University has been cancelled because VCU closed for a snow day. The talk is expected to be rescheduled, but no date was immediately announced.
‘Equal Means Equal’ Documentary Screening
The Equal Rights Amendment has languished since it was passed by Congress and sent for state ratification in 1972. So far, it’s been ratified by 35 states (not including Virginia) and is three short of ratification to become part of the Constitution. Learn more about the continued need for the ERA in a screening of the documentary “Equal Means Equal,” 6:45 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 16, at the Byrd Theatre. The event will be followed by a panel discussion. The American Association of University Women of Greater Richmond is responsible for ticketing. $5. Buy tickets online.
Women’s March RVA
The 2017 March on Monument (Photo by Rachel Scott Everett)
To mark the one-year anniversary of the March on Monument in Richmond and the 2017 Women’s March on Washington — held to advocate for women’s rights and other issues in the wake of Donald Trump’s election as president — a Women’s March RVA is planned for Saturday, Jan. 20, in Carytown, starting at 10 a.m. at 3522 W. Cary St. EVERGIB Creative Studio co-owner Rachel Scott Everett, who designed a poster for the event using downloadable graphics from the national Women’s March website, says that organizer Mary Leffler created the event after she learned in early December that nothing was being planned locally. (The official anniversary event will be in Las Vegas on Jan. 21.) "So we simply picked a place and started spreading the word," Leffler says. "The week of commemorating the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and remembering the 2017 Women's March is the perfect time to share our hopes and dreams of a kinder, wiser world."
At a companion event on Friday, Jan. 19, at Studio Two Three in Scott’s Addition, participants are invited to make posters, shirts and banners from 6 to 9 p.m. (Registration is $10 to cover the cost of supplies and production.)
