This week, an event at the Virginia War Memorial celebrates the Tuskegee Airmen, the Richmond Triangle Players present an original play, the Library of Virginia showcases the power of the petition, a survivor shares her story at Massey Cancer Center, and the ReelAbilities Diversity & Inclusion Festival returns. Have a great week!
Sign Here, Please
You see them on street corners wielding clipboards and asking if you have a minute. Petitioners are part of the constitutionally protected process of petitioning. During the 18th and 19th centuries, if one wanted to open a toll bridge or if a formerly enslaved person sought to remain in the state, they filed a petition. Restrictions of those times kept many people from exercising their democratic right to vote, while the egalitarian petition carried no restrictions by class, race or gender. The stories behind these requests — both triumphant and heart-breaking — are revealed in the Library of Virginia’s free exhibition “Your Humble Petitioner,” opening today, Monday, Feb. 7.
—Harry Kollatz Jr., Senior Writer
Women and Wellness
There’s a permeable border between the sick and the well, a territory that is explored and explained by Suleika Jaouad in her book “Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted.” The cancer survivor is the keynote speaker for the VCU Massey Cancer Center Women and Wellness virtual luncheon and book club event at noon on Tuesday, Feb. 8. Jaouad’s book details her long battle with leukemia, which was diagnosed when she was 22, and her cross-country journey of discovery as she sought to resume her life. It’s the 27th year for the event, which has raised more than $5 million for women’s cancer research.
—Tharon Giddens, Lifestyle Editor
Fly Away
Join a virtual discussion about the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen with Howard and Richard Baugh of the Howard Baugh Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen hosted by the Virginia War Memorial on Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. The Baughs’ father, Capt. Howard Baugh, was among the valiant members of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first Black military aviators in the U.S. Army Air Corps. The airmen flew more than 15,000 individual sorties in Europe and North Africa during World War II, earning more than 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses. Their efforts helped to encourage the subsequent integration of the U.S. military. Free with required registration.
—Susan Morgan, R•Home Managing Editor
Out of the Shadows
Qian Julie Wang immigrated with her family from Shijiazhuang, China, to Brooklyn, New York, in 1994. Her recent memoir, “Beautiful Country,” documents her life growing up as an undocumented child as her parents worked menial jobs under the threat of deportation. Wang, who is Jewish and would later graduate from Yale Law School and found the Central Synagogue’s Jews of Color group in New York, will discuss her journey with attorney and social justice advocate Laura Pho in a free virtual book talk as part of the Weinstein JCC’s ReelAbilities Diversity & Inclusion Festival on Thursday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m.
—Scott Bass, News Editor
A Southern Search
What happens when you mix witches, a city council member and Stonewall Jackson? You get Kari Barclay’s play “Stonewallin’,” which explores racial politics, LGBTQ identity and life in the South. Opening Friday, Feb. 11, at the Robert B. Moss Theatre, the production was selected as the winner of Richmond Triangle Players’ inaugural So.Queer Playwrights Festival. The play follows the story of Marsha, who relocates to Virginia in search of a connection to her family roots and finds an astrology-obsessed barista, a missing Confederate monument and a potential bisexual love story. Performances run through March 5, and tickets are $10 to $35.
—Nicole Cohen, Special Projects Editor
Other Suggestions
- “Histories & Stories: A Special Province,” presented by the Black American Artists' Alliance of Richmond, continues through April 2 at the Perkinson Center for the Arts & Education.
- Comedian Katt Williams’ “World War III” tour comes to the Altria Theater Feb. 11.
- “Atavistic Memories: The Studio Furniture of Sam Forrest” continues at The Branch Museum of Architecture and Design through April 17.
River City Roundup is Richmond magazine's weekly compilation of the best things to see, do and experience in the region, compiled by our editors. Get each week's installment directly in your inbox every Monday by subscribing to our e-newsletter.
