Reach for the Starrs
On July 10, Starr Hill Pathways kicked off its third annual summer session with a pep rally at John Paul Jones Arena.
Run by the Virginia Equity Center, Starr Hill Pathways is a supplementary education program designed to “provide the social, technical, and research infrastructure to redress educational inequities that persist in the Charlottesville-Albemarle region,” according to its website. To achieve this, SHP provides rising seventh to 12th grade students free, year-round educational resources to create admissions pathways toward post-secondary education.
After receiving a $6,000,000 strategic investment grant in 2021, the program started as a pilot the same summer before fully launching in 2022. To qualify for SHP, students must attend school at either an Albemarle County or Charlottesville public school, and have permission to participate from their family. While any student meeting these criteria can apply for the program, SHP prioritizes “BIPOC youth and students of low and middle incomes.”
This year, SHP has 175 participants for the three-week summer session, with roughly 75 students returning. “I think it went great,” says SHP youth counselor Jamie Shelton about the opening pep rally. “The kids seemed really happy to be there. Considering that it happened at 9:30am, it was high energy.”
“I was very nervous going into it and I was very surprised with how easy it was to engage with these kids,” says Shelton. “I’ve met so many funny characters, and I really enjoyed myself today, and found it easy to just connect with them and level with them and understand where they’re coming from.”
During the summer session, students are exposed to several potential career paths, including environmental science, health and medical sciences, creative and visual arts/graphic design, urban farming/horticulture, culinary arts, education and human development, business and entrepreneurship, civic engagement and social justice, architecture, and multimedia arts (journalism and broadcasting). Each path is connected to a community partner in the area, and is supported by youth counselors.
Late justice
After 125 years, Albemarle County Commonwealth’s Attorney Jim Hingeley has filed a motion to dismiss the posthumous indictment of lynching victim John Henry James.
On July 11, 1898, James was arrested on suspicion of the sexual assault of Julia Hotopp, a white woman. While being transported to court for his indictment the next day, James was pulled off of a train by a crowd of white men and lynched in Albemarle County. Despite public knowledge of his death, James’ indictment continued, with the jury voting to indict him posthumously.
No one was ever charged in the lynching.
The hearing to dismiss James’ postmortem indictment is at 4pm on July 12 in the Albemarle County Circuit Court. The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors has proclaimed July 12, 2023, John Henry James Day.
The dismissal of James’ indictment is part of the county’s Community Remembrance Project, which aims “to memorialize documented victims of racial violence and foster meaningful dialogue on race and justice.”
In brief
Barking mad
In an anonymous statement released July 10, staff at the Charlottesville Albemarle SPCA brought forward new concerns about the shelter’s treatment of employees and animals. The letter alleges that interim leaders Sue Friedman and Darcy Furr have “taken notes from former ED Angie Gunter and are bullying and manipulating staff who have remained through the last 7 tumultuous months.” The staffers also allege that the mass dismissal of volunteers and the reduction of adoption hours has impacted animal welfare at the CASPCA, noting “euthanasias are occurring at an alarming rate compared to the past.”
ACC honors Hoos
On July 7, a record 568 Cavaliers were named to the ACC honor roll. To qualify, student-athletes must play a varsity sport and maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher for the entire academic year. Among the UVA honorees were players of the year Kate Douglass in women’s swimming, Owayne Owens in indoor men’s track and field, Chris Rodesch in men’s tennis, Connor Shellenberger in men’s lacrosse, and Ethan Dabbs in outdoor men’s track and field, with a record 363 Cavaliers also named to ACC All-Academic teams.
Don’t delay
In an attempt to stop congressional efforts to change slot and perimeter rules at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner joined their Maryland colleagues and airline officials for a press conference on July 10. The Virginia representatives urged against altering the flight capacity of the airport, claiming it would upset the balance between Reagan National, Dulles International, and Baltimore-Washington International Marshall airports, and could result in major delays at Reagan.