Young People Are Listened to in Richmond

“Richmond-area leaders are…willing to help create it.”

Not Richmond.

“It” in this instance is not a very scary clown, but rather what “younger generations say they want in a place to live, work and play.”

This article from the Richmond Times-Dispatch started with a quote from one of Norfolk’s top businessmen, Bill Reid (of Rising Tide Productions/aka The NorVa). He calls Richmond “cool” and talks about why his 24-year old son wants to move there. It explains how Richmond’s leadership is going to focus on what the younger generation wants in its city. Good, good.

Then, it tells you about some of the initiatives. And some more. And still, some more. Scroll, scroll, good things, scroll, scroll, fun activities, scroll, scroll, Richmond’s awesome!

There were recently hundreds of millions invested in a newly-renovated art museum, which actively participates in community events. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts director even says, “The art museum needs to be part of the party,” which includes a thriving First Friday scene and Virginia Commonwealth University, which now boasts the title as the top ranked public art school in the country. Nicely done, VCU!

There is also an extensive list of outdoorsy activities listed, centered around activities like kayaking or rafting on the James River and various hiking trails. In fact, a fifty-mile trail connecting Richmond to Williamsburg called The Virginia Capital Trail is currently under construction. I love hiking. There’s not decent hiking in this area, and no matter how many times I go to First Landing or The Noland Trail, it’s not the same feeling as being on a real trail like the Appalachian or the Creeper. In fact, spurs are now going to be popping off the main trail in New Kent and James City Counties, among others. I’m stoked about this, and so is Richmond.

“Trail building initially raised the hackles of some neighborhood groups but ultimately resulted in a network that has been used for XTERRA races, duathlons and triathlons that draw competitors from around the country and world.”

It’s nice to know a place where, ten years ago, you thought about crime and guns and dirt is now a place working hard (and more importantly, succeeding) at being known as a vibrant place for arts and recreation. It’s especially nice to know the city is actively listening to its younger citizens, specifically and thoroughly focusing on the younger generation’s needs–as they’ll be the ones who inherit the city, many of whom will be well aware if the grass is greener elsewhere. “Nothing is more central to the vision of the region’s future than creating a quality of life that keeps young people here and draws them from afar,” says the article.

Read that again: Nothing is more central. It’s weird. I just had a feeling like “woo hoo, I got a pat on the shoulder and a smile from my parents for all A’s” and I’m stoked; then I see my friend, who only got B’s, but also got a full conversation with her parents about what’s working for her and what isn’t, etc etc and boom. I’m deflated. I can only do so much on my own without encouragement or recognition. Young people in Norfolk can only do so much on their own without backing by the city (or cities, as it is in Hampton Roads. This Richmond article mentions some of its burbs, who are all too eager to be encompassed by the overall identity of “Richmond” as they recognize how this kind of regionalism is good for everybody. Another issue altogether I will surely be lamenting on another day.)

Here are some of the groups quoted in the article, all in agreement about Generation Y’s importance to the area and their commitment to do right by them: Greater Richmond Chamber, Richmond Regional Planning District Commission, Capital Region Collaborative, Southeastern Institute of Research, Richmond Road Runners, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Center for Creative Change and its Y Richmond (as in Generation Y), Richmond’s Sports Backers, and The River City Sports & Social Club. There were also several local business owners quoted.

I want this for us. Not for us to be Richmond, but for us to be a collaborative society who recognizes paying attention to what young people want results in us being more innovative and cutting edge, thus attracting recent graduates and young professionals, who then buy houses and raise children here, who pay taxes and shop here, and so on. If we don’t get this right, we lose. We become The Rust Belt 2.0.

Attendance at the Attucks: It Needs You!

This article ran as the top story on Sunday, but it equates greatly into my rant o’tha day on building culture and society in these parts.

Can they fill the seats? What causes the chinks in the beautiful armor that is this historic theater? As one weaves through the facts and figures over to some historical and cultural stuff and back again, it’s easy to get bogged down in the sheer length of this article. Pulling out some of the major points for you, we learn biggies in need of addressing include their limited budget ($150,000 for the year, when top notch acts can cost half of that) and location (Church Street in Norfolk).

I’ll give it to them on budget. Do you book a bunch of small, inexpensive acts and hope for the best as no one shows up? Do you blow the wad on Elton John and show nothing the rest of the year? Do you branch into comedy or readings? It’s hard work running a successful venue. It’s even harder to pull one from the depths of where the Attucks was, while keeping its historic importance recognized, yet drawing modern, diverse audiences.

I don’t give it to them on location. Actually, I’ll rephrase. I don’t think it’s completely the venue’s fault people say location, as people also say vulgar or derogatory comments about the neighborhoods in Norfolk with no just reason all the time. They also just say stupid and racist things, as you read in the above paragraphs. Look at the statistics of Attucks shows that have happened thus far–nothing bad has happened. More people should go check out the gem it is.

More people should get out of their house in general, and from there, out of their comfort zone or neighborhood bubble. We all say we want our cultural scene to grow (music, art, architecture, etc are all parts of this). There’s tons of stuff out there for the citizens to do, they just have to do it, instead of complaining about how nothing’s ever going on.

If any of you are reading this and have never been to the Attucks before, let me officially invite you all to The Rise Up, the local music showcase mentioned towards the end of the article. Yes, we’re throwing it and this could seem like a blatant promotion. It’s much more than that, actually. It’s an opportunity for our readers, those of you in Ghent or Downtown, sure, but also those of you in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, and the Peninsula to come to this theater and meet likeminded folks. The musicians are your neighbors; the audience is too. It’s an opportunity to admire the beauty of The Attucks Theater, enjoy a musical act you like, get introduced to another one you hadn’t heard of, and go home thinking “That was fun. I’d go to The Attucks again.”

So, the Pilot posed the question, “Can they fill the seats?” Well, no, of course they cannot. You and I, however, yes we can.

Dumb and Dumber

This may be old news to some of you, as Virginia Beach’s Republican Chairman David Bartholomew stepped down from his position Monday night and this was in yesterday’s paper. I’ll just give you the quickie and you can click for more if you need: he sent out a racist email. He got caught.

Dumb.

He blamed it on the fact that it was sent out at a time when “he was first getting familiar with the internet.”

Dumber.

This is so blatantly ridiculous I don’t even know where to begin. I’ve witnessed plenty of people “getting familiar” with the internet over the years. My parents, grandparents, older supervisors, etc. My husband works in that field. We don’t know anyone who has ever, ever sent out a racist or otherwise inappropriate message like this, no matter how “unfamiliar.” I call bullshit.

New Political Party Emerges

Hint: He doesn't think rents are too low.

I learned of the racist Virginia Beach Republican via Facebook (which is on the internet, which I’m vaguely familiar with, so if I offend anyone, it’s not really my fault, it’s Bill Gates’). On Facebook, I then saw this guy, New York City gubernatorial candidate Jimmy McMillan and immediately switched political parties. Watch and I’m sure you will as well.

Know Your Candy

Giving new meaning to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Green America Today has made this nifty checklist of the chocolate companies and how they stack up on child labor laws, just in time for Halloween candy shopping. Guess who’s second to last? Nestle. Guess who’s dead (dead dead) last? Hershey.

Yay.

Surviving Norfolk

Survive Norfolk. That phrase can be used in so, so many ways (see above, the part about Norfolk getting its act together on Brain Drain type issues before we all feel like we had to merely “survive” here instead of thrive). I digress. The important issue here of course is the coming zombie apocalypse, thanks to the most awesome game of tag ever to hit the streets of Ghent.

Three weeks ago, ODU grad Whitney Metzger invited around 100+ of her Facebook friends to a game of zombie tag in Ghent, modeling it off a game her cousin through in Raleigh, NC. Monday there were several thousand RSVP’s and the city threw down the law: permits, street closures, insurance, etc etc. All in all, around $3,000 was needed ASAP.

AltDaily got involved late Monday night and created Save Survive Norfolk, a variety of fundraisers (some online, some at local bars). WVEC even put us on the news last night and Hannah’s sentence about the “true viral nature” of this is so right on.

Obviously we have a lot of people here looking for fun things to do. A giant game of tag (especially Zombie tag) around a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood is a good idea, and if thousands and thousands of people agree and are willing to participate, this should say something to our leaders beyond “crazy kids.” It should say “Pay attention to us. We can come out in numbers. We can organize on the internet with no professional marketing or PR people involved.”

Survive Norfolk is going to happen. We are helping save it. I mean that in more ways than one.

MacArthur Center Youth Ban One Year Later

All those people who were swearing to boycott MacArthur this time last year for disallowing unsupervised minors inside after 5pm? They’re still shopping there. It seems the only drop in population is at the teen-focused retailers, who also cite a reduction in shoplifting.

Asking and Telling…and Ignoring

As the Federal Government has yet to officially overturn last week’s ruling that Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is crap, military recruiters are being instructed to accept applications from men and women who admit to being gay. However, as Pentagon spokesperson Cynthia O. Smith points out, “recruiters have been told to remind applicants that the court injunction could quickly be reversed. If that occurred statements by recruits that they are homosexual could be used to reject them immediately or discharge them if they had been accepted into the service.”

Funnily enough, none of the 757 recruiters interviewed had heard of this new (most likely interim) policy and are continuing to operate under DADT. (Channeling Daria)… I love how progressive we are as a region.