In this installment of WNRN’s 91 Seconds on Film, Ben Nuckols has a review of Owen Wilson’s new film Drillbit Taylor, showing this week at the Carmike 6.
Virginia’s eugenics movement: 2001 documentary (part 2)
And now, the second installment of my series on Virginia’s eugenics movement, produced seven years ago with a grant from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. The first part can be heard here, and relates a general history of the eugenics movement, and the role Virginia played in legitimizing forced sterilizations.
This second seven and a half minute installment begins with the voice of the late Mitch Van Yahres reading a list of the offenses that could get you a vasectomy or your tubes tied, courtesy of the state. We then hear the voices of two former “patients” of the Virginia Colony for the Epileptic and the Feeble-minded, just north of Lynchburg in Madison Heights. Both live in Lynchburg, and I’m not sure what’s happened to them. When I spoke with them, the resolution expressing the state’s “profound regret” had not yet passed.
Since posting the first story last week, I was contacted by Paul Lombardo, the U.Va historian and bioethicist whose scholarship helped revive academic attention into this chapter of American and Virginia history. Paul tells me he’s writing a book on Buck v. Bell, which will come out this summer. He reminded me that then-Governor Mark Warner apologized for the eugenics era on May 2, 2002, the same day that a historic marker commemorating Carrie Buck was unveiled outside Region 10’s headquarters on Preston Avenue. Pictured on the left is Jesse Meadows, and Paul Lombardo is on the right.
91 Seconds on Film: Funny Games
In a triumphant return, WNRN’s 91 Seconds on Film comes back with a review of the thriller Funny Games.V The movie is currently playing at the Regal Cinema downtown, but with only one showing at 9:30. Ben Nuckols reveals what he thinks of the film.
Local Democrats explain delegate selection process
One of the hottest clean political stories of the year is the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. Senator Barack Obama currently has a slight lead over Senator Hillary Clinton in the delegate count. But, how does the process really work?
That was the general topic of the Charlottesville / Albemarle Democratic breakfast for March 2008. Fred Hudson, Democratic Party chair for VirginiavDj(tm)s Fifth Congressional District, explains the process by which local folks can try to become delegates to the national convention in Denver. Jim Heilman, former Albemarle County Voter Registrar and current international consultant on elections, will review the fairness and intent of various nominating methods vDj” primaries, caucuses and backroom dealing. And a political scientist will review the history and politics of the nominating process1
Virginia’s eugenics movement: 2001 documentary (part 1)
In 2001, the Virginia General Assembly passed a resolution expressing the state’s “profound regret” over its role in the eugenics movement. More or less passed over in the history books, Virginia played a pivotal role in government sanction of a policy where the mentally ill and indigent were sterilized so they would not pass their genetic material on to other generations. In 1924, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the practice in Buck v. Bell, in which Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes famously wrote: “Three generations of imbeciles are enough.” As a result of the case, Charlottesville native Carrie Buck was sterilized at the Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded.
Earlier this year, former Delegate Mitch Van Yahres died. Seven years ago, it was his legislation that helped Virginia kind of apologize. I’m reposting this series I produced in part to honor his legacy, but also because I don’t think it gets mentioned enough. It’s been a while since I’ve heard this, and I’ve come a long way as a producer since then. Still, this series won a regional Edward R. Murrow award for best documentary. I’ll post the other three installments in the days to come.
This project was originally funded by a grant to WVTF Public Radio from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.
Wordplay needs teams to support literacy efforts
On April 23rd, dozens of three-person teams from the area will descend on the Omni Hotel to do battle for a good cause. Literacy Volunteers Charlottesville Albemarle will hold a fundraiser called Wordplay, and it’s something of an evolution for the group. For the past four years the group raised money with a spelling bee for grown-ups, but expanded the game this year to include trivia and word puzzles.
I recently spoke with Beth Golden, the executive director of Literacy Volunteers Charlottesville Albmarle, and game designer Debra Weiss. This is a ten minute interview about the event, and take a listen to find out more about the game. They’re still looking for teams and sponsors.
Local NAACP celebrates group’s 99th anniversary
On February 17, 2008, The Albemarle-Charlottesville Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People celebrated the national organization’s 99th anniversary at an event held in the auditorium at Jackson P. Burley Middle School in Charlottesville. The theme of the day was “Standing on the Promises.”
We recorded the event, and now bring you the highlights. The master of ceremonies for the event is Mrs. Janette B. Martin, Vice-President of the Albemarle-Charlottesville NAACP.
Timeline for podcast:
- 0:51 – Reading of original poem, God, Give Me the Strength by Miss Bekenwari Idoniboye.
- 3:38 – Mrs. Janette B. Martin welcomes the audience, and introduces the guests
- 5:05 – Mrs. Shirley Roundtree, President, Fluvanna NAACP, reviews the history and purpose of the organization
- 8:05 – Dr. M. Rick Turner, President, Albemarle-Charlottesville NAACP, addresses the issue of continuing segregation in Charlottesville and Albemarle County.
- 4:27- Rev. Michael Turner, President, Staunton NAACP, speaks to the vitalness of the organization’s work.
- 6:37 – Rev. Mildred Middlebrooks, President, Waynesboro NAACP, remembers those who sacrificed their lives for justice.
- 22:22 – Mr. Brandon Kelly, President, UVA NAACP College Chapter, reviews current threats to and triumphs of the struggle for equality.
- 24:28 – Mrs. Martin introduces the youth speakers, Christen Edwards and Shelby Edwards.
- 25:18 – Dr. Turner introduces the featured speaker, Rev. Dr. J. Rayfield Vines, Jr., Virginia State Conference NAACP President
- 28:00 – Rev. Dr. Vines speaks on the topic, “Where Are You Standing?”
Terry Smith deliveres the inaugural Kluge Lecture in Arts and Humanities
On February 13, 2008, the Kluge-Ruhe Collection of Aboriginal Art at the University of Virginia sponsored the first John W. and Maria T. Kluge Distinguished Lecture in Arts and Humanities, featuring professor Terry E. Smith of the University of Pittsburgh. The lecture was introduced by Collection Director Margo Smith, who announced the date’s historical significance.
Dan Olmsted with the latest on the quest to explain the autism epidemic
Investigative reporter Dan Olmsted joins Coy Barefoot on the February 7 edition of WINA’s “Charlottesville–Right Now!” to continue the discussion about the autism epidemic. Olmsted is now keeping his readers up to date on a blog called The Age of Autism, which also features articles from other contributers. His work will soon be collected in a new book on the history of mercury poisoning.
Library sponsors You-Tube contest for Big Read
Do you know a budding young film-maker who lives in the Charlottesville area? If so, the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library is having a contest for the best promotional video to publicize their two-month Big Read Program. We spoke with Meredith Dickens, the Young Adult Librarian at the Crozet Library, to find out more about the quest to find a good commercial for To Kill A Mockingbird.
To Enter the contest:
vDju Videos should be submitted to YouTube on or before February 22, 2008. Use the tag “JMRL_BigReadvDjkj to designate your video as an entry.
vDju Each video must include: a reference to To Kill a MockingbirdvDjkj by Harper Lee and the url http://jmrl.org. In addition, content of the video should focus on involvement in the Big Read.
vDju Who is eligible: any person aged 12-18 who holds a JMRL library card. Teams of any number of people will count as single entries and should designate a single contact person.
vDju Once your video is posted, email jmrlbigread@gmail.com with the following information: title of video, date posted to
YouTube, contact information of entry including name, address, & phone number..
RULES:
vDju Videos should be 30 or 60 seconds in length.
vDju Videos should contain original content only; all music, script, images, etc should be the product of the video makers or in the public domain. (If your video contains copyrighted material, we will not be able to show it.)
vDju Videos should not contain any inappropriate content, as deemed by the judges.
vDju Privacy and usage policies of YouTube apply and can be found at
J-MRL reserves the right to use entries for promotional purposes.
vDju Winners will be decided by a panel of judges chosen by J-MRL, and all decisions are final.
vDju Winners will be announced at the Big Read kick-off, March 1, 2008.
Waldo Jaquith explains Richmond Sunlight
Waldo Jaquith, the creator of Richmond Sunlight, joins Coy Barefoot on WINA’s Charlottesville Right Now! to talk about his premier legislative tracking website. The site repurposes content from the General Assembly’s website and presents it on his unique website. For instance, you can subscribe to the status of bills by our area legislators: Senator Creigh Deeds, Delegate Rob Bell and Delegate David Toscano.
CRN: Should Virginia go to non-partisan redistricting?
David Solimini is the executive director of the Virginia Redistricting Coalition, a new organization formed to push for the reform of the way the state draws its legislative boundaries. Coy Barefoot spoke with Solimini about whether or not Virginia is one of the most gerrymandered states, and efforts to hand over the redistricting pen to a non-partisan panel. SB625 and HB836 are making their way through the General Assembly. Solimini says many legislators are “cautiously supportive” about the idea.