Priceless Vol 14 Number 3


Personal and Professional Empowerment www.hamptonroadsmessenger.com


Local NAACP Branch Hosts Life Membership Banquet


Page 6


Local Councilwoman Elected to Lead in League of Cities' Group


Norfolk State University Homecoming Photos


Pages 8-9


Free December 2019 Serving Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach since 2006


Senate Passes Bill to Renew Expired Funding for HBCUs


Page 4


Celebrating the Life of a Virginia Jewel, Mary T. Christian


Norfolk City Councilwoman Angelia Williams Graves BY CITY OF NORFOLK


NORFOLK, VA – Norfolk City Councilwoman Angelia Williams Graves was elected


to National leadership in the League of Cities


(NLC) National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials (NBC-LEO). Councilwoman Graves currently represents Norfolk’s Superward 7. She was elected as Second Vice President of NBC-LEO after serving one year as an At-Large member of the Board of Directors. NBC-LEO serves as one of the oldest and largest constituency groups for black elected officials within NLC. Councilwoman


Graves was


elected during the 2019 City Summit in San Antonio.


Councilwoman constituency


shares, “NBC-LEO is the largest


Graves group


within NLC. As Second Vice President I will have the opportunity to advocate for issues that are important to the


citizens of Norfolk at a federal level and gain valuable


Health Opinion


knowledge to improve the


quality of life of citizens at the local level.”


space for elected officials to


learning


NBC-LEO provides a connect and advocate for


policies that benefit their community. Members benefit from education,


and


networking as well. NBC-LEO also guides and influences NLC’s advocacy platforms at the federal level as they relate to issues affecting the African American community.


The leadership


Councilmember Forest Hill, TX


of this


year’s committee include: NBC-LEO President:


Carlie Jones,


Councilmember Russell Neal, Akron, OH


President:


President: Angelia


Sharon Hurt, Nashville, TN NBC-LEO Second Vice


NBC-LEO First Vice Councilmember


Councilmember Williams Graves, Norfolk, VA


THIS EDITION’S HIGHLIGHTS Hair Dye and Straighteners May Increase Cancer Risk 11


Homelessness Crisis: We Are Better Than This


Opportunity Hampton Roads Upcoming Events Scholarships Watch


$2 M Coastal Community Resilience Challenges Norfolk Named #1 Digital City in America Ain't That Good News ACLS Medical School Scholarship 5


14 12 2


13 NBC-LEO President-elect:


Dr. Mary T. Christian with Hampton University President Dr. William R. Harvey BY BRENDA BUCHANON


Dr. Mary Taylor Christian, born August 9, 1924 in Hampton, Virginia,


died on


Monday, November 11, 2019. Dr. Christian’s death leaves her family and community void of her leadership, kindness, and wisdom. She has been described as a humble servant by constituents and students; a great delegate, mentor, teacher, leader, and humanitarian. A determined woman of great strength and loving kindness to anyone needing a helping hand, she never wavered in her pursuit of education for all.


employment Institute


Dr. Christian in


the


propelled laundry


(now Hampton University)


herself from at Hampton to


secretary, and ultimately to the position as Hampton’s Dean of the School of Education in 1980. Dr. Christian maintained her visibility in the community and was affectionately called Dr. C. by her students at Hampton University.


Her parents were a homemaker and businessman; she grew up in a home of five siblings with little money, however her parents instilled in her the necessity for a MARY CHRISTIAN PAGE 10


Social Security Expands Public Hours at Offices Nationwide


Wednesdays to Return to Full Public Service Hours; Agency to Hire 1,100 Direct Service Employees


BY SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION Starting


on January


8,


2020,


Social


Security offices nationwide will be open to the public on Wednesday afternoons, Andrew Saul, Commissioner of Social Security, announced. This change restores Wednesday public service


hours that were last in place in late 2012. “I don’t want someone to come to our office at 2:30 on a Wednesday only to find our doors closed,” Commissioner Saul said. In another move to improve service SOCIAL SECURITY PAGE 14


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16