Good morning, RVA! It's 72 °F, and today you can expect temperatures in the 80s, more humidity, and more scattered storms. This weekend's weather looks lovely, though.
Water cooler
As of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports 1,152 new positive cases of the coronavirus in the Commonwealth and 57 new deaths as a result of the virus. VDH reports 134 new cases in and around Richmond (Chesterfield: 68, Henrico: 45, and Richmond: 21). Since this pandemic began, 188 people have died in the Richmond region. Those 57 statewide deaths reported yesterday are an all-time high, a dozen more than the previous day's all-time high, and just a lot of people. I'm really trying to not treat these numbers like they are sports scores, but remember what they represent. Also, I'm not sure where, why, who, or if I typo'd the data, but I think Henrico reported 12 new deaths yesterday? That feels...shocking. Since Richmond, Henrico, and Chesterfield are now all fully into Phase One of the Governor's plan for recovery, I thought it'd be useful to look at the percent positivity graphs for each locality. While the Governor has not announced what sort of metrics he'll look at before deciding to move everyone into Phase Two (or really even defined the practicals of Phase Two), I think it's safe to guess that he's not looking for "steadily increasing percent positivity" or "shockingly high percent positivity." Of note from the Governor's presser yesterday, he extended the state of emergency indefinitely, says the Richmond Times-Dispatch's Mel Leonor. This is important as it continues to give cover for local officials who want to use their state-of-emergency powers during the ongoing coronacrisis.
Remember! As of today, face coverings/masks are required. I mean, personally, I feel like if you can stay home, you should, but if you must leave to grab some groceries, restock on some quarantine supplies, or take the bus to work you need to have something over your face keeping your gross virus droplets to yourself. It doesn't even have to be a fancy Etsy mask made from a striking print; a plain ol' bandana meets the requirements.
If I remember correctly, all the way back in March, UVA announced that they'd stop in-person classes before any other institution of higher learning in the Commonwealth. March seems so long ago, so I could be making that up. Regardless, they've now announced their fall semester plans, which gives us a look at how colleges and universities are thinking about moving forward. Of note: UVA plans on students returning—like actually returning—to class on August 25th, assuming health officials allow it. Additionally, "large classes will remain online all semester, as will classes taught by faculty who have health concerns. Classes offered in-person, with the exception of some practicums, will also be available remotely, since some students will not be able to return to Grounds. Most students will have the option to remain home in the fall and participate in classes remotely." The University also plans on finishing up the semester by Thanksgiving. I imagine we'll see similar announcements from our local universities soon.
The Virginia Employment Commission has posted their regularly-scheduled data dump, and, for the first time since the middle of March, there were fewer total people filing for unemployment insurance than the previous week. Both the number of new claimants and number of continued claimants went down. Whatever the rate of increase/decrease, hundreds of thousands of people remain unemployed in Virginia.
Tomorrow at 7:00 AM, crews will set off explosives (implosives?) to implode the old Dominion Tower. Officials have been super clear that they don't want lookie-loos crowding the streets watching the force of science crumble one of our skyline's tallest buidlings into dust, and, to that end, will stream the implosion over on their Facebook. However, and this is not advice!, this particular building is visible from much of the south side of the river. So if you must lookie-loo, I'm sure you can think up some nice spots to do sufficiently far away from the action and sufficiently distanced from other folks with the same idea.
Northsiders: Today you can order dinner (or supper, I suppose) from Lunch. Supper. and safely pick it up at The Pickup Spot (3001 Seminary Ave). Pickups run from 5:30–6:30 PM, and make sure you order ahead. This is a clever use of that particularly property on the corner of Brookland Park Boulevard and Chamberlayne, and I'm hoping coronatimes will get other folks thinking more intentionally about how we can start using our City's spaces to serve its people.
Protests over the murder of George Floyd by a White police officer continued in Minneapolis and spread to Louisville where Breonna Taylor was shot and killed by a police officer this past March. For folks—particularly most of the audience of this email—confused, upset, and struggling with what to do, Christy Coleman has this advice for White allies: "Calling our white allies...you're needed now!! Time for you to tap in and get to work, because we're tired of explaining this while processing ongoing trauma." Next, I want to quote at length from RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras's most recent email: "Before diving into today's updates, I want to acknowledge the additional pain that is coursing through our community right now as a result of George Floyd's harrowing death at the hands of a white Minneapolis police officer. The similarity to the Eric Garner case, down to both men's cries—"I can't breath"—is chilling, to say the very least. Nearly 35% of RPS students are African-American young men. The America that they will experience over the course of their lives is fraught with racist prejudices—held consciously or not—that dehumanize them and make deaths like Mr. Floyd's not just possible, but common. We must change that. Our responsibility as educators is so much more than just teaching reading and math. It's about preparing our young people with the knowledge, skills, and social capital they'll need to construct a better, more just world—and doing whatever we can as adults to pave the way for them. Towards that end, I'd like to make a request of my fellow white members of the RPS community: If you haven't already done so, please discuss Mr. Floyd's death—and the long history of racialized violence that precedes it—with your children. Yes, it may be difficult. But families of color don't have much choice when it comes to "the talk"—it's literally a matter of life and death for them. For the entire RPS Family, here's a set of resources for talking with young people about race, racism, and racialized violence from the Center for Racial Justice in Education. Finally, to everyone who is processing this tragedy with great pain, please know that your RPS family stands with you—and always will."
This morning's longread
How Many Black People Can You Mourn In One Week?
Hannah Giorgis wrote this piece for BuzzFeed News four years ago.
To be black in America is to exist in haunting, mundane proximity to death at all moments. There is no reprieve, no mute, no block, no unfollow that can loosen us from its shadow. And yet, we must live. We must carry on as though nothing is wrong, as though video of our death is not both the trailer and feature film. This is normal, in the way the ache of a migraine pulses painful but familiar. You feel numb, or you don't, or you swing back and forth in the breeze. There is no protocol, and yet there is a convention. Tweet. Text. Act. Speak. Stay silent. Does it really matter anyway? I have written too many versions of this, too many reminders that we too bleed when bullet-ridden, too many justifications for the sanctity of human life for a people whose humanity has always been conditional. I am tired of begging. I am tired of bearing witness.
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