Richmond Faces
For those who move from one country to another change can be hard. Families are separated, speech is not understood and finding employment may be impossible. For others the change of address may be seamless. Curiosity brought Rosy Maria Barron to the United States. She was 18 years old when she and a friend arrived to California from Mexico. Now a Palo Alto resident, Barron makes daily 45-mile trips to Richmond to manage her supermarket on Cutting Boulevard.
More than 12 million men and women were victims of rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner in the United States in 2010, according to the Centers for Disease Control, and Richmond hasn’t escaped the problem. Richmond Police Lt. Bisa French estimated that the RPD sees 20-30 domestic violence cases a month. STAND! For Families Free of Violence, which works with victims in Contra Costa County, receives more than 15,000 clients a year, said Gloria Sandoval, the group’s…
Susan Fisher’s ink-black eyes reddened with tears as she described her two nephews who are deployed overseas. “One nephew is my blood nephew,” she said, “and the other, I’m like his other mom, especially after his real mom passed away a year ago.” Joe, who’s on his fourth deployment to Afghanistan, and Kristopher, who will celebrate his 27th birthday in Afghanistan on November 27, are about to receive special care packages filled with snacks, magazines, pens, cards, and other personalized…
Terry Bell paces the sidelines on the Kennedy High Football Field, calling to his players on the Richmond Steelers midget football team, presiding over a sea of black-and-yellow helmets and a group of young boys that remind him always of his own son. It’s just before kickoff on a Saturday afternoon, and Wiz Khalifa’s hit song “Black and Yellow” blasts in the background as the players and cheerleaders dance around. Bell, who has coached the under-14 division for the recreational…
Who would’ve thought that the 1970s disco hit “Stayin’ Alive” would one day literally help people stay alive?
From January through May of this year, reporter Alexis Kenyon wandered through the neighborhoods of Richmond taking photos and audio recordings of the people she met. She asked individuals to tell her anything about themselves or Richmond. These are the people she met and what they had to say.
Jeff Pflueger, a Richmond resident, is racing in the United States’ oldest, and most renowned, 100 mile trail run—the Western States Endurance Race. Trail runs like this are meant to test the mettle of an athlete, and WSER does the job well. In the canyons daytime temperatures often soar over 100°F and at mile 78 the course crosses the American River, within spitting distance of a class six rapid.
George Livingston liked looking back. His hindsight wasn’t marred by what-ifs or dubious intentions. He gave it all he had, and there’s no shame in that. “What I am proud of is I was able to help integrate the city,” Livingston said during a lengthy chat in his Richmond home in February, 2011. “I gave people a chance that didn’t have a chance.” History will remember Livingston for many things. He was the city’s second African American City council member…
The city of Richmond will foot the bill to send a track team of local kids to New Orleans.