Another View's Selected Short Stories

Hospitals were having a difficult time filling vacant nursing positions before the pandemic. Now, with so many healthcare workers burning out and retiring early, the nursing shortage has reached critical proportions. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there will be roughly 176,000 RN openings each year for the next decade. But one local non-profit is working diligently to introduce more students of Color to the nursing profession. Our Lisa Godley gives us an inside look at the Nursing CAP Program.

If you’ve ever been bullied or had a child who’s been bullied, you know the pain it can bring. But much too often, the victim doesn’t know where to turn or in whom they can confide. Since this is National Bullying Prevention Month, we reached out to someone who can help. Shant’a Miller is the founder of Parents Against Bullying, Virginia. She shared with our Lisa Godley her family’s own horrific encounter with a bully. Now, through her nonprofit, she offers tools parents can use to help their children.

In recent weeks we lost two legends: football great, turned local restauranteur Roger Brown, and actor, director and filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles. Our Lisa Godley looks back at their lives and the impact they made on America and the world. We start our tribute with Roger Brown.

The year was 1917, and Booker T. Washington, along with philanthropist Julius Rosenwald, came up with an initiative to help Black children in the segregated South get the education they deserved. They established the Rosenwald school. In less than 20 years, there would be five thousand of these state-of-the-art schools, spread across 15 states. Today, only a few remain, but one of them is still standing on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. As part of Another View’s look at Black Nonprofits, producer Lisa Godley shares a little history about the Rosenwald School in Cape Charles and the valiant effort that’s now underway to restore the historic schoolhouse.

Optometrists across Hampton Roads are very concerned about the toll remote learning and mask wearing is taking on our children’s eyes. Our Lisa Godley spoke with optometrist Dr. Kristina Ramsey about the problems she’s seeing in her younger clients and what we can do to ward off long term damage.

Another View has been following Keyshawn Davis’ boxing career for years! In 2016, we told you how the then 17-year-old had captured the U.S. Junior Olympic Boxing Championship, and again in 2019 when his skills netted him a spot on the 2020 Olympic Boxing Team. For Keyshawn, it was a dream come true… until the pandemic postponed the games for a year. Well, last week, Keyshawn finally got his shot. Now that he’s back in Hampton Roads, he spoke to our Lisa Godley about his Silver Medal win and his plans for the future.

Malique Hawkins has been smiling for the camera – professionally, since he was about 18 months old. We first introduced you to Malique about a decade ago when he was ten and starring in the movie ‘Troop 491.’ Well, Malique is a rising junior in college now and isn’t slowing down! As our Lisa Godley found out, in addition to his studies, he’s busy acting, recording commercial voiceovers, and performing his music - live, with his first rap album out later this month! You can find Malique’s work on this IMDb page, his YouTube Page and social media pages under his name Malique (M-A-L-I-Q-U-E) Hawkins. His music can be found on all music platforms under “Liq from the Peake.”

If you’ve ever heard of ACT-SO, boy are you in for a treat! This NAACP youth achievement program allows high school students of African descent to develop their areas of interest and then showcase their talents through projects and performances. This year’s Region Two Virtual Competition produced several local winners who went on to ‘blow the competition away’ on the national level! Our Lisa Godley caught up with several of those talented teens who are the epitome of artistic excellence! Lisa’s piece was co-produced by our intern Brianna Walton, who is a rising senior at North Carolina A&T.

Thomas Wilkins will soon return to his roots. The Norfolk native is coming home to serve as the primary guest conductor of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. Wilkins calls his return poetic, in that he’ll be leading the orchestra that first introduced him to his life’s work…. and he shared with our Lisa Godley how the opportunities he experienced right here in Hampton Roads shaped his life. His first appearance with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra in his new role will be February 18th through the 20th of 2022.

Hampton Roads has numerous locations and landmarks that detail the significant role that African Americans have played in the history of this community and our nation. But, since so many of these historic spots have been bulldozed, replaced or renamed, their significance is unknown or forgotten. The Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) is hoping to change that. This year they’re calling on communities all across America to identify black landscapes. And, as our Lisa Godley found out, there are cash prizes for doing so.