Heather Wilson lost her daughter â and nearly her life â the first time she gave birth. The Virginia Beach resident developed a potentially fatal condition and her blood pressure skyrocketed during labor. During her second pregnancy, she sought out a doctor specializing in high-risk cases, thinking it would ensure she received the best care. But Wilson said the staff skipped crucial steps, like testing her for the condition that led to her firstbornâs death, and routinely dismissed her questions and concerns. âThey just didnât take me seriously and I think it had everything to do with the color of my skin,â said Wilson, a Black woman. Maternal death rates continue to rise across the country â and far more Black women are dying during childbirth than white women, according to the latest figures. A freshman lawmaker from Portsmouth tried to do something about it during the current General Assembly session, but his bill got put aside until next year. Read more in the Sunday Main News section 
A patchwork of masking requirements in Virginia have fallen away in recent days â including those in schools and on military installations â leaving the decision about whether or not to wear a mask largely up to personal preference. In downtown Norfolk this week, the once-ubiquitous signs advising customers to mask up inside shops and businesses were few and far between. Among those still requiring patrons to wear masks to protect against coronavirus infections â a downtown spa, law office and ice cream shop. Winston Sterling, strolling with his friend Malik Lowry on Granby Street Thursday, had a mask in his pocket, which he said heâs ready to put on âevery time I go inside.â âIâve had COVID before,â Sterling said. âIt wasnât pleasant.â Lowry said he also masks in indoor public spaces, but in other situations, the decision hinges in part on how many people are in one place. Going into a crowd means masking, but Lowry said heâll go without when walking outside downtown or spending time with family in the park. More than half of respondents in a recent survey said they wear a mask in public regularly. But as the rate of coronavirus infections and hospitalizations has declined since the Omicron-fueled surge of cases this winter, mask wearing among Virginians appears to be on the decline. Read more in the Sunday Break section In spring 1864, President Abraham Lincoln invited a guest to one of his private rooms in the White House â the room he often napped and read his Bible in. His visitor was Caroline Johnson, a Black woman from Philadelphia who was known for making intricate wax fruit. While the nation was embroiled in the Civil War, the pair sat and discussed the fruit Johnson had gifted Lincoln and his wife. âIt shows in a very practical way, a breaking down of a color line in the White House that had been very strong before the war, and unfortunately, would return after the war,â said Jonathan W. White, an American studies professor at Christopher Newport University. âFor this period of time, thereâs an egalitarianism there that was unusual in the 19th century.â Johnson was among a slew of Black people invited to the White House between 1862 and 1865, making a bridge with members of the Black community for a short but notable time. Whiteâs book, âA House Built by Slaves: African American Visitors to the Lincoln White House,â uses letters, speeches and newspapers to explore the relationship Lincoln had with African Americans during the Civil War. It was released Feb. 12, Lincolnâs birthday. Read more in the Sunday Break section
Colonial Williamsburg and William & Maryâs Bray School partnership received a huge boost with a $5 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The grant, which was awarded as part of the Mellon Foundationâs Monuments Project, will go toward funding the Williamsburg Bray School Project, which aims to preserve, relocate, research and restore the Bray School. âItâs one of the most important restoration projects weâve undertaken in the last 50 years,â said Ron Hurst, vice president of museums, preservation and historic resources at Colonial Williamsburg. The Bray School was established in 1760 to give Black children a Christian education. Archaeological evidence of slate pencil fragments from the original site shows that the children learned to write as well as read.
Read more in the Sunday Break section
Whitteney Guyton refers to We Buy The Block, the real estate investment group she founded in 2021, as a movement. Powered by financial resources and a profound commitment to rebuild and restore diverse communities in Hampton Roads, the movement invested $1.8 million in Gloucester County. Three properties at 3048, 3056 and 3057 Hickory Fork Road were recently added to its growing portfolio. âI just fell in love with the property and all that it can and will be,â Guyton said. Located on 6 acres, all three structures will become a mental health residential facility for children and a charter school, The Creek Manor Academy. The property at 3048 Hickory Fork Road will open first while the other two require extensive renovations. Guyton said she hopes to open the school this summer. Read more in the Sunday Work & Money section
Two area natives are playing big roles as guards for two of the best teams in Swedenâs top pro basketball league. Brandon Tabb, 26, a former Kecoughtan High standout who was the MEAC Player of the Year with Bethune-Cookman in 2018, is averaging 14.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game for the first-place Norrkoping Dolphins. He has shot 46% from the field, including 41.2% from 3-point range. As of Thursday night, the Dolphins (24-4) were 4 1/2 games ahead of second-place Jamtland (19-8) in the nine-team league. Norrkopingâs fourth loss was a 93-92 decision Wednesday to the Sodertalje Kings. In that game, former Kellam High, Campbell and Old Dominion guard Trey Freeman poured in 36 points for Sodertalje, lifting him to fifth in the league in scoring (17.33 points per game) and 10th in efficiency. Freeman also is 10th with 4.07 assists per game. Two area natives are playing big roles as guards for two of the best teams in Swedenâs top pro basketball league. Brandon Tabb, 26, a former Kecoughtan High standout who was the MEAC Player of the Year with Bethune-Cookman in 2018, is averaging 14.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game for the first-place Norrkoping Dolphins. He has shot 46% from the field, including 41.2% from 3-point range. As of Thursday night, the Dolphins (24-4) were 4 1/2 games ahead of second-place Jamtland (19-8) in the nine-team league. Norrkopingâs fourth loss was a 93-92 decision Wednesday to the Sodertalje Kings. In that game, former Kellam High, Campbell and Old Dominion guard Trey Freeman poured in 36 points for Sodertalje, lifting him to fifth in the league in scoring (17.33 points per game) and 10th in efficiency. Freeman also is 10th with 4.07 assists per game.
Read more in the Sunday Sports section 
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