VCIJ's independent, watchdog reporting gives Virginians the information and tools they need to make informed decisions. Inform, engage, educate.

Joined April 2019
116 Photos and videos
Thousands of Black families across the country were displaced, and dozens of communities of color have been wiped out since the 1960s by an unlikely force – colleges and universities.
4
3
5
5,536
Our short documentary “Uprooted” examines a Black community’s decadeslong battle to hold onto their land as city officials wielded eminent domain to establish and expand Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia. vimeo.com/whrotv/uprooted?sh… with @propublica
2
215
Our latest @VCIJ_Tweet in collaboration with @OpenSecretsDC investigates how dark money is fueling political campaigns across the commonwealth. #politics #darkmoney
Independent political groups backed largely by “dark money” have spent nearly $1.7 million on Virginia candidates this election cycle, raising concerns about transparency and influence in the tightly contested battle for control of the General Assembly. vcij.org/stories/nearly-2-mi…
1
5
646
Independent political groups backed largely by “dark money” have spent nearly $1.7 million on Virginia candidates this election cycle, raising concerns about transparency and influence in the tightly contested battle for control of the General Assembly. vcij.org/stories/nearly-2-mi…
2
2
1,846
NEW: Black Residents Facing Removal Asked, “How Much Time Do I Have?” @ProPublica @WHRO @DanLGolden
1
2
115
Public universities across Virginia, including the flagship University of Virginia and Old Dominion, have expanded by dislodging Black families, sometimes by a city’s threat or use of eminent domain.
1
3
72
Why the Destruction of a Black Neighborhood Matters to Me — and Should Matter to Everyone, by Brandi Kellam. Read how Brandi came to tell her story "Erasing The “Black Spot”: How A Virginia College Expanded By Uprooting A Black Neighborhood" vcij.org/why-destruction-of-…
2
3
2,535
Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism retweeted
5 Sep 2023
A thriving middle-class Black community in Newport News, Virginia, was about to develop more land and attract more residents. Then city and academic leaders seized the core of the neighborhood to build a college. propublica.org/article/how-v…
1
52
72
37,595
Closer look at the history of a small neighborhood in Newport News, Virginia reveals a shocking and overlooked story in the African American experience.
1
131
Stated goal of these expansions – to offer greater access to higher education – often hid racist motives to disrupt and displace Black families.
1
37
Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism retweeted
5 Sep 2023
New: Sixty-plus years ago, the white leaders of Newport News, Virginia, seized the core of a thriving Black community to build a college. The school has been gobbling up the remaining houses ever since. propublica.org/article/how-v…
121
179
140,175
Thousands of Black families across the country were displaced, and dozens of communities of color have been wiped out since the 1960s by an unlikely force – colleges and universities.
4
3
5
5,536
The story, by @brandkells and @HansenLouis, edited by @DanLGolden, follows a family in Newport News, Virginia, that has seen its once vibrant Black neighborhood reduced to just five Black households. It’s a saga shared in many Black communities throughout #Virginia and the U.S.
1
3
7
505
Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism retweeted
A @mechelleh interview with photojournalist Karen Kasmauski on what inspired her to follow Virginia midwives. Could this improve maternal health? whro.org/news/local-news/403… via @WHRO

2
3
196
Aiming to improve the health of expectant Black mothers, public health officials and providers have been looking at the role midwives can play. Reporting by @HansenLouis Photo essay by Karen Kasmauski. Supported by the @pulitzercenter vcij.org/stories/i-just-dont…
2
342