The Historic Richmond Region Lots of Diversity. Lots to Love. Be Our Guest Table of Contents n behalf of our respective organizations, we would like to invite you to Introduction 4 visit the Richmond Region. This is our home and we’re eager to open our O doors to you. African American 6 Although the specific traditions vary, every culture has its own way of conveying American Indian 8 that its guests are important, whether it’s the Indian belief that, “The guest is god” or the Spanish saying of “Mi casa, su casa.” Sure, not everyone would be thrilled to East Asian 10 receive the delicacy of a fish head as would be the case for an honored visitor in a Chinese home, but the idea remains the same and transcends cultures: guests are to Indian 12 be treasured and they should always receive the best one has to offer. You’ll certainly find that feeling alive and well here in the Richmond Region. And Jewish 14 even though the area is increasingly home to a diverse population with different Hispanic 16 customs, we all—both old and new—still have more than a bit of that famous Southern hospitality to share. A Multitude of Multicultural Things To Do 18 We like the Richmond Region enough to call it home. Now we’d love to have y’all be our guests! (And if you don’t like fish heads, maybe we can whip up our favorite So Much More To Do 23 pecan pie for you!) Multicultural Events Calendar 25 Tinh duc Phan Other Notable Events 30 Founder/CEO Virginia Asian Chamber of Commerce Ethnic Dining 32 With members from 37 ethnic origins, Hanover-based VACC helps Asian Visitor Information 33 businesses to compete in the global marketplace with strategic research, guidance and connections. Regional Attractions Map 34 Oliver R. Singleton President The Historic Richmond Region Metropolitan Business League Lots of Diversity. Lots to Love. On the cover top to bottom: Kings Dominion The MBL promotes minority entrepeneurs in the Richmond Region and works to (Jackson Smith), Carytown (Jeff Greenberg) ensure minority participation in mainstream business activity at the local and and Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. national levels. On the back cover: Canal boats. Get Swept Up by the Michel Zajur Richmond Region’s cultures. 401 N. 3rd Street, Richmond, VA 23219 1-888-RICHMOND Founder/CEO Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Editor: Katherine OÕDonnell The VHCC exists to empower Hispanics in the Virginia business community by building economic, social and cultural bridges between Virginia and its growing ©2008 Richmond Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau Hispanic community. 2 3 Left: The James RiverÕs Class IV rapids run alongside downtown. Get Swept Up by the Top: A myriad of bridges cross the James uniting the Richmond Region. Richmond Region ondon famously hugs the River Archaeology shows that the James one of the earliest declarations of historically meant a regular flow of Thames. Paris straddles the has been bringing people together the acceptance of diversity and a new and different visitors from all L Seine. Rome lies along the for as long as there were people to be forerunner to the Bill of Rights. over. Located only 100 miles south of Washington, D.C. and midway between iconic Tiber. brought together, facilitating ancient As the Region has evolved—from Atlanta and Boston, it’s easy to get here Cities—and indeed whole civiliza- trade along the river. More recently, barges to locomotives to the recently and easy to navigate once you’re here. tions—have habitually clustered around the James carried barrels of precious expanded airport—new residents and rivers because the location connects tobacco leaf from isolated farms in new cultures have arrived to call it Pack your bags, get swept up by them to the world. A river gives a city a Appalachia to the commercial hub of home. For centuries, the area has been the culture—and cultures—of the way to bring in goods and transport its Richmond. From the city’s endless rows home to American Indians, African River City and discover why everyone own to distant markets. In the process, of warehouses, it might then make its Americans and one of the country’s says that the Richmond Region is the tides of trade bring in people from way to Philadelphia or New York—or to oldest Jewish populations. Yet, an Easy to love! near and far. the docks in London, Paris or Rome. interconnected world has led to an even richer mix with more recent With myriad bridges and its his- Much like those cities—and because arrivals in Hispanic, East Asian and toric canal system, the Richmond of the same tides of trade—the Indian populations. Region—the City of Richmond and the Richmond Region has always been a . surrounding counties of Chesterfield, cultured meeting place with a diversity In addition to a diversity of DAMS of people. Indeed, it was here where Y A Hanover, Henrico and New Kent—has A permanent residents, the Richmond Y J B Jefferson and Madison created the O always benefited from its association T Region also benefits from its long- HO Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, P E with the stately James River. IN standing central location that has L Y SK ITY C 4 5 African American oday at the corner of First and Marshall Streets is T the headquarters of the Consolidated Bank and Trust Company. On the surface, it’s just another downtown bank. But it got Jackson Ward, known as the birthplace of black capitalism and the Harlem of the South, its start in 1903 as the St. Luke Penny is home to outstanding ironwork and architecture. Bank, the first financial institution in the United States founded and led by finest entertainers. Here too, on s (ENRICO #OUNTY "RANCH a woman. However, in a time when neighborhood playgrounds, began www.henriconaacp.org it was exceptional to find female the career of Arthur Ashe, winner s (ANOVER #OUNTY "RANCH business leaders, the dynamic founder, of the U.S. Open and Wimbledon www.hcbnaacp.org Maggie Walker, also stood out as an tennis championships and a noted s 2ICHMOND "RANCH African American bank president. Personally speaking ... humanitarian. In the area’s courtrooms (804) 644-9337 What began as a small-scale local “Though not a native Richmonder, I began the career of renowned civil lending institution that served Virginia Minority Supplier have moved here twice—once in the rights attorney, Oliver Hill. And it Development Council Richmond’s large African American late ‘60s and again after 15 years of was here that America finally got its www.vmsdc.org community has grown and persisted. living elsewhere, returning with my first African American governor, the Consolidated Bank and Trust family to help start and sustain a Honorable L. Douglas Wilder. Media Company is now the oldest continually 15-year old business, the Richmond In the Richmond Region, you’ll African American-operated bank in Richmond Free Press Free Press. the country. do more than learn about African www.richmondfreepress.com Richmond is a place with pockets of American history. Here you’ll walk in The Richmond Region counts Soul of Virginia remarkable natural beauty—tree-lined the footsteps of leaders from Walker to more than 350,000 African American www.soulofvirginia.com streets and neighborhoods—many Wilder. Here you’ll feel that history. residents—more than the entire city The Voice Newspaper where pride abundantly shows. It is a of St. Louis. Of course, the African www.voicenewspaper.com place where, for so many, family life Did you know? American story in the Richmond matters—a great deal. WBTJ 106.5 Mainstream/Urban Region is a long and complicated As part of an international project, www.1065thebeat.com Richmond often has more leisure one , going back to the earliest days Richmond’s Slavery Reconciliation WCDX-FM 92.1 Mainstream/Urban activity than there is leisure time; of Richmond and the Virginia colony. Statue is linked to identical memorials www.power921jamz.com and it is a place where business gets And while the Region is what it is in Liverpool, England, as well as the WKJM-FM 99.3 Urban Adult transacted. With determination and today largely because of the unsung Republic of Benin in Africa. Contemporary men and women who helped build it, good will, progress is evident. www.yestokiss.com in many ways, the Richmond Region It is city where one can become a Organizations WKJS-FM 105.7 Urban Adult is exceptional because stories like part of the solution, for today and for Contemporary Urban League of Greater Maggie Walker and the St. Luke Bank www.yestokiss.com future generations.” Richmond, Inc. are so common. —Jean Patterson Boone www.urbanleaguerichmond.org WPZZ-FM 104.7 Gospel www.praise1047.com Vice President, Paradigm Communications . It was here, for example, where Advertising Director, Richmond Free Press Richmond Metropolitan BERG Bill Robinson—better known by his N Business League WROU-AM 1240 News/Talk REE G www.thembl.com and S olid Gold Oldies stage name, Bojangles—achieved his EFF Y J http://newstalk1240wrou.com B O early successes that helped catapult T NAACP HO him to fame as one of the country’s P s Virginia State Conference WARD N www.virginianaacp.org JACKSO 6 7 American Indian o group can claim deeper roots in the Richmond Region and NVirginia than the American Indians who have been living here for more than 15,000 years. When the English arrived, the area today known as the Richmond Region was border territory between the Monacan confederacy of the Piedmont and the Algonquians of the Coastal Plain.