Leah Small

Brianna Nicole Sulc was born on December 23, 1997, and brought home on Christmas day. Her mother, Rev. Kristie Askew holds her senior photo, which she keeps displayed in her office at Saint Matthew United Methodist Church in Matthews. On Christmas Day in 2016, Brianna was involved in a fatal car accident. She later succumbed to her injuries.

Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism

At Christmas, a mother grieves and celebrates her daughter’s gift

Leah Small

A holiday tragedy upended Kristie Askew’s family. It brought life to others

On a warm fall afternoon, Lois Morning Glory Custalow Carter looks out over the Mattaponi River from high ground on the Mattaponi reservation in King William County.

Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism

Honoring a centuries-old treaty, the Mattaponi tribe looks to the future

Leah Small

Tribal leaders seeks federal recognition with support from the governor

Sajia Afzali reads an article in Virginia Commonwealth University’s James Branch Cabell Library. She fled Afghanistan with her family after the Taliban took over following the U.S. troop withdrawal. Her family had worked for the U.S. government in Kabul. Today, women in Afghanistan are not allowed to attend college.

Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism

An Afghan refugee, striving for education and stability in a new land

Leah Small

Sajia Afzali and her young family escaped their home in the capital city just hours before the brutal Taliban regime regained authority. The family is building a new life – with local support – in Virginia.

Janet White-Dixon, left, on board the Sentara 3D Mammography Van before being screened by Darlene North, right, head of Sentara’s mobile mammography team. The team provided mammograms to women in Newport News as part of its mission to improve access to screening.

Health

Science, policy advancements could curb disproportionate breast cancer deaths in Tidewater

Leah Small

Black women in Tidewater Virginia are more likely to die of breast cancer than most women in the U.S.

Jammie Hale, 51, looks out over his property in Giles County, Virginia, towards the Mountain Valley Pipeline—about 200 yards away. He is an passionate opponent of the pipeline.

Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism

As Mountain Valley Pipeline moves toward completion, a farmer’s fight remains

Leah Small

Jammie Hale moved to a rural hilltop in Southwest Virginia to get back to his family’s roots. When the MVP came through a neighboring property, he found another purpose