The Virginia Defender is a statewide, quarterly newspaper founded in 2005. Based in the capital city of Richmond, the Defender seeks to provide news and analysis to Virginia’s working class, communities of color and the general progressive community.

The Defender is a unique publication. We are the only statewide newspaper in Virginia. We are the only newspaper with a Labor Page instead of a Business Page. We are the only newspaper with pages devoted to prisoner issues, immigrant struggles, antiwar activities and ongoing campaigns to reclaim and properly memorialize sites of importance to Virginia’s Black communities. And we are the longest-publishing “alternative” newspaper in modern Richmond history.

The Defender operates with an all-volunteer staff – editor, reporters, photographers, designers, distributors and office workers. We finance the newspaper through ads, fund raisers and the Defender Supporter Program, in which supporters pledge at least $5 a month to help ensure our continued publication.

We are always looking for more volunteers. To get involved, just drop us a line at: virginiadefender@gmail.com.

for a World of Justice & Peace for All,

Phil Wilayto

Editor, The Virginia Defender