Valentine Museum Names Rudene Haynes a Richmond History Maker

Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP partner Rudene Mercer Haynes has been named a Richmond History Maker by the Valentine museum and the Community Foundation for a Greater Richmond for her work in promoting community health access and equity. From the pool of nominees, this award recognizes six “trailblazers that have made a lasting impact on the Richmond region.”

Haynes was especially chosen due to her role as a co-founder of “Facts & Faith Fridays,” a series of weekly calls with members of the Black faith community and VCU Health System. The program was originally established in 2020 upon the start of the pandemic to provide timely and accurate information on COVID-19 to the Black faith community. “Facts & Faith Fridays” has evolved as people started learning more about COVID-19 and mitigation practices, and has focused on social justice issues such as wealth and education disparities, voting rights and general health disparities. In the two years since then, Dr. Anthony Fauci and First Lady Jill Biden have joined the discussions, and the White House has cited the initiative as a model for reducing health disparities to be replicated nationwide.

“So many churches independently [do] their own thing, but it’s helpful when they can come together and collaborate”, said Haynes. “It has been a great journey to see how our efforts have strengthened the community and I am sincerely honored that such a noble institution like the Valentine thought the work was impactful and transformative enough to actually give it recognition.”

For 17 years, the Valentine and community partners have honored individuals and organizations as History Makers for their substantive and lasting contributions to the greater Richmond region. Haynes and other honorees were celebrated at a March 8 event.

Read the full profile on Haynes and the other history makers.