Too Damn High! Controversy/History returns for 12th year at the Valentine with a focus on the city’s most pressing issues.

RICHMOND, VA – Returning for the 12th year, the Valentine’s Controversy/History series invites Richmonders to ask: why is the cost of thriving in Richmond so damn high?

In a series of five conversations each featuring a diverse panel of experts, the Valentine provides a forum for exploring the challenges facing the Richmond community with a deep dive into historical context, quantitative data and solution-oriented thinking with co-hosts Kelli Lemon and Josh Epperson. Everyone in the room is encouraged to get involved in shaping the region’s future.

In partnership with PlanRVA, the 2024-2025 season will align with the Urban Institute’s Upward Mobility Framework, using the framework’s five pillars to explore upward mobility in ways that impact every Richmond citizen with an emphasis on our everyday experiences.

“This series has always been about using Richmond’s past to think critically about our future,” says Valentine Director Bill Martin. “By partnering with PlanRVA we’re going to have deeper conversations about the barriers to thrive in this city and how we might work to overcome them.”

2024/2025 Controversy/History Schedule:

October 15, 2024, 5:30-7:15
Too Damn High! Rising Rents & Richmond’s Affordable Housing Crisis

November 12, 2024, 5:30-7:15 p.m.
Too Damn High! Medical Costs & Access to Quality Care

January 14, 2025, 5:30-7:15 p.m.
Too Damn High! The Price of Foregoing the Traditional 9-5

February 11, 2025, 5:30-7:15 p.m.
Too Damn High! The Pressure of Childcare in the First Five Years

March 11, 2025, 5:30-7:15 p.m.
Too Damn High! Violence in Richmond & the Path to Safer Communities

Controversy/History is free and open to the public. For more information, please visit the Valentine’s website at thevalentine.org or call, 804.649.0711.

This series is sponsored in part by Altria.

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The Valentine has been collecting, preserving and interpreting Richmond’s 400-year history for over a century. Located in the heart of historic downtown, the Valentine is a place for residents and tourists to discover the diverse stories that tell the broader history of this important region. thevalentine.org