VCC Magazine Spring 2019

V I R G I N I A

Q U A R T E R L Y M A G A Z I N E

INSIDE Race and Reconciliation

Spring 2019

New River. Pembroke, Virginia.

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C O N T E N T S VIRGINIA CAPITOL CONNECTIONS QUARTERLY MAGAZINE

Spring 2019

4 Publisher’s Introduction

5 Year of Reconciliation and Civility

6 The Unknown King

Race and Reconciliation

7 Deep Wounds

10 Where do we go from here?

11 More important to listen than to speak

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12 “Don’t go into the colored section.”

13 After Integration

13 Moving Forward Again

M cquinn

Brogdon

15 Wasting an Opportunity to Learn

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16 Naming Our Past and Claiming Our Future

17 Virginians for Reconciliation

18 Q & A with Larry Sabato

jones

19 Virginia Legislative Staff

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28 An American Unaware

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29 HOT 6 General Assembly Topics

M cClellan

30 Hire Vets Now

31 Cookies and More

33 Close But No ERA

On The Web www.vccqm.org

Virginia Legislative

34 In Memoriam: Betsy Barton

Staff page 19

34 Administrative Assistants

35 Association and Business Directory

Volume 25 Number 2 • Editor-in-Chief –Bonnie Atwood • Assistant Editor –Hayley Allison • Student Editor –Cierra Parks • Staff –Harrison Seaborn, LaVon Dixon • Publisher –David Bailey Art Director –John Sours • School Distribution – schools@capitolsquare.com • Advertising – Ads@CapitolSquare.com • Printer –Wordsprint • Virginia Capitol Connections Quarterly Magazine (ISSN 1076-4577) is published by: Virginia Capitol Connections • 1108 East Main Street • Suite 1200 • Richmond, Virginia 23219 • (804) 643-5554 • Copyright 2018, Virginia Capitol Connections, Inc. All rights reserved. The views expressed in the articles of Virginia Capitol Connections Quarterly Magazine , a non-partisan publication, are not necessarily those of the editors or publisher.

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Publisher’s Introduction to “Race and Reconciliation” issue By David Bailey A special thanks to each person who contributed to this issue. Powerful words and phrases jump out from the articles on the subject of race and reconciliation. Here are just a few, and I have added some from other sources. Each quote offers a seed of thought. Let us see where they lead: • There cannot be reconciliation without equality. • All people have inalienable rights endowed by their Creator. • Most (in South Africa) believed that justice was a prerequisite for reconciliation. • Reconciliation happens only when hearts open to those who have held to irreconcilable differences. • I would wager that very few of us – regardless of race – can boast of perfect pasts, absolutely clean of racial slur, insensitive remark, or ill-conceived comedy. • Virtually any Southerner born in the 1950’s or 60’s who is not now positively racist will have chosen to reject the attitudes that dominated the South during his or her youth • The hope that we will continue doing things to repair and reconcile the brokenness ingrained in a country built on the enslavement and legal discrimination of millions of Africans for centuries. • Reconciliation will come when your story is as important to me as I desperately want mine to matter to you. • Martin Luther King was far more than a dreamer; he was an intellectual, an activist, a minister, and a Christian prophet whose legacy can help us fight this new wave of hate. • I hope that, as a society, we do not waste the opportunities this discussion presents. • There must be sacrifices made in order for any true aim to bring us all together. • Reconciliation is the process by which groups taking different stands settle them in an amicable fashion. • Everything changed, when I was finally allowed to go into “the colored section.” • What reconciliation does not do: make life fair. Nothing makes life fair. • After listening comes the action. • Virginians should look beyond personal preferences, biases, and egos to join together in a common cause to rebuild and strengthen personal relationships, neighborhoods, and communities. • I have faith that we can make the tough choice-to tackle our history head on and move forward together to heal and reconcile. • Over 50 years ago, Dr. King noted that the arc of the moral universe is long and bends toward justice. I would add, however, that it takes a little help from all of us. So I ask you: what are you going to do to help bend that arc so it doesn’t take another generation before it actually reaches justice. I, like you, have stories to tell. I’m willing to talk about growing up with loving, Christian, racist parents. I’d like to talk about the experiences that changed me. Above all, I want to listen to your stories. Let’s talk. Then, as Rabbi Moline said, “After sitting down to listen, stand up – and get to work.”

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Virginia Capitol Connections seeks to add to both dialogue and action through this and subsequent issues in our 25th anniversary year. Send comments to the publisher: DBailey@CapitolSquare.com .

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Reflections from Delegate Delores L. McQuinn on HJ 617 HJ 617 designates 2019 as “the Year of Reconciliation and Civility” in Virginia. It is my sincere hope that this Resolution, coupled with HJ 38 (which passed in 2018) will create a paradigm shift for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Both Resolutions provide a platform for public awareness and transformational change that will help bridge the racial divide and will build a unified and stronger Virginia. The racial unrest and violence in Charlottesville (Aug. 2017), prompted me to patron HJ 38 - “ I am my brother’s and sister’s keeper” during the 2018 Legislative Session. This 2019 Resolution, HJ 617 was pre-filed on January 3, 2019 and was a logical next step to continue to raise awareness for the need for reconciliation and civility in Virginia. I have spent my entire adult life as a public servant, seeking truth and reconciliation, while standing up for equality and justice for those who have been marginalized and under-served. My personal quest for truth and reconciliation, however, started when I was much younger. Growing up in a segregated neighborhood during “Jim Crowe” and “Massive Resistance” in Virginia taught me many valuable lessons on how to deal with discrimination and inequities that were legislated and enforced by the government. Over the years my dedication to achieving truth and reconciliation has been continuously shaped and re-defined. My commitment is grounded in biblical principles, taught by family values and enlightened by life experiences. Research that has been compiled over the years, has helped to guide and drive my efforts to achieve genuine reconciliation. My personal journey toward reconciliation has taken me to South Africa, where I participated in the hard work of seeking truth and reconciliation in that country after apartheid was deconstructed. It has taken me on the Richmond Slave Trail, where I experienced a life changing revelation of spiritual connection with my enslaved ancestors. It has taken me on a mission to help develop, construct and install the Richmond Slavery Reconciliation Statue, which represents the notorious slave trade triangle between the City of Liverpool in England, the Republic of Benin in West Africa and the City of Richmond in Virginia. Since 2018, in partnership with former Governor McDonnell and the other volunteer members of the Virginians for Reconciliation Task Force, I have continued to work diligently to provide public awareness and education in search of practical solutions for reconciliation in Virginia. Let us all continue to search for truth, acknowledge truth and stand up for truth, as we attempt to achieve true reconciliation in our great Commonwealth and Nation…not just this year…but, every year!

Editor’s Note: This resolution was introduced by Delegate Delores McQuinn BEFORE the events of February 1, 2019. Its origin is the awareness that this year marks 400 years of the first enslaved Africans arriving in Virginia. Year of Reconciliation and Civility 01/01/2019 WHEREAS , the Declaration of Independence acknowledges that all people have inalienable rights endowed by their Creator, and the United States Constitution guarantees equal protection under the law; and WHEREAS , these spiritual, political, and economic truths are fundamental American guarantees, but they are not fully realized in every community; and WHEREAS , the first enslaved Africans arrived in Virginia, the epicenter of the American slave trade, the home of the Confederacy, and in 2017, the site of a violent, deadly protest held by white supremacists in Charlottesville; however, the Commonwealth has also been the home of trailblazing civil rights leaders; and WHEREAS , Virginians for Reconciliation is a citizen volunteer group formed to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the country’s first enslaved Africans arriving in Virginia in August 1619 and to reflect upon Virginia’s role in the enslavement of African Americans; and WHEREAS ,Virginians for Reconciliation will host a series of events to help participants understand and accept the hard truths that exist in an ethnically diverse America, and support an improved dynamic in which people of different races can have a healthier dialogue and work more closely together to advance the common good; and WHEREAS , Virginians for Reconciliation will partner with American Evolution, which will also commemorate key historical events that took place in Virginia in 1619 through a series of exhibitions, educational programs, and cultural festivals; and WHEREAS , Virginians have a unique opportunity in 2019 to accelerate the healing of racial divisions by acknowledging their depth and by developing solutions that move the nation toward unity and reconciliation economically, socially, and legally; and WHEREAS , all Virginians are encouraged to observe the Year of Reconciliation and Civility by raising awareness and taking steps to promote a more equal, just, and civil society in America; NOW, THEREFORE , I, Ralph S. Northam, do hereby recognize 2019 as the YEAR OF RECONCILIATION AND CIVILITY in our COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA , and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.

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Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor are welcome. Please keep them short, polite, and on point. We reserve the right to select and/or edit. Send to: BonAtwood@ capitolsquare.com .

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the King Monument in Washington D. C., but they won’t study the ideas that fueled the freedom struggle in America.  There is a difference between looking at a monument and studying a text. What does a monument do? It is a symbol. Without the weight of King’s intellectual and spiritual thought, though, can it make a difference? Studying a text is different. Texts can draw us into another world and open our eyes to the world as it was. King does that. He takes readers back into a period grossly misrepresented in history texts. His writings introduce us to important ideas such as nonviolent resistance, direct action, redemptive suffering, redemptive love, the philosophy of gradualism, justice, the new Negro, and the beloved community. His writings challenge our values and commitments as he explains how you cannot be neutral in the struggle for justice, that silence is consent, that religion should not be the puppet of the state, how militarism undercuts funding for social programs for the poor, and that a democracy must be inclusive. The theme of this issue of  Capitol Connections Quarterly Magazine  is  Race and Reconciliation . I applaud the editors for keeping the conversation about race in America before us with the hope that we will continue doing things to repair and reconcile the brokenness ingrained in a country built on the enslavement and legal discrimination of millions of Africans for centuries. My contribution to this conversation is to remind America of one of our leaders, a Christian prophet and towering intellectual, whose writings can help us address racial injustices and the growing estrangement we are witnessing today. I believe that studying Martin Luther King, Jr.’s writings is a different way to honor him, a way sorely needed today. His teachings on nonviolent direct action as the way to challenge an unjust system, his teachings on the role of struggle in the quest for social change, his beliefs in the importance of love and forgiveness, and, more importantly, his teachings on the manifold impact of slavery on the modern African American community all shed invaluable light on problems today and point a way forward for all Americans. King also showed us how to love one’s country and faith community enough to challenge practices that do not reflect the best of what it represents. His ideas and actions can help us bridge the divide separating millions of Americans today.

The Unknown King: Why America Needs to Read Martin Luther King Jr.’s Writings By Dr. Lewis Brogdon, Bluefield College

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is the unknown king. He has been caricatured as a “dreamer” by politicians and mainstream Americans who want convenient quotes that have the potential to inspire good feelings on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day and avoid taking serious action to end the rising tide of racism. However, King was far more than a dreamer: he was an intellectual, an activist, a minister, and a Christian prophet whose legacy can help us fight this new wave of hate. For over a decade, we have witnessed the re-emergence and retrenchment of old racial attitudes, racial animus, and its accompanying twins of racial separation and violence. It has been a painful period for many African Americans and progressive whites,

Children need to read excerpts of his writings rather than simply coloring pictures of him. “ ”

who had hoped that we were further along in race relations, though we never believed in the myth of a post-racial America.What we found was that the election of Barack Obama as the first African American President unleashed a new wave of racism still being felt in the deepest parts of our communities and collective psyches. From the increasing number of white supremacist groups openly parading in our communities to harassment and micro-aggressions like black patrons having the police called on them for no reason, racism persists and sadly, is growing. America is a decade into a period eerily similar to previous decades like the 1850s and 1960s that

I hope that America expands its appreciation and understanding of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Yes, King was a great civil rights leader, but he was also an intellectual. King earned a Ph.D. in systematic theology from Boston University. He put much thought into the campaigns, initiatives, and speeches that spearheaded the Civil Rights Movement, a movement that changed America and was celebrated around the world. His ideas and writings should be a part of the intellectual life of America. This means King should be read and studied in public and college education throughout this country. Children need to read excerpts of his writings rather than simply

witnessed controversy, strife, debate, violence, protest, and a push for new laws and policies to address injustice. As these things continue to unfold, it becomes more and more apparent that, as a nation, we really did not listen to nor learn from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  For the past five decades, we have tried to honor Dr. King. In January 1986, President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation declaring the third Monday in January a national holiday. In Washington D.C. in August 2011, a national monument was dedicated in his honor. Special services are held to honor his legacy with speakers referring to him as a dreamer who inspired America. Clips of his famous, “I Have a Dream,” speech are aired on television and social media during the month of February. Attempts to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. have resulted in little more than lip service on the part of most Americans because we ignore the history of slavery and segregation that informed his life, thinking, and advocacy work. Americans will watch a clip of his “I Have a Dream” speech or visit

coloring pictures of him. Courses in United States history taught in our colleges and universities should devote a unit to King’s writings. Americans should study King’s writings like we study other influential Americans. James M. Washington’s book, A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr. , should be an American classic. I would even encourage churches, both white and black, to offer special classes on King because he illustrates how to take Christian ideas and the teachings of the Bible and use them outside the walls of church buildings. Maybe then, he will cease to be the unknown King. Dr. Lewis Brogdon is the Dean of Institutional Effectiveness and Research and Associate Professor of Christian Studies at Bluefield College in Bluefield, Virginia. He is the author of several books and numerous journal articles and book chapters. He is a sought out preacher, lecturer, and panelist.

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Deep Wounds By Delegate Jay Jones

the white law libraries would not lend them to him. And this was in the 1940s, after he had served his country and risked his life in the Italian Theater inWorldWar II. He passed the bar, and they returned to Norfolk, only to be shunned by the majority population as second-class citizens. So they dedicated themselves to righting wrongs. To fight for equality and justice. To make sure their children did not endure the same struggles as they did. On the other side, my mother’s parents, Margaret and Charles Simmons, moved to Norfolk so that my grandfather could teach at Norfolk State University—because back then, a predominantly white institution wouldn’t dare hire him to teach. They too got involved in the struggle for justice just like my other grandparents. They served as a test case for the YMCA Beach Club and were rejected because of the color of their skin. My grandparents took my mother and her siblings on a road trip across the country through the segregated South, their home, only to run into the same poor treatment all along the way. They used the Green Brook that DelegateWard spoke about so eloquently just days ago. Despite my grandparents’ efforts to build a life for their children that was equal and just, my parents endured their fair share of racism throughout their journey. My father and his two brothers integrated Ingleside Elementary School in Norfolk in 1960, when my dad was just 6, only to be greeted with chants of “nigger go home.” Twenty years ago on this very same floor, my father spoke against the placement of the Confederate flag on a license plate. He recalled seeing a cross burning as a child with the Confederate flag waving alongside it. Some of the members in this chamber were there for that speech and felt the raw emotion that he felt on that terrifying day in the 1960s. He was just a young boy, filled with fear and all that the burning cross connotated. To him and others, those symbols mean hate and vitriolic racism. I remember vividly the hate mail that we received at our home for months afterward. But my family’s history of fighting for civil rights or enduring racism isn’t particularly unique. I share it because it illustrates the central point I hope to make today. It is part of Virginia’s history, whether we like it or not. And it is certainly part of black history that I believe must be shared. For people like me, the dark history of Virginia and the fight to change it are not confined to history books or remembrances around Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. That struggle is as personal and intimate to me and my family as my grandmother’s recipe for succotash or my father’s love of jazz music. And despite the generations of suffering and sacrifice, my own life has been impacted by the overt and covert racism that has haunted my ancestors for hundreds of years. And it wasn’t always racism overtly thrown in my face, but it was also the casual racism, the subtle comments, the jokes from white acquaintances who had the luxury of thinking about race as fodder for humor. Indeed, I carry with me to this day a memory associated with this hallowed body. I vividly recall a moment from my childhood when I was at a General Assembly retreat, with both Democrats and Republicans in attendance, and I was playing with the other children of legislators. As we played, our group was approached by a legislator’s significant other who looked at me and then told her little girl: “don’t play with him, he’s black.” Although as a young boy I may not have gotten it then, but I certainly get it now. And it still stays with me. Even as a young black man in today’s world, which my forebears had hoped would be one of equality, I cannot stand here and say that my experience has been markedly different than the generations before me. The hurt, anguish, and pain remains the same. But my family’s stories and my stories are but one small part of the lasting pain, anguish, fear, and despair that we have faced during See Deep Wounds , continued on page 8

Editor’s Note: This is a speech that Delegate Jones delivered on the House floor this past Session. The speech was well received by his colleagues. He gave us permission to reprint it exactly as he gave it. I have wrestled deeply over the subject matter of this speech today, but the last three

weeks have prompted a significant amount of thought and reflection with family, friends, peers, and colleagues, and debate within myself. Today I am speaking as an almost thirty-year-old, lifelong resident of Virginia who happens to be a delegate with a platform. I speak for no one else but myself—no caucus or particular group within this body or around the state. Over the several weeks, deep wounds have been opened within Virginia, sparking a conversation and examination of a topic that often brings about significant discomfort when brought up directly: race in Virginia. Some people say race is used as a boogeyman, and others might try and use it to their advantage. I stand before you to simply tell it like it is. Make no mistake—I have spent these few weeks alternating between anger, grief, angst, despair, and physical and emotional pain. For long stretches, I have remained silent—unable to summon the words to accurately describe how I have been feeling when people have called, texted, or emailed to see whether I was alright. I decided to speak on this today because of another reaction I have heard personally and seen in the media. The reaction is one of surprise that things like blackface and other expressions of racism and white supremacy still occurred in our society as late as the 1980’s or even today. That surprise has been a luxury to many Virginians, most of them white. For many of us in this chamber, and millions of people across this country, the events that have gripped Virginia aren’t an aberration, an abstraction, or an anachronism. They aren’t a unit in a history textbook. To me, and many people like me, these events are a window into a struggle that defines daily life for black Americans from the day we are born until the day we die. I have thought a lot about my experience as a black man in this Commonwealth and the history of my family, the Joneses and the Simmonses. And they are my Black History Month spotlight today. As the grandson and son of men and women who spent the entirety of their lives attempting to push back against the horrors of racism in Virginia, I have long been acquainted with the pain and suffering of people of color in this state. As a child, my family made sure that I was aware that slaves were brought to Virginia against their will. That they were treated as inhuman, partial people who were not worthy of consideration as anything more than property. They made sure I was aware that a bitter conflict erupted in this country, in large part because some folks believed that slaves should be free, and others did not. They made sure I knew that even after the war, blacks weren’t even close to being equal under the eyes of the law or in the eyes of white people. That somewhere along the way, slaves from the American South had children who had children who ended up in Virginia. That those people became my grandparents and parents. My grandparents, whose only option for higher education was a historically black college, chose Virginia State University in Petersburg. My grandfather, Hilary H. Jones, Jr., who wanted to be attorney, could not attend law school in Virginia because blacks were not allowed at all white schools. He had to borrow other students’ bar preparation books because

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Deep Wounds from page 7

We can try to connect White Virginia and Black Virginia once and for all, to acknowledge, confront, and understand each other’s paths. No longer can we ignore or paper over our differences. For years we have opted for band aids when stitches have been necessary. This is our shared Virginia journey, and the way that we march on together. The arcs to this point have been different and must be acknowledged as such. But we are brothers and sisters, under God, roaming the vast expanses of this great Commonwealth—from the streets of the Capital City to the suburbs of Northern Virginia, from the shores of Virginia Beach to the rolling hills of Southwest Virginia. We must understand that our way toward the healing and reconciliation we have spoken about starts with us, as leaders of this state—those who are looked to for guidance and leadership. That our words cannot ring empty in the ears of Black Virginia. That our deeds and aims in this body—as policy makers—must be reflected in our actions and our ideals. It is my firm belief that once we accept that responsibility, we can begin to heal and reconcile with one another. To bring the two Virginias—Black Virginia and White Virginia—on to the same track. On to a shared Virginia journey that embodies what Dr. King wrote about in his letter—that as long as we are here we are tied together in mutuality, and what one does affects all. We have our choice: to ignore what has happened and paper over yet another wound and continue on with the two Virginias. Or to face our challenges head on, acknowledge our incredibly difficult history with race in this state, and vow to move forward together on our shared journey. A failure to address the chasm between BlackVirginia andWhite Virginia is the acceptance of the status quo: a Virginia that is divided by race, whether overt or covert, that leads to further pain, hurt, and despair in the state that we all love. Now I do not stand here to chastise or criticize the actions of every man or woman who have acted foolishly or even maliciously decades ago. Insensitivity to others also means that I must believe in second chances and forgiveness. And that is what my family and faith have always taught me. I feel strongly that the cure for the cancer of racism and discrimination is not gradualism. The need for change and justice is urgent and immediate. And the burden is on all of us to end this scourge of racism once and for all. I have internalized the struggle that my family has suffered for generations, just as every other blackVirginian has struggled as well, and I feel compelled to insert myself into this conversation so that I might be able to make a lasting difference in our state that has been moving in separate directions for far too long. I have faith that we can make the tough choice—to tackle our history head on and move forward together to heal and reconcile. It is what my grandparents and parents have wished that we do for decades. As a young black man in this fractured Commonwealth, I will do all I can to make sure that their dream—our dream—comes true. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Delegate Jay Jones is a Democrat representing the 89th District, which includes part of Norfolk.

our lifetimes. While our experiences have varied, I guarantee you that generations of black Virginians can tell you story after story that merges into a common theme. All you have to do is ask them, and their stories will allow you to see a larger picture. That history and experience brings us to the current moment in this Commonwealth. I know we are all struggling together to grapple with the events of the past few weeks and what they say about who our leaders are. Who we are as Virginians. And that picture, ultimately, is that of two Virginias. A White Virginia and a Black Virginia. Existing in parallel along the same arc of history, frequently intersecting, but never running together as one. Two different experiences, born from the same beginning four hundred years ago and still never merged into one shared story. The White Virginia that has had the privilege to never deal with being treated as second class in public or had to face institutional and cultural barriers that are higher than any wall that could ever be imagined. The Black Virginia that is acknowledged when convenient, that is viewed as monolithic with one black experience of poverty and lack of drive, who has suffered painful, visceral wounds that are often papered over, or paid attention for a moment and then forgotten. The White Virginia that perpetuated segregation, Massive Resistance, glorification of the Confederacy via monuments and flags in public spaces, and other mechanisms which consciously or unconsciously attempted to demonstrate its power over black Virginians. The Black Virginia that is still oppressed by vestiges of Jim Crow in our legal system, that fears law enforcement, is mocked in yearbooks and photos year after year after year, and looks skeptically at White Virginia because of the generations past. I was born in 1989, just eight months before the election of L. Douglas Wilder as the first black governor of the Old Dominion, and the first black governor elected in the history of this country. The grandson of slaves, this was a watershed moment in the Virginia journey. One would have thought, and indeed many of us hoped, that this election would have ushered in aVirginia that was not Black orWhite, but instead one Virginia. A united Commonwealth. However, it seems that we have not come far enough to understand the hurt and pain and the effect on those who grew up in the shadow of separate but not equal. Thirty years on, throughout the duration of my life, we are still struggling mightily with race in our state. Now, let me be abundantly clear—Black Virginia and White Virginia have no specific political party. The two Virginias have coexisted in inequality for four centuries, but we may now have finally reached a tipping point. The lasting wounds of the two parallel journeys have been reopened of late. And now, we as Virginians, have a choice: to give these deep-seated issues the attention of a news cycle and suppress our differences yet again, or to address the longstanding issues head on and make real progress toward healing and reconciliation between Black Virginia andWhite Virginia. I believe deeply in my bones that we can walk together shoulder to shoulder for the good of this Commonwealth, but it will take a desire to address that which is uncomfortable and every ounce of compassion and understanding that we can summon from within ourselves. In Dr. Martin Luther King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail, he wrote that “we are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” It is time for us as Virginians to recognize that we are part of a single garment of destiny, whether we like it or not. We now have a chance to confront our demons head on, to realize that we are inextricably linked as one.

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V irginia C apitol C onnections , S pring 2019

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Where do we go from here? By Sen. Jennifer McClellan Note: This is adapted from a speech given by Sen. McClellan at University of Richmond. Throughout my career in state

don’t understand how policies that they support have a disproportionate impact on communities of color.” Governor McDonnell asked me for an example of what I meant. I immediately thought of the first bill to require a government issued photo ID, which had just died in the House. In order to get a government issued photo ID you need a birth certificate. As late as 1940, there were people born inVirginia who were not issued a birth certificate. In 1924,Virginia passed the Racial Integrity Act, which was then implemented by the Director of Vital Statistics Walter Plecker, a white supremacists who did not believe there were any native Virginians unless they were directly descended from Pocahontas. If you showed up to Dr. Plecker’s office and didn’t check the “colored box,” and he thought you were, you didn’t get a birth certificate. In 2010, the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia didn’t know this; and

government, I have seen how decisions made in the past shape problems we face today and the impact of many policy choices made to address them. Our history continues to affect communities in ways foreseen and unforeseen.

why would he have known? Our schools don’t teach this history and his family wasn’t impacted by it. The dangers of ignorance are not unique to our time. Indeed, in 1968 the Kerner Commission, formed to examine the causes and effects of the race riots of 1967, powerfully noted, “What white Americans have never fully understood but what the Negro can never forget—is that white society is deeply implicated in the ghetto. White institutions created it, white institutions maintain it, and white society condones it.” But nobody listened. To the contrary, the backlash to the report was swift, culminating in the exploitative “Southern Strategy” that was used to elect Richard Nixon in 1968. That was not the first time we saw a backlash. We have had many cycles of progress and backlash in our history, from reconstruction to lynchings, from the election of Barack Obama to the tragedy in Charlottesville. This cycle is not new. This cycle will repeat itself unless we take action to stop it. But there’s hope. Dr. King believed, and I do too, that you can overcome hatred with love. Ignorance is a

Virginia is in the midst of commemorating the 400th anniversary of key events that shaped who we are as a Commonwealth, as a country, and as a society. In 1619, what is now the General Assembly—the oldest continuously operating representative democracy in the Western hemisphere—met for the first time. Its members were White English men who were on business venture through the Virginia Company of London seeking profit for themselves and investors in England by exploiting land already settled by an alliance of Algonquin-speaking people whose origins date back to 900 AD. A month later, the first recorded Africans arrived at Point Comfort, stolen from their homes and traded to John Rolfe for provisions and food. While legally slavery had not been established in the colony, in effect, they were slaves who were brought to serve the settlers as they were forming their government. By November 1619, the colonists realized a permanent settlement would need women. They recruited women “to make wives to the inhabitants” and in May 1620 90 women arrived, and shortly thereafter, their rights were surrendered to their husbands. None of these women could vote, hold public office, or control their own property. The foundations of our Commonwealth, and indeed our country, were established on a power structure put in place 1619 that put land- owning white men, who took land that was not their own, at the top of the hierarchy, to be served by women, both of whom were served by Africans who were treated as property. About 150 years later, the Declaration of Independence made the bold pronouncement, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Thirteen years later, the Constitution of the United States created our modern form of government for “we, the people, in order to form a more perfect union.” A government that 74 years later Abraham Lincoln called “a government by, of, and for the people.” Since then, the American story has been about striving to apply the ideals of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution to all . It has been a struggle for America to live up to the ideal of forming a more perfect union for all to be equal and given opportunity regardless of religion, race, creed, gender, or sexual orientation. But we are not there yet. We are not there yet because throughout our history hatred, prejudice, implicit and explicit bias, and bigotry have been used to divide us. When marginalized and oppressed people have come together to gain social, economic, or political power, or in some cases all three, fear and inflamed bias created space for hatred, division and in many cases danger. This danger, is not one purely risking our safety, but also our humanity. There is another danger we don’t often talk about: Ignorance. Ignorance of our history and how it has shaped our social, economic and political systems over the past 400 years. Every year the Governor invites the Legislative Black Caucus over for dinner. In January 2010 Governor McDonnell hosted us. I was seated next to Governor McDonnell and he asked me: “How are we doing with race relations inVirginia?” I said, “Well, Governor, we’ve clearly come a long way, but we have a long way to go.We are in the second year of the first African American President, but many people born after Jim Crow, who never really learned about it, who don’t understand its impact, and

“ We are at a place where we are bridge building. ” Delegate Lashrecse Aird “ We must acknowledge our history and leave room for learning and growth. But most importantly, we must take concrete actions to intentionally work for social and economic equity for all Virginians. Words and platitudes are not sufficient. ” Senator Jennifer Boysko “ Addressing Race and Reconciliation appropriately and effectively in Virginia is truly a road to redemption not just for the state but for our country. We can acknowledge the past and those who lived therein with all their infirmities while equally committing to a future full of hope, love and harmony. In spite of the adage, “history repeats itself,” we are not bound to repeat that past. The conversations stimulated this year are necessary to achieve a shared

goal of forgiveness. ” Delegate Chris Peace

lot easier to address, but it is not something that can just be done by our education system. All of us have to commit to learning the full, complete history of our Commonwealth.We need to have hopeful leaders that are committed to addressing that ignorance and the disparities that it leads to. As Dr. King said: “difficult and painful as it is, we must walk in the days ahead with an audacious faith in our future.” Over 50 years ago, Dr. King noted that the arc of the moral universe is long and bends toward justice. I would add, however, that it takes a little help from all of us. So I ask you: what are you going to do to help bend that arc so it doesn’t take another generation before it actually reaches justice. Senator Jennifer L. McClellan is a Democrat representing the 9th District, which includes part of Hanover, Henrico and Richmond City.

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V irginia C apitol C onnections , S pring 2019

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