Diversity Wins: Virginia’s Story is America’s Story

Virginia’s state legislative elections took place this week and it was an important win for Democrats- and for all of us.  The State Senate maintained its Democratic leaning, and the state House of Representatives flipped from Republican to Democratic control.

The wins go well beyond red-to-blue.  Virginia’s incoming delegation is the most diverse in the state’s history, thanks to the unprecedented diversity of the Democratic slate of candidates. Both chambers will, for the first time, have leaders who are Black.  The state Senate will have its first transgender representative, our Diversity Champion Danica Roem. The state’s changing demographics are showing up in who voters elect. Now we hope it also affects how they govern.

For the first time, a majority of people under 18 in Virginia are people of color.  One in ten Virginians is now Hispanic.  One in ten Virginians is foreign-born.  Residents of color are three out of every four new residents in the state.  People of color now make up 41% of the state’s population, compared with 35% a decade prior.

Incoming delegates will have their work cut out for them, as Virginia’s executive branch has made a priority of overturning efforts to expand equity and inclusion. Undermining diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) has been a top priority for Virginia’s current Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin, a man whose education at an exclusive private school, Norfolk Academy, and career at private equity fund Carlyle Group hardly prepared him to represent anyone beyond his own small circle. Readers might recall that as a week one priority, he renamed the state’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, removing the term ‘equity.’ He brought in a Heritage Foundation official to run it, and weaponized the office as a platform to attack reproductive rights and undermine the teaching of inclusive history in public schools.  When the historic Governor’s mansion reopened for tours, true to form, he removed references to enslaved Virginians.  

Why this excessive focus on redacting history? Possibly because Virginia Republicans fear not the past but the future.  Beginning in 2017, Diversity Matters and our allies kicked off our efforts with a focus on supporting untraditional candidates to win seats in the Virginia state legislature- and succeeded.  ALL our Diversity Champions that year won their seats- in some cases flipping seats long held by Republicans.  Now we’re seeing those same champions advance.  Jennifer Carroll Foy and Danica Roem are moving up this cycle from state House to Senate seats.  Delegate Kathy Tran is now the Democratic Caucus Chair.  

This younger generation of elected officials, people like our latest Pipeline Pledge champions Lashresce Aird and Joshua Cole, are interested in public policy that benefits ALL of us.  They bring rich background experience to their elected roles.  Foy is a former public defender.  Roem was a local journalist.  Cole is a pastor and educator.  Their experience with underserved communities brings vital perspective to policymaking.  Now, there are enough of them now to have a foothold to expand opportunities for everyone in this increasingly diverse state, despite the efforts of Youngkin and his administration. And the more people like them we can elect in future, the better off we all will be.