VCC Magazine Spring 2019

V irginia C apitol C onnections , S pring 2019 10 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 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. 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 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 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 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. “ 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 V