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Our Doors Are Open and Our Lights Are On: VA Politicians Boycott Trump at the Jamestown Commemoration

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From widespread boycotts to protests of Trump’s speech, this year’s Jamestown Commemoration didn’t feel like much of a celebration.

The year is 1907. President Theodore Roosevelt, in his second term, visits Norfolk, where celebrations for the 300th Term-Centennial Anniversary of colonial America are underway. 

His arrival is an extravagant spectacle; the presidential yacht swung to her anchor without a flutter of the sails, docking alongside an international fleet of 47 battleships, and was received in salutation by cannon fire. 

“At last the smoke cleared away, and the President was perceived — on the deck of the Mayflower — with his high hat in hand and his frock coat flapping in the breeze,” the Philadelphia Inquirer said of the event, at the time called the Jamestown Exposition. 

Roosevelt spoke before a sea of bowler caps; 40,000 attended to hear his address. Speeches were also made by Booker T. Washington and Mark Twain. 

An estimated 1.2 million turned out for the week-long 1907 exposition, yet most already knew the basic story of Jamestown. They came for festivities likened to the World’s Fair, and enjoyed promises of progress. 

The site spread like the state fair across 340 acres of ground and water, while carnival rides and games filled the grounds. The “War Path” amusement park, a Wild West show and a re-creation of the San Francisco earthquake, came included with the general admission price of 50 cents for adults and 25 cents for children. 

Fifty years after the Jamestown Expedition, construction finished on Colonial Parkway — and Queen Elizabeth II delivered a personal address to the crowds. Fifty years after that, in 2007, after the attacks and subsequent questioning of public safety, George W. Bush spoke before an outdoor commemoration of 9/11. Bush gave a cheeky address, and later directed the Virginia Symphony Orchestra before an outdoor crowd.

That was 12 years ago. And this Tuesday, President Donald Trump travelled here to Jamestown to give his keynote speech celebrating the 400th Anniversary of the first legislative body within what would become the United States of America, Virginia’s House of Burgesses. 

But unlike when Roosevelt arrived 112 years ago, there were no rides, no attractions, no special fair foods, no celebration. And unlike the queen’s address in 1957, or Bush’s conducting in 2007, there was no sense of festivity, no big shows, and no attendance by the Royal Family. 

The event, instead, was private. Bulletin boards informed of delays in tours until the afternoon.  Much of Colonial Parkway was closed off. Layers upon layers of barricades besieged the Jamestown settlement. Signs and police checkpoints instructed anyone uninvited to steer clear. 

Photo by Branden Wilson

The event saw more security than attendees, and a tension in the air that, even sitting next to an industrial sized A/C vent, made it hard to breathe. 

Inside the inner layer, squad cars and local party members filled the parking deck. Wild West shows and reenactors were replaced by body scanners and checkpoints. 

Snipers nested on the roofs that overlooked the breakfast buffet. Older individuals filed into the air-conditioned tent, clad in prim summer suits and red hats to cover balding scalps and spun-up hair. 

Indeed, the only “War Path” of the day was for anyone who dared contend with the narrative of the planned proceedings. 

The event was organized by American Evolution, a sub-company of Dominion Power. When asked for specifics on who was chosen to be invited and who funded the event, AE failed to comment — though when speaking to guests and purveying the grounds, it was clear most of the invitees were elected officials, members of law enforcement, or interested stakeholders. 

Technically, the event was not meant to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the English’s first arrival to America in 1607 — that was what Bush was celebrating 12 years ago. Instead, this event honored the creation of the House of Burgesses in 1619. Yet many speakers, from erudite historians to Trump himself, spoke at great length of the initial arrival in Jamestown and the creation of the United States’ first legislative body as one and the same. 

Most of the day consisted of speeches by Virginia officials. Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment, R-James City, led the opening discussion, about learning from the mistakes of the past — which would become a theme for the day’s speeches. 

“Between the James and York rivers, you will find the birthplace of our nation whose legacy can still be felt here, and not just because you may bump into someone at the grocery in a tri-corner hat or a hoopskirt,” Norment said. “We honor history here, and we must preserve our past, but we also have a duty to learn from it.” 

While 1619 brought major changes pertinent to America’s emerging representative democracy, it also brought slavery to the new world. Historically, Jamestown brought both success and failure, both progress and atrocity. Speakers attempted to observe this duality of our nation’s past, and without stirring the pro-Trump crowd, made tongue-in-cheek allusions to similar mistakes we make today. 

“Here in Virginia, we try to live up to those American ideals,” Governor Ralph Northam said. “We know our diversity is our strength, and we welcome immigrants, refugees, and all those who, like those who stood on this spot 400 years ago, come to Virginia in search of a better life.”

Our doors are open and our lights are on, no matter who you love, no matter who you are, or no matter where you come from — you are welcome in Virginia. And there is no ideal more American than that. 

“Extremism, racism, nativism, xenophobia and isolationism driven by a fear of the unknown tend to spike in periods of stress… a period like our own,” said Jon Meacham, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and historian. “Yet history teaches us that we’ve always grown stronger the more widely we’ve opened our arms, and the more generously we’ve interpreted the most important sentence ever rendered in English: Thomas Jefferson’s assertion that all men are created equal.” 

Meacham, most notably the author of American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House, marked the history of Jamestown as the history of America. 

“Jamestown is a mirror of who we were and who we are,” he said. “Dreamers and doers came here and they built, and we stand in the light of their achievement.” 

Current lawmakers and local supervisors of the original boroughs were in attendance, but both the Virginia Black Caucus and state Democratic leaders skipped the commemoration organized by American Evolution. Their absence was intentional, a boycott of Trump’s attendance and a protest of his recent Twitter attacks on four congresswomen. The caucus instead held their own commemoration in Richmond, which focused on the “400-year evolution of African-Americans.” 

“We will not be attending any part of the commemorative session where Donald Trump is in attendance,” said a statement by the leadership of the Virginia House and Senate Democratic Caucuses. “The current President does not represent the values that we would celebrate at the 400th anniversary of the oldest democratic body in the western world.” 

Photo by Branden Wilson

However, some Democrats attended as a stance for inclusion. 

“I represent everyone by being here today, and in particular, I’m hoping we’re able to send a different message about the value of inclusivity, equality, equity and diversity here in the Commonwealth,” Del. Danica Roem (D – Prince William) said, according to NBC 12. 

Lt. Gov. Justin Fairax, who also attended, was leery of the President’s speech. 

“I listened to the words, but they rang hollow, and were very empty because they are not reflective of the actions of this administration,” Fairfax said, according to NBC12. 

Many of the state’s Democratic political leaders did not attend the event for similar reasons. A spokesperson for the Virginia House Democratic caucus said it was up to individual lawmakers to decide if they wanted to attend, but leadership would not be there. 

“My reaction is that, certainly, this is our democracy in action, and we all have a right to make our position and make our statement,” said Kathy Spangler, the Executive Director of American Evolution, according to WTKR News. 

By the time Trump came on to speak, the day’s proceedings were almost over. 

“As we can see today on this great anniversary, it would not be the last time that God looked out for Virginia,” Trump said. “Together, the settlers forged what would become the timeless traits of the American character. They worked hard, they had courage and abundance, and a wealth of self-reliance. They strived mightily to turn a profit, they experimented with producing silk, corn, tobacco, and the very first Virginia wines.” 

“For in America, no challenge is too great. No journey is too tough. No task is too large. No dream is beyond our reach. When we set our sights on the summit, nothing can stand in our way. America always gets the job done. America always wins.” 

Trump’s ending remarks were interrupted when Del. Ibraheem Samirah (D – Herndon) held a sign reading “Deport Hate,” “Go Back To Your Corrupted Home,” and “Reunite My Family.” 

“Virginia is our home! You can’t send me back!” Samirah shouted. Trump fell silent and stuck his nose towards the ceiling as the crowd began to shout and boo. Police escorted Samirah out. Some of the more stirred in the crowd began to chant “Trump, Trump, Trump.” 

In order to leave, we required an escort to guide us out of the premises. While this may seem fairly common for a political event today, this is a stark difference from the way we celebrated democracy in both recent and long time past. 

In those moments, I began to wonder — would Roosevelt, Bush, or members of the original House of Burgesses do the same? In the face of grievances, is it normal to ignore, look away, and simply wait for security to handle it for them? 

We walked out on the speech early, cameras in hand, trying to get some photos of Del. Samirah, who was brought outside for questioning. After some walking, I looked up to my right and noticed two of the snipers posted on the wall, binoculars glued to their eyes, watching us. And for a moment, I didn’t know whether to feel afraid or proud. I wondered if 112 years ago, if they had snipers on the roof, or protesters on the lawn. 

Either way, what a day to be an American. 

Racism Doesn’t Stop at the Boards: Lessons from EVMS’ Yearbook

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The yearbook image of two young men, one dressed in blackface and the other in KKK robes, is searing and ugly, reminding us of our relatively-recent and openly-racist past. That one of the young men is — or even just could be — Virginia’s Governor Ralph Northam makes that ugliness feel particularly low, taste particularly galling, and disqualifies him from leading our Commonwealth away from the more subtly-racist environment that can still be found all over Virginia since the photo was taken in 1984.

Nonetheless, the photo depicts multiple realities, and one that is perhaps deeper than a young man acting a racist fool, is that this picture was actually published in the yearbook of Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS). And from that yearbook, it screams loudly about medical education at EVMS, what is expected of students there, and how blackness is both perceived and treated in places that promise to do no harm. Administrators at EVMS have apologized for the picture, and claim that there is no explanation for how it was published in 1984.

The explanation is rather simple: when EVMS graduated its first MDs in 1976, there was only one black member of the class. Though it’s difficult to confirm, there were likely no black faculty members. Diversity at EVMS and in American medical education has hardly improved; statistics about black male enrollment as first-years in medical schools across the U.S. between 1978 and 2016 are stark: there has only been a 39 student increase in over 38 years. In 2017-18, an astoundingly low 6% of currently enrolled male and female medical students across the country identified as black.

At EVMS, enrollment of black students is less than the national average at only 5%. In 2015, about 11.6% of the science and clinical faculty at EVMS were reported as underrepresented minorities. For EVMS and other medical and health professions, underrepresented minorities could include several groups as well as African-American — and considering the distribution of race and ethnicity in Hampton Roads, the EVMS students and faculty don’t even remotely mirror the people they serve.

So did students and faculty at EVMS in 1984 feel particularly invested in black members of their community? Not likely.

And yet whiteness and medicine isn’t a story unique to EVMS, Virginia, or our Governor. Not including historically-black universities like Howard and Morehouse, medical schools with the highest enrollment of black students in the U.S. top out at just over 8%. In 2018 in the U.S., only 7.6% of employed physicians and surgeons were black or African-American. And it is in systems like U.S. medical education — where there are few black professionals, few black faculty, and few black students — that systemic racism can live and breathe.

Unfortunately, racism isn’t something that is tested for by medical board exams. Medical students who have no black classmates, faculty members, or mentors grow up to be doctors who perpetuate racist stereotypes that kill people: black children are underprescribed antibiotics, and black adults are half as likely to be prescribed pain medication as white patients. Black women die of pregnancy-related causes at a rate up to 4 times that of white women, and women of color, even celebrities like Serena Williams, tell story after story of their pain being ignored by doctors. It was during a UVA study conducted in 2016 that these differences in prescription rates of pain medication were first described as just-plain-racist:

“Researchers find that a substantial number of white medical students and residents hold false beliefs about biological differences between black and white people (e.g., black people’s skin is thicker; black people’s blood coagulates more quickly) that could affect how they assess and treat the pain experienced by black patients.”

The University of Virginia Medical School is ranked number 26 in the nation in 2019. How are white students enrolled in one of the best medical schools in the country and still believe that there are real biological differences between black and white bodies like skin thickness or pain reception? In 2017, an image (below) from a nursing textbook describing “Cultural Differences in Response to Pain” made the rounds of the internet, eventually resulting in that text being pulled by the publisher. Though this book likely wasn’t used at UVA, it’s a clear illustration that stereotyped tropes about the biological differences between races are still actively taught in at least some medical curricula, and influence how doctors treat and prescribe their patients of color.

PHOTO: Mic.com

While Northam claims that the racist pictures aren’t him, on some levels that doesn’t matter. They still illustrate what life was like for white medical students in Virginia in 1984, and they give us clear insight into systemic racism that influences medical studies and practices in the U.S. today. How are Americans of color supposed to trust this system that so consistently fails them?

Perhaps one way forward is to consider how doctors are trained in even understanding the humanity of their patients. Many of my colleagues who are biological anthropologists are employed in medical schools across the country, teaching human gross anatomy to medical and nursing students. Anatomy, and medical education, with an anthropological lens is groundbreaking and lifesaving — it trains medical professionals to see patients as humans with diverse identities, needs, and lived experiences. But whatever the answer is, change in medical education and practice can’t happen too soon: lives, our community, and our Commonwealth depend on it. N

Advocates Seek More Access To Medical Marijuana In Virginia

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Virginians with a variety of medical issues are hoping the state will make it easier for them to access medical marijuana.

RICHMOND, Va. — As other states have relaxed their laws against marijuana, citizens across Virginia gathered here Saturday to discuss how to persuade the General Assembly to legalize medical and recreational marijuana in the Commonwealth.

About 150 people, including health care providers and attorneys, attended the Virginia 2019 Cannabis Conference, held by the Virginia chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

Virginia NORML advocates decriminalizing possession of marijuana and regulating medical and recreational-use production and sales of the substance.

Members of NORML are hopeful after Gov. Ralph Northam voiced support for decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana during his State of the Commonwealth speech on Wednesday, the first day of the General Assembly’s 2019 session.

“We want to keep people safe. But we shouldn’t use valuable law enforcement time, or costly prison space, on laws that don’t enhance public safety,” the governor said in his speech. “Current law imposes a maximum 30 days in jail for a first offense of marijuana possession.”

So far, lawmakers have proposed six bills to decriminalize simple marijuana possession. For example, HB 2371, sponsored by Del. Steve Heretick, D-Portsmouth, and HB 2373, by Del. Lee Carter, D-Prince William, would legalize marijuana for Virginians 21 and older and have the state operate retail marijuana stores. Under such proposals, Virginians under 21 who are caught with marijuana would have to pay a civil penalty.

Most attendees at the conference, held at the Delta by Marriott hotel, seemed particularly interested in medical marijuana and how to access it without traveling to another state.

Lorene Davidson of Richmond works in anesthesia as a nurse practitioner. She came to the conference because of her ongoing struggle with antidepressants, which she found were bad for her liver.

“I’m looking mostly for a way to find out more about getting a medical card and furthering getting that taken care of,” Davidson said.

As a speaker at the event, Melanie Seifert Davis of Richmond shared the story of her 10-year-old daughter Madison, who was diagnosed with ependymoma brain cancer in 2014.

“Although I’m not new to the world of cannabis, I’m brand new to the world of cannabis reform,” Davis said.

Madison is on four different cannabis-based products including CBD, THC, THCA and FECO (full extract cannabis oil) to help with seizures and the cancer itself, Davis said.

“Today and for every tomorrow I’m given, I will fill seven capsules with high doses of four different cannabis medications and watch as Madison swallows each one,” Davis said. “Science, research and experience in my heart all know that it can and will and has helped her.”

At the conference, Davis said the family recently received good news about Madison’s cancer: Four of the five tumors were gone.

“Cannabis is an important and essential part of why she is still here and still her, five years into this battle for her life,” Davis shared. “Cannabis is why she has never, not even once, suffered from the nausea, vomiting or seizures that are expected side effects of her chemo.”

Not only does Davis’ daughter suffer from cancer, but her son, Aiden, has Crohn’s disease. Aiden also uses cannabis to ease the pain of everyday life, Davis said.

“I fight because when I told my son about today, the first thing he said with legitimate fear in his voice was, ‘Mom, you can’t tell them those things. You can’t tell them about Maddie’s medicine. Cannabis is illegal. I need you; you can’t go to jail,’” Davis said.

Madison has been on cannabis products since June 2017. Davis said she gets Madison and Aiden’s cannabis from a licensed doctor in California.

Jenn Michelle Pedini, the executive director for Virginia NORML, said progress had been made in getting the state to expand access to medical cannabis.

According to the Virginia Board of Pharmacy, patients and their legal guardians can register to obtain such products if they have a certification issued by a physician.

“In 2016, we passed a bill that let us go forth and write a regulatory program that was based on Connecticut’s then-program, which was also low-THC, extraction-based products only and served to a small set of patients,” Pedini said.

In 2018, the General Assembly passed a law allowing practitioners to issue certifications for the use of cannabis-based products to alleviate symptoms “of any diagnosed condition or disease determined by the practitioner to benefit from such use.”

The Board of Pharmacy has given approval to pharmaceutical companies to open five dispensaries across the state where CBD and THC-A oils will be sold to authorized patients.

Del. Glenn Davis, R-Virginia Beach, has filed a bill (HB 2245) to double the number of medical cannabis dispensaries.

Written by Madison Manske, Capital News Service. Image via Facebook

Fighting the Opioid Crisis in Southwest Virginia

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“Hi, would you like to be trained in administering Naloxone?”

The pharmacy student was standing under the bleachers of the Wise County Fairground during the Remote Area Medical clinic, held last weekend, with a blue medical kit in hand. Admittedly, I had never heard of Naloxone, the opioid overdose emergency medication sold under the brand name Narcan. My interest was piqued and 15 minutes later, I gained the knowledge of how to recognize someone in an overdosed state, how to administer the lifesaving drug either intranasally or intramuscularly, and was also given two free doses of Naloxone.

For reference, a single dose of the injectable Naloxone costs upwards of $4,000 out of pocket.

Photo by Jo Rozycki

Sarah Melton, professor of pharmacy practice at the Gatton College of Pharmacy at East Tennessee State University brought her students from the pharmacy school to train healthcare professionals, volunteers, and patients about Naloxone through a program called Revive! where the pharmacy students provide training. With guidance from Michele Thomas, pharmacy services manager at the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, over 300 people were trained over the weekend on how to save someone’s life with Naloxone.

Melton and Thomas explained the importance of the overdose-reversing drug, additionally providing some important numbers surrounding the epidemic.

“It works essentially by competitive inversion,” said Thomas. Once they enter the body, opioids attach to the receptors in your brain and mimic natural opioids produced in your body. These powerful connections made by the artificial opioids are hard to disconnect because they “fool” the brain into releasing dopamine, the brain’s pleasure, and reward neurotransmitter.

This basically creates a powerful addiction due to the overwhelming release of dopamine. “[Naloxone] has a higher adherence to the receptor than an opiate or pain medication does,” said Thomas, thus knocking the opiate off the brain receptor and giving a bystander precious minutes to call emergency services. Narcan starts to take effect within 30-45 seconds of administration and lasts for around 30-45 minutes.

Gov. Ralph Northam’s appearance at the RAM clinic posed as an excellent opportunity to address the crisis. With the year almost halfway through, Northam has to look ahead at the coming months to lower the rate for 2018. “Number one is to have the resources to be able to staff our community service boards and make sure that people can get into same-day access,” he said in a one-on-one interview with RVA Mag. He acknowledged that this is an issue that demands public awareness, not strictly professional or administrative. “One last thing I would say is making sure that we have access for families, for first responders to Narcan or Naloxone.”

Governor Ralph Northam with RAM founder Stan Brock. Photo by Sarah Kerndt

After the state health commissioner announced the opioid crisis a public health emergency, a growing concern within the opioid crisis conversation is that the rate of use and the subsequent fatality rate is growing. Compared to 2016, the number of lives lost to opioid use in 2017 grew from 1,138 to 1,227. Virginia received a $9.7 million grant to combat the opioid crisis in May of this year, according to a press release from Gov. Northam. Virginia was also selected for the National Governor’s Association project to combat the opioid crisis.

Although exact numbers are still coming in, it has been confirmed that more than 10,000 cases of Hepatitis C were reported in Virginia. In 2015, Virginia reported 8,138 cases of chronic Hepatitis C, and 956 new HIV cases, all attributed alone to injectable drugs, such as heroin. According to the surgeon general, “over 40 percent of people with a substance use disorder also have a mental health condition, yet fewer than half (48.0 percent) receive treatment for either disorder.”

Southwest Virginia, specifically Wise, has seen a spike in opioid cases. In the last year, fatalities rose by more than 33 percent in the county. When asked about why the region has such a high epidemic rate, Melton answered frankly. “Southwest Virginia is kind of unique because we have a lot of coal mining industry workers, so we have a lot of chronic pain injury,” she said. “But when Purdue Pharma came out with Oxycontin in the early 2000s, it was very much marketed in Southwest Virginia as a medicine that would be effective for pain that wouldn’t cause addiction.”

Within a week of it entering the market, pharmacists knew Oxycontin was addictive. Melton added that several factors play into the high addiction rate specifically for the southwestern area, including genetic disposition for addiction, sociocultural linkage with poverty and unemployment, and the rate of chronic pain due to common industries. It is important to note, however, that these aren’t the only factors that contribute to the chance of addiction: addiction can happen anywhere and to anyone.

“The recognition that this is a disease,” said Thomas, helps legitimize the addressing of this problem and disqualifies it simply as a social choice. “This is not something people do purposefully.”

Photo by Sarah Kerndt

The personal aspect of addiction rings loudly within the community. “We hear one story after the other about ‘If I had had this training six months ago, I could have saved my husband,’” said Melton. “It is heartbreaking when you hear that.” That is why, she said, they want to come to clinics like RAM and provide free training and doses for anyone to obtain. “We’re trying to make sure people have access to the Naloxone at no cost.”

An epidemic of this magnitude seemingly has countless solutions. But Melton and Thomas broke it down to two: education and training. “We have to educate people, train them, and then provide the resources that folks need,” said Thomas. “Our goal is once they’re safe from an overdose, if they have an overdose, when they get treated in the emergency room, they have peer recovery specialists there or case managers that are able to integrate them into treatment the next day,” added Melton.

Obviously, wrap-around services like this require financial resources, but, Melton said, they are working to address that through legislation. “We work closely with the legislators, especially on medication-related bills. We now have safe syringe exchange in Virginia. Who thought we’d ever have that this soon?”

If you or someone you love is battling an opiate addiction, visit the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services office of recovery services or mental health services. To find out more about Naloxone training and how to receive Naloxone, visit here. If you happen upon someone who has overdosed, please call 911.

First Lady Pam Northam Introduces Progressive Platform Over Post-Inaugural Brunch

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First Lady Pam Northam hosted a post-inauguration brunch headlined by Angela Patton, the CEO of Girls With A Change, a Richmond area non-profit that supports young women of color, in a ticketed event at the Jefferson Hotel this morning.

The brunch opened with a recital by the American Youth Harp Ensemble, a nationally-recognized ensemble that accepts youths regardless of financial means.

GFAC youth with Northam, Patton. Photo by AM

Patton’s opening remarks introduced her organization. “Girls For A Change starts with one of the most powerful and wasted resources on the planets: Girls. Specifically, girls of color.”

She introduced Karen Forget, an executive director of river conservation group Lynnhaven River NOW, and Northam’s former boss. Forget spoke about Northam’s background in education and ecology before introducing the new First Lady. “We will need to bring everyone to the table,” to fight challenges like climate change and rising sea levels, she said, “and I don’t know anyone better at that than Pam Northam.”

The Jefferson Ballroom. Photo by BW

Northam spoke to the importance of protecting water, noting that the tables were named after rivers all over Virginia, from the Shenandoah to smaller rivers like the Dan. “The next brunch will be a little different,” she said, referencing the splendor of the Jefferson ballroom. “I’ll invite you all to put on your waders and join me for a river clean-up.”

Following heavy applause, she extended an invitation to join her at a volunteer effort to clean up Richmond’s historic Evergreen Cemetery for the annual Martin Luther King Jr. day of service tomorrow, 9 – 12 PM.

After thanking the inaugural committee for choosing a vegetarian brunch, she teased the new governor, saying, “Ralph you can have a sandwich when we get home.”

American Youth Harp Ensemble. Photo BW

The importance of women carried through the event, from the all-woman harp ensemble, to her thank-you speech. She said she was singling out two more, Cerina Fairfax and Laura Herring, married to Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax and Attorney General Mark Herring, for their help with the Democratic sweep of the top offices.

Northam proposed to focus on early-education over the next four years. “I’m surrounded by neuroscientists,” she said as she spoke about the importance of pre-k and developing minds. “Let’s start at the beginning with our greatest treasures….our children.”

First Lady and Governor Northam. Photo by BW

Outgoing First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe drew praise for her work to provide “12 million additional meals for Virginia children,” and Northam said she would build on that work as well as a range of issues including healthcare, clean air, clean water, and spaces to play and learn.

She finished her remarks with two quotes. The first was a much-quoted line from The Summer Day, a poem by her favorite poet, Mary Oliver. “What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

Northam recruits volunteers after. Photo by BW

The second, from Michelle Obama, underscored the role of women and the importance of equality. “As women, we must stand up for ourselves. As women, we must stand up for each other. As women, we must stand up for justice for all.”

Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax. Photo by AM

In attendance were many of the newly-elected delegates, including Danica Roem, Debra Rodman, and Schuyler VanVelkenburg. Justin Fairfax was also spotted mingling with guests before the brunch program began.

Larkin Garbee and Angela Patton. Photo BW

Patton was sitting with local entrepreneur and philanthropist Larkin Garbee, a supporter of her organization. After the brunch, Patton spoke about the incoming administration. “Things are shifting fast. This opportunity wouldn’t even have been available to my mother, and she’s a young 70-years old.”

“Most everyone appreciates what we’re doing,” she said about the work, but she brought up that she’s had a few critics. “One gentleman today, just one, told me that we’re going backward. Working with girls of color isn’t about excluding anyone, though. We’re just tapping into the most vulnerable population with a goal of getting us caught up.”

Danielle Freeman-Jefferson. Photo BW

She’d brought several of the girls she works with, including Danielle Freeman-Jackson, a senior at Henrico High School, who told us what the day meant for her. “It’s big. She’s not just Ralph Northam’s wife, she’s a successful woman in STEM. I’m going into STEM, and it’s so empowering to see her with Angela Patton, supporting girls of color like myself.”

Cover photo by Branden Wilson. Other photos by Branden Wilson (BW) or Allison MacEwen (AM). 

Virginia Politics Sponsored by F.W. Sullivans

Ralph Northam Becomes 73rd Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia

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Ralph S. Northam was sworn in as the 73rd governor of Virginia just as the sun broke from an overcast sky on Saturday at the state Capitol.

Northam promised to work for all Virginians, invoking the Virginia Way stump speech he used throughout the campaign, and provided a clear rebuke to the divisive Trumpian worldview his GOP opponent Ed Gillespie adopted late in the campaign.

Governor Northam. Photo by BW

The governor, who attended Virginia Military Institute, opened his inaugural address by thanking veterans for their service and praising the peaceful transition of power before invoking the complex legacy of Virginia. “Our first governor understood liberty,” he said, referencing Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death” speech, but he noted that just beneath the church where Henry made his declaration was one of the largest slave markets in the nation.

“Our history has been good and bad,” he said. “We understand that and we move forward. That’s the Virginia Way.”

After thanking outgoing governor Terry McAuliffe and praising his work, the new governor told stories from his childhood on the Eastern Shore, highlighting the values he said he learned from his mother and father: honesty, humility, and a lifetime of service to others, before quoting the VMI honor code.

“‘A Cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, nor tolerate those who do.’ Virginia and this country need that now more than ever,” he said, drawing heavy applause. He would return to the theme of truthfulness and lies throughout his address.

Northam outlined a slate of policy goals including medicaid expansion, insurance for all, blue collar economic development, addressing opioids, and tightening the permit process to reduce gun violence. “It’s easier to get a gun than it is to rent a car,” he said.

Near the end of the speech, he also addressed discrimination, public school infrastructure, clean air and water, and rural poverty, before closing remarks. “This country is once again looking to Virginia to lead the way,” he said, referencing the national focus on Virginia as Democrats and Republicans prepare for November elections.

Lt. Gov. Fairfax and Pam and Governor Northam. Photo by BW

Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax and Attorney General Mark Herring were also sworn in, providing for a second term of Democratic control in a commonwealth that tilted red for more than 20 years. Other attendees included Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, members of Congress, and every living former governor.

The ceremony was heavy on gospel music and diversity, starting with the opening performance of “America the Beautiful” sung by Larry Bland and the Volunteer Choir, a nationally-known gospel group formed out of the civil rights movement, to a blessing of the ground by representatives of Virginia’s Native American tribes with a traditional ceremony.

Boy and Girl Scouts lead the pledge. Photo by BW

The inaugural committee also invited the Boy and Girl Scouts from the All Dulles Area Muslim Society Center to lead the Pledge of Allegiance and had a benediction by Rabbi Michael Knopf of Temple Beth-El, Richmond. The groups and individuals chosen to participate reflected the theme of diversity and inclusiveness Northam focused his speech on.

Some 4,000 were in attendance at the ceremony, which ended with a parade led by members of the National Guard, followed by the Virginia Military Institute Corps of Cadets. Other military-affiliated parade participants included Semper K9 and the assistance dogs they train for veterans, but other groups highlighted different aspects of the state. Pro-LGBT groups like Equality Virginia and Hampton Roads Pride marched together, while universities like James Madison University fielded marching bands, and the University of Virginia Chinese Lions dance troupe represented their schools.

VMI cadets in the parade. Photo by AM

Employees of NASA represented the organization in astronaut garb and with model rockets, followed by Deborah Pratt, an 8-time state oyster shucker champion, before the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, a group that advocates for clean water in the bay.

Other clean water advocates were on the sidewalk, protesting recent pipeline projects. Their chant, “Water is life”, could be heard from the group assembled on N. 9th Street during a quiet lull before the ceremony began, . Reached after the ceremony, Tom Burkett of the Virginia Water Healers spoke about the protest he organized. “Our big ask is for Northam to be a little more vocal on protecting our water.”

Pipeline protest outside. Photo by AM

The 20 or so protesters came to share their concerns around pipelines and water clean-up, specifically citing the dangers of horizontal drilling through the James River as part of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. “[Lt. Gov.] Fairfax stands against the pipelines and we hope Northam will too, but it’s time to show he’s serious.”

Dream Act supporters from United We Dream were also present outside, wearing brightly-colored orange hats, protesting the deportations of young people brought to this country without paperwork. Among them was Sophin Sok and her cousin Samantha Oeur, who attended to tell people about Sok’s fiance, a young man who was brought here from Cambodia as a 1 year old and recently detained because of a minor arrest a decade ago.

Sophin Sok. Photo by BW

“He served his time,” Ouer said. “He was working, he has four children, he just wants to stay here and raise them. Why should he have to go to a country he left as a baby?”

Inside the mansion, Northam signed three executive orders, the first prohibiting discrimination in state employment on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, the second enumerating the powers and responsibilities of his chief of staff Clark Mercer, and the third empowering him to declare a state of emergency.

The first act continued the one signed by McAuliffe, which restored protections first established by Governor Warner in 2005, continued by Governor Kaine, and lapsed under Governor McDonnell. On hand to accept the pen was James Parrish of Equality Virginia, a statewide organization that seeks equality for LGBT Virginians.

Carlton Webb of ASWAN. Photo by AM

Carlton Webb of A Society Without A Name, a group that helps the homeless with self-advocacy, was one of the many progressives in attendance to see the swearing in. Despite the recent cold and the heating crisis, he was optimistic about the new governor and newly elected Democrats. “We have an opportunity for change with the new legislature. This is the year we’re going to make a change.”

Cover photo by Branden Wilson (BW), other photos Wilson or Allison MacEwen (AM). Video by Alexandra Sosik. Allison MacEwen contributed to this report.

Virginia Politics Sponsored by F.W. Sullivans