Today Governor Northam followed through on a promise he made
to the VEA’s Fitz Turner Commissioners. After the blackface scandals that
rocked the Governor’s office more than a year ago, VEA’s Fitz Turner
Commissioners were invited to the Governor’s mansion to have a frank discussion
about racism and discrimination in the Commonwealth. At that meeting, Governor
Northam told our Commissioners that he was committed to bring stakeholders
together to remove racist language from our Code and to strengthen Virginia’s
anti-discrimination laws. The VEA has worked hard this session supporting these
efforts. Today the Governor signed two bills that move us all in the right
direction. Below is an excerpt from his press release. You can read the full
release here.
Repealing Discriminatory
Language Relating to Racial Segregation in Schools
Governor Northam signed House Bill 973, sponsored by Delegate Schuyler VanValkenburg, which repeals
discriminatory language on Virginia’s books relating to racial segregation in
Virginia schools. This bill is identical to Senate Bill 600.
Governor Northam established the Commission to Examine Racial Inequality in Virginia Law to
study the Virginia Acts of Assembly, Code of Virginia, and
administrative regulations and identify racist and discriminatory language that
may no longer have the effect of law, but remains on Virginia’s books. The
Commission identified nearly 100 instances of discriminatory language in its interim report, and will continue to make recommendations to address laws that
were intended to or could have the effect of promoting or enabling racial
discrimination or inequity. This is one of several bills passed during the 2020
legislative session to remove this language.
“During the Jim Crow era, racism and
discrimination were written into laws that were used to enforce segregation and
inequality across the Commonwealth,” said Governor Northam. “Words
matter, and there is no reason for this overtly discriminatory language to
remain on our books. I am proud to sign this bill to move Virginia
forward.”
“As an educator who has spent fifteen
years teaching the Constitution, its values, and Jim Crow’s perversion of both,
I am humbled to have played a small part in removing some of these last stains
of the Jim Crow era from Virginia’s code,” said Delegate VanValkenburg.
“This is an important step in the direction of justice for communities that
have long suffered the injustices of racial segregation.”
Banning Racial Discrimination
on the Basis of Hair
Governor Northam signed House Bill 1514, sponsored by Delegate Delores McQuinn, which bans discrimination
on the basis of hair. The bill clarifies that when the law bans racial
discrimination “on the basis of race,” that includes “traits historically
associated with race, including hair texture, hair type, and protective
hairstyles such as braids, locks, and twists.” This bill is identical to Senate Bill 50.
“It’s pretty simple—if we send children
home from school because their hair looks a certain way, or otherwise ban
certain hairstyles associated with a particular race—that is discrimination,”
said Governor Northam. “This is not only unacceptable and wrong, it is not
what we stand for in Virginia. This bill will make our Commonwealth more
equitable and welcoming for all.”
“A person’s hair is a core part of their
identity,” said Delegate McQuinn. “Nobody deserves to be discriminated
against simply due to the hair type they were born with, or the way in which
they choose to wear it. The acceptance of one’s self is the key to accepting
others.”
