Following his 2019 yearbook scandal, @GovernorVA Ralph Northam told me in an interview he would prioritize racial equity policy. As his term ends tomorrow, it's worth noting the breadth and depth of what he and state Democrats accomplished. Here's a long and yet incomplete list:
- Removed Confederate statues, including Lee statue
- Increased minimum wage
- Signed sweeping voting rights reform, including 45 days early voting, Election Day as holiday, automatic registration and repealed voter ID law
- Ended death penalty
- Signed comprehensive police reform, including ban on no-knock warrants
- Legalized marijuana
- $500M in funding for Virginia HBCUs
- Tuition-free community college for low-income students
- Restored historic African-American cemeteries
- Reopened historically Black "Green Pastures Recreational Area"
- Reduced racial disparities in maternal health
- Appointed first-ever Director of DEI as Cabinet-level position
- Banned discrimination on the basis of hair
- Scrubbed overtly discriminatory language remaining on Virginia's books
- Made Juneteenth a permanent, paid state holiday
- Addressed policies responsible for land loss by families of color and low-income
- Restored civil and voting rights for 120K+ people
- Posthumous pardons for "Martinsville Seven"
- Changed the state's history curriculum to include more holistic version of Black history
- Expanded early childhood education and in-state tuition for undocumented students
- Mandated state procurement from women- and minority-owned businesses
- Ended driver’s license suspensions for nonpayment of court fines and fees
- Signed law allowing judges to decide sentences in criminal cases
- $10M in funding to support public defenders
- Repealed law which criminalized homelessness
- Increased felony larceny threshold from $500 to $1K to keep minor thefts from being charged/sentenced as felony crimes
Flashback: @GovernorVA in June 2020: “People are now standing up and saying enough is enough. And so, this is an opportunity for us to really change the direction and change the course of history not only in Virginia, but in this country.” @RalphNortham nbcnews.com/politics/polit…
Flashback: My interview with @GovernorVA in March 2021 on ending the death penalty: "It's an opportunity for us to reflect on our history, to acknowledge that there are a lot of things that were not good about our history, and to really right a wrong." nbcnews.com/politics/polit…
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