Governor Northam, Senator Kaine, Senator Warner, Lt. Governor Fredrick, and Delegate Tyler,

I hope this finds you safe and well. I write to you as a citizen of Virginia, a resident of Southampton County, and perhaps more importantly, as someone sincerely appalled by the veneration of hate sanctioned far too long by the Commonwealth.

In line with the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, I appreciate these latest efforts towards the removal of, for example, the statue of Robert E. Lee in the capital and the slave auction block in Fredericksburg. Sadly these moves, though highly symbolic and steps in the right direction, are not enough. In having been the seat of the Confederacy, Virginia not only has myriad examples of such praise for cruelty, but it can be also a beacon of opportunity for the country in moving forward towards a new, shared future that renounces such a past.

After all, I graduated from Southampton High School, positioned on a stretch of Highway 58 which is also named after the Confederate General Lee, who shed American blood to secede from our country and to maintain slavery as an institution. He was a racist and a traitor, and every mention of his name should speak to that.

More specifically for Southampton County, you are no doubt familiar, as a Virginia native, with the slave uprising led by Nat Turner in 1831. Still today in 2020, Southampton County bears, with the full sanction of the Commonwealth, the names of streets celebrating the brutal suppression of that rebellion with names like Blackhead Signpost Road and Hanging Tree Road, both of which honor the lynching and murder of black Americans who were considered in their times as less than human. This was unacceptable then, and it still is now.

Against this backdrop, I still remember my local school's history lessons about Nat Turner’s uprising. Looking around the room when his name was mentioned, everyone already seemed to know who he was, heard recollections and memories of what happened, and reacted largely based on what they had learned from their families and communities. The tension in the room still gives me chills as some teachers, in hindsight, looked to be hurrying through the material just to say it was covered. There was no debate, no discussion, and no context. There was no mention of what is meant by these street names. One must, unfortunately, learn from our communities their meanings for them, which exacerbates the issues in diverse communities like ours. I implore you to recognize that no serious and lasting conversation can take place in such an environment and under the shadow of these hateful symbols. They carry meaning; they represent hatred and inhumanity. Removing them is not a performance of whitewashing history or erasing who we are, but instead it is an historic moment to the entire Commonwealth that we will not venerate, recognize, and celebrate symbols of hate.

How can we educate our youth about the abhorrence of slavery and its lasting legacy in the Commonwealth and the nation while we school our children in the shadow of such places? Do we expect teachers to be able to find the nuance, to bring together divided communities, in such an atmosphere?

While also reaching out to the black communities affected by such racist symbols, I am specifically calling for three action points: firstly, I am seeking executive leadership in consideration of the Virginia Code (namely, §15.2-2019), which states that localities may name streets, roads and alleys. Given the historically racist past of, in particular, localities of the Commonwealth, it is perhaps time to revisit their oversight for how memory is kept and maintained at the most local, even street level.

Secondly, following the events of Charlottesville, we see how the Commonwealth can indeed shine a national spotlight on hate and indiscriminate violence based on race. I am also seeking for the establishment of a commission (with state, local, and community leaders, academics, interested citizens, amongst others) to review local calls for not just removal of statues but revisiting the naming of streets, roads, alleys, campsites, and any other veneration of hate in Virginia. Though possibly a starting point, Southampton County is not alone is its naming of places, or its institutional memory of racism and intolerance.

Thirdly, I am seeking that time be spent on reviewing the Commonwealth's educational curriculum, specifically on Virginia's role and place in slavery and with its past race relations. The establishment of such conversations are immediately within the purview of the Board of Education, and worthy of discussion. After all, we do not have the same education about race in the rural countryside (e.g. Southampton County, though a prime contender for its salience) compared to our inner-cities like Hampton or Richmond; and, to date, teachers are not equipped with the resources necessary for such education. We need community leaders to take part and to have a much broader conversation beyond what is taking place now.

As for these calls to action, now is the time in Virginia, with the most liberal and Democratic lineup we have seen for years. You have allies amongst you, and across the state, for the change in policy that leads towards lasting change in our communities. All we ask is that you take the necessary steps to help the Commonwealth move forward for us and our children.