Virginia Rising

By Marcos Vilar, VNM Board Chair

During its first three years of existence, Virginia New Majority has worked hard to educate and mobilize voters for progressive change by focusing on health care, immigrant rights, and building community-based grassroots coalitions. A simple premise has guided the work. Virginia, like the rest of the country, is growing in diversity. While this diversity is evident in cities and major urban and suburban centers, it is also growing in rural areas.  When traditionally underperforming sectors of the electorate understand the power of unity in their vote and get excited, local coalitions can grow into statewide movements.

President Obama’s success in Virginia proved that there is potential in Virginia.  The excitement and hope of youth, immigrants, Latinos, union members and African Americans can be unstoppable. But the struggle does not end at the ballot box. Last week members of Virginia New Majority presented testimony in front of the final bicameral committee hearing on redistricting. Virginia New Majority presented two maps that could add two majority African American districts in rural Virginia. If only one of these districts were adopted our representation in The House of Delegates would better represent the growing diversity of our state.

  VNM also challenged gerrymandering and other tactics currently being proposed by Prince William County in their redistricting process. The county’s redistricting plan has packed all districts with white majorities. No surprise there, this is the same body that has perfected anti-immigrant and Latino bashing as an electoral strategy creating fear in the broader Latino community.  Prince William County’s proposal would dilute the influence of the second largest concentration of Latinos in the state by splitting the community into at least four different districts. Virginia New Majority presented alternative maps last week that showed how the County Board could create two Latino majority districts and others that were more diverse.

All of this is a first time effort for a young organization, but that is what democracy is all about. For new Americans, it begins with learning about the political system, becoming fluent in English and becoming citizens. For all of us, it involves educating ourselves about the issues and struggling to make our collective voice heard. It means not letting a single opportunity to affect change at the ballot box pass us by. But it doesn’t end there. We need to pressure those who are elected to do the right thing. After all, both powerful corporations and powerful interests are knocking at the doors of our legislature. If the people don’t take the time to build relationships and to pressure their representatives on the issues that matter, the effect of our voting is weakened, and our democratic process loses.

The effects of redistricting last a decade. The districts that are drawn and implemented this year will have impact in our communities’ ability to have fair representation for ten long years. So let’s all keep our eyes on Prince William County next Monday, when they are scheduled to decide what their district lines will be. If they cynically decide to pack all their districts with white majorities, denying representation to its growing and diverse population, we must demand that the US Department of Justice intervene as required by the National Voting Rights Act of 1965. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that but if it does, let’s be ready to fight it!