We urged Virginia Governor Ralph Northam to show his commitment to racial equity by taking action immediately to remove the Lee monument, a towering racist symbol in the city of Richmond.

While the coalition is grateful to the Virginia General Assembly for unanimously passing this legislation, we believe that the bills, as passed by the legislature, remain flawed and will be, potentially, ineffective in accomplishing the goal of real transparency.

With this missed opportunity, Virginia continues to be on the wrong side of history and is holding back the nationwide effort to enshrine gender equality in the U.S. Constitution. We will continue to stand with VA Ratify ERA and all the brave and fearless advocates who have fought for so long.

Virginia must have a leader of unquestionned moral authority to lead us in dismantling systems and structures that support the continued oppression of people of color.

The Fourth Circuit has sent a strong message to public officials and agencies in Virginia and other states in the circuit. You cannot ban speech you don’t like from social media accounts you use to talk about government business.