The new administration and its supporters would have you believe that the resistance against their agenda is exaggerated by the media. The alternate facts — as they often say — are that the grand majority of Americans are happy with the assaults on refugees, women and minorities that we have seen handed down over the past few weeks.
Many of those very same forces would also tell you that Virginia supports these policies too.
We don’t.
All throughout the state, protests continue to be organized and executed with fervent efficiency. Organic demonstrations like the first at Dulles Airport have become the norm rather than the exception, and our proximity to Washington D.C. means that each and every march has a large delegation of folks from the commonwealth.
On February 7th, Prince William County residents held a protest against the new administration's policies in Manassas (their second, in fact.) On the 4th, residents from throughout Northern Virginia came together to write postcards and letters to their representatives. Rallies in Richmond and Northern Virginia have been held to fight for the Affordable Care Act, and Virginia Beach recently held their own protest against the travel ban.
Virginia persists. Despite what the Republicans in the House of Delegates may say, our state is spearheading the resistance against the White House.
Our Attorney General — Mark Herring — was one of the first state-level attorneys to file suit against the Trump Administration. The suit forced the administration to release information all of the visas that had been suspended as a result of the ban. He was also able to begin welcoming students who had been detained or otherwise blocked by the travel ban afterward.
This is just the beginning, too. This weekend, the National Organization for Women is hosting “After the March and Next Steps” meetings all over, including one in Northern Virginia which already has over 100 RSVPs.
This year, we have all 100 House of Delegate seats up for grabs, as well as races for Governor, Lt. Governor, and Attorney General. Help us continue this fight with a large-scale electoral response that tells the Trump Administration that we stand with women, refugees, minorities, and all people.
Help us tell them that we stand for Progress.