Republican Lt. Gov.-elect Winsome Sears made history Tuesday night when she became the first Black woman in Virginia to be elected as the state’s lieutenant governor.
The former marine won approximately 51.1% of the vote. Sears beat out State Del. Hala Ayala.
“In case you haven’t noticed, I am Black and I have been Black all my life, but that’s not what this is about. What we are going to do is we are going to now be about the business of the commonwealth. We have things to attend to, we are going to fully fund our historically Black colleges and universities. You’re going to hear from your governor-elect,” Sears told supporters during her victory speech.
“And he’s got a Day One plan that I’m already tired about. I don’t know how we’re gonna make it to Day Two, but he’s gonna make sure we keep more of our money in our pockets, because he’s gonna get rid of all kinds of taxes.”
Sears touted her love for the U.S. while also paying homage to her Jamaican roots: “When I joined the Marine Corps, I was still a Jamaican. But this country had done so much for me, I was willing, willing, to die for this country.”
Born in Jamaica, Sears immigrated to the United States with her family as a child. Before heading into politics, she served as the director of a Salvation Army homeless shelter and previously served as vice president of the Virginia Board of Education. Sears a term in the House of Delegates from 2002 to 2004, representing the 90th district.
She recently weighed in on the ongoing Critical Race Theory debate and legal battles: “If Critical Race Theory means that telling a child that once you emerge from the womb you are a racist and a colonizer and whatever else, that’s not going to be good. That’s going to create morale problems for everybody,” Sears told the Virginia Mercury. “If we’re going to teach about African American history, why just keep it to one month? Let’s teach it throughout. Let’s talk about these things. You can’t escape history. Let’s talk about the good, the bad and the ugly.”
Sears has vowed to increase funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
