The significance of Virginia Lt. Gov.-elect Winsome Sears’ victory cannot be overstated. But her victory is significant not only because she is a black woman and the “first” of her race and gender to hold the office of lieutenant governor in Virginia, but also because she has been described as an anti-racist. Sears does not buy into a victimhood that characterizes the Democratic Party’s view of people of color.
In her victory address, she said, “I’m telling you that what you are looking at is the American dream.”
I can recall white racists joking at black students integrating a high-school in Arkansas and a university of Mississippi. Last week, love replaced hate and reversed polarization. Sears, her husband and their two daughters stood on a stage and were cheered by many people from Richmond, once the capital city of the Confederacy.
She recounted her personal story: “When my father came to this country (from Jamaica) Aug. 11 of 1963, he came at the height of the civil rights movement. … I said to him it was such a bad time for us, why did you come, and he said, ‘because America was where the jobs and the opportunities were.’ And he only came with $1.75, took any job he could find, and put himself through school. … He came and got me when I was 6 years old.”
Sears said when she joined the Marine Corps, she was still a Jamaica citizen, “but this country has done so much for me, I was willing to die for this country.”
She then drove a stake into the heart of Democrats’ appeal to racism, discrimination, and victimhood, which the party has sold to black people for generations.
“There are some who want to divide us, and we must not let that happen,” she said. “They would like us to believe we are back in 1963.”
She then talked about the progress she had made since then, and then she lowered the hammer. “We can live where we want,” she said. “We can eat where we want. We own the water fountains. We have had a black president elected twice. And here I am living proof.”
She could have mentioned that Virginia had elected a black governor before, Douglas Wilder.
Winsome Sears was a modern Democratic politician. When did that happen? This is a role model that can be used by everyone, not just minorities. A strong family, a sense of duty and love for America, a strong work ethic, and a refusal of allowing others to stop you from pursuing your American dream.
Some cable news commentators claimed that the Republican sweep of Virginia (Republicans also retook the House of Delegates) was due to large numbers of white racists voting.
New York Times columnist Charles Blow blamed “racial anxiety.” In addition to Sears’ profile, the incoming attorney general, Republican Jason Miyares, will be the state’s first Latino in that office. That charge doesn’t fly anymore.
Sears is the left’s worst nightmare. She is a shining example of how anyone can achieve their American dreams if they choose the right path. Glenn Youngkin, her governor-elect, and She are open about their Christian faith. However, the Democratic Party has become increasingly the home for secular progressives. Serious faith is popular in rural areas and the heartland. This is especially true when cancel culture, wakefulness, and critical-race theory are being imposed upon conservative voters.
The word “winsome” means “sweetly or innocently charming; winning; engaging.” Sears is all three. Sears is joined in this endeavor by other winners who have overcome similar obstacles. Two of the most well-known are Sen. Tim Scott, R.S.C., as Justice Clarence Thomas.
Sears joins a growing number people who refuse to accept the negative views of others as a barrier to their success.
There will be more as people of color realize they’ve been sold a lie by the left and that the future—their future—belongs to them and no one else.
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